Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba is a relatively recent shonen series that just got an anime adaption. "Recent" considering that its peers are long-running beloved franchises like One Piece or My Hero Academia. And, for something barely over three years old (2016), it's doing quite well! The manga-series updates frequently and gets great sales, and the anime by studio Ufotable is one of the most stylistic and well-made iterations a shonen has had since Bones nabbed up BnHA. So, let's go through and talk about which of the Demon Slaying Corps are the strongest. Heads up for anime kids, there will be spoilers in this.
10 Zenitsu: Breath Of Thunder User With Lightning Fast Fleeing Skills
First on this list, yet at the bottom of the ranking is Zenitsu. This brightly colored boy is one of the few graduates from Tanjiro's entrance exam into the Demon Slaying Corps and anime-only fans might not be sure quite yet how he passed.
Basically, when Zenitsu's passed out, he becomes the best version of himself and is able to execute on all the absurdly tough training the previous Thunder Pillar taught him. That said, he only ever learned the first of the six Thunder Breathing Forms, the Thunder Clap Flash. But, even we're surprised by just how far this takes him later on.
9 Inosuke: Breath Of The Beast User With Astounding Flexibility
Next up is the third goon in Tanjiro's triad of dorks, Inosuke. This boar-head wearing freak of nature is the only other non-Pillar member on this list but for good reason. Inosuke is constantly getting stronger, has an insanely acute sense of touch/reflex, and is impatiently battle-crazed. Plus, he even invented his very own style of Breath combat, the Breath of the Beast. This wild and ravenous style of combat is further enhanced by his swords which are intentionally chipped in order to cause the most pain possible when cutting. Overall, Inosuke is a pioneer and a madman whose potential far exceeds what anyone first thought of him.
8 Shinobu Kocho: Breath Of The Insect Pillar Specializing In Poison
Here's our first dive into the Pillars of The Demon Slaying Corps. These elite sword users represent the absolute peak of this organization and all the styles of Breath. But, the odd one out has to be the Insect Pillar, Shinobu Kocho.
This slender lass is described as having a weak build and has explicitly said that she can't behead a demon. Luckily, the Breath of the Insect is named as such because it utilizes poison made from the Wisteria Flower, which is deadly to demons. So while Shinobu can't take a demon down the traditional way, she can absolutely destroy them with his stinger-like katana.
7 Mitsuri Kanroji: Breath Of Love Pillar Who's Unexpectedly Swole
Kimetsu No Yaiba has some insanely strong and independent women. Nezuko, Shinobu, and her apprentices, the Sound Pillar Uzui's wives, and Mitsuri all kick butt. This bottle of sunshine is the Love Pillar. Mitsuri is bubbly, trusting, and overall a hopeless romantic just looking for love. But, she's also got eight-times the muscle density of a normal human, eats mountains of food in a single sitting, can bench a building, and takes down demons with her whip-like sword. So she tries to balance those attributes with extra "feminine" charm.
6 Kyojuro: Breath Of The Fire Pillar Burning His Wick At Both Ends
Kyojuro Rengoku is one of the more uniquely designed and weirdly charming characters in anime. This brightly-burning Flame Pillar was obviously going to be the most likable at first glance out of the Pillars. Kyojuro has an incredibly strong sense of morals that put him on the path of becoming one of the strongest among the Pillars.
Unfortunately, he faced off against Upper Moon Three much too soon and was taken "out of commission." The only reason he isn't higher on this list is that he was retired before he could reach his peak.
5 Gyomei Himejima: Breath Of The Rock Pillar With Anger Issues
We haven't seen enough of Gyomei, and that's disappointing. This character seems to be one of the more interesting of the Pillars but just hasn't gotten enough spotlight yet. Gyomei was a blind monk who is now the Rock Pillar of the Demon Slaying Corps. He used to be peaceful and pacifistic, he even ran his own orphanage. But, like most of the Demon Slayers backstories, tragedy befell him and his kids. But, that tragedy is what caused him to learn that he was strong, shockingly strong. Gyomei is the one who teaches Tanjiro to utilize Full Focus breaths and is obviously one of the strongest pillars in the group.
4 Muichiro: Breath Of The Mist Pillar The Genius Amnesiac
There are a couple of sword users that we haven't seen fight all that much, their master-level sword skill is just known of. And, one would think that the Mist Pillar Muichiro Tokito, who is known for his innate genius-like talent, would be another example.
But, surprisingly, we've seen Muichiro struggle and fight a decent amount, at least in the manga. This sole-surviving twin truly does encompass mist as his thoughts and focus are always fading, yet he always seems to have a bottomless rage towards demonkind. We've seen him use all seven forms of the Mist, and truly his skill with the blade is quickly becoming unparalleled.
3 Giyu Tomioka: Breath Of The Water Pillar Sub-Par Social Skills
Finally, we're on to the first Pillar the anime-only kids will have even seen, Giyu Tomioka. This is the man who told Tanjiro of the Demon Slaying Corps and introduced him to Urokodaki. Giyu, outside of his appearances with Tanjiro, is usually cold, emotionless, and dismissive. He's currently fighting alongside Tanjiro in the ongoing manga arc, and it's well known that he is the strongest of the Pillars. While we've barely seen the man fight, the fact that every one of the other Pillars is aware of his strength is reason enough for him to be number three on this list.
2 Tanjiro Kamado: Multiple Breath User And Wholesome Protagonist
So, if we were talking about Tanjiro's strength based on what he's currently shown in the anime, the boy would probably only be above Inosuke and Zenitsu. But, after everything that's happened in the manga, and how much Tanjiro has grown, we can see that he'll soon be the strongest swordsmen. What with his Water Breath Style, Dance of The Sun God, the line of interval/opening, and now his ability to See-Through. Tanjiro truly has accumulated enough skills and techniques to burn quite brightly. Fitting for someone whose surname is Kamado, which roughly translates to a stove or furnace.
1 Tanjuro Kamado: Breath Of The Sun Pillar And Winner Of 'Most Tired Eyes' Award
Finally, and this is the biggest spoiler of all so be careful, we've got Tanjiro's father. Tanjuro is a man who we've seen in flashbacks and is hinted as Tanjiro's father by Muzan quite early.
In fact, when Muzan first sends Susumaru and Yahaba after Tanjiro, he is quite obviously angered by Tanjiro's Hanafune earrings, because they remind him of Tanjuro. Tanjuro was previously a Pillar in the Demon Slaying Corps and the peak of all swordsmen, but, it seems battle-fatigue finally got to him and he settled down with Tanjiro's mother.