Demon Slayer is one of the most popular anime of the last few decades, and for plenty of good reasons. Its story follows the main protagonist Tanjiro, who, after losing everything, sets off on a quest to become one of the best Demon Slayers in hopes of getting his sister's humanity back and exacting revenge on the demon who ruined his life.
Becoming a successful Demon Slayer seems to be an act of bravery in itself, but it's more than that. Being brave is not as easy as one may think, especially when being constantly confronted with demons and life-threatening situations. Bravery isn't reserved for slayers either. It takes a special kind of demon to want to measure up against the Slayers Corps.
Updated May 5, 2022, by Jessica Faith: With the second season over and available to watch on Crunchyroll, there are many new Demon Slayer characters introduced to fans of the series. Many of these new additions have shown extreme bravery in the face of death and danger and deserved to be ranked among the bravest Demon Slayer characters. SPOILERS AHEAD
13 Uzui's Wives: Hinatsuru, Makio & Suma
When Uzui, the Sound Hashira, was tasked with finding the demon who hid in the Entertainment District in the second season of Demon Slayer, he enlisted his wives to help him. His wives knowingly put their lives in danger by joining different houses and acting as spies.
When Uzui was in danger, Hinatsuru constantly put herself in harm's way to save him, while Makio and Suma helped Inosuke against Daki. As women with no extraordinary skills, it was impressively brave of them to fight alongside the demon slayers and put their lives at risk.
12 Nezuko Kamado
Fans see Nezuko, Tanjiro's little sister, act bravely right from the first episode of the series. Once turned into a demon, she fought against her newfound instinct to kill her brother, and instead protected him from the water Hashira, Tomioka. It didn't matter to her that the person she attacked was a Hashira. Even though she didn't know what that meant at the time, she wouldn't have backed down.
Nezuko is constantly protecting those she cares about throughout the anime. She even goes as far as killing demons, those who are supposedly her kind, to save the lives of innocents.
11 Inosuke Hashibara
This Demon Slayer never hesitates to run into battle whenever he senses a demon nearby. Although it takes a lot of bravery to slay demons, he acts on impulse and recklessness, which gets him into trouble. However, he always manages to survive with the help of his friends.
One episode where Inosuke's bravery shines the most is in the Natagumo Mountain Arc of season 1, where he fought against the Father Spider Demon. The fight against the spider demon was challenging, but with the help of Giyu, the slayers manages to win.
10 Giyu Tomioka
Giyu is the first Hashira to meet Tanjiro and Nezuko in the first episode. He immediately tries to get rid of Nezuko, but as soon as he realizes that she isn't dangerous, he lets her live. Protecting a demon is against the rules of the Slayers Corps, but this Kuudere is brave enough to defy those rules and trust his instincts.
This isn't the only time that Giyu Tomioka has proved that he is one of the bravest characters in this anime. He faces and kills not only the Father Spider Demon, but Lower Rank Five, Rui with his Water Breathing Techniques.
9 Sanemi Shinazugawa
Sanemi is the Wind Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, whom Tanjiro meets in episode 22 of the Shonen series. Tanjiro faces a trial for protecting Nezuko, and must prove she is harmless. However, Sanemi's hatred and experience with demons drive him to know better.
To show his fellow slayers the true nature of demons, he bravely cuts himself to tempt Nezuko into attacking. Going to such extremes to prove a point isn't something everyone would do do, which is why Sanemi's bravery is remarkable in this instance.
8 Tamayo
Tamayo is a demon, but just like Nezuko, she doesn't hurt humans. While she once was a dangerous demon, she has put to stop the violence inflicted on innocents and decided to spend her energy studying everything she could find on demons and their transformation instead.
As a doctor, she tends to the injured, regardless of what they are (human or demon), and she has made it her life's mission to avenge her family killed by Muzan. It takes a lot of bravery for a demon to side with humans and find a way to defeat the all-powerful Muzan. She even teams up with Tanjiro, Muzan's nemesis.
7 Lower Rank One Demon: Emnu
Emnu was the only Lower Level of the Twelve Kizuki who did not cower in fear when he faced death in the last episode of the first season. Unlike his allies who ran away or tried to convince Muzan to let them live, he loved the idea and felt honored at being kept for last.
Furthermore, when he was chosen by Muzan to go after a member of the Hashira and Tanjrio, he didn't hesitate to accept. Even though it seemed like a death sentence to engage in such a dangerous task to other demons, his bravery never wavered.
6 Upper Rank Six Demons: Daki & Gyutaro
The two antagonists of the Entertainment District are among the bravest of the demons so far. Daki's life as a human was harsh, but as long as she had her brother to rely on when things got hard, she had no trouble being brave. This bravery was also why a man got angry with her and burned her human self alive. However, danger never scared her. In fact, she showed immense bravery when she agreed to help the terrifying Muzan in his quest to kill the demon slayers and a Hashira, which she fought on her own for a while before her brother came to help.
As for Gyutaro, he was used to being mistreated, so showing a brave face to those who harmed him was always easy. With everything he's been through, going against a couple of demon slayers and a Hashira wasn't terrifying to him. In fact, he fought against them bravely until his fateful demise.
5 Upper Rank Three Demon: Akaza
In the movie Mugen Train, Akaza arrives knowing well enough of the stakes awaiting him. Even though the demon Emnu gets defeated by the Demon Slayers, Akaza's bravery never wanes.
He gladly takes on the Flame Hashira Rengoku without a second thought, and proves to be just as powerful as the slayer. The two fight relentlessly until the sunrise, which prompts Akaza to leave the battle a bit prematurely, but not before inflicting lots of damage to Rengoku. Rengoku succumbs to his wounds, leaving his friends in anger and mourning.
4 Kyojuro Rengoku
The Flame Pillar, Rengoku, proved to be one of the bravest Hashira members. He refused to back down no matter how hard Akuza came at him during their fight in the movie Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. Instead, he refused to give up and kept fighting even when he could barely stand up.
Rengoku was brave enough to put his own life on the line as long as it would save the other passengers aboard the train and his friends. He was a remarkable slayer and will always be remembered for his sacrifice.
3 Tengen Uzui
Fans finally got to see more of the Sound Hashira in the second season of the series. He's handsome, flashy, has a way with the ladies, and even has three wives, much to Zenitsu's dismay. He may even be one of the coolest characters of the Demon Slayer anime. Uzui has always been a fighter since he was forced to train from a young age to become a Shinobi and save his bloodline.
Uzui gets poisoned at one point during his fight against the demon siblings, but never stops fighting even though he was beyond tired and weak. All he thought about was protecting everyone — his friends, wives, and villagers — and he wouldn't stop until he succeeded. Once his mission was complete, he felt satisfied with himself and was ready to welcome death showing no hint of fear. In the face of death and danger, Uzui is truly one of the bravest characters in the anime.
2 Zenitsu Agatsuma
Zenitsu is known for his cowardice throughout the anime. However, he does surprise his fans once in a while. He bravely protected Tanjiro's box, where Nezuko hides during the day, from Inosuke. Zenitsu didn't have any reason for protecting the box other than trusting his friend's word. He was willing to be sacrificed as long as the box and its content remained untouched.
In episode 22 of the first season, Zenitsu shows that he is brave enough to follow Nezuko into the demon-infested woods. His bravery also helped him face the horrifying spider demons with his Thunder Breathing Technique. As for season 2 of the series, he even faced Daki when she physically assaulted a young girl. He knew she was a demon because he sensed it, and although he still feared them, he didn't back down and demanded she let go of the girl, even though it endangered his life. The slayer shows, time and time again, that when it comes to his friends, he is ready to brave even the most terrifying moments he can encounter.
1 Tanjiro Kamado
In episode 4 of the first season, Tanjiro has made it the final selection to become a Demon Slayer. As he wanders the forest, he sees another Demon Slayer being chased by a massive demon known as The Hand Demon. He freezes in fear for a moment, but his bravery and courage push him to save the slayer and release the souls of the countless slayers who perished fighting the demon years ago, like Sabito and Makomo.
In the second season, when all seemed lost and Tanjiro was the only one left to fight against Gyutaro, he never lost hope. Through his bravery, he managed to stall the demon long enough to land an ultimate hit and for Uzui to come to his aid. The duo finally killed him after a long and emotionally-packed fight. Tanjiro constantly proves that he's all about fighting for what is right, and protecting his friends and family from demons. His bravery is what has gotten him this far in the series and he is truly an inspiring Deredere character for many fans.