The Demon Slayer Mark Explained!
Check out our awesome collection of Demon Slayer Earrings.
The Demon Slayer Mark is one of the most exciting sets of powers introduced later on in Demon Slayer. This new power is extremely hard to obtain, but the benefits that the Demon Slayers get by obtaining the Slayer Mark outweigh any and all back draws. By attaining the Demon Slayer Mark, the Demon Slayers can not only get a massive edge against the unbeatable Upper-Rank Demons. But the Slayer Mark also attests to a Demon Slayers’ exceptional talent. The powers gained through the Demon Slayer Mark are exceptional, and they dramatically impact a Demon Slayers’ fighting ability.
But you may be wondering, what is this mysterious Demon Slayer Mark? How does it actually affect a Demon Slayers Fighting ability? And most of all, why was the Demon Slayer Mark introduced so late in the series? And why, even the current Hashira never had them?
In this blog, we will go over everything you need to know about the Demon Slayer Mark. Their effect, the history of the Demon Slayer Mark, and the price that the Demon Slayers have to pay in order to use them. So, buckle up, and let’s just get into it.
What is the Demon Slayer Mark?
The Demon Slayer Mark is a mysterious and unique set of markings that appear on the bodies of Strong Breath Style Users. These markings are identical to the Demon Crests that the Demons have. The Demon Slayer Markings take on the shape of a birthmark, tattoo, or Scar. Every Demon Slayer Mark is unique to the Breath Style of the bearer, and as mentioned before, they symbolize unparalleled skill, strength, and exceptional ability.
What does the Demon Slayer Mark do?
Check out our Tanjiro Earrings.
As mentioned at the start of the article, the Demon Slayer Mark impacts a Demon Slayers’ fighting ability. But you may be wondering, to what extent?
In practice, the Demon Slayer Mark enhances a Demon Slayers’ physical abilities to unprecedented heights and allows the Marked Slayers to tap into an improved version of their respective Breath Style. This higher version of Breath Style enables the Demon Slayers to use boosted versions of their Breath Techniques that go beyond the capability of a standard Breath style. The Slayer Mark Increases the bearer’s overall speed and strength, allowing them to rival even the strongest Demons like the Upper-Rank Demons.
The Demon Slayer Mark also gives the Demon Slayers Nichirin Blade a bright reddish tint. This Red Nichirin Blade has the remarkable ability to hamper and significantly decrease any and all regeneration abilities of the Upper-Rank Demons. Standard Nichirin blades are only able to impact routine to Lower Rank Demons. But when with this remarkable ability to ignite the Nichirin Blade, a Marked Demon Slayer can properly damage the Upper-Rank Demons.
But, the benefits of the Demon Slayer Mark don’t just stop there. After activating the Slayer Mark, the Demon Slayer can access enhanced senses, which allows them to see and perceive blood flow, muscle movement, and joint activity. This helps a Marked Demon Slayer predict the actions of their opponents and confirm the physical condition of their injured comrades.
In addition to all of this, the Marked Demon Slayer also gets Hyper-Perception, allowing them to perceive the world around them at a much faster rate. This ability is called Transparent World, and it makes the Demon Slayers feel as if the world around them is moving in slow motion. In essence, this increases their reaction time by leaps and bounds, shaping the Marked Demon Slayers a force to be reckoned with.
All of these skills make a Demon Slayer Mark one of the most important abilities any Demon Slayer can get. But why did the Hashira, or more experienced Demon Slayers like Sakonji Urokodaki, never had a mark, despite their exceptional talent?
For that, we need to look into the history of the Demon Slayer Mark. As it was revealed in Demon Slayer Chapter 128 and other revealing chapters.
The History of the Demon Slayer Mark?
In Demon Slayer Chapter 128, Ubuyashiki Amane, the wife of Kagaya Ubuyashiki, headed the Demon Corps meeting with the Hashira because of her husband’s failing health and revealed some interesting facts about the Demon Slayer Mark. Although even she did not know much about the Demon Slayer mark. But from the surviving accounts from old Demon Slayer Corps records, she deduced that the Slayer Mark had exceptional abilities. She also revealed that during the golden era of the Demon Slayer Corps, the Demon Slayers of the Sengoku Era, who were just one step away from ending Kibutsuji Muzan, had the Demon Slayer Mark. But since then, no other documented accounts of a Demon Slayer unlocking their Demon Slayer Mark were observed. So, all knowledge about getting the Demon Slayer Mark was lost to time. Or destroyed in one of the many scuffles against Muzan.
However, later on, in Demon Slayer Chapter 177/178, we get more details about the Demon Slayer Mark in the accounts of Kokushibo reminiscing about his past. Here, the past of the first Sun Breath Style user, Yoriichi Tsugikun, was revealed. Yoriichi was the first Demon Slayer to have been born with the Demon Slayer Mark, and he essentially founded all the Breath Styles that we know today. After leaving his house, Yoriichi went on to teach his sword style to the Demon Slayers, and the talented among those Demon Slayers unlocked their unique Demon Slayers Marks by resonating with Yoriichi’s Demon Slayer Mark.
So, this reveals that a Demon Slayer Mark is obtained by resonating with someone who already has a Slayer Mark. This was also confirmed in the preceding Demon Slayer Chapter 122. Ubuyashiki Amane mentioned this as a fact and even shed light on Tanjiro’s Scar, which mysteriously seemed to grow after each battle.
Ubuyashiki Amane mentions that Tanjiro is the first Demon Slayer in their time to unlock the Demon Slayer Mark. And it was his presence that led to the two Hashira unlocking their Demon Slayer Mark.
Tanjiro Demon Slayer Mark:
Tanjiro unlocked his Demon Slayer Mark in Demon Slayer chapter 94, in the battle against the true Upper-Rank Six Demon, Gyutaro. This was the first time Tanjiro used his Demon Slayer Mark. And by using its ability, he was finally able to turn the battle in his favor. Tanjiro’s ability in those moments not only surprised Gyutaro, but Tanjiro was also able to decapitate an Upper-Rank Demon. This feat, after his battle against Lower Rank 5 Demon Rui, is not only surprising. But also revealing just how powerful the Demon Slayer Mark actually is.
After Tanjiro first unlocked his Demon Slayer Mark, he went into another battle with Tokito and Kanroji. As mentioned before, in the battle against Upper-Rank Four Demon, Hantengu and his clones, the two Hashira resonated with Tanjiro’s Mark and obtained the Demon Slayer Mark.
But that does make you wonder, why are Tanjiro’s closest companions, Zenitsu and Inosuke, still markless? Well, for that, we have to jump into our next section, which is;
How to get the Demon Slayer Mark?
Getting the Demon Slayer Mark is one of the hardest and luck-based processes in Demon Slayer. No other Demon Slayers after the Sengoku Era Demon Slayers were able to get the Mark no matter how hard they tried. We already know that the Demon Slayer Mark is obtained by resonating with a Breath Style User, who already has the Demon Slayer Mark. But, resonating with a Demon Slayer Mark is not an easy process.
The resonating is done by increasing one’s heart rate by over 200 BPM and getting a body temperature of over 39° Celsius or 102.2° Fahrenheit. This is an exceptional life-threatening situation that can quickly end one’s life if prolonged for more than a few minutes.
But getting the Demon Slayer Mark is just the start of a long journey.
The Curse of the Demon Slayer Mark:
Getting the Demon Slayer Mark is already an arduous process. But even after obtaining the Slayer Mark, maintaining the power of the Demon Slayer Mark is a challenge in itself. The toll of the Slayer Mark on the Demon Slayers’ body is so tremendous that according to Kokushibo, not a single person Marked Demon Slayer was able to live past the age of 25. But Gyomei Himejime, the Stone Hashira, actually confronted Kokushibo on his claims. And was somehow able to live past that notion. Gyomei Survived the night, which Kokushibo said he would not be able to but still ended on a sad note due to his life-threatening injuries.
But that can’t be said to be true for other Marked Demon Slayers. Tanjirou’s father probably succumbed to the illness of Mark and passed away. And almost all marked companions that Yoriichi had, fell to their end because of the marks curse. Of course, the only confirmed living account that we have of someone surviving past 25 is Yoriichi himself. So, the Demon Slayer may be able to survive if they are the descendants of Yoriichi himself, like Tanjiro, but the same can’t be said for the six Hashira who awakened their Demon Slayer Mark to fight Muzan.
Hashira Slayer Mark:
Due to such difficulty and such a high price, only the six surviving Hashira were able to unlock the Demon Slayer Mark. No other lower-ranked Demon Slayer except Tanjiro was able to unlock the Slayer Mark in even the most egregious situations.
The Hashira that developed the Demon Slayer Mark are mentioned as follows in their unlocking order;
Check out our Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito Cosplay here.
The first Hashira to unlock their Demon Slayer Mark was the Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito. He unlocked his Slayer Mark in Demon Slayer Chapter 121 during his fight against Upper-Rank Five Demon, Gyokko.
Check out our Water Hashira Giyu Tomioka Cosplay here.
The third Hashira to unlock their Demon Slayer Mark was the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka. He unlocked his Slayer Mark in Demon Slayer Chapter 150 during his fight against Upper-Rank Three Demon, Akaza.Check out our Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima Cosplay here.
The fourth Hashira to unlock their Demon Slayer Mark was the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima. He unlocked his Slayer Mark in Demon Slayer Chapter 169 during his fight against Upper Rank 1 Demon, Kokushibo.
Check out our Wind Hashira Sanemi Shinazugawa Cosplay here.
The fifth Hashira to unlock their Demon Slayer Mark was the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa. He unlocked his Slayer Mark in Demon Slayer Chapter 170 during his fight against Upper Rank 1 Demon, Kokushibo.Check out our Serpent Hashira Obanai Iguro Cosplay here.
The sixth Hashira to unlock their Demon Slayer Mark was the Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro. He unlocked his Slayer Mark in Demon Slayer Chapter 189 during his fight against the one and only Muzan.Throughout Demon Slayer, two of our favorite characters, Zenitsu and Inosuke, were sadly unable to develop their Demon Slayer Marks because they never were able to fulfill the resonation requirements. But, despite that, their strength rivaled that of a Marked Hashira, and they were able to show just how powerful even an unmarked Demon Slayer can become just from training vigorously.
And finally, with that, we have come to the end of our article. Here we have gone through everything you needed to know about the Demon Slayer Mark. So, if you want to try your luck in becoming a Demon Slayer. And despite knowing the risks, want to unlock the Demon Slayer Mark one day, we recommend that you go ahead and watch JaxBlade’s video on the Demon Slayer Breath Training.
