Even the strongest of heroes in the anime, who are known for their valiance, have often had second thoughts about facing a demon head-on. These demonic characters are some of the most potent malevolent supernatural entities, known for their charismatic and intimidating disposition, apart from being the ultimate powerhouse.
Over time, the anime universe has introduced a plethora of demonic characters who have managed to strike fear into the hearts of their opponents with powers that grant them the ability to solo an entire army with ease.
Most demons, like Rem in Re:Zero and Vignette April Tsukinose in Gabriel Dropout, want to live a mundane life without the ambition to take over the world and wreak havoc. However, after losing their cool, even the kindest demons can become an unstoppable, diabolical menace.
Disclaimer: This article contains certain anime and manga spoilers.
Ryomen Sukuna and nine other demons in anime, who are a force to be reckoned with
1) Ryomen Sukuna from Jujutsu Kaisen
The King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, is the most powerful cursed spirit in Jujutsu Kaisen. It is believed that Sukuna was a human sorcerer who the other sorcerers defeated for turning evil. His body was too strong to be destroyed as a cursed spirit, so the sorcerers removed his twenty fingers and preserved them in a grave wax to prevent his reincarnation.
After Yuji Itadori swallowed one of the fingers, he inadvertently woke Sukuna. Retaining a fragment of his powers within Yuji’s body with one finger, Sukuna was powerful enough to rupture and crack an entire building by punching the roof while fighting Gojo. Sukuna’s Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine technique is deemed truly divine as it manifests in reality without creating a separate space.
2) Muzan Kibutsuji from the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
The primary antagonist of the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Muzan Kibutsuji, is the progenitor of all demons and the leader of Twelve Demon Moons (a group of twelve powerful demons).
Due to his immortality, he has lived for a millennium and has only been cornered once by a legendary Demon Slayer named Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Muzan has slayed over a hundred demons in a brief period.
His blood is powerful enough to turn a weak human into a formidable monster and can enhance the power of existing demons to an overwhelming level. Muzan possesses five functioning brains, which is the very reason behind his genius intellect. He can even read the thoughts of his subjects with whom he shared his blood. Muzan can shapeshift into anyone with ease.
3) Sadao "Satan" Maou from the anime The Devil is a Part-timer!
The diligent and proactive #1 employee of the MgRonald fast food franchise, Sadao Maou, was once the Devil King, the formidable ruler of the Demon World. Before getting teleported to Earth, he waged war against Ente Isla to annex the four continents. On Earth, Sadao lost access to his powers. However, he soon figured out that he could channel the negative emotions of the sentient beings around him.
Possessing tremendous strength, Sadao can easily lift and throw objects that weigh tons. Being a brilliant individual, he nearly captured Ente Isla by memorizing the knowledge of all five continents in such a short period, an unrivaled feat no one had achieved.
Upon transforming into his demon form, he can use telekinesis, regenerate his damaged body in seconds, suspend the flow of time in his magical barrier, and even manifest a demonic sword capable of destroying cities to dust.
4) Meliodas from the anime Seven Deadly Sins
The Dragon’s Sins of Wrath, Meliodas, maintains a calm and compassionate disposition. However, he becomes a ruthless monster when anyone threatens people close to him. Being the former leader of the Ten Commandments of the Demon Clan and next in line to the Demon King’s throne, Meliodas can still manifest his powers from the darkness, even after abandoning his post.
Using his Full Counter technique, he can reflect on magic-based attacks aimed at him back at his enemies. With his Hellblaze’s destructive black flames, apart from burning his targets to ashes, he can also nullify the regeneration abilities of immortal beings.
Meliodas possess Demon Sword Lostvayne, a short curved sword that grants him the ability to manifest six solid clones, each containing a fraction of his powers.
5) Sesshomaru from the anime Inuyasha
As the eponymous protagonist of the series, Inuyasha is ultimately the most powerful being in his story. However, when it comes to being a pure-blooded demon, Sesshomaru reigns supreme over his half-brother Inuyasha.
The former inherited his father's powers and abilities to a greater extent than the latter. His powers are such that he can nullify the demonic aura of an object by merely touching it with his bare hand.
Sesshomaru’s one-arm strength is equal to Inuyasha’s maximum strength. Most of the time, he didn’t need to draw his sword since his claw-like fingers were sharp enough to tear through solid rock and melt his targets with a gentle scrape on their skin. Sesshomaru was powerful enough to manifest a sword called Bakusaiga, a unique feat that caused him to surpass his father.
6) Rin Okumura from the anime Blue Exorcist
Rin Okumura aspired to become a powerful Knight Meister to slay his biological father, Satan, who was responsible for the death of his adoptive father, Shiro Fujimoto.
According to Mephisto Pheles, the second strongest of the eight demons, Rin had the potential to defeat his father due to his ability to use his demonic powers to a full extent in the human world, a feat no other demons have managed to attain in history,
Rin inherited the Blue Flames from his father, which he can channel through his Kurikara blade to attack his opponents and engulf them in their destructive flames. Apart from possessing superhuman strength and speed, he also retains quick regenerative abilities, which ultimately help him fight his opponents head-on without worrying about defense.
7) Anos Voldigoad from the anime Misfit of the Demon King Academy
Anos Voldigoad is a kind-hearted, empathetic, and optimistic guy in the eyes of his friends and family. However, unbeknownst to them, he is the reincarnation of the mighty demon known as the Demon King of Tyranny, who lived two thousand years ago. Anos retains a tremendous reserve of magic powers, which even a crystal ball can’t measure, as it will likely shatter to pieces.
Besides his overwhelming strength, speed, and endurance, Anos is brilliant, as he can learn a complicated spell within seconds, which his other intelligent peers would take a month. Moreover, Anos has also memorized over 1700 books precisely. Unleashing his destructive abilities will wipe out the world he lives in from its existence.
8) Sebastian Michaelis from the anime Black Butler
The eponymous demon butler of the Phantomhive family, Sebastian Michaelis is devoted to Ciel. He carries out his master’s orders without question. Apart from being a head butler, he also works as a henchman for Ciel, killing anyone on his master’s orders remorselessly. Being a demon, Sebastian is sadistic, morally bankrupt, and cunning.
Adhering to his demonic principles, he has no qualms about lying, deceiving, and manipulating others for the sake of his own goals. Sebastian can easily switch into his demon and human form in the blink of an eye.
Using psychokinesis, he can twist, break, and even control the body parts of his targets. Sebastian demonstrated his most unique feat by recreating the Phantomhive Manor with everything inside the building intact.
9) Akira Fudo from the anime Devilman Crybaby
After possessing the powers of Amon, the most ferocious and courageous demon known for his heroic reputation, Akira's mundane life is turned upside down. Akira was the slowest member of his track team.
However, after accumulating Amon’s abilities, his physical attributes were enhanced to a superhuman level, where he could run at an incredible speed and solo multiple opponents with a single arm.
After his Devilman transformation, Akira can tear through his enemies with his sharp claws in a fraction of a second. The conversion also gives him horns that increase his perceptive abilities. Akira’s Devilman form can also grant him potent capabilities, such as elastic limbs, night vision, and a pair of wings. He can even evaporate everything around him to create a massive explosion.
10) Baby Beel from the anime Beelzebub
Kaiser de Emperana Beelzebub IV, short for Baby Beel, is the son of Beelzebub III, the Great Demon Lord. Initially, Beel was sent to the human world to destroy humanity. However, witnessing the evil reeking out of a human named Oga Tatsumi, he grew fond of him and latched onto him like a baby kangaroo. Due to his connection with Oga, he can’t stay away from him for more than fifteen meters.
Beel will automatically electrocute everyone in the surrounding area after being separated from Oga beyond the limited distance. The volt of the electrocution depends on how loud Baby Beel cries, which can even go higher than a twelve million volt stun baton.
Channeling a fraction of his powers to Oga, he can grant him superhuman strength capable of destroying a huge concrete building with a single punch.