The Demon Slayer series is loved by many and is often the topic of discussion, within the Otaku community. However, even after the completion of the series, we can still see fans debating on who the Strongest Hashira is.
The Hashiras have their powers and abilities. They really can’t be compared to each other, but here we have managed to rank each of them based on their strengths.
Before we go straight into the rankings, here’s a little information about who the Hashiras are.
Who are the Hashiras?
The Hashers are “The Pillars ” of the Demon Slayer Corps. They are believed to be the most elite group among the Corps. With immense powers and strength, they are the highest-ranking combatants.
How does one become a Hashira?
To become a Hashira, first, one has to join the Demon Slayer Corps. In order to do that, they have to go through immense training and pass the exam, where they have to survive for seven days, fighting off the demons.
After successfully joining the Corps, the road to becoming a Hashira is not an easy one. There are two known methods to become a Hashira. The first method is by successfully killing 50 demons and the second method is to kill one of the members of the Twelve Kizuki, the 12 strongest demons of all.
The second one seems easy, doesn’t it? But let us remind you, killing even the lowest-ranked among them is very difficult, as they directly serve under the Demon King, Muzan. Their strengths can’t be compared to that of lowlife demons.
Currently, there are nine active Hashiras, but by the end of the series, only two are left.
From the strongest to the least, here are the Hashiras ranked according to their strengths.
1. The Stone Hashira: Gyomei Himejima
On top of our list, we have The Stone Hashira: Gyomei Himejima.
Not only according to the fans but even in the series, many characters such as Tnajiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and other members of the Corps, believe that he indeed is the strongest Hashira.
Gyomei was once accused of murder and was put on a death sentence. He was saved by Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and later on, he joined the Demon Slayer Corps. Within two months of joining the Corps, he was promoted to the rank of Hashira.
TMI: Only two of them have ever ranked Hashira in such a short time, one being Gyomei and the other being Muichiro Tokito.
He is the most skilled Stone Breathing user, earning him the title of the Stone Hashira. In his fight against Kokushibo, he unleashed such attacks that his Stone breathing was a match to the demon’s Moon breathing.
Unlike other Hashiras, Gyomei wielded a Spiked Flail attached to an axe with chains, which made his fighting style very unique. Despite his blindness, he was a very skilled warrior. His heightened sense of hearing proved to be very advantageous to him on the battlefield.
On top of being the strongest, he is also the tallest member of the Corps. Although having a big physique, he has a soft side to him as well, earning him the name,” Gentle Giant”. He has a very caring and kind personality and is often given the role of leader.
2. The Wind Hashira: Sanemi Shinazugawa
Just behind the strongest Hashira, is one of the major supporting characters of the series, Sanemi Shinazugawa. Being a Hashira, he is considered to be one of the most skilled combatants.
Sanemi earned the title of the Hashira after he defeated the former Lower Rank One, Ubume. Along with his great physical abilities, he also uses Wind Breathing. He is believed to be the most skilled Wind Hashira of his generation. Even Kokushibo stated that Sanemi’s Wind Breathing reminded him of the First Wind Hashira during the Sengoku Era. This proved that his skills were truly at their peak and unmatched.
He carried a Jagged patterned Nchirin Sword, that resembles the jaw of a beast. As a Hashira, his sword skills were truly unmatched.
Because the demons killed many people, that he loved and cared about, he developed a strong hatred toward the demons. So, when he was first introduced to Nezuko, he was against keeping her alive. But later in the series, we can his soft side as he gently places his hand on Nezuko and puts on a soft smile.
He has a younger brother, Genya Shinazugawa, who joined the Demon Slayer Corps. Later on, during the fight with Kokushibo, he is killed.
3. The Water Hashira: Giyu Tomioka
Giyu Tomioka, The Water Hashira ranks third on our list. He is actually the first Hashira that we are introduced to. Before becoming a Hashira, Giyu used to train with the Former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki, in order to become a Demon Slayer.
After defeating the Father Spider Demon, a member of the Twelve Kizuki, Giyu moved up to the rank of the Hashira. Being an excellent swordsman among the Hashiras, Giyu carried a deep blue-colored Nichirin Katana. Even the Upper Rank Six demon, Akaza complimented Giyu’s swordsmanship skills.
Along with his swordsmanship, Giyu possesses high physical strength and has mastered Water Breathing as well. He might be the strongest, but he suffers from Survivor’s guilt and often wonders about his existence. He doesn’t let personal feelings get in his way on the battlefield. He is very kind and caring towards the people he loves and his friends. He even protected Nezuko and Tanjiro with his life on the line.
4. The Mist Hashira: Muichiro Tokito
Despite being only 14 years old, Muichiro Tokito was able to become a Hashira and rank among the top five strongest Hashira of all time.
Muichiro Tokito, The Mist Hashira was considered to be one of the most powerful and skilled combatants along with being a child prodigy. Within two months of joining the Corps, he was promoted to the rank of Hashira. Furthermore, he also mastered the Mist Breathing Sword Style.
Just like other Hashiras, Muichiro carries a Nichirin Katana that is white in color. On the later arcs, his sword changed color to a bright red, with the help of his Demon Slayer Mark. Muichiro’s katana has the words Destroy Demons(惡鬼滅殺 Akki Messatsu) engraved on the blade.
With his Demon Slayer Mark, Muichiro defeated, Gyokko, Upper-Rank Five, all by himself. This shows that even at a young age, he was already strong enough to take on high-level opponents. Sadly, Muichiro dies during his fight with Kokushibo, Upper-rank One.
Kukushibo happened to be Muichiro’s Ancestor.
5.The Serpent Hashira: Obanai Iguro
Having an intimidating look, with a serpent around his neck and heterochromia, makes our Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro stand out from the crowd. Not to mention, despite his looks he is still one of the strongest Hashira in the series.
Despite being blind in one eye and having a smaller physique, Obanai has a superhuman level of speed and senses. He even mastered the Serpent Breathing style, giving him the title of the Serpent Hashira. However his disabilities didn’t stop him, and finally, he was able to obtain the Hashira Position.
He wields a lavender-colored Twisted Nichirin Sword, which resembles that of a serpent. Aside from being good with swords, he also developed a combat technique using his snake, Kaburamaru. He used Kaburamaru’s abilities to read and predict targets’ attacks, which helped him a lot on the battlefield.
Obanai has a harsh and cold nature, often being strict even to his fellow members. Despite that, he is helping out his comrades on the battlefield and mercilessly killing any enemies that try to attack them.
Obanai had a crush on Mitsuri Kanroji.
6. The Love Hashira: Mitsuri Kanroji
The love interest of Obanai Iguro, Mitsuri Kanroji has landed at number six on our list. The beauty with pale green eyes and long light pink hair that fades into a lime green color captured the hearts of many. But don’t let her beauty fool you, as she is among the Hashiras, meaning get close to her and she might rip you into pieces.
Because of her emotional and passionate nature, she is shown as a kind and loving individual. this could be the reason she is a Love Hashira. Despite her soft nature, she is extremely merciless to the demons.
She has a smaller frame but massive strength in her body. Due to her strength and skills, she quickly rose up to the Hashira Rank. Unlike other Hashiras, Mitsuri Kanroji uses a “Love Sword“, which is more like a thin and soft whip.
She created her own breathing style, Love Breathing, which incorporates her strengths and attacks from her Nichirin Sword. Aside from these, she also learned Flame Breathing from the former Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku.
7. The Flame Hashira: Kyojuro Rengoku
Always cheerful and greatly enthusiastic about his duties as a Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, The Flame Hashira, comes at number 7. The bright yellow hair with red ends, and a haori, like that of a flame, Kyojuro certainly portrayed the Flames burning within him through his appearance.
Losing his mother at an early age and having to grow up under a strict father, Rengoku adored his younger brother, Senjuro Rengoku. He loved his family and always encouraged Senjuro to follow his heart and do what he loves.
After his father, Shinjuro Rengoku, the former Flame Hashira, stopped training him, he started to train on his own. By training hard enough, he was able to join the Demon Slayer Corps and quickly attain the rank of a Hashira.
Along with mastering Flame Breathing, he had excellent skills and abilities. He wields a red Nichirin Blade, made specially from scarlet ore, and has the words Destroyer of demons engraved in it.
He valued human life very dearly and always had a belief, that the stronger ones must protect the weaker ones. He followed his belief to the very end, as he fought against Akaza, Upper rank Three, in order to protect Tanjito and his friends.
8. The Sound Hashira: Tengen Uzui
The tall, muscular and handsome Hahira, Tengen Uzui is certainly a strong individual, but just in comparison to other Hashira’s his powers can be somewhat overshadowed.
Unlike other Hashiras, Tengen uses Amber Nichirin Claevers, while using the dual swordsmanship style. Alongside this unique technique, he has also mastered the Sound Breathing style, which he developed himself along with other techniques such as Musical Score and the Anti Demon bombs.
Coming from the family of Shinobi, he joined the Corps and climbed the ranks of the Corps, and finally became a Hashira. He might be flashy and a bit boastful in nature, but he is always there for his loved ones, especially his three wives. He has a caring side to himself that he only shows to those who are close to him.
In the Entertainment district arc, we can see him fighting along sided Tanjiro and his friends, putting his life on the line.
9. The Insect Hashira: Shinobu Kocho
The current Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, is one of the major supporting characters of the series. With her abilities as a Hashira, she is able to defeat many demons during her time in the Demon Slayer Corps.
She joined the Corps after her family was killed by a demon. Relying on her intellect and creativity, Shinobu uses the Insect Breathing style to decapitate the demons. Since she doesn’t hold power in her physical strengths as that of the other Hashiras, she uses a modified version of Katana, that injects lethal Wisterai Poison into the Demon’s body.
Often she is shown having a calm and composed look on her face. She even talks very calmly to the demon and shows empathy to them, only to kill them slowly with her lethal poison. Turns out the look on her face is just a facade and deep down she is burning with hatred towards the demon.
Shinobu carries a heavily modified, Lavender blue, Stinger Nichirin Katana as her weapon, with the words Evil Demons engraved in it. Though the katana is not strong enough to cut through the demons, it is used to inject the poison as is equally powerful.
Because of her weak physical strength and weak katana, she is considered the weakest among the Hashiras. But hey doesn’t mean she is weak.
So, there you have it the Hashiras ranked from the Strongest to the Weakest. Here are some of the honorable mentions, who stand as the former Hashiras.
1.The Flower Hashira: Kanae Kocho
Kanae was the older sister of the current Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho. She was killed during her encounter with Upper rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki. Soft and easygoing Kanae wanted her sister to leave the Demon Slayer Corps and lead a normal life. But Shinobu was dead set on avenging her sister’s and her family’s death.
2. The Flame Hashira: Shinjuro Rengoku
Shinjuro Rengoku, the father of the current Flame Hashira, was a Flame Hashira himself. With immense strength and abilities, he was able to defeat countless demons in his days. But after losing his wife, he quit the corps and lead a lonely life.
3.The Water Hashira: Sakonji Urokodaki
The former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urodaki was sought by Tanjiro after Gyu commanded him to do so. Under the wings of the Hashira himself, Tanjiro learned the Water Breathing style. Just by the training arc, we can see how powerful Sakonji must have been during his prime. Even the current water Hashira Giyuu was his disciple.
4. The Thunder Hashira: Jigoro Kuwajima
Jigoro Kuwajima was the former Thunder Hashira. He trained Zenitsu for the Selection exam for the Demon Slayer Corps. And what can we say, just look at Zentisu, he certainly learned from the best.
