If I had to pay a nickel for every time someone says “Mitsuri Kanroji is, no doubt, the hottest female character in Demon Slayer”, I’d be broke enough to become homeless.

But today, I’m gonna talk about her muscles because let’s be honest, we have enough people talking about the 2 big things that Tanjiro struggled to cover with her clothes.

To be honest, she’s actually much stronger that fans give her credit for. And you’ll see how in this post, so do make sure to read until the end!

But first let’s get a few routine questions out of the way.

Is Mitsuri Kanroji a Hashira?

Yes, Mitsuri Kanroji became a Hashira by qualification. In fact, Kagaya Ubuyashiki complimented her strength so much that he says she’s a blessing to the Demon Slayer corps by the Gods, further adding that those who speak ill of her are envious of her talents.

Mitsuri, also known as the Love Hashira and the Eightfold Woman, is exceptionally powerful since her muscle fibre density is eight times that of a typical human being. She was so strong that she actually questioned herself whether it’s alright for a girl to be this strong.

Throughout her life, she was ridiculed for her looks and abnormally elevated fighting abilities that people treated her like an outcast. She was supposed to have gotten married at age 17 but the dude was too jealous or didn’t have the balls to marry such a beautiful women.

I mean, if it were me, I’d be like, “yeah step on me baby with all that unrestricted might”.

(R.I.P me)

However, the poor girl was forced to hide her true self by suppressing all that strength and dyeing her hair black. She continued to put on this façade until the Swordsman Village arc when Tanjiro talk-no-jutsu’ed his way to break her shell.

Since then, she fought to protect others without any restrictions or hesitations.

(Chapter 124)

Mitsuri Kanroji might have had a dumb reason to become a Hashira but hey, it was a typical behavior in that period and culture. But the whole “becoming a Hashira to get a suitable husband” is only part of the reason.

The other part, which is hardly talked about in the fandom, is to find a place where she can be herself.

(Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – Stories of Water and Flame: Chapter 4)

And she found such a home in the Demon Slayer Corps led by Kagaya Ubuyashiki, as she admitted that the Corps is a very important place for her in chapter 123. There, she could eat sumptuously and train vigorously without anyone judging her.

When she goes all out, she literally becomes what Tanjiro described “the one who shines the light of hope”. Let’s dig deep and analyze how she became one of the most formidable Demon Slayers till the end, even managing to rip off Muzan’s arm off!

Why is Mitsuri Kanroji so strong in Demon Slayer?

There are a lot of reason but Let’s begin with her unique style of sword.

Nichirin Sword shaped like a whip

Like every other Demon Slayer, Mitsuri too has a Nichirin sword capable of beheading a Demon but its whip like structure stands out from the rest of her peers.

It’s extremely thin and flexible, which she can reflect her own flexibility to its utmost potential. In fact, her Katana is normally difficult to use by even Demon Slayers and can inflict damage to the user itself. But Mitsuri’s sword is tailor made to suit her style of fighting, killing off Hantengu’s clones and snake monsters.

Her whip-like sword eases her usage of her Love Breathing techniques, which are described in detail here!

As Kyojuro’s tsuguko (successor), Mitsuri was instructed in the Flame Breathing Style. However, she modified it to develop her own unique version, named Love Breathing.

This style is based on the feeling of love, and its Forms are named after romantic and emotional terms. Mitsuri’s personal history revolves around love, encompassing both joyous and painful experiences.

It’s almost like a poetic irony that this emotion serves as the foundation of her Breathing Style, serving as a form of protection.

Speed

Mitsuri Kanroji’s special trait is her speed. Though she eats a lot and possess bigger muscle mass than most girls, that doesn’t slow down one bit. In fact, her abilities have been identified to be faster than the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, who, in sharp contrast to her, is the quickest runner among the nine Hashira. That swiftness complements her whip-like sword, fast enough to create shock waves!

(Chapter 123)

Keep in mind that Tengen cut off Daki’s head so fast that neither she or Tanjiro was able to see him do it. Imagine how fast Mitsuri must be when she goes all out.

And going all out is precisely what she did, when she increased her abilities and senses by activating her heart-shaped Demon Slayer mark against Zohakuten. Tanjiro was so amazed by her unparalleled agility that his jaw dropped when she used her third form: Catlove Shower to cancel off Zohakuten’s attacks.

Even before Demon Slayer mark manifested, her sword was fast enough to counter the demon’s multiple lightning bolt attacks striking the ground.

Her legs are not only swift but they also facilitate her ability to jump as high as the sky, saving Tanjiro & the others from Hantengu’s clone. The jumps also helped her to attack Nakime from all directions, bouncing off from walls and doing backflips to rebound from her mistakes.

She was a vital teammate in actually making a direct hit against the strongest demon Muzan, even though her attack did no damage at all.

Physical Strength

Don’t underestimate Mitsuri’s physical might just because she apparently looks tender and fragile. In fact, a normal Demon Slayer would turn fragile after a solid punch from her fist.

As mentioned before, her muscle density is 8 times that of a normal person.

At the tender age of 13 months or slightly above 1 year, Mitsuri was able to lift a stone weighting 15 kg above her head! I don’t think even Tanjiro in the Swordsmith Village arc could do that with ease.

But maintaining those muscles calls for some heavy appetite, which she had enough to consume a quantity that could feed 3 sumo wrestlers.

She’s basically the female version of kid Goku.

Due to her Demon Slayer mark, her speed and strength grew to a certain level where she literally cut off Muzan’s arm, much to everyone’s shock just by throwing tantrums!

(Chapter 198)

This is a feat, even someone like Sanemi or Gyomei had trouble achieving but that paved the way for the Wind Hashira to slice off Muzan’s other arm as well. The Demon King’s defenses was totally shattered through the sheer surprise of Mitsuri’s attack.

This proves why she has the GREATEST POTENTIAL amongst all Demon Slayers, making sense for why Tanjiro relied on her so much to kill an Upper Rank Demon like Hantengu and his clones.

(Chapter 123)

Both speed and physical strength naturally upscales one’s durability or endurance as well, which I shall discuss now.

Endurance / Durability

Mitsuri Kanjori has a special body with strong senses and muscles, capable of not only withstanding a full blown sonic attack from an Upper Rank at point-blank range but immediately bouncing back to counter the Demon’s lightning attacks.

After an exhaustive battle with Hantengu, her body was so stiff that she was able to recover within 3 days! A feat Tanjiro and the others couldn’t achieve.

As mentioned before, her ability to bounce back after sustaining damage probably rivals even Gyomei. Look no further than the part where she lashed out against Muzan right after we see her bleeding heavily and half-conscious on the floor.

(Chapter 182)

This is quite a feat because Muzan legit declared her dead before being attacked by her and Giyu was completely taken aback to see her alive. The same thing happened when she miraculously appeared out of nowhere to slice off Muzan’s arm right before the Demon King slashed her with his tentacles.

Those abnormally developed muscles does have a toll on even the strongest. Needless it fair to say that her durability & her ability to bounce back from certain death rivals that of Rengoku, who applauded her for completing the Final Selection within a mere six months of training.

It’s no wonder that both the Hashira worked together before becoming Hashira in the first place.

Flexibility

It’s been said that Mitsuri has a large range of motion because to her incredibly flexible figure. Incorporating her natural agility with her Love Breathing skills, she easily outruns and counterattacks Zohakuten’s attacks.

Mitsuri’s Nichirin Sword, which resembles a whip, is so flexible that it reflects her superhuman flexibility. But only she can use the sword, as her flexibility protects her from being wounded even as she moves at lightning speed across extraordinary distances.

Skills

Mitsuri is a Hashira, making her one of the most formidable and proficient swordswomen in the entire Demon Slayer Corps. She employs a unique form of swordsmanship centred on her Nichirin Sword, a thin and flexible blade reminiscent of a whip. As a skilled swordswoman, she was able to quickly defeat the monsters created by Upper Rank Five, Gyokko, by slashing them to pieces faster than they could react.

Mitsuri’s unique swordsmanship style and talent were on full display during her fight with Zohakuten, which was so accurate that she could pierce the Upper Rank’s lightning and sound waves, and she successfully countered and destroyed all of his attacks.

Her skills were tested to its limits while fighting Muzan, whom she managed to outsmart and land a crucial blow for the others to follow suit. Her unpredictability and instincts add up to her charm of being one of the most formidable Demon Slayers in the series.

In my opinion, Mitsuri Kanroji ranks higher than Tengen Uzui, Shinobu Kocho, Kanae Kocho & Kyojuro Rengoku. But because she wasn’t too effective in helping the group, and was the first to be taken down in Muzan’s assault, she ranks lower than Giyu Tomioka, Obanai Iguro, Muchiro Tokito, Sanemi Shinazugawa & Gyomei Himejima. 

To be honest, I personally wouldn’t have known how capable she is if I didn’t jot down her skills and abilities. Ranking higher than even Tengen & Rengoku is saying something and I hope this article makes you appreciate more rather than just for her melons (though that is an important feature).