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Plus, learn where demons come from & about their unique abilities
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Demons are the major antagonists in Demon Slayer, and they come with all different kinds of strengths, abilities, and looks. Curious to learn about some of the biggest bads, as well as unlikely demon allies? In this article, we’re going over all of the major demons in Demon Slayer, including the powerful Demon Moons, other unranked demons that are out to get the heroes, and good demons that ally with the Demon Slayers. Plus, we’ll explain where demons come from and what their abilities and weaknesses really are. Read on for more!

Section 1 of 6:

The Upper and Lower Moon Demons

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  1. Muzan is the creator of the Upper and Lower Moon Demons, who are the strongest demons in the series, explains anime expert Elijah Martinez.[1] So while he’s technically not a part of their ranks, he deserves the top spot here. Also known as the Demon King, he’s the overarching antagonist of the anime who’s been around for 1,000 years. He’s been searching for a cure to his weakness to sunshine and kicks off the series by turning Tanjiro’s sister, Nezuko, into a demon in hopes that she would be invulnerable to sunlight. And when it turns out she is, he makes it his mission to capture and absorb her power.[2]
    • Abilities: Demon creation; Demon control (can access memories or nullify powers); Telepathy; Shapeshifting; Enhanced demon abilities (regeneration, strength, speed, etc.)
  2. Kokushibo is the highest-ranking demon of the 12 Demon Moons, and the strongest. It makes sense, as the six-eyed, 500-year-old demon was a Demon Slayer as a human and the twin brother of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the most powerful Demon Slayer to ever live. He’s Muzan’s right-hand man, who calmly carries out the Demon King’s orders and keeps the other Demon Moons in line.[3]
    • Abilities: Katana made from his flesh; Moon Breathing fighting style (creates crescent-shaped blades from his flesh/blood); Transparent World (ability to see others’ blood flow and muscle and joint movements)
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  3. Doma is the second strongest Demon Moon who’s renowned for his great beauty, especially his rainbow-colored eyes. He’s friendly, carefree, and charismatic, but extremely calculating and cold underneath. Doma has run his own cult since he was a human child, but as a demon, the cult serves as his food source.[4]
    • Abilities: Cyrokinesis (generates ice from his flesh/blood that he can manipulate); War Fans made from his flesh
  4. Akaza was a prodigious martial artist as a human, so his strength only multiplied when he became a demon. He’s a frighteningly strong hand-to-hand fighter who doesn’t use weapons but still takes out Demon Slayers with ease. His other strength is his willpower and tenacity—he can withstand almost anything (even surviving decapitation).
    • Abilities: Hand-to-hand martial arts fighting style; Destructive Death (creates shockwaves with his attacks); Compass Needle (ability to sense an opponent’s strengths and weak points)
  5. Nakime has a single pink eye set in the middle of her forehead, giving her an extremely unsettling look. She’s one of Muzan’s most loyal followers and a very important Demon Moon, as she’s the creator and owner of the Infinity Castle, an alternate dimension that serves as Muzan’s headquarters. As such, she can teleport demons in and out of the Castle at Muzan’s orders.[5]
    • Abilities: Infinity Castle control (teleports demons in and out, creates traps to capture or kill Demon Slayers); Generates eyeballs from her flesh, which she can use to spy on others at a long range
  6. Hantengu was the former Upper Rank Four demon who was defeated by Tanjiro during the Swordsmith Village Arc. While he appeared to be a cowardly demon, this actually concealed the terrifying ability he possessed. Hantengu could create clones of himself based on his emotions, which definitely weren’t afraid to fight![6]
    • Abilities: Created clones of himself: Sekido (anger - generated lightning), Karaku (pleasure - generated wind), Aizetsu (sorrow - generated beams from his spear), Urogi (joy - generated sound waves), Zohakuten (hatred - generated wood), and Urami (resentment - became larger)
  7. Gyokko is a distorted, humanoid demon who has eyes in his mouth and forehead and mouths where his eyes should be. He’s also covered in tiny baby-like arms, which span from his head to his black tail. He’s arrogant, petty, quick to anger, and sadistic, which makes him even scarier to fight.[7]
    • Abilities: Porcelain Vase generation (the vases allow him to trap people, teleport, create fish-like creatures, and use water-based attacks)
  8. Kaigaku was a Demon Slayer as a human, making him a powerful demon that rounds out the Upper Moon Demons. While he appears arrogant and bold on the outside, he’s actually self-serving and cowardly—even as a human, he did only what he needed to survive, not caring about his own family.[8]
    • Abilities: Electrokinesis (creates and manipulates electricity from his flesh/blood); Thunder Breathing fighting style (quick attacks and movements)
  9. Gyutaro and Daki are siblings who jointly held the position of Upper Rank Six before they were killed by Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke in the Entertainment District Arc. The siblings are both arrogant and sadistic, which may stem from their tragic childhoods, though they truly love each other.
    • Abilities: Shared body (both siblings had to be decapitated to defeat them); Gyutaro - Blood manipulation (created blades and other weapons), Ability to possess Daki; Daki - Obi Sash Manipulation (created sashes from her flesh/blood that act as weapons or defenses)
  10. Enmu is the strongest demon of the Lower Demon Moon demons. Like most demons, he’s cold and sadistic, though he has a masochistic streak, as well. He plays a major role in the Mugen Train arc, as his flesh manipulation powers are so strong that he becomes one with the train, threatening to eat all of the passengers on board.[9]
    • Abilities: Sleep Inducement; Dream Creation and Manipulation (controls dreams so his victims do what he wants)
  11. Rokuro was the second strongest Lower Demon Moon. Unfortunately, not much is known about him. He was killed by Muzan, along with the rest of the Lower Demon Moons, after Rui’s death for being too weak.[10]
    • Abilities: Unknown beyond normal demon abilities
  12. Like Rokuro, Wakuraba wasn’t shown much in Demon Slayer, as he was killed by Muzan after Rui’s death. Interestingly, though, Wakuraba did not accept his death. When he sees Muzan kill his fellow Lower Moon Demons, he attempts to run away (but is, of course, unsuccessful).[11]
    • Abilities: Unknown beyond normal demon abilities
  13. Mukago was another Lower Moon Demon who didn’t get much screen time in the anime before Muzan killed her. While she pleaded her loyalty to him to the end, this wasn’t enough for Muzan to keep her alive.[12]
    • Abilities: Unknown beyond normal demon abilities
  14. Rui is a seemingly calm and polite demon, though that’s just a facade that hides his cruel nature and warped views on family. And despite being young for a demon, he was incredibly powerful (and thus liked by Muzan). He’s ultimately defeated in Season 1, though, which sets in motion the dissolution of the rest of the Lower Moon Demons by Muzan.[13]
    • Abilities: Thread generation (creates sharp, spider-like threads that cut through foes)
  15. Kamanue holds the position of Lower Rank Six for a very short time, as he’s promoted to the rank shortly before being murdered by Muzan after Rui’s death. So, not much is known about him besides his anxious personality.[14]
    • Abilities: Unknown beyond normal demon abilities
  16. Kyogai is also known as the Drum Demon, as he has six drum appendages sticking out of his shoulders, chest, back, and legs. He was the previous Lower Rank Six, but Muzan demoted him because Kyogai lost his ability to eat humans. Kyogai encounters Tanjiro after he was removed from the Lower Moon Demon ranks.[15]
    • Abilities: Drum powers (beats a specific drum to create attacks, teleport, or shift the room)
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Section 2 of 6:

Unranked Demons

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  1. Susamaru is a playful and immature demon who is extremely loyal to Muzan (who tricked her into believing she was a part of the 12 Demon Moons). While she looks like a normal human at first, when she takes off her cloak, she reveals her six muscular arms.[16]
    • Abilities: Temari (handball) creation (generates handballs that are strong and thrown at high speeds)
  2. Yahaba is Susamaru’s partner in crime. Unlike Susamaru, Yahaba is calm and mature, but he’s also equally as loyal to Muzan. He’s notable for the ability to move his eyes into his palms, allowing him to track the movements of people or objects.
    • Abilities: Arrow creation (generates invisible arrows with his eyes)
  3. The Temple Demon is the first demon Tanjiro and Nezuko encounter, who attacks them after they enter his temple domain. He’s the perfect opportunity for Tanjiro and Nezuko to practice their moves, as they take him down together.[17]
    • Abilities: Unknown beyond normal demon abilities
  4. The Hand Demon initially looked like a normal human, but as he consumed more humans, he earned his name. He’s a giant monster whose entire body is made up of arms and hands. The Hand Demon hates all humans, but he’s particularly hateful towards Sakonji Urokodaki, who imprisoned the demon. However, the demon retained some of his human qualities and silently asked Tanjiro to hold one of his hands as he was dying.[18]
    • Abilities: Unknown beyond normal demon abilities
  5. The Swamp Demon is a powerful demon Tanjiro faces off against on his first Demon Slayer Corps mission. The aquatic demon lives in his own swamp dimension (hence his name) and can conjure portals to the dimension, which he uses to kidnap his victims.
    • Abilities: Swamp Domain; Clone Generation (creates copies of himself)
  6. The Spider Family is a unique grouping in Demon Slayer, as demons don’t usually form clans, and even more rarely “families.” The family was created by Rui and possesses similar thread-like abilities and spider-like physical qualities. Family is a loose term, however, as the members don’t actually love or respect one another.[19]
    • Father: Father has a human body and a spider head. He’s physically powerful and can molt into a more spider-like form that makes him even stronger.
    • Mother: Mother looks like a human woman. She can produce threads from her fingers that attach to objects or people, allowing her to control them like puppets.
    • Daughter: Daughter looks like a human girl. She can produce silky cocoons and generate acid.
    • Son: Son is a giant spider with a human head. He can generate poison that changes humans into spider-like creatures or produce acid, as well as produce spider silk.
    • Note: The Headless Demon is a puppet that Mother controls with her threads. While he’s sometimes categorized as his own demon, it’s unclear whether he was actually ever sentient.
  7. Asakusa is a minor and freshly created demon that Tanjiro and Tamayo come across. They’re able to subdue him quickly, and Tamayo uses him to help find a cure that can revert demons back into humans. Tamayo is able to break the Asakusa demon free from Muzan’s influence, and his powers are later used to incapacitate the Demon King, too.[20]
    • Abilities: Flesh Seed generation (creates seeds of flesh that pierce and spread through the victim’s body)
  8. The Horned Demon is a large, humanoid demon with a giant horn in the middle of his forehead. He lives inside the Tsuzumi Mansion along with Kyogai (the former Lower Rank Six demon) and the Tongue Demon. He’s a strong and confident demon, but perhaps overconfident, as he’s easily defeated by Inosuke Hashibira.[21]
    • Abilities: Unknown beyond normal demon abilities
  9. The Tongue Demon is another demon who lives in the Tsuzumi Mansion. He’s a humanoid demon who has an extremely long tongue and typically crawls rather than walks. He’s not the brightest demon, either, but he makes up for that with his strength.[22]
    • Abilities: Long tongue, which he can use as a weapon or restraint
  10. Slasher is a super-fast demon known for his slashing attacks, which is why he’s nicknamed Slasher (and perhaps why he’s bald). He’s particularly ruthless and sadistic, using humans as shields when he battles Demon Slayers so they can’t attack him outright.
    • Abilities: Super speed
  11. Mantis Demon is an insectoid demon, with mantis-like arms and four more appendages growing out of his back. He’s the first demon Tanjiro and Nezuko both fight as members of the Demon Slayer Corps, but even with his stealth skills, he didn’t put up a fight against the siblings.[23]
    • Abilities: Unknown beyond normal demon abilities
  12. The Woodland Demon was a demon the Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito, encountered in his childhood. The demon attacked Muichiro and his twin, Yuichiro, but Muichiro managed to kill him after he flew into a rage. However, Yuichiro was severely injured during the attack and died soon after.[24]
    • Abilities: Unknown beyond normal demon abilities
  13. Shizu was the mother of Sanemi, the Wind Hashira, and his brother Genya. While she was gone from the house one day, Muzan transformed her into a demon. And when she returned home, she killed all of her children except Sanemi and Genya. Sanemi was able to incapacitate her and leave her outside, where she burned up in the sun.[25]
    • Abilities: Unknown beyond normal demon abilities
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Section 3 of 6:

Demon Allies

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  1. Nezuko is the secondary protagonist of Demon Slayer and Tanjiro’s younger sister. She’s an extremely unique demon who managed to stop herself from attacking and eating humans soon after she was turned, which was motivated by her love for her brother. This allowed her to join the Demon Slayer Corps and fight demons alongside Tanjiro. She’s committed to protecting humans and sleeps instead of eating them to restore her strength.[26]
    • Abilities: Combustible Blood (turns her blood into fiery explosions at will); Advanced Form (becomes more powerful when she enters a berserk state); Sunlight immunity
  2. You’d never guess that Tamayo is a demon, as she has almost no demon characteristics. She’s a very old and wise doctor who was once Muzan’s servant, though she hated him for turning her into a demon. She somehow retained her kind and caring personality and made it her mission to find out how to stop eating humans, cure demonism, and stop Muzan.[27]
    • Abilities: Blood Spells (uses her blood to alter people’s senses)
  3. Yushiro is Tamayo’s companion and helper, who was actually turned into a demon by a medicine created by Tamayo. Unlike most demons, though, he doesn’t need much blood to survive (and, like Tamayo, he exclusively consumes donated blood). He aids Tamayo with her medical work, and while he adores her, he’s not so friendly to others.[28]
    • Abilities: Blindfold creation (generates pieces of paper that can hide an object or reveal a hidden object’s presence); Mind control (through his blindfolds)
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Section 4 of 6:

What are Demons in Demon Slayer?

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  1. Demons are the primary antagonists of Demon Slayer, as almost every demon has an insatiable desire to kill and eat humans. While all demons were once humans, they lose their memories and become darker, more intense versions of themselves, detaching from their humanity. They possess immortality, immense strength and speed, and can develop other special powers.
    • Demons come in all different shapes and sizes. Some look almost identical to humans, except for minor demonic qualities like sharp nails or unique eyes; some are humanoid with very noticeable demonic qualities, like multiple eyes or horns; and some others are truly monstrous.
Section 5 of 6:

How Demons Originated

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  1. 1
    Muzan was the first demon, who was created 1,000 years ago. Muzan was a sickly child, and when he became a young man, he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. To save his life, a doctor gave him an experimental medicine. But the treatment didn’t immediately work, so Muzan killed the doctor. Muzan acted too soon, because shortly after killing the doctor, the medicine took effect and Muzan was cured. However, he’d unknowingly been turned into a demon: he now needed to consume humans to live and couldn’t be exposed to sunlight.[29]
    • Muzan killed the doctor before he actually finished the treatment. He learned that the medicine was made from the Blue Spider Lily, so he started a quest to find more so he could cure his weakness to the sun.
  2. 2
    All other demons are created by Muzan. Muzan has the unique ability to turn humans into demons due to his special blood. To transform them, he just needs to expose them to his blood, like through a cut or other open wound. When his blood enters a human’s, it causes their blood to mutate, triggering the change. The more blood Muzan gives them, the stronger they are, and they usually also develop special powers.[30]
    • However, not every human survives the transformation process, especially if they’re given a lot of Muzan’s blood.
    • Anime expert Connor Barnes explains that the Upper and Lower Moon Demons are powerful because they’ve received more of Muzan’s blood. This is why Kokushibo is the highest-ranking demon and the strongest one—he has the most blood.[31]
    • The primary reason why Muzan creates demons is that he’s waiting for one to develop a resistance to sunlight. Once he creates a demon who can, he plans on absorbing them into his body so he gains their ability.
    • Because all demons are created from Muzan’s blood, if Muzan were to die, all demons would die, too.
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Section 6 of 6:

Demon Abilities and Weaknesses

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  1. Demons are extremely powerful, which is why the Demon Slayer Corps was created to fight them. A demon’s strength is largely determined by how much of Muzan’s blood they consumed and how many people they’ve eaten (including whether they’re Demon Slayers). Their key abilities include:[32]
    • Superhuman strength, speed, endurance, and stamina
    • Enhanced senses
    • Quick growth rate
    • Flesh manipulation (such as forming weapons and shapeshifting physical features)
    • Rapid regeneration (including wounds and entire limbs)
    • Immortality
    • Blood Demon Art (special abilities developed from their blood)
    • Resistant to most weapons, diseases, and other lethal forces
  2. Demons are extremely tough to kill, but they’re not impossible to kill. Their main weakness is sunlight—if they’re exposed to sunlight, they immediately start to burn and soon after dissolve into ashes. Their other key weaknesses include:[33]
    • Nichirin swords: These are special swords that absorb sunlight, which allows them to severely wound demons. If a demon’s head is cut off with the sword, they instantly die.
    • Wisteria: The plant is poisonous to demons, and potent extracts can kill a demon (though very powerful demons need larger doses).
    • Starvation: Demons need to eat human flesh and blood to survive. If they can’t eat, they will die.
    • Immense damage: Wounding a demon enough can prevent them from regenerating quickly (though the damage alone won’t kill them).
    • Muzan’s curse: Muzan cast a curse on his blood so that if any demon reveals information about him, including his last name, they will die instantly.
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About This Article

Elijah Martinez
Co-authored by:
Anime Expert
This article was co-authored by Elijah Martinez and by wikiHow staff writer, Devin McSween. Elijah Martinez is an anime and manga expert based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Elijah has been watching anime since he was a kid and loves creating fanfiction, drawing content, and video content. He is currently creating his own manga to submit to a competition by Kodansha. Elijah has been sharing content on social media (Vine and YouTube) since 2015 and has continued to develop his personal voice and style over the last 4 years in particular. This article has been viewed 1,389 times.
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Co-authors: 3
Updated: August 19, 2026
Views: 1,389
Categories: Anime
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,389 times.

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