Most, if not all, demon slayers use Nichirin Swords to eliminate demons. The swords even change color when the user yields them. However, anime fans noticed that Genya Shinazugawa prefers a gun over a sword.
Is there a reason behind this? How can a gun kill demons? Does he have more advantages than his peers?
Discover: Is Genya a Demon? Explained
Why Genya Uses a Gun
In Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc, viewers saw that Genya used a gun instead of a Nichirin sword to kill a demon. Why is that?
It was revealed that Genya could not use breathing styles. This is relevant as to why he did not use a Nichirin sword, as without any breathing style, there would be no power from Genya’s swordplay.
So to complete his missions, he uses a double-barreled pistol. The bullets are made of Scarlet Ore and Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand, which are also the same materials to make Nichirin blades.
Gyomei, the Stone Hashira, also trained Genya to use Repetitive Action, a technique similar to breathing styles. This act could improve all of his five senses, like Total Concentration Breathing.
With this special technique and his bullets, Genya could kill demons.
He sometimes uses a smaller Nichirin sword in case the bullets are not enough to eliminate the demon.
Why Genya Cannot Use Breathing Styles
Sadly, it was not explained in the anime and manga why Genya could not use breathing styles like other demon slayers.
It is even weirder when his brother, Sanemi Shinazugawa, a Hashira, can do it flawlessly, while Genya cannot.
We can only assume that he did not inherit that talent from his brother. On a brighter note, he did get the ability to acquire demon abilities for a while.
By consuming demon flesh, he temporarily gains the demon’s power. This also means that if Genya eats flesh from an Upper Rank, he gains some of its abilities.
He can get heightened sense, regeneration, or even their Blood Demon Art. Unfortunately, the abilities are temporary, and he soon returns to being human.
So even if Genya cannot use breathing styles, he is still a strong demon slayer.
His weapon, the gun, is ideal for long-ranged attacks that others cannot do. His demon flesh-eating ability further increases his chance to win against a demon as he is on the same level as them.
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