Episode 10 of Demon Slayer season 2 showed us the defeat of Daki and Gyutaro at the hands of our three main demon slayers, as Tanjiro and the rest of the gang dug deep to sever the heads of their formidable foes. Specifically, we saw Zenitsu striking in an instant to cut off Daki’s head with the assistance of Inosuke. The way he did it was through a variant of his trusty Thunderclap and Flash called God Speed. But how fast is Zenitsu and his God Speed?
Zenitsu’s First Form: Thunderclap and Flash is already fast enough that he performs it at blinding speeds. God Speed is like Thunderclap and Flash on steroids in the sense that not even a powerful demon like Daki could see it coming. As such, God Speed is most likely at least twice as fast as his First Form.
There is no doubt that Zenitsu is one of the fastest characters on the entire series, as he may arguably be up there at the top in terms of pure speed. However, given the fact that Demon Slayer doesn’t always measure speed or power levels, it can be difficult to put a number on this. But we will try our best to make you understand just how fast Zenitsu is.
How Fast Is Zenitsu?
One of the fastest characters on the entire Demon Slayer anime is Zenitsu Agatsuma, who is one of the three main demon slayer characters on the anime alongside Tanjiro and Inosuke. And what separates him from Tanjiro’s technical and balanced style and Inosuke’s brutish breathing technique is his speed.
Owing to the fact that he trained in the Thunder Breathing style, Zenitsu’s swordsmanship relies on his raw speed. He uses his speed and quickness to basically blitz his opponents and defeat them in one blinding strike. However, given the fact that he initially lacked confidence in himself and that he could be quite a coward, Zenitsu could only use his techniques whenever he was not conscious.
Then again, we have seen time and time again just how fast Zenitsu is whenever he is in his unconscious state. Powerful demons have bowed out to him because of his amazing speed and whenever he uses First Form: Thunderclap and Flash. But just how fast is Zenitsu?
It was revealed in season 1 of Demon Slayer that the only technique that Zenitsu can perform in the Thunder Breathing style is Thunderclap and Flash. But he has mastered this technique to a level that he can literally do it in his sleep. That is why, when performing this technique, he is much faster than almost any other character in the series.
But the series never actually put numbers on how fast their characters are, as Demon Slayer isn’t known to measure speed and power levels, unlike other anime. Then again, the eye test will show that Zenitsu’s Thunderclap and Flash is extremely fast because he can perform it at blinding speeds such that not even the augmented physiology of demons can react quickly.
Then again, the good news is that Hulu Japan posted an official number regarding Zenitsu’s speed whenever he is performing Thunderclap and Flash.
Basically, the post says that he is as fast as 172.1 km/h whenever he performs his Thunderclap and Flash move. While that doesn’t sound like it’s fast enough, take note that the fastest foot speed ever recorded on a human is 43.99 km/h, a record that belongs to Usain Bolt.
So, given the fact that Zenitsu’s Thunderclap and Flash is nearly four times the speed of the fastest human running speed ever recorded, there is no argument against the fact that this move is extremely fast.
Does Zenitsu Have Super Speed?
One of the things that you need to know about the Demon Slayer anime is none of the human demon slayers actually have powers or superhuman abilities. These characters have always been regular humans but were trained in breathing styles that allowed them to maximize or break the limits of their regular human physiology.
So, even if you do see streaks of water or thunder in the background whenever characters like Tanjiro and Zenitsu perform their moves, these are simply stylistic ways of portraying the character’s moves.
Given that fact, Zenitsu doesn’t have super speed but was trained hard enough that he has maximized his speed. Of course, given the fact that he was trained in the Thunder Breathing style, he uses his breathing to augment his physical abilities and perform feats that are quite superhuman in terms of how amazing they are.
But, as far as the anime is concerned, Zenitsu doesn’t have super speed or any other superhuman capabilities because he is simply a regular human being. It’s just that the breathing style he uses allows his speed to go past the limits of what regular humans can achieve.
How Fast Is Zenitsu’s God Speed?
Episode 10 of Demon Slayer season 2 showed us what the trio of Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke can do when they lay it all on the line. And the amazing part was that they were able to assist Uzui Tengen, the Sound Hashira, in killing the Upper Six duo of Daki and Gyutaro while basically stealing the show.
In that regard, Zenitsu himself also stole part of the episode when he showcased a new move that allowed him to move at greater speeds than ever before. Called God Speed, Zenitsu was able to catch Daki seemingly off-guard to slice her head. While Daki pushed her neck back as far as possible to prevent Zenitsu from fully decapitating her, the timely assistance from Inosuke allowed the yellow-headed boy to completely sever the head off her shoulders.
Throughout season 2, we have seen Zenitsu using his Thunderclap and Flash against Daki. Although his movements were fast, he was never fast enough to completely catch her off guard until he used his God Speed in episode 10. So, just how fast is Zenitsu’s God Speed?
What you should know about God Speed is that this isn’t a new technique. As mentioned, Zenitsu (with the exception of his Seventh Form) can only perform one Thunder Breathing technique, and that is the First Form. That means that God Speed is simply a variety of Thunderclap and Flash.
With that, God Speed is Thunderclap and Flash on steroids because what happens is that Zenitsu simply performs his regular Thunderclap and Flash but is augmented by God Speed so that he can improve the speed and power of his First Form. In that regard, God Speed is most likely several times faster than the regular Thunderclap and Flash, but we cannot really put a number on how fast it is.
It is safe to say that it is at least two to three times faster than the regular Thunderclap and Flash because Daki already struggled to keep up with Zenitsu in his regular First Form speed. However, God Speed completely caught her off guard, even though she was still able to find a way to resist getting her head cut off completely.
Of course, it is worthy to note that Zenitsu, at this point in time, can only perform the technique twice before his legs give out. That is the price he pays for such a powerful technique, as he pushes his legs to the limit whenever he uses God Speed.
Is Zenitsu The Fastest Character In Demon Slayer?
Demon Slayer is full of different characters that thrive on speed rather than on pure power. For example, the Hashira themselves are quite fast because they would need to be fast enough to be able to keep up with demons that have augmented physical capabilities. This means that Zenitsu has his work cut out for him.
Among all of the Hashira, it said by the fanbook that the fastest in terms of running speed is the Sound Hashira Uzui Tengen, who was able to display his amazing speed during the events of season 2 of Demon Slayer.
However, Kocho Shinobu isn’t someone you would actually consider slow as well. Even though she is only ranked fourth in pure running speed, in the manga, she was able to surprise the Upper Moon Rank Two with her speed, as the demon himself stated that she was probably the fastest Hashira he has ever faced.
Then again, if we were to count the characters who may not be demon slayers but used to belong to the corps, Kaigaku can stand up to Zenitsu in terms of speed. For those who don’t know, Zenitsu and Kaigaku learned from the same master, with the latter being the senior. Kaigaku, who also knows Thunder Breathing, succeeded Daki and Gyutaro as the new Upper Rank Six in the manga when he became a demon himself.
Considering that Kaigaku mastered all of the Thunder Breathing forms except for the first form, he is likely faster than Zenitsu. And after becoming a demon, his Thunder Breathing techniques became a reality because he could actually generate and make use of thunder and electricity when performing his moves.
So, even with God Speed, Zenitsu was unable to match Kaigaku’s raw speed. However, in the manga, his original Seventh Form allowed him to overpower his former senpai. As such, right now, Zenitsu isn’t the fastest character in the anime. But he will get there once he unveils his Seventh Form.
