The world of Demon Slayer features some of the most impressive swordsmen in all of anime. Each swordsman is such an incredible fighter that they're able to overcome even the powerful monsters of their world with nothing more than their Nichirin blade.
Considering most of them just managed to pass the test to join the Corps at the start of the show, the series itself might not always tell the story of the most powerful characters in their universe. But each main cast member contributes to the effort of bringing down demons, with each victory placing them one step closer to making such there's no longer a need for their Corps and giving everyone peace.
8 Zenitsu's Power Is Inconsistent
One of the first swordsman that Tanjiro meets that isn’t a Hashira or his trainer. Zenitsu is someone who’s trained in the Thunder Breathing style. He initially learned this style under his grandfather, but he never quite learned to master it, instead only learning the Thunder Breathing's First Form. To his credit, he mastered the first form more than anyone else ever could, and would even prove himself superior to another master of the Thunder Breathing style when they fought later in the manga.
Plus, eventually he comes up with his own Seventh Form technique, which winds up being the most powerful of the Thunder Breathing abilities. It’s a power that surpasses his God Speed technique and brings him victory over his last opponent. But Zenitsu’s power is a bit less consistent, as he's a coward most of the time and he usually has to be asleep for any of it to activate in the first place.
7 Inosuke Is Limited By His Short Temper
Inosuke is the second swordsman that Tanjiro meets in the series, and the first human character he has to battle against. A feral young man, Inosuke found himself raised by boars, and developed his own fighting style known as Beast Breathing. He picked up a pair of ruined swords with serrated edges and used them for much of the series, but even after he gets his own special Nichirin blades, he immediately wrecked them to make them fit with his sword style. His time out in nature has made him stronger, faster, and more flexible than most normal humans, making him dangerous despite his inexperience in learning an actual style.
During the series, he manages to battle against multiple Upper Demon Moons and he always walks away the victor, even though all of his wins come with the help of other friends. That said, his short temper and willingness to risk his body limits himself as well.
6 Shinobu Kocho Coats Her Sword In Poison
Another key character to the Demon Slayer Corps, though she never quite reaches the level of a main character. She makes her appearance after Tanjiro and the others run into a Lower Demon Moon.
As a member of the Pillars, she isn't quite as strong as some of the other Pillars. What makes her a threat is her knowledge of all the different ways to harm a demon, with her coating her sword in poisons that can damage them and slow their regeneration.
5 Genya Is Skilled With Their Gun
One of the characters introduced very early on, Genya wasn't around for much of the series, and some of his character can be difficult for fans to grasp. After getting involved in the Final Selection, he goes off on his own for quite sometime. When viewers see him again, he’s learned a strange technique that involves eating demons to gain some of their power and strength. Genya has mastered both Demon Slayer sword skills as well as Blood Demon Arts as well.
Perhaps more interestingly is that Genya is one of the few people in Demon Slayer who not only wields a gun, but is quite skilled with it, proving capable of battling against multiple Upper Demon Moons while using it.
4 Nezuko Can Manipulate Fire Through Her Blood
Though she doesn’t have much in the way of her own plotline and she's more cute than anything else, Nezuko is by far one of the most powerful characters in the entire series. She starts out with simple abilities like being stronger and faster than any normal human, which allows her to fight on the level of demons even though she has absolutely none of the training of any Demon Slayer.
After fighting alongside her brother for a long time, she gradually mastered more and more of her powers, resembling the Upper Demon Moons. She gained the ability to manipulate fire through her blood, and even gained a full demon transformation that made her capable of seriously injuring high level demons. Her only limitation is that without feeding on humans, she can only fight for short periods of time.
3 Kanao Can Avoid Attacks In Advance Of The Opponents Intent To Pursue Said Attack
A young woman who trained under Shinobu and Kanae, Kanao appears late in the series but becomes a major Demon Slayer character during the last arc of the storyline. She develops advanced strength and speed, and has been shown to be stronger than all the main characters several times in earlier parts of the series. She has advanced vision, which makes her able to avoid attacks in advance of the opponent even wanting to attack her in the first place.
Her special fighting style allows her to go head to head with not only Upper Demon Moons, but Muzan as well. She’s got the accomplishments to her name that would put her above every other main character on this list, and she also outclasses even a few Hashira. But there’s one person who learns how to surpass her by series end.
2 Giyu Tomioka Has Complete Control Over Himself
For much of Demon Slayer, Giyu is the premiere member of the Slayer Corps. He's not the most powerful, but he's the ideal--he's the level that Tanjiro has to catch up to. The Water Pillar, Giyu's techniques have a graceful, flowing beauty to them. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he always seems like he's in complete control of himself and the battle.
Giyu is also one of the warriors who's able to activate the Demon Slayer mark, which makes him even faster and stronger than before. Giyu's power is enough to put him at the level of an Upper Demon Moon, placing him at the top of the most powerful Demon Slayers.
1 Tanjiro Survives Against Threats That Often Seem Insurmountable At The Time
The main character of the series, it’s no surprise he ranks at the top of the list. Even early on, Tanjiro displays a strength and determination that helps get ahead, surviving against threats he shouldn't have been able to defeat. But later on, through training under multiple members of the Hashira, he develops into a frightening warrior.
He gains the ability to see an opponent’s attack by using the Transparent World, and predict the way someone moves just based off their smell alone. But more importantly, by the end of the series he learns the true Sun Breathing ability, which is able to copy the damage the sun does to different demons. This perfected style is more than enough to defeat even the strongest demons.