Demon Slayer: Every Hashira’s Nichirin Sword, Ranked

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More than its success on the page and the screen, Demon Slayer has grown to be iconic in a way that few anime (save Dragon Ball or Naruto) ever become. The entire lore of the Demon Slayers and their unholy foes, the demons (and their king Muzan Kibutsuji), the gorgeous combat system of Demon Slayer breathing techniques and demon blood art techniques, and, of course, the now-iconic characters who are mascots of the series, like series hero Tanjiro Kamado, his demon sister Nezuko, or the various members of the Demon Slayers’ most elite rank, the Hashira.

In fact, the Hashira of Demon Slayer have become so iconic that each one of their unique swords has a fandom all its own. But which Hashira swords are the most iconic and awe-inspiring? With the Infinity Castle movie now showing the Hashira unleashing their fullest powers, it’s never been clear which blades are the best ones. Here are all of Demon Slayers Hashira swords ranked by how awesome we think they are!

10) Kanae Kocho / Kanao Tsuyuri (Flower Hashira)

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Sword: Nichirin Katana

Kanae Kocho is one of the more unique (if not elusive) characters in Demon Slayer. The abilities of the “Flower Hashira” are not as easily defined as the elemental breathing styles (fire, water, wind, stone) and require a unique blade to help showcase them: Her Nichirin Katana was a colorful weapon styled after flower petals, complete with a pinked-colored blade.

When Kanae was killed in battle by Upper Two Doma, her adopted younger sister, Kanao Tsuyuri, took up her Flower Breathing style. While Kanao ultimately chose her own katana, it was mostly designed in ode to her fallen sister. Both Flower Hashira swords are smaller in size to fit their more petite wielders. Overall, a lovely weapon for a nature-based female warrior.

9) Giyu Tomioka (Water Hashira)

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Sword: Nichirin Katana

Giyu would probably end up at the bottom of this list, simply because he carries one of the most unremarkable (and unmemorable) swords. However, while anime users have yet to experience it, manga readers know that the Infinity Castle arc features a key moment where Giyu replaces his current sword with one owned by a former Water Hashira.

That blade, with its blue-and-black blade design and whirlpool-shaped bronze tsuba, is badass, and its presence in the final battle(s) evokes a long history of Hashira sacrifice that ends with Giyu.

8) Muichiro Tokito (Mist Hashira)

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Sword: Nichirin Katana

Sure, Muichiro carries another one of the most common Katana designs there is, but what earns him this higher spot on the list is the fact that his combat scenes (using Mist Breathing’s strange, supernatural techniques) look better than Kocho’s or Rengoku’s. We know this for sure as Muichiro is one of the only characters in Demon Slayer to have broken his original sword and taken up another.

The fact that Muichiro looks just as badass in action, no matter the sword, proves that it’s the character, more than his blade, that deserves praise.

7) Kyojuro Rengoku (Fire Hashira)

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Sword: Nichirin Katana

Like Kanae, Rengoku possessed a standard Katana sword, albeit with a very colorful design, molded on his role as the Fire Hashira. However, what gives Rengoku a slight edge is the visual effect of wielding his sword in battle, in accordance with his Fire Breathing techniques.

Demon Slayer fans who packed into theaters for the Mugen Train film featuring Rengoku will forever remember the epic visuals of the Fire Hashira’s final battle with Upper Rank Three, Akaza. The power and splendor of his sword upped the game for anime features getting US theatrical runs.

6) Sanemi Shinazugawa (Wind Hashira)

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Sword: Nichirin Katana

Sometimes a sword needs more than an unusual design to stand out: it needs to help create a warrior’s entire vibe. Demon Slayer does a good job at making a lot of Hashira weapons feel like extensions of their warrior – and that’s definitely true of Shinazugawa. The Wind Hashira is as intense as they come in battle; his katana, with its green, white, and black design, carries an aesthetic that invokes the fury of a storm. The serrated paint design on the blade makes it look as jagged and violent as Shinazugawa’s scarred body.

Combined with the Wind Hashira’s fashion sense and hairstyle, this sword rings out as one of the best vibe-enhancing accessories around, and the overall look has become a cosplay favorite with good reason.

5) Obanai Iguro (Serpent Hashira)

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Sword: Twisted Nichirin Katana

Iguro’s “twisted” version of a Nichirin Katana is one of the slicker designs we’ve seen in anime, hands down. First glance at the weapon raised so many questions about the “Serpent Hashira,” and the subsequent run of the series has ultimately delivered some epic answers.

From seeing Iguro’s “Serpent Breathing” at work training Tanjiro how to refocus his sword style, or the battles we ultimately see him fight in the series (including some considerable boss battle action), Iguro and his sword are part of the reason Demon Slayer stands so iconic.

4) Shinobu Kocho (Insect Hashira)

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Sword: Stinger Nichirin Katana

This may be recency bias, since Shinobu has such an epic (final) battle against Upper Rank Two, Doma, in the Infinity Castle movie. It’s hard not to focus on her sword’s role in that battle, or how cool it was onscreen. The Insect Hashira’s fight with Doma was deeply personal, and she spared no effort to kill the all-powerful monster. Her sword looks deceptively simple with its ultra-thin blade, bee stinger design, and injection system; however, Infinity Castle showcased just how versatile a weapon it is, via the sword’s rotating hilt, containing different blends of demon-slaying poisons.

Shinobu’s weapon is the epitome of a great female warrior fighting on her own terms, using her own unique techniques, as opposed to being a flip of the standard male warrior type.

3) Tengen Uzui (Sound Hashira)

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Sword: Dual Nichirin Cleavers

Tengen is one of the biggest vibes in Demon Slayer, with his flamboyant nature being a perfect contradiction to his unrivaled skill as a ninja (shinobi). Besides his speed and reflexes, Tengen’s sound abilities (like supernatural-level hearing) make him a truly unique warrior, requiring a unique weapon.

The Sound Hashira’s Nichirin Cleavers are cool because they fill two gaps in Demon Slayer’s weaponry roster: as big, weighted blades linked by a chain, Tengen’s cleavers are both a clear ode to nunchucks, and allow The Sound Hashira to be one of the rare dual-wielding sword fighters in the series (besides Inosuke). The Entertainment District Arc may have been Tengen’s final battle as a Demon Slayer, but it is also one of the most extensive and epic showcases of a Hashira’s weapon in the series. As a result, Tengen has earned his spot as one of Demon Slayer‘s biggest icons.

2) Mitsuri Kanroji (Love Hashira)

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Sword: Nichirin Whip-Katana

As stated, Demon Slayer excels at designing weapons for its female warriors (both Demon Slayers, demons, and those in between), rather than doing femme flips on male weaponry and combat. No character better exemplifies that than Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira, with her whip-style katana. The weapon is a creation that could only exist in anime, with physics that don’t make a lick of sense. And yet, the Love Hashira’s charisma (and bombshell looks) make for epic moments when she unsheaths and starts going to work.

Like Kanroji, the blade is both unbreakably durable and unbelievably flexible. Its ability to weave through areas and take out select targets – or the advanced breathing techniques it allows Kanroji to pull off – are some of the wildest combat visuals in all of anime.

1) Gyomei Himejima (Stone Hashira)

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Sword: Nichirin Chained Spiked Flail and Axe

Look, there’s a reason that Gyomei is the leader of the Hashira, and his skill in combat has a lot to do with it. Fans of the anime are only beginning to get a taste of the Stone Hashira’s true might in Infinity Castle, but it’s enough to know that his signature weapon, the Nichirin Chained and Spiked Flail and Axe, belongs in the no. 1 spot. Having a spiked metal ball and axe linked by a chain is badass from the start; seeing the weapon being wielded in the Kusarigamajutsu fight style, via various Stone Breathing attacks, is truly a sight to behold. It’s the kind of marital artistry fans can only dream of, but few can ever imitate.

Gyomei can utilize either the ball or axe as his primary; dual-wield with one weapon in each hand, or treat it like a whip or bolo, making the chain the primary weapon of attack. It can be used for offense against one opponent or fend off an army of them; it can be used for impenetrable defense or even capture or restraint of an opponent (a key use by the end of the series). If all that wasn’t cool enough, the Stone Hashira’s weapon works in perfect concert with his character. Being blind, Gyomei uses the chain and its vibrations to map out the battlefield around him. One of the best marriages of a character concept and weapon concept that we’ve ever seen.

Demon Slayer is available to stream on Crunchyroll and other platforms. Let us know your Hashira weapon ranking in the comments, or hop into our discussions on the ComicBook Forums!