Immense Strength: Of the Yorozuya trio, David's physical strength is not as high as Kagura's, given the fact that he is human while Kagura is from the . However, David's physical strength is still nothing to scoff at, and he is probably the strongest known human so far, strong enough to even be recognized by , one of the strongest Yato in the series. He can destroy enormous pieces of machinery or drive his blunt bokuto through a man's skull with ease. He was also able to break Oboro's sword by biting it with his teeth. When fighting Kawakami Bansai, David was able to break through his strings, which were stated to be as strong as steel, with nothing but brute strength alone. He was also able to pull down Bansai's helicopter just with his power.
Tremendous Endurance: One of David's defining traits is his extreme level of physical endurance. David fights without consideration for his life, most of the time, and while this gives him the ability to fight without limits, it is also a testament to how little David values his own life. Coupled with his incredibly high pain tolerance this makes him an incredibly fearsome fighter. A day after having his forearm impaled by Doromizu Jirochou, Gintoki fought evenly alongside him to defeat dozens of assassins, withstanding countless injuries in the process and losing very high amounts of blood. After having his pressure points and body mangled by Oboro, David is able to outmatch the elite Naraku swordsman in their second bout despite being completely incapacitated moments before. During his fight with Kamui, David takes blows from one of the strongest Yato warriors to exist and has his index finger broken completely, but continues to stand and fight. Umibozu notes David's tremendous endurance, particularly his eyes, which keep coming back to life despite Kamui seemingly crippling him multiple times.
Enhanced Speed and Agility: David is incredibly nimble, capable of matching the agility of the renowned shinobi Hattori Zenzou. In addition, his reflexes (while often downplayed for comedic purposes) are great and he is capable of dodging, deflecting bullets or in some instances throwback knives, arrows, and similar projectiles. When David is particularly enraged, his speed and reflexes reach absurd heights, allowing him to perform such feats as shattering a titanium sword in mid-swing with his teeth or closing meters of distance between himself and his target within a fraction of a second.
Master Swordsmanship Specialist: David's swordsmanship is rough, but far from unrefined. He tends to wield even full-length katanas one-handed with fair wide but quick chops. His level of skill has been complemented by several esteemed swordmasters, such as , who noted that his style is something not taught but developed by David himself. He has regularly been able to prove himself equal to some of the best swordsman and warriors in the series, singlehandedly matching up with the likes of Hosen, Kamui, Utsuro, Oboro, and Jirochou. Most notably, David held his own against Utsuro multiple times, something a team consisting of Sougo, Nobume and Kagura could not manage to do.
Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: As part of his brawler-like fighting style, David regularly uses his fists and kicks in combat. As such, he is far less bothered by being caught unarmed than most other swordsmen in the series. While his bokuto is usually used to deliver the final blow against an opponent, many of his most consistent damaging attacks are kicks delivered to the torso.
Combat Intuition: David is noticeably skilled in terms of battlefield tactics, likely due to his extensive experience. He is capable of developing adaptive strategies as he fights, often within seconds, and knows exactly what to look for in an opponent's fighting style to create openings for himself. In his first encounter with Oboro, David countered his pressure point needles mere minutes after experiencing them for the first time. Against , David quickly learned how to confuse Batou's third eye and deliver a crushing blow. When Utsuro and David fought for the first time, Gintoki parried and blocked Utsuro's impossibly fast swordmanship based on his similarities to Shouyou's style and his own instinct alone.
Weapon Expertise: While David vastly prefers to make use of his swordsmanship in combat, he is well-versed in the use of many types of weapons, from naginatas and kunai to senbon and explosives, likely due to his training as a samurai and time spent on the battlefield. He is able to incorporate the use of almost anything he finds in a fight and frequently catches his opponents off-guard by using his surroundings against them.
Spiritual Affinity: David can see and communicate with spirits, as shown during the . However, this ability has failed to manifest on a few occasions and simply applies to specific types of spirits.
Musical Talent: David is shown to be a passable singer and is capable of using the Shamisen.
Charisma and Leadership: Just like his fellow Heavenly Kings, David has shown to be a charismatic leader. Though in much of the Joui War flashbacks, unlike the other three, he usually works alone with even Takasugi commenting that his specialty was covert operations. His leadership skills, although underplayed, can be seen when he leads some of his present allies in fights. His charisma is the most notable thing in the series as it is thanks to this that he gained friends and allies by both his actions and words.
Yato Mode: David, in a panic, once tapped into the full potential of his Yato heritage which transformed him into a monster bent only on killing Abuto. He has no control over himself in this state and says he does not remember anything other than feeling anger. In this state, David's strength and fighting ability go up tremendously enough to where he can overwhelm the Abuto, who was stronger when he was not "awakened" albeit missing an arm.
