Since the debut of Inosuke in the anime, many fans were taken by him. Not only is he voiced by the amazing, Matsuoka Yoshitsugu, but he is also a fun character on his own! His wild and caveman characteristics are a fun contrast to KNY’s pre-modern world. So, when Mugen Train came a-rolling, people were freaked out. With the death of a fan-favorite Hashira, it meant no character was safe.
People speculated left and right on how characters would die. One of the most speculated ones is Inosuke. So, does Inosuke Hashibira die? In this article, let’s answer the question. Spoilers ahead!
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Does Inosuke Hashibira Die?
Let’s get this right off the bat immediately! No, Inosuke doesn’t die in the series. Sure, he gets injured once in a while, but he often walks them off. However, there were a few times when he nearly passed into the afterlife. Let’s go over some of Inosuke’s brief encounters with death.
Inosuke Almost Pops like a Grape!
This goes back to Demon Slayer Season 1. In episode 18, Inosuke found himself to be completely outmatched. He was tasked by Tanjiro to keep the Spider Demon (Father) at bay while the latter fought Rui. This was an impossible task, but one that Inosuke saw through anyway. After injuring the demon, he thought he had a chance. Chasing after it, he was blindsided by the demon’s changing forms. This was when he was beaten and almost had his skull crushed.
Thankfully, Giyu arrived in time. Slicing off the demon’s arm, he freed Inosuke before the worst could happen.
You Thought It was My Heart? But It was Me, Inosuke!
Inosuke’s next brush with death is during the battle against Daki and Gyutaro. He along with Zenitsu and Tanjiro was able to perform an attack to slice off Daki’s head. They were successful in their endeavor and Inosuke moved to grab it. He planned to leave the district with the head, but Gyutaro stopped him. With a stab from behind, the poisoned blade was aimed to pierce his heart. This left the man motionless and lying in a pool of blood.
However, the man proves once again that he is tenacious if nothing else! Inosuke manages to rejoin the fight later on. It is revealed that Inosuke had been able to move his organs aside so the stab didn’t deal a fatal blow. He was also immune to poison because he grew up in the mountains. Together with the trio, they killed the Upper-Rank Six.
During the Final Battle!
The next time we see Inosuke being near death is during his battle against Muzan. He, along with other demon slayers, was struck by Muzan. This was a serious injury as Muzan’s attacks can cause cell destruction. In a brief segment, we do see Inosuke in a bad spot.
However, he was once again saved. Yushiro brought serums that could counteract Muzan’s blood. This helped to cure everyone who was hurt by Muzan. After that, Inosuke would once again join the battle. He would experience more than a few close calls against Muzan. But none of them would put him in a life-threatening position just like earlier.
The battle was won with the only casualties being the Hashira and random demon slayers.
How Does Inosuke Survive So Much?
You must be thinking right now: man, how does Inosuke survive so much? He didn’t have a Demon Slayer Mark to help him. Nor was he strong enough to fight Upper Moon Demons on fairgrounds. But he does have one thing going for him. His monstrous physique and Beast Breathing Style! These two abilities let him survive whatever the series throws at him.
Admittedly though, Inosuke’s survival also came down to luck. If Inosuke were to fight Akaza or Kokushibo, he would have lost. Very quickly too. It was only by pure luck he fought Doma, who was already being poisoned by Shinobu. He was also lucky when Giyu got to save him in time. Just a few seconds late and he would’ve been dead or in a coma. However, it is the situation with Gyutaro that left me unconvinced. Hence my next segment:
An Opinion: Inosuke Should Have Died.
The ending for the Entertainment District Arc has split fans. Don’t get me wrong, many people enjoyed the ending. However, there are a few who disliked how it went. Some didn’t agree with how Tengen was handled. And then, there was Inosuke.
A good number of fans agree that, by all rights, Inosuke should have died. It would have been impossible for him to move his organs in time. Gyutaro was faster than Tengen, or, at least shown to be faster. Inosuke was nowhere near that speed. If he was, then he would’ve dodged the attack instead. The attack got Inosuke completely by surprise.
Sure, we could use the argument that his enhanced senses would be able to sense the attack. In a previous explanation to Tanjiro, he could tell hostile intent. He could even focus a bit more to know where the attack is directed. This meant that the second he felt the intent, he moved his organs at the same time. Need I remind you that this Inosuke is nowhere near Hashira level? And an Upper Moon Demon was way above his pay grade!
Realistically, what would happen is if he was able to move his organs, a major artery would’ve still been hit. The poison injected directly into the heart should’ve been more than enough to kill him. But the author added the explanation that Inosuke was resistant to poison. This gave Inosuke the two miracles he needed to survive.
All of this while trying to stay attentive and carry Daki’s head!
As expected, not many fans liked the explanations. Some claimed that the author wrote them to “dig herself out of the hole she made”. That the whole stabbing Inosuke in the chest was for shock value. There was no reason behind the scene at all.
Then, during the lead-up to Muzan’s fight, fans were open to the idea of Inosuke dying. Some said that his death at the end of the series was okay. After all, he already has closure with his mother. His death would’ve had the two reunite and made a great tear-jerker scene.
Unfortunately, we can never get that scene. After all, Inosuke was still alive by the end of the fight.