Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer is that one contemporary anime and manga franchise whose hype will persist even among the next generations. While the series gained a higher status due to Ufotable’s brilliant animation, much of the craze for the series resides in its plot and well fleshed-out characters.
As an action-oriented series, the majority of the characters’ appeal reside on their strength and abilities, combat power, battlefield experience and acumen, and swordsmanship skills, among other things. Characters like Kyojuro Rengoku, Sanemi Shinazugawa, Akaza, etc., have all the aforementioned qualities, which makes them a force to be reckoned with. However, in terms of overall rankings, they are surpassed by a few other characters whose strengths and abilities prove that they are worthy of being in the Top 5.
Note: The following article contains spoilers from the Demon Slayer manga.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Muzan Kibutsuji, and 3 other characters whose strength is unmatchable in the Demon Slayer-verse
5. Gyomei Himejima
In Demon Slayer, Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima is the perfect example of a gentle giant. Although he may come off as frightening, he is amiable and soft-spoken. However, he does live up to his ‘frightening’ status on the battlefield, as acknowledged by several Demon Slayers and Kokushibo.
During his fight with the Upper Rank One, Gyomei showcased his incredible strength and was able to fight with Kokushibo for a brief time. Even after awakening his Demon Slayer Mark, Gyomei fought with Kokushibo on equal grounds. Interestingly, this show of strength and stamina prompted the Upper Rank One to comment on how he had never come across a fighter as strong as Gyomei in the past 300 years.
Later, while fighting Muzan, the Stone Hashira was able to put up an impressive fight against him. While this is not all, such a display of strength and endurance is befitting of his status as the strongest Hashira.
4. Kokushibo
As the holder of Upper Rank One, Kokushibo stands at the top of the demon hierarchy, only second to Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji. With almost 500-year-long combat experience, Kokushibo’s strength is almost unmatched in both human and demon terms. An example of his strength could be seen during the Infinity Castle arc when it took three Hashiras – Sanemi, Muichiro, and Gyomei – and Genya to defeat this powerful demon.
Not only that, the three aforementioned Hashiras had to resort to using their Demon Slayer Marks, of which Muiichiro and Gyomei awakened the Transparent World, while Genya had to use Blood Demon Art to restrain him. However, Kokushibo’s defeat came at the cost of Muiichiro and Genya’s sacrifice, with the other two Hashiras being severely wounded – a fact that only attests to the Upper Rank One’s immense power.
3. Tanjiro Kamado
The protagonist of Demon Slayer, Tanjiro Kamado has impressed a lot of characters, such as Sakonji Urokodaki or Giyu Tomioka, with his indomitable will and physical abilities. Even when he was a lower-ranked Demon Slayer, Tanjiro could defeat Lower Rank Five and Lower Rank One. Then, during the Entertainment District arc, he was able to kill Gyuutaro, an Upper Rank demon, with the help of Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui.
Over the years of extensive training, Tanjiro became even more powerful, polishing his swordsmanship skills, agility, and flexibility in the process. By the time he faced Muzan in the final arc, his abilities were already on the same level as that of a Hashira as he fought the Demon King for an entire hour by himself to stall till sunrise.
When a desperate Muzan transformed into a gigantic fetus form, the protagonist slashed him with his Bright Red Nichirin Sword, exposing the demon to the sunlight and thus killing him in the process. In the end, defeating the Demon King by himself speaks volumes of his power, so placing him in the third position is an acknowledgement of the same.
2. Muzan Kibutsuji
The first of his kind and the leader of Twelve Kizuki, Muzan Kibujtsuji is considered to be the strongest demon to ever live. If Kokushibo’s strength is unmatched, then Muzan’s is something beyond human comprehensibility. During the final arc of the series, Muzan was responsible for the death of countless members of the Demon Slayer Corps, all of which he did within a short span.
From easily slashing Gyomei’s leg and Giyu’s right arm, Muzan overwhelmed all the living Hashiras with his incredible strength and speed. Additionally, even with his depleting stamina and drug-induced state, it took the combined efforts of the Demon Slayers to prevent Muzan’s escape.
However, it resulted in the death of Tanjiro, Gyomei, Obanai, and Mitsuri. At last, while his physical state perished under the sunlight, he managed to pass his psyche to the deceased Tanjiro so that his legacy as a Demon King would continue.
1. Yoriichi Tsugikuni
The inventor of Breathing Styles, Yoriichi lived a sad and lonely life for the most part. Despite being the twin of Kokushibo, Yoriichi surpassed his brother in everything. Moreover, he is the only Demon Slayer that traumatized Muzan Kibutsuji. Even the memory of Yoriichi’s earrings would make the Demon King tremble in fear. Ironically, Muzan called him a monster.
A man who upheld his principles, Yoriichi proved to be too much for both Kokushibo and Muzan. While battling the latter, he overpowered him quickly, and if it weren’t for the Demon King’s narrow escape, Muzan wouldn’t have lived for this long.
On the other hand, an 85-year-old Yoriichi fought his brother for the last time on the battlefield. Despite his apparent blindness and subsequent natural death, Kokushibo acknowledged how a second swing of Yoriichi’s sword would have killed him easily. Hence, had he lived during the time of Tanjiro, maybe the protagonist could have won the battle against Muzan without so many casualties.
