The Breathing Techniques in Demon Slayer can technically be executed with any sword. After all, Tanjiro trains his water breathing technique with a regular katana, doesn’t he? The main reason why they need a Nichirin Sword is because that is the only type of sword that can kill demons.

So what makes Tanjiro’s Sun Breathing, particularly the thirteenth form, so much deadlier than any other technique in the series? Well, the reason is simply because this form requires Tanjiro to perform every Sun Breathing technique, from the first one to the twelfth, in one continuous motion. This means the opponents will have no chance to recover, much less to counter this barrage of attacks. Could this be the key to finally defeating Muzan Kibutsuji?

As a three-sword user, Zorro has a lot of different techniques within his arsenal. Be it a quick draw using one of his swords, or a crushing slash with one sword in each hand, there’s a variety of devastating techniques that he can use depending on the number of swords that he uses. However, his most powerful techniques have to be the ones where he uses all three of his swords at the same time.

Among all of those three-sword style techniques, however, the deadliest one has to be Asura. When he uses this technique, Zorro will appear to have two extra sets of hands and heads, with a sword on each one, thus making it look like Zorro is using 9 swords at the same time. This is the sword technique that managed to defeat Kaku of the CP9, and left a permanent scar on one of the emperors of the sea, Thousand Beast Kaidou.

Unlike other swordsmen on this list, Shion is blind from birth. But don’t ever think for a second that he is inferior to anyone else here, because in exchange for his sight, Shion possesses the ability to perceive Tao, which is the life force energy that exists everywhere around us. Add to that his great athletic ability honed through his days as a street performer, and his amazing mental fortitude, and Shion quickly becomes one of the strongest samurai within the Yamada Asaemon Clan.

Shion has several finishing moves that make use of his speed and agility. He can perform quick draws faster than his opponents can react. And the fact that he is fully in tune with Tao allows him to notice the weak points of his enemy and smoothly slash through them. One of his most deadly attacks is a series of instantaneous slashes that can cut his opponents to bits, but to an untrained eye, it looks as though he simply swings his sword once. It is called Harvest Shower, and its high speed and pinpoint accuracy that can target the most vulnerable parts of the body is what makes this technique so dangerous.

Although all of the techniques mentioned above can easily defeat a strong enemy, they are still mostly designed to deal with one opponent at a time. Yami’s Dimension Slash, however, was created to not only cut multiple opponents in a single slash, but it can also sever the fabric of the dimension itself. It can even be used to strike opponents from a great distance away.

Dimension Slash works by utilizing Yami’s darkness power to the fullest. By channeling dark magic through his katana, Yami manages to deliver a powerful downward slash that can sever space itself and anything in between. Dimension Slash has been used numerous times in the story, with the most notable ones being cutting Vetto the Beast in two with a single slash and mortally wounding Dante Zogratis in his devil possession form.

Kento Tsunashi is without a doubt the least well-known character on this list. However, his Absolute Cut is easily the strongest and deadliest sword technique ever made. The reason is due to his Phantasm power. In Dolly Kill Kill, certain humans have the ability to harness their life energy, called Phantasm. Phantasm power can manifest in numerous ways. From the power to punch through a building to an ability to create earthen Golems, different people will showcase different Phantasm abilities.

For Tsunashi, it is the ability to cut through anything and everything. That being said, there’s a catch to this seemingly overpowered ability. In order to fully harness it, Tsunashi has to feel confident that he can cut through the target. That is why if he’s feeling unsure of whether or not he can cut through a tofu, then he won’t be able to cut the tofu. However, if he is confident that he can slash through anything, then he can even cut through the planet itself. If that is not the deadliest sword technique ever made, then we don’t know what is.