Summary
Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Demon Slayer manga. Demon Slayer is now streaming onCrunchyroll.
InDemon Slayer, who would win between the Hashira, the best the Corps has to offer, versus the six Upper Rank Demons, who stand at the top of the demon pecking order,second only to Muzan himself? Although demons are generally stronger than humans, the Hashira have honed their skills through years of training to match the superhuman strength and speed demons have, but is it enough to match the demons' own strongest?
To give the Hashira the best possible chance, this article will be considering them at their strongest point, meaning the Hashira that have gained additional power-ups throughout theDemon Slayermanga and anime will have access to them in these theoretical match-ups. Despite all their training, Demon Slayers are still humans, meaning all it takes is for a Demon to get one lucky hit, and it’s over no matter how skilled a Slayer is. So, if you replay these battles a hundred times, the outcome won’t always be the same, but these are the Hashira that at least have a chance at winning. Also, only the Hashira in place for most of the series will be covered here, so Tanjiro and his friends who have reached the skills to become Hashira themselves don’t count.
Upper Rank 6: Gyutaro and Daki & Upper Rank 5: Gyokko
Can Be Beaten by Any of the Hashira That Have Manifested the Demon Slayer Mark
The Upper Rank 6 against a marked Hashira is going to be largely one-sided as Daki wasn’t even a threat to Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira. He needed help forthe fight with Gyutaro, but it’s not like he was outclassed bythatmuch. So, any of the Hashira who have been boosted by the Demon Slayer Mark would have no problem dealing with Gyutaro and Daki simultaneously. You could even argue that someone like Gyomei might not even need a mark to defeat them. Sure, the other Hashira wouldn’t have the same immunity to poison that Tengen has from his shinobi training, but, it’s unlikely that the Upper Rank 6 demons can land a hit on a marked Hashira before they get decapitated.
Despite his unimpressive appearance,Gyokko is still a force to be reckonedwith. That being said, the Hashira that have awakened their marks should be able to put him down. Muichiro may have struggled with Gyokko and even required help from some of the swordsmiths, but that was him with a borrowed sword and still new to the concept of Demon Slayer Marks. Muichiro during the Infinity Castle Arc would have been capable enough to dispose of Gyokko without any outside help, and the same goes for all the Hashira who got their marks in the final arc.
Upper Rank 4: Hantengu & Upper Rank 3: Akaza
Can Arguably Be Beaten by Marked Gyomei with Transparent World, but It’s Starting to Get Iffy
The problem with Hantenguis that a Slayer would not only need to keep up with his four emotional clones and eventually, Zohakuten but they’d also need to be able to track and hunt the main body as he scurries around in the dark. Doing either task should be achievable for any Hashira, as Kanroji has shown that she can fend off Zohakuten relatively easily. It’s doing both at once that makes this fight extremely difficult as it’s an almost impossible task for a single person.
The only reason Gyomei even has a chance is that he can access the See-Through World, alsoknown as the Transparent World, which could allow him to detect Hantengu. Gyomei should also have more than enough speed and stamina to keep the clones at bay while he pursues the main body. Muichiro and Obanai have also managed to achieve Transparent World, but it is highly unlikely that they’ll be able to decapitate Hantengu while the other clones are constantly pressuring them. Also, Obanai only managed to use Transparent World for a split second, which wouldn’t be enough to find and decapitate Hantengu. There might bean argument to be made with Muichirobecause he can trigger the Bright Red Nichirin effect through pressure, and delaying the clones' healing while searching for the main body might work. But the other clones might be enough to buy time for an injured clone to recover.
“What on Earth is this!? I can perceive his pulse. I actually have a clear image… could this be?” - Gyomei upon first discovering the Transparent World.
With Akaza, things get even more dicey.His Compass Needle techniquebecomes more effective in response to stronger foes. The only way to reliably get past it is to eliminate your battle presence the way Tanjiro does by achieving what is known as the Selfless State. Gyomei doesn’t have access to the Selfless State, but he has shown the ability to at least briefly match the Upper Rank 1’s speed and power, so he should have a chance, but again, this match could really go either way.
As for the Upper Ranks 2 and 1, they arecomfortably above any single Hashira, even among those that are marked, have access to Bright Red Nichirin weapons, and can use Transparent World. Bodth Doma and Kokushibo have fought multiple Hashira-level Slayers off at once, so not even Gyomei at his strongest would stand a chance.
Demon Slayer is now available to stream onCrunchyrollandNetflix. The release date for the next season of Demon Slayer, the Infinity Castle Arc has not been announced yet.
