12 Strongest Demon Slayer Characters (Ranked)

Demon Slayer quickly became one of the most popular animanga series following the anime’s debut in 2019. The series introduced us to many strong characters, be it the members of the Demon Slayer Corps or the deadly demons. So, it is evident seeing some fans wondering who among them are the most powerful. Well, in this list, I have ranked the strongest characters of Demon Slayer from worst to best. So, let’s go through it.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains major spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga, so proceed at your own risk.

12. Obanai Iguro – Serpent Hashira

• Type: Human
• Position: Hashira in Demon Slayer Corps
• Main Ability: Serpent Breathing

Obanai suffers from heterochromia, which makes him almost completely blinded in his right eye but that doesn’t make him any less skilled. We see the peak of Obanai’s strength in the Infinity Castle arc when he easily holds off Nakime, the Upper Rank 4, and even gets close to beheading Muzan.

In the Infinity Castle Arc, he kills a bunch of demons who are equivalent to the lower ranks without having much trouble. Not to forget, he even sacrifices his sight completely during the final battle but still holds his ground for a long time. Due to his partial blindness, Obanai relies on his pet snake, Kaburamaru, to accurately inform him about the opponent’s move. This goes hand-in-hand with the Serpent Breathing techniques, which allows him to make unpredictable moves with his cool twisted Nichirin sword.

Moreover, in the final battle, he uses Transparent World against Muzan, allowing him to see the demon lord’s vital points. At the same time, he turns his sword bright red by putting all his strength into it, which hampers Muzan’s instant healing. Even if Obanai couldn’t kill Muzan once and for all, his contribution to the fight is worth every bit of praise.

11. Kyojuro Rengoku – Flame Hashira

• Type: Human
• Position: Hashira in Demon Slayer Corps
• Main Ability: Flame Breathing

The Mugen Train movie made the Flame Hashira an immediate fan-favorite character of Demon Slayer. Rengoku was one of the most charismatic characters in the series, with his abilities only adding to his flaming personality. If he had not died sooner, he could have been one of the most significant assets for the other Hashiras in the final battle.

As a Hashira, he defeated the Flute demon, who was the cause of nine demon slayers’ deaths, and Hairo, Lower Rank Two. He even gave Akaza, the fourth most powerful demon, a run for his money. Upper Rank 3 was so impressed with Rengoku that he even offered to turn him into a demon.

In terms of abilities, the Flame Hashira had superhuman senses, which allowed him to detect demons and their weaknesses. His extreme speed also allowed him to catch up with a moving train. He also has unbelievable endurance, as we saw him jump into a series of battles without even a minute of break.

10. Muichiro Tokito – Mist Hashira

• Type: Human
• Position: Hashira in Demon Slayer Corps
• Main Ability: Mist Breathing

Muichiro is one of the youngest Hashiras and is also a descendant of Kokushibo, the Upper Rank One. While he doesn’t possess any demonic abilities, his personality is extremely cold and uncaring. However, that doesn’t come in the way of his being dedicated to the Corps and his teammates.

In direct combat, he quickly overpowered our protagonist Tanjiro so his strength is not to be taken lightly. Another testament to his skills is his win over Gyokko, Upper Moon 5, whom he defeated all by himself. Not to forget, he even went after Kokushibo and played a major role in his defeat in the Infinity Castle arc. The demon even praised his skills, making him one of the strongest Demon Slayer characters.

Muichiro uses Mist Breathing, which allows him to land several attacks in succession without the opponent noticing him coming at them. Much like Mist, his attacks are hard to predict and almost impossible to dodge. While we won’t get to see how skilled he would have been as an adult demon slayer, his potential is truly limitless.

9. Giyu Tomioka – Water Hashira

• Type: Human
• Position: Hashira in Demon Slayer Corps
• Main Ability: Water Breathing

Calm like a river, scary like an ocean, Giyu is one of the most powerful characters in Demon Slayer, but sadly, the viewers have only seen a fraction of his powers so far. He was the first Hashira to appear in the main narrative and also one of the first characters who allowed Nezuko to live. This implies that while he has a strict morale, he is not as cruel as the other Hashiras.

In terms of achievements, he has killed a variety of demons including Father Spider, Rui – the Lower Rank Five. Just like the Flame Hashira, he also fought Akaza, the Upper-Rank Three, and was able to overpower him.

He uses Water Breathing techniques with his blue sword. His moves are not only deadly but also defensive. One of the most iconic abilities that Giyu has is called Dead Calm, which allows him to easily nullify powerful attacks.

Unlike several swordsmen, he doesn’t rely on heavy movements or strength to kill his opponents. Instead, Giyu goes for swift, concentrated motion that, in most cases, kills the demon in a single move. This also allows him to target multiple spots on a demon’s body with a single slash.

8. Sanemi Shinazugawa – Wind Hashira

• Type: Human
• Position: Hashira in Demon Slayer Corps
• Main Ability: Wind Breathing

Sanemi is the Wind Hashira and one of the scariest non-demon characters in the series. He defeated the Lower Rank One, Ubume, even before becoming a Hashira.

In the Infinity Castle Arc, Sanemi caused serious damage to Upper-Rank One, Kokushibo, which helped others to defeat him. Unfortunately, during this fight, Sanemi lost his middle and index fingers. As you can imagine, wielding swords with only three fingers is no joke, but that’s what he did while contributing to the final battle against Muzan. Kokushibo complimented Sanemi’s skills, along with Himejima, and even considered them to be more skilled than most Hashiras in Demon Slayer.

As a swordsman, Sanemi uses wind-breathing techniques that make him appear as floating and moving seamlessly through the air. He also possesses a high recovery rate and endurance, allowing him to jump into the final battle almost immediately after being injured by Kokushibo. However, what makes him truly stand out is his Marechi blood, which is the rarest blood in the world. Just a whiff of this blood can distract even the strongest devil and make them hungry. However, Nezuko and Muzan were able to resist it.

7. Lord Akaza – Upper Rank Three

• Type: Demon
• Position: Upper-Rank 3rd in Twelve Kizuki
• Main Ability: Demonic martial arts

Thanks to the anime’s Mugen Train arc, Akaza is currently one of the (strongest but) most hated characters in Demon Slayer. There is no doubt that he is extremely dangerous as an Upper Rank 3 Kizuki, but Akaza was a skilled martial artist even before turning into a demon. His fighting style has a clear reflection of the same.

He killed the Flame Hashira, a bunch of other Hashiras, and a bunch of Demon Slayers throughout his life. Being a professional fighter himself, Akaza possesses the ability to predict his opponent’s moves and weaknesses. You can’t even imagine defeating him in direct combat without additional help. Though, he was easily able to overwhelm even some Hashira-level swordsmen in the Infinity Castle arc.

Other than his fighting skills, Akaza boasts impressive focus, almost infinite stamina, instant regeneration, and unmatchable speed. And if you hadn’t noticed, his Blood Demon Art mostly revolves around martial arts. Akaza combines powerful combat moves with demon abilities, resulting in some truly lethal attacks.

6. Doma – Upper Rank Two

• Type: Demon
• Position: Upper-Rank 2nd in Twelve Kizuki
• Main Ability: Cryokinesis

Doma is one of the smartest demons on Muzan’s team. Unlike others, he is extremely involved in human affairs and even runs a cult. This cult acts as a worshipping place where Doma resolves the problems of his followers, but actually, it is a feeding ground where he gets to eat humans without much effort.

He is the third strongest demon in the world so battling him, for most people, is going to be a deadly choice. According to Doma, even Akaza stands no chance in front of him because of his superior fighting skills. He uses Tessenjutsu in direct combat and double-wields war fans to slash his opponents. When compared to the Hashiras, he is faster, more powerful, and potentially more skilled than almost all of them.

When it comes to Demon Blood art, Doma uses cryokinesis which allows him to generate ice that is lethal to the ones who inhale it and makes it hard for his opponents to move. Furthermore, he can even make sharp shards and structures, which act as defensive tools and also as strong weapons.

5. Gyomei Himejima – Stone Hashira

• Type: Human
• Position: Hashira in Demon Slayer Corps
• Main Ability: Stone Breathing

Physically, Gyomei is the strongest Hashira in the anime, and popular characters like Tanjiro and Inosuke consider him to be the strongest member of the Demon Slayer Corps. He became the Stone Hashira in just two months, and his muscular body makes this achievement not surprising at all. In the Infinity Castle arc, Himejima stood his ground against the Upper Rank One demon without even using the Demon Slayer mark.

Not to forget, he even helped in weakening Muzan, after receiving several serious injuries. In terms of abilities, Gyomei has highly advanced hearing that allows him to overcome his blindness. He was able to determine the power level of Muzan just by hearing his flesh regenerating. Furthermore, he uses chains to determine the position of his enemies and drives his axe and flail while attacking.

Unlike other members of the Demon Slayer Corps, Himejima doesn’t use a Nichirin sword. Instead, he relies on a version of Kusarigama, which has an axe attached to a heavy chain with a spiked flail on one end. He uses it in combination with Stone Breathing, allowing him to launch long-range, destructive attacks. Each of his attacks is much more destructive than a Nichirin sword’s slash.

4. Kokushibo – Upper Rank One

• Type: Demon
• Position: Upper-Rank 1st in Twelve Kizuki
• Main Ability: Moon Breathing and flesh manipulation

Kokushibo is the strongest demon in the anime, only second to Demon King Muzan. Before turning into a demon, he was a part of the Demon Slayer Corps alongside his brother Yoriichi Tsugikini. He was able to use Total Concentration Breathing techniques in combat, access the Transparent world, and bear the Demon Slayer mark, thanks to his unique background.

In terms of demonic abilities, Kokushibo can manipulate his flesh to create really powerful weapons and even modify the form of his sword. He also has unmatchable strength, speed, and stamina that even Himejima couldn’t keep up with. Furthermore, he doesn’t even have to fight to win his battles; his aura alone is enough to make a Hashira lose the will to fight while facing him.

Moreover, towards the end of the manga, he underwent a massive mutation that turned him into an even more terrifying creature, one that could only be harmed by sunlight. Kokushibo uses the Moon Breathing technique. Furthermore, the Moon breathing technique has 14 forms, which is more than almost all the Hashiras and even Yoriichi, demonstrating his exceptional skill set.

3. Muzan Kibutsuji – Demon King

• Type: Demon
• Position: Demon King
• Main Ability: Demonic control, blood and flesh manipulation

Muzan, the King of Demons, is the strongest and also the primal demon in the world of Demon Slayer. Consuming his blood is enough to turn you into a powerful demon. He can control all the demons in existence, with only people with strong willpower, like Nezuko, being an exception. He heals instantly and doesn’t even let his opponents get near him, thanks to his Demon Blood Art’s massive reach. During the final battle, he was weakened by a drug but still managed to take down hundreds of demon slayers within a few minutes.

He can also absorb any type of object near him, which was the basis of his plan to absorb Nezuko and become resistant to the sun. In terms of other demon abilities, Muzan has too many powers to comprehend. These include his long, flexible, and sharp whips to attack opponents, using his fangs to pull enemies in and slash them, and turning humans into demons with his blood.

He can also transfer his consciousness into another being in the form of blood and has full control over most demons, including telepathy and command over their actions. So, it is more than surprising to consider that even the strongest demon was once afraid of someone else, and that was the original sun-breathing user, Yoriichi Tsugikini.

2. Demon King Tanjiro Kamado

• Type: Human/Demon
• Position: Member of Demon Slayer Corps
• Main Ability: Sun Breathing and Blood Demon Art

While Tanjiro is a skilled swordsman as a demon slayer, he is nowhere close to being the strongest character in the series. But things are much different when it comes to Demon King Tanjiro. Yeah, Tanjiro turns into a demon as a result of Muzan’s last attempt at survival. As the demon king, he’s seen unleashing his true potential, which can be truly destructive if left unchecked.

Thanks to Muzan, the demon form of Tanjiro has the fastest regeneration and the strength to avert all physical attacks. Moreover, just like his sister Nezuko, Tanjiro acquires resistance against the sun, making him completely invincible against any human. Not only that, but his Muzan-like Blood Demon Art made him more powerful than all demons as well.

Towards the end, Yushiro, the traveling companion of Tamayo, mentioned that our protagonist had “tremendous potential” as a demon and would have been stronger than Muzan. However, due to his limited time in a demon state, we don’t see his full potential with such powers. If Tanjiro decided to adopt the demon form, he would have definitely topped this list.

1. Yoriichi Tsugikini

• Type: Human
• Position: First Demon Slayer
• Main Ability: Sun Breathing

Yoriichi Tsugikuni is the strongest demon slayer character to have ever existed in the series. He is also the only person that Muzan has ever been afraid of. He invented the original breathing styles that later branched out into the ones that Harshiras use to date. While all demon slayers have to work hard to awaken the Demon Slayer mark, access the transparent world, and the selfless state, Yoriichi was born with all of that. This allowed him to overwhelm the demon king with a single breathing technique.

He died from the only inevitable human weakness, which is old age. But even before his death, he was easily able to overpower Kokushibo, his brother and the second-strongest demon in existence. In a way, his weakened vision and advanced age had no impact on his skills. His swordsmanship, strength, and speed were not comparable to any other human.

Even Muzan narrowly survived his attack and escaped death by running away. Unfortunately, that turned out to be the biggest error on Yoriichi’s part, as we see in the manga. Yoriichi is the creator of the Sun Breathing style, which Tanjiro has since inherited. He relied on this breathing technique to unleash some of the most powerful moves demons have ever seen. If Yoriichi hadn’t passed away or prevented Muzan from fleeing the scene, the demons would have never reached their strong state.

The above list includes the strongest characters from the Demon Slayer Universe, and each of them has unique abilities that allow them to sit here.