History Main / BFs

** In Deuteronomy 28, and Ezekiel 14, one of the punishments of the wicked is to be by the sword. In chapter 21 of Ezekiel, God wields that sword, and the description of it makes it seem rather huge, deadly, and quite awesome, if not terrifying. That same huge sword is in St. John's Revelation, used by the [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse rider of the red horse]]. Such a sword is said to be symbolic of war and violence.

* ''Fanfic/NoStarsInSight'': [[Literature/InheritanceCycle Cuaroc]] wields a large claymore "fit for slaying giants" that has such a heavy blade that he almost always {{Sword Drag}}s it around.

* In ''Fanfic/TheImmortalGame'', most unicorn blades have about nine pieces to them. Sir Unimpressive, who trained for ten years, has an impressive thirteen. [[ActionFashionista Rarity]] and her father [[TheDragon General Esteem]] (considered to be the most powerful mortal warrior on the planet) has fourteen. [[TykeBomb Astor Coruscare]], the most powerful Unicorn at her time, is implied to have at least twenty pieces. Twilight Sparkle's blade Equinox? '''Twenty Seven.'''
* The katana Yuunagi in ''Fanfic/TheTaintedGrimoire'' is an example of this trope.
* In the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' AU story [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8649007/1/Kitsune-s-Power Kitsune's Power]], the main character gains a [[GoneHorriblyRight bloodlimit]] granting him SuperStrength. He ends up having a sword made for him very like the one from ''VideoGame/{{Utawarerumono}}'' and uses it to fight Zabuza to a standstill.
* Brittany, the main character of ''Fanfic/NewReality'' uses zweihänder.
* In ''Fanfic/WonderfulMazinja'', one of the weapons of the hero, Taylor, is a huge sword. She used it for first time to fight an EldritchAbomination.

* ''Fanfic/RobbReturns'': Stormbreaker, the Durrandons' ancient greatsword that Robert found, counts as one. When it is used, the sound of thunder can actually be heard. [[spoiler:[[RuleOfSymbolism It also brings out the enemy's true nature]], as it proves by making Jaime's sword rust from the inside, and will not be stained by the blood of a coward.]]
* ''Fanfic/HarbingerFinmonster'' (''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'', ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman''): In this story, Wendy Corduroy, has a double-edged sword for a weapon that Danny describes as being almost ridiculously large.
* ''Webcomic/WhatIfIKnowTooManyReasonsICanBeStrong'': Haganezuka makes Tanjiro huge swords named the Demonslayer.
* ''Fanfic/{{DNMC}}'' features D'Arg and his two [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter shotgun]] [[MixAndMatchWeapon swords]] that he can [[FlamingSword set on fire]] which he's named ''Fire, Ready, Aim''. [[RuleOfSymbolism Fitting for someone as reckless as him.]] Deconstructed, since their size and weight don't do him any favors against a more agile opponent, [[CripplingOverspecialization especially if they're a human and not a Creature of Grimm]].
* In ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'', Ash's Farfetch'd[[labelnote:*]]a Kantonian one, not to be confused with his Galarian one from canon[[/labelnote]] is capable of using Slash by combining [[DualWielding two of his]] [[CutlassBetweenTheTeeth three leeks]] together to form a giant longsword.

** Later, when David was on the run from Saul, he is without a sword and is given the sword of Goliath from a temple. Some images have him continue to wield this BFS for his entire reign. A BFS in this time period [[AluminumChristmasTrees would be the size of a normal sword by our standards]], as the iron age had just started around this time.

** The Good Hunter opts for the [[SpellBlade Holy]] [[SwordBeam Moonlight]] [[LaserBlade Sword]] whenever he faces a particularly strong opponent, or he needs to [[HerdHittingAttack take out groups of enemies at once]].
** Being a villainous [[Manga/{{Berserk}} Guts]] expy, Vault wields a greatsword in combat.
** Ludwig's Holy Blade, one of Sanakan's weapons, is this when the longsword is combined with the sheath.

** Ludwig's Holy Blade, one of Sanakan's [[WeaponOfChoice weapons of choice]], is this when the longsword is combined with the sheath.

This trope includes any type of improbably large ("anime-sized") melee weapon. After the aforementioned big-ass sword, gigantic [[BladeOnAStick lances]] tend to be the most common. However, [[DropTheHammer humongous hammers]] and [[AnAxeToGrind titanic axes]] also appear from time to time, most commonly in the hands of TheBigGuy (or, just for the absurdity of it all, [[GlacierWaif a little girl]]).

* The [[Myth/IrishMythology Irish Ulster Cycle]] has Fergus mac Roiche's greatsword, Caladbolg ("hard sheath"). That thing could dispatch an ''army'' with a single stroke. Not that it gets to do so against Conall Cernach's forces, since a peace agreement had been arranged (even if he tore up a lot of his soldiers with Caladbolg at less than full force). Nonetheless, to show that his side won't be taking intrigues lying down, Fergus uses Caladbolg to ''cut the tops away from three hills, '''with one stroke each'''''. Because of close cognates in Welsh legends, some scholars believe that the stories of Caladbolg were the template for [[Myth/KingArthur Excalibur]]. Maybe ''that's'' why Arthur's reign persisted for so long in the stories.

* In ''Fanfic/WithThisRing'', Renegade OL eventually makes himself one.

* ''ComicBook/WeaponHex'': Like Characters/{{Magik}}, Hellhound has a massive blue magical sword, though it's never referred to as the Soulsword.

* ComicBook/BettyRoss -- "Red She-Hulk" -- has a great sword named Savage Sword of She-Hulk, created by ComicBook/IronMan and blessed by Odin.

* History tells of a Frisian pirate and rebel by the name of "Grutte Pier" ("Big Pier") who rose to prominence during the early sixteenth century. He was reported to be an enormous man, and strong enough to bend coins one-handed with three fingers. Some sources estimate his height to have been at least seven feet tall, based around the length of the two swords reported to be his--both seven feet in length. However, these swords reputed to be his were probably ceremonial bearing swords that were incorrectly identified as combat weapons in later times and ascribed to him through romantic speculation. According to legend, Grutte Pier was strong enough to behead multiple men in a single blow. Unfortunately, the sword was proven AwesomeYetImpractical when he drowned after the sheath filled with water.

* ''Roleplay/MarvelsRPG'': Black Knight sports Excalibur, which on top of being a BFS is also an AbsurdlySharpBlade able to release lightning shocks and instill PrimalFear just by being wielded.
* ''Roleplay/MSFHighForum'': Sam wields one of these. A large claymore to be specific. So does Mercurius.

* The ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ōdachi ōdachi]]'' or "great sword" (also known as a ''nodachi'' or "field sword") is most easily described as a larger version of the ''katana'' or ''tachi'', and was intended to be used by foot soldiers against cavalry. Typical examples were over five feet long, [[http://www.freewebs.com/toufuushogunate/Nodachi.jpg which is longer than the typical Japanese man is tall]]. However, it's speculated that many or perhaps even most ''ōdachi'' were never used in combat. Forging one was proof of a swordsmith's skill, and owning one was a status symbol for a samurai wealthy enough to afford it. However, polearms (such as the ''naginata'') were cheaper to build, easier to train people with, and all-around more useful in the hands of a skilled soldier. There are also styles of using the ''nodachi'' in a very aggressive manner to defeat polearms, by essentially advancing toward a foe with polearm and using multiple rapid downward cuts to batter the enemy weapon down and cut the head and shoulders with the sheer weight and momentum of the blade, or as a weapon from horseback. Most nodachi were commonly used before the Edo period, as later regulation forbade the use of swords beyond a certain size (forcing several blacksmiths to clip and shorten many swords).
* Derived from the nodachi, there's the ''nagamaki'': started off as a nodachi with an extra wrapping around the lower half of the blade for better leverage, it gradually evolved in a proper weapon, halfway between a sword and a polearm.

* ''WebAnimation/KingsOfPowerFourBillionPercent'': One of the characters has a very prominent {{BFS}}.

* In ''Fanfic/{{Wonderful}}'', one of the weapons of [[TheHero Taylor]] is a huge sword. She used it for first time to fight an EldritchAbomination.

* Most swords in ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'' are [[AwesomeButImpractical absurdly large, ornate and impractical]]; this is partially [[EnforcedTrope enforced]] by Franchise/{{LEGO}}, [[BlatantLies who claim they "don't make realistic weapons"]]. Lhikan and Tahu's swords are big enough to be used as a [[CoolBoard surfboard]]. [[LavaAddsAwesome On lava.]]

* [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9P8orwOsJ-GqW5GaB-fEA Pretty Hate Machining]] made a 123 lb. Buster Sword out of inch-thick [=AR500=] steel. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k5SauImw9I As seen here]] on ''Demolition Ranch'', two-time WorldsStrongestMan finalist Robert Oberst needed help to lift it onto his shoulder, and could only drop it rather than swing it.

[[caption-width-right:350:You know what they say about [[CompensatingForSomething guys with big swords...]][[note]]They have big sheaths, too![[/note]]]]

** Unfortunately it was badly depowered in Roy Thomas' Celestial/Ring Cycle storyline, in which we learn its origin and that drawing it, rather than destroying the universe, [[spoiler: will merely(?) bring on the day of Ragnarok]]. We also find out why it's that big: [[spoiler: it's meant to be wielded by a giant-size Destroyer, powered by Odin and all the other Asgardians except Thor, when he defends Earth from the even larger Celestials]].

** [[spoiler: Human Sunset's]] Fullbring is a greatsword nearly as big as she is.

* In ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'', Ash's Farfetch'd [[labelnote:*]]A Kantonian one, not to be confused with his Galarian one from canon[[/labelnote]] is capable of using Slash by combining [[DualWielding two of his]] [[CutlassBetweenTheTeeth three leeks]] together to form a giant longsword.

** Berserker's axe-sword, which is a giant hunk of stone that looks somewhere between, well, an axe and a sword. It looks ''almost'' normal sized in relation to Berserker, who's about 8 feet tall. However, when [[spoiler:Shirou]] uses it in Heaven's Feel, it's as big as he is. [[spoiler:And to top it off he uses it [[OneHandedZweihander one-handed.]]]]
** Saber surprisingly enough uses a fairly normal sized sword that spends much of its time invisible, but is by far the shortest and smallest Servant, so it looks much larger in her hands. However when she fires off [[spoiler:Excalibur]] it takes the form of a [[SwordBeam giant sword made of light]]

* ''VisualNovel/YuminaTheEthereal'' is full of BFS, but one character can turn ''herself'' into a BFS that is capable of destroying ''anything'' in [[OneHitKill a single strike.]]

* The [[http://askaninja.com/videos/ask-a-ninja-question-68-legendary-weapons/ Ask A Ninja]] Ninja describes something called an "Extremely Extremely Broadsword," which is so big that "it can slice TEXAS in half!" He also notes that there are only a few things in the universe that can even lift it, and since none of them are good guys.

** And in Volume 4 [[spoiler: Jaune upgrades his long sword, Crocea Mors, so that it can combine with its sheath to turn into one of these.]]

** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGkcgGf2Fzw FFVII Buster Sword Build.]], posted 28 August 2015, he documents the process of creating a new, higher-quality buster sword to see how far his craftsmanship had improved since the original buster sword video.

** He first went viral with the video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un1M7xbCCIs REAL Buster Sword]] posted September 22, 2007, in which he attacks a stack of pallets using--or rather, ''attempting'' to use--a replica of [[ Cloud's buster sword]] weighing 20.9kg or 46 lbs. As a ''Website/{{Cracked}}'' article [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-8-manliest-images-on-the-internet/ noted]], the victor in this case is neither the pallet nor the smith wielding the sword, but rather the laws of gravity and physics which make such a weapon absurd in the first place. It cannot even be properly swung: He has to lift it up and let it drop down on the target under its own weight. At least he deserves major points for effort.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_9P8orwOsJ-GqW5GaB-fEA Pretty Hate Machining]] made a 123 lb. Buster Sword out of inch-thick [=AR500=] steel. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k5SauImw9I As seen here]], two-time WorldsStrongestMan finalist Robert Oberst needed help to lift it onto his shoulder, and could only drop it rather than swing it.

* See [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un1M7xbCCIs here]] for a man using, or rather ''attempting'' to use, a real-life replica of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud's buster sword]] that he made himself, which weighs 20.9kg or 46 lbs. As a ''Website/{{Cracked}}'' article [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-8-manliest-images-on-the-internet/ noted]], the victor in this case is neither the pallet nor the smith wielding the sword, but rather the laws of gravity and physics which make such a weapon absurd in the first place. It cannot even be properly swung: He has to lift it up and let it drop down on the target under its own weight. At least he deserves major points for effort. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNc7kHADtUw He later got a strongman]] to attempt to swing it, and even he's only able to strike the wooden pallet by letting the blade fall. The original smith [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGkcgGf2Fzw revisited the video]] seven years later.

* Practitioners of Baguazhang, a Chinese internal martial art, train with oversized swords to build strength and so on. It's relatively easy to find daos almost five feet long and weighing around 5 lbs. The guy in the bottom pic of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagua_zhang Wikipedia page on Baguazhang]] is training with an oversized dao that looks like it could give the Buster Sword a run for its money!
* History tells of a Frisian pirate and rebel by the name of "Grutte Pier" ("Big Pier") who rose to prominence during the early sixteenth century. He was reported to be an enormous man, and strong enough to bend coins one-handed with three fingers. Some sources estimate his height to have been at least seven-feet tall, based around the length of the two swords reported to be his--both seven feet in length. However, these swords reputed to be his were probably ceremonial bearing swords that were incorrectly identified as combat weapons in later times and ascribed to him through romantic speculation. According to legend, Grutte Pier was strong enough to behead multiple men in a single blow. Unfortunately, the sword was proven AwesomeYetImpractical when he drowned after the sheath filled with water.
* The ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ōdachi ōdachi]]'' or "great sword" (also known as a ''nodachi'' or "field sword") is most easily described as a larger version of the ''katana'' or ''tachi'', and was intended to be used by foot soldiers against cavalry. Typical examples were over five feet long, [[http://www.freewebs.com/toufuushogunate/Nodachi.jpg which is longer than the typical Japanese man is tall]]. However, it's speculated that many or perhaps even most ''ōdachi'' were never used in combat. Forging one was proof of a swordsmith's skill, and owning one was a status symbol for a samurai wealthy enough to afford it. However, polearms (such as the ''naginata'') were cheaper to build, easier to train people with, and all-around more useful in the hands of a skilled soldier. There are also styles of using the ''nodachi'' in a very aggressive manner to defeat polearms, by essentially advancing toward a foe with polearm and using multiple rapid downward cuts to batter the enemy weapon down and cut the head and shoulders with the sheer weight and momentum of the blade, or as a weapon from horseback. Most nodachi were commonly used before the Edo period, as later regulation forbade the use of swords beyond a certain size (forcing several blacksmiths to clip and shorten many swords]].

* The Italian Spadone (sometimes called Spadone a due mani, Great Sword in two hands), and its relative, the Iberian Montante (See a training example [[http://www.armor.com/train233.html here]]) were very large swords, frequently exceeding five feet in length. The montante was usually used against other weapons, while the Spadone was used in the same fashion, but also used in duels. They averaged 5-6lbs, and were quite maneuverable.

* The Scottish two-handed claymore, while not quite as huge as the Zweihänder and nowhere near as big as fantasy examples, was quite large. They were typically around 140cm of length and weighed less than 6lbs, and are numerous existing examples in museums.

* During a ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' game, one player claimed that a 40d6 killing attack was not excessive for a photon torpedo because "That's only as much damage as 25 sword hacks." That, combined with a healthy dose of TabletopGame/StarFleetBattles, gave us ''[[http://www.rogermwilcox.name/stories/buccaneer.html Buccaneer!]]'', whose sword was so huge it did the equivalent of 25 sword hacks.
* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': The Master of the Dammed's [[ALoadOfBull minotaurs]] carried huge swords.
* WebAnimation/KingsOfPowerFourBillionPercent: one of the characters has a very prominent {{BFS}}.
* Black Knight in ''Roleplay/MarvelsRPG'' sports Excalibur, which on top of being a BFS is also an AbsurdlySharpBlade able to release lightning shocks and instill PrimalFear just by being wielded.

* The ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ōdachi ōdachi]]'' or "great sword" (also known as a ''nodachi'' or "field sword") is most easily described as a larger version of the ''katana'' or ''tachi'', and was intended to be used by foot soldiers against cavalry. Typical examples were over five feet long, [[http://www.freewebs.com/toufuushogunate/Nodachi.jpg which is longer than the typical Japanese man is tall]]. However, it's speculated that many or perhaps even most ''ōdachi'' were never used in combat. Forging one was proof of a swordsmith's skill, and owning one was a status symbol for a samurai wealthy enough to afford it. However, polearms (such as the ''naginata'') were cheaper to build, easier to train people with, and all-around more useful in the hands of a skilled soldier. There are also styles of using the ''nodachi'' in a very aggressive manner to defeat polearms, by essentially advancing toward a foe with polearm and using multiple rapid downward cuts to batter the enemy weapon down and cut the head and shoulders with the sheer weight and momentum of the blade.
* A specialized version of the ''ōdachi'' was known as the ''zanbatou'' or "horse-cleaving sword" (derived from the Chinese ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhanmadao zhanmadao]]'' with the same meaning). It supposedly differed from the ''ōdachi'' mainly by having a ricasso approximately 12-18 inches long (similar to the German ''Zweihänder''), allowing it to be used as a short polearm as well as a sword against cavalry. Unlike large ''nodachi'' and ''ōdachi'' of which we have some surviving examples, it is more doubtful whether the ''zanbatou'' ever actually existed or would have been a usable weapon if it did.