Koyoharu Gotouge’s famous Demon Slayer manga reached its conclusion in 2020, but the anime is still adapting the final arc with a movie trilogy. The first installment was released on July 18th, 2025, in Japan, and it has shattered several box office records since then. The film is all set to hit U.S. theaters on September 12th, 2025. The final arc will feature the final showdown against the demons. For over a thousand years, the Demon Slayer Corps has existed in the shadows with the sole purpose of defeating Muzan Kibutsuji, the demon progenitor. He’s the only one with the power to turn humans into demons, and his defeat would mark an end to the terror humans have been facing all these centuries.
Demons are significantly stronger than ordinary humans, and they can regenerate quickly. Some demons can even use Blood Demon Art, a special kind of technique that grants them immense power. Not to mention that the demons can only die when certain conditions are met, which isn’t common knowledge. This puts the humans at a major disadvantage, yet they continue to fight against these monsters. The Demon Slayer Corps comprises people who can use Total Concentration Breathing that drastically enhances their physical and mental abilities, like strength, speed, and reaction time. Just this month, ComicBook ranked all the Hashira, the most elite members of the Corps, but who are the ten strongest in the history of this organization?
Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga!
10) Kyojuro Rengoku
Kyojuro became a fan-favorite with just one film, and for obvious reasons, of course. Not only did he embody the true ideals of a Demon Slayerbut he was also immensely powerful as a Flame Hashira. The mission to take down the demon controlling the Mugen Train was a massive success thanks to Kyojuro, Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, Inosuke Hashibira, and Nezuko Kamado, without a single life lost on the day.
However, things take a turn for the worse when Akaza shows up at the scene after Enmu’s defeat. Kyojuro fought the Upper Rank Three on his own, without even a Demon Slayer Mark, and still managed to save everyone. Unfortunately, he never achieved his true potential since the Demon Slayer Mark wasn’t common at the time.
9) Mitsuri Kanroji
Mitsuri’s raw strength, paired with her flexibility and her unique sword, allows her to easily overpower any number of opponents. She trained under Rengoku before becoming a Hashira and derived her Love Breathing from the Flame Breathing Total Concentration. She created this breathing style to better suit her agility, strength, as well as her whip-like Nichirin Sword.
Although Tengen Uzui is overall the fastest Hashira, the speed of Mitsuri’s technique far surpasses his. During her fight with Zohakuten, the final and strongest form of Hantengu, the Upper Rank Four, Mitsuri awakened her Demon Slayer Mark, surpassing the limitations set by her human body.
8) OBANAI TEACH
Although the Hashira Training Arc in the anime revealed a glimpse at his powers, the true extent of Obanai’s powers will be revealed in the Infinity Castle Arc. He even awakened his mark during the final battle against Muzan Kibutsuji, which enhanced his abilities just enough to fight efficiently despite his severe injuries. Obanai is one of the few Demon Slayers in history who was able to use the Transparent World, a supernatural ability that allows users to see through the bodies of others, perceiving their internal organs, muscles, and blood flow to predict attacks and movements in slow motion.
His Serpent Breathing is derived from the Water Breathing style, which allows him to use slithering motions and land fast attacks, resembling that of a serpent. He wields a twisted Nichirin Sword, similar in appearance to an Indonesian Kris Sword, that resembles waves from by a snake when it’s in motion.
7) Muichiro Tokito
Muichiro Tokito is the youngest Hashira and a direct descendant of the Tsugikuni bloodline. Since Yoriichi never remarried after his wife died when she was pregnant, his older brother, Michikatsu, carried on the bloodline. The only reason Muichiro and his twin brother were sought out by the Demon Slayer Corps was because of their lineage as well. Muichiro became a Hashira in just two months after picking up a sword and achieved the pinnacle of a Demon Slayer at the age of fourteen.
During his fight with Gyokko in the Swordsmith Village Arc, Muichiro awakened his Demon Slayer Mark, which allowed him to easily overpower the Upper Moon Five. The Upper Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki have almost legendary powers, and the Corps didn’t defeat a single one in over a hundred years before the Entertainment District Arc. And yet, Muichiro made it seem so easy when he was slicing up the demon. In the final arc, he further enhanced his abilities by awakening the ability to see the Transparent World.
6) Giyu Tomioka
In terms of raw potential and talent, Muichiro surpassed almost every Hashira, but what he lacked was experience. While Gyomei is on a whole other level, the youngest Hashira was just slightly inexperienced compared to Giyu and Sanemi. The Water Hashira was already capable enough to invent his own breathing form all by himself. However, the only thing holding Giyu back was his mindset that he wasn’t good enough to hold that rank.
Although Tanjiro helped Giyu break out of his shell, the latter finally reached the full extent of his powers during his fight against Akaza. The sheer desperation to not lose Tanjiro helped Giyu awaken his Demon Slayer Mark, which helped him significantly during the battle.
5) Sanemi Shinazugawa
Just like Obanai, Sanemi’s powers were revealed earlier in the anime, but we will see him in action during the Infinity Castle Arc. The Demon Slayer fandom has always debated between who, among Sanemi and Giyu, is stronger. And to be honest, their strengths are comparable, but Sanemi’s raw strength and the sheer force behind his strikes give him only a slight advantage against Giyu.
Wind Breathing is a highly powerful offensive technique, and almost all forms allow the users to deliver powerful strikes resembling that of a whirlwind. Not to mention that Sanemi also awakened his Demon Slayer Mark in the final battle, giving him the exact same enhancement that Giyu had.
4) Michikatsu Tsugikuni (Kokushibo)
Before becoming a demon, Kokushibo, the Upper Rank One, was once known as Michikatsu Tsugikuni, and he was the older twin brother of Yoriichi, the progenitor of the Breathing Techniques. Michikatsu was always jealous of his brother’s talents, but he himself wasn’t a weakling by any means. Since Yoriichi was the only swordsman in the Corps who had enough talent to use the Sun Breathing Technique, Michikatsu created his unique Moon Breathing Style.
This makes him one of the first Demon Slayers to not only fully utilize a Breathing Technique, but also awaken a Mark. Unfortunately, due to his own inferiority complex and the fear of dying before reaching the age of 25 as a result of awakening the mark, Michikatsu willingly became a demon, bringing shame to everyone related to him. In his demon form, he showed his ability to see the Transparent World, although it’s unclear if he could use it during his time as a human.
3) Traditional Technical Practices
We don’t often talk about how insanely powerful Tanjiro became during the final arc, even to the point of surpassing all the Hashira (except Gyomei). Tanjiro is the only character in the series who combines Two Breathing Styles, allowing him to create a more powerful and sustainable fighting style. Both techniques have their strengths and weaknesses, and Tanjiro can easily adapt which the right style to use at the right time. His body is more suited for the Sun Breathing Technique, but it easily exhausts him, which is why Water Breathing allows him a buffer during intense fights.
Apart from Yoriichi, Tanjiro is the only member of the Demon Slayer Corps who can use the Sun Breathing Technique. It was passed down in the Kamado family through their ancestor Sumiyoshi Kamado, a close friend of Yoriichi who wanted to keep his friend’s legacy alive. Tanjiro even awakened the ability to see the Transparent World, and during his fight with Akaza, he was able to reduce his presence like a plant, which made his enemies incapable of sensing him.
2) Gyomei Himejima
Perhaps Tanjiro could’ve surpassed Gyomei as well if he had continued fighting, but with the threat of the demons gone after Muzan’s death, he did not need to pick up a sword again. Gyomei fought in the final battle and proved to everyone that his title of the strongest Hashira wasn’t just for show. Despite being well over 25, he broke the myth of the conditions that apply for awakening the Demon Slayer Mark and used his enhancement in his fight in the final arc.
Unlike most Demon Slayers, he used a Nichirin-chained spiked flail and axe as his weapon. His physical strength far surpasses that of any other Corps member, almost to the point of being a superhuman, even without a Breathing Style. The Stone Hashira even turned his blindness to his strength by honing his other senses to superhuman levels, allowing him to perceive and react to his surroundings with incredible accuracy and to tap into the Transparent World after awakening his mark. His Stone Breathing Style allows him to utilize the ground beneath him and his surroundings to create powerful offense and defense.
1) Yoriichi Tsugikuni
In the entire series, whether they are humans or demons, not a single character was able to reach Yoriichi’s level. As the progenitor of the Breathing Techniques, he engraved his name in history as the greatest Demon Slayerwhose contribution to the Corps was revolutionary. Yoriichi is the only person who came close to killing Muzan, and he pushed him to the brink all by himself, but the demon slipped through his fingers. After that encounter, Muzan never dared to cross Yoriichi’s path and kept himself hidden in the shadows.
Luckily, Yoriichi gave Muzan several wounds through his Sun Breathing Technique, and the scars kept burning him for centuries, allowing the Demon Slayers an opening to attack the demon’s weakness. Yoriichi developed the Sun Breathing Style in a way that the 13 forms are used consecutively, as the last form stops him from exhausting his body. Anyone who has fully mastered it could use this Breathing Style continuously for several hours without feeling tired.
Each member in the list has powerful abilities, and they can defeat some of the strongest demons ever. Do you agree with the ranking? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
