In the world of Demon Slayer, the Twelve Kizuki were an organization made up of a group of twelve Demons who pursued the goal of finding the Blue Spider Lily. The organization was created and led by Muzan Kibutsuji. One of the members of this group was Hantengu, who held the rank of Upper-Rank Four. Hantengu was, despite his cowardly nature, a very powerful Demon and was deservedly a member of the Twelve Kizuki because of his exceptional skills, and in this article, we will tell you a bit about his powers and abilities.
The article is going to be divided into two major parts. The first one will represent Hantengu’s powers and abilities, while the other one will be a short comparison of Hantengu’s powers and abilities to the powers and abilities of other characters, divided into several subsections. These will not be detailed analyses, just brief comments so you can understand Hantengu’s position in the Demon Slayer lore.
Hantengu’s powers and abilities
A Demon with the appearance of an old man, despite his weak and harmless appearance, Hantengu held the position of the Upper-Rank Four, behind only Akaza, Doma, and Kokushibo. Muzan might not have been the fairest, but he was slick, and he knew what he was doing, so the fact that he gave Hantengu such a high rank meant something.
He would not have given such a cowardly Demon such a high rank for no reason. During the Swordsmith Village arc, Hantengu demonstrates his strength and loyalty to Muzan and why he is so difficult to kill. Remember how Daki and Gyūtarō had to be killed at the same time for them to actually die? Well, killing Hantengu was neither that simple nor that easy. And this is all due to his specific powers.
Namely, Hantengu was able to use his Blood Demon Art to create four clones of himself, each of the clones being a representation of one of his emotions and a powerful standalone Demon. These clones were:
- Sekido, the manifestation of anger, is constantly irritated and very aggressive. He is quite powerful and also has exceptional speed and reflexes, as well as the ability to fuse with Karaku, Urogi, and Aizetsu into Zohakuten.
- Karaku, the manifestation of relaxation, is the most laid-back of all the clones but nevertheless very dangerous. He is also physically imposing but also has incredible stamina and durability.
- Aizetsu, the manifestation of sorrow, is constantly depressed, negativistic, and cynical to everyone, which is in line with the emotion he represents. His most prominent feature is his durability.
- Urogi, the manifestation of joy, is the happiest and most cheerful among the clones. He is also quite dangerous, though, as he is able to mimic avian creatures and use their abilities to his advantage in combat, which is why he is also the oddest one on the list.
As stated, each of these Demons is a standalone and very powerful entity. Sekido can absorb the other three clones into Zohakuten,a manifestation of Hantengu’s hatred. Zohakutenis a powerful Demon who shares a lot of personality traits with Sekido and has such a powerful aura that his mere presence can induce pain in people. Finally, there’s also Urami, a Demon capable of increasing his size so much that Hantengu is able to hide in his heart.
Now, while these clones are present, Hantengu shrinks and disappears, using his exceptionally high stealth abilities, which means that killing him is actually a scavenger hunt more than anything else, as he is extremely difficult to find.
Even if you can kill the clones, you’ll have a hard time finding the main body, which is why Hantengu is very difficult to slay (namely, if you don’t kill the main body, it will give Hantengu more than enough time to regenerate, which would also result in the regeneration of the emotion Demons, and that is why the whole situation is quite complex). But, during the Swordsmith Village Arc, the Demon Slayer Corps managed to do it.
How powerful is Hantengu compared to other Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba characters?
In this section, we will compare Hantengu to some other strong Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba characters. These are going to be brief comparisons whose main goal is to give you a general idea of his powers and abilities.
Hantengu vs. Muzan
Muzan is the most powerful of all Demons and the creator of all the Demons that came after him. His weaknesses are the same as those of the other Demons, but his powers and abilities far surpass those of any other known Demon in the series. Using his powers, he has turned numerous people into Demons and has organized the most powerful ones in the Twelve Kizuki. Hantengu was undoubtedly respected by Muzan, who valued his powers and his potential contributions to the organization. Hantengu’s abilities were quite special, which is why Muzan respected him, but we have to be honest and state that they were nowhere near Muzan’s level of power.
Hantengu vs. Kokushibo
Kokushibo, as the Upper-Rank One, was essentially the second-strongest Demon after Muzan. Kokushibo, Yoriichi’s brother, requested Muzan to convert him into a Demon so he might become stronger and immortal. He is an extraordinarily talented swordsman and is familiar with the Moon Breathing Style.
Since the Twelve Kizuki were organized as a hierarchy, Kokushibo was the strongest among them, meaning he was significantly more powerful than Hantengu. This was a fact that even Hantengu was aware of, and the Upper-Rank Four wouldn’t even dare challenge Kokushibo.
Hantengu vs. Doma and Akaza
Due to the fact that Hantengu was the Upper-Rank Four, we have to conclude that he was weaker than both Doma and Akaza, the Upper Ranks Two and Three, respectively. Now, the difference between Hantengu and the two remaining Upper Ranks (save for Kokushibo) was truly significant. In that aspect, we can only confirm that both of them would be able to deal with Hantengu’s power and would be able to defeat him in direct combat.
Hantengu vs. the remaining Twelve Kizuki
As the Upper-Rank Four, Hantengu was weaker than the first three Upper Ranks, but respecting the group’s hierarchy, we have to state that he was stronger than the remaining Upper Ranks, as well as all of the Lower Ranks.
He was stronger than Gyokko, Daki, Gyutaro, and Kaigaku, and the only real question was whether he was stronger than Nakime. Physically, yes, especially because Nakime has a significant weakness, but it would be a complex battle due to their specific abilities.
Hantengu vs. Tanjiro Kamado
Well, this is an intriguing one. Initially, there is absolutely no doubt that Hantengu would have been able to kill Tanjiro in a matter of seconds; the difference in power was, indeed, so significant. But, as time passed, Tanjiro gathered more experience and became an exceptionally powerful Demon Slayer. If you add to that the fact that Tanjiro also learned the Sun Breathing Style later on (by remembering the Hinokami Kagura), we can only conclude that Tanjiro has gotten much stronger, but he never became the strongest.
Still, he defeated Hantengu and some of his clones, which confirms that he is stronger than Hantengu. Tanjiro was somewhere on Akaza’s level of power, going towards Doma’s, which means that Hantengu would not have been able to defeat him.
Hantengu vs. the Hashira
Since Hantengu had no specific Hashira, we could have compared him with he fought Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Genya, who were not Hashira – we have to compare him with all of them as a group. A combination of Hashira would definitely be enough to defeat him, but we think he would also lose to them individually.
Gyomei and Obanai would defeat him easily, and we’re quite certain that Rengoku, Giyu, and Muichiro would also have little to no problems dealing with him. Shinobu would probably be able to outsmart him as well. Tengen might have a problem due to his specific way of fighting, as would both Sanemi and Mitsuri, but we honestly think that the three of them would also be able to defeat Hantengu in a direct fight, which is why we cannot give the demon any points here.
Hantengu vs. Zenitsu
Zenitsu was able to defeat Kaigaku, but we’re certain that he would not be able to defeat the Upper-Rank Four. And while Zenitsu is certainly not to be underestimated, that much is true. He simply lacks the power, experience, and versatility to fight someone as slick as Hantengu. Hantengu would, due to his specific power, be a bit too much for Zenitsu, who is by no means not weak, but he is not experienced enough and not tactically gifted enough to defeat the Upper-Rank Four. This is why we are certain that Hantengu would ultimately be able to defeat Zenitsu in a one-on-one fight.
Hantengu vs. Inosuke
Everything we’ve said about Zenitsu can also be applied to Inosuke, but we’d actually give Inosuke the upper hand here. Inosuke survived a fight against Doma, proving that he is definitely powerful enough to face the Upper Ranks alone. Hantengu is definitely not as strong as Doma, and while Inosuke had a lot of help in defeating the Upper-Rank Two, Hantengu is not as strong. If he could outwit him, Inosuke would, at his peak, probably win this one.
