And what does having one mean?
Summary:
- Two more demon slayers got their marks during the Swordsmith Village Arc.
- Certain conditions must be met for the mark to appear.
- Marked slayers gain new powers and abilities.
Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc (Kimetsu no Yaiba: Hashira Geiko-hen) has finally started airing, and the series’ fans couldn’t be happier. Seems like a big fight is just around the corner (although not in this season), so slayers need to gather all the powers to withstand it.
Episode 1 gave viewers more perspective on the demon slayer mark. Tanjiro was previously the only character to have it, but the Swordsmith Village Arc gifted the mark to Muichiro and Mitsuri. But what does it really mean?
What Is a Demon Slayer Mark?
Back in the day, long before the events of Demon Slayer transpired, the progenitors of the first ever Breathing Styles had markings on their bodies, which later became the origin for the marks.
Yoriichi, the slayer that appeared in the previous season of the anime, was the strongest demon slayer ever and the first to have the mark. He was born with it and later passed it on to other members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Which can only mean one thing: the mark is “contagious.” It means that the chances of getting one are higher when slayers interact with other mark-bearers. That’s why when a lot of slayers got annihilated in the past, the marks became scarce.
Conditions and Perks
As Muichiro explains in Episode 1 of the new season, certain conditions have to be met for the mark to appear on a slayer’s body. They have to experience extreme life-threatening conditions, their heartbeat should be over 200 beats per minute, and their body temperature should be over 39° Celsius (102.2° Fahrenheit).
The marks are anomalies and don’t happen to each demon slayer. They allow their bearers to gain a set of special abilities and make the slayers stronger.
Apart from such obvious abilities as enhanced physical strength, speed and resistance, the mark allows a slayer to color their swords bright red and heat them immensely. This might even allow the slayer to slow down demons’ regeneration, which is a very powerful weapon during a battle.
The mark has another useful feature: it allows the bearer to see “right through” their opponent. Marked slayers are capable of seeing the flow of blood, muscular contractions and joint movements of a person in front of them, which allows them to predict their next move and adjust to them.
However, there are also disadvantages of bearing a demon slayer mark. Although slayers gain more power, their lifespan decreases and a lot of demon slayers that got the mark died before they turned 25.