Kokushibō vs. Yoriichi: Who Would Win in a Fight?
In terms of Demon Slayer, the best-known and most important fight was that between Tanjirō and Muzan, of course, which ended the story on a very epic note. But that wasn’t the only epic fight in the story. Another major and epic fight in Demon Slayer happened many years before the main storyline, when Muzan’s most powerful ally, Kokushibo, the Upper-Rank One, fought the most powerful Demon Slayer, Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Ironically, Kokushibo and Yoriichi were brothers before Kokushibo became a Demon, and in this article, we are going to help you understand who the stronger of the two is.
As per Kokushibo’s own admission, Yoriichi was, even when he was old and blind, more powerful than Kokushibo’, and had he not died during the fight, Kokushibo would have been killed. Yoriichi was the most powerful character in the series, and he was able to defeat both Muzan and Kokushibo, even when he was not in his prime. In his prime, he would have dealt with Kokushibo easily.
Now that you have the short version of the answer, the rest of the article will be divided into several categories, as we will talk about these two characters and reveal which of them is stronger. Ultimately, we will give our final verdict and explain why Yoriichi is stronger than Kokushibo.
Physical powers and fighting skills
Kokushibo demonstrated great physical prowess by effortlessly raising a massive blade several times heavier than a typical katana and attacking it continuously at astounding speeds without pausing or exerting any effort. It can be assumed that Kokushibo had physical strength greater than or equivalent to higher rank three Akaza, a demon who can break the earth with his bare fists, since he absorbed more blood from Muzan Kibutsuji than Akaza. Kokushibo has developed into the second-strongest sword fighter ever, after his younger twin brother, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, after spending more than 400 years practicing and perfecting his swordsmanship techniques and considerably enhancing his physical abilities even further.
Yoriichi was an incredibly strong warrior. During his training to become a Demon Slayer, he could already defeat numerous Demons; his brother, Michikatsu, stated that even as a child, Yoriichi could defeat him in his adult age. He remains the only Demon Slayer who defeated Muzan Kibutsuji in a fight, making him flee to save his life; otherwise, Yoriichi would have killed him. He was also able to overpower Kokushibo, the Upper Moon One.
During his fight with his demonized brother, Yoriichi was – despite being old and blind – still able to overpower his brother and slice his throat, nearly killing him, before ultimately succumbing to his own injuries. Kokushibo himself admitted that Yoriichi had been able to land a second blow to his neck before dying. He definitely would have died, even though Yoriichi was old and blind at the time.
When he was a Demon Slayer, Michikatsu was not as strong as Yoriichi. But, even with all of his demonic powers, he was still unable to defeat his brother, as Yoriichi could slice his throat before Kokushibo even drew his. The winner here is clear.
Points: Kokushibo 0, Yoriichi 1
Speed
Kokushibo had incredible speed, probably much exceeding that of all the other Kizuki, as evidenced by the fact that he severed Akaza’s limb before the latter even understood what had happened. He often demonstrated his incredible speed. He could easily outperform Muichiro’s techniques at first, moving so quickly that it appeared like he had teleported. Kokushibo’s speed, according to Muichiro, was in a different dimension than his own. Despite having his arm severed just as he arrived, Kokushibo could ” teleport” to the area where Genya was shooting him with his shotgun before the shots could reach him. He then quickly severed his second arm and body, giving the impression that he was not even moving.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni was exceptionally fast, especially for a human. This was demonstrated during his fight with Muzan, where he was able to counter all of his demonic abilities and overpower him with relative ease. Also, as we have said above, well into his 80s and completely blind, Yoriichi could slice Kokushibo’s throat so quickly that Kokushibo not only did not see it, he wasn’t even able to draw his sword before almost being killed.
The fact that Kokushibo did not see Yoriichi’s attack coming tells us everything. And Yoriichi was, at the time, old and blind. Had he attacked him while he was in his prime, Kokushibo would probably not even know that he had been killed.
Points: Kokushibo 0, Yoriichi 2
Defense
Like other Demons, Kokushibo can heal his wounds without any trouble. Still, because he is one of the twelve Demons that make up the Twelve Demonic Moons, his healing happens considerably faster, displaying his immense power. In addition to his physical form, Kokushibo can regenerate his katana, which is forged from his flesh and blood. Similar to what happened with Akaza, his regeneration evolves to a point where he can reconstruct his head, approaching Muzan’s level of evolution.
Yoriichi, in that aspect, had no regeneration skills as he was a regular human. But, as far as it is known, he was so skilled that not one of his opponents actually managed to injure him. This was seen in his fight against Muzan and against Kokushibo; Kokushibo managed to hit him only after he had died, i.e., he managed to attack his corpse. On top of that, his resistance was proven when he managed to live well into his 80s, even though bearers of the Demon Slayer Mark died at the age of 25.
This category is where we decided to split the points, as Kokushibo’s regeneration skills cannot be denied here. But the fact that Yoriichi managed to do what he did without any special skills is why he also received a point here.
Points: Kokushibo 1, Yoriichi 3
Blood Demon Art / Breathing Style
He can make and control dozens of razor-sharp blades in the typical crescent moon form from his own body thanks to his Blood Demon Art, the Crescent Moon Blades, which complements his earlier fighting style, Moon Breathing. They can be either brilliant yellow or bright blue in hue and are thought to have been formed from his blood.
Kokushibo’s strikes are incredibly unpredictable and difficult to predict because these crescent moon swords constantly change in every aspect, including their shape and size. The swings of his blades are incredibly lethal and dangerous because to the Blood Demon Art, which considerably increases the effectiveness of his methods. Getting around his Blood Power is challenging because of how unstable it is.
Yoriichi developed the original Sun Breathing Style that was later used by Sumiyoshi, who gave it the name Hinokami Kagura. Yoriichi was an expert at Sun Breathing, easily defeating demons and even overpowering Muzan, the Demon King, as well as the strongest Upper Rank. Yoriichi is known as the most skilled swordsman in the history of Demon Slayer. Even while he was still a child that had absolutely no training, the first time he took a katana in his hand, he was able to defeat an experienced swordsman in a fight, landing several quick blows all over his body; the blows were so quick that no one was able to perceive them properly.
Sun Breathing is the first and strongest Breathing Style. It was able to defeat Muzan effectively, and had Yoriichi used it on Kokushibo; the latter would have certainly died. There is no doubt about the winner here.
Points: Kokushibo 1, Yoriichi 4
Kokushibo himself admitted that Yoriichi would have killed him
When the two of them faced off centuries ago, Yoriichi managed to slice Kokushbo’s neck before the Demon even drew his blade, showing that he was still in top form. Unfortunately, while Kokushibo waited for the finishing blow (at that moment, he was certain he would die), Yoriichi stopped moving. He died out of old age, standing on his two feet, before being able to kill his brother; Kokushibo would later admit that he would have died, certainly, had his brother not died at that very moment. And that is enough for us to declare Yoriichi the winner.