Another season of Demon Slayer has come and went, and along with major character growth and revelations for characters like Tanjiro and Nezuko came the defeat of more of Kibutsuji Muzan's Upper Moons. With the aid of the Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji, the Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito, and Genya Shinazugawa, the Demon Slayer core won two major battles at the Swordsmith Village against Upper Moon Five Gyokko and Upper Moon Four Hantengu.
Yet despite having a higher rank than the "Entertainment District" arc's Upper Moon Six Gyutaro and thus supposedly being stronger, neither of the new Upper Moons seemed to have same impact and danger level as the series' previous Demon threats. Both Hantengu and Gyokko have unique skill sets which make it plain as to why they would give even experienced Hashira trouble, and yet despite this, both seem to be missing that extra something that made characters like Gyutaro, Akaza, and even Rui seem unstoppable. Is this the fault of the way the story is paced, the power increase of the Demon Slayers, or is Gyutaro simply a stronger Demon than the Moons ranked above him?
Do Hantengu and Gyokko Appear Weak Due To Story Structure?
Tanjiro never directly compares his experience fighting with Hantengu to his battle with Gyutaro, so beyond guesswork it's difficult to determine just how strong each Upper Moon is compared to another. However, as Gyutaro was the lowest ranked Upper Moon and Muzan's rankings are meant to measure his strongest demons, it stands to reason that Upper Moon Five and Four would be Tanjiro's most powerful enemies yet. However, for many this never feels like the case: Gyokko, even at his strongest, is defeated near effortlessly by Muichiro, and while Hantengu's numerous forms add to his survivability and pure destructive capability, both Demons seem to lack the same impact and combat intellligence that made Gyutaro so deadly.
However, Gyokko and Hantengu's seeming lack of power may be a symptom of this season of Demon Slayer's story structure, rather than an accurate measurement of their abilities. In the "Entertainment District" arc, the threat of Gyutaro came as a surprise. Daki is first built up as the Upper Moon in hiding, and characters like Zenitsu comment on the weight and menace of her aura. When Gyutaro emerges from Daki's decapitated body, he immediately goes on the offensive, poisions the Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui, and establishes a new standard for how strong a Demon can be. It takes the combined work of a Hashira, his wives, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke to behead Gyutaro, and this came with significant injury and loss. Yet despite this new expectation for the power of an Upper Moon, a threat that seemingly takes the combined effort of numerous Demon Slayers to overcome, Gyokko makes lazy mistakes and is beheaded by just a single Hashira. Hantengu spends most of his screentime cowering and running away, and all of his versions with the exception of Zohakuten can be defeated even by Genya.
The "Swordsmith Village" arc is a training arc in parts, and Tanjiro makes major leaps in his own development as a fighter. Both Muichiro and Mitsuri awaken marks during their battles, which increase their overall combat abilities exponentially. Pre-mark Muichiro was captured easily by Gyokko, while post-mark Muichiro effortlessly defeated Gyokko's final form. A major reason for the new Upper Moons' lack of threat could simply be that our protagonists are much stronger than they were before, to the point where the Demon enemy no longer appears unreachably strong. There's also the lack of the same kind of buildup and feats that contextualized Gyutaro and Akaza's power, which means that neither Gyokko nor Hantengu are given the proper context in which to appreciate their strength. Gyokko is defeated far too quickly and never faces a real opponent other than Muichiro, and Zohakuten's dragons, while fierce, are easily chopped up and lack the same effect that Gyutaro's poison. Whatever the case, it's clear that the "Swordsmith Village" arc is just less concerned with developing the gravity of its villains' strength, as its pacing and overall structure is meant more for Tanjiro and Muichiro's growth rather than once again upping the stakes on the danger of an Upper Moon.
Gyutaro's Natural Advantages In Combat
The possibility also remains that Gyutaro is just a stronger fighter than both Gyokko and Hantengu. Muzan mentions in the "Entertainment District" arc that Gyutaro is held back by his care of Daki. The only way for an Upper Moon to move up their rank is to challenge an Upper Moon higher than them to combat. Perhaps Gyutaro had no motivation to rise in the rankings as he was satisfied staying with his sister, or his skillset may not have been suited to defeat Gyokko or Hantengu in single combat. However, just because Gyutaro potentially didn't care to or could not defeat the Upper Moons ranked higher than him does not necessarily make him a weaker fighter against Demon Slayers.
Gyutaro's poisoned blades make him a poor matchup for any Hashira, as a single cut places a time limit on the Demon Slayer, forcing them to have to behead both him and Daki before the poison takes its full effect. While this poison would have no effect on a fellow Demon, against a Hashira this ability makes fighting Gyutaro in close quarters particularly dangerous. Gyokko has superior speed and versatile artistic abilities compared to Gyutaro, and Hantengu has more destructive power with his dragon attacks. Both characters are considerable more difficult to kill than Gyutaro is, as they have additional forms and ways to evade death if their head is ever cut off.
Gyutaro does however, fight with more intelligence, a more dangerous weapon, and shows more bloodlust and willingness to immediately go for the kill, while Hantengu and Gyokko especially seem to enjoy toying with their opponent. While Gyutaro clearly does not have every advantage as a fighter, the advantages he does have over Upper Moon Four and Five seem to make him a better suited and more dangerous challenge for a Demon Slayer to overcome. These facts, along with the overall setup of the "Swordsmith Village" arc, likely contribute to Gyokko and Hantengu's lack of menacing impact compared to their lower ranked Demon comrade.