How powerful is Obanai Iguro in Demon Slayer? Analyzing the feats, powers, and abilities of the Serpent Hashira.
For centuries, the world of Demon Slayer was plagued by man-eating monsters known as Demons. These terrifying creatures once had humanity completely at their mercy. Fortunately, hope emerged with the creation of the Demon Slayer Corps, a valiant organization dedicated to eradicating Demons and protecting humanity in their darkest moments.
The current generation of the Demon Slayer Corps is rich with extraordinarily powerful warriors as well, especially the Hashira. For context, Hashira is the highest rank that Demon Slayers can obtain. They represent the organization’s strongest warriors, each wielding unparalleled mastery over their own breathing styles and weaponry.
Among them, Obanai Iguro, the Serpent Hashira, stands out from the rest due to his unique fighting style, unwavering determination, and complex personality. That being said, let us further explore just how strong Obanai Iguro is in Demon Slayer, his powers and abilities, notable feats, and more.
How Powerful Is Obanai Iguro in Demon Slayer?
In terms of combat power and pure skill, Obanai Iguro is undoubtedly one of the strongest Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps. Although he was not a major focus of the story, Obanai’s true strength was on full display during the final arcs of the series.
At one point in the story, it was stated that Obanai was more or less blind in his right eye. This, in addition to the fact that he possesses a smaller physique and lesser physical strength compared to the rest of the Hashira, makes his ascent to the top of the Demon Slayer Corps even more impressive.
Obanai’s true strength is rooted in his mastery of the Serpent Breathing style, which he wields with deadly precision. He is a specialist in close combat and has an unpredictable fighting style that mimics the movements of a snake. This makes it nearly impossible for his opponents to predict his attacks. His strength also lies in his unwavering mental fortitude, as seen in his final battle against Muzan, where he kept fighting to the bitter end, despite suffering lethal injuries and even being blinded by the Demon King.
Obanai’s Powers and Abilities in Demon Slayer
Despite having lesser physical strength and a weaker physique compared to the likes of Sanemi and Gyomei, Obanai surprisingly has a great amount of strength. As one of the strongest Hashira, he is capable of taking out entire hordes of Demons with a single attack. However, his true strength lies in his superhuman levels of speed and reflexes.
He also has phenomenal levels of stamina and endurance, which allowed him to keep up with Muzan’s attacks and stall him for half an hour. He is also one of the most powerful and skilled swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps. His signature technique, the Serpent Breathing style, is a breathing style that Obanai himself created and mastered. It was designed to mimic the unpredictable and slithering movements of a snake. This made his attacks swift, erratic, and difficult to predict and counter.
Obanai makes up for the blindness in his right eye with the help of his pet snake, Kaburamaru, who has the unique ability to read and predict a target’s movements, following which it relays that information to Obanai. This helped Obanai continue fighting against Muzan despite being completely blinded.
Upon awakening his Demon Slayer Mark, all of Obanai’s physical abilities were greatly enhanced. It gave him a temporary boost and allowed him to continue fighting despite being severely injured. As a result, he was able to land powerful strikes on the Demon King and was even able to evade most of his attacks.
Obanai’s Notable Feats in Demon Slayer
Obanai Iguro wasn’t featured much in the overarching narrative of Demon Slayer. Regardless, his final stand against Muzan was the highlight of the Sunrise Countdown arc. In fact, he was one of the biggest contributors in defeating Muzan. Despite being severely injured, Obanai stood his ground and fought valiantly till the bitter end, even when he was the only Hashira standing.
As mentioned earlier, Obanai rose to the top of the Demon Slayer Corps as one of the strongest Hashira despite being physically smaller, weaker, and partially blind in one eye. This is undoubtedly one of his most impressive feats in the whole series.
Moreover, his final battle against Muzan in the Sunrise Countdown arc is a testament to his unwavering mental fortitude and unrelenting resilience. He was capable of keeping up with Muzan’s whip attacks even without his Demon Slayer Mark. After awakening the mark, Obanai managed to slice off both of Muzan’s limbs.
Even after having his eyes scratched out, Obanai was able to evade Muzan’s attacks and even landed several hits. After all the Hashira were incapacitated by Muzan, Obanai was the first one to recover. Following that, he jumped into the battlefield immediately to help Tanjiro. Out of all the Hashira that fought in the battle, Obanai arguably lasted the longest against Muzan. Without his efforts, it’s likely that the Demon Slayers may not have lived to see another day, much less defeat Muzan.
Did Obanai Survive till the end of Demon Slayer?
Unfortunately, Obanai Iguro did not live till the end of Demon Slayer. In the Sunrise Countdown arc, he fought valiantly alongside Tanjiro Kamado and the remaining Hashira. However, the grueling battle took a heavy toll on all the Hashira, especially Obanai. He sustained grave injuries throughout the fight and ultimately succumbed to them after defeating Muzan.
In his final moments, Obanai shared a heartbreaking scene with Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira, who was also at death’s door. After expressing their love for each other and wishing to be reborn as lovers in their next lives, both Obanai and Mitsuri passed away, embracing each other in their final moments.
Conclusion
Obanai Iguro’s strength doesn’t simply lie in his combat abilities or raw power. Instead, it lies in his unwavering determination, resilience, and selflessness. Although he wasn’t the most powerful Hashira, he was one of the biggest contributors in Muzan’s defeat. His contributions and his final moments with Mitsuri highlight his strength as both a warrior and a person. This left a lasting impact on fans, making him one of the most beloved characters in Demon Slayer.
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