Demon Slayer season 2 episode 14 had fans watching with bated breaths as Nezuko tossed Upper Rank Six demon Daki around like a rag doll, even as the latter kept attacking and inflicting severe injuries upon the younger Kamado sibling.
Over the seasons, we have witnessed Nezuko growing more and more powerful as a demon. With her latest power up, it brings us to the question: How powerful of a demon is Nezuko?
Nezuko’s demonic abilities in Demon Slayer
Abnormal demonic physiology
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The first unique ability that Nezuko possesses was discussed very early on in the Demon Slayer series. Tanjiro was initially worried about Nezuko’s excessively long periods of sleep. However, after meeting Tamayo, he found out that unlike other demons, Nezuko substituted feeding on humans with sleep.
Nezuko especially required very long periods of sleep to replenish her energy after any fight, especially if she was injured in the process.
Nezuko’s ability to grow larger or smaller at will is also related to her physiology. We first noticed this ability when Tanjiro attempted to carry her around in a basket, with Nezuko shrinking herself to fit into the basket.
In Demon Slayer season 2 episode 14, she also shrank into an infantile form after sustaining heavy injuries, seemingly having reached her limit.
Demonic form
Nezuko also possesses regenerative abilities, something she shares with all demons of the Demon Slayer series. However, the extent of that ability varies with how powerful the demon is.
While her regenerative abilities were slower due to her refusal to feed on humans, the ability was drastically boosted when Nezuko entered her “Awakened” Demonic form.
During her fight with Daki, the Upper Rank demon admitted that her regenerative power rivaled that of Upper Rank demons, and was superior to her own.
In her demonic form, Nezuko grew larger, adopting an adult appearance. Vine-like patterns appeared on her body while a single horn protruded out of her head. This form also enhanced her speed and power, which is a huge boost, considering Nezuko had smashed half of Daki’s head with a single kick in her normal form.
The Awakened form boosts Nezuko’s innate ability to control blood, allowing her to keep her torso connected by hardening her blood when Daki sliced off her limbs and head.
After awakening this form during her confrontation against Daki, it made her go berserk. However, later on in the Demon Slayer manga, she is able to use this ability willingly, retaining her consciousness.
Blood Demon Art
Considering her innate affinity towards blood manipulation, it is hardly surprising that her Blood Demon Art involves blood quite literally. Blood Demon Art is unique to every demon, with Nezuko’s being the ability to explode her blood into demonic flames.
Nezuko first used her ability in Demon Slayer season 1 during Tanjiro’s fight against Rui. In the most recent fight in season 2 of the Demon Slayer anime, Daki confirmed that Nezuko’s flames were of a peculiar quality, affecting only demons and anything of demonic origins, while leaving humans unscathed.
Nezuko’s Blood Demon Art also has greater significance later on in the manga, as it turns Tanjiro’s Nichirin sword bright red, which slows down demonic regeneration. In the anime, it was foreshadowed first during their combat against Rui where Nezuko’s blood splashed on Tanjiro’s broken blade, turning it red.
More recently, it reappeared when both Kamado siblings’ attacks slowed down Daki’s regeneration, first due to Tanjiro’s Hinokami Kagura attacks, and later due to the burns left by Nezuko’s fire.
Resistance to sunlight
Nezuko’s potential as a demon develops in bursts during critical moments throughout the Demon Slayer manga. During their confrontation against the Upper Rank Four demon, Hantengu, Nezuko develops an ability that not even the demon king Kibutsuji Muzan was able to achieve, namely, resistance to sunlight.
This grants Nezuko a clear advantage above all other demons, but also makes her a target for Muzan, who starts hunting her relentlessly so he can absorb her and attain the same ability.
Conclusion
Nezuko is easily one of the most powerful demons in the Demon Slayer series, possibly due to the large quantity of blood she was given by Muzan. But what makes her a truly terrifying opponent is her willpower, being the only other demon after Tamayo to escape Muzan’s control.
Her willpower also allows her to steadfastly control herself and not attack humans. In fact, she consciously tries to protect them instead.
This willpower is also what helps Nezuko truly utilize her Awakened form, to fight more efficiently. While she might not be as powerful as Muzan himself, her overall strength makes her easily comparable to an Upper rank demon.
