Summary
- Zenitsu’s unique ability to fight while asleep stems from his Thunder Clap and Flash technique, mastered through muscle memory.
- Zenitsu’s unparalleled sense of hearing in his unconscious state allows him to locate demons and attack with precision.
- Zenitsu’s unconscious fighting style symbolizes his untapped potential and hints at his future battles with powerful demons.
Every character in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba is truly unforgettable because of their unique personality and combat abilities. Zenitsu Agatsuma is one such character whose fighting style is one of the most peculiar ones in the series.
During the first few episodes of Demon Slayer when Zenitsu is introduced, many consider him a coward. However, soon after, we are introduced to a unique ability of his which is fighting when he is asleep. While awake, he is extremely scared of demons, but he becomes a whole other beast when he is asleep. What exactly is the science behind his unique powers and how is he able to fight when he is unconscious?
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How Zenitsu Mastered The Art Of Fighting While Asleep
Thunder Clap And Flash
In Demon Slayer, the Thunder Breathing technique is a unique style used in battle. This technique enhances the user’s speed and allows them to land quick and powerful strikes. What makes Zenitsu considerably different is that while others use multiple techniques within their breathing style, Zenitsu only knows one style, known as the Thunder Clap and Flash.
This does not make him bad in any sense as he has mastered it to a great extent. He displays amazing speed while using Thunder Clap and Flash, making it very hard for his enemies to predict his attacks. However, the twist is that he can only use this technique while unconscious.
How Does The Technique Work
The idea of Zenitsu fighting while asleep might feel ridiculous, but there could be a possible science behind it. Oftentimes, when Zenitsu encounters a demon, he gets too scared and passes out, which activates his hidden potential. His using the Thunderclap and Flash might be a result of this muscle memory, as he used to train and perfect this technique for hours on end.
The question that might come to the mind is that why does his skill only activate when he is asleep? A good reason is that while he is awake he is constantly panicking in the face of danger, which hinders his abilities. However, when he is unconscious and free from all the fear he is able to unlock his true potential.
Don’t ever give up. Even if it’s painful, even if it’s agonizing, don’t try to take the easy way out – Zenitsu
Therefore in a way, Zenitsu relies completely on instinct during his fights. A lot of credit for his power goes to Jigoro Kuwajima, his grandpa, who was also a former thunder-breathing Hashira. Another thing is that his ability resembles a lot of some real-world sleeping disorders, like sleepwalking or the REM sleep behavior disorder, which makes people actually act out their dreams.
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Amazing Hearing Ability
Another thing that helps Zenitsu greatly as he fights when he is sleeping is his spectacular sense of hearing. Especially when he is in an unconscious state, his hearing gets boosted, and he is able to hear even the tiniest of sounds and even differentiate between multiple ones.
Therefore, he can locate demons and their positions, allowing him to attack with great precision. Using his hearing, he is also able to feel another person’s emotions and thoughts, which is a great feat on its own. He can easily differentiate between a human and a demon by listening to the sounds they make.
In a way, the unconscious fighting style Zenitsu used serves as a metaphor for his untapped potential and his role as more than just as a comic relief. It would be very interesting to see how he manages to fight with some of the most powerful demons using his style in the future.