The Strongest Demons In Demon Slayer

Key Takeaways

• Demon Slayer features a diverse character cast and intense battles against powerful demons, making it captivating.
• The demons in the series possess unique abilities like Blood Demon Art, posing a significant threat to the heroes.
• Key demons like Yushiro, Susamaru, and Gyokko display formidable powers and challenge the Demon Slayer Corps.

Demon Slayer is by far one of the most popular modern-day shonen anime. It features an endearing cast of characters and beautiful animations to keep viewers engaged and invested in the journey of Tanjiro, the series’ main protagonist, as he makes his way through the ranks of the Demon Slayer corps.

The Demon Slayer main characters are the heart and soul of the anime, while the demons remain the antithesis. They make the show enjoyable to watch, with palpable tension and intense, near-impossible battles against the beloved heroes. Strong or weak, the demons are a true force to be reckoned with. Here are some of the strongest demons in the Demon Slayer anime so far.

Updated November 30, 2024, by Suzail Ahmad: Demon Slayer is one of the best new-gen anime. It follows the story of Tanjiro Kamado as he battles against bloodthirsty demons to cure his sister, Nezuko.

However, the demons are equipped with all kinds of dangerous abilities, making Tanjiro’s mission even more risky. Aside from their superior physical abilities, they also have excellent regenerative powers. Some special demons have access to Blood Demon Art, which enhances their power. With that in mind, the list has been revised to add more malevolent demons who have given the strongest Demon Slayers a run for their money.

13 Yushiro

Affiliation: Demon Slayer Corps

• Debut: Chapter 14, Episode 8

Yushiro is Tamayo’s travel partner. Yushiro was a human being before becoming a demon. He was turned into one because of his incurable illness. Initially, he struggled mentally to deal with the transformation. But after a while, he got a better grasp of things.

Yushiro has spent a lot of time with Tamayo, so he, too, has developed a knack for medical practice. He knows a lot about medicines and special procedures. Yoshiro has used his knowledge to modify his own body so that he can live by consuming a minuscule amount of blood.

Blood Demon Art: Yushiro hasn’t had the chance to show his abilities, so it is unclear what he can do in battle. However, that should change in the future. Considering he has been traveling with Tamayo, Yushiro will certainly have a great deal of strength.

12 Susamaru

Affiliation: Demons

• Debut: Chapter 14, Episode 8

Susamaru is one of the main villains of the Asakusa arc. She had a great deal of ego, which led her to underestimate her opponents. Susamaru also had an undying dedication to Kibutsuji Muzan. She was willing to put herself in harm’s way to make Muzan happy.

In terms of strength, Susamaru was stronger than average demons. She could regenerate fairly quickly, which enabled her to fight for extended periods of time.

Blood Demon Art: Susamaru’s Blood Demon Art was called Hiasobi Temari. She used this power to conjure temari balls to obliterate anything in her path. However, the temari balls could be cut by a Nichirin sword.

11 Kyogai

Affiliation: Twelve Kizuki

• Debut: Chapter 21, Episode 11

​​​​​​Kyogai was the main antagonist of the Tsuzumi Mansion Arc. Tanjiro and his friend came across him after they entered a shady place. Kyogai was originally a member of the Twelve Kizuki, occupying the position in the Lower Rank Six. Due to Muzan’s blood, Kyogai was superior to the regular demons.

Kyogai’s Blood Demon Art is one of the most unique in the series. His body was fitted with six drums, and striking each one would cause a different action. This made it difficult to predict his actions and prepare a counter. Kyogai could use different combos, which only caused more problems for Tanjiro and Co.

Blood Demon Art: Kyogai’s Blood Demon Art allowed him to control his surroundings to a certain extent. He would use the drums on his body to rotate the room, teleport, and attack his enemies. The rotational power was only limited to the inside of the mansion.

10 Gyokko

Affiliation: Twelve Kizuki

• Debut: Chapter 98, Episode 45

Gyokko made his debut in the Swordsmith Village arc. He holds a place in the Upper-Rank Five, which sets him apart from most of the demons. Gyokko is a rather odd character who gets excited by the smallest things. He is strongly devoted to Muzan, so he tries his best to please him.

Gyokko’s Blood Demon Art revolves around the creation of pots. He is able to summon them anywhere, and they can store almost anything inside. With the help of these pots, Gyokko can summon monsters that resemble aquatic animals. Each aquatic monster has abilities that are reminiscent of their normal forms. He can also bring forth water and use it to suffocate his opponents. As a demon, Gyokko has incredible physical abilities, including speed, reflexes, stamina, and durability.

Blood Demon Art: Gyokko could create special vases that enabled him to overwhelm his enemies rather effortlessly. If he felt threatened, he could teleport from one vase to another. Gyokko could also trap multiple people inside the vase. He was also able to summon marine creatures to help him in fights.

9 Hantengu

Affiliation: Twelve Kizuki

• Debut: Chapter 98, Episode 45

Hantengu is one of the two main villains of the Swordsmith Village arc. He holds the position of Upper Rank 4, which makes him one of the most dangerous demons in Demon Slayer to date. Hantengu is able to create four different clones with the help of his Blood Demon Art, with each of the clones representing one of Hantengu’s emotions.

When it comes to strength, each clone is strong enough to fight against the likes of Tanjiro and Nezuko. If the need arises, they can all fuse to form a single body that can hold off a Hashira with ease. The clones can also manipulate different elements, which causes serious problems for the strongest Demon Slayers. Hantengu is especially skilled in stealth, as evidenced by his infiltration of one of the most fortified bases of the Demon Slayer Corps. Furthermore, Hantengu can manipulate flesh to attack his enemies.

Blood Demon Art: Hantengu’s ability to summon his own emotions during fights made him a deadly foe. If all of them were present at the same time, they could easily overwhelm an opponent. If they were facing a strong opponent, the emotions would combine to give rise to a powerful entity.

8 Tamayo

Affiliation: Demon Slayer Corps

• Debut: Chapter 14, Episode 8

Tamayo is the first good demon Tanjiro comes across, aside from his sister Nezuko. Despite her status as a demon, she has immense self-control, able to fend off her desire to feed on humans. She is an experienced doctor and desires to help humanity instead of destroying them.

Although little is known about Tamayo’s abilities, her self-control is enough to warrant a place for her on this list. She serves as inspiration for Tanjiro, believing that Nezuko can be cured of her demonic affliction and her existence shows how good demons exist in the world.

Blood Demon Art: Tamayo is not much of a fighter, but she can hold her own when the going gets tough. Using her Blood Demon Art, Tamayo can cast various spells to upend her enemies.

7 Rui (& Spider Family)

Affiliation: Twelve Kizuki

• Debut: Chapter 29, Episode 15

Demons typically preferred solitude and didn’t form clans, but Rui was an exception. He held the rank of Lower Rank Five in the Twelve Kizuki. He desired a family, so he created his own: the Spider Family, comprised of six members, each with a unique spider-like ability.

Despite his quiet nature, Rui proves to be sadistic and cruel, abusing members of his so-called family if they didn’t perform to his expectations. His Demon Blood Art Technique was Thread Manipulation, allowing him to manipulate people like puppets with indiscernible cobweb-like threads.

Blood Demon Art: Rui’s ability to create threads may seem simple, but it is actually quite devastating. His threads were strong enough to withstand Nichin sword attacks. Furthermore, they could cut through humans like a hot knife through butter.

6 Daki

Affiliation: Twelve Kizuki

• Debut: Chapter 73, Episode 36

Daki was one of the primary antagonists in the Entertainment District arc, holding the position of Upper-Rank Six, which she shared with her bother Gyutaro, with that not being the only thing they shared. Even though they were two separate people, they both inhabited Daki’s body. This made her significantly harder to kill, as she remained alive, even when being decapitated on several occasions.

Daki’s Blood Demon Art, Obi Sash Manipulation, sprouted flower-patterned ribbons from her flesh, and she could manipulate them at will. These sashes had a variety of uses, as Daki used them to spy on the Demon Slayers, and she could even use them to slice through buildings with ease.

Blood Demon Art: Daki was able to manipulate Obi Sash was frightening. She could use it to defend herself, as well as attack people with it. Daki could even store useful objects inside her sash. Also, the sash could not be cut with ordinary sword attacks.

5 Enmu

Affiliation: Twelve Kizuki

• Debut: Chapter 51, Episode 26

Enmu is revealed as the main villain and antagonist of the Mugen Train arc. He is tracked by Fire Hashira Kyojuro, Tanjiro, and co. to the Mugen Train, where Enmu feasted on humans. He has a sophisticated and fashionable appearance, marred by the mouth on his left hand, used to force his victims to dream.

Enmu’s Blood Demon Art is Sleep Inducement, forcing anyone into a deep sleep and manipulating their dreams to suit each person, accounting for their deepest vulnerabilities to torment them. He proved a formidable and sadistic foe as he absorbed the Mugen Train inside himself, making life difficult for the Demon Slayer heroes.

Blood Demon Art: Enmu’s Blood Demon Art allowed him to put people to sleep, rendering them completely defenseless. To make matters worse, he also had the power to manipulate the dreams of people.

4 Akaza

Affiliation: Twelve Kizuki

• Debut: Chapter 63, Episode 32

Akaza is revealed in the Mugen Train arc and is potentially the most hated character in the Demon Slayer. He is an Upper-Rank Three demon with the Blood Demon Art, Destructive Death, creating a shockwave ripple through the air.

At the end of the Mugen Train arc, Akaza showed exemplary speed and strength in his fight against the Fire Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku. Of course, Rengoku was sadly a fatality in this fight. Akaza barely escaped from a wounded Tanjiro as the sun was coming up over the horizon. There’s still more to see from Akaza, so it will be interesting to see his full strength.

Blood Demon Art: Akaza combines his martial arts with his ability to create shockwaves to launch devastating attacks at his opponents. Since he has yet to feature again in the story, it is unclear if he has improved physically.

3 Gyutaro

Affiliation: Twelve Kizuki

• Debut: Chapter 85, Episode 40

Gyutaro is one of the strongest demons Tanjiro and his friends encounter in the Entertainment District arc and the older brother of Daki. This Upper Six demon was powerful enough to hold his own against Tanjiro and Sound Hashira Tegen Uzi easily, bringing them both close to death on several occasions.

Gyutaro had previously killed 15 Hashiras, almost adding Tengen to the list. His powerful Blood Art technique was used both offensively and defensively, able to block attacks. He could manipulate his own blood into scythe-like poisonous weapons to slice through enemies. Once decapitated, he even self-destructs and destroys most of the Entertainment District in one final fell swoop.

Blood Demon Art: Gyutaro was the primary antagonist of the Entertainment District arc. He would use his own blood during fights. Gyutaro manipulated his blood and used it to attack his enemies, giving them little to no chance of escaping. The poison inside his blood slashes was also extremely potent, so even the slightest scratch could prove fatal.

2 Nezuko

Affiliation: Demon Slayer Corps

• Debut: Chapter 1, Episode 1

Cooped up in her box on Tanjiro’s back, Nezuko staves off her demonic thirst for human blood by resting for long periods of time. However, if Tanjiro is in danger, Nezuko bursts out from her chrysalis with a vengeance and incredible strength, determined to protect her friends at any cost.

Nezuko is a unique demon case, especially after the fight against Daki awakened her true potential. Her regenerative abilities are unparalleled, and she has exceptional resistance to the sun. Her Blood Demon Art, Pyrokinesis, allows her to summon pink demonic flames that solely damage demons while being harmless to humans. She shows immense strength in close-quarters combat as she enters a berserk-like state, transforming with vine-like patterns decorating her body.

Blood Demon Art: Nezuko uses her blood as a combustible substance against demons. Whenever her blood lands on another demon, she can easily set it ablaze. This ability affects the regenerative speed of other demons.

1 Kibutsuji Muzan

Affiliation: None

• Debut: Chapter 13, Episode 7

In the anime, little is known about Kibutsij Muzan and his powers, other than he is the Demon King and creator of all demons. He is both respected and feared by his underlings and is the sworn enemy of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Muzan’s only weakness is his aversion to the sun. Even if he is beheaded, his regenerative abilities allow him to regrow it, unlike other demons. His Blood Demon Art allows him to change his physical appearance at will, and similar to Gyutaro, he can create living weapons out of his flesh. Muzan will be the most challenging opponent Tanjiro will ever battle against, and Demon Slayer fans can’t wait to see it play out on the big screen.

Blood Demon Art: Since Muzan is the final villain of the story, it is hardly surprising that fans have yet to see what he is truly capable of.