The world of anime is packed with exciting weapons and equipment of all kinds, ranging from unique pistols and rifles to spears, brass knuckles, and, most of all, swords. These bladed weapons are widely recognized around the world, and everyone from samurai to medieval knights used them. Many anime characters are famed swordsmen.
Not only are those swordsmen famous characters, such as Ichigo Kurosaki and Guts the mercenary, but their swords are equally famous. These are no ordinary katanas or broadsword -- these unique swords have distinct sizes, shapes, colors, and abilities, and some of them are as famous as their wielders, if not more so.
10 Sasuke Uchiha's Sword Of Kusanagi Is Used With Chidori (Naruto)
The Naruto universe is home to a number of popular anime swords, including Zabuza Momochi's oversized blade. Even better is the sword belonging to the rogue Sasuke Uchiha, which is known as the Sword of Kusanagi, a chokuto sword.
In an expert ninja's hands, any sword is deadly, but Sasuke can do more. In battle, he charges up the Sword of Kusanagi with his electric chakra, allowing him to stun and damage his foes with an elongated Chidori. This sword can cut practically anything it touches, and it's a vital part of Sasuke's arsenal.
9 Asta's Sword, The Demon-Dweller Sword, Is An Anti-Magic Artifact (Black Clover)
Asta, the hero of Black Clover, is a swordsman who gets his hands on a rather special sword, the Demon-Dweller Sword. It's not just a bladed weapon -- it's also a powerful anti-magic artifact, and that's just the thing Asta needs in mortal combat.
This grimoire-based weapon can be summoned without magic, and during battle, it can cut an opponent's magic and even absorb it. This heavy weapon can also stab a wizard directly and drain all their magic power over time.
8 Ryuko Matoi's Blades Can Form A Pair Of Scissors (Kill La Kill)
In the world of Kill La Kill, uniforms and clothes are power, and heroine Ryuko Matoi can use her scissors-style swords to slash an opponent's outfit into ribbons and inflict a humiliating defeat upon them. Her scissor swords are not the most powerful anime swords of all, but they certainly are distinct.
Scissors can be quite sharp, and in this case, scissors are big and sharp enough to form combat-worthy weapons, whether the two halves are connected or not. No one could ever forget the sight of Ryuko swinging around a giant red sword made of scissors.
7 Future Trunks' Sword Has Sliced Through Many Villains (Dragon Ball Z)
Many of the strongest Dragon Ball characters fight with their bare hands and energy attacks, making relatively little use of weapons along the way. Still, the characters in this universe appreciate technology and weaponry, and Future Trunks, in particular, is well-known for carrying a sword around.
Trunks can slash apart most foes with ease when he swings that sword around, but eventually, his sword was broken. So, he obtained a new sword during the Future Trunks Saga, complete with a new look. Trunks won't stay empty-handed for long.
6 Dark Repulser Is Kirito's Main Sword (Sword Art Online)
The entire Sword Art Online series is based on swords, and Kirito is one of the finest swordsmen around. He and his lover Asuna Yuuki can hack and slash their way to victory in any situation, and of course, Kirito will only use the finest swords he can get his hands on.
One of Kirito's first and best swords, Dark Repulser, is easily recognizable with its shiny, faintly blue blade, and he has earned countless victories with it. But this sword doesn't work alone -- Kirito often wields it alongside others such as Eludicator.
5 Kisame Hoshigaki's Samehada Eats Chakra (Naruto)
Another famous Naruto sword is the fearsome Samehada, which is much more unique than Sasuke's Sword of Kusanagi. The oversized Samehada is actually alive, and it will reject wielders it deems unworthy. Samehada's body is made up of hundreds of sharp scales to shred the opponent to gory bits.
Samehada is noted for being wrapped up in bandages by default, but once unleashed, it will start absorbing enemy chakra at an astonishing rate. In fact, it might even grow bigger and show its mouth. It also has the ability to fuse with Kisame to boost his power further.
4 Dracule Mihawk's Sword, Yoru, Can Slice Just About Anything (One Piece)
Swords are common in the world of One Piece, and Roronoa Zoro is famed for his three-sword style. But even he fears the immense power of Yoru, one of the world's greatest swords. It is typically wielded by Dracule Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Yoru is an oversized Western-style sword resembling a cross, matching Mihawk's distinctly Spanish visual style. In combat, Yoru can slice just about anything with impunity, even warships and icebergs, and it can create shockwaves of dense air to damage enemies from afar.
3 Ichigo Kurosaki's Sword, Tensa Zangetsu, Embodies His Mixed Soul Reaper & Quincy Heritage (Bleach)
While there are plenty of swords in One Piece, its fellow "big three" anime Bleach is based almost entirely on these weapons. In Bleach, soul-cutting swords are called zanpakuto, and the hero, Ichigo Kurosaki, wields the most famous and memorable zanpakuto of all: Tensa Zangetsu.
This weapon embodies Ichigo's mixed Soul Reaper and Quincy heritage, and he obtained it late in Season 1 after his generic zanpakuto was broken. Its shikai form is like an oversized cleaver, and the bankai is a long, thin blade with a manji-shaped handguard. It can also fire the Getsuga Tensho, Ichigo's main ranged attack.
2 Inuyasha's Sword, Tetsusaiga, Was Forged From His Father's Fang (InuYasha)
As a half-demon, Inuyasha could fight barehanded with his claws, but he was always meant to fight with a gift from his late father: the mighty Tetsusaiga sword. It was forged from one of Inuyasha's father's fangs by Totosai the blacksmith, and it came with a number of unique properties.
Tetsusaiga may look ordinary at first, but in Inuyasha's hands, it grows much larger and has fur on its handguard. Tetsusaiga can launch the Wind Scar and Backlash Wave techniques, and it can also keep Inuyasha's demonic side in check. Sesshoumaru wanted the Tetsusaiga for himself, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. He got the Tenseiga instead.
1 Guts' Sword, The Dragon Slayer (Berserk)
Kentaro Miura's classic manga Berserk inspired two different anime adaptations, both of which included Guts' legendary sword, the Dragon Slayer. This oversized, heavy iron sword had seen constant action ever since Guts acquired it, and it was in danger of falling apart until the original creator reforged it to purify it.
Guts' sword casts a long shadow over the shonen and seinen worlds alike, and he and his sword likely inspired later characters such as Kirito and Ichigo Kurosaki in more than one way. Every seinen fan knows and loves the Dragon Slayer and its symbolic role in Guts' blood-soaked adventures.