10 Coolest Swords In Anime

Who in anime carves up the competition the best?

Dracule Mihawk
Fuji TV

Of all the elements that define anime, there are three that everyone, even non-otaku recognize as signs of anime's influence: teenagers with godlike powers, lots and lots of boobs, and of course, badass swords.

Who doesn't at least secretly dream of having their own badass sword? Well, people who dream of having a badass gun instead, I would wager, but hey, you can have two fun things at once! And anime is, of course, chock full of the things. But which ones are the coolest?

After all, there are so many of them, there has to be some kind of hierarchy. You would think that this would be easy, just look for the generic katana that slices more effectively than the other generic katana. But when you actually go looking for the best anime sword and take the task seriously, it's like choosing between your children. Yeah, don't expect a lot of your favorites on this list, as we had to cut a lot of awesome swords off of this list.

So, without further ado, let's find out which sword stands at the top of anime's weapons chest.

10. Sakabato (Rurouni Kenshin)

Dracule Mihawk
Fuji TV

There are many things that make an anime sword cool. Whether it's their ability, power, or just their appearance. But in the case of Sakabato, the coolness comes from how perfectly it symbolically reflects on the wielder's philosophy and morals.

Kenshin Himura earned the name Battosai during the war that took place before the start of the series. The title refers to the efficient lethality with which he carried out his orders, leaving none alive. But after the war, Kenshin was made to take a hard look at what he had done, and realized what a monster taking life so casually had made him into.

The Sakabato, in turn, reflects his change in philosophy to be a swordsman who never takes the life of others. It does this by having the blade of the sword on the other side.

While you may think this would hinder Kenshin's abilities, keep in mind that this is still a thin bar of steel that is being swung at your face, so maybe don't discount the ferocity of this otherwise nonlethal blade just yet.

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John Tibbetts is a novelist in theory, a Whatculture contributor in practice, and a nerd all around who loves talking about movies, TV, anime, and video games more than he loves breathing. Which might be a problem in the long term, but eh, who can think that far ahead?