Demon Slayer: Best Finishing Moves, Ranked

Contrary to popular belief, Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer is not just about killing monsters, but rather about swordsmanship and the human spirit. Most of the characters in this series are skilled swordsmen & women that can pull off the most incredible techniques with their blades. And even those who don’t wield swords also have amazing attacks of their own, including the demons themselves.

But not all techniques are made equal. As it’s the case with most action shōnen anime & manga, some of the most astounding & memorable moves in all of Demon Slayer are the ones performed when a character finishes off a climactic battle. And these are some of the very best that this popular series has to offer.

9 Butterfly Dance: Caprice

Shinobu Kocho

When one of the members of the Spider Family tried to escape, she had the misfortune of running into Shinobu Kocho, who quickly dealt with her with one of the techniques from her Insect Breathing style, named Butterfly Dance: Caprice.

With this attack, Shinobu quickly stung the demon multiple times before she could even notice her, and then suddenly died because of the poison in her blade. It was a quick yet oddly elegant death, mostly due to the Insect Hashira’s calculated movements and the butterfly imagery that the demon saw before their demise.

8 Obscuring Clouds

Muichiro Tokito

Muichiro Tokito’s intense fight against the Fifth Upper Moon, Gyokko, led the Mist Hashira to a path of self-realization. But, after many deadly attacks from both parties, Tokito finally decided to finish it off with the Seventh Form of his Mist Breathing: His personal creation, called Obscuring Clouds.

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This is an impressive movement-based technique that makes it seem like Tokito is quickly coming in and out of a cloud of mist, which ends up confusing Gyokko. Before he knows it, the Mist Hashira quickly severed his head, ending the fight in the process. This is truly the ultimate form of his Mist Breathing, and it perfectly shows Tokito’s immense growth.

7 Water Surface Slash

Tanjiro Kamado

When protagonist Tanjiro Kamado underwent the Final Selection process in order to become a demon slayer, he ended up facing a challenging final obstacle: The Hand Demon, a terrifying demon who had previously killed thirteen of his mentor’s apprentices. So this was quite an emotional encounter.

The Hand Demon’s mistake was underestimating the boy, since he claimed his neck was too strong for Tanjiro to cut it. But the young slayer had enough skill & strength to decapitate the demon with Water Surface Slash, the first form of his recently learned Water Breathing. This was the moment that audiences realized Tanjiro had the makings of a respected demon slayer.

6 Destructive Death Suicide

Akaza

When talking about finishing moves in anime & manga, it is not usually expected to tackle a self-infringed death. But that was the case with the Third Upper Moon, Akaza. After a long & intense battle against Tanjiro and Giyuu, he remembered his past, which made him realize that he never wanted to become a demon in the first place.

A headless but still living Akaza gathered enough strength to perform a final move with his Destructive Death technique. As Tanjiro panicked and tried to avoid it, the demon suddenly destroyed his own body. This is one of the most unexpected scenes in the entire series and a rather tragic one, as it meant that Akaza could finally meet with his fiancée in the afterlife.

5 Dead Calm

Giyuu Tomioka

Unbeknownst to the audience, Giyuu Tomioka was the first Hashira ever introduced in Demon Slayer. But it wouldn’t be until he managed to slay Rui that he wouldn’t show how strong he truly was. Thanks to the eleventh form of his Water Breathing, an amazing technique known as Dead Calm.

Only the most talented demon slayers can elaborate their own personal techniques, and this is the case for Giyuu. When he uses Dead Calm, he enters a state of complete tranquility that lets him block any oncoming attacks, until he finally decapitates Rui with one precise slash. This is a really impressive move that also looks absolutely beautiful, especially in the anime adaptation.

4 Equinoctial Vermilion Eye + Sudden Throwing Strike

Kanao Tsuyuri & Inosuke Hashibira

Even the most unconventional of pairings can achieve effective results, just like it happened with Kanao Tsuyuri and Inosuke Hashibira. They joined forces in a long & personal battle against Upper Moon Two, Doma. The demon’s cryokinetic powers put them in a tough spot that forced them to unlock their true potential.

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Kanao unlocked the final form of her Flower Breathing, Equinoctial Vermilion Eye, which gave them a great advantage. This helped her deal a final blow with her sword, until Doma managed to trap her with his ice. But Inosuke’s quick thinking saved the day, when he used Sudden Throwing Strike, which pushed Kanao’s blade inside Doma’s neck, finally decapitating him in the process. This was the perfect teamwork between two completely opposite breathing styles.

3 Sun Breathing: Dance

Tanjiro Kamado

Sometimes, the most memorable finishing moves are not about spectacle or technique, but about the sheer emotion behind them. This was the case when Tanjiro Kamado finally had the opportunity to kill Upper Moon Four, Hantengu. He technically slayed him with the most basic form of his lethal Sun Breathing Style, simply called Dance, but the context behind this move is what truly matters.

Hantengu was a truly despicable being that not even the kind-hearted Tanjiro could forgive. Thanks to his Blood Demon Art, he managed to escape many times and had to be pursued relentlessly by Tanjiro and his allies. At the end, audiences could feel the anger that Tanjiro felt as he was decapitating Hantengu. This was an incredibly satisfying finisher, thanks to the impeccable animation and amazing voice work from Natsuki Hanae.

2 Flaming Thunder God

Zenitsu Agatsuma

Zenitsu Agatsuma is one of those characters that may seem weak at first, but he’s actually extremely strong and talented. Even though he could only use the First Form of the Thunder Breathing style (And most of them happened when he was asleep), his sheer determination to honor his mentor in his encounter against Kaigaku led him to elaborate a brand-new mind-blowing technique.

Flaming Thunder God is a powerful attack in which Zenitsu dashes at blinding speeds and deals a devastating final blow that leaves the image of a dragon made of lightning behind him. With this, Zenitsu could finally defeat his rival and show how strong he had truly become. This is one of the most memorable panels in all of Demon Slayer, and most fans can’t wait to see it in motion.

1 Unlocking The Demon Slayer Mark

Tanjiro Kamado & Tengen Uzui

When Tengen Uzui unleashed his String Performance technique on Gyutaro, it was up to Tanjiro to take advantage of this distraction in order to deal the finishing blow to the powerful Upper Moon Six. But this wouldn’t be easy, as this had been a very long and difficult battle, and his body was severely injured.

Just when it seemed like Tanjiro could decapitate him, Gyutaro struck him in his jaw. But despite all odds, and thanks to Tengen’s assistance, the young hero managed to gather enough strength to unlock the mysterious Demon Slayer Mark and eventually killed the demon in one memorable final attack. While this entire battle was a true spectacle, this finishing move is what this series is truly about: the impressiveness of human will and how far the demon slayers are willing to go in order to save the innocent.

Demon Slayer

Release Date

April 6, 2019

Creator

Koyoharu Gotoge

Studio

ufotable

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

3

Japanese Title

Kimetsu no Yaiba