Why Does Inosuke Wear a Mask in Demon Slayer? Explained!

Inosuke Hashibara is one of the most intriguing Demon Slayer characters. Not only is he a self-taught Demon Slayer, but he also has a very quirky personality and despite his unrefined behavior, he is also one of the most beloved characters in the series. Inosuke has several trademarks that make him stand out among other Demon Slayer characters and his mask is definitely one of the most striking ones. In this article, we are going to tell you why Inosuke wears his trademark boar mask.

Inosuke Hashibara wears a hollowed-out boar head as a mask, which is later revealed to have belonged to his adoptive mother. Namely, as a child, Inosuke was adopted and raised by boars, which is why he considers himself to be a boar and wears a boar mask as a sign of gratitude and respect towards his late mother.

In the rest of this article, we are going to tell you what you need to know about the issue of Inosuke Hashibara and his trademark boar mask. We now know the reasons behind his wearing the mask, but we are also going to explain all the other relevant details you need to know. If you’re not fully up to date with Demon Slayer, there might be some spoilers ahead.

What does Inosuke Hashibara look like and why does he wear a boar mask?

Inosuke is a young man of normal height and fair complexion who has a very toned and muscular body for his age. His midsection and arms especially have enormous, defined muscles. He has a strikingly attractive and feminine face, with big eyes framed by a row of long lashes.

The blue-tinged tips on his thick, black hair that hangs to just above his shoulders make an untidy, uneven fringe that sits just above his eyes. Inosuke only wears the hakama pants as part of his modified Demon Slayer outfit. The thick belt is composed of fluffy brown animal fur and fastens around the hips of the dark gray-blue-toned pants.

The usual cloth wraps are replaced with knee-high socks made of furry fur, exposing his heels and toes. His most distinctive feature is, of course, the grey, hollowed-out boar’s head, which he wears to mask his own head. But the eyes have been removed so that he can see something through them.

Now, Inosuke is the only such character in the series and the boar mark is definitely his trademark element. But, where did he get it? Did he just kill a random boar and take its head? Why a boar? Well, in order to clarify that, we have to dig deeper into Inosuke’s backstory.

Inosuke was born into a completely dysfunctional family. His father was an alcoholic man and frequently mistreated his mother, Kotoha, to the point of one day beating her to such a degree that she almost went bling as a result of his beatings.

Tired of her mistreatment and that her mother-in-law did nothing to prevent it, Kotoha fled with her baby in her arms, ending up in the lion’s den, where she meets Doma the Upper Moon Two and the cult of his worshipers. For some reason, Doma chose not to kill her as he found her very beautiful and she made him feel relaxed; however, everything changed one night when Kotoha discovers that Doma devoured his followers.

Terrified, she fled seeking refuge in a human village but ended up hiding in the mountains until she finally got lost reaching the edge of a large cliff where cornered, she regrets not being able to protect her son and decides to throw him there thinking that he would survive the fall. Finally, Doma arrives and kills Kotoha by devouring her until there is nothing left of her. Inosuke would be found by a herd of wild boars who raised him as one of their own. This is why Inosuke thinks of himself as a boar and not a human, although he is aware that he is not an actual boar.

The boar mask is, thus, gratitude towards the boars that raised him. It has a very deep and personal meaning for Inosuke, which makes it even more interesting, despite the fact that it is a very sad and depressive story. Now, if you were wondering which boar it is, it was Inosuke’s boar mother, as it was revealed in the manga. No details have been provided, but we know that Inosuke’s adoptive mother died at some point and he then made the mask from her head; a bit morbid, but seeing how he was raised as an animal, it makes perfect sense in Inosuke’s case.

Does Inosuke Hashibara behave like a boar?

Inosuke was extremely temperamental, impulsive, short-tempered, and full of inordinate pride. His pride was such that he was even willing to fight opponents who were technically stronger than him. He was not the kind of person who would stop to think about the level difference between him and his opponent, which often put him in serious danger of dying.

This has happened on several occasions, such as when he was convinced that he could defeat the Upper Six Moons, Daki and Gyutaro, after being influenced by Tengen Uzui’s words. He sometimes had trouble admitting defeat to him, so he was a sore loser and was always trying to compete against Tanjiro Kamado and provoke him into fighting him, failing miserably in his attempts.

Despite this, Inosuke deep down seemed to have an insecurity that he hid with his arrogant attitude for not knowing how to adapt to those around him and because of his fear of being rejected for being different. His low self-esteem is revealed after his defeat against one of the Spider Demons and later humiliation by the Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka, even apologizing to his teammates for his weakness. Because he grew up alone in the mountains, Inosuke had a lot of problems when he had to interact with others and only took records of himself most of the time.

However, as time passes, he becomes more influenced by the kindness and good deeds of the people around him, and he also begins to think and use strategies before facing an opponent. Every time he interacted with other people that he did not know, the first thing he did was assume that he was an enemy and that he thought of attacking him ready to fight him, this may be due to having grown up surrounded by wild animals which, as an instinctive reaction to danger or towards something unknown they are on guard ready to defend themselves against any possible threat.

Similar to Tanjiro, Inosuke lacked common sense and was easily amazed by things and places he had never seen before. When they were about to go to the train where the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, was, Inosuke was put on guard and assumed that the train was the “boss” of that place and was prepared to fight against it, being stopped and suppressed by Zenitsu.

Over the course of the series, Inosuke became more centered and focused on his missions as a demon slayer, as demonstrated during the mission in the Entertainment District when he infiltrated as a courtesan and was quietly investigating the possibility of a demon’s presence there. place, demonstrating also possess a competent ability to analyze and intuit.

And, after this analysis of his personality, we can see that the author really managed to accommodate Inosuke’s personality to his outward appearance. As a child raised by boars, Inosuke behaves like an animal, most notably a boar, and his socialization over the chapters and episodes of Demon Slayer was always a source of humor because he had absolutely no filter or notion as to what needs to be said and what needs to be avoided. This is what makes Inosuke so special and why he is such a beloved character, and why his personality reflects his style and vice versa.