Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is perhaps one of the most popular and fan-favorite manga series of all time. It has the highest average sales per volume of 6.52 million, much higher than some of the biggest manga franchises such as Dragon Ball and One Piece.
What makes the anime so popular among fans, apart from its extraordinary animation and fights between demons and superhumans, is the diverse sets of characters and their unique personalities.
Sure, we have many powerful and remarkable male characters in the series, but it’s often that the female characters are the ones to take the spotlight, even though only a few mighty ones exist.
Below, we have compiled a list of the eleven most powerful female characters in the Demon Slayer series. It includes slayers (Hashira), demons, and even members of other species.
If you’re a manga fan, you would probably know that Nezuko and Kanao will be at the top of the list, but who are the other powerful women in Demon Slayer? Let’s find out.
Table of Contents
11. Mukago
Affiliation: Demon
Rank: Lower Rank Four
Mukago was perhaps one of the least powerful members of the Twelve Kizuki, who held the Lower Rank Four position. She is also shown as the most cowardly among them.
Although we haven’t seen her in any major fight due to her rank, it’s safe to say that Mukago was much stronger than any ordinary demon and even the lower-rank Kizuki, including Kamanue and Kyogai.
While not seeing Mukago in a fight against a powerful slayer, possibly a Hashira, is a missed opportunity for us, we can take her status as one of the Twelve Kizuki (albeit Lower Rank) as proof of her toughness. In short, her powers cannot be underestimated.
During the Rehabilitation Training Arc, Muzan became increasingly frustrated with his Lower Rank demons due to their incompetence.
After finding out Kamanue’s thoughts on his expectations of the Lower Rank Kizuki, the Demon King was so enraged that he ruthlessly devoured the lowly Kizuki. Muzan then turned to Mukago and confronted her for being a coward, always wanting to run away from battles with the members of Hashira.
Despite Mukago’s denial and begging, Muzan went on to kill Mukago with his bare hands.
10. Spider Demon (Mother)
Affiliation: Spider Family
Mother Spider Demon was a powerful creature and perhaps the strongest member of the Spider family. Like most demons, she is hostile toward slayers.
Her sadistic nature and hatred towards humans were a result of the punishment she got from Rui and her father for being the weakest in the ‘family’ after turning into a demon.
Despite being branded as ‘weak,’ Mother Spider was a fairly strong demon. She can overpower ordinary slayers with her webs and spider puppets with little effort. Perhaps the greatest testament to her sadistic and cruel nature is that she numerous captured demon slayers and manipulated her threads into killing each other.
In her last moments, after being slashed by Tanjiro, Mother Demon remembers all the abuse and punishment she suffered from her demon family. She also reminisces about her human past.
Powers and Abilities
Mother Spider was a considerable threat to Demon Slayer Corps. With her abilities, she was able to capture and control slayers to use them like puppets.
Mother could command small white spiders to attach her threads or strings to the body of victims. The threads allowed her to control and manipulate those bodies from a distance. In one instance, she even preserved the body of a dead demon and was able to use it as a weapon.
Like other demons, Mother has a strong regeneration power. She quickly healed from the wounds she endured from Rui’s and Father’s abuse.
Furthermore, due to the blood of Muzan that she received from Rui, Mother gained the ability to shapeshift and completely alter her appearance.
9. Susamaru
Affiliation: Demon
Susamaru is a playful and rather immature demon who loves challenging her opponents. She is extremely loyal to Muzan Kibutsuji and always hopes to impress him by killing some of the most powerful demon slayers.
Susamaru’s fanatical devotion towards Muzan led her to be easily manipulated by the latter to falsely believe that she was one of the Twelve Kizuki along with her partner Yahaba.
Until her death at the end of the Asakusa Arc, she was adamant about killing Tanjiro and kidnapping Tamayo for her master.
Susamaru, though not a member of the Twelve Kizuki, was a powerful demon. In the Asakusa Arc, she was able to stand her ground against Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Yushiro when fighting alongside Yahaba. She easily overwhelmed Yushiro and nearly decapitated him twice.
However, she was eventually tricked by Tamayo into saying Muzan’s name out loud and thus activating the Kibutsuji’s curse.
Powers and Abilities
Susamaru, alongside Yahaba, during a fight
Susamaru was a powerful demon with abilities that could match that of a higher-demon demon. Her Blood Demon Art, Hiasobi Temari, allows her to conjure powerful Temari handballs and use them as projectiles against her enemies.
Due to her insane physical strength, Susamaru was able to kick or throw Temari balls at such extreme speeds that they could obliterate her opponent’s body.
The effectiveness and lethality of Susamaru’s Temari handballs are enhanced when used with Yahaba’s Blood Demon Art. With the help of Yahaba’s invisible arrows, Susamaru was able to launch Termari balls at impossible angles.
Like most demons, Susamaru possessed regenerative and shapeshifting (flesh manipulation) abilities. She was able to use her flesh manipulation ability to grow four extra arms during her fight with Nezuko to throw additional Temari handballs simultaneously.
With her fight with Nezuko, Tamayo noted that even a strengthened Nezuko could not defeat the Temari Demon in a one-on-one fight.
8. Nakime
Nakime inside the Infinity Castle with her Biwa
Affiliation: Demon
Rank: Upper Rank Four
Nakime is one of the most powerful and important female characters in the series. She owns and controls the Infinity Castle that serves as a base for Muzan and the Upper Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki.
Nakime is a cold-hearted person with little or no emotion. She also hates to speak unnecessarily; when she does, her responses are always short and straightforward. Unlike many demons, Nakime was extremely loyal to Muzan and followed his orders without any hesitation.
In the Hashira Training Arc, Nakime attained the status of the Upper-Rank Four after the death of Hantengu. As the owner of the Infinity Castle, Nakime was responsible for summoning the Upper Ranks under Muzan’s orders.
Despite being the holder of the fourth highest position in the Twelve Kizuki, Nakime did not possess the fighting abilities of a higher-rank demon. However, she is a really powerful demon due to her rare abilities.
Nakime is also an expert biwa player. It is a traditional Japanese wooden lute. She used to play her biwa in front of an audience when she was human. Her obsession with biwa eventually led her to turn into a demon and directly serve Muzan.
She was the last of the Twelve Kizuki to die at the hands of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Power and Abilities
Like her personality, Nakime has unique abilities and skill sets that make her a very dangerous and powerful demon.
What makes Nakime a truly formidable opponent is her unique Blood Demon Art – a gigantic fortress (Infinity Castle) inside an extra-dimensional space. She can not only manipulate the environment inside the fortress according to her will but also teleport anyone in and out using the biwa.
Nakime uses the fortress as a weapon against her enemies. During the Infinity Castle Arc, when demon slayers arrived at the Ubuyashiki mansion, Nakime managed to teleport Obanai and Mitsuri into her fortress, where she nearly succeeded in defeating the two Hashira.
With her manipulation inside the fortress, Nakime was able to restrict Obanai Iguro and Mitsuri Kanroji. The two highly skilled and powerful Hashira found it difficult even to land a single attack on her.
After obtaining the Upper-Rank Four, Nakime received more blood from Muzan. As a result, she gained a new ability to create several eyeballs, which helped her to spy on others from a distance.
Nakime used this ability to track Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps.
7. Kanae Kocho
Affiliation: Demon Slayer Corps
Occupation: Flower Hashira
Kanae is the older sister of Shinobu Kocho. Like her sister, she was a powerful demon slayer and was able to become one of the nine Hashira.
She died due to the injuries sustained from her fight with the Upper Rank Two Kizuki Doma several years before the current storyline. Most of what we know about Kanae Kocho is from the flashbacks.
Kanae was a kind, easygoing, and friendly woman. She almost always had a gentle smile on her face. Unlike most slayers, she wanted to be able to live peacefully alongside demons despite all the suffering they bought upon humans.
After the Kocho sisters adopted a young Kanao Tsuyuri, her inability to make decisions for herself even frustrated Shinobu, as seen in Kanao’s flashback. It was Kanae who gave the little girl a coin and told her to flip it to make her decisions.
6. Shinobu Kocho
Affiliation: Demon Slayer Corps
Occupation: Insect Hashira
Shinobu Kocho is the younger biological sister of Kanae Kocho. Unlike her sister, Shinobu has a complex personality. While Shinobu is mostly cheerful and friendly, she easily tends to lose her calm. She has also shown a sadistic side of her character.
In the flashbacks of Kanae, Shinobu is shown as a confident and straightforward person. But as time passed, she built a complicated demeanor.
Initially, Shinobu wanted to get along with the demons. However, after her sister’s death, she became crueler and crueler towards them, which can be seen in her attempt to kill Nezuko.
Her hatred towards demons was so intense that she started to be extremely angry almost always. Her anger was even sensed by Tanjiro.
Power and Abilities
As a Hashira, Shinobu Kocho is an insanely skilled demon slayer. Despite lacking the size or swing strength needed to decapitate a demon like most demon slayers, Shinobu depends on her acrobatic moves and superior stabbing strength to overpower opponents.
Instead of directly blocking enemy attacks, Shinobu manages to dodge them with her insane speed, agility, and reflexes. We’re able to see the true extent of her powers during her fight with Doma, one of the most powerful demons in existence.
Shinobu could not only withstand Doma’s fierce attacks but even managed to overpower him on a few occasions, much to Doma’s surprise. Even while severely injured, she could launch fast attacks that Doma was barely able to block.
Shinobu is also an expert in medicine and toxicology, a skill set she developed to compensate for her weak physique and strength. She uses a modified katana that allows her to inject poison swiftly into her opponents.
5. Tamayo
Tamayo cast her blood spell on Susamaru
Affiliation: Demon Slayer Corps
Tamayo is one of the most intelligent characters in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. She is one of the few powerful demons who closely work with the Demon Slayer Corps to fight against Muzan Kibutsuji.
Tamayo was one of the oldest surviving characters in the series, born before the entire Twelve Kizuki organization. She dedicated her life to researching human transformation into demons.
Despite being a demon, Tamayo has a great affection for humans. She made it her mission to help injured and sick humans with her knowledge.
On the hand, Tamayo displays her utmost cruel and vicious personality towards demons, especially Muzan.
Abilities
Despite lacking physical strength and combat ability, her skills in medicine and extensive knowledge of demon physiology make her a formidable opponent.
With her skills, Tamayo was able to turn a dying Yushiro into a demon without Muzan’s blood. She also helped show Shinobu Kocho to infuse potent Wisteria poison within her body without falling sick. The latter used this ability to defeat Doma.
It was Tamayo’s vast knowledge and superior medical skills that helped weaken Muzan’s unmatched physical strength, which eventually led to his death.
Tamayo’s main weapon against her opponents is spell casting, which she performs with the help of her blood. During Nezuko’s fierce fight with Susamaru, Tamayo used her enchanting blood to force the latter to shout Muzan’s name out loud, which eventually led to her death.
4. Kanao Tsuyuri
Affiliation: Demon Slayer Corps
Combat Style: Flower Breathing
Kanao Tsuyuri is another powerful female character in Kimetsu no Yaiba. She is the adoptive sister of Shinobu and Kanae Kocho.
Due to a traumatic childhood, Kanao grew up to be emotionless. She also became unable to make any kind of decision for herself. As a remedy for her situation, the older Kocho sister, Kanae, gave her a coin to flip every time she had to make a decision.
Due to being emotionless and someone without any desire, Kanao performed her duties as a Demon Slayer simply because she was told so. But after seeing what demons did to Kanae Kocho and her loved ones, she developed a feeling of hatred against demons on her own.
Kanao was raised as an heir and a future Hashira by Kanae and Shinobu, who trained her in combat. During their first meeting together, Tanjiro noted that Kanao had a different aura than any other Demon Slayer he had met. She was certainly the closest to a Hashira.
Like the Kocho sisters, Kanao also possesses incredible reflexes, stamina, and speed. With the help of Inosuke Hashibira, Kanao managed to decapitate the Upper Rank Two Doma. Although, he was considerably weakened by Shinobu’s sacrifice.
During the final moments of the Demon Slayers’ fight against Muzan Kibutsuji, Kanao was the only member of the Corps still wielding a sword in defiance of the Demon Lord, showing her grit, endurance, and abilities as a Hashira.
3. Daki
Race: Demon
Affiliation: Twelve Kizuki [Upper-Rank Six]
As one of the Twelve Kizuki, Daki is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful and feared demons in existence. In the past, she has killed and devoured several Hashira. Daki is an important character in the Entertainment District Arc.
Daki is a cruel and sadistic person who enjoys toying with innocent victims before mercilessly killing them. She is also arrogant enough to mock non-Hashira Demon Slayers, including Tanjiro Kamado, saying they’re slow and not worth her time.
When fighting alone, Daki is a fierce opponent for any slayer, but she becomes even more powerful and almost undefeatable when fighting alongside her brother Gyutaro, who is also one of the Twelve Kizuki. The two hold the position of Upper-Rank Six.
As noted by her brother, Daki had an honest and easily influenced personality as a human. It explains why she was easily manipulated by Muzan. He even believed that if Daki had been raised in a good environment and taught basic morals, she would have become a completely different person.
Abilities and Fighting Style
Daki, during her fight with Nezuko
As an upper-rank Kizuki, Daki has a higher concentration of Muzan’s blood in her system, allowing her to boast insane physical strength and speed.
Her attacks get more effective and lethal when combined with the attacks of Gyutaro. Even though Daki and Gyutaro are two different people, their bodies are connected in such a way that they feed off each other.
Due to this connection with Gyutaro, it was impossible to decapitate Daki with Nichirin Swords. She was able to regenerate herself after being decapitated repeatedly during her fight with Tengen Uzui, the former Sound Hashira, Inosuke, and Zenitsu.
Moreover, Daki’s fight with Tengen, Inosuke, and Zenitsu also showcased the formidable power of Daki and her brother, as together, they were able to overwhelm those powerful slayers.
Soon the Demon Slayer Corps realized that the only way to kill Daki was to decapitate her brother Gyutaro first.
Perhaps the most devastating weapon in her arsenal is obi sashes made out of her skin. Obi sash is a type of belt worn with traditional Japanese dresses.
Daki creates these sashes from her back and uses them as sharp whips against her opponents and other objects. She can even slash buildings in half with a single attack.
2. Mitsuri Kanroji
Affiliation: Demon Slayer Corps
Rank: Love Hashira
Mitsuri Kanroji is another powerful female character in the Demon Slayer series. She is an important member of the Demon Slayer Corps and the current Love Hashira.
Unlike many female slayers, Kanroji has a muscular body and boasts immense physical strength and combat ability.
Mitsuri is shown as a kind and very emotional person who also gets easily flustered. She has dedicated herself to the Demon Slayer cause and caring toward humans.
However, Mitsuri decided to join the Demon Slayer Corps not to bring peace or revenge against demons but to find a stronger husband, which was a difficult task given her strength and size.
Abilities and fighting style
It’s believed that Mitsuri was able to complete her Final Selection with just six months of training. Her techniques and overall talent were even praised by the late Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku.
Mitsuri is one of the most, if not the most, skilled swordswoman in Demon Slayer Corps. Her sword fighting technique is considered faster than that of Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira, despite Tengen being the fastest among all the current Hashira.
She uses a thin, flexible Nichirin Sword that works like a whip sword. Mitsuri’s unique style allows her to strike her opponents at insanely fast speeds and accuracy.
The true extent of Mitsuri’s powers was revealed during her battle against Hantengu and later against Nakime, both powerful Upper-Rank Demons.
1. Nezuko Kamado
Race: Demon (later human)
Combat Style: Blood Demon Art
Nezuko Kamado is, without a doubt, the most powerful female character in Demon Slayer. She is also an important and one of the most interesting characters in the series.
Originally a human, Nezuko turned into a demon after her family was attacked and killed by Muzan Kibutsuji and his demons. She and her elder brother, Tanjiro Kamado, are the only surviving members of the Kamado family.
Despite transforming into a demon and without most of her past memories, Nezuko was able to stop herself from killing Tanjiro and even able to resist the desire to consume human blood.
In fact, she became so protective of her brother and her human friends that she even defended them against demons.
Abilities and fighting style
Nezuko has a few unique abilities that set her apart from any other demon. For instance, she doesn’t require human blood to sustain herself. She would rather sleep for a long time to recover her strength.
But what makes Nezuko an insanely powerful demon and a scary opponent is her unmatched growth rate, at which she gains powers and enhances her abilities. This is shown in her battles, where she is initially overpowered by her opponents before defeating them by dramatically improving her physical and regenerative abilities.
After getting her foot blown by Susamaru during the final events of their battle, Nezuko was able to regenerate her leg and increase her powers to a point where she was able to outmatch the Temari Demon in kicking the temari ball.
Nezuko becomes even more powerful to the point of being scary when she enters her full demon form (awakened). In this state, Nezuko’s physical capabilities increase many folds to match that of an Upper-Rank demon. She awakened this form for the first time against her fight with Daki.
When awakened, Nezuko’s insanely powerful regenerative ability and strength even managed to surprise Daki.
Nezuko Vs Mitsuri Kanroji
Given her formal training, physical abilities, and vast combat experience as a Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji could definitely be the most powerful female character in the Demon Slayer.
Nezuko, on the other hand, didn’t receive any form of training, nor has she devoured any humans to gain power like other demons. However, she is a unique demon with abilities on par with Higher Rank Kizuki.
Because of her demonic powers, such as flesh regeneration and Blood Demon Art, Nezuko is almost invisible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the strongest Demon Slayer Characters Ever?
Below, we have compiled a brief list of the strongest characters in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
- Yoriichi Tsugikuni – The strongest demon slayer to have ever existed and the only slayer Muzan ever feared.
- Muzan Kibutsuji – The Demon King, who created all other demons in existence.
- Tanjiro Kamado, and
- Gyomei Himejima – Gyomei is the strongest Hashira in the current era.
Who are the Nine Hashira?
The Hashira is a small group of the highest and most powerful Demon Slayer Corps warriors. Think of them as the pillars of the Demon Slayer organization.
There are a total of nine Hashira. Each Hashira plays an important role in the war against demons. They are tasked with critical missions that cannot be handled by ordinary demon slayers. The nine Hashira are;
- Gyomei Himejima – The Stone Hashira.
- Kyojuro Rengoku – The Flame Hashira.
- Giyū Tomioka – The Water Hashira.
- Shinobu Kocho – The Insect Hashira.
- Tengen Uzui – The Sound Hashira.
- Mitsuri Kanroji – The Love Hashira.
- Muichiro Tokito – The Mist Hashira.
- Obanai Iguro – The Serpent Hashira.
- Sanemi Shinazugawa – The Wind Hashira.
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