A series is as good as its villains, and only when the villains are fantastic that the heroes get a chance to shine. And Demon Slayer is one such series that features some of the best antagonists in recent times. In this article, we will take a look at the strongest Demon Moons, demons who stand above the rest of their kin!
Demon Slayer is one of those series that managed to take over the world and became so popular it is a topic of talk for both anime and manga enthusiasts, even today. One of the series’ strong points is its fantastic cast of characters, some of which are so charismatic they managed to steal the hearts of thousands of fans throughout the series’ duration.
Yet, their villains were also a pretty important part of the series. As readers of the manga and people who watch anime know, the main villain of the series is Muzan Kibutsuji, the first demon to ever exist, and he’s the reason why all other demons exist in the first place.
In his ranks of underlings, we can find Lower Moons and Upper Moons (forming the Twelve Demon Moons, or Twelve Kizuki), with the Upper Moons being much stronger. But are you curious to find out who are the strongest Demon Moons in the series?
Although they are inherently ranked from weakest to strongest, talking about their powers (usually referred to as Blood Demon Arts) and raw capabilities might give you some insight into why they are ranked as such.
Strongest Demon Moons in Demon Slayer (2023)
11. Kyogai – Former Lower Moon 6
Kyogai used to be a member of the Twelve Moons but was kicked out of the group because he was “too weak” to be part of it. Even then, Kyogai managed to be a real challenge for Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke during their confrontation. Still, considering they were beginners then, it’s not surprising that Kyogai is regarded as the weakest on the list, canonically speaking.
Now, let’s talk about Kyogai’s abilities, his blood demon art. Kyogai had a set of drums connected to his body, each having an outcome the moment they were touched. The drums allowed him to control the building he was in, mainly moving rooms around, changing the direction of the gravitational pull, or even teleporting his enemies. He also had a drum that could create a wind-slashing attack.
The reason why Kyogai was so scary is that, inside the mansion, he was pretty strong due to the way he had control over his surroundings. However, analyzing the pattern of his drumming was a good way of dealing with him. This resulted in the demon being defeated, not before being complimented by Tanjiro, which gave him peace of mind before disintegrating.
10. Rui – Lower Moon 5
Rui is the 5th member of the Lower Moons and was presented as one of the biggest challenges Tanjiro and his friends face throughout the series. Even though Rui appeared to be a considerable challenge for Tanjiro, he wasn’t such a challenge for Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira, one of the strongest members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Besides Rui’s twisted personality and desire to have an actual family, he has terrifying demon arts that, if used right, can prove to be a considerable threat. For instance, his ability to control threads that are as strong as steel and capable of cutting flesh and bones is incredibly dangerous.
Rui is also much more resistant than your regular demon, as he could withstanding Tanjiro’s attacks without too much effort. When Rui felt threatened, he used his demon arts to make his threads even stronger, strong enough to make it impossible for Tanjiro to cut them. Although Rui is not as strong as the others on this list, he’s still a memorable character, especially after the anime adaptation!
9. Enmu – Lower Moon 1
Enmu was another villain that became popular thanks to the anime adaptation, especially considering that he was one of the main antagonists of the movie “Mugen Train,” if not the main antagonist.
Enmu was the strongest member of the Lower Moons, and his strength was further enhanced after Muzan injected a ton of his blood into him after he got rid of all the other members of the Lower Moons. This made him much stronger, taking control of the train that would be the jail for Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and the Fire Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, during the events of the movie.
Enmus’ Blood Demon Art is extremely dangerous, as he could invade people’s dreams and kill them from the inside. He also became much stronger due to Muzan’s blood, allowing him to become a flesh abomination with immense regeneration capabilities and the ability to shape his flesh and cells at will, powers that he used to take over the train and turn it into his own body.
8. Kaigaku – Upper Moon 6
After Daki and Gyutaro’s defeat, Kaigaku took their place as the Upper Moon 6. He used to be a part of the Demon Slayer Corps and was also trained by Zenitsu’s master.
After turning into a demon, he still relied on his Thunder Breathing Technique, recognized for its speed and acceleration, and a Nichirin sword like the ones used by the Demon Slayer Corps, which he made using his blood. As you might have guessed, this turned him into one of the fastest enemies the Demon Slayer Corps had to face, and Zenitsu, also a user of the Thunder Breathing Technique, faced him in an incredible battle of speed.
Besides his incredible physical capabilities and regenerations, typical to any member of the Upper Moons, Kaigaku could also generate and control black lighting in tandem with his Thunder Breathing Technique. This made him the strongest Thunder Breathing user in terms of raw strength and one of the strongest among the Twelve Kizuki, but he was surpassed by Zenitsu’s talent, as he polished the only technique he could use to the point of achieving new heights in terms of speed.
7. Daki & Gyutaro – Former Upper Moon 6
The former Upper Moon 6 was not a single demon but two demons combined into one, and they were a pair of the strongest Demon Moons. Daki and Gyutaro were siblings, with Gyutaro being the older brother and Daki being the little sister. In reality, Gyutaro was the actual Upper Moon 6, and Daki was just part of him as they combined themselves once they became demons.
However, this granted them a unique physique – the ability to withstand the most dangerous injury that can be caused to a demon, being decapitated. In order to kill them, you had to decapitate them both at the same time, and considering how strong they were by themselves, this was not an easy feat.
Daki, for instance, could control her hair and clothes and use them as weapons, which were pretty sturdy and flexible. On the other hand, Gyutaro could use his blood and bones as weapons in the form of scythes and blood slashes that could cut through. Not only that, but Gyutaro’s blood was also poisonous, eventually causing the death of their enemies.
The main reason why they were defeated was that Tengen had some level of resistance to poison, which allowed him to fight until the very end when all the members of the Demon Slayer Corps managed to find an opportunity to decapitate them.
6. Gyokko – Upper Moon 5
Gyokko has a peculiarity that is not shared by the other moons. His physical appearance is less human-like, as he is just a torso connected to a vase, and this torso is covered in many small arms. Gyokko was also obsessed with art to an extent and had a very arrogant, narcissistic personality.
His Blood Demon Arts are very vast, as he has many tricks under his sleeve. For instance, he can summon monsters in the shape of fish, some having their own specific behavior and patterns of attacks. He can also manipulate and create water. And also, to make it more surprising, he’s capable of using vases to teleport around, although he can no longer use a vase once it’s destroyed.
He also has the ability to somewhat “evolve” into a mermaid, not only significantly increasing his physical capabilities but also growing scales that are as tough as diamonds. He also gains the ability to turn whatever he touches into fish, like the fish he uses to fight.
5. Hantengu – Former Upper Moon 4
Being the former Upper Moon 4, Hantengu is one of the most powerful demon moons. He also is a very peculiar case among the Upper Moons, although he shares some similarities with Daki and Gyutaro, as his existence is shared among different individuals. These individuals are representations of Hantengu’s feelings and emotions, and each one of them has their own abilities and Blood Demon Arts.
Hantengu, by himself, is pretty weak, as he’s unable to fight. However, he has fantastic durability and a resistant body, strong enough to break katanas. He can also change his size at will to make it harder for his neck to be cut.
Now, let’s talk about all his other personalities.
Sekido, as anger, is capable of manifesting lighting. Karaku, Hantengu’s peace of mind, can control the wind. Aizetsu, as the sorrow, can use his lance to pierce through enemies at long distances, projecting his attacks from afar. Urogi, as the personification of joy, can change his shape into that of birds. Zohakuten, Hantengu’s hatred, has a powerful aura that can stop those around him to the point of causing them pain. And last one, Urami, which looks identical to Hantengu, is capable of changing his size, turning himself extremely big to make it harder to be decapitated.
4. Nakime – Upper Moon 4
Nakime is a peculiar case in terms of strength. She’s not one to show pure-raw fighting skills or power, but she redeems herself by being able to control the Infinity Castle, a dimensional space in the form of a castle that she can control pretty much at will. This makes her a very dangerous foe when you are inside the Infinity Castle, similar to how Kyogai is with his Blood Demon Art.
To control the Infinity Castle, Nakime uses a Biwa, a Japanese string wooden instrument very similar to a Laud. She uses the Biwa to move the Infinity Castle and its insides around, allowing her to summon pillars to attack her enemies or to teleport them around.
3. Akaza – Upper Moon 3
Akaza is by far one of the strongest Demon Moons you will find in this list since the range of abilities he has at his disposal greatly surpasses those of the other Upper and Lower Moons, including even Doma and Kokushibo, who are Upper Moons 2 and 1.
We can describe Akaza as a martial artist who relies mostly on his fighting expertise to fight. His fighting style involves hand-to-hand combat, too, but thanks to his nature as a demon and his Blood Demon Art, he can use his hand-to-hand combat to attack from a distance.
One of Akaza’s main strengths is called Compass Needle, a technique that allows him to measure someone’s strength with a single glance and feel people’s bodies to predict their attack patterns even when out of sight. This also allows him to aim for their vital organs easily.
He can also use different stances and postures, as well as martial arts techniques, to cause immense damage. For instance, he could use his Blood Demon Arts to create shockwaves using his fists, which he used against Kyojuro Rengoku during the Infinity Train arc.
2. Doma – Upper Moon 2
As the Rank 2 of the Upper Moons, it is implied that Doma is naturally stronger than Akaza, even in terms of raw strength. However, this might also imply that Doma is much stronger than Akaza, including things like regeneration and Blood Demon Arts.
Now, Doma is not only capable of creating and manipulating ice thanks to his Blood Demon Arts. He’s also extremely strong in terms of fighting, as he uses a fighting style known as Tessenjutsu, which involves the use of fans. He was able to easily face Kanao and Inosuke, too, showcasing how strong he is. Before his defeat, he was the third strongest demon in the world and the second strongest Demon Moons!
1. Kokushibo – Upper Moon 1
Kokushibo is, without a doubt, the strongest demon of the Upper Moons. He used to be a Demon Slayer himself; thus, just like Kaigaku, he fights using a Nichirin sword made from his own blood. With this considered, he not only possesses all the general abilities most demons have, such as incredible reflexes, speed, and regeneration, but he also has a lot of experience surpassing hundreds of years and all the skills you could expect from a Demon Slayer.
Kokushibo was strong enough to face 4 individuals, including 3 different Hashiras, who managed to awaken their Demon Slayer Marks and were significantly stronger than before. One of those Demon Slayers was Gyomei Himejima, the strongest Hashira at the time.
Kokushibo could greatly control his body, which allowed him to control and shape his sword and create as many swords as he liked. He also had access to his Moon Breathing Technique and could also use his Blood Demon Arts to create crescent moon-shaped blades that could travel considerable distances and cut through anything.
If that wasn’t enough, just like Muichiro and Gyomei, he eventually managed to have access to an ability known as the Transparent World, which allowed him to enter an enhanced sensory state which, in short, made everything slower around him and made it easier to sense other’s movements.
Conclusion
As you can see, it’s easy to determine who are the most powerful Demon Moons because their ranks are based on their strength, and it’s completely canonical. However, understanding these strengths is much easier when you take a closer look at each individual, and thus, you now have a solid idea of why the rankings showcased in the series are supposed to be as they are!
That brings us to the end of the article featuring the strongest Demon Moons in the Demon Slayer series. If you liked it, then make sure to share the article with your friends!
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