Inosuke is one of the most popular characters in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Inosuke stands out both personality-wise and appearance-wise, wearing a boar head for a mask with a loud and brash personality that often comes across as humorous.
Inosuke Hashibira is fifteen years old, despite his muscular physique, which is not hard to notice since he almost never wears a shirt.
Yet despite not wearing a shirt, Inosuke covers his face most of the time with a boar head, which he wears as a mask.
With a ripped physique and gruff voice, you would think that Inosuke Hashibira is far from feminine. However, some of the most searched questions about Inosuke are why does Inosuke look like a girl and is Inosuke a girl?
It’s quite obvious that Inosuke is not a girl. But in this short guide, we explain why Inosuke from Demon Slayer seems to get mistaken for a girl.
The most distinct characteristic of Inosuke Hashibira is the boar head mask that he wears almost all of the time. And if you are wondering, the boar mask is the head of the mother boar that raised him, which he wears in remembrance.
The thing is, when Inosuke takes off his mask, his face does not entirely match his hot-blooded, feral-like personality. And you would not be alone in being surprised the first time he takes it off.
Unmasked, Inosuke Hashibira has shoulder-length black and blue hair with thick bangs covering his forehead. He also has big green eyes and long, thick eyelashes.
In general, Inosuke’s facial features are young-looking and boyish. And if you were to see a picture of Inosuke for the first time wearing clothes, or cropped from the neck down, you would be forgiven for thinking that he is a girl.
Inosuke’s Flexibility
When Tanjiro Kamado and Zenitsu Agatsuma talk with Inosuke for the first, after defeating Kyogai, the Drum Demon, Inosuke shows off his skills – most notably his flexibility.
In what is one of Inosuke’s most memorable scenes, he bends over backward and brings his chest to the ground to look at Tanjiro with his head between his legs.
This feat is not just mere flexibility, however, but some serious contortionist skills.
In real life, most contortionists are women, who have the ability to bend their limbs and torsos into impressive positions.
As a result, this is another reason why Inosuke Hashibira can be likened to, and mistaken for, a young woman or girl.
Entertainment District Arc
The Entertainment District Arc takes place after the events of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: Mugen Train, the anime movie and manga arc that takes place directly after the main characters meet the Hashira.
And one moment that’s worth mentioning here is when Tanjiro Kamado, Inosuke Hashibira, and Zenitsu Agatsuma dress up and pose as girls.
The disguise that the three heroes take on is part of Tengun Uzui’s – the Sound Hashira – plan to find clues about his three wives who have gone missing, named Makio, Suma, and Hinatsuru.
We mention this because Inosuke, when he dresses up as a girl for Tengen’s plan, actually looks like a girl – more so than Tanjiro and Zenitsu.
Again, this is due to Inosuke’s feminine facial features. Without his boar head mask and his physique on show, wearing female clothes is all it takes to make Inosuke Hashibira pass as a girl.
Inosuke And Aoino
Despite Inosuke Hashibira being mistaken for a girl from time to time, Inosuke is actually widely believed to have a wife.
Later on in the story, which is shown in the manga, Inosuke meets Aoino Kanzaki, also called Aoi, who becomes his love interest. Like Inosuke, Aoino is hot-headed and outspoken, which are two reasons why the two hit it off so well.
Among diehard fans, it is widely believed that Inosuke and Aoino get married. This is because the two lovebirds share some memorably romantic moments in the final chapters of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga, after the defeat of Muzan Kibutsuji, the Demon Lord.
Conclusion
So, why does Inosuke Hashibira from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba look like a girl and often get mistaken for a girl?
Mostly, it comes down to Inosuke’s facial features. Inosuke has long black hair, big green eyes, and thick eyelashes, which, when he is clothed, make him appear feminine. This is most notable in the Entertainment District Arc when Tengun Uzui disguises him as a girl.
Inosuke’s feminine facial features might have been a simple character design choice to offset his bold and brash personality, as well as his muscular physique.
Either way, there is no doubt that Inosuke Hashibira is one of the most liked characters from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and one of the strongest Demon Slayers in the Demon Slayer Corps.
