Demon Slayer is one of the most popular action fantasy series in modern Shonen, and the groundbreaking success of the latest Infinity Castle film speaks volumes about the manga’s legacy. The story runs for a little over 200 chapters and introduces countless powerful characters in between. Demons are terrifying creatures with immense physical strength who attack humans in the dead of the night. Apart from the regenerative abilities that all demons possess, some can even use Blood Demon Art, special magical abilities that grant them unique abilities. Humans have always been at a disadvantage against these monsters, but they finally learned to use the Total Concentration Breathing Styles, which temporarily boost their physical strength.
In a fight against the demons, which has lasted for over 1000 years, countless people have lost their lives. Despite the overwhelming power of Muzan Kibutsuji, the demon progenitor, and the Upper Moons, the Demon Slayer Corps never once strayed away from their goal. Just this month, ComicBook ranked all nine Hashira and the 10 most powerful villains in the series. However, when we include all the characters from the series, who do you think will be the ten strongest?
Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga!
10) Giyu Tomioka
Even among the Hashira, Giyu easily ranks among the third strongest, and that’s because of his sheer talent in using one of the oldest Breathing Styles. Giyu learned his technique from Sakonji Urokodaki, the former Water Hashira. Giyu is talented enough to even create his unique breathing form. However, the tragic death of his best friend, Sabito, during the Final Selection Exam left a deep emotional scar on Giyu, which made him believe he didn’t deserve the rank at all.
It took Giyu a lot of time to break out of his shell, and he finally awakened his Demon Slayer Mark during his fight with Akaza. Giyu was desperate to save Tanjiro at all costs, and that gave him the strength to surpass his limits.
9) Sanemi Shinazugawa
In terms of talent, Giyu and Sanemi are easily neck-in-neck, although the latter has a slight advantage thanks to his aggressively offensive fighting style. Almost all of Wind Breathing are pure offensive techniques, allowing Sanemi to land devastating blows through like a whirlwind. Compared to the manga, Sanemi’s powers were revealed earlier in the anime, but we only got a glimpse in the Hashira Training Arc.
During the Infinity Castle Arc, he awakens his Demon Slayer Mark in the heat of the battle. Although the Mark exponentially enhanced his abilities, they just weren’t enough to single-handedly overpower Kokushibo, the Upper Rank One.
8) Hantengu
Hantengu, the Upper Rank Four, is the most troublesome villain in the entire series, not simply because of his strength, but his terrifying Blood Demon Art that allowed him to create clones of each emotion. Each clone is unimaginably powerful, and even if someone kills them, they’ll simply split up and create more. In case a clone consumed others, it would be even more difficult to fight.
Not to mention that Hantengu’s real body was incredibly small, which made it difficult to locate him, especially in the dark. Additionally, just because the Upper Four’s body is small, it doesn’t make it any easier to cut off his head. Due to the number of his clones and his ability to evade the eye of the Demon Slayers, Tanjiro and the others had to fight all night in order to defeat him.
7) AKAZI
Akaza’s introduction in the Infinity Train depicted the unimaginable difference in power between the Upper and Lower Ranks within the Twelve Kizuki. He wanted to kill Tanjiro first, but Rengoku protected the injured Demon Slayer and took on the Upper Three all by himself. As the Hashira, Rengoku felt responsible for the lives of not just the civilians, but the other Demon Slayers as well. He managed to hold Akaza down untill sunrise and finally drew his last breath.
However, what if we tell you that Akaza didn’t even use his full power against Rengoku? Not to mention that the demon grows significantly stronger in the Infinity Castle Arc, giving quite a difficult time to Tanjiro and Giyu. Akaza specialized in close combat, and he was the only Upper Rank who didn’t use a weapon. Even so, his Blood Demon Art put his opponent at a major disadvantage since it allowed him to generate blue shockwaves with his attacks, enhancing their power and range.
6) Traditional Technical Practice
One of Tanjiro’s most defining qualities is how he keeps improving himself in each battle he fights. Whether it’s training, rehabilitation, or the battles, he gives his hundred percent in everything he does, and the results are for all to see. Tanjiro tapped into his true potential during his fight with Akaza. By the time the final fight against Muzan begins, it’s evident that Tanjiro had surpassed not just Akaza, but most of the Hashira as well.
He is the only character in the series who uses two Breathing Styles at the same time. Both have their pros and cons, since Tanjiro’s body is well-suited for the Sun Breathing. However, because Sun Breathing drains his stamina pretty quickly, he switches between the techniques and uses the flexibility and adaptability of the Water Breathing.
5) Gyomei Himejima
If you’re an anime-only fan, Gyomei’s powers in the Infinity Castle will make your jaw drop. His title as the strongest Hashira isn’t just superficial since he has more than enough power to back it up. Gyomei’s large build and almost superhuman level of physical strength gave him an advantage in battles, especially when he used the Stone Breathing Style, which he is well suited for.
He used a Nichirin-chained spiked flail and axe as his weapon instead of a regular katana. Gyomei was impressive enough to even turn his blindness into a strength. He honed his other senses to superhuman levels, allowing him to perceive and react to his surroundings with even better accuracy than those with vision.
4) at home
You must have already seen the special promo of Doma fighting against Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira. And let us tell you that the Upper Rank Two won’t disappoint at all. We haven’t even seen a glimpse of his powers so far, but his two major fights in the Infinity Castle Arc prove why he rose through the ranks of the Upper Two.
Despite being weakened by Shinobu’s poison after consuming her, Doma was holding his own against Kanae Kocho and Inosuke Hashibira. His Blood Demon Art allowed him to conjure and manipulate ice at an unprecedented level, the likes of which don’t seem possible even for a demon.
3) in a shot
Before becoming a demon, Kokushibo was known as Michikatsu Tsugikuni, the older twin brother of Yoriichi, the legendary Demon Slayer who created the first Breathing Technique. Since Michikatsu wasn’t able to use the Sun Breathing Style, he derived his unique Moon Breathing from it. He was one of the first Corps members to use a Breathing Technique as well as awaken a Mark. However, his jealousy towards his brother and the fear of not living past the age of 25 as a side-effect of the Mark caused him to accept Muzan’s offer of becoming a demon.
He became the Upper Rank One, and his powers were astonishing to the point that it took the combined efforts of Sanemi, Muichiro, Gyomei, and Genya to defeat him. Even the four of them together were barely able to achieve such a feat.
2) Muzan Kibutsuji
It’s no surprise that the final antagonist of the series isn’t ranked at the top when you think about the monstrous powers of Yoriichi. Although Muzan may be weaker than the progenitor of the Breathing Techniques, no other Demon Slayer in history was anywhere near strong enough to face him alone. With seven hearts, five brains, unparalleled strength, and a varying range of supernatural abilities, Muzan was a force of nature.
It took the combined efforts of the entire Demon Slayer Corps to defeat a weakened Muzan, who was facing the effects of the poison created by Tamayo and Shinobu. Even then, none of the Demon Slayers were able to kill him, so all they could do was keep him in the open until the sun rose so he could disintegrate. Even Muzan’s backup plan of taking over Tanjiro’s body after his death failed, but that was another impressive feat he pulled off as a means of survival.
1) Yoriichi Tsugikuni
Yoriichi Tsugikuni was the only one capable enough to defeat Muzan. In the history of the Corps, no one was able to reach the extent of power Yoriichi achieved. Unfortunately, he let Muzan slip through his fingers after nearly killing him. The demon continued his rampage and destroyed more lives than one could ever count. Yoriichi lived with the guilt all his life, but what he didn’t know was that after several centuries, someone would see the wounds he inflicted on Muzan and use them to finally kill the demon.
The wounds Yoriichi had Muzan kept burning for centuries, and they were his weak points. In the entire series, no one could’ve accomplished this feat, not even Tanjiro, who fully mastered the Sun Breathing Technique.
Which character do you think should be placed higher in this list? Let us know in the comments below!
