Demon Slayer quickly became one of the most popular anime of all time after its debut back in 2019. It’s all thanks to an excellent plotline and an exceptional cast. Demon Slayer boasts a large cast of characters, including humans trained in the art of demon slaying and demons with extraordinary powers. This often leads to fan debates over who the strongest character in the anime series is. However, these debates often overlook the details from the manga and some of the lesser-known or ‘flashback’ characters. In order to determine the most powerful Demon Slayer characters of all time, it’s important to consider all of the available information. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the 25 strongest characters in the Demon Slayer anime.

Spoiler Warning: Analysing the strength and abilities of characters means going over various important plot points in the Demon Slayer manga and anime. Because of that, our guide has some of the biggest spoilers for the plot of Demon Slayer. So, we suggest you finish the manga before going through this list to avoid spoiling the story.

  • Muzan Kibutsuji – Demon KingYoriichi TsugikiniKokushibo – Upper Rank 1Gyomei Himejima – Stone HashiraDoma – Upper Rank 2Lord Akaza – Upper Rank 3Muichiro Tokito – Mist HashiraHantengu – Upper Rank 4Sanemi Shinazugawa – Wind HashiraObanai Iguro – Serpent HashiraTanjiro KamadoGiyu Tomioka – Water HashiraKyojuro Rengoku – Flame HashiraGyokko – Upper Rank 5Nezuko KamadoDaki & Gyutaro – Upper Rank 6Mitsuri Kanroji – Love HashiraTengen Uzui – Sound HashiraKanao TsuyuriZenitsu AgatsumaShinobu Kocho – Insect HashiraInosuke HashibaraNakime Otokawa – Upper Rank 4Kaigaku – Upper Rank 6Enmu – Lower Moon 1Bonus: Demon King Tanjiro Kamado

1. Muzan Kibutsuji – Demon King

  • Type: DemonPosition: Demon KingMain 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 kill hundreds of demon slayers within a few minutes.

2. Yoriichi Tsugikini

  • Type: HumanPosition: First Demon SlayerMain 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 was ever 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.

  • Type: DemonPosition: Upper-Rank 1st in Twelve KizukiMain Ability: Moon Breathing and flesh manipulation

Kokushibo is one of the strongest demons 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. Thanks to his unique background, he was able to use Total Concentration Breathing techniques in combat, access the Transparent world, and bear the Demon Slayer mark.

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. Not to forget, with his Blood Demon Art, Kokushibo uses Moon Breathing and moon-shaped blades that are as powerful as Nichrin swords. Furthermore, the Moon breathing technique has fourteen forms, which is more than almost all the Hashiras and even Yoriichi, demonstrating his exceptional skill set.

  • Type: HumanPosition: Hashira in Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Stone Breathing

Physically, Gyomei is clearly 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 altogether. He became the Stone Hashira in just two months and his muscular body makes this achievement appear 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.

  • Type: DemonPosition: Upper-Rank 2nd in Twelve KizukiMain 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 worshiping 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. The fame and appreciation are the cherries on top.

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 Hashiras, he is faster, more powerful, and potentially more skilled than almost all of them.

  • Type: DemonPosition: Upper-Rank 3rd in Twelve KizukiMain 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.

One of his most iconic moves is the Compass Needle, which reveals his opponents’ position, will, and weak points, allowing him to quickly adapt to the moves of his enemies. This allowed him to overpower Tanjiro even without a head.

  • Type: HumanPosition: Hashira in Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Mist Breathing

Muichiro is one of the youngest Hashiras on the team and is also a descendant of Kokushibo, the Upper Rank One demon. While he doesn’t possess any demonic abilities, his personality is extremely cold and uncaring. Though, that doesn’t come in the way of his being dedicated to the Demon Slayer Corps and his teammates. In direct combat, he easily overpowered our protagonist Tanjiro so his strength is not to be taken lightly.

  • Type: DemonPosition: Upper-Rank 4th in Twelve KizukiMain Ability: Creating clones with special abilities

Hantengu is the fifth most powerful demon in Muzan’s top twelve and also one of the main antagonists in the Swordsmen Village arc. Fighting him in direct combat is not easy but what if there were five of him? One of the most powerful abilities that Hantengu holds is creating up to four clones at the same time. These clones can have any one of the 6 variations of him.

The clones can have various personalities including Hantengu, the original form who is paranoid and cries easily when attacked; Sekido, who is filled with rage and acts as the leader of the group; Karaku, who is relaxed and praises his enemies while fighting; Aizetsu, who is calm and relies on analysis rather than strength; Urogi, who treats fights as entertainment; Zohakuten, who is fueled by hatred and loyalty to Muzan and is intelligent and skilled; and Urami, who acts as a victim and constantly tries to win through mercy. All of Hantengu’s forms are nearly equally powerful, making him difficult to defeat in a solo fight.

  • Type: HumanPosition: Hashira in Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Wind Breathing

Sanemi is the Wind Hashira and one of the scariest non-demon characters in the manga. He defeated the Lower Rank One, Ubume even before turning into a Hashira. Though this fight ended with the death of Sanemi’s partner. Since then he has acted crazy, ruthless, and straight-up indifferent toward everyone else. While this personality doesn’t sit well with his peers it definitely makes him a more brutal demon slayer.

  • Type: HumanPosition: Hashira in Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Serpent Breathing

If our list of strongest characters in Demon Slayer was based on mercilessness then Obanai would probably top the list. He suffers from heterochromia which makes him almost completely blind through his right eye. Still, that never came in the way of him becoming a Hashira and one of the most skilled ones at that. We see the peak of Obanai’s strength when he was able to easily hold off Nakime, the Upper Rank 4, and even got close to beheading Muzan, the demon king.

During the Infinity Castle Arc, he killed a bunch of demons who were equivalent to the lower ranks without giving it a second thought. Not to forget, he even lost his sight completely during the final battle but was still able to hold his ground for a long time. Due to his partial blindness, Obanai used to rely on his pet snake Kaburamaru to accurately inform about his opponent’s move. This went hand-in-hand with the Serpent Breathing techniques which allowed him to make unpredictable moves with his twisted Nirchin sword.

  • Type: HumanPosition: Member of Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Sun Breathing & Water Breathing

Tanjiro is the protagonist of the Demon Slayer franchise and also one of the most skilled swordsmen in it. He uses two types of breathing techniques, Water Breathing & Sun Breathing, with precision, the equivalent of which is unheard of since ancient times.

Muzan went as far as to compare Tanjiro with Yoriichi, the greatest demon slayer to ever exist. No wonder, he wanted to take over our protagonist’s body in the end.

  • Type: HumanPosition: Hashira in Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Water Breathing

Calm like a river, scary like an ocean, Giyu is one of the most powerful characters in Demon Slayer and anime viewers have only seen a fraction of his power. He was the first Hashira that we encountered in the plot and also one of the first characters who allowed Nezuko to live. This implies that while he has a strict moral code, he is not as cruel as the other Hashiras. Moreover, he is also one of the smartest ones in the group. While this is good news for Tanjiro and the crew, it makes him extremely dangerous to demons.

  • Type: HumanPosition: Hashira in Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Flame Breathing

We only got to spend a short time with Rengoku during the Mugen Train arc of Demon Slayer, but that was enough to prove he was one of the strongest and kind-hearted characters in the series. The Mugen Train movie made him an immediate fan favorite for protagonists and viewers alike. As the Flame Hashira, Rengoku was one of the most charismatic characters in the anime, with his abilities only adding to his flaming personality.

As a Hashira, he defeated the Flute Demon, who was the cause of nine demon slayers’ death, and Hairo, Lower Rank Two; both on his own. Moreover, he even gave Akaza, the fourth most powerful demon a run for his money. Upper Rank 3 was so impressed with Kyojuro that he even offered to turn him into a demon.

  • Type: DemonPosition: Upper-Rank 5th in Twelve KizukiMain Ability: Body manipulation

Gyokko is easily one of the scariest demons we have encountered in the story of Demon Slayer. He is one of the antagonists of season 3 of Demon Slayer, which follows the Swordsmith Village Arc. Even before turning into a demon, Gyokko, has psychopathic tendencies, thanks to his obsession with fish carcasses. But all of it reached another level when he gained the blood of Muzan and became an upper-rank demon. As a demon, Gyokko is quite unique and powerful.

  • Type: DemonPosition: Member of Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Hand-to-hand combat and sun resistance

Nezuko might feel like a wild card in the list of strongest Demon Slayer characters let alone the fact that her rank is so high. But, looking at the individual indications throughout the manga’s plot, it’s hard to ignore her contribution to the main battle and her uniqueness as a demon is hard to ignore. She is the first demon member of the Demon Slayer Corps and also the only demon who can survive in the sunlight.

The fatal trait of all demons doesn’t apply to Nezuko which made the demon king call her the “chosen demon”. There is no other demon in entire history who can overcome the sunlight. Moreover, she doesn’t even need human blood to heal and empower herself. Instead, just a bit of resting does the job for her. Not to forget, her strength also levels up in tricky situations like when she overpowered Susamaru, an upper-rank demon.

  • Type: DemonPosition: Upper-Rank 6th in Twelve KizukiMain Ability: Blood weapons and flesh manipulation

Daki and Gyutaro are the antagonists of the Entertainment District arc of Demon Slayer. While they are clearly two separate individuals, their unity, coordination, and combined strength are what make them extremely overwhelming. That’s also why they are, on our list of strongest Demon Slayer characters and in the Twelve Kizuki, as a single unit.

17. Mitsuri Kanroji – Love Hashira

  • Type: HumanPosition: Hashira in Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Love Breathing & Flame Breathing

Mitsuri, the Love Hashira is often presented as a typical female character in the shonen genre. But, as the story progresses, her character grows well beyond the stereotypes. Moreover, while she is quite caring and loving, Mitsuri has no hint of mercy for demons. In the initial arcs of the manga, we learn that she only required six months of training to become a demon slayer. That’s mostly due to her special muscle control which allows her to unlock unbelievable strength even with thin limbs.

  • Type: HumanPosition: Hashira in Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Sound Breathing

While not everyone appreciates his behavior, almost no one can deny the strength of Tengen, the Sound Hashira. He is bold, flashy, and quite confident about his skills. We witness him calling himself a “god” when he first meets our protagonists. But he also has a caring and smart side to his personality. This is clearly visible during the Entertainment District Arc in which he comes up with a careful plan to find and protect his three wives.

  • Type: HumanPosition: Member of Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Flower Breathing

If you are an anime viewer, seeing Kanao on our strongest Demon Slayer characters list might feel like a mistake. But manga readers know her beyond her gentle personality. She is the successor to Kanae, the Flower Hashira, and Shinobu, the Insect Hashira. Both of them trained her personally and Kanao’s fighting style reflects the same. In an unfortunate turn of events, she loses both of her mentors-cum-sisters. But these events also act as turning points for Kanao’s character development.

She takes on their mantle and gains enhanced abilities. Moreover, she uses Flower Breathing techniques but takes it to another level with her almost supernatural sense of smell and sight. During the later part of the manga, Doma, the Upper Rank Two demon, even claims that Kanao might be more skilled than Shinobu. Though we don’t get to see the final level of her strength in Demon Slayer, she is among some of the most powerful characters.

  • Type: HumanPosition: Member of Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Thunder Breathing

Zenitsu is a sleeping warrior in the group of protagonists in Demon Slayer. He has a jolly and timid personality throughout most of the plot. But, his skill development is evident even though he constantly undermines his abilities. As a swordsman, Zenistu uses the Thunder Breathing technique which allows him to move faster than almost all the characters. While we never get a confirmation for the same, during the hashira training period, it seems like he is even faster than Shinobu. But only for a shorter period.

  • Type: HumanPosition: Hashira in Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Insect Breathing

Shinobu Kocho (aka the Insect Hashira) is the younger sister of Kanae Kocho, the late Flower Hashira. Just like her sister, she is extremely powerful and aims to protect others from the same fate as her sister. She is one of the most friendly characters in the show and even tries to understand the demons before killing them. Though, when it comes to combat, only a few can match her strength.

Unlike most other Hashiras, Shinobu lacks extreme physical strength, but she more than makes up for it in terms of creativity. She uses Wisteria flowers to make a poison that can slow down a demon’s regenerative powers and even kill them. Her Nichirin sword serves as the delivery method for the poison. This allows her to defeat demons even without cutting their head off.

  • Type: HumanPosition: Member of Demon Slayer CorpsMain Ability: Beast Breathing

Exciting for some and annoying for others, Inosuke is truly the wildest character in Demon Slayer. His actions are as unpredictable as some of the demons, making him a formidable opponent. Inosuke learned Total Concentration Breathing on his own and turned it into his Beast Breathing technique. He made it far in his journey without ever receiving proper training. His unconventional ways are even visible in his gear as he almost always wears a boar’s head as a mask and uses a sword that he manually chipped.

  • Type: DemonPosition: Upper-Rank 4th in Twelve KizukiMain Ability: Dimenstional space creation and manipulation

Nakime’s power and strength are always up for debate in the community but her rank confirms that she is stronger than most demons in the anime. She doesn’t even speak that often but is quite blunt when she does. This leads to a quite daunting aura around her character even though she only appears like a dedicated biwa player. When it comes to her power, Nakime’s most powerful ability is creating and controlling a dimensional space known as the Infinity Castle.

She can trap her enemies in this dimension, create portals around them, and even able to survive two Hashiras through this power. But that’s not her only ability. Nakime can also spy on her opponents, making it impossible for demon slayers to hide. She was the only demon who could find the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. However, we never get to her in direct combat, which is why, even with amazing power, she is sitting toward the end of our list.

  • Type: DemonPosition: Upper-Rank 6th in Twelve KizukiMain Ability: Lightning-based sword techniques

Kaigaku has quite a twisted backstory among all the strongest Demon Slayer characters. He was once a demon slayer who trained under the former Thunder Hashira alongside Zenitsu. He was heavily skilled as a swordsman but after losing to the Upper Rank one demon, he surrendered his humanity. This led to the creation of one of the most skilled demons on the show.

  • Type: DemonPosition: Lower Moon 1 | 7th in Twelve KizukiMain Ability: Dream Manipulation

If you have seen the movie/season of Demon Slayer based around the Mugen Train arc then you already know the power level of Enmu. Out of Muzan’s Twelve Kizuki, he is number 7 and the strongest lower moon demon. Just like most demons we meet in the show, Enmu has a dark and sadistic personality that is pleased by inflicting pain upon humans. But unlike other demons, his approach toward attacking is quite unique.

Bonus: Demon King Tanjiro Kamado

  • Type: Human/DemonPosition: Member of Demon Slayer CorpsMain 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 anime. 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 unleashed 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.