10 Strongest Demon Slayer Characters, Ranked
Demon Slayer is an absolutely killer show, and the fact that something as high quality and exhilarating as Demon Slayer even exists only serves to highlight how big anime has become.
So, as we wait for more good news coming this year (with more Demon Slayer films coming out), let’s look back at each of the strongest characters in Demon Slayer we’ve come across so far, and rank them from strong to strongest.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be looking only at the feats and characters whose powers we’ve seen on display in the show to date. So while fans of the manga will have a different take on the power levels of our favorite characters, this list will be narrowed specifically to the anime. As the story progresses, we’ll be coming back to this list and updating it with more characters and more powers.
So let’s all dig in and get a little comfort as we wait for more Demon Slayer together!
But before we do SPOILER WARNING! This article is aimed at those who have watched the anime up until the very last episode available to date. So if you’ve not seen every episode of the anime, things could be spoiled for you.
#10 Zenitsu
It’s hard not to be blown away by Zenitsu’s power when he’s tapped into it. While he may only know one technique, he’s able to scale that technique to superhuman levels. When in that state, he even rivals the Hashira in terms of raw power and blatant speed.
As the fourth season of Demon Slayer wrapped up, it’s clear Zenitsu has some new resolve or trick up his sleeve. I would not be suprrised to see something new out of him during the Infinity Castle trilogy. Still, it’s clear Zenitsu is a force to be reckoned with despite his zanny antics.
#9 Gyutaro
While he’s somewhat easy to overlook because he ranks lowest amongst the upper rank demons, Gyutaro is a force to be reckoned with. His odd, envious demeanor betrays his innate fighting prowess: a skill that he had even before getting turned into a demon. His powerful Flying Blood Sickles attack is one of the most powerful, aggressive attacks we’ve seen from any demon, and manages to out edge even the Hashira.
#8 Tanjiro
Tanjiro Kamado has something of a destiny about him. No doubt he will grow one day to be one of the strongest of the Demon Slayers: perhaps even the strongest of all time. But as we’ve seen time and time again, he has a lot to learn. While his major breakthrough came when he learned to adapt his breathing style to better suit him, embracing both fire and water breathing to best his opponents.
At this point in the anime, Tanjiro has bested more than one upper rank demon. Undoubtedly we’ll see more great things from him in the trilogy coming up later this year. Be that as it may, Tanjiro’s power level still rests just shy of the Hashira. While when he’s fighting at his best he’s probably a rival for the lesser Hashira, he’s a bit unpredictable and rough around the edges.
#7 Giyu Tomioka
Tomioka is the first Hashira we’re introduced to in the anime. However, we’ve hardly seen him fight yet. In terms of skill, Giyu takes his stoic personality into battle in order to utterly demolish his opponent’s. We’ve seen him face off against a lower rank demon and handle the altercation with ease. However, how strong is Tomioka really?
From the anime so far, it appears that Tomioka is likely one of the stronger Hashira. While the lower rank demon he was facing was certainly not at the level of someone like Akaza, the fact that Giyu could dispatch him with just a single form the way he did is crazy impressive.
Additionally, in their sparring match, Giyu is able to match the Wind Hashira’s prowess in battle. However, it’s quite possible that Giyu was holding back in this instance as he’s attempting to ingratiate himself on the Wind Hashira.
Regardless, Tamioka is one of the stronger Demon Slayers we’ve come across, and he will undoubtedly reach even greater powers during the Infinity Castle arc.
#6 Muichiro Tokito
Tokito is uneniably strong, capable of singlehandedly defeating an upper rank demon. When he’s focused and in the zone, he’s very tough to beat. Also tellingly, he’s able to hold his own when facing down two of his fellow Hashira in training.
#5 Mitsuri Konroji
Konroji had an excellent showing during the Swordsmith Village arc where she fought arguably the strongest demon we’ve seen in the show to date and was able to match his power for most of the fight. While she got worn out towards the end and only managed to survive thanks to Tanjiro taking the demon’s main body out, it still goes to show that Konroji is solid Hashira.
Her main powers lie mostly in her speed and persistence. She’s so fast and skilled with her blade and she posesses an insane physical constitution that is greater than any other character we’ve seen in the show except for maybe Rengoku himself.
#4 Hantengu
Hantengu is a very frustrating enemy to battle. While his main body isn’t the strongest, good luck getting to him due to how many different versions of himself he can make to defend himself with. The strongest of these versions is arguably the Zohakuten version, or the embodiment of hate. This guy is seriously strong capable of wielding the power of sound as well as a big multiple headed serpent creature that feels almost unbeatable.
It took many efforts and the combined force of Genya, Tanjiro, Nezuko, Konroji and even Tokito to beat this guy. Watching this fight was not the most satisfying thing ever. It was incredibly frusturating to see the heroes make their way through one of Hantengu’s many versions of himself forged via his Blood Demon Art only to have to face yet another round of his forms.
To make matters worse, Hantengu gets really small for some reason when he’s doing battle with his other forms, making him annoyingly slippery.
#3 Muzan
I’ll probably get some hate for this, but Muzan arguably doesn’t deserve the top spot on this list…yet. While he will undoubtedly be up there once we see him fight his way through the Hashira in the Infinity Castle arc, at the most recent part in the anime we have yet to actually see his full combative powers.
While his strategic abilities are great, and he obviously posesses considerable power to command the other demons, create demons and so on and combined with the strongest regenerative abilities we’ve seen on display in the show to date, we don’t yet know the limits of his strength.
Sure, we’ve seen him slap a few lower rank demons around as well as pulling his muscle around the upper ranks. But just how insane this guy’s abilities are have yet to be seen.
#2 Rengoku
Rengoku is an ideal representation of the Hashira fighting at their best and most capable. His power levels are insane, and he has honed his skill to such a fine point that you get the feeling he could go head-to-head with just about anyone out there – demon slayer or demon.
As Akaza himself points out, Rengoku hasn’t even reached his peak yet. Undoubtedly this powerful swordsmen would have been capable of even greater feats had he had the time to further perfect his abilities.
#1 Akaza
Realistically, Akaza is the single strongest character we’ve come across in the anime to date. While Muzan will undoubtedly prove stronger, we’ve not seen Muzan’s full powers yet, and what we have seen has largely been his more strategic powers and less combat ones. Akaza, meanwhile, has shown off just about every one of his greatest powers during his insane battle against Rengoku.
And while he had the upper hand most of the fight, he had to run scared at the end as Rengoku almost bested him with a sacrificial act that nearly cost them both their lives.
