As the main character in Demon SlayerTanjiro Kamado has killed quite a few villains, and that's one of the reasons fans love him so much. Tanjiro scored big victories against Kyogai and Enmu, then defied the odds by defeating Gyutaro and Hantenga of the Upper Moons. But Tanjiro can't be there for every single fight, so it's up to his allies to pick up the slack.
Side characters like Zenitsu, Inosuke, and the various Hashiras need a chance to shine in battle and have hard-earned victories for it. With little or no help from Tanjiro, they've taken down more than a few notable villains and are always exciting to watch. Interestingly, there is one instance where the villain defeated himself, which spoke volumes for the character's own arc.
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Daki met her fate at the hands of Zenitsu in the entertainment district
Rank: Upper Moon 6
Tanjiro played a major role in the fight against the Upper Moons in the Entertainment District, but was unable to defeat all the villains by himself. While Tanjiro faced Daki in that fight, he was not the one to end it. Instead, the battle split into two different encounters, with Zenitsu and Inosuke facing off and winning over Daki.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro gave his all to fight Gyutaro as Tengen Uzui's sidekick, Sound Hashira. The fight got personal as Gyutaro taunted Tanjiro as a little sister's big brother, infuriating Demon Slayerhero. But even after all that, Tanjiro's inner kindness shines through as he urges the headless Daki and Gyutaro to bond as brother and sister right before he collapses.
Gyokko was foolish to challenge the power of Muichiro's Demon Slayer Mark
Rank: Upper Moon 5
Tanjiro did well to fight the Upper Moon 4, Hantengu, and deliver the final blow against a seemingly indestructible opponent. Hantengu was a one-man team with his special bodies based on emotions, while his real body was small and hard to catch. Incredibly, Tanjiro was willing to leave Nezuko to her fate in the morning sun so he could kill Hantenga. So that leaves the question of Gyokko, whom Tanjiro didn't fight at all.
It took several fighters to hold the Hantenga at bay, leaving only Muichiro Tokito, Mist Hashira, to face the Water Upper Moon 5. It was then that the soaring Muichiro, seemingly emotionless, showed himself to be an inspired swordsman who would give anything to defeat evil. More importantly, Muichiro awakened his Demon Slayer Mark to turn the tables on his superior opponent. He became one of the few characters to face Upper Moon and win on his own.
Akaza chose to destroy himself rather than continue the empty violence of his life
Rank: Upper Moon 3
On some levels, Tanjiro claimed victory over Akasa, but not completely. First, Tanjiro could only watch as Kyojuro Rengoku fought a losing battle against Akaz in the Mugen Train arc where Tanjiro claimed a moral victory from Kyojuro. Much later, in the Infinity Castle Arc, it was Tanjiro's turn to fight Akasa and seek revenge. He even had Giya Tomioka there to back him up, but even two Water Breathing users couldn't take down Upper Moon 3 that easily.
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In fact, even a beheading didn't end the fight, with Akaza doing the impossible and fighting headless. It was a terrifying sight as Akaz's headless body went through the motions and Tanjiro and Giyu felt they had no options. Fortunately for them, Akaza remembered his violent days as a human and decided to destroy himself. This was the kind of emotional closure that Akaza needed as someone who tried in vain to overcome his pain and grief through constant struggle.
Kaigaku's loss at the hands of Zenitsu helped redeem Thunder Breathing's legacy
Rank: Upper Moon 6
Zenitsu Agatsuma is another character who has defeated Upper Moon solo, although it has been noted that Kaigaku has yet to fully grow into his role as Upper Moon 6. Regardless, Zenitsu has shown some impressive growth both internally and externally as he takes on his former classmate. It was also shown that even though Zenitsu knew less forms of Thunder Breathing than Kaigaku, he had the spirit and courage to bridge the gap.
In the process, Zenitsu helped redeem the idea of Thunder Breathing as Kaigaku turned it into an instrument of evil and cruelty as a demon. In some ways, Kaigaku was Jigoro's true heir as someone who mastered Thunder Breathing much more than Zenitsu at the time. Thunder Breathing seemed to be in bad shape for a while, but Zenitsu's victory changed everything when he defeated Kaigaku without the help of Tanjiro or Inosuke.
It took four Hashiras to finally defeat Kokushibo in Muzan's castle
Rank: Upper Moon 1
As everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps expected, Upper Moon 1, Kokushibo, was practically unstoppable. The six-eyed demon could do a little bit of everything, from flesh regeneration and Transparent World to Moon Breathing and even the Demon Slayer Mark. No one could defeat him alone, not even Tanjiro Kamado and all his conspiracies. While Tanjiro fought and recovered from his own battles, four other demon slayers challenged Kokushibo to fight to the end.
The demon slayer side went full blast and the squad had the mighty Gyomei Himeji to take the lead as the most powerful demon slayer of his time. However, despite all the firepower on the human side, Kokushibo claimed several lives and the demon slayers won only very narrowly. Tanjiro would have liked to help if he could, but he was too busy elsewhere.
At home, she was destroyed from the inside thanks to Shinobu's sacrifice
Rank: Upper Moon 2
It would be really unbelievable, or even downright ridiculous, if Tanjiro fought and defeated every Upper Moon in the Infinity Castle Arc. Additionally, leaving Tanjiro out of these fights helped other characters enter Demon Slayer to show their stuff, even if they sometimes died in the process. Shinobu Kocho fought a very personal battle when she faced the killer of her beloved sister. At home, Upper Moon 2, scared Demon Slayer fans with his ice-based abilities and stubborn resistance to all poisons.
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Shinobu died and was absorbed into the Body House, but that was the beginning of the end for Upper Moon 2. Shinobu's essence poisoned him from the inside, giving Inosuke and Kanao Tsuyuri a chance to finally take down this tremendously powerful demon. It was Kana's first and only real fight and she did well without needing Tanjira to back her up.
Tanjiro hurt Rui, but he couldn't finish the job
Rank: Lower Moon 5
Tanjiro certainly fought Rui in the forest of Mount Natagumo, but he couldn't win. In the absence of his Demon Slayer Mark and advanced training techniques, Tanjiro simply did not have what it took to kill Lower Moon. Back then, Tanjiro tended to win with luck, armor scheming, or fighting non-moon demons like the Swamp Demon. It's true that Tanjiro awakened Hinokami Kagura's awesome power when he faced Rui, but even that didn't seal the deal.
Instead, it fell to Giyuu to kill the Lower Moon 5 and he made it look easy. Giyu's quick victory where Hinokami Kagura failed made it clear how far Tanjiro still had to go, though Tanjiro didn't feel discouraged. Instead, Demon SlayerThe protagonist was happy to continue training at the Butterfly Mansion to take on the likes of Enmu.
No demon slayer had ever defeated Nakime in battle
Rank: Upper Moon 4
Most of the demons were killed by the hand of the demon slayer, with or without Tanjiro, but Nakime is an exception. From the beginning, she had a supporting role for Muzan's elite minions, never leaving Infinity Castle in her service to her master. Nakima's job was to teleport people around her and spy on the demon slayers, but eventually the demon slayers challenged her to a fight.
Nakime was tougher than she looked, using her unusual techniques in Infinity Castle to avoid injury and put pressure on Mitsuri and Obanai. Notably, not long after being promoted to Upper Moon 4, Nakime was absorbed by Muzan, a humiliating end to this faithful demon's modest arc.
