Hiko is the most powerful fighter in the series, vastly superior to all other characters. During Kenshin's second training, while Kenshin seemingly was on par in sheer speed to his master, Hiko in fact greatly suppresses his true capacities beneath his
90-kilogram cloak. Despite this handicap, when Kenshin strikes at Hiko with his "entire body and soul" at one point (devoting all his attention that he falls afterwards and passes out), he only manages to graze one of Hiko's bracers. Ultimately, Kenshin is only able to match his master when unleashing the
Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki. According to Kamiya Kaoru, Hiko's might and level of skill and makes the space measured from his own sword's reach and length from himself into a barrier-like zone which any seasoned fighter would be wise enough to sense and not cross into; taken in the context of martial arts and kendo,
Hiko's ma'ai is at such a level of skill that, if one were to enter this zone, it would only mean instantaneous defeat.
Unlike Kenshin and most other wielders of his style, Hiko has perfectly mastered the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū, able to wield and perform all of its techniques, skills, and methods to the maximum limit. This is because of his superbly muscular and peak-developed body, which lets him use the legendary style regularly and for long durations without any debilitating side-effects, as the
Hiten-Mitsurugi-Ryu puts so much strain on a body that it will gradually cause permanent damage to a user with any less of a conditioned body than Hiko himself. This also gives him a distinct tactical advantage of surpassing the style's normal limits, letting him go
beyond god-speed without the need of battōjutsu strikes or actual running to reach speeds faster than the human eye can detect. His absolute mastery of this style even makes him one of few wielders in history able to use the
Hiten Mugen Zan, an attack of such speed and power that it can utterly destroy the ground before him and unleash a countless barrage of slashes due to its unperceivable speed.
In addition to pushing himself to peak human conditioning, Hiko possesses tremendous sheer physical strength, able to block the gigantic swinging blade of Fuji and repel it. A highly versatile swordsman, he is proficient in a variety of attack methods, including wielding his blade backwards or with either hand with equal efficiency. He is also equally proficient in hand-to-hand combat, able to seamlessly use both unison. While possessing a superior sense of judgement in combat compared to Kenshin, Hiko is also extremely perceptive and analytical, able to instantly see through his opponent's strengths and weaknesses, letting him easily exploit them, likewise able to understand the nature of his opponents.
Even though Hiko is 43 years old, he looks as if he were in his mid-to late twenties, looking the same as he did to when he first met Kenshin as a young child, and showing no signs of weakening despite being chronologically past his prime. When Hiko told Yahiko and Misao his real age, the two were shocked and pondered if Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu acts as some sort of fountain of youth.