Have you ever wondered who stands out as the most powerful Hashira in the Demon Slayer series ?
To start things off, the world of Kimetsu No Yaiba counts 9 Hashira warriors and every single one of them is ridiculously strong, but if we dig a bit, a certain hierarchy appears.
9 : UZUI TENGEN, SOUND HASHIRA
Yes, this colossus of 1,98 meter high and 200 pounds heavy is last in the list.
Although he has a massive muscular body that places him second in terms of muscular strength, but this perk won’t do much against a Kizuki of higher ranks, what matters most is his breathing technique which in theory is quite impressive : he devoloped the sound breathing which he is the only one to master that he synergises with Echolocation, a technique he developed himself that allows him to hear the sound bouncing off enemie bodies to localise them and analyse their movements (a technique quite similar to the one Tanjiro uses) .So with such abilities why would he be last on the list ? Tengen actually ends up fighting the 6th Kizuki but he cannot bring her down alone and needs the help of Tanjiro and Zenitsu which are the ones that end up closing the fight for good.
8 : KANROJI MITSURI, LOVE HASHIRA
Kanroji really is the Demon Slayer we didn’t see coming, in appearcance she’s a small cutie with pink hairs but it doesn’t prevent her from being a very deadly Hashira with great sword skills ! She masters the Love Breathing which is a variation of the Flame Breathing that she also masters thanks to her over developed muscles ! This unique Breathing technique she’s allowed to master thanks to her strange sword that can be mistaken for a whip. Kanroji is the first Hashira to develop the mark : a pattern appearing on the skin of whom is in touch with a Sun Breathing master.
7 : SHINOBU KOCHO INSECT HASHIRA
Shinobu does’nt look like a threat when you look at her : 1.51 meter high, 105 pounds.. How could such a small and cute woman could even cut the head off a Demon ? Well she just can’t, and that’s why her combat style is so strong : the Insect Breathing is a variation of the Flower Breathing, that was her deceased sister’s Breathing style that itself comes from the Water Breathing. Shinobu’s approach to fighting is taking advantage of her speed and stab with her sword injecting deadly poison to her target.
6 : MUICHIRO TOKITO, MIST HASHIRA
Muichiro Tokito is by far the youngest Hashira and probably the one with most potencial. Young boy often lost in his mind unable to focus more than 3 minutes and appearing “dead inside” as he is suffering some big trauma : he survived two Demons attacks with one of them being the murder of his family and the second one the death of his brother. Muichiro happens to defeat the 5th Kizuki without much difficulty, that tells us about how strong he is, with his Mist Breathing he can reveal his enemy’s perception and he has the Demon Slayer mark, all of this allowing him to gain recognition from the first Kizuki.
5 : TOMIOKA GIYU, WATER HASHIRA
Giyu makes his first appearance in early first season, in contrary to the usual characters we can see in classic shonens, Giyu isn’t a fearless warrior : of cautious nature he only starts a fight when he is certain he can win it. Thanks to Tanjiro he surpasses his inferiority complex, he who should have never survived his Demon Slayer’s final test. But it won’t prevent him from becoming the Water Hashira, one of the 5 Breathing technique related to the original Sun Breathing. His most noticeable accomplishment remains him defeating Akaza, 3rd Kizuki.
4 : KYOJURO RENGOKU FLAME HASHIRA
Kyojuro Rengoku is notorious for being the most eccentric and joyful Hashira amongst the Demon Slayers. Easily recognisable by his long hair looking like flames and his golden eyes he is without a doubt the most serious Hashira about his duty. What makes him stand up in the list is the fact that he can go face to face with some of the strongest Kizukis while having no special abilities nor Demon Slayer mark, he only has lightning speed and great strength to go with his Flame Breathing and that’s more than enough.
3 : OBANAI IGURO, SERPENT HASHIRA
Obanai Iguro is very strict with the Demon Slayer code, for him any kind of injury caused by a Demon is a disgrace like when the 6th Kizuki injures Tengen and he gets reprehended by Obanai. Although he is notorious for being a ruthless hunter, he can show kindness towards two characters : his master and Mitsuri. Though he appears physically weaker than other Hashiras, his unique Breathing technique puts him high on the list while allowing him to fight superior Kizukis, and on top of that he has the Demon Slayer mark and can turn his sword red himself without any sort of help. Obanai is one of the few who’s actually able to survive a face to face with Muzan Kibutsuji for several minutes.
2 : SHINAZUGAWA SANEMI WIND HASHIRA
Shinazugawa Sanemi appears as a cruel Hashira,which doesn’t prevent him from being one of the deadliest characters in the series : very muscular body, tall, robust, insatiable thirst to avenge his family killed by Demons and offer his little brother a normal family life without having to worry about Demons. He uses the Wind Breathing technique, directly related to the Sun Breathing. He hits fast and heavy and will let enemies hit him to find opportunities for lethal strikes. He uses also uses his blood as a tool to his arsenal to distract Demons which explains why his body is covered by scars. He ends up being an important character when it comes to defeating the first Kizuki and even helps bringing down Muzan.
1 : GYOMEI HIMEJIMA STONE HASHIRA
There is no doubt about it : Gyomei Himejima really is the most powerful character in the series, born blind he has overdeveloped hearing asset and he is by far the strongest Hahsira when it comes to physical strength : 2,20 meters high for 270 pounds of muscles. Gyomei suffers from a bloody past filled with treasons which he doesn’t let affect his kind personality. His Breathing technique is unique : he only seeks to enhance his raw strength which goes hand in hand with his outstanding physique to the point that the first Kizuki says he is the strongest warrior he has ever seen in 300 years even though he’s blind !
With differences in their techniques and their skill sets, the 9 Hashira are all necessary to reach the notorious Muzan Kibutsuji : from defeating the strongest Kizukis to supporting one another or creating openings for Tanjiro, they all do their parts which leads to humanity winning over Demons.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article young Demon Slayer ! If you did, let us know in the comment section down below. =^)