Yoriichi Tsugikuni is a legendary figure in Demon Slayer, but is he the series’ strongest?
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The fierce and emotional life-or-death clashes between the Hashira’s of the Slayer Corps and Muzan’s demons are what make Demon Slayer so fascinating. Muzan’s Upper Rank demons are so fierce that it frequently takes numerous Slayers to bring down just one of them, and even then, the Slayers aren’t always successful. When it comes to demons, such overpowering power is the norm, yet there was one guy in history whose name frightened even the most powerful demons, and that man’s name was Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Yoriichi has become a legendary figure in the Demon Slayer realm for at least two reasons. For one thing, he is the creator of the breathing techniques needed to defeat demons. Without his assistance, humanity would most likely be powerless to combat Muzan’s evil spawn. The second (and possibly most important) reason Yoriichi is recognised as a legend is that he was the only individual to come within inches of killing Muzan in a one-on-one fight.
Is Yoriichi Tsugikunithe Most Powerful Demon Slayer?
Without a doubt, Yoriichi is the most powerful character in Demon Slayer. Even though he lived years prior to the start of the series, he still has foes to compare himself to in order to demonstrate his relative power to the rest of the group.
The first approach to assess Yoriichi’s power is in comparison to his brother, Kokushibo. Kokushibo, as the Upper Moon 1 Demon, is the strongest demon, just behind to Muzan himself. In the manga, Kokushibo could fight three Hashira at the same time, all of whom had awoken their Slayer Marks. In contrast, Kokushibo battled Yoriichi when he was an elderly man and would have easily defeated him if Yoriichi had continued the fight to its conclusion.
The second approach to relate Yoriichi’s might to that of the current Slayer era is through Muzan. During their confrontation, Yoriichi was able to easily slice Muzan to pieces, and Muzan was only able to survive because each piece of him scattered in different places to flee. This is a horrible experience that Muzan will never forget, and it informs much of how he conducts himself today. In fact, Muzan’s interaction with Yoriichi had such an influence on him that even other demons are shaken when they see Tanjiro’s earrings and Slayer Mark because they share natural memories with Muzan. Given that Muzan is by far the most dangerous demon in Demon Slayer and Yoriichi is significantly stronger than him, it’s safe to conclude that Yoriichi is by far the strongest character in the series.
Unfortunately, Yoriichi was born hundreds of years before the main tale of Demon Slayer and died hundreds of years before Tanjiro and Nezuko were born. Because Yoriichi is no longer alive, the title of strongest slayer in the current age must be passed down. Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, is the current strongest Demon Slayer alive in the modern Slayer Corps. However, there are numerous more risks to Muzan that still exist in the modern era. Lady Tamayo (who is actively working on a demon-curing antidote) and Tanjiro Kamado, who inadvertently holds the key to Yoriichi’s own Sun Breathing method, the Hinokami Kagura, are among them.
Why Yoriichi Was So Strong
Yoriichi is recognised with discovering all breathing techniques. As a result, all modern breathing techniques are merely variations of Yoriichi’s original Sun Breathing. Yoriichi was a naturally gifted swordsman who had always wanted to carry a sword. Unlike many who use breathing techniques today, Yoriichi’s Sun Breathing evolved fully naturally as a result of his inherent talent with a sword.
Yoriichi was such a natural swordsman that he was claimed to have defeated a master swordsman the first time he picked up a blade. He was also born with the Demon Slayer mark, which gave him considerably more power and speed than the normal human. While most people die before reaching the age of 25 after manifesting a Slayer Mark, Yoriichi is the only individual known to have lived much longer.
Yoriichi has never been killed by an opponent in his long career of protecting the weak from demons. He did, however, die in battle. Yoriichi died of fatigue due to old age while fighting his demonic twin brother Michikatsu, also known as Kokushibo, at the age of 85. While Yoriichi had passed away by the time the events of Demon Slayer unfolded, his Sun Breathing method had survived. Tanjiro’s ancestor was the only one who mastered the Sun Breathing technique after watching Yoriichi in action and continuing to mimic his moves as a ritualistic dance that he passed down through generations of the Kamado family.
Tanjiro and Nezuko Carry Yoriichi's Torch
Although Yoriichi is the greatest slayer in history, Muzan isn’t fully out of the woods now that Yoriichi is gone. Following the recent events at the end of Season 3, Nezuko and Tanjiro have emerged as an unforeseen existential danger to Muzan.
Though Nezuko is still a demon, it was discovered that she possesses the ability to survive in sunshine, which Muzan has sought since he became a demon millennium ago. This makes her an ideal target for Muzan, who is also trying to find a means to survive in the sunshine. Pursuing Nezuko is probably not Muzan’s greatest decision, for what he doesn’t realise is that Nezuko’s Blood Demon Art turns Tanjiro’s blade into the same shade of black that Yoriichi’s turned when he nearly murdered Muzan centuries ago.
Tanjiro’s Hinokami Kagura form is directly adapted from Yoriichi’s own technique, allowing him to have the potential to become just as dangerous to Muzan as Yoriichi previously was. Tanjiro learned the Sun Breathing Dance, also known as the Dance of the Fire God, from his father, who learned it from his father before him. Tanjiro was unaware of what he was learning, but he continued to study the dance as a family tradition. As a result, Tanjiro and Nezuko are uniquely positioned to carry on Yoriichi’s tradition and potentially destroy Muzan using the technique of the man the Demon King fears the most.