
The Wind Hashira: Sanemi Shinazugawa versus the Water Hashira: Giyu Tomioka. (Both from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba).
Sanemi Shinazugawa[]
Sanemi Shinazugawa is the Wind Hashira. He is seen in the first Hashira Meeting, which takes place just after the Lower Moon 5: Rui and his fake spider family were killed. Sanemi Shinazugawa denies Nezuko Kamado (Tanjiro Kamado's little sister who turned into a Demon) to fight other Demons as a Demon Slayer and stabs Nezuko with no hesitation. Tanjiro Kamado immediately gets angry and rushes to face the Wind Hashira. Tanjiro Kamado then dodges the Wind Hashira's slash and lands a strong headbutt on the Wind Hashira's forehead, causing the Wind Hashira to fall to the ground and proceeds to get a nosebleed.
In the Hashira Training Arc, Sanemi Shinazugawa decides to "teach" endurance lessons to the lower-ranking Demon Slayers. Later, he is seen to spar with the Water Hashira (Giyu Tomioka) using wooden swords. The sparring match ends in a tie, thus showing that the two have equal swordsmanship skills. However, the Wind Hashira implores that he and the Water Hashira continue the fight using their fists. But Tanjiro Kamado interrupts and tells the two to stop fighting, Sanemi Shinazugawa then proceeds to knock Tanjiro Kamado unconscious.
In the Infinity Castle Arc, Sanemi Shinazugawa was able to easily kill Lower Moon-level Demons. Later, he saves his younger brother (Genya Shinazugawa) from the Upper Moon One: Kokushibo. The Wind Hashira proceeds to fight the Upper Moon One: Kokushibo, and does quite well against him. Kokushibo even compliments Sanemi Shinazugawa's endurance, as he took a slash to the abdomen and still continued to move. Then, the Stone Hashira (Gyomei Himejima) arrives and saves Sanemi from the Upper Moon Demon. The Stone Hashira then proceeds to fight with Kokushibo while Sanemi Shinazugawa bandages his injuries. After the Wind Hashira finishes bandaging himself, he unlocks his Demon Slayer Mark. With the Demon Slayer Mark, the Wind Hashira gains higher strength and speed stats. He is able to fight Kokushibo with Gyomei Himejima, while also clashing his weapon with the Stone Hashira's weapon in order to turn both Nichirin Blades into Bright-Red Nichirin Blades. While the two struggle more as Kokushibo starts using more hazardous Moon Breathing forms, the Mist Hashira: Muichiro Tokito and Genya Shinazugawa weaken the Upper Moon One (Muichiro Tokito manages to stab Kokushibo with a Bright-Red Nichirin Blade, Genya Shinazugawa shoots Kokushibo with a Nichirin Gun, both attacks weaken the Upper Moon One a lot). Due to these attacks, Sanemi Shinazugawa and Gyomei Himejima are able to decapitate the weakened Upper Moon One. However, this is meaningless, as the Upper Moon One gains head decapitation immunity and regrows his head. Kokushibo then sees his monstrous appearance in the reflection of Sanemi Shinazugawa's Nichirin Blade and loses the will to fight. Kokushibo then stops himself from regenerating which allows the Wind Hashira and Stone Hashira to kill the Upper Moon One. However, Genya Shinazugawa and Muichiro Tokito are found to be dead, with the Wind Hashira and the Stone Hashira mourning over their deaths, before they head to fight Muzan Kibutsuji.
In the fight against 1st Drug Muzan, Sanemi Shinazugawa manages to land a few hits on the Demon King. However, he is unable to react to Muzan's huge shockwave attack, so he is saved by Giyu Tomioka and Gyomei Himejima. However, all the Hashira are sent into walls after this attack. Later, Sanemi Shinazugawa manages to hold down a weakened Muzan along with all the Hashira, Demon Slayers and Kakushi, which leads to the Demon King being burned by the sun.
Sanemi is a Wind Breathing master:
- First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter - The user dashes forward at blinding speeds and slashes continuously in a horizontal cyclone pattern.
- Second Form: Claws, Purifying Wind - The user lifts the sword upwards towards the right, above their head and unleashes four vertical slashes at once down on the enemy resembling claws.
- Third Form: Clean Storm Wind Tree - The user unleashes a whirlwind of slashes around their body that can defend them from incoming attacks and slice up their surroundings.
- Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm - The user releases several slashes above them from below their target.
- Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind - The user creates several circular arched slashes that increase in size from above their target.
- Sixth Form: Black Wind Mountain Mist - The user rotates their body in an uppercut movement, creating a tornado of slashes.
- Seventh Form: Gale, Sudden Gusts - The user leaps into the air while swinging their blade which generates gale-force winds to shred their opponent apart.
- Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash - The user leaps into the air and swings their blade which generates circular torrents of wind that slices up the opponent instantly.
- Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon - The user backflips into the air and while upside-down, unleashes a powerful gust of circular wind that slashes apart anything below.
Sanemi Shinazugawa is amazing at offence, due to being a Wind Breathing master. Sanemi Shinazugawa also ranks 4th in the Hashira Physical Strength Ranking and 2nd in the Hashira Running Speed Ranking. Sanemi Shinazugawa arguably has the best endurance out of all the Hashira. He also has great adaptability in battle, as seen where he uses Genya Shinazugawa's sword and gun against Kokushibo and lights Muzan on fire using oil.
Giyu Tomioka[]
Giyu Tomioka is the Water Hashira. He is seen in the first episode of Demon Slayer, where he attempts to kill the demon, Nezuko Kamado, but upon seeing her protect her human brother, Tanjiro Kamado, he decides to spare her. Later, Giyu Tomioka is seen in the Spider Arc, where he and Shinobu were sent to help the Demon Slayers who were losing the upperhand against the Lower Moon 5: Rui. However, Giyu managed to save Inosuke from the Spider Father Demon and slay it. And he also later managed to kill the Lower Moon 5 with ease while saving Tanjiro. Much later on, Giyu gets angry when he learns that Tanjiro abandoned Water Breathing for Sun Breathing (referred as "Hinokami Kagura"). Giyu then says that Tanjiro should've kept using Water Breathing and become the Water Hashira, then he reveals his backstory where he and Sabito were at the same Final Selection, and Sabito killed almost all the demons on the mountain but died while fighting the Hand Demon as his sword broke from slaying so many demons. Later on, in the Infinity Castle Arc, Giyu and Tanjiro both encounter the Upper Moon 3: Akaza. Upon seeing Giyu's Breathing Style, Akaza says that it had been 50 years since he had ran into someone this strong. During the fight, Giyu managed to save Tanjiro over 3 times, but was at one point kicked out of the battle by one of Akaza's strongest attacks. However, upon returning, Giyu obtains his Demon Slayer Mark and then manages to go on par with Akaza, which Akaza praised. Giyu managed to fight against a serious Akaza, something that the Flame Hashira: Kyojuro Rengoku, couldn't do. Later, even with a dead, bleeding arm, Giyu still manages to take on 1st Drug Muzan and later, Demon King Tanjiro. When it comes to stamina, Giyu ranks highly in this out of most of the Hashiras.
Giyu is a Water Breathing master, and even managed to create his own 11th Form of Water Breathing:
- First Form: Water Surface Slash - The user crosses their arms and generates enough momentum to release a singular, concentrated slash which is often horizontal.
- Second Form: Water Wheel - The user leaps forward into the air and performs a front flip, releasing a singular vertical slash in a circular motion.
- Third Form: Flowing Dance - The user swings and bends their blade in a winding motion along with their body and dances in a flowing pattern, slicing everything in its path.
- Fourth Form: Striking Tide - The user performs a multitude of slashes in a flowing fashion to release multiple consecutive slashes.
- Striking Tide, Turbulent - An improved version of the Fourth Form: Striking Tide. The user increases the quantity of consecutive strikes and slashes along with improving its accuracy in order to contact a specific target during a chaotic situation.
- Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought - The user changes the grip on their sword and decapitates the opponent in a single flowing strike that causes little to no pain. It is a “sword strike of kindness” used when the enemy willingly surrenders.
- Sixth Form: Whirlpool - The user twists their body, using their blade to perform a fierce whirling motion which generates a whirlpool of air to shred apart anything caught within its current.
- Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust - The user performs a precise, fast and accurate thrust with their blade
- Drop Ripple Thrust, Curve - A modified strike that hits from a specific angle corresponding to the sword's structure which nearly nullifies the impact and momentum of a moving object.
- Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin - The user cuts the target vertically in a flowing motion which is most effective when they are falling downward.
- Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent - The user changes their footwork in a way that minimizes the landing time and surface needed when landing, allowing the user to move without limits. Ideal when fighting in a place with no solid foothold.
- Tenth Form: Constant Flux - The user charges toward the target whilst performing a continuous flowing attack with their blade which increases in strength and speed over time using momentum.
- Eleventh Form: Dead Calm - The personal creation of the current Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka. The user ceases all body movements and enters a state of complete tranquility, deflecting, blocking and cutting any incoming attacks with imperceptible speed with their blade. However, its effectiveness is limited as fast and numerous attacks can break through.
Giyu is also the third most experienced Hashira and is very good in swordsmanship, as seen when he tied in sparring with the Wind Hashira: Sanemi. Giyu's Reaction Speed is also arguably the best out of all the Hashiras, since he was reacting to serious Akaza's attacks and he and Gyomei were the only Hashira who managed to react to 1st Drug Muzan's fast whip attack which managed to knock out all the Hashiras (but thanks to Giyu and Gyomei, they were saved). He also ranked 5th place in the Hashira Physical Strength Ranking and 6th place in the Hashira Running Speed Ranking.