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Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Demon Slayer manga. Demon Slayer is now streaming onCrunchyroll.
InDemon Slayer, the strongest Slayer isn’t Tanjiro or any of the series' current Hashira; it’s a warrior that lived500 years before their time, Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He invented the breathing styles and has mastered them to such a high degree, that no one else has ever even come close.
Yoriichi mainly used the Sun Breathing Style, which is the style from which all other Breathing Styles were derived from. Apart from his breathing style, Yoriichi also had access to almost all the high-level techniques and power-ups a Demon Slayer can get throughout the series.
“The first time I saw him (Yoriichi), he looked very weak. There was no ambition, no willpower, no hatred, and no killing intent. Yet that man would decapitate and slash at me. Moreover, the wounds he gave me have continued to burn my flesh for over hundreds of years, like the sun.” - Muzan Kibutsuji
With these abilities and his inherent talent, Yoriichi almost killed Muzan all by himself inDemon Slayerchapter 187, “Innocent Person”. The only reason Muzan managed to survive was because he scattered himself into thousands of tiny pieces and ran away.
Could Yoriichi Beat the Upper Ranks One at a Time?
He Should with Little Effort
Muzan Kibutsuji himselfdidn’t even stand a chance against Yoriichi, so there’s really no doubt that he could take any of the Upper Ranks if he were to face them one at a time. Yoriichi even got close to killing the Upper Rank 1 demon, but succumbed to old age mid-fight.
The demons who would probably take the longest though, are the previous and newUpper Rank 4 demons, Hantenguand Nakime. It’s not that he’s really at risk of losing to these two, it’s just that they have the potential to last the longest due to the nature of their Blood Demon Arts. With Hantengu, Yoriichi would instantly decapitate him and cause his clones to spawn. Then, he’d have to face the clones that wouldn’t die even when decapitated while the main body ran away. Eventually though, Yoriichi would catch on that he’s not dealing any fatal damage to the clones and use Transparent World to find Hantengu’s main body. From there, it would be all over as soon as Yoriichi reached him.
Nakime, on the other hand, will either fall instantly or last even longer than Hantengu, depending on whether she can use her Blood Demon Art before Yoriichi’s first strike. So really, this battle kind of depends on how you want it to start. If you want the battle to begin with some considerable distance between the two, then Nakime canuse the Infinity Castleand keep Yoriichi away from her. Technically speaking, she can even squeak out a win if she can keep Yoriichi from reaching her until he tires out. However, Yoriichi should be able to constantly track her with his Transparent World and be fast enough to decapitate her long before he tires out. If Yushiro and two Hashiras managed to pin down Nakime, it shouldn’t be too big of an issue for Yoriichi.
Could Yoriichi Beath the Upper Ranks All at Once?
It Could Go Both Ways, but It’s Certainly Possible
This question is way tougher to answer for a number of reasons. It’s hard to predict how well theUpper Ranks' Blood Demon Artswill mesh together since they never really fought as a unit throughout the series. Unlike the Demon Slayers, the Upper Rank demons don’t care much for teamwork, and, if anything, a lot of them straight-up hated each other. But if they did willingly team up against the strongest Demon Slayer in history, their best bet is probably to tire him out. Some of them are slippier and harder to kill than others, like Gyutaro being able to survive headless as long as Daki is safe, Hantengu being able to hide behind his clones, andGyokko being able to teleport. If the Upper Ranks take advantage of these abilities along with Nakime constantly switching their positions, they could theoretically attempt to last long enough until Yoriichi tires.
On the other hand, Yoriichi is simply too fast for any of them to take down immediately. So, if he goes all out from the start with all his abilities, such as Transparent World, Bright Red Nichirin Sword,and Selfless State, hemight be able to identify which demons are the biggest threats and eliminate them right away. You have to remember that Muzan could barely do anything against Yoriichi and immediately had his seven hearts and five brains slashed by him. So who’s to say Yoriichi couldn’t just wipe out the Upper Ranks in the blink of an eye like he did with Muzan? More often than not, Yoriichi Tsugikuni should have the upper hand here.
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.
