Demon Slayer Characters Guide: Hashira, Upper Moons, Watch Order, and Merch

Oct 14, 2026

Demon Slayer characters fall into three groups: Tanjiro Kamado and his friends, the nine Hashira who lead the Demon Slayer Corps, and the Twelve Kizuki, the demons who serve Muzan Kibutsuji. Koyoharu Gotouge's manga, Kimetsu no Yaiba, ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 2016 to 2020, and studio ufotable has been adapting it for TV and film since 2019. This guide is updated for the Infinity Castle film trilogy. You'll get who's who, each fighter's Breathing style, the watch order, and where to find Demon Slayer merch sourced straight from Japan.

What Is Demon Slayer About?

Demon Slayer follows Tanjiro Kamado, a teenage charcoal seller who comes home to find his family killed by a demon. His younger sister Nezuko survives, but she has been turned into a demon herself. Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps, a secret sword-fighting order, to find a cure for Nezuko and track down Muzan Kibutsuji, the original demon behind the attack.

The story is set in the Taisho era (1912–1926), when trains and electric lights were arriving in Japanese cities and old beliefs about demons were fading into folklore. That clash of old and new shows up everywhere, from the steam locomotive in the Mugen Train arc to the traditional patterns on each character's haori (a short kimono-style jacket). If you want the story behind those designs, read our breakdown of the Demon Slayer masks explained.

Who Are the Main Demon Slayer Characters?

The core cast is four characters who train, travel, and fight together through the whole series.

Tanjiro Kamado

Tanjiro is the protagonist of Demon Slayer. He learns Water Breathing from Sakonji Urokodaki, a retired Water Hashira, and later taps into Hinokami Kagura (Dance of the Fire God), a family ritual dance tied to the legendary Sun Breathing. His secret weapon is an extraordinary sense of smell that lets him read a demon's intentions before it moves.

Nezuko Kamado

Nezuko is Tanjiro's younger sister and a demon who never loses her love for humans. She wears a bamboo muzzle, recovers by sleeping instead of eating people, and fights with a Blood Demon Art that sets her blood on fire. In the Swordsmith Village arc she becomes the first demon to overcome sunlight, which instantly makes her Muzan's top target.

Zenitsu Agatsuma

Zenitsu is a Thunder Breathing swordsman who can only perform the First Form: Thunderclap and Flash. He is famously cowardly while awake and devastating when he passes out, since fear stops holding him back. His sharp hearing works like Tanjiro's nose.

Inosuke Hashibira

Inosuke was raised by boars in the mountains, wears a boar's head as a mask, and fights with two jagged swords using his self-taught Beast Breathing. He challenges almost everyone he meets and slowly becomes Tanjiro's most loyal friend.

Who Are the Nine Hashira in Demon Slayer?

The Hashira (pillars) are the nine highest-ranking swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps. Each one masters a Breathing style and answers directly to the Corps leader, Kagaya Ubuyashiki. Here is every Hashira, in the order fans usually meet them.

Giyu Tomioka, Water Hashira

Giyu is the first Demon Slayer Tanjiro meets. He spares Nezuko in episode one and sends Tanjiro to train with Urokodaki, his own former teacher.

Shinobu Kocho, Insect Hashira

Shinobu is too small to behead demons, so she kills them with wisteria poison delivered through a needle-like blade. She runs the Butterfly Mansion, the Corps' hospital, with her adopted sister Kanao Tsuyuri.

Kyojuro Rengoku, Flame Hashira

Rengoku leads the Mugen Train mission, protects all 200 passengers, and dies fighting Upper Moon Three, Akaza. The Mugen Train film became the highest-grossing film in Japanese box office history.

Tengen Uzui, Sound Hashira

Tengen is a former shinobi (ninja) who leads the Entertainment District mission and retires after helping defeat Upper Moon Six. Get the full story in our deep dive on Gyutaro and Daki, the terrifying duo of the Twelve Kizuki.

Muichiro Tokito, Mist Hashira

Muichiro became a Hashira just two months after picking up a sword. He is a descendant of the Tsugikuni family line, which connects him to Upper Moon One. Read our Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito spotlight for more.

Mitsuri Kanroji, Love Hashira

Mitsuri has muscle density eight times that of a normal person and fights with a whip-thin, flexible sword. She is cheerful, kind, and one of the strongest fighters in the Corps.

Obanai Iguro, Serpent Hashira

Obanai uses a curved blade and Serpent Breathing, and his white snake Kaburamaru helps him in battle. He is harsh with almost everyone except Mitsuri.

Sanemi Shinazugawa, Wind Hashira

Sanemi is scarred, hot-tempered, and carries rare blood that intoxicates demons. His younger brother Genya is Tanjiro's classmate from Final Selection.

Gyomei Himejima, Stone Hashira

Gyomei is blind, fights with a spiked flail and axe joined by a chain, and is widely regarded as the strongest active Hashira.

Who Are the Upper Moons in Demon Slayer?

The Upper Moons are the six strongest members of the Twelve Kizuki (Twelve Demon Moons), the elite demons who serve Muzan Kibutsuji. Muzan is not a Moon himself. He is the first demon, created about 1,000 years earlier in the Heian period, and every other demon carries his blood. The six Lower Moons barely matter to the plot: Rui (Lower Five) falls at Mount Natagumo in Season 1, and Muzan wipes out the rest in a single scene, sparing only Enmu, the Lower One who possesses the Mugen Train.

Kokushibo, Upper Moon One

Kokushibo was once a Demon Slayer and is the twin brother of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the legendary first user of Sun Breathing. He fights with Moon Breathing and a sword grown from his own flesh.

Doma, Upper Moon Two

Doma leads a religious cult, uses an ice-based Blood Demon Art, and feels no real emotion at all. He killed Shinobu's older sister, Kanae Kocho.

Akaza, Upper Moon Three

Akaza is a martial artist who refuses to use a sword and fights with his Destructive Death techniques. He kills Rengoku in Mugen Train and is a central opponent in Infinity Castle Part 1.

Hantengu, Gyokko, and Nakime

Hantengu (Upper Four) splits into clones that each embody an emotion, and Gyokko (Upper Five) travels through pots and conjures fish demons. Both fall in the Swordsmith Village arc. Nakime then takes the Upper Four seat and controls the shifting Infinity Castle with her biwa (a Japanese lute).

Gyutaro and Daki, Upper Moon Six

Gyutaro and Daki are siblings who share one rank and rule the Entertainment District. They die only when both are beheaded at the same moment. Kaigaku, a former Thunder Breathing trainee alongside Zenitsu, later takes their seat.

What Order Should You Watch Demon Slayer In?

Watch Demon Slayer by story arc, in release order. This is the complete watch order through Infinity Castle:

1. Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc (Season 1, 26 episodes, 2019)

2. Mugen Train (the 2020 film, or the 7-episode TV version from 2021, which adds an original opening episode about Rengoku)

3. Entertainment District Arc (11 episodes, 2021–2022)

4. Swordsmith Village Arc (11 episodes, 2023)

5. Hashira Training Arc (8 episodes, 2024)

6. Infinity Castle Part 1 (film, released in Japan on July 18, 2025, and in North America in September 2025)

You can skip the "To the Swordsmith Village" and "To the Hashira Training" theatrical events. They repackage episodes you will already see. Infinity Castle Part 1 went on to become the highest-grossing anime film ever worldwide, and Part 2 has no confirmed release date at the time of writing. A third and final film will close the story.

What Demon Slayer Merch Can You Get From Japan?

Japan-market Demon Slayer merch leans small and character-specific: mini plushies, prize figures, character bento boxes, and snack tie-ins. Much of it is made for Japanese stores and never gets a Western release, and deep-cut characters almost never do. Sugoi Mart's Tokyo team sources these goods directly from Japan.

Fuwakororin Mini Plushies

Fuwakororin is a Japan-market mini plush line, and it covers characters you rarely see on US shelves. Start with the Fuwakororin Nezuko plushie, then round out the Butterfly Mansion with Shinobu, Kanao, and Aoi, or grab Kanae Kocho and Makomo for true deep cuts.

Plushies and Tote Bag Set

The Demon Slayer Plushies and Tote Bag Set bundles plush characters with a tote, so it works as a ready-made gift for the fan who has everything.

Tanjiro Bento Box

Bento (a packed Japanese lunch box) is an everyday part of school and work life in Japan, and character bento boxes are a staple in Japanese stores. The Demon Slayer Tanjiro bento box brings that into your own lunch routine. For more gift ideas, see our roundup of top Demon Slayer merchandise you can't miss.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the strongest character in Demon Slayer?
Muzan Kibutsuji is the strongest demon, and Kokushibo is the strongest Upper Moon. Among the Demon Slayers, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, a swordsman from centuries before the main story, is considered the strongest who ever lived. Of the current Hashira, Gyomei Himejima is widely ranked first.
How many Hashira are there in Demon Slayer?
There are nine Hashira when the story begins: Water, Insect, Flame, Sound, Mist, Love, Serpent, Wind, and Stone. Each masters a different Breathing style and is one of the most powerful swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps.
Is Tanjiro a Hashira?
No. Tanjiro never officially becomes a Hashira, although he trains alongside them and fights at their level by the final arc. His rank stays below Hashira throughout the series.
Is the Demon Slayer story finished?
The manga is finished. It ended in 2020 after 205 chapters collected in 23 volumes. The anime is finishing the story through the Infinity Castle film trilogy, which began with Part 1 in 2025.
Where can I buy Demon Slayer merch outside Japan?
Sugoi Mart ships Demon Slayer merch sourced from Japan worldwide, including mini plushies, character bento boxes, and gift sets. Stock rotates with new drops from Japan, so check the collection often.

Where to Buy Demon Slayer Merch

Whether you ride with the Hashira or root for the Upper Moons, there is a piece of Japan-sourced Demon Slayer merch with your favorite character on it. Mini plushies sell out fast once they are gone from Japanese stores, so grab the characters you love while they are here. Pair a plushie with a bento box, or go big and let a lucky bag surprise you. Browse the full Sugoi Mart Demon Slayer collection and build your Corps. Want more mystery in the mix? The Sugoi Mart lucky bag collection packs Japan-exclusive goodies into every bag.