Demon Slayer’s popularity has been constantly rising since it first began its serialization. It got a further boost in its popularity when it was adapted into an anime. The plot revolves around Tanjirou Kamado, whose family was killed by the Demon King. Later, he joins the Demon Slayer Corps and goes on a journey to avenge his family. Apart from the story, it was the animation that stood out the most.
Demon Slayer season one mostly covered the Water Breathing Style. Several characters from season one was shown to use it, including Tomioka Giyu and Urokodaki Sakonji. Even the main protagonist also trained to learn the Water Breathing Style. The Water Breathing Style was a visual treat to the fans, but there was a lot of hard work that went into bringing it onto the screen.
Animators Had Their Hands Full With Water Breathing Style
The Water Breathing Style was the very first style that was showcased in Demon Slayer. Tomioka Giyu’s swift movements and detailed strikes magnified Water Breathing Style abilities and saved Tanjirou and his sister, Nezuko, from a demon. Being unable to protect his family, Tanjirou decided to join the Demon Slayer Corps to walk down the path of revenge and find a cure for his sister. Coincidentally, Tanjiro also mastered the Water Breathing Style and the animators’ schedule got busier.
When Yuma Takahashi, Demon Slayer’s producer, was asked about the problems lying with hand-drawn visuals, he answered,
“The water breathing technique—particularly the waves within the attack when it is released—is all composed of hand-drawn elements. There is a little 3DCG in the final composite, but almost all of those water elements are done by hand. It is very difficult to match the human character’s movement to that of the waves, but in my opinion, ufotable is actually the best in the business at hand-drawn techniques like these. Nobody could do what they do better.”
The Water Breathing Style has been one of the highlights of Demon Slayer season one and it was pretty difficult to make it hand-drawn throughout the season. So, many minute details had to be carefully instilled to give the fans the perfect experience. It took a lot of time to join all the pieces to make a masterpiece. Ufotable did the unthinkable, and it helped Demon Slayer to showcase one of the best animations throughout.
Ufotable Has Never Let Demon Slayer Fans Down
Ufotable remains one of the most underrated Animation Studios in the anime and manga industry. They truly outdid themselves with the Demon Slayer animation. Drawing each frame and putting in the details instead of CGI is a feat worth nothing. Hand-drawing can take a lot of time, but it was worth the wait since the outcome was brilliant. Recently, Demon Slayer released its fourth season, and once again, the animation studio gifted the fans a visual treat.
Ufotable was founded in 2000, and apart from the Demon Slayer franchise, they were also responsible for the Fate/Zero series. Demon Slayer is in its fourth season, and it is soon approaching its end. The manga has already concluded a few years ago. Even though the manga provides the original script, the anime brings it to life. The Water Style or any other form of breathing style was just a form of attack. The anime showed that there is more to it than just looks.
After season one, the Water Breathing Style was used fewer times since Tanjirou, Zenitsu, and Inosuke became a team and were often sent to missions or training where they were guided by other Hashira. So, it was more of an overlapping of different styles instead of the Water Breathing Style alone. But it would forever remain iconic due to the hand-drawn animation.
Demon Slayer is available on Crunchyroll.
