All 13 Demon Slayer Hashira, Ranked Weakest To Strongest

Seen as the highest-ranking swordsmen standing between humanity and their enemies in Demon Slayer, the Hashira, fittingly, stand as pillars keeping horrors from descending upon the living. Their skills are vast, and they each represent wildly different disciplines while serving as exemplary, top-tier members of the Demon Slayer Corps. To say each fight and crucial scene featuring them is thrilling is an understatement, as their immense power translates well on the page and screen, with each imparting impressive lessons to their allies.

But, given Demon Slayer’s existence as a battle shonen anime, and a particularly gorgeously-animated one at that, it’s worthwhile to gauge the strengths of the many characters to don the title as seen in the franchise. While there are some clear favorites, it’s more important to note just how dangerous each one truly is in combat, with viewers first witnessing it the moment Tanjiro Kamado first stood up to Giyu Tomioka on that fateful day. Below are all Hashira seen in Demon Slayer, ranked from weakest to strongest.

13

Shinobu Kocho

The Insect Hashira

The Insect Hashira, named Shinobu Kocho, is the second active Hashira that fans are introduced to in Demon Slayer. Kocho follows in the footsteps of her older sister Kanae Kocho, who was a Hashira before her death, several years prior to the timeline of the anime. Shinobu Kocho is Demon Slayer’s only known Insect Breathing practitioner.

Shinobu is one of the more interesting Hashira as she fights not with raw strength, but rather poisons, having developed a special extract from wisteria to kill demons instead of having to behead them. Her sword has been tailored due to her inability to fight; instead used for stabbing, so that she can inject enemies with the poison.

By directly attaching the weak points of her enemies, their bloodstream, she’s proven to be a catalyst that even the Upper Moons had trouble dealing with. However, Infinity Castle proves the central weakness in Shinobu’s strategy. Opponents with incredible regeneration abilities, like Doma, have a strong upper hand against someone who relies on poison, like Shinobu.

12

Shinjuro Rengoku

The Former Flame Hashira

Shinjuro Rengoku is the former Flame Hashira and, naturally, the father to both Kyojuro and Senjuro Rengoku. Despite being highly respected by both of his sons when he was a Hashira and training them up, when his wife passed away, Shinjuro became a drunkard and neglected his remaining family.

He even failed to recognize Kyojuro’s achievement as Flame Hashira when he was promoted within the Demon Slayer Corps, and antagonized Tanjiro when he came to share his condolences and ask about Sun Breathing. Despite initial appearances, however, Shinjuro greatly mourns his son’s death and ends up redeeming himself by apologizing to Tanjiro later on in the series.

While Shinjuro reflects on how harsh the training for a demon slayer is, surprisingly, it’s his own insecurity and inability to adapt while honing the skill that he has without envying another that betrays him. Flame Breathing was proven to be effective and powerful in Rengoku’s skills, surpassing what his father could have become if only Shinjuro had continued the practice.

11

Kanae Kocho

The Former Flower Hashira

Kanae Kocho was the older sister of Shinobu Kocho, the current Insect Hashira, and served as the Flower Hashira. Kanae Kocho was a gentle and good-natured woman, as well as a skilled demon slayer.

She was killed in combat with the Upper Rank Two demon, Doma, whose sad and lonely fate she pitied even as she was dying. The fact that she was able to go up against an Upper Rank demon for even a little while speaks to her ability. Kanae’s death had a profound effect on Shinobu, as well as their adoptive sister Kanao Tsuyuri, whom they saved from slavery.

The art of Flower Breathing wasn’t completely lost, however, as Kanao Tsuyuri is trained in Flower Breathing and carries the style’s legacy into the final battle. Kanae’s spirit even appears to Shinobu in the final battle to encourage her to fight on.

Although audiences don’t get to see much of Kanae’s combat ability, given that she passed on the techniques to her sister Shinobu, it’s easy to see that her fighting prowess places her at about the same level. However, Kanae is also depicted with a full sword, indicating she had the full capability of cutting off demons’ heads, unlike Shinobu. With this in mind, Kanae’s physicality could place her at just a margin stronger than the current Insect Hashira, despite her early defeat to Doma.

10

Jigoro Kuwajima

The Former Thunder Hashira

Jigoro Kuwajima is the former Thunder Hashira, teacher and adoptive father to Zenitsu Agatsuma, as well as another student named Kaigaku. Jigoro is quite old for a demon slayer, having served as the Thunder Hashira for years until an injury at 35 forced him to retire from demon slaying.

Jigoro was such an impressive slayer that he was given a special title, the “Roaring Hashira,” using an ancient kanji to represent his mastery. Now a teacher of Thunder Breathing, Jigoro ultimately killed himself in ritual suicide when Kaigaku defected and became a demon.

Jigoro was a good teacher, but unfortunately, Zenitsu wasn’t a great student, so he only managed to teach Zenitsu the first form of Thunder Breathing before his death. That meant that Jigoro took a lot of valuable knowledge with him when he died, and it’s unclear if Thunder Breathing will become a lost style as a result.

9

Sakonji Urokodaki

The Former Water Hashira

Sakonji Urokodaki is the previous Water Hashira who now lives alone and trains young aspiring demon slayers like Tanjiro. In addition to teaching Tanjiro everything he knows about Water Breathing, Urokodaki also taught the current Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, showcasing the true degree of skill that he possessed.

It’s rare for demon slayers to live to old age, much less a Hashira, so Urokodaki’s very survival is proof that he was an incredibly skilled demon slayer. Even in his old age, Urokodaki is still competent enough to protect Nezuko when she’s entrusted to him. Aside from being so skilled in Water Breathing, Urokodaki is also a caring man who feels deeply towards his students and often laments their fate at the hands of demons. Like Tanjiro, Urokodaki has a strong sense of smell, which can sometimes give him an edge in battle.

8

Mitsuri Kanroji

The Love Hashira

Recognizable by her vibrant pink and green hair, the Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji, is an incredibly emotional and passionate individual with great love towards her fellow demon slayers. She especially shows a fondness for Obanai Iguro, with whom she has a close bond. Beneath her bubbly exterior, though, Mitsuri is an adept fighter who is a force to be reckoned with.

Kanroji first joined the Demon Slayer Corps not to improve on her own fighting abilities, but to find a suitable husband, as she believes her husband must be stronger than she is. Her rise to the rank of Hashira and the raw strength that she possesses to get there has proven this to be a difficult task, despite her best efforts. Kanroji’s sword is one of her most unique attributes in Demon Slayer, as its whip-like flexibility makes its movements difficult for demons to predict, and is a perfect fit for Love Breathing’s fluid motions.

7

Obanai Iguro

The Snake Hashira

The Snake Hashira, Obanai Iguro, is one of the most mysterious characters within the world of Demon Slayer.

Recognizable by the white snake wrapped around his neck and the bandage he wears over his mouth, he was one of the foremost objectors to Nezuko’s inclusion as a demon slayer, due to his own negative experiences being raised as a sacrifice for a snake demon. It’s this mysterious and often harsh nature that makes him such an odd but compelling match for Mitsuri.

Born partially blind, Iguro has molded his livelihood and fighting abilities around this, rising all the way to the rank of Hashira. While he is of shorter stature, Iguro’s mental fortitude and strictness make him a formidable opponent. This is most obvious when he berates Tengen Uzui for barely defeating the weakest upper-rank demon and then choosing to retire, showcasing his hatred of perceived mental weakness.

6

Tengen Uzui

The Sound Hashira

The Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui is integral to the defeat of the Upper Six demons Gyutaro and Daki by Tanjiro and company in the Entertainment District arc. Balancing his role as a Hashira with being a dutiful husband to his three ninja wives, Uzui is dedicated to slaying demons. Despite his intense and fast-paced fighting style, Uzui insists that he is not talented while talking to Gyutaro and Daki during their fight.

While Uzui may not believe he is talented, his abilities in battle tell a different story. His fearlessness in the face of death due to his years as a shinobi and Uzui’s lightning-fast speed in battle make him an incredible warrior. Uzui also showcases his strength in his swift wielding of his gigantic nunchaku cleavers, which he can swing at the speed of sound, despite their size. He ended up retiring after defeating the Upper Six, having suffered grave injuries during the fight.

5

Muichiro Tokito

The Mist Hashira

Aloof and in his own head most of the time, the Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito is first introduced to fans in one of Demon Slayer’s best episodes, the Hashira meeting, where Tanjiro and Nezuko’s fate will be decided. Tokito is indifferent to the whole matter, but strikes Tanjiro with rocks when he interrupts Kagaya Ubuyashiki. Despite his limited role initially, Muichiro gains more importance during the series’ Swordsmith Village arc, where he famously battles the Upper Rank 5 demon Gyokko.

What’s particularly impressive about the Mist Hashira is that Tokito reached the rank of Hashira only two months after joining the Demon Slayer Corps. Having managed to go up against the Upper Five and survive, he had a major turn of character due to Tanjiro’s influence, opening up as a result. Despite being one of the youngest Hashira, Tokito has massive potential both as a character who has awakened his mark and as a prodigy of the Demon Slayer Corps.

4

Giyu Tomioka

The Water Hashira

The Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, is incredibly poised in battle and shows calmness and restraint that is unmatched among the Hashira, especially when he allows Nezuko to live in the first episode of Demon Slayer. This mental strength is further shown when he endorses Nezuko’s place in the Demon Slayer Corps, agreeing to slit his own stomach if she harms any human.

A student of the water technique under former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki, Tomioka brings a calm strength to battle that allows him to dispatch enemies with terrifying ease. His incredible strength is shown particularly in his killing of the lower six demon Rui, by his technique, “Dead Calm”.

Giyu’s swordsmanship is nearly unmatched by that of his fellow Hashira, having developed and finely tuned his style and techniques, which he ultimately managed to evolve the Water Breathing style and develop a unique form. His skill level and prowess place him pretty dead even with Rengoku and Sanemi.

As if there was any doubt, Giyu shows his strength quite clearly in Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle. While he’s able to fight Akaza on an equal playing field for some time, it’s only thanks to Tanjiro’s assistance and Akaza’s own self-destruction that Giyu makes it out of the fight alive.