All fans of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba know very well that the Hashira are the pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps in the anime. They are his strongest warriors, whose goal is to eradicate all demons to protect humanity. Of this select group, controlled by Kagaya Ubuyashiki, Gyomei Himejima is easily the strongest of the nine.
Something that we find quite curious is that, these pillars are very different when it comes to their abilities, and it can be difficult to compare them when their fighting styles vary so much, but when it comes to power, Gyomei Himejima is one of the strongest. , and while he hasn’t had much screen time in the anime thus far, he plays a major supporting role in the manga, where examples of his strength are abundantly clear.
But why is Gyomei Himejima the strongest in the guild? For starters, he is physically stronger than his fellow Hashira’s. He wields one of the most impressive Nichirin swords in history and earns the respect of both Demon Slayers and the Demons themselves, all without sight of him.
Each Hashira is a master of a different breathing style, from love to stone to mist. Everyone is assigned a territory to watch over, keep an eye out for demons, and work to hone their skills even further; some even hire trainees to succeed them.
Tanjiro Kamado and Zenitsu Agatsuma have been trained by the former Hashira; Sakonji Urokodaki, the former Water Hashira, and Jigoro Kuwajima, the former Lightning Hashira. Gyomei Himejima has been blind since his birth, and before becoming a Hashira, he lived in a temple raising nine orphaned children.
After an invading demon killed all but one of the children, Gyomei pummeled the demon with his fists until dawn. He was falsely imprisoned for murdering the children, but Ubuyashiki saved him from execution. Afterwards, he would become a Demon Slayer and was promoted to the role of Pillar of Stone after only two months in the Demon Slayer Corps.
In combat, Gyomei’s power is clear. Even without a sword, she was able to control a demon with just raw physical strength. He Nichirin’s sword is unique, as he is the only Demon Slayer whose blade takes the form of an axe, and is considered one of the best crafted in history.
His ax is connected to a spiked flail by a long chain. During his training, she used his superhuman hearing to adapt and follow the sound of the chain, track his weapon, and supplement his lack of vision.
Gyomei is also incredibly skilled at tactics and deductive reasoning. This idea was eventually discovered by him during a fight against a higher ranked demon, which gave him the ability to “see” his opponents as if they were right in front of him. Ultimately, he has been recognized as the most powerful Hashira by Demon Slayers and demons alike, even his own teammates, including Tanjiro and Inosuke Hashibira.
Top rank 1 demon Kokushibo has also mentioned that his abilities are at their peak and that he is the highest caliber warrior he has encountered in 300 years. To be promoted to a rank of honor so quickly, and leader of the Corps no less, is a great testament to the strength of this character.