The popularity ofDemon Slayeris an undeniable fact. The manga and the anime show have, in a very short time and with relatively little content (when compared to the “Big Three” anime series, for example), achieved a lot. In order to honor that legacy, here is a list of the 25 strongest Demon Slayercharacters that have appeared in the manga (and/or anime). The characters will be taken from different narrative arcs. You’ll find out some basic information about them, from which you will be able to deduce why we have positioned them as we have on our list.
25. Kaigaku
Kaigaku enhanced his Thunder Breathing techniques through demonic powers but remained unseasoned in his new abilities at the time of his death. Despite mastering five out of six Thunder Breathing styles, he struggled with the first style, and Yushiro believed that with a year of training, Kaigaku’s strength would easily surpass Zenitsu.
24. Enmu
As the strongest Lower Moon, Enmu’s powers and skills improved after receiving more blood from Muzan, yet he still falls short of the strength of upper-ranked demons, as demonstrated in his loss to Tanjiro and Inosuke. With strong regenerative abilities, Enmu can induce sleep by mixing his blood with ink on train tickets and has the unique ability to fuse with large, inanimate objects, transforming into forms such as trains.
23. Mitsuri Kanroji
Mitsuri Kanroji possesses a unique muscle mass, eight times denser than an ordinary person, granting her unsurpassed strength and endurance against attacks from demons of the Upper-Moons. Her thin and flexible sword, wielded exclusively by her, enables incredibly fast techniques faster than even the Sound Hashira, and after awakening the mark of the demon slayer, her speed further increases. Despite her impressive abilities, she struggled to keep up with faster Hashira in the battle against Muzan, relying on luck and instinct, ultimately being forced out of the fight.
22. Shinobu Kocho
Despite her inability to decapitate demons, the Hashira Shinobu Kocho possesses powerful and deadly attacks, as demonstrated when she sealed Upper Moon 2, Doma, to a wall with a single blow. Her Insect Breathing technique, derived from Flower Breathing and Water Breathing, involves coating her weapon with lethal wisteria poison, effective against demons.
21. Kanao Tsuyuri
Kanao possesses exceptional eyesight, accurately predicting enemy attacks and movements by observing subtle muscle and joint displacements, allowing for effective counterattacks and dodges. Acknowledged by the Upper Moon 2, Doma, for her skill surpassing even Shinobu, Kanao exhibits complete control over her physical functions, demonstrated when she halts breathing to avoid an opponent’s cold fog during battle, showcasing her mastery in close combat with Flower Breathing techniques.
20. Inosuke Hashibara
Inosuke, having grown up in the mountains, possesses an extraordinary sense of touch, enabling him to feel small vibrations in the air and detect the gaze and intentions of others. A skilled fighter, he excels in combat with a unique and unpredictable fighting style that combines flexibility and unconventional moves, allowing him to outmatch and even surpass Tanjiro.
19. Zenitsu Agatsuma
Zenitsu possesses an overdeveloped hearing ability that allows him to detect danger through even the faintest sounds and hear people’s inner thoughts when using his senses to the fullest. His true potential is unlocked when he sleeps, exhibiting heightened swordsmanship and instincts, though, over time, he hones his skills and courage, relying less on this ability and showcasing talents with increased awareness.
18. Obanai Iguro
As one of the Hashira, Obanai Iguro is among the most powerful swordsmen in the organization, strategizing and attacking based on his understanding of his opponent’s capabilities. His unique swordsmanship involves bending his sword at various angles, allowing it to slide into small slits like a snake. Despite partial blindness in his right eye, Obanai utilizes his Kaburamaru snake to read enemy attacks and transmit information, enabling him to fight effectively even when completely blind.
17. Tengen Uzui
Tengen Uzui employs the unique Sound Breathing style, wielding two short blades linked by an iron chain. In battle, he utilizes special bombs for substantial damage to demons and strikes during gaps in the “song.” Tengen’s exclusive Sound Breathing allows him to read opponents’ movements through sounds, deconstructing them and using the rhythm to strategically time his attacks for maximum effectiveness. Additionally, he can temporarily stop his heart to halt the circulation of poison, as demonstrated against Gyutaro.
16. Gyutaro
As a human in the lower caste of the Red Light District, Gyutaro learned the tame braid and honed his skills as a debt collector, becoming adept at catching trained samurai off guard. Upon becoming Upper Moon 6, receiving more blood from Muzan, Gyutaro evolved into an incredibly powerful demon with the strength, experience, and skills to effortlessly overpower both Tengen and Tanjiro in battle.
15. Gyokko
Gyokko possesses the ability to teleport using his pot, effectively avoiding attacks, but this ability ceases when the pot is destroyed. Upon the pot’s destruction, Gyokko reveals his “true form” with a body covered in scales serving as armor, harder than the diamonds within his pot. In this state, anyone touched by his hands transforms into a cute little fish, a form witnessed by only three individuals.
14. Nakime Otokawa
Nakime possesses a Demon Blood Art that, while not martial, is exceptionally strong in terms of utility and strength. She can manipulate an interdimensional fortress as if it were her own limbs, creating entrances and exits at will. After attaining the rank of Upper Moon 4 and receiving more blood from Muzan, Nakime gains the ability to create and detach multiple eyeballs, allowing her to spy on others from a great distance and locate members of Demon Slayer Corps across Japan, including the hidden mansion of Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
13. Daki
Daki is acknowledged as a formidable Demon, personally recognized by Muzan as a “special Demon.” She successfully overwhelms and maintains an advantage over skilled fighters like Tanjiro Kamado, Nezuko Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, and Inosuke Hashibira. While holding a position among the Upper Moons, her rank is attributed to her brother’s powers and abilities, which enhance her own strength.
12. Hantengu
Hantengu has the ability to split into multiple younger forms, each representing a distinctive emotion with unique clothing and kanji tattoos denoting their basic emotions. The main form, representing the Upper Moon 4, is a smaller version of the original body with a Hantengu “core.” This body exhibits incredible physical strength and durability, resisting attacks from Genya’s bullets and sword, even with Genya’s increased demon power enhancing his attacks.
11. Giyu Tomioka
As a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Giyu is a highly skilled swordsman, easily defeating the transformed Demon Spider (Father) and Rui, the Lower Moon 5. In his battle with Akaza, the Upper Moon 3, Giyu impresses his opponent with his skills, leading Akaza to offer to transform him into a demon, a proposition reserved for the most worthy adversaries. Akaza acknowledges Giyu’s exceptional sword art and states that he hasn’t faced a Water Hashira as skillful in fifty years.
10. Kyojuro Rengoku
As a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kyojuro was an immensely powerful swordsman, earning recognition from even powerful demons like Akaza, the Upper Moon 3, and the fourth most powerful demon. Akaza was so impressed that he suggested Kyojuro become a demon to transcend human limits, a proposition reserved for perfected swordsmen. Akaza praised Kyojuro’s fighting spirit and noted his proximity to awakening the Transparent World technique via the Mark of the Demon Slayers. Kyojuro achieved Hashira level through self-training after reading the flame breathing style textbook with only three volumes, abandoning his father’s teachings.
9. Akaza
As Upper Moon 3, Akaza exhibited immense power, defeating Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku and holding his own against Tanjiro and Giyu, even against their enhanced abilities. Despite not consuming women, limiting his growth as a Demon, he ranked as the fourth most powerful in the Twelve Moons. If not for his self-imposed restrictions, Akaza might have been even stronger and held a higher rank among the demons.
8. Muichiro Tokito
As a young Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Muichiro showcased remarkable talent, achieving Hashira status after just two months of training. Despite his impressive abilities and defeating Upper Moon 5 Gyokko, he faced a formidable opponent in Upper Moon 1 Kokushibo, who ultimately surpassed Muichiro and severed his arm. Despite this setback, Muichiro’s contribution proved decisive, unlocking the Transparent World and delivering a critical blow to defeat Kokushibo. However, his initial inattention could have cost him the fight.
7. Doma
As Upper Moon 2, Doma holds the third position among the most powerful demons in the series. His formidable fighting techniques, channeled through two fans, enabled him to effortlessly defeat Shinobu, the Insect Hashira, and the previous Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho. Doma’s confidence in overpowering Akaza, the Upper Moon 3, suggests his status as an exceptionally powerful demon, despite being severely weakened by Shinobu’s poison.
6. Tanjiro Kamado
Tanjiro has displayed prodigious fighting abilities from the beginning, showcasing a natural aptitude for combat, heightened senses, a powerful sense of smell, exceptional willpower, and intelligence. Notably, he outsmarted and nearly dealt a fatal blow to Giyu Tomioka, one of the strongest demon slayers, solely driven by intense emotions. After mastering Water Breathing and recalling the Hinokami Kagura, Tanjiro demonstrated remarkable skills, easily defeating low-level demons and earning praise for potentially achieving feats typically associated with Hashira-level strength, like challenging Rui, the Upper Moon 5.
5. Sanemi Shinazugawa
As a Hashira, Sanemi is an exceptionally powerful swordsman, and his physical skills and techniques are considered at their peak by Kokushibo. His blood possesses extreme toxicity to demons, causing them to lose concentration, and he can manipulate his muscles to prevent fatal wounds from bleeding during battle. Nezuko is immune to Sanemi’s blood due to her strong will against consuming humans, instilled by Sakonji Urokodaki.
4. Gyomei Himejima
As a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Gyomei is a formidable swordsman, acclaimed by Tanjiro and Inosuke as the most powerful within the organization. The Upper Moon 1, Kokushibo, attests to Gyomei’s exceptional physical abilities and unique combat skills, noting that he hadn’t encountered a warrior like him in the past three hundred years. Gyomei wields a distinctive weapon—a hand axle with spikes attached via a chain—using the sound of the chain to judge strike positions, making up for his blindness.
3. Kokushibou
Kokushibo, the Upper Moon 1, was an immensely powerful swordsman, regarded as the strongest of the Twelve Moon Demons and second only to Muzan Kibutsuji. As one of the oldest demons, his extensive combat experience allowed him to easily decipher and overcome the skills of multiple Pillars. Possessing heightened strength and reflexes due to his Demon physiology, Kokushibo effortlessly defeated two Pillars and fought on par with Gyomei, considered the most powerful Demon Slayer. Even in the face of Gyomei and Sanemi’s awakened Demon Slayer Marks, enhancing their abilities, Kokushibo withstood them both simultaneously.
2. Muzan Kibutsuji
Muzan, as the first Demon, possesses unprecedented powers, allowing him to withstand simultaneous attacks from five Hashira and Tanjiro. His strength is so overwhelming that he left Tanjiro and several Hashira on the verge of death, with only the timely intervention of Chachamaru’s antidotes preventing their demise. In a 30-minute battle, Muzan manifested whips from his legs, achieving an exponential increase in attack speed and effortlessly defeating five exhausted Hashira, including Gyomei, Giyu, Sanemi, Obanai, as well as Zenitsu and Inosuke, while leaving Kanao paralyzed with fear and her sword broken.
1. Yoriichi Tsugikuni
Yoriichi, the most powerful character in the series, is an exceptional swordsman and Demon Hunter born with the Demon Slayer Mark and Transparent World. Even as an untrained child, he defeated a sword instructor, earning him the title of a miracle. After training, Yoriichi successfully cornered Muzan Kibutsuji, leaving him on the brink of death and earning the acknowledgment of being a true monster.
In his final battle at the age of 85 against his twin brother Kokushibo, who had turned into a demon, Yoriichi demonstrated his extraordinary skill by swiftly gaining the upper hand and cutting his brother’s throat before succumbing to death, with Kokushibo acknowledging that Yoriichi’s strength was unmatched.
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