18 Best Demon Slayer Girls (& Why Fans Love Them)

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Anime expert Richard Moore shares the most famous female characters in Demon Slayer

Co-authored by Richard Moore and Glenn Carreau

Last Updated: August 25, 2026 Fact Checked

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Best Female Characters in ''Demon Slayer''

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Fan Perspective

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Most-Loved Female Character

Need a refresher—or an introduction—to Demon Slayer’s most memorable female characters? We’ve got you covered. Despite being a shonen series, Demon Slayer definitely has its notable fan-favorite female characters. From the lovable demon, Nezuko, to the two female Hashira, Shinobu and Mitsuri, we partnered with an anime expert to take a closer look at all of the best female characters in Demon Slayer and how fans have responded to them. Keep reading to learn more!

Demon Slayer’s Most Popular Female Characters

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An illustration of the most popular female characters in Demon Slayer, including Nezuko, Shinobu, and Mitsuri.

Anime expert Richard Moore says Shinobu Kocho is the most popular female character in Demon Slayer. Other popular female characters include Nezuko Kamado, Mitsuri Kanroji, Kanao Tsuyuri, and Lady Tamayo.

Section 1 of 3:

The Best Female Characters in Demon Slayer

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Shinobu Kocho At first glance, Shinobu Kocho seems like a very calm, sweet-natured person. Underneath the mask she wears, however, she’s filled with an unquenchable rage directed squarely at demonkind—particularly Doma, who killed Shinobu’s elder sister, Kanae. Since then, she’s devoted herself to slaying demons and exacting vengeance. She also mentors her adopted younger sister, Kanao, teaching her the art of Flower Breathing.^{[1]
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Research source} According to Moore, she’s the most popular female character and the overall fan favorite!^{[2]
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Richard Moore
Anime Expert

Expert Interview}
- Age: 18
- Personality: Gentle, playful, and vengeful
- Debut episode: Episode 15 (“Mount Natagumo”)
- Claim to fame: Shinobu is the Insect Hashira, practitioner of a Breathing Style that mimics an insect’s quick, precise movements. Despite lacking physical strength, Shinobu is a clever fighter who poisons demons with wisteria.
Meet the wikiHow Expert

Richard Moore is an anime expert based in Dayton, Ohio. He has been watching anime for nearly his entire life and has over 6 years of experience creating anime content on social media (@ohayokage).
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Nezuko Kamado Nezuko Kamado is one of Demon Slayer’s strongest and most lovable characters. She’s Tanjiro Kamado’s sister; together, they’re the only survivors of an attack in which Muzan killed their family, although Nezuko was transformed into a demon. But that’s not all: she’s in control of herself and doesn’t hurt humans, using her demonic strength to protect humanity (especially her big brother).^{[3]
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Research source} Moore ranks her as the second most popular female character in the series.^{[4]
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Richard Moore
Anime Expert

Expert Interview}
- Age: 14 (though she physically remains age 12 as a demon)
- Personality: Innocent, protective, and fierce
- Debut episode: Episode 1 (“Cruelty”)
- Claim to fame: Nezuko is the only demon with immunity to the sun! She has a powerful Blood Demon Art that can burn other demons (or heal humans), and can regenerate fast despite never having tasted human blood.
- When she’s not in battle, Nezuko can shrink herself to fit in a custom-made box carried by Tanjiro. She’s very sweet and friendly—but quickly becomes savage when humans are threatened.
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Mitsuri Kanroji Mitsuri Kanroji is Demon Slayer’s dazzling Love Hashira, the only practitioner of Love Breathing. Born supernaturally strong and with a huge appetite (due to her enhanced muscle composition), Mitsuri can eat more than three sumo wrestlers combined! But her raw strength wasn’t always a source of pride; that, combined with her colorful hair, drove away potential suitors. Eventually, Mitsuri learns to accept herself despite her past heartbreak.^{[5]
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Research source} She’s also the third most popular female character in the series, according to Moore.^{[6]
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Richard Moore
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Expert Interview}
- Age: 19
- Personality: Emotional, cheerful, and passionate
- Debut episode: Episode 21 (“Against Corps Rules”)
- Claim to fame: Mitsuri is one of the first Hashira to manifest a Demon Slayer Mark, which happens during her battle against Hantengu. Her Nichirin sword is also unique, designed to be flexible like a whip!
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Kanao Tsuyuri Kanao Tsuyuri was adopted into the Kocho sisters’ family—but before that, she had an awful childhood marred by abuse and poverty. Kanae and Shinobu Kocho rescued her, bringing her to their home and slowly coaxing her out of her shell; at the time, Kanao didn’t speak or even really emote. Eventually, she mastered Flower Breathing and entered the Final Selection, becoming a Demon Slayer in her own right. Oh, and she’s the fourth most popular female character in the series, adds Moore!^{[7]
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Richard Moore
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Expert Interview}
- Age: 16
- Personality: Independent, loyal, and determined
- Debut episode: Episode 4 (“Final Selection”)
- Claim to fame: Kanao is Shinobu’s tsuguko (basically, her apprentice and eventual successor). In the manga’s epilogue, it’s also revealed that Kanao married Tanjiro Kamado, and the two started a family.
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Lady TamayoLike Nezuko, Lady Tamayo is a demon who refuses to hurt humans, but that wasn’t always the case. After Muzan transformed her into a demon, Tamayo killed her own husband and children (having lost control of herself). Tamayo’s subsequent hatred for Muzan drove her to study a means of defeating him and reversing demonic transformation; she’s also a skilled doctor who uses harmless blood donations to feed herself. Plus, the fifth most popular female character in Demon Slayer, notes Moore.^{[8]
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Richard Moore
Anime Expert

Expert Interview}
- Age: Up to 500 (physically, age 19)
- Personality: Wise, intelligent, and considerate
- Debut episode: Episode 8 (“The Smell of Enchanting Blood”)
- Claim to fame: Spoiler alert! By the end of the series, Lady Tamayo successfully develops a cure to restore a demon’s humanity. Not only that, but she sacrifices herself to weaken Muzan, contributing to his downfall.
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Aoi Kanzaki Aoi Kanzaki is a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, but she decided against being a front-line fighter; rather, she works at the Butterfly Mansion under Shinobu Kocho as a healer and helper. Thanks to Aoi, Demon Slayers injured in the line of duty are healed and put through recovery training before returning to the field. She’s known as a strict but caring presence at the mansion, keeping everything running while tending the wounded.
- Age: Unknown (16 or under)
- Personality: Practical, outspoken, and compassionate
- Debut episode: Episode 23 (“Hashira Meeting”)
- Claim to fame: Aoi was trained in Water Breathing herself! However, she prefers to provide the Corps with a less flashy—but just as crucial—type of support as a healer.
- Additionally, it’s revealed that Aoi and Inosuke Hashibira eventually end up together and start a family.
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Daki Daki makes up half of Upper Rank Six, sharing the position with her older brother, Gyutaro. As a human, Daki was a courtesan, but she was burned alive after attacking a customer who insulted her brother. Gyutaro found her and let Doma (Upper Rank Two) turn both of them into demons. Being part of Muzan’s Upper Ranks makes Daki and her brother very powerful; it’s revealed that Daki has personally murdered seven Hashira over the years.
- Age: 126+ years old (13 when transformed into a demon)
- Personality: Sadistic, volatile, and bratty
- Debut episode: Episode 36 (“What Are You?”)
- Claim to fame: Daki is an especially cruel demon preying on the courtesans of the Entertainment District. Her Blood Demon Art involves flesh manipulation, manifesting obi sashes from her flesh and using them to attack and devour her foes.
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Nakime Nakime is a formidable demon who becomes the new Upper Rank Four within the Twelve Kizuki after Hantengu’s death—and, more importantly, she’s the demon in control of Muzan’s Infinity Castle. As a human, Nakime was a biwa musician who murdered her husband before a performance. Believing the blood on her fingers made her a better player, Nakime started murdering humans before every performance…and eventually encountered Muzan.
- Age: Up to 113
- Personality: Aloof, loyal, and ruthless
- Debut episode: Episode 26 (“New Mission”)
- Claim to fame: Also known as the “biwa demon,” Nakime can manipulate the Infinity Castle’s layout by plucking her biwa’s strings, making her invaluable to Muzan.
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Kanae Kocho Kanae Kocho is long dead by the time Demon Slayer’s story begins, but her presence is still felt—particularly through her sisters, Shinobu and Kanao. Kanae was the former Flower Hashira, a talented swordswoman who nonetheless believed in the possibility of peace between humans and demons. Even as she was murdered by Doma, the Upper Rank Two demon, Kanae was able to pity him for his lack of emotions.
- Age: 17 (at the time of her death)
- Personality: Gentle, whimsical, and selfless
- Debut episode: Episode 24 (“Rehabilitation Training”)
- Claim to fame: As the Flower Hashira, Kanae not only practiced Flower Breathing but taught it to her younger sister, Shinobu (who then developed Insect Breathing). She also rescued Kanao from slavery, adopting her with Shinobu.
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Kie Kamado Kie Kamado is Tanjiro and Nezuko’s mother. Although she’s killed by Muzan in the series’ very first episode, Kie sometimes appears to Tanjiro and Nezuko in memories or visions, encouraging them to continue their path and protect one another. For instance, she appears to Nezuko in the Mount Natagumo arc, urging her to save Tanjiro; later, Tanjiro remembers a song she used to sing and uses it to calm a raging Nezuko.
- Age: Unknown
- Personality: Loving, affectionate, and protective
- Debut episode: Episode 1 (“Cruelty”)
- Claim to fame: Aside from being the mother of the series’ protagonist, Kie is also responsible for his hard skull! Tanjiro’s head is notoriously tough, which is apparently an inherited trait from Kie.
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Hinatsuru, Suma, and Makio Hinatsuru, Suma, and Makio each married Tengen Uzui (the Sound Hashira). They’re trained shinobi warriors in their own right, and sometimes help Tengen in the field—as seen during the Entertainment District arc, when they went undercover to root out a demon. They have vastly different personalities; Hinatsuru is calm and mature, Suma is dramatic and fearful, and Makio is brash and confident.^{[9]
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- Age: 21 (Hinatsuru), 20 (Makio), and 19 (Suma)
- Debut episode: Episode 38 (“Things Are Gonna Get Real Flashy!!”)
- Claim to fame: The three women are often seen as reflections of Demon Slayer’s core trio. Hinatsuru is the group’s pillar, much like Tanjiro; Suma is overdramatic like Zenitsu, and Makio has Inosuke’s bold impatience.
- Bonus fun fact: Suma is the only confirmed LGBTQ+ character in Demon Slayer. She’s canonically bisexual, according to the second Demon Slayer Databook.
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Amane Ubuyashiki Lady Amane is the Ubuyashiki family’s matriarch, the wife of Kagaya and mother of their quintuplets. And while Amane doesn’t have a huge role in the story, it’s clear she’s just as dedicated to eradicating the demonic threat as her husband. She’s often seen helping Kagaya, acting on his behalf, and even willingly participating in his plan to ambush Muzan in an explosion that killed her, her husband, and two of their daughters.
- Age: 27
- Personality: Calm, serious, and nurturing
- Debut episode: Episode 33 (“Set Your Heart Ablaze”)
- Claim to fame: Amane fills in for Kagaya after his strength begins to fail, making plans with the Hashira and figuring out how best to defeat Muzan.
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Sumi, Naho, and Kiyo Sumi, Naho, and Kiyo are all young servants at the Butterfly Mansion, working under Aoi Kanzaki. They’re young, but that doesn’t stop them from being super helpful; they assist in healing and rehabilitation training for injured Demon Slayers, becoming particularly close to Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu during their multiple stays at the mansion after being wounded in battle.^{[10]
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- Age: Unknown
- Debut episode: Episode 24 (“Rehabilitation Training”)
- Claim to fame: All three girls were taken in after demons killed their families. Despite their tragic pasts, the girls are bright-eyed and cheerful—and they even helped Tanjiro master Total Concentration Breathing!
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The Ubuyashiki daughters The Ubuyashiki family has a set of quintuplets, with four of them being daughters: Nichika, Hinaki, Kanata, and Kuina. The two eldest, Nichika and Hinaki, died in an explosion planned by their father, Kagaya, to ambush Muzan. Muzan traveled to the family’s home, intending to kill Kagaya, only for Kagaya to trigger the massive explosion. The girls, who had been calmly playing during the exchange, were killed—a fate they may have known about beforehand.
- Age: 8
- Debut episode: Episode 15 (“Mount Natagumo”)
- Claim to fame: Kanata and Kuina survive the explosion alongside their brother, Kiriya.
- The three of them immediately begin coordinating the Corps’ movements in the Infinity Castle and create a layout of the dizzying structure, despite having lost their parents and siblings.
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Makomo Makomo is another example of a character who is dead by the time Demon Slayer begins, yet her spirit lingers alongside that of Sabito. The pair of them introduce themselves to Tanjiro (without revealing their true nature) and help to train him for the Final Selection. Without Makomo and Sabito’s guidance, Tanjiro might not have developed the skills needed to succeed as a Demon Slayer.^{[11]
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- Age: Unknown
- Personality: Kind, patient, and understanding
- Debut episode: Episode 3 (“Sabito and Makomo”)
- Claim to fame: Makomo was one of Sakonji Urokodaki’s apprentices, just like Sabito and Giyu Tomioka. And like Sabito, she was killed by the Hand Demon during Final Selection, but continues to watch over her loved ones.
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Mother Mother is a demon in Rui’s twisted demonic family. Rui, the former Lower Rank Five in Muzan’s Twelve Kizuki. She isn’t Rui’s actual mother; in fact, in terms of her age as a demon, she’s younger than Rui, but she agreed to become part of Rui’s demon clan and was assigned the role of “Mother.” Because she’s young for a demon, she still has some human emotions—a fact that her “family” heavily ridicules her for.
- Age: Unknown
- Personality: Callous, fearful, and sorrowful
- Debut episode: Episode 15 (“Mount Natagumo”)
- Claim to fame: Mother is the first of the Spider Demon clan to make contact with Tanjiro on Mount Natagumo. Furthermore, she’s the only Spider Demon to welcome death, regaining her humanity and allowing Tanjiro to strike her without fighting back.
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Susamaru Susamaru’s fate is a little tragic, albeit mostly deserved, considering how brutal she is. She’s a demon loyal to Muzan and sent after Tanjiro (and Lady Tamayo) during the Asakusa arc. However, she was sent under false pretenses—Muzan tricked her into believing she was part of the Twelve Kizuki, so she’d be willing to fight to the death. Ultimately, the “Curse of Kibutsuji” overwhelms her, and she’s killed by the very master she swore to serve.
- Age: Unknown
- Personality: Brash, enthusiastic, and loyal
- Debut episode: Episode 8 (“The Smell of Enchanting Blood”)
- Claim to fame: Susamaru’s Blood Demon Art involves temari balls as weapons, hurling them at opponents to deal massive damage. She’s playful and immature, enjoying the carnage she causes with them.
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Toko Agatsuma Toko Agatsuma hasn’t actually appeared yet in the anime; she’s a minor character who appears in Demon Slayer’s epilogue only. That’s because she’s a descendant of Zenitsu and Nezuko, with a distinct resemblance to Nezuko (including long, red-tipped hair). Basically, she’s part of the main characters’ legacy—alongside her brother, Yoshiteru, and her cousins, Kanata and Sumihiko Kamado.
- Age: 18
- Personality: Bold, cheerful, and outspoken
- Claim to fame: Toko is the only known female descendant of the Kamado-Agatsuma family line.

Section 2 of 3:

Fan Perspective on Demon Slayer’s Female Characters

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Fans generally consider the series’s female characters to be well-written. This particularly goes for the most prominent female characters (such as Nezuko, Shinobu, Mitsuri, and Tamayo); each has a layered story with unique motivations for doing what they do. A few demons are also noted for their interesting stories and personalities, including Daki and Mother (of the Spider Family).
- For instance, Shinobu Kocho and Lady Tamayo both have a lot of emotional depth. They each carry a tremendous amount of pain, yet maintain a calm exterior—and work with exceptional cunning to defeat Muzan.
- Meanwhile, some see Mitsuri as an interesting character because she subverts the typical “pretty damsel” trope; she is pretty and a bit airheaded, but she’s also confident and incredibly strong—more so than many of her male colleagues.
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Others feel that some characters lack depth or development. On the flipside, some fans feel that a lot of Demon Slayer’s female characters could’ve been fleshed out more, and are underdeveloped compared to their male counterparts—which is a fair argument. For instance, Kanao Tsuyuri really doesn’t get involved with the overall plot all that much, and even Aoi Kanzaki is more of a background character.
- One popular argument is that some female characters should’ve been explored earlier in the story. Mitsuri Kanroji, one of the more prominent female characters, isn’t really seen until the Swordsmith Village arc.
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Demon Slayer doesn’t have too many female characters overall. Another major complaint is the lack of female characters in general, especially among the Demon Slayer Corps and the Hashira (which are male-dominated). And while this issue isn’t uncommon for a shonen series, it’s still worth noting—especially since many fans are eager to see depictions of female characters improve with modern anime.
- At the very least, the female characters who do appear in Demon Slayer definitely make a big impression, with characters like Mitsuri, Shinobu, and Nezuko being fan-favorites.

Section 3 of 3:

Who is Demon Slayer’s most beloved female character?

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Nezuko Kamado is probably the show’s most beloved female character. And it’s easy to see why; she undergoes a tremendous amount of danger and personal metamorphosis…without uttering a word for the first three seasons! She’s equal parts adorable and protective; when she’s in “little sister” mode, she’s super sweet and affectionate—but when she unleashes her full demonic might, she’s near-unstoppable.
- Nezuko is also a constant in Demon Slayer, as she travels with Tanjiro throughout every season until the Hashira Training arc. Out of all the series’ female characters, she definitely spends the most time onscreen!