The Hashira of Tanjiro's generation are Demon Slayer's best, and I'm tired of fans not realizing why

With Demon Slayer being considered one of the most popular series, fans of the series thoroughly enjoy the vast roster of unique characters the anime has to offer. With a plethora of characters to choose from as to who is the most unique, the Hashira are among the top, with a show of different personalities as well as powers.

While the concept of the Hashira has been incorporated since the formation of the Demon Slayer Corps a thousand years ago during the Heian Era, some fans fail to realize that the current Hashira in the series, in Tanjiro's generation, are probably the best compared to the others in the past.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinions and contains spoilers from the Demon Slayer anime and manga series.

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Hashira during Tanjiro's generation are probably Demon Slayer's best

With the Demon Slayer's extensive universe, the Hashira are an integral and probably the most important people in the series. While the series has, now and then, given a glimpse of the few past Hashira like Sankonji Urokodaki and Jigoro Kuwajima, the last generation of Hashira surpasses them.

With years of knowledge and discoveries to aid by their side, the Hashira from Tanjiro's generation, namely Giyu, Muichiro, Sanemi, Mitsuri, Iguro, Gyomei, Shinobu, Rengoku, and Uzui, are the best versions of the age-old title held by the protectors of humankind against Muzan and his demons.

To put into perspective, during the Entertainment District arc, Muzan was shown commending the Upper Rank six demon, Daki, for killing 7 Hashira in the past. However, when it came to Uzui's turn to face her, he effortlessly beheaded Daki, showing how much stronger he is compared to others who came before him.

Furthermore, Gyutaro was also revealed to have killed 15 Hashira. It is known that Gyutaro only comes out when Daki is in trouble or on the verge of being defeated, meaning Daki also momentarily had some slip-ups during the fights. So, how was it that such a weaker demon like Daki, easily defeated by Uzui, had killed so many Hashira in the past?

As per the Demon Slayer Corps' rules, as narrated by Kagaya Ubuyashiki, to become a Hahira, an individual has to defeat at least one member of the Twelve Kizuki, Muzan's elite squad of demons. However, it was never specified whether it had to be an Upper Moon or a Lower Moon.

Comparing this with the fact that Muzan said that the Lower Moon demons were frequently replaced, it is likely that most of the Hashira from the past gained their position by killing Lower Moon demons. While Enmu and Rui were shown as strong Lower Moon demons, there were others like Kyogai, who were defeated by Tanjiro and the others when they were just rookies.

Several Upper Rank demons like Akaza, Gyokko, and Kokushibo have also stated that Hashira from Tanjiro's generation are some of the strongest opponents they have ever faced in their extensive time as demons, which goes up to even 300 years.

However, not all past Hashira can be considered weaker than the ones from Tanjiro's generation, as the first generation of Hashira is also considered some of the strongest to have existed. While the full lineup was never revealed in the series, the known Hashira were Urokodaki, Jigoro, and Shinjuro Rengoku, Kyojuro's father.

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Final thought

With time, the Hashira have grown stronger to the point where the ones from Tanjiro's generation can be named the strongest, the Demon Slayer series has to offer. While they are considered the strongest, there could have been potential with the next generation of Hashira to come after them, however, the series' narrative does not allow for exploring that possibility.

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