The Demon Slayer Corps represents humanity’s last line of defense against Muzan Kibutsuji and his demons. At the pinnacle of this organization stand the Hashira—the nine most powerful swordsmen alive. But who among them is truly the strongest? And where do rising stars like Tanjiro Kamado fit into this hierarchy?
With the manga complete and the anime approaching its climactic arcs, let’s definitively rank the power levels within the Demon Slayer Corps and compare them to the terrifying Upper Moons they’re destined to face.
Understanding Demon Slayer Power Scaling
Before we rank individual fighters, let’s establish how power works in the Demon Slayer universe:
Key Factors
Breathing Technique Mastery: The foundation of all Demon Slayer combat. More refined techniques and the ability to chain multiple forms determine combat effectiveness.
Physical Conditioning: Demon Slayers push their bodies beyond normal human limits through Total Concentration Breathing maintained constantly.
Combat Experience: Surviving demon encounters builds tactical knowledge that can’t be replicated through training alone.
Demon Slayer Mark: A temporary power boost that dramatically increases all physical abilities, though it comes with a deadly cost.
Transparent World: The ability to perceive an opponent’s blood flow, muscle movements, and internal structure—allowing prediction of attacks.
Bright Red Nichirin Blade: The ultimate anti-demon weapon, capable of preventing regeneration entirely.
The Hashira Ranked: 9th to 1st Place
9th Place: Mitsuri Kanroji (Love Hashira)
Breathing Style: Love Breathing (Derived from Flame Breathing) Unique Ability: Extreme muscle density 8x normal humans Demon Slayer Mark: Yes
Mitsuri isn’t weak by any measure—she’s a Hashira, after all. Her unique physiology grants her incredible strength and flexibility, and her whip-like blade creates unpredictable attack patterns. However, several factors place her at ninth:
- Love Breathing is relatively underdeveloped compared to core styles
- Her emotional nature sometimes affects combat judgment
- Less overall combat experience than other Hashira
- Performed admirably against Upper Moon Four but required significant support
That said, her fight against Hantengu’s clones demonstrated exceptional speed and the ability to deflect attacks that would kill lesser slayers instantly.
8th Place: Shinobu Kocho (Insect Hashira)
Breathing Style: Insect Breathing (Derived from Flower Breathing) Unique Ability: Wisteria poison-based combat Demon Slayer Mark: No
Shinobu represents the most unconventional fighting style among the Hashira. Unable to decapitate demons due to her lack of physical strength, she developed a poison-based approach using a specialized stinger blade.
Her strengths include:
- Fastest movement speed among all Hashira
- Scientific genius in poison creation
- Excellent tactical mind
- Created poisons that could weaken even Upper Moons
Her weaknesses:
- Cannot naturally decapitate demons
- Relies entirely on poison effectiveness
- If poison fails, she has limited backup options
- Her final strategy against Doma required her own death
Shinobu’s sacrifice against Upper Moon Two was crucial to his defeat, but it also demonstrated her limitations against the highest-tier demons.
7th Place: Tengen Uzui (Sound Hashira)
Breathing Style: Sound Breathing (Derived from Thunder Breathing) Unique Ability: Echolocation-like combat reading Demon Slayer Mark: No (manifested extremely late if at all)
The flashiest Hashira brings genuine power to match his personality. Tengen’s physical stats are among the highest—he’s the second-fastest Hashira and possesses immense strength.
His impressive abilities:
- Dual Nichirin Cleavers with explosive power
- Can read combat “rhythm” to predict opponent movements
- Poison resistance from shinobi training
- Successfully fought Upper Moon Six despite being poisoned
Why he ranks 7th:
- Retired after Entertainment District Arc due to injuries
- Never manifested a Demon Slayer Mark in battle
- Considered himself the “least talented” among Hashira (his own assessment)
- Required significant support against Gyutaro
6th Place: Muichiro Tokito (Mist Hashira)
Breathing Style: Mist Breathing (Derived from Wind Breathing) Unique Ability: Prodigious talent, becomes Hashira in 2 months Demon Slayer Mark: Yes Transparent World: Yes (briefly)
Muichiro is a generational prodigy—the youngest Hashira in history and a descendant of Upper Moon One’s human bloodline. His potential was effectively limitless.
Accomplishments:
- Became Hashira in just two months of training
- First to awaken Demon Slayer Mark in current generation
- Solo defeated Upper Moon Five Gyokko
- Achieved Transparent World during Infinity Castle
- Contributed to Upper Moon One’s defeat
Limitations:
- Extremely young and inexperienced
- Memory issues affected his combat consistency
- Died during Infinity Castle Arc
- Never reached his full potential
Had Muichiro survived to adulthood, he might have ranked significantly higher. His raw talent was comparable to legendary slayers.
5th Place: Obanai Iguro (Serpent Hashira)
Breathing Style: Serpent Breathing (Derived from Water Breathing) Unique Ability: Unique curved blade technique Demon Slayer Mark: Yes Transparent World: Yes
Often underestimated due to his reserved nature, Obanai proved himself against the ultimate opponent: Muzan himself.
Key feats:
- Fought Muzan Kibutsuji directly
- Awakened Demon Slayer Mark and Transparent World
- Achieved Bright Red Blade
- Maintained combat effectiveness despite being blinded
- His precision with Serpent Breathing was unmatched
Obanai’s showing in the final battle elevated him significantly in fan estimation. Fighting blind against Muzan while maintaining effective offense demonstrated mastery few could match.
4th Place: Sanemi Shinazugawa (Wind Hashira)
Breathing Style: Wind Breathing (Core Style) Unique Ability: Rare intoxicating blood type Demon Slayer Mark: Yes Transparent World: No
Sanemi is pure combat ferocity given human form. His fighting style emphasizes overwhelming aggression, and his rare blood type—which intoxicates demons who smell it—gives him a unique advantage.
Why he ranks 4th:
- Survived the entire Infinity Castle battle
- Fought Upper Moon One and Muzan
- His Wind Breathing mastery approaches the original users
- Physical durability is extraordinary—survived wounds that would kill anyone else
- One of only three Hashira to survive the series
Sanemi lost his brother during the final battle but continued fighting at peak effectiveness through sheer willpower. That mental fortitude is its own form of power.
3rd Place: Giyu Tomioka (Water Hashira)
Breathing Style: Water Breathing (Core Style) Unique Ability: Created original 11th Form Demon Slayer Mark: Yes Transparent World: Yes
Giyu’s quiet competence masks one of the most complete skill sets among the Hashira. He created an entirely new Water Breathing form—something only the greatest practitioners achieve.
Accomplishments:
- Original Water Breathing form: Dead Calm
- Fought Akaza alongside Tanjiro
- Survived Infinity Castle
- Consistent performance against all opponents
- One of the final three surviving Hashira
Giyu’s strength lies in consistency and adaptability. He never shows flashy power but always delivers exactly what’s needed in each situation.
2nd Place: Gyomei Himejima (Stone Hashira)
Breathing Style: Stone Breathing (Core Style) Unique Ability: Immense size and strength, blind combat mastery Demon Slayer Mark: Yes Transparent World: Yes Bright Red Blade: Yes
Officially recognized as the strongest Hashira, Gyomei’s power is acknowledged by allies and enemies alike. At 7’2″ with unmatched physical strength, he wields a unique chain-connected axe and flail with devastating effect.
Why Gyomei ranks 2nd (strongest Hashira):
- Explicitly stated as strongest current Hashira
- Primary damage dealer against Upper Moon One
- First to achieve Bright Red Blade in Infinity Castle
- Fought Muzan with crucial effectiveness
- Even Kokushibo praised his strength as the finest in 300 years
Gyomei’s only “weakness” is his gentle nature—he weeps for the demons he kills, showing compassion even in combat. This doesn’t affect his fighting ability but adds depth to his character.
1st Place: Tanjiro Kamado (Sun Breathing User)
Breathing Style: Sun Breathing (Original), Water Breathing Unique Ability: Transparent World, heightened smell Demon Slayer Mark: Yes Transparent World: Yes Bright Red Blade: Yes (via Sun Breathing)
While not officially a Hashira, by the final battle Tanjiro surpassed them all. His mastery of Sun Breathing—the original technique from which all others derive—combined with every power-up available placed him at the absolute peak of human demon-slaying ability.
Why Tanjiro takes the top spot:
- Sun Breathing is explicitly the most powerful style
- Dealt the decisive blow against Muzan
- Inherited Yoriichi’s earrings and completed his legacy
- Achieved all three supreme states (Mark, Transparent World, Red Blade)
- Survived and recovered from the battle
The Upper Moons: How Do They Compare?
Upper Moon Six: Gyutaro and Daki
Threat Level: Requires multiple Hashira-level fighters Defeated By: Tengen, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke
The lowest-ranked Upper Moons were still powerful enough to nearly kill Sound Hashira Tengen despite him having significant support.
Upper Moon Five: Gyokko
Threat Level: Single powerful Hashira can win Defeated By: Muichiro Tokito (solo)
Gyokko’s defeat by a marked Muichiro demonstrated that Upper Moon Five and below can be handled by elite Hashira in one-on-one combat.
Upper Moon Four: Hantengu
Threat Level: Requires team coordination Defeated By: Tanjiro, Mitsuri (with support)
Hantengu’s multiple bodies required coordinated team efforts to defeat. No single slayer could handle all clones simultaneously.
Upper Moon Three: Akaza
Threat Level: Multiple Hashira with marks Defeated By: Tanjiro and Giyu (combined)
Akaza could fight multiple Hashira simultaneously and only fell due to emotional factors combined with overwhelming attack. Pure combat, he was nearly unbeatable.
Upper Moon Two: Doma
Threat Level: Extreme—Hashira killer Defeated By: Kanao and Inosuke (post-Shinobu’s sacrifice)
Doma killed Shinobu and had killed the previous Flower Hashira. His defeat required Shinobu sacrificing herself to deliver lethal poison over time.
Upper Moon One: Kokushibo
Threat Level: Maximum—Multiple marked Hashira required Defeated By: Gyomei, Sanemi, Muichiro, Genya (team)
Kokushibo, the strongest Upper Moon and Yoriichi’s brother, required four fighters (two of whom died) to defeat. He could have potentially killed all of them if he’d committed fully.
Muzan Kibutsuji
Threat Level: All remaining forces combined Defeated By: Entire surviving Demon Slayer Corps + Tamayo’s poison
Muzan required literally every surviving fighter working together, pre-prepared poison weakening him for hours, and dawn approaching to finally die. No single fighter or small group could have won.
Complete Power Ranking Summary
S-Tier (Can Fight Upper Moons Solo)
- Tanjiro Kamado (End of Series)
- Gyomei Himejima
- Giyu Tomioka (Marked)
A-Tier (Can Fight Upper Moons with Support)
- Sanemi Shinazugawa
- Obanai Iguro
- Muichiro Tokito
B-Tier (High Hashira Level)
- Tengen Uzui
- Mitsuri Kanroji
C-Tier (Specialized Hashira)
- Shinobu Kocho
Rising Stars
- Zenitsu Agatsuma (Thunder Breathing prodigy, created new form)
- Inosuke Hashibira (Beast Breathing master, incredible adaptability)
- Kanao Tsuyuri (Flower Breathing, inherited Shinobu’s will)
Where to Experience These Battles
Anime: Watch on Crunchyroll or Netflix
- Season 1: Tanjiro’s origins and early Hashira introduction
- Mugen Train Arc: Rengoku vs. Akaza (one of the best anime fights ever)
- Entertainment District Arc: Tengen vs. Upper Moon Six
- Swordsmith Village Arc: Mitsuri and Muichiro vs. Upper Moons Four and Five
- Hashira Training Arc + Infinity Castle: Coming soon!
Manga: Demon Slayer Complete Box Set on Amazon
The Infinity Castle Arc and final battle in the manga contain the most impressive Hashira feats. If you can’t wait for the anime, the manga delivers.
Conclusion
The Demon Slayer Corps Hashira represent the peak of human combat ability in their world. From Shinobu’s scientific approach to Gyomei’s overwhelming physical dominance, each brings unique abilities essential to humanity’s survival.
But the true lesson of their power ranking is this: against the Upper Moons and Muzan, individual strength was never enough. Victory came through sacrifice, teamwork, and the accumulated efforts of generations. That’s the heart of Demon Slayer’s message—and what makes these characters so beloved.
Whether you’re team Giyu, team Sanemi, or believe Rengoku would have topped this list had he survived, there’s no denying that every Hashira earned their place through blood, tears, and unwavering dedication to protecting humanity.
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