Demon Slayerisone of the most popular and beloved modern shonen animeof all time. The series is full to the brim with amazing visuals, great characters, and combat sequences that are absolutely breathtaking to behold. Ufotable has clearly thrown everything but the kitchen sink into ensuring thatDemon Slayerbecomes one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring shows around.
The brilliance ofDemon Slayeris further augmented by its wide cast of amazing villains that never fail to strike fear inthe hearts of Tanjiro and his friends. Some of these villains managed to become incredibly powerful and intimidating from the get-go, leading to most viewers actively wishing for their demise while simultaneously praying for the safety of their favorite characters. Keeping this in mind, here are some of the bestvillains inDemon Slayer,based on how impactful their introduction was.
Updated June 06, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra:Demon Slayeris a unique show that features incredible animation, awe-inspiring battles, and great characters with memorable designs. The series focuses on a world ravaged by demons. Protagonist Tanjiro loses his entire family to the heartless assault of Muzan. This prompts him to learn how to wield a sword, mastering the Water Breathing style and taking on a host of powerful demons before uncovering the true source of his strength with Sun Breathing.
Tanjiro will need these moves to tackle the demons, who will waste no time in hunting him down and tearing him apart if he can’t deal with their relentless assault. There are many powerful antagonists introduced over the course of the show, and their introductions have made it clear that the heroes of the show need to bring everything they have to the table if they wish to take them out.
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11Enmu
The Lower Rank 1 Demon Enmu made a rather pathetic first impression when he was first introduced inDemon Slayer. After seeing the rest of the Lower Rank demons being slaughtered at Muzan’s hands, this lone survivor jumped at the opportunity to prove his worth by killing the Demon Slayers on his own.
Unfortunately, this task happened to be too much for him and he ended up losing at the hands ofKyojuro, Tanjiro, and the rest of the group. It was a sad demise for a demon that tried to do everything in his power to secure his survival, but ultimately failed in reaching his end goal.
10Hand Demon
The Hand Demon is the heinous creature who killed many people during the Final Selection, which determines whether a person qualifies to be a demon slayer. Before he could even attempt such a dangerous trial, Tanjiro had to learn the basics of swordsmanship. He was given the seemingly impossible task of cleaving a boulder in half. He struggled until the duo of Sabito and Makomo appeared out of nowhere to aid him in his quest to master Total Concentration Breathing.
Afterwards, it was revealed that both Sabito and Makomo weren’t present in the flesh. They were actuallyspirits who had been devoured by the heinous Hand Demon, who had eaten many students during the Final Selection. His visage is truly nightmarish, and he serves as one of the first demons that Tanjiro takes out using his newly-acquired Water Breathing skills.
9Kyogai
The former Lower Rank Six of the Twelve Kizuki was a compelling demon who wasted no time in making his presence known whena bunch of fledgling Demon Slayersentered his premises. Kyogai’s power allowed him to control his house as he saw fit, and gave him a great advantage in a fight against any Demon Slayer.
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However, he failed to realize that Tanjiro would never stay down, no matter what. The protagonist managed to use his brain and developed a great counter-strategy to Kyogai’s powers, allowing him to gain the upper hand in this disadvantaged battle. He eventually landed a final blow that would end the demon’s rampage for good.
8Gyokko
The duo of Gyokko and Hantengu serve as antagonists iduring the Swordsmith Village arc. These Upper Rank demons look absolutely heinous and feature nightmarish powers that serve as a thorn in the side of the Hashira.
That being said, the introduction of the duo isn’t all that spectacular…not that it needs to be. Introducing them during a meeting with Muzan makes sense, since the viewer already knows just how strong the Upper Rank Demon Moons are. While a cooler introduction could have been fun, this simple introduction gets the job done and wastes no time in communicating to the viewer that something serious is about to go down.
7Hantengu
Most people who look at Hantengu for the first time will wonderwhy this Upper Rank Demon Moon is ranked higher than Gyokko, a foe who looks way more powerful. For a demon, Hantengu looks pathetic and doesn’t seem powerful in the slightest. But that’s precisely what he wants his opponents to think.
The truth is that Hantengu is actually a devious foe who can make clones of himself with wildly different personalities. All these clones have unique powers that can make them tricky to fight, forcing even the toughest demon slayer around to stay on their toes and alter their strategies based on the abilities of the clone they’re fighting.
6Rui
Tanjiro’s biggest test came in the form of Rui, a demon with a torrid childhood who wasted no time in imposing his will on the other members of his “family” in a bid to make up for the time he had lost with his original one. His backstory might be incredibly compelling, but it was his first impression and the reveal of his status as the Lower Rank Four that made him such an imposing villain from the get-go.
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He was easily Tanjiro’s toughest adversary in the first season ofDemon Slayer, pushing him to the very brink and forcing him to whip out the Hinokami Kagura technique that had remained dormant in him. Rui was forced into a corner by Tanjiro and —with an assist from Nezuko— was finally pushed back to the point where he had to behead himself in a bid to remain alive.
5Daki
The Entertainment District arc featured the appearance of two of the show’s most sinister villains. The Upper Rank Kizuki are easily the most powerful demons around, and Daki showed just why they had such a fearsome reputation. She might seem like a harmless courtesan at first glance, but Daki’s cruel and aggressive attitude doesn’t take too long to come into the picture.
She is downright sadistic and wastes no time in letting the demon slayers know that she’s not someone to be taken lightly. Even when the swordsmen feel like they’ve finally cornered her and are about to chop her head off, she reveals another ace up her sleeve — namely, her brother who emerges from her body!
4Gyutaro
Viewers were in for a shock when they realized that Daki and Gyutaro essentially shared a single body. Gyutaro himself has a distinct look that is hard to forget, which is what apparently got him into a lot of unwanted situations as a kid since people considered him to be quite ugly.
He’s fiercely protective of his sister and will destroy heaven and hell to ensure that she has a great life. In fact, it was because of her sister almost losing her life thathe accepted the fate to become a demon, just so that Daki could live once again… regardless of how twisted their existence might’ve been.
3Doma
The Entertainment District arc ended on a foreboding note with the reveal of Doma, the highest-ranking member of the Upper Rank Kizuki. Little is known about this powerful demon, but the brief scene showing this character was enough to send chills down the spine of any Demon Slayer fan. Watching him snack on a human in such an intimidating manner is easily one of the best introductions to any foe in the series.
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Only time will tell just how massive a role Doma will play in the story. Sincehe was the person who killed Shinobu’s sister, it’s a given that his powers are on a whole new level and unlike anything seen yet in Demon Slayer… barring one particular entity who is somehow ranked lower than him.
2Akaza
After Enmu’s death, most people assumed thatDemon Slayer: Mugen Trainwould reach an end. After all, the major threat in this arc was annihilated and it seemed that the heroes would get past unscathed — that is,until Akaza came into the picture. The demon had been hyped up by Enmu right before his death, and watching this figure come out of nowhere to throw a wrench in the heroes' celebrations was absolutely shocking.
Akaza wasted no time in letting the heroes know that he was there for their heads. However, Kyojuro wasn’t about to let that happen, promoting both warriors to duke it out in one of the best battles in the entire series to date. It’s a shame that Kyojuro met his end at the end of this battle, but his powers were still awe-inspiring to witness.
