All Upper Moons in Demon Slayer, Explained

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Anime expert Joe Jones explains what Upper Moons are

Co-authored by Joe Jones and Amy Bobinger, BA

Last Updated: June 27, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Demon Ranks Explained
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• Upper Moon Demons
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• Lower Moon Demons
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When a series has a name like Demon Slayer, you expect there to be demons—and Demon Slayer delivers in style. The 12 most powerful demons are ranked by their strength, and the 6 strongest make up an elite group known as the Upper Moons. These vicious demons have some of the best character design in the show—and in this article, we partnered with an anime expert to explore them all! Keep reading to learn more about demon ranks, Upper Moons, and Lower Moons!

Upper Moon Demons in Demon Slayer

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Anime expert Joe Jones says the Upper Moons are the upper echelon of demons under Muzan, the head demon. Here’s an overview of some of the Upper Moons:

• Upper Moon 1: Kokushibo
• Upper Moon 2: Douma
• Upper Moon 3: Akaza
• Former Upper Moon 4: Hantengu
• Upper Moon 4: Nakime
• Upper Moon 5: Gyokku
• Former Upper Moon 6: Gyutaro and Daki
• Upper Moon 6: Kaigaku

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Section 1 of 3:

How Demon Ranks Work in Demon Slayer

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1. 
   The most powerful demons are the 12 Kizuki, or Twelve Demon Moons. Anime expert Elijah Martinez explains that they are divided into two groups of six—the Upper Ranks (also known as Waxing Moons or Upper Moons) and the Lower Ranks (Waning or Lower Moons). The 12 Kizuki serve under the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji. Each of the Kizuki has consumed a significant amount of blood from Muzan, which has granted them advanced strength and the ability to use the powerful Blood Demon Arts. Jones notes that the Upper Moon Demons are the top echelon of demons and are directly under Muzan.

   • Members of the Kizuki have their rank engraved on one eye. The Upper Ranks also have the kanji symbol for “Upper Moon” engraved on the other eye.
   • If a demon is removed from the Kizuki, Muzan carves an X into their pupil over their former rank.
   • Upper Moon Demons despise the Lower Moon Demons due to their lower rank.
   • One Upper Moon Demon is estimated to be about the same strength as 3 Hashira, or upper-level Demon Slayers.
   • Only Upper Moon Demons can turn humans into demons.
   • Jones says the Upper Moons are the reverse of the Hashira.
   • All Upper Moons are ranked, explains Jones. The lower the number, the higher the status. That said, all Upper Moons are really powerful compared to the Lower Moons, he continues.

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Joe Jones, known as Family Man Joe online, is an anime expert and lifelong anime fan. He’s been doing his podcast, Life With Anime, for 4 years. He’s also a retired NFL athlete.
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Section 2 of 3:

Upper Moon Demons

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1. 
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   Upper Moon 1: Kokushibo Kokushibo is a powerful six-eyed demon, but about 400 years ago, he was a Demon Slayer. In fact, he’s the older twin brother of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the strongest Demon Slayer of all time. Kokushibo became a demon because he was insecure, jealous, and afraid that the Slayer Mark would cause him to die young.

   • Trivia: Kokushibo turned Kaigaku into a demon.
   • Name meaning: “Black Death”
   • Fighting style: Kokushibo fights with a katana made from his own flesh. He also uses the Moon Breathing technique, a combination of demonic and Slayer power, and can utilize the Transparent World to see inside his enemies.
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   Upper Moon 2: Douma Douma seems friendly and relaxed on the surface, but underneath, he’s a cold and calculating demon with absolutely no empathy or compassion. He’s also the leader of a cult—not only do his members worship him as a god, but they also provide him with a constant food source.

   • Trivia: Douma is the demon who turned Gyutaro & Daki into demons.
   • Name meaning: “Grinded Child”
   • Fighting style: Douma is the Master of Ice. He fights with blasts of cold air and can turn a whole battleground to ice. He also attacks with metal fans.
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   Upper Moon 3: Akaza Akaza is an honorable warrior demon—he practices martial arts and treats his opponents with respect. He won’t use weapons in battle, and he refuses to harm women. In fact, he looks down on demons like Douma, who regularly feed on women. That said, he’s still a powerful, dangerous demon.

   • Name meaning: “Castrated Dog”
   • Fighting style: Akaza uses hand-to-hand combat and skills like Compass Needle and Destructive Death to battle enemies; never weapons. abilities
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   Former Upper Moon 4: Hantengu At first glance, Hantengu looks exceptionally weak—he cowers from his enemies, crawling on his hands and knees against the floor. But this is just a trick to lure them into decapitating him, at which point four new, powerful forms will emerge from his body. Each form embodies a different emotion, each with its own unique powers. During battle, he hides his small, weak body, distracting his opponents with his emotional forms.

   • Name meaning: “Tengu Which Splits in Two”
   • Fighting style: To battle enemies, Hantengu splits himself into 4 emotional forms: Sekido (Anger), Karaku (Pleasure), Aizetsu (Sorrow), and Urogi (Joy). These forms can also merge into a powerful new form called Zohakuten (Hatred).
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   Upper Moon 4: Nakime Nakime took over as Upper Moon Form after the death of Hantengu. She’s covered in eyeballs that allow her to act as a spy. Nakime uses her biwa (a type of lute) to teleport demons into and out of Muzan’s Infinity Castle, and she can also manipulate the walls and floors of the castle to trap Demon Slayers.

   • Name meaning: “Echoing Woman”
   • Fighting style: Nakime is primarily a support demon; she battles opponents by creating labyrinths and traps inside the Infinity Castle.
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   Upper Moon 5: Gyokku Of all the demons, Gyokku has the most macabre design. This ultra-polite (but vicious) demon has eyes on his forehead and where his mouth should be, and mouths where his eyes should be. He also has tiny pairs of arms covering his entire body, and the lower half of his body is encased in a pot. In his final form, he resembles a merman, complete with scales and razor-sharp claws.

   • Name meaning: “Vase Made of Jade”
   • Fighting style: Gyokku can manipulate water and summon fish-like demonic creatures to fight for him. Using the Porcelain Vase technique, he can also teleport from one pot to another and even trap his enemies inside the pots.
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   Former Upper Moon 6: Gyutaro and Daki Daki and Gyutaro are siblings who grew up in the slums, and their shared traumas forged a powerful bond. Gyutaro is technically the Upper Moon, but Muzan granted him permission to share the role with Daki. The siblings are literally inseparable—they have the ability to share their senses, and they have to be beheaded simultaneously to be killed.

   • Trivia: Daki is a type of character known as a “himedere”—a beautiful woman who uses her confidence and arrogance to mask a painful past.
   • Name meaning: “The Pimp” (Gyutaro), “The Fallen Princess” (Daki)
   • Fighting style: Gyutaro plays more of a defensive role, protecting his sister and fighting with two poisoned scythes and Blood Art Projectiles (Haemokinesis). Daki is more of an offensive fighter, using her razor-sharp pink obi sashes to trap and slash opponents (Obi Sash Manipulation).
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   Upper Moon 6: Kaigaku Kaigaku started out as a Demon Slayer before his jealousy and desire for power led him to choose the path of a demon. He was killed by Zenitsu, who had formerly trained under Kaigaku’s master Jigoro. Fortunately for the demon slayers, he died before he fully grew into his powers.

   • Name meaning: “Crafty,” “Mountain Peak”
   • Fighting style: Thunder Breathing (electricity)
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Section 3 of 3:

Lower Moon Demons

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1. 
   The Lower Moon Demons are less powerful than the Upper Moon Demons. They’re still more powerful than the average demon—like the Upper Moon Demons, they’ve consumed some of the Demon King’s blood, giving them ultra-strong abilities. The Lower Moon Demons in Demon Slayer are:

   • Lower Moon 1: Enmu—Enmu is the strongest of the Lower Moon Demons. He tortures his victims in his sleep by manipulating their dreams into nightmares before ultimately devouring them.
   • Lower Moon 2: Rokuro—Rokuro inherited the role of Lower Moon 2 after Hairo died, but he was ultimately executed by Muzan.
   • Lower Moon 3: Wakuraba—We don’t know much about Wakuraba, other than that he had a grudge against the Flame Hashira, Shinjuro Rengoku, after being injured in battle.
   • Lower Moon 4: Mukago—Mukago isn’t featured much in the stories—probably because he usually ran from battle when he encountered the Hashira.
   • Lower Moon 5: Rui—Rui was a sickly child who was transformed into a demon. He’s obsessed with the idea of family, so he lives on Mount Natagumo and surrounds himself with a family of Spider Demons. He fights using Filukenesis, or the power to trap and slice his enemies with sharp threads.
   • Former Lower Moon 6: Kyogai—Kyogai uses drums on his body to manipulate his mansion, rotating the rooms and teleporting Slayers. He was cast out of the Lower Demons by Muzan after he lost the ability to eat humans.
   • Lower Moon 6: Kamanue—Kamanue replaced Kyogai, but he didn’t have much time to display his powers before he was killed by Muzan.

Expert Q&A

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• Question

  Who's the strongest Hashira that can defeat Upper Moons?

  

  Elijah Martinez
  Anime Expert

  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.

  

  Elijah Martinez

  Anime Expert

  Expert Answer

  That would be Gyomei. He's really tall, around seven feet two, and wields a spiked wrecking ball. Later in the series, he battles the strongest Upper Moon, and that in itself makes him the strongest Hashira of them all.

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• Upper Rank Demons aren’t called “Upper Moon” in the series, but fans often call them that because the kanji in their eye stands for “Upper Moon.”
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