Demon Slayer: All 9 Hashira, Ranked Weakest to Strongest (2023)

The Hashira of Demon Slayer are considered the strongest demon slayers within the show, having achieved the highest rank within the Demon Slayer Corps. Each of the Hashira are named with special titles which reflect their unique styles and fighting techniques, and each relies on different aspects of their style to slay demons, ranging from speed and cunning to pure strength. Ranking these Hashira by strength is thus a difficult task, as their approaches can be so different.

The Hashira are ranked here largely in accordance with raw power, but don't think that means that those at the bottom of the list are in any way weak. In fact, those at the bottom of the list often have other special tricks up their sleeves to help make up for their lack of physical strength. These are Demon Slayer's Hashira, ranked by raw strength.

9 The Insect Hashira - Shinobu Kocho

The Insect Hashira, named Shinobu Kocho, is the second active Hashira that fans are introduced to in Demon Slayer, behind only Giyu Tomioka, who makes an appearance in the first episode of the series. 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.

While she is a formidable demon slayer, and would shine in her own OVA, her abilities rely much more on her cunning and intelligence rather than brute strength. She is the only Hashira who is not able to slice off the heads of demons, having developed a special poison extracted from wisteria to kill demons instead. This makes her quite a threat, as demons are likely to ignore her attacks that don't go for the head--a potentially fatal mistake.

8 The Mist Hashira - Muichiro Tokito

Aloof and in his own head most of the time, The Mist Hashira named 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.

Tokito is a particularly impressive demon slayer, having reached the rank of Hashira only two months after joining the Demon Slayer Corps. He has, so far, managed to go up against the Upper Five demon and survive, and had a major turn of character due to Tanjiro's influence during the Swordsmith Village arc. As one of the youngest Hashira, though, Tokito still has a lot of growth left as a warrior.

7 The Love Hashira - Mitsuri Kanroji

Recognizable by her vibrant pink and green hair, the Love Hashira, whose name is 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, who she has quite a strong bond 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.

6 The Snake Hashira - Obanai Iguro

The Snake Hashira, Obanai Iguro, is one of the most mysterious characters within 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-themed demon.

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, his 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.

5 The Sound Hashira - Tengen Uzui

The Sound Hashira by the name of Tengen Uzui is integral to the defeat of the Upper Six demons Gyutaro and Daki by Tanjiro and company in the Entertainment District arc. 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 his lightning-fast speed in battle make him an incredible warrior. He 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 in the fight.

4 The Wind Hashira - Sanemi Shinazugawa

The Wind Hashira, named Sanemi Shinazugawa, puts his brashness and hatred of demons on display in season one of Demon Slayer, attacking one of Demon Slayer's strongest demons, Nezuko, in her box, and then attempting to goad her into attacking him. While this fails and Nezuko is allowed to continue to accompany Tanjiro, Shinazugawa remains staunchly against the co-existence of demons and humans as a result of his past. His brother, Genya, is also a demon slayer who joined around the same time as Tanjiro.

One of the fastest of all the Hashira, Shinazugawa is an intensely strong swordsman that uses his speed to his advantage in battle. Despite his physical prowess, however, his hotheaded nature can get the best of him, as can be seen when Tanjiro is able to strike him with a headbutt during the Hashira meeting. Shinazugawa's style revolves around speed,

3 The Water Hashira - Giyu Tomioka

The Water Hashira, named 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, who he easily defeats using his technique, "dead calm."

2 The Flame Hashira - Kyojuro Rengoku

The main Hashira in the Mugen Train arc of the Demon Slayer series, the Flame Hashira, whose name is Kyojuro Rengoku, shows incredible poise and strength in battle... up until his death at the hands of the Upper Two demon, Akaza. He is able to hold his own in the battle, with Akaza barely escaping before dawn by ripping off his arm while it was still embedded in Rengoku.

Rengoku combines the strength of flame breathing with his confident demeanor to make a formidable demon slayer. He is able to save every single passenger on the Mugen Train after its derailing due to quick thinking and fighting prowess and is complemented by Akaza on his fighting, which he states hasn't reached its full potential... and sadly, now it never will.

1 The Stone Hashira - Gyomei Himejima

Gyomei Gimejima is the name of the Stone Hashira, who acts as mentor to Genya Shinazugawa, the Wind Hashira's younger brother. He's

an imposing figure with a gentle and sensitive emotional nature. He is frequently seen shedding tears for his fellow demon slayers, carrying prayer beads with him at almost all times and frequently praying for other fighters.

The largest of the Hashira by a wide margin, Demon Slayer's Gyomei Himejima is also the most respected due to his immense strength. He is frequently treated as their de facto leader, being entrusted by Kagaya Ubuyashiki to give out orders. Like Tokito, he also became a Hashira only two months after joining the Demon Slayer Corps, showcasing the prowess of his strength in battle.

While some may be stronger than others, all of Demon Slayer's Hashira are incredibly powerful. Still, even among such an elite group of fighters, Gyomei easily takes top rank as Demon Slayer's strongest Hashira.