Demons are always scary, powerful monsters across nearly every work of fiction. The demons found in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, however, are more terrifying than most. Their unpredictable Blood Demon Arts, twisted worldviews, and grotesque aesthetics are enough to give even the most experienced slayers nightmares.
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The most powerful demons are handpicked by Muzan Kibutsuji, the Demon King, to potentially gain more strength by drinking his blood. They're the twelve demon moons, consisting of six Upper Ranks and six Lower Ranks. They're all wickedly powerful and gave some of the strongest Hashira in the Corps a run for their money.
Updated on March 2nd, 2023 by Louis Kemner: With the next season of Demon Slayer right around the corner, anime fans are eager to see which demons are truly the strongest in this dark fantasy anime world. By now, Tanjiro and his friends have taken down a few of the Moons, starting with Rui and Enmu and more recently, the Daki/Gyutaro duo as well. Now, the swordsmith village story arc is set to introduce a few more Upper Moons, and anime fans can't wait to meet them and see what they can do.
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11 Kyogai
Lower Moon 6
Kyogai used to be the Lower Rank 6 Moon. He was excommunicated for his weakness, but he showed more combat prowess than most of the other Lower Ranks. Kyogai could use the drums embedded in his body to rotate the room he was in and disorient his opponents.
Additionally, Kyogai's drums could create lightning-fast slashing attacks and even teleport anyone in the mansion to a different room. His innate skills gave him a home-field advantage, making him one of the toughest demons that Tanjiro and the gang went up against.
10 Rui
Lower Moon 5
Rui was the first of Muzan's twelve Kizuki to make an appearance during Demon Slayer's Mount Natagumo arc. With his Blood Demon Art, Rui trapped other low-level demons in his web on the mountain. He saved their lives in return for them becoming his family. A minuscule amount of his blood gave weaker demons more power and allowed his makeshift family to endlessly slaughter hundreds of slayers.
Rui was the Lower Rank 5 in the Kizuki. He caused a good bit of trouble for Tanjiro and Nezuko, so much that their latent abilities were drawn out. If Giyu never arrived on the scene, they would have been defeated.
9 Enmu
Lower Moon 1
The only demon who survived Muzan's brutal layoff of the Lower Rank demons was Enmu, who pleaded for mercy and actually got it. He was the Lower Rank 1 demon, and Muzan figured that he would give him a chance to prove that he was worthy of receiving more of his blood.
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Enmu's Demon Blood Art stole the show during Mugen Train. He put everybody on the train to sleep and guided a group of insomniacs into the slayers' dreams to locate their spiritual core, destroy it, and kill them. He's arguably the strongest Lower Rank demon and it took multiple slayers to protect the passengers.
8 Kaigaku
Upper Moon 6
Though the Demon Slayer Corps works tirelessly to defend humanity against demons, not every member of the Corps is sure to have the best intentions. Kaigaku was Zenitsu's former classmate. They studied together under Jigoro Kuwajima. Kaifaku was bitter that they were both chosen as Jigoro's successors, wanting all the praise for himself.
Kaigaku could perform all of the Thunder Breathing Techniques except the first style. He was never given the Hashira title and accepted being turned into a demon to boost his power. Though he's inexperienced with Blood Demon Art, he was so strong that Muzan gave him a place among Demon Slayer's Upper Moons.
7 Gyutaro & Daki
Upper Moon 6
Gyutaro and Daki shared the Upper Rank 6 title, living as one after becoming demons. They stole the show during the Entertainment District arc and impressed the audience with their sheer strength as a formidable brother/sister duo with distinct themes of beauty vs ugliness.
Since Gyutaro and Daki were so powerful, it made viewers wonder how strong the rest of the Upper Ranks were. It took the combined efforts of the main trio, Nezuko, Tengen Uzui, and all three of his wives to take them down. It's no question that Gyutaro was the strongest of this sibling duo, but Daki's abilities were nothing to scoff at.
6 Gyokko
Upper Moon 5
Gyokko was #5 among Muzan's elite Upper Moons squad, a bizarre and short demon with mouths for eyes and an eyeball for a mouth. He had some pretty flashy abilities and always put a creative spin on all of his attacks. He seemed obsessed with arts and crafts, often working these talents into his combat. Gyokko also had water powers.
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Gyokko traveled between handmade decorative pots, summoned fish-like demons, and even used water to trap his opponents. He nearly got the best of Muichiro, the young Mist Hashira. Luckily, he dispatched him quickly and decisively after activating his Demon Slayer Mark.
5 Hantengu
Upper Moon 4
Hantengu is the Upper Rank 4 in the twelve Kizuki. At first glance, it might be difficult to understand why Hantengu was appointed to this position among the Upper Moons, but he proved himself one of the most formidable opponents in the series. Mitsuri, the Love Hashira, Tanjiro, Nezuko, and the gun-wielding Genya had a tough time taking this foe down.
Hantengu was a coward, but it fueled his power. His Blood Demon Art divided him into his primal emotions. When his weaknesses were attacked, his hatred would take over and attack his opponents.
4 Nakime
Upper Moon 4
Nakime was rewarded with the Upper Rank 4 position after Hantengu's defeat. When she strums her biwa, she can rearrange the Infinity Castle and instantly teleport herself wherever she wanted. She could also teleport other people.
Trying to find where Nakime was proved to be nearly impossible. She was also able to avoid the sun, robbing the demon slayers of their most powerful weapon. Her Blood Demon Art wasn't particularly dangerous, but she could send her opponents anywhere she wanted, including a tatami full of hungry demons.
3 Akaza
Upper Moon 3
Akaza was a martial arts master strong enough to win a duel to the death against Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira. He also claimed to have personally killed at least one other Hashira. Akaza was one of the most formidable opponents in the entire series. His debut at the end of Mugen Train was terrifying enough, but the final battle against him proved challenging.
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Akaza also had one of the series' most tragic backstories, which many anime-only fans may not know about him. Before Muzan even found him, he labeled him a demon solely because he was strong enough to kill hundreds of trained fighters with his bare hands.
2 Doma
Upper Moon 2
Doma was by far the most wicked demon in the twelve Kizuki. As the Upper Rank 2, no strategy was too extreme for him, and he would do anything to win. His jaw was blasted to oblivion by Akaza, and his body fell apart after a heavy dose of Wisteria poison, but nothing fazed him. He seemed to enjoy every moment of his demonic life.
Doma was responsible for the deaths of a few people dear to the Corps, including Kanae Kocho and Inosuke's mother. His death required teamwork and careful planning on the heroes' part, because in ane one-on-one fight, Doma is nigh-unbeatable, even for the Hashira.
1 Kokushibo
Upper Moon 1
Kokushibo was a demon slayer during the Sengoku Era. He became a demon and retained much of his swordsmanship skills. He combined his Breathing Techniques with Blood Demon Art, earning him the Upper Rank 1 position in the twelve Kizuki.
Kokushibo admitted that he became a demon because he wanted to outlive his expected lifespan since he activated his Flame Mark. Surprisingly, Kokushibo is also related to Muichiro, the Mist Hashira. Before he died, he had a child and Muichiro is one of his descendants.
NEXT: 10 Characters Who Deserve Defeat In Demon Slayer