9 Hashiras in Demon Slayer, ranked from strongest to weakest

Hashiras are an integral part of the Demon Slayer Corps, as they are the most vital members of the organization. These characters boast a level of strength and endurance that cannot be compared to normal human beings.

They are skilled enough to take on some of the strongest demons in the series. However, not all Hashiras are equally powerful, as some of them specialize in specific areas other than combat. That being said, let us compare the nine Hashiras based on their strength and overall combat abilities.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the manga.

Demon Slayer Hashiras ranked based on their strength

1) Gyomei Himejima

The Stone Hashira is the strongest in Demon Slayer. This fact has been established in the manga as Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu all agree that he is the strongest member of the Demon Slayer Corps. Due to his blindness, his other senses are incredibly heightened and become an excellent addition to his superhuman strength.

His strength was showcased during the fight against Kokushibo. Even the Upper Moon 1 himself appreciated the refinement of Gyomei’s body and strength. He even mentioned that Gyomei was the strongest fighter he came across in 300 years.

2) Sanemi Shinazugawa

A young Sanemi Shinazugawa (Image via Ufotable)

Sanemi Shinazugawa is one of the strongest Hashiras in the Demon Slayer series. He was so strong that he hunted demons with mountain blades as a child. He dedicated all his time and effort to perfecting his skills as a swordsman, which was shown during the fight against both Muzan and Kokushibo.

Apart from Muichiro, he and Gyomei were the only ones who could significantly damage Kokushibo. His speed, strength, and endurance are among the best in the Demon Slayer Corps.

4) Giyu Tomioka

Giyu and Obanai Iguro are similar in terms of overall strength and abilities. While he wasn’t necessarily impressive during the fight against Akaza, he proved pretty strong during the battle against Muzan.

Despite fighting the Upper Moon 3, Giyu could keep up and land attacks on the Demon King. The fatigue and exhaustion that Giyu experienced must have been at its peak after defeating the Demon King.

However, he could dodge and simultaneously save one of the members of the Demon Slayer Corps from Demon Tanjiro’s attack, showcasing his ridiculous endurance levels.

3) Muichiro Tokito

Muichiro Tokito with his Demon Slayer Mark (Image via Ufotable)

It is safe to say that Muichiro is the most talented swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps. He became the Mist Hashira in two months after picking up a sword. He was the youngest Hashira, just 14 years old, when he was selected for this position.

Upon activating his Demon Slayer Mark, he could easily overwhelm Gyokko and easily defeat him during the Swordsmith Village arc. His contribution towards killing Kokushibo was vital as his Nichirin sword turned red and weakened the Upper Moon 1.

5) Obanai Iguro

In terms of overall combat abilities, Iguro is quite close to Giyu Tomioka. However, fans believe he is stronger than Giyu since he could last longer than the other Hashiras during the fight against Muzan.

One must understand that Gyomei and Sanemi took on Kokushibo, and Giyu fought against Akaza just before fighting with Muzan. Obanai took on Nakime, who was far weaker than Akaza and Kokushibo. This could serve as a potential explanation for why Obanai could last longer than the other three Hashiras. He is ridiculously strong and went toe to toe with Muzan.

6) Kyojuro Rengoku

Rengoku is another strong Hashira who almost stalled Akaza until the sun rose, causing him to flee. He was so strong that Akaza initially refrained from hurting Rengoku since he recognized his potential and combat abilities.

He offered Rengoku to turn into a demon, who refused the proposal. While he was close to beating Akaza, the Upper Moon 3 didn’t reveal his true potential and escaped into the forest. He is stronger than Mitsuri since he was her mentor when she entered the organization.

Rengoku's true potential could never be measured since he died too early in the story. With his Demon Slayer Mark, he might have given close competition to Giyu or Muichiro.

7) Kanroji Mitsuri

Kanroji doesn’t seem like a character who possesses much strength, but that is not the case. She has a level of strength superior to average human beings due to her muscle constitution.

It is said that she could lift a rock that weighed 15 kilograms when she was just 13 months old. She was able to hold off Hantengu and deal a lot of damage as well. However, she isn't one of the strongest Hashiras in the series.

8) Tengen Uzui

Tengen Uzui was introduced in the Entertainment District arc. He fought against Upper Moon 6 toe-to-toe despite getting poisoned from the start of the fight. He received help from Tanjiro and his friends, but he still fought Gyutaro on equal footing after losing an arm and getting poisoned.

Since he struggled against Upper Moon 6, many generally consider him one of the weaker Hashiras, but his overall abilities as a swordsman are impressive. He never activated his Mark and retired after the fight, so his full potential was never witnessed either.

9) Shinobu

When it comes to pure strength, Shinobu Kocho is the weakest Hashira in Demon Slayer. She doesn’t even have enough power to decapitate a demon’s head, and she makes up for it by using poison.

She is more of a support-type character since she concocts poison and medicines that have cured the members of the organization on numerous occasions. However, she is definitely the weakest on this list regarding combat ability.

Final thoughts

The Hashiras hold a special place in the Demon Slayer Corps. They each possess the brawns and brains to go toe-to-toe against any demon, including the Twelve Kizuki. The rankings here approximate the prowess of each Hashira from their potential and skills shown in the story.

Some fans might find the rankings of Kyojuro and Tengen unsatisfactory but it is hard to ascertain their skills. They were both taken out of the final fight as Kyojuro was killed by Akaza and Tengen retired after losing his arm. However, from what was portrayed through their fights, the rankings should give enough justice to their strengths.

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Edited by Sijo Samuel Paul