History Main / CoolSword

* In Kamen Rider, [[Series/KamenRiderKuuga Kuuga (Rising) Titan]], [[Series/KamenRiderAgito Agito Flame, Burning and Shining]], [[Series/KamenRiderRyuki Ryuki, Knight, Ohja and the Alternatives]], [[Series/KamenRider555 Faiz (all Forms) and Kaiza]], [[Series/KamenRiderBlade Blade]], [[Series/KamenRiderKabuto Kabuto Hyper and Sasword]], [[Series/KamenRiderDenO Den-O Sword and Liner, Zeronos Altair]], [[Series/KamenRiderKiva Kiva Garuru and Emperor, Ixa Burst, Saga]], [[Series/KamenRiderDouble Accel]], [[Series/KamenRiderOOO OOO]], and [[Series/KamenRiderFourze Fourze Elek States]].
** The English version of Ryuki has Dragon Knight, Wing Knight, Strike, and Eubulon.
** One of the Final Form Rides for Series/KamenRiderDecade is Final Form Ride Blade Blade. Which is Series/KamenRiderBlade as a big sword. Which he swaps with [[Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger Shinken Red's]] sword for a tag team attack.
** And don't forget the original sword-wielding Kamen Rider, Series/KamenRiderBlackRX and his gut-plunging Revolcane. Series/MaskedRider carries that along with the Electro-Saber.
** And also don't leave out ''every single Rider'' from ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'' who transform using the power of their swords. Each of them embodies a different [[ElementalPowers Elemental Power]], such as Saber using dragons and fire with Kaenken Rekka[[note]]"Flame Sword Raging Fire"[[/note]], Blades possessing lion and water motifs with Suiseiken Nagare[[note]]"Force of Water Sword Running Water"[[/note]] and Espada with lightning, djinns and magic lamps armed with Raimeiken Ikazuchi[[note]]"Thunderclap Sword Yellow Thunder"[[/note]]. Even the villainous Riders carry swords as well.
* ''Franchise/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** ''Series/GameOfThrones'':

* ''Franchise/SuperSentai''/''Franchise/PowerRangers'' has a lot of these, [[HeroesPreferSwords usually given to]] TheHero. Many Megazords also wield swords.

* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Shardblades are [[{{BFS}} enormous]] {{Soul Cutting Blade}}s that often have fancy designs or symbols on the blade. They are much much lighter than their massive size would indicate and can be vanished to {{Hammerspace}} when not being used. WordOfGod is that part of the reason he came up with them was because he was annoyed that the coolest fantasy swords [[Franchise/StarWars were in a sci-fi series]]. Also, [[spoiler: living]] Shardblades wielded by an active Knight Radiant are even cooler, having glowing TronLines on them on them in the Radiant's order's colour. [[spoiler: They don't even have to be swords.]]

** Ván, the Sword of Hope, [[ExcaliburInTheRust appears to be a completely unremarkable arming sword to the untrained eye]] - something which is lampshaded (and is implied to have made the damn thing practically impossible to find, since no one's seen it for the past million years). Despite this unassuming appearance, it is sentient (probably), layered with enchantments, made of uru and vibranium, and designed to both match Twilight and NoSell [[spoiler: ''Phoenix fire'']] - something at which, remarkably, it succeeded. That's pretty darn cool.
** Harry's sword, forged for him by Uhtred, with the guidance of Tony Stark, and enchanted by Loki. It was designed along the lines of an Alfheim sabre, based on Harry's preference [[LightningBruiser for speed based attacks]], with a few twists. Thanks to parallel evolution, the end result is explicitly described as closely resembling the ''shashka'', the famed sabre of the Russian Cossacks and real life example of this trope. [[spoiler: Since this triggers more than a few Red Room based memories, this is not necessarily a good thing.]] After the ''Bloody Hell'' arc, it becomes even cooler, as Dracula [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaling Harry]] with it and then blasting him with magical lightning, causes it to take on [[PlayingWithFire attributes]] of Harry's Phoenix-infused blood, and possibly gives it a bit of sentience. At this point, Harry names it Curtana, after the legendary sword of Sir Tristan.

* ''Manhwa/DragonRecipe'': Kalsiss is the strongest holy sword of the Holy Sword clan. Her owner, Incia, uses her for the purpose of preparing dragon meat, [[MundaneMadeAwesome because no normal sword can cut the flesh of a Kaiser Dragon.]]

* The Moon Sword from ComicBook/{{Slaine}}: the Horned God is a weapon so terrible that it does not merely cut its foes; rather, their bodies rip themselves open to receive it.
* The Makluan Sword used by the first [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Swordsman]]. Made by the Mandarin, it had a numerous weapons built in, including disintegrator rays, and a flamethrower.
* There is a fictional version of the real-life mythical sword the [[{{Kusanagi}} Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi]] (the "Grass cutter") in the Marvel Universe, which plays an important role in the first "ComicBook/{{Ares|Marvel}}" miniseries.
* Gram, formerly the sword of Sigurd the Ever-Glorious, currently belonging to [[ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard Loki]]. It comes with the handy ability to reveal truths, free people from possession or parasitic influence, and in a pinch can be used to stab someone. It has a [[TimeyWimeyBall truly]] [[BatmanGambit ludicrously]] complex origin. Approximately: [[spoiler:It was {{retroactive|Preparation}}ly [[ForgedByTheGods created by Old!Loki]] (there are several Lokis in the comic) [[InsubstantialIngredients from]] {{curse}} and {{greed}} and {{revenge}} [[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality through the power of]] [[LegendaryWeapon legend]] to [[SwordOfPlotAdvancement free/defeat himself]].]] Basically it's weaponized BrutalHonesty.

* In ''ComicBook/FishPolice'', Inspector Gill acquires a sword which he names [[ICallItVera Suds-Guzzler]].
* Martha from ''ComicBook/GiveMeLiberty'' uses one (a saber) when she fights the gay nazis IN SPACE! (She wisely refuses to use firearms, since they'd puncture the station's outer hull, which would kill both parties. [[TooDumbToLive Her opponents are not that smart.]])
* While few of the swords ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' has used were particularly elaborate, they were all very old. Only ever used as improvisational weapons, you'd think a rusty piece of metal wouldn't be that cool. But they are. May be Mike Mignola's [[AuthorAppeal love of Gothic antiquity rearing its head]].

* Soultaker, the blade of ComicBook/{{Katana}} from ''[[ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders The Outsiders]]'', drinks the souls of those it kills, and then makes them available as ghosts to answer questions.
* In DC Comics, Nightmaster was a member of ''ComicBook/{{Shadowpact}}'' and was the wielder of the ''Sword of Night''. The sword gave eternal youth, the ability to compel the truth from someone, cut through almost anything, warned its wielder of danger and could split into three swords that shot out at victims.

** Illyana Rasputin's Soulsword, forged from her very soul. It's incapable of cutting purely physical objects (though it still blocks things just fine), but it can cut through anything the least bit magical -- artifacts, enchantments, demons, etc. -- like a hot knife through butter. It also generates a kickass armor when she wills it. Ilyana's own magical abilities are also enhanced while wielding the Soulsword. Finally, the sword is a symbol of her mastery over Limbo.
** The Muramasa Blade forged for Wolverine, containing a "shard of his soul", is said to be the only weapon that can kill him (or his kin, apparently) for good. It ultimately killed Sabretooth. Wolverine's son Daken had part of it melted down and grafted onto his wrist claws (which retract, like Wolverine's).

*** The Skybreaker, the first Vibranium weapon forged, used by Storm [[spoiler:after stealing it from the ComicBook/BlackPanther]].

* The Ebony Blade (sounds like a brand of razor) of the Black Knight was forged by Merlin, can cut through pretty much anything like butter, can absorb and even reflect energy, and can be summoned to the Knight's hand. So what if it comes with a blood curse?

* The Muramasa Blade forged for ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, containing a "shard of his soul", is said to be the only weapon that can kill him (or his kin, apparently) for good. It ultimately killed Sabretooth. ComicBook/{{Daken}} had part of it melted down and grafted onto his wrist claws (which retract, like Wolverine's).

* [[ComicBook/TransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye Drift]] has his Great Sword, which are a common weapon of the Circle of Light. There is a drawback in that they draw power from the user's soul, making it a case of AwesomeButImpractical, so Drift uses it sparingly. Even worse, one of the few times he does use it, it gets stolen and used to chop his legs off.

* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odinsword Odinsword]]. A ''huge'' sword several hundred feet in length, it's so powerful that it's considered a weapon of mass destruction by the Asgardians. Let that sink in for a second. A race of superpowerful ''warrior gods'' fear the Odinsword's power. In ''ComicBook/FearItself'' Odin revealed the sword's true name is Ragnarok.

* In the 2016 comics, ComicBook/DoctorStrange forges the first magical relic that bears ''his'' name, a sword capable of cutting through dimensions. When his forging mentor Eoffren dubs it the Sword of Strange, Stephen instead calls it a scalpel: the Scalpel of Strange.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Illyana Rasputin's Soulsword, forged from her very soul. It's incapable of cutting purely physical objects (though it still blocks things just fine), but it can cut through anything the least bit magical -- artifacts, enchantments, demons, etc. -- like a hot knife through butter. It also generates a kickass armor when she wills it. Ilyana's own magical abilities are also enhanced while wielding the Soulsword. Finally, the sword is a symbol of her mastery over Limbo.
* The ''Franchise/XMen'' CrisisCrossover ''ComicBook/XOfSwords'' deals with a contest involving ten legendary blades being used by ten X-Men to battle ten foes wielding their own cool swords. Besides Wolverine's Murasama and Magik's Soulsword, the other blades used here:
** The Skybreaker, the first Vibranium weapon forged, used by Storm [[spoiler:after stealing it from the ComicBook/BlackPanther]].
** Warlock, the technoorganic being and friend of his welder Cypher.
** The Light of Galador, a sword formerly used by the Spaceknights, now used by the young ComicBook/{{Cable}}.
** The Starlight Sword, a mystical weapon forged from the walls of the Starlight Tower, taken by Betsy Braddock, the current ComicBook/CaptainBritain.
** The Sword of Might, one of two weapons that could be used to create a new Captain Britain, now used by Brian Braddock, now Captain Avalon.
** Scarab, a ''kopesh''-like weapon, used by ComicBook/{{Apocalypse}}.
** Godkiller and Grasscutter, mythical god-killing weapons, both welded by Gorgon.

** Sanakan's first weapon is the Kirkhammer, a silver sword that can combine with a stone block to form a large [[DropTheHammer hammer]]. Her current weapon, the Holy Blade, is a silver sword (similar to the one for Kirkhammer) that transforms into a {{BFS}} by combining it with its sheath. Both are [[BifurcatedWeapon Bifurcated Weapons]].

** The Montante, a two-handed sword almost as tall as a man, also called the Spanish/Hispanic/Iberian Montante was the Spanish BFS, deeply feared in the battlefield at a time when Spain was the dominating world power and, despite its enormous size, wielded with great agility. A textbook example of the use of the Montante was when employed by a lone warrior to defend a small position against several attackers.

** Falcata (one-handed): The incredibly badass pre-Roman Spanish machete. Iberians chopped the hell out of so many Roman soldiers with these babies, that the Romans redesigned their shields and armor. Similar to a kukri or kopis, and possibly a distant relative to them, these Roman-killing machines are curved downwards.

** Gladius: The sword of choice for stories set in [[AncientRome Rome]], even although, ironically, it had a Spanish origin; the Romans adopted this highly efficient blade after watching what Carthage's Hispanic mercenaries could do with it. If it's not a gladius but about the same size, it's a likely weapon of choice for children or {{Hobbits}}. The Japanese equivalent is the ''kodachi''/''wakizashi'', which samurai often carried with the tachi/katana.

* Toledo steel was very well known in the old world as some of the best material for sword-making (one of several theories says that Hispania, Spain's original roman name, meant "island/coast where metal are forged"), and Spanish methods influenced those around them in several occasions. Case in point, the early inhabitants of Hispania created the falcata and the gladius, two swords so devastating that their enemies, the Romans, couldn't help but to be in awe at their prowess. They proceeded to incorporate the latter in their own armies, calling it ''gladius Hispaniensis'' (they chose it over the falcata because its blade shape, designed both to cut and stab, adapted better to the Roman style of field warfare). Centuries later, the Spanish would create the espada ropera, which would spread throughout the Western world under the name rapier. The Spanish version would go on to dominate battlefields all over the world for hundreds of years, in then hands of the fear-inspiring Tercios.

Compare its JustForFun/GunCounterpart, CoolGuns. For swords that aren't fantastically and impractically cool, see our [[UsefulNotes/{{Swords}} Useful Notes: Swords]] page. OddlyShapedSword is the SubTrope for swords that have a really ''weird'' shape.

* ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'''s title character has his Tessaiga. So cool that Sesshomaru's antagonism is partially out of jealousy over Inuyasha being able to wield it, but not him.

* The Sword of Power in ''Series/{{Cursed}}'' is an ancient Fey-forged sword covered in glowing runes, that can only be destroyed with Fey Fire and can grant the wielder great combat abilities and/or augment their magic if they have powers. It's also known as the Devil's Tooth and the Sword of Kings, and it ''[[AmbiguousSituation may]]'' be Excalibur.

* The many famous swords of Manga/OnePiece with Mihawks 'Kokutou Yoru' or Zoro's 'Wadou Ichi Monji' only being a few examples out of the ever growing list of cool Swords.

** Zweihänder (two-hander): With a blade length of 120-150 cm (4-5 ft), was longest known sword, the real life {{BFS}}. Bigger. Longer. Better. Used for intimidation, decapitation, and decimation. Especially good for lopping enemy pike tips off, not to mention enemy heads.
** Claymore (two-handed): Scottish sword with a blade length of 100-115 cm (39-45 in). Sometimes used by blonde women [[Manga/{{Claymore}} to kill human-eating monsters.]]

* In Kamen Rider, [[Series/KamenRiderKuuga Kuuga (Rising) Titan]], [[Series/KamenRiderAgito Agito Flame, Burning and Shining]], [[Series/KamenRiderRyuki Ryuki, Knight, Ohja and the Alternatives]], [[Series/KamenRiderFaiz Faiz (All Forms) and Kaiza]], [[Series/KamenRiderBlade Blade]], [[Series/KamenRiderKabuto Kabuto Hyper and Sasword]], [[Series/KamenRiderDenO Den-O Sword and Liner, Zeronos Altair]], [[Series/KamenRiderKiva Kiva Garuru and Emperor, Ixa Burst, Saga]], [[Series/KamenRiderDouble Accel]], [[Series/KamenRiderOOO OOO]], and [[Series/KamenRiderFourze Fourze Elek States]].

* In ''Film/{{Blade}}'', the title character has a booby-trapped silver katana for fighting vampires.

* The sword of the famed alchemist Paracelsus, which supposedly contained Azoth (a cure-all) in its pommel, and a gem containing an imp that could be sent out to wreak havoc.

** Protagonist Lion-O has the [[NamedWeapons Sword of Omens]], the AncestralWeapon of Thundera's kings, that [[RetractableWeapon extends]] from dagger to longsword when Lion-O utters a ByThePowerOfGrayskull, and hosts an AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome in its hilt that can shoot {{Sword Beam}}s, project a BatSignal in times of [[SituationalSword distress]], and grant Lion-O [[{{Seers}} visions]]. DependingOnTheWriter, it can [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands do just about anything]] that its wielder can phrase in the form, "[[CatchPhrase Sword of Omens! Give me X beyond X!]]"

** Spatha (one-handed): Longer than a Gladius, but too short for a longsword, pattern-welded for greater strength. From late Roman days to the First Crusade, this was one of the most common sword types in Europe. Myth/KingArthur is likely to have historically used one, and any [[HornyVikings Viking]] that isn't swinging an axe or stabbing with a [[BladeOnAStick spear]] might have one of these. Also called a broadsword or broadblade, the [[YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord literal meaning of Spatha]], although modern use of "broadsword" refers to an Arming Sword or a basket-hilted sword. The other translation for 'Spatha' is 'spade' or 'shovel', because it was 'invented' by enlarging the Gladius in order to make it more useful for jobs around the camp. It is therefore the ancestor of not just most later medieval European straight swords, but also of the entrenching tool.

** The Church Pick, wielded by Lily, has an unusual appearance. It has a broad blade, a long hilt, and no guard. It can also transform into a [[BladeOnAStick polearm]].

* ''Film/TheHungerGames'': The District 5 Male's weapon of choice (film only). [[spoiler:He used it to kill the District 3 female.]]

*** Oathkeeper and Widow's wail, two swords with a blood-red coloration [[spoiler:made from Ice]].

** All swords can potentially have a +1 through +3 bonus to both attack and damage, which can save your skin in a battle.

** [[OhCrap And we all trembled in fear.]]

** Valyrian steel blades are, by definition, cool blades. There are only 200-something remaining blades in the world, as the secret of their making is lost. They are light, durable and incredibly sharp, and one of the only known weapons capable of [[KryptoniteFactor harming the Others]]. Some Valyrian steel swords appearing on-screen and in the books:
*** Ice, the Stark's Valyrian steel '''greatsword'''.

* ''Literature/TheHeroes'', of ''Literature/TheFirstLaw'' series, has the Father of Swords. It's described as an [[{{BFS}} absurdly large two-handed sword]] of dull gray that looks like something a person who'd only heard about swords in stories would think up. In the book, its current bearer is Whirrun of Bligh, who regards it as a blessing and a curse. Although the weapon looks impractical, he wields it with shocking quickness.

* The Sword of Azundati in ''Film/Amazons''.

* The Sword of Azundati in ''Film/Amazons.''