Summary
Quick Links
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaibarevolves around an ancient organization of highly skilled swordsmen as they take on the Demon King and his underlings. In this fight between good and evil, the demon slayers are always at a disadvantage, and nothing has done more to bridge the power gap thanawakening the mysterious Demon Slayer Mark.
In the anime, Tanjiro, Muichirou, and Mitsuri arethe only Demon Slayer Corps members to manifestone so far, but as the brave combatants brace for a fight to the end with Muzan and his underlings, a few more are expected to awaken one in the future. Despite being close friends with Tanjiro, Inosuke has not manifested a mark so far, but will he finally get one in the Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle trilogy?
The following contains spoilers from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga and anime.
Understanding the Demon Slayer Mark
Demon Slayer’s Biggest Blessing Against Demons
The Demon Slayer Mark is a mysterious marking that manifests on demon slayers who have pushed themselves through a specific condition. It givescombatants access to the Transparent World, Bright Red Nichirin Sword, and a host of other superhuman physical capabilities.
When the marked one arrives, the mark will appear on others around that person as if in resonance.
But awakening a Demon Slayer Mark could be a risky affair, as an individual needs to push themselves through life-threatening situations, withstand a body temperature of 102.2° Fahrenheit, and keep their heart rates over 200 beats per minute. But even when these conditions are satisfied, one might not manifest a mark because one should be in contact with someone who has already manifested one.
Will Inosuke Manifest a Demon Slayer Mark?
Despite Satisfying Some of the Conditions, Inosuke Never Got a Mark
Manifesting a Demon Slayer Mark can give a Demon Slayer a significant edge in the fight.While fighting the Upper Moons, it becomes essential since the power gap is just too overwhelming. As mentioned above, awakening a mark is easier said than done. Until the aforementioned conditions are met, it does not matter how much a demon slayer trains, they will never get one.
In the Infinity Castle arc, the demon slayers fought the Upper Moons. Inosuke Hashibira teamed up with Kanae Kocho to take on the Upper Rank Two, Doma. Despite being less experienced and not on par with the Hashira, the duo put up a brave fight.
Even though Inosuke pushed his body well past his physical limits and probably even satisfied some of the prerequisites necessary for getting the Demon Slayer Mark, it is quite bizarre that he never manifested it.Like his close friend Zenitsu, he remained an unmarked demon slayer despite fighting some of the most dangerous demons in existence and putting his life on the line in the process.
Why Did Inosuke Never Manifest a Mark?
It is unclear why Inosuke is unable to awaken the mark, but it’s possible to make an educated guess. Since manifesting a Demon Slayer Mark requires that the Demon Slayer is in contact with someone who already has one, it seems obvious whyhe didn’t get it while fighting Doma. He was fighting alongside Kanae Kocho, who was not marked like him. During the battle, the only other demon slayer anywhere near them was Shinobu Kocho, but even she never awakened a mark.
Don’t dwell on such weak thoughts! You can or you can’t, it doesn’t do you any good to sit there, wondering about the maybes! Everything that dies returns to the earth, but crying won’t bring any of them back, so no matter how frustrated you feel, don’t cry! Even if you think you’re wretched and unworthy… you must keep on living!
But things get more complicated than thatsince Inosuke later fights Muzanalong with the Hashira and Tanjiro, most of whom are marked. The battle was intense and pushed Hashibira to push himself well past his physical limits. Since he had already fought Doma by this point, he had to overexert himself in each attack.
However, despite fighting alongside marked demon slayers, he still didn’t manifest the mark. One could assume that this happened because of his incapacity to satisfy other criteria. Since Inosuke was in a life-threatening situation fighting the Demon King, the only conceivable reason he couldn’t awaken his mark was because his body temperature didn’t go above 102.2° Fahrenheit, or he couldn’t keep his heart rate over 200 beats per minute.
Irrespective of the reason, Inosuke never manifested a Demon Slayer Mark and could not truly achieve his full potential. Since the anime closely follows the manga, it could be argued with confidence that things will not be any different for Hashibira inthe Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle trilogy.
Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle trilogy’s first installment is scheduled to be released in the United States onSeptember 12, 2025.
