Anyone see that amazing fight that closed out Demon Slayer's Entertainment District Arc? Most fans would agree that it was nothing short of amazing. The animation was spectacular, but it was the might of the characters that made it great. Gyutaro and Daki were running roughshod over Tanjiro and company, putting them through their paces and giving them everything they could handle. It took the group everything they had to finally stop the sinister duo. It really goes to show how powerful the Upper Moons are, and these two were the weakest of the bunch.
Update August 16, 2023: This article has been updated to include even more powerful characters from Demon Slayer.
The enemies will only get stronger from here, and fans are about to meet the two strongest Upper Moons after the siblings. Keep in mind that Uzui Tengan was considered the weakest of the Hashira, and he's an amazing warrior. Now that Demon Slayer's most recent Swordsmith Village arc is complete, it is a great time to look back at the strongest characters that we saw so far. In this season, we have seen some new and interesting members of the upper-rank demons. We also saw how much stronger Tanjiro and Nezuko has grown as they participate in an all-out battle against one of the strongest enemies they have faced. Spoiler alert, there are going to be characters from the newest arc in this article, so tread lightly. Here are the strongest characters of Demon Slayer so far.
15 Daki
We meet the Half of the Upper Moon six ranking, Demon Slayer's Daki in the Entertainment District Arc. Even though she is not nearly as powerful as her brother, she’s still one of the most formidable demons that the group has faced. When she first reveals herself to Tanjiro, she easily gives him all he can handle, keeping him on the defense. Even when he was starting to get the upper hand, she gained a power boost by absorbing her belts, which had been detached from her, allowing her to decimate a large area. It takes the group all they have to even lay a scratch on her when linked to Gyutaro. However, Daki fairs less successful when facing Tengen and Nezuko, who are both quick to beat the demon into submission.
14 Genya Shinazugawa
The anime watchers already met Genya Shinazugawa in the first season of the anime as he was one of the four people who passed the final selection along with Tanjiro. But the Genya we meet in the Swordsmith Village Arc is quite different although not in temparament. The Gneya we see still sports the fiery disposition we are familiar with but this time, we see a lot more of his past and present. In his backstory, we see that Genya is the Wind Hashira Sanemi Shinazugawa's younger brother and that Sanemi had to kill their mother after she turned into a demon.
There is another surprise awaiting viewers not familiar with the Manga, which is the fact that Genya cannot use any breathing techniques. So unlike his brother and other demon slayers, he did not get stronger by using the normal path. Instead, Genya eats demon flesh which gives him the appearance and strength of a demon for a limited time. With this unique strength, Genya was able to fight alongside Nezuko, Tanjiro, and Mitsuri in the Swordsmith Village against the powerful Upper Moon Four-ranked demon Hantengu. We are excited to see what Genya offers in the next season of the anime.
13 Zenitsu Agatsuma
Upon first meeting Zenitsu, he’s not much to look at. He whines and cries a lot and is an utter coward. He even earned Tanjiro’s pity and even a rare touch of his anger to boot. In the face of danger, he’s more likely to pass out in fear than rise to the occasion. However, it’s in this state that he comes alive. Trained by the previous Thunder Hashira, Zenitsu only knows one form, but he excels at it. Enemies can’t keep up, and by the time they’ve spotted him, the battle is already over.
He only gets stronger by training with Tanjiro and Inosuke. His skills increase enough that he becomes vital in defeating the Upper Moon Six, cutting through Daki’s neck using his Godspeed ability. Zenitsu may not be in the Swordsmith Village Arc with Tanjiro, but fans surely can’t wait to see how strong he becomes as he continues his training in the meantime.
12 Tanjiro Kamado
The hero of Demon Slayer, Tanjiro’s strength may not compare to a Hashira very well right now, but he’s only getting stronger. He realized just how big a gap there is between himself and the Upper Moons in season one when he nearly died fighting the Lower Six Rui. He put on an impressive display, but he would have died if not for the intervention of Giyu. Since then, he’s only ever trained to get stronger, working with his friends and the Tsuguko of Shinobu Kocho, Kanau.
By season two, he was able to put in an admirable fight against Daki of the Upper Moon and was vital in defeating her and her brother Gyutaro, who were leagues stronger than her. In doing so, Tanjiro seemingly unlocked a new ability that increased his strength enough to cut through the demon's neck. This ability will be explored even further in the new season, but the enemies will only get more dangerous. In the new season, we see him fighting valiantly and defeating a very powerful demon along with his friends, which bear testament to his increased abilities. While fighting the Upper-Rank Four Demon Hantengu, Tanjiro was also able to unlock his Demon Slayer Mark and become even stronger. We will be able to see more proof of his increased strength in the later season.
11 Giyu Tomioka
Here’s the man everyone has to thank for the show because it was his mercy that allowed Tanjiro and Nezuko to embark on their epic journey. Like others on this list, not much has been shown of Tomioka’s skill, but fans have seen him handle business and do so with relative ease.
Giyu arrived on Mount Natagumo and made quick work of the demons that had been decimating Tanjiro and his friends. First, the father demon, who nearly killed Inosuke, then Rui, who had survived being decapitated by Tanjiro. Giyu decapitated this demon within seconds of his arrival. Giyu is among the strongest of the Hashira and goes about his duty without fear. He even shows no fear when standing up to his constituents. Despite not having many appearances, it’s no surprise that Giyu has become a fan favorite.
10 Uzui Tengen
Tengen practically stole the show in the Entertainment District arc with his flashy style and amazing fight with Gyutaro. Oddly enough, he’s the weakest Hashira too. His speed is unmatched, as is his breathing technique, as he was able to slow Gyutaro’s poison for a prolonged period. Outlasting many who would have died almost instantly.
And while not much is known about breathing techniques so far or how they come to be, Tengen is the master of his own breathing style, Sound Breathing. He is a man of great skill, but that doesn’t stop him from feeling self-conscious and comparing himself to his fellow Hashira. And when it comes to battle, he’s more than willing to go all out and to the death if it ensures victory. Need proof, just look back at his epic battle with Upper Moon 6. It was so flashy that even nonfans loved it.
9 Kyojuro Rengoku
In terms of power and skill, Kyojuro Rengoku may not be on the same level as some of his constituents among the Hashira, but he was of the strongest and perhaps even the most respected. The flame Hashira possesses a level of skill and speed that wows everyone who finds themselves lucky enough to see him at work. In some instances, he’s even garnered the respect of other demons.
But it’s not his skill that makes Kyojuro stand out. It’s his unwavering charisma and spirit. His presence is positively virulent. His was so infectious that it ultimately left a lasting impression on the main protagonists, making his death one of the defining moments of the series and one of the driving forces in Tanjiro’s journey.
8 Nezuko
She may be cute and lovable in her natural state, but when Nezuko gets going, she can be downright vicious. As a demon, Nezuko can increase in size and utilizes the blood demon art of pyrokinesis, which allows her to generate pink flames from her blood that is only harmful to demons. They can also be beneficial to humans, allowing her to rid her friends of deadly poisons. The most fans have seen of Nezuko at her full power was in her fight against Daki, where she quickly overwhelmed the Upper Moon and nearly killed her.
Unfortunately, Nezuko also possesses an intense craving for human blood, which can overtake her judgment. She wasn’t awake for the fight with Gyutaro, but she was able to use her ability to stop his blood sickle explosion from causing further damage. She proves to be a great fighter, valiantly fighting against Hantengu along with her brother, Genya and Mitsuri. We also get to know that Nezuko cannot be killed by sunlight, which gives her an upper hand against other demons. We cannot wait to see her use her newfound powers in the next season.
7 Gyutaro
Gyutaro was the foe teased in the show's opening, and quickly showed Tengan and company how outmatched they were, infecting Tengan with a deadly poison and overwhelming the group with his vicious blood sickles. It was a struggle for the combined might of the Hashira and Tangiro to even land a blow on the Upper Moon 6. What they did land didn’t matter much due to the demon's quick healing. And when they almost got the upper hand, Gyutaro nearly wiped the entire squad out with an insane attack, destroying the entire district in the process.
Some can argue that it was pure desperation and chance that Gyutaro and his sister lost this fight because they dominated most of it. Muzan definitely lost one of his most powerful demons in Upper Moon 6. But the rest are even more powerful.
6 Gyokko
Gyokko is a demon, but he is not just any demon. Even though he seems powerless against the likes of Doma and Akaza in the first episode, this distorted-looking demon actually holds the rank of Upper Moon Five. This should be enough of a warning as to how powerful the demon actually is. And we can see his powers unleashed in the following episodes as he fights against one of the strongest Hashiras- Muichiro and almost defeats him.
Gyokko has quite a few abilities. He can teleport in between different pots but if a pot is destroyed, he cannot appear in it anymore. He can summon fish-like demons and make them attack humans with various blood-demon arts like spitting poisonous needles, spreading poisonous liquid etc. He can also create tentacled creatures from his pots that can destroy his surroundings. Most importantly, he can create a vase-like structure from water, which if his enemies get trapped in, they cannot breathe anymore. This proves to be the most detrimental for demon slayers, as they are rendered powerless if they cannot use their breath techniques. The accumulation of these different blood demon arts make Gyokko one of the strongest characters of this season.
5 Mitsuri Kanroji
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Physically, Mitsuri Kanroji is probably one of the strongest Hashira, and her technique only makes her stronger. At one point in the story, Mitsuri also seems shy because of the fact that she is so strong even as a woman. But later, as a Hashira, she learned to love and embrace her strength. The very sweet and loving Mitsuri is quite aptly names the Love Hashira.
Like all the other Hashiras, Mitsuri is a very skilled combatant and swordsman. Rengoku said that she completed the Final Selection course in a mere six months, which is quite a feat. Mitsuri also has abnormal muscle composition which makes her muscles about eight times denser than that of a normal human being, leading to her incredible physical strength. In the final stretch of her fight against the Upper Moon Four Hantengu, Mitsuri was even able to unlock her Demon Slayer mark, which made her stronger and faster. This mark helped her deafeat one of the four bodies of Hantengu and also save a lot of villagers from this demon's attacks. She was the first demon slayer who was able to unlock this mark after Tanjiro and Muichiro. This increase in her strength helped push her position further ahead in the list.
4 Hantengu
Hantengu as a demon does not appear to be much of a threat in the first episode when his shrunken self is seen scared, sniveling and crying in the shadows when Muzan and the other Upper Moons were meeting in the Infinity Castle. But at Muzan's orders, he and Gyokko come to the Swordsmith Village to lay waste to the population. Hantengu's unique Blood Demon Art makes him the fourth-ranked Upper Moon. This demon can make four clones of himself, each of whom is a manifestation of one of his emotions and each of whom possesses the strength of an Upper Moon. Only by killing the main body can this demon finally be defeated.
It took the combined efforts of Tanjiro, Nezuko, Genya, and the Love Hashira Mitsuri to finally defeat the demon. With Mitsuri taking on a body by herself with her enhanced abilities, Tanjiro and the rest were able to find the main body of the demon and destroy it. Even though Hantengu seemed meek and weak at first, he proved to be one of the strongest demons the Demon Slayers have ever fought.
3 Muichiro Tokito
Even though extremely young at only 14 years, Muichiro is one of the strongest Hashiras to ever exist. This is supported by the fact that the soft-spoken and introverted Mist Hashira became an official Hashira with the Demon Slayer Corps at the age of 11, making him the youngest person to get that title. The tiny Mist Hashira packs an indomitable punch as he is one of the only people in the History of the Demon Slayers to defeat one of the Upper Moon Demons alone.
In the Swordsmith Village Arc, Muichiro wants to help the others fight Hantengu, but is stopped by Gyokko and has to fight him instead. With his incredible breath technique, he puts up a great fight but is almost overpowered by the demon. After that, we get to see his backstory, where we see how he lost his twin brother to a demon. And how he was able to fight with a demon till sunrise even before any training as a Demon Slayer. After that, the powerful Hashira was able to unlock his Slayer mark right after Tanjiro, which finally led to him defeating and Killing Gykko. In the anime, Muichiro is definitely one of the strongest characters.
2 Akaza
Akaza came out of nowhere at the end of Demon Slayer’s Mugan Train arc and quickly made himself one of Tangiro’s prime targets. No one expected him to become the main villain, but the whole squad knew they were in trouble the moment he crashed out of the train. So far in the series, not much is known about Akaza, except that he is extremely dangerous and isn’t particularly fond of his superior Doma, or Muzan, for that matter. Whereas most demons revel in their bloodlust, Akaza’s only joy is to find worthy opponents, which he finds in the form of Kyojiro Rengoku.
What’s more is that Akaza’s one of the only Upper Moons to excel in close combat, using just his hands and feet to fight in his demon art. Akaza was shown to be an important character at the start of season three, being more complex than he first appeared. Despite being a villain, anime fans wait with bated breath to learn more about this dangerous foe, but they may not find out much this season.
1 Muzan Kibutsuji
He looks like Michael Jackson, but don’t be mistaken. He’s far worse than bad. Very little has been seen of the first demon's power, but what has been is enough to identify him as the monster in command. Muzan can kill demons from anywhere just with the use of his name. He can inject a single finger into someone, filling them with so much of his blood that they turn to mush. He can even read the minds of his demons.
Even if none of this was ever seen, fans would know just how big a deal he is just by the utter terror the thought of him can bring to his subordinates. Oddly enough, the most dangerous being in the show is not without fear. The sight of Tanjiro’s earrings was enough to trigger the memory of a man who still shakes Muzan to his core. Fans will learn this man's name this season.