Compared to other influential anime like Black Clover or Naruto, Demon Slayer (Kimetsu No Yaiba) has a comparatively limited plot. While the plot isn’t one that continued for decades, Demon Slayer has one of the largest sets of characters in an anime. And if you’re a fan, you are likely familiar with the elite demon hunters called the Hashira.
The nine Hashira stand out from the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps when it comes to fighting the deadliest demons. From the flame-wielding Kyojuro Rengoku to the calm and collected Giyu Tomioka, every Hashira boasts its own set of unique abilities. So, let’s understand who they are and how powerful each of the Hashira is.
Spoiler Warning: This article includes spoilers for the Demon Slayer manga by Koyoharu Gotouge, highlighting the powers and the contribution of each Hashira in the final fight.
Who Are the Hashira in Demon Slayer?
Hashiras are the strongest and most competent members of the Demon Slayer Corps. In terms of ranking, they are all equal and second only to the corps’ leaders. As warriors, they are responsible for leading the battle against Muzan, the demon king.
Each Hashira is a proficient swordsman and a master of unique breathing techniques. Some of them, like Love Hashira, even came up with their own distinct breathing styles.
When not on a mission, each Hashira patrols a specific area to gather information and protect the residents from demons. While their work is similar to the police, they are not recognized by the government but have still existed to serve humanity since ancient times.
Complete List of Demon Slayer Hashiras
| Hashira Name | Breathing Technique |
|---|---|
| Gyomei Himejima | Stone Breathing |
| Muichiro Tokito | Mist Breathing |
| Sanemi Shinazugawa | Wind Breathing |
| Obanai Iguro | Serpent Breathing |
| Giyu Tomioka | Water Breathing |
| Kyojuro Rengoku | Flame Breathing |
| Mitsuri Kanroji | Love Breathing |
| Tengen Uzui | Sound Breathing |
| Shinobu Kocho | Insect Breathing |
| Kanae Koncho | Flower Breathing |
| Jigoro Kuwajima | Thunder Breathing |
| Shinjuro Rengoku | Flame Breathing |
| Sakonji Urokodaki | Water Breathing |
With the basics out of the way, let’s get to know all the powerful Hashiras we are going to meet in the main story of Demon Slayer. Here, we have ranked these Hashira based on their strength and achievements, from best to worst.
1. Gyomei Himejima
Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, is the strongest Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps in terms of strength and swordsmanship. Despite his blindness, he is considered the strongest combatant because of his physical prowess.
Kokushibo, the second strongest demon in existence after Muzan, claimed that he hadn’t met anyone of Gyomei’s caliber in the last three centuries. And we got a testament to the same when he entered the final battle without a second thought, even after acquiring severe injuries.
Besides that, even though he can’t see and has a huge build, his speed, and reflexes are worth every bit of appreciation.
2. Muichiro Tokito
Given his young age and achievements, Muichiro is undoubtedly the most exceptionally talented Hashira in Demon Slayer. He completed the rough Hashira training within two months, a deed only Himejima achieved before. But when compared to the latter, Muichiro doesn’t have the experience or muscular strength, making his record time even more impressive. Furthermore, like the Stone Hashira, he is very calm and collected, which also fits his Mist breathing technique.
When pitched against our protagonist, the Mist Hashira was easily able to overwhelm Tanjiro and even the unpredictable Genya. Not to forget, he is the only person who singled-handily defeated an Upper-Rank demon (Rank Five), that too, quite easily.
3. Sanemi Shinazugawa
The Demon Slayer Corps have a mixed opinion towards Sanemi, the Wind Hashira, because of his rash personality. Still, his hunger for fighting and incomparable skillset is hard to ignore. He even claimed his extremely dangerous fight against the Upper-Rank One to be exciting and stood his ground entirely by himself.
Before that, he destroyed a bunch of Lower Rank demons without a second thought. Kokushibo, the Upper Rank One demon, even compared and complimented Sanemi’s strength alongside Gyomei.
Later, while dealing with the death of his brother and several serious injuries, he contributed heavily towards the fall of Muzan. His wild personality even took the demon king by surprise when Sanemi surprisingly used a second sword with his feet.
4. Obanai Iguro
Also recognized as the Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro is partially blind and also has injuries around his face, which force him to always wear a bandage and rarely talk. With that aside, his power and skills know no limits. During the Infinite Castle arc, he proved his swordsmanship by killing many demons with his unique twisted Nichirin sword in Demon Slayer.
However, the true test of Obanai’s endurance came in the fight against Muzan. Sadly, in the same battle, Obanai lost his eyesight completely. Still, he, along with Tanjiro, prevented the demon king from escaping. Interestingly, he was inches away from killing the evil entity in the conflict.
5. Giyu Tomioka
If you are a regular anime viewer, Tomioka has to be the most familiar Hashira for you. As the Water Hashira, he overpowered Tanjiro and his crew since the beginning. As the story progresses, his strength only becomes more prominent. Tomioka defeats the powerful Father Spider demon and Lower Rank Five while protecting Tanjiro and Inosuke. He even dueled with and matched Sanemi’s skills.
Later, he held off Akaza, Upper-Rank Three, the demon who killed the mighty flame Hashira, in an intense battle. Akaza was so impressed with Giyu that he even offered to turn him into a demon. Fortunately, the Water Hashira denied his offer and later played a major role in Muzan’s defeat.
6. Kyojuro Rengoku
Unless you are living under a rock or are not a real fan of Demon Slayer, there’s no way you are unfamiliar with the majestic Kyojuro Rengoku’s might. He is the Flame Hashira, the protagonist of the Mugen Train arc, who took the fandom by storm. Even though he couldn’t survive the fight against Upper-Rank Three, Akaza, we got to witness enough of his strength.
Kyojuro was powerful enough to hold off Akaza until sunrise. This was right after he took a destructive fight against Enmu, Lower Rank One, and he even protected Tanjiro and his friends from the demon. Kyojuro also lost an eye and suffered from fatal injuries during his final fight. Yet Akaza couldn’t get to see him die just because of the Flame Hashira’s sheer endurance.
7. Mitsuri Kanroji
Mitsuri Kanroji is currently the most powerful female Hashira in Demon Slayer. She is one of the members of the Demon Slayer Corps, who didn’t take much time to pass the Final Selection. She has been praised by the Flame Hashira for the same.
Mitsuri Kanroji’s potential was witnessed in Demon Slayer Season 3. She not only killed the demons created by an Upper Moon but also matched the combating levels of Upper-Rank Four, Hantengu.
Besides that, she has a whip-like-sword that only someone with an extremely flexible body can control, and fortunately, out of all the Hashiras, Mitsuri is the one who comes with such flexibility. Well, in Season 4, we can expect to see her giving flexibility training to Tanjiro and his allies.
8. Tengen Uzui
Tengen Uzui is the leading force in the Entertainment District Arc of the Demon Slayer anime. That’s also when we get to witness the extreme level of his skills. He was able to not only stand against but also overpower Daki and Gyutaro, two upper-rank demons who had killed multiple Hashiras in the past. While we cannot ignore all the help Tengen had from his wives, Tanjiro and his friends, his contribution to the fight was definitely heavy.
Unfortunately, Tengen decides to retire from the corps after that fight, so we never get to see him in the final battle. However, he plays a significant role in the Hashira Training Arc, and to witness that, do not forget to watch the intriguing episodes of Demon Slayer Season 4.
9. Shinobu Kocho
At the end of our list of current Hashira in Demon Slayer Corps, we have Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira. Unlike other members of the corps, she lacks physical strength, but her wisdom knows no bounds. Shinobu is an expert in medicines and poison, so instead of direct combat, she relies on a needle-like sword to weaken her enemies by injecting poison into them.
She uses the tiny blade at the edge of her sword to slice off their necks. This unique style of fighting allowed her to stand tall against Doma, the Upper Rank Two demon. Before that, she also killed the powerful daughter Spider Demon and even almost killed Nezuko. She is a reliable successor to her sister, the late Flower Hashira.
Former Hashiras in Demon Slayer
The Demon Slayer Corps and the Hashira system have existed for over several centuries. So, while witnessing the current nine Hashiras is exciting, there are several former Hashira you must know about. They might not play a major role in the main narrative of the anime, but their contributions make them considerable.
10. Kanae Kocho
Shinobu Kocho’s elder sister, Kanae, doesn’t get the opportunity to be a part of Demon Slayer’s main narrative as she was killed by Doma, the upper moon two, several years ago. Unlike Shinobu, she was potent enough to hold the deadly monster Doma until sunrise. Even though she wasn’t able to defeat the demon, she still managed to give him a hard time before getting killed.
11. Jigoro Kuwajima
Jigoro is the former Thunder Hashira and also the trainer of Zenitsu Agatsuma, a skilled member of the Demon Slayer corps, and Kaigaku, the Upper-Rank Six demon. While we don’t get to know much about his achievements, his time as a Hashira is highly celebrated. He was a Hashira who was well-versed in Thurder Breathing technique, but after losing one of his legs in a battle, he decided to retire.
12. Shinjuro Rengoku
As the name reveals, Shinjuro is the former Flame Hashira and the father of Kyojuro Rengoku. His status in itself is enough as a testament to his power. But we also get to see him overpowering Tanjiro in direct combat. Moreover, he also saved the life of a younger Obanai Iguro from the serpent demon during his time in the Corps.
13. Sakonji Urokodaki
The last one on our list and the first former Hashira we meet in the anime is Sakonji Urokodaki, the former Water Hashira. He trained both Giyu Tomioka and Tanjiro Kamado. During the latter’s training, we get to see a lot of Sakonji’s moves and wisdom. However, the anime explores very little about his past. However, we know that he is the one who captured Hand Demon alive.
So, yeah that’s pretty everything you need to know about the Hashira in Demon Slayer. Do you have any doubts? Let us know in the comments below.
Ajith Kumar
