Summary
Demon Slayeris one of the most popular modern shonen anime of all time. The first season was a piece of art orchestrated by Ufotable, following which theMugen Trainmovie ended up being such a massive success that it became the highest-grossing Japanese movie of all time. It’s clear for everyone to see that the hype train ofDemon Slayeris not going anywhere. People need only see the reception to both the Entertainment District and Swordsmith Village arcs to see that this show wasn’t going away anytime soon.
The Hashira might be excellent heroes, but the power of the Upper Ranked demons is in a class of their own. In fact, each andevery member of the Twelve Kizukiis notable in their own right… even though some of them didn’t even manage to show their Blood Demon Arts. The ones who have been ranked in this list based on how powerful and effective their Blood Demon Arts are. Beware anime fans — spoilers for the manga run rampant post this point.
Updated on August 03, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra:Demon Slayer is one of the most popular anime series out right now, with Ufotable’s quality animation elevating the popularity of this show to new heights.With the Hashira Training arc coming out sooner rather than later, it’s easy to see why most people are more than elated to see Demon Slayer invade the mainstream once again. Watching the Upper Rank Demon Moons again will be a treat to witness, even if they won’t play a major role in any fight. Still, the Hashira themselves will whip out some amazing tricks during this arc, and fans can’t wait to see the ones who haven’t enjoyed enough screen time yet finally get some time to shine. Some members of the Twelve Kizuki have yet to reveal their Demon Arts, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a spot on this list, and the article has been updated to reflect that.
Kyogai
Former Lower Rank 6
Drumming:Changes the rooms of his mansion and doubles as a way to attack as well
Rui
Former Lower Rank 5
Thread Manipulation:Creates thin strings from his own flesh to slice and dice through opponents
Illusion Manifestation:Can cast powerful and believable illusions
Enmu
Former Lower Rank 1
Sleep Inducement & Dream Manipulation:Forces people into a deep sleep and manipulates their dreams to make them witness a perfect world
Umbrakinesis:Can create and manipulate shadows to do his bidding
Daki
Former Upper Rank 6
Obi Sash Manipulation:Can create sharp and dangerous obi sashes using her flesh
Gyutaro
Blood Manipulation:Can manipulate his own blood to perform a myriad of functions
Kaigaku
Upper Rank 6
Electrokinesis:Uses actual electricity to improve the effectiveness of his Thunder Breathing style
Gyokko
Upper Rank 5
Porcelain Vases:Summons pots to accomplish numerous acts, such as compressing humans and creating aquatic monsters
Hantengu
Former Upper Rank 4
Emotion Manifestation:Uses his own emotions to create younger powerful clones of himself with separate core emotions
Nakime
Upper Rank 4
Infinity Castle:Creates a massive space in the form of a castle where she can manipulate spaces at will
Akaza
Upper Rank 3
Destructive Death:Combines martial arts with his demon powers to create shockwaves with his attacks
Cryokinesis:Manipulates the element of ice to attack his opponents
Kokushibo
Upper Rank 1
Crescent Moon Blades:Generates sharp moon-shaped blades that bolster the strength of his Moon Breathing style
15Special Mentions: All The Demon Moons Whose Blood Demon Arts Were Never Shown
After Rui’s humiliating defeat at the hands of the Hashira, Muzan made his position clear — any demon who couldn’t help him was a liability who didn’t deserve to live. He made this infinitely clear by killing all but one of the Lower Moons, reading their minds to figure out how loyal they were. Aside from Enmu, everyone failed the test, and these demons were disposed of before their powers could even be revealed.
Kamanue (Lower Rank 6)
Kamanuewas a demon who didn’t know that Muzan had the ability to read the minds of his demons. As a result, he scoffed at Muzan’s declaration that the Upper Ranks had remained in their place for the longest time while the Lower Ranks shifted around often. This doomed the demon, who was the first Lower Rank to die at the hands of Muzan during this nerve-wracking scene.
Mukago (Lower Rank 4)
After Kamanue’s death, Muzan asked his demons if they were scared of the Hashira.Mukagowas the first person to say that she wasn’t, only for Muzan to counter and reveal that he’d read her mind whenever she encountered a Hashira. All she thought about was running away to save her own skin. As a last-ditch effort to save her life, Mukago begged and cried to be spared, but this pathetic display didn’t amuse Muzan in the slightest, who killed her in no time.
Wakuraba (Lower Rank 3)
After seeing his fellow Lower Rank brothers being devoured by Muzan, fear grippedWakuraba. He knew that there was no hope for him to survive, so he did what he thought was best and ran. Unfortunately, this was a poor choice, and Muzan wasted no time in showing that his fate had been sealed from the moment he’d been invited into the castle. In a flash, he beheaded and killed the Lower Rank 3 demon.
Rokuro (Lower Rank 2)
After seeing his brothers devoured,Rokurotried to make a deal to spare his life. He asked Muzan to give him some of the Demon King’s blood so that he could enhance his power. Unfortunately, this statement sounded like a demand to Muzan’s ears, who expressed his disgust at Rokuro’s audacity to tell his master to give him something without thinking first. Before Rokuro could clear the misunderstanding, he too was done away with unceremoniously.
14Kyogai
The Former Lower Rank 6Kyogaiwas a tough demon that stood in the way of Tanjiro and his friends when they unwittingly entered his domicile. The fact that beating the drums on his body caused his entire mansion to rotate while also dealing damage made for a tricky opponent. Unfortunately, his Blood Demon Art was only limited to the confines of his own place, which is a massive weakness. It’s also one of the major reasons why Muzan stripped him of his rank.
Ultimately, it was this weakness that Tanjiro managed to exploit to end this demon’s life once and for all. This was a true test for the protagonist, who managed to evolve as a swordsman during this battle as Ufotable made the fight look more awe-inspiring than ever before. This battle, among many others, is a huge reason why Demon Slayer attained so much fame during the first season, with the animation being truly off the charts in every way.
13Nakime
Given how situationalNakime’sBlood Demon Art is, it’s easy to see whyshe has the weakest Blood Demon Art out of all known Twelve Kizuki. In fact, she wasn’t even a member of the group and was just handed the title after the death of its former holder. While her ability to control the Castle that Muzan and his subordinates reside in is quite impressive, it doesn’t have any use otherwise.
She might be a threat in her own way, but there’s only one place where her Blood Demon Art works, making it incredibly unimpressive after a point. Of course, this doesn’t mean that fans don’t want to see Nakime in action, and it’s clear that the Infinity Castle arc is going to be one of the most epic moments in the series as the Demon Slayers assault the premises and take out the strongest demons in the series one-by-one.
12Hairo
Former Lower Rank 2
Kyojuro Rengoku wasan admirable Hashira who died a hero’s deathwhen he sacrificed his own life to prevent Muzan from killing the three aspiring Demon Slayers who were traveling with him. He received a two-part short story that elaborated upon a rather interesting encounter during his time as the Flame Hashira.
He fought the former Upper Rank 2 Kizuki,Hairo. This powerful foe had a Blood Demon Art called Umbrakinesis, which allowed him to create unique and dangerous shadows using his life force. It was a pretty unique Blood Demon Art that allowed for both offense and defense, yet wasn’t enough to take Rengoku out for the count.
11Ubume
Former Upper Rank 1
Demon Slayerhas received several light novels that have featured various antagonists as well. The third light novel, Signs from the Wind, featured the Former Lower Rank 1,Ubume.
She was a powerful demon who could hold her own against two Demon Slayers, one of whom — Sanemi Shinazugawa —became the Wind Hashira. This was mainly due to her Blood Demon Art, which allowed her to craft powerful illusions that could fool both of the Demon Slayers and led to the death of Sanemi’s close friend as well.
10Rui
The Lower Rank 5 DemonRuiwasa huge pain for Tanjiro to fight against. This demon’s threads were extremely powerful and had all but killed both Tanjiro and Nezuko in battle. However, Rui was no match for the might of a real Hashira. His Blood Demon Art was nothing more than a minor inconvenience for Giyu, who ended up using a single move to decapitate this demon for good.
He was a great demon to display the sheer gulf in terms of power between the Lower Rank and Upper Rank demons, with Muzan killing off the rest of the Lower Rank demons in a moment of frustration barring one. Of course, the battle between him and Tanjiro makes for one of the greatest moments in the series, with Tanjiro unleashing a wave of Sun Breathing when the situation was dire while Nezuko awakened her Blood Demon Art to save her brother in the nick of time.
9Enmu
After all the Lower Rank demons were decimated in front of his eyes,Enmurealized that he only had one chance of proving his worth. He tried to accomplish this by fusing his body into a train and trying to end the lives of the Demon Slayers in it. His plan was pretty devious, and even the reputed Hashira was stuck in his dreams at one point and about to become fodder for this demon.
However, his dream manipulation ultimately ended up being unsuccessful,with Tanjiro’s mental fortitude being more powerful than his Blood Demon Art. It showed why Enmu had no place amongst Muzan, with the demon lamenting his uselessness before fading away. That being said, he was close to winning multiple times and could’ve certainly earned a W if the odds weren’t so hopelessly stacked against him.
8Gyokko
Gyokkois easily one of the most heinous and disturbing demons in the series. His penchant for making art out of human bodies was truly nightmarish and showed just how monstrous he was, treating killing like a sport and terrorizing humans for his benefit. His fight against Muichiro was a treat to witness, with the Mist Hashira showing why he deserves this hefty title despite being pretty young himself.
Despite being the Upper Rank 5, the fact that Gyokko didn’t manage to hold his own against a single Hashira showed how weak he was. The demon put up a good fight and used his Blood Demon Art to great effect, almost taking out Muichiro at one point. However, he underestimated the Hashira… and that proved to be a fatal mistake as he was eventually felled by the swordsman, who’d awakened his demon slayer mark in the fight.
7Daki
Duringthe Entertainment District arc, the Sound Hashira along with Tanjiro and his friends had to deal with the dual threat of Gyutaro andDaki. Both demons had equally powerful Blood Demon Arts, with their positioning in the list being interchangeable.
Daki could manipulate her sash around using her blood. It doesn’t sound all that powerful, but it’s the surprising sharpness of her Obi sash that made her such a major threat in battle.
6Gyutaro
Along with Daki,Gyutaro also held the title of Upper Rank 6 within the Twelve Kizuki.His Blood Demon Art might seem simple, but it’s pretty effective when used properly — something that Gyotaro showcases during his fight with the Sound Hashira and Tanjiro.
However, given that he and Daki held the position of the lowest Upper-Rank demon, there was always a fighting chance against these foes. A combination of Tanjiro’s developing aptitude with the Hinokami Kagura and Tengen’s experience as a Hashira ultimately spelled his demise.
