History Main / SwordDrag

* Although it's not in the actual game, the main character Hawke drags his BladeOnAStick while charging a DualWielding qunari in a cinematic trailer for ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''.

Naturally, this would be a terrible maneuver to use in real life as it would wear down any good sword, slow down the wielder, and telegraph the coming attack obviously. Thankfully in fiction, we have the RuleOfCool to make up for that. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant No, this is not about drag queens armed with swords.]]

* ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation'' has undead warriors who do this.

* ''VideoGame/Yakuza2'' has Ryuji Goda do this towards the end of the game, but this is only PS2 Exclusive; Ryuji just points his blade and brings it closer to his face.

* {{Justified|Trope}} with Shishio in ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' who does it to ignite the oil covering his sword and set the sword on fire. His sword also sharpens when worn down instead of dulling.
* Justified with Mikoto in ''Anime/MyHime''; her {{BFS}} is just about as big as she is, and it's how she powers up her attack
* Variation: Combusken's Sky Uppercut in the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime, starts with him dragging the tips of his claws along the floor, making some sparks and then doing the Uppercut. That only happened during a couple of instances in the Kanto Grand Festival. The attack isn't normally executed like that. Another variant: when Ash was battling to capture the Taillow that has been menacing the group, the Taillow drops to the river and dips its wings against the water while charging towards Pikachu.
* {{Justified|Trope}} in ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'', in which a secondary character does this to boost the power of her attack (and uses an unbreakable sword). The theory is that the drag slows down the swing, giving you more time to put kinetic energy into it for the same distance covered (which with a sufficiently spring-like blade and slow-twitch biased muscle development could actually work). Her opponent does note that it's a very predictable move that you can't pull twice.

* Mugen of ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' does this once or twice. However, like much of the chambara expressed the series, it is portrayed more realistically, with Mugen sliding the side of his sword rather than carving into the floor with the tip.
* Acrobat Cabaji of ''Manga/OnePiece'' deliberately does this to kick up a blinding dust cloud. He [[CallingYourAttacks calls it]] Circus Trick: Murder at the Steam Bath.
* In the ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' anime series, during his duel with Alucard, Father Anderson drags his bayonets along the floor ''and'' ceiling (one in each hand) of the subway car he is in. When he brings them together to strike Alucard, ''it causes the car to split in half''.
* Guts' sword in ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' frequently drags his {{BFS}} across walls and floors, often leaving smashed cobblestones behind him. It's also common for his sword to end up buried in the ground after a blow. {{Justified}}; the sword is never particularly sharp to begin with, used more like a bludgeon than a bladed weapon.

* Crona with Ragnarok in ''Manga/SoulEater'' in LimpandLivid moments when they're particularly unstable. Switches abruptly into -- slightly -- more reasonable movements when Medusa reminds Crona what they need to do. Can look as though Crona is being dragged by the EquippableAlly rather than vice-versa.
* Sasuke uses a variant with his Chidori in prior to the TimeSkip in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. Whether he had any practical reason to do so, such as concerns over slicing off his limbs, is unknown, but what ''is'' known is that the owner of the hotel whose wall he gouged in half probably wasn't happy.

* Amazingly inverted in ''Anime/HighlanderTheSearchForVengeance'' where Malike uses his chainsaw sword to propel him towards his opponent.

* Done in the original animation called ''Dragonboy'' through a reverse on the common knight saves princess from dragon (twice when the dragon goes to save the princess and then the princess goes to save the dragon). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=lIRMXJOtfMY&feature=endscreen In this animation]], the knight drags his sword for sinister effect.

* There is a great example in ''Film/SuckerPunch''. When the first giant Samurai approaches Baby Doll to attack, [[http://youtu.be/rD6HagsWk8A he drags a bladed staff halfway across a plaza]].
* In ''Film/HotelRwanda'', the extremist Hutus intimidatingly slide their machetes along roads while marching toward the slaughter of Tutsi refugees.

* Used realistically in ''Film/RobRoy'' to indicate that the character is so exhausted from less than five minutes' fighting that he can barely lift his sword.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'':

* In the ''Film/BladeTrilogy'', the titular character is fond of this before a big fight scene as an intimidation tactic, dragging the tip in a half-circle then turning the blade 90 degrees.
* ''Film/TheCrazies2010'' has a ''pitchfork'' drag. One of "the crazies" shambles toward a field hospital ward full of people who are strapped helplessly to beds and cannot move. [[NightmareFuel/TheCrazies2010 Horror]] [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice ensues]].

* In ''Film/{{Alatriste}}'', when Íñigo Balboa duels with Gualterio Malatesta, [[RuleOfCool he pauses the fight to creating nice trail of sparks while dragging his rapier along the wall.]]
* Gipsy Danger pulls this off in ''Film/PacificRim''. Only it's actually done with a very long and narrow freighter, but the visual is the same.
* One of the zombies does this (though with a fire ax rather than a sword) in ''Film/ResidentEvil2002''.
* In ''Film/BlackRain'', Sato does this ''while riding a motorcycle'' and creating SwordSparks [[spoiler: right before he kills Charlie]].
%%* The boyfriend drags a shovel this way as he decides whether to [[spoiler:finish off the MistakenForDead guy he was planning to bury.]] It's more a sign of reluctance than a deliberate intimidation tactic, but it's no less creepy for it.

* In ''Series/{{Garo}}'', Suzumura Rei does this at least once to scare Kaoru.
* In one episode of ''Series/{{Highlander}}'', Duncan approaches the VillainOfTheWeek and scrapes the tip of his katana on the concrete floor, to distract the villain from his intended victim.
* ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'' : Ryu Terui does this with the Engine Blade during his first appearance, but rather than intimidation it's simply because the sword is so heavy that he can't wield it properly without transforming into Kamen Rider Accel.
* In ''Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight,'' Kamen Rider Wrath will scrape his {{Absurdly Sharp Blade}}s against each other, creating SwordSparks. You'd think it'd dull them, but his ability to [[CurbStompBattle curb stomp]] good Riders never suffers.

* The Governor does this [[ShovelStrike with a shovel]] in ''Series/TheWalkingDead'', while he's hunting [[spoiler:Andrea]] through a dark, empty building. Serves to demonstrate that while his quarry is desperately trying to avoid making any sound, he's [[SoMuchForStealth not afraid to give away exactly where he is]] (partly because he also has a gun).
* ''Series/GameOfThrones''. In the climatic finale of Season 4, [[spoiler:Tyrion Lannister takes a crossbow, and the goats-foot-lever used to cock it, off his father's WallOfWeapons, letting the latter drag along the stone floor as he walks down the corridor towards the privy where Lord Tywin is. Tyrion has crossed the DespairEventHorizon after finding his former {{Love Interest|s}} in father's bed and strangling her, so it signifies his general I-don't-give-a-fuck-anymore attitude.]]

* ''Series/BreakingBad'': In the episode "One Minute", one of the cousins does this with his axe while [[spoiler:going after Hank.]]

* Kai Leng is ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' is reduced to this after being beaten by Shepard.
* [[spoiler:Roxas]] does this [[spoiler:with his Keyblades]] during a cutscene fight in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''.

* ''Franchise/SilentHill''

* The Flame Blade in ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 8'' (DLC in the base game, made Sun Quan's main weapon in ''Empires'') weaponizes this: the friction from dragging it across the ground [[FlamingSword sets the blade alight]], powering up its attacks temporarily.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WYH2sFCGvE The first trailer]] of ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'' sees Eddie do this with an ''axe''.
* ''VideoGame/DiabloII''
** The Stranger with the huge Broadsword in the intro.
** The expansion pack features the Reanimated Horde, skeleton warriors with big two-handed swords that drag on ground as they walk.
* ''VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation'' has undead warriors who do this.
* ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes]]'' has the Cyborg Ninja sweep his sword along the ground while fighting Snake for the first time. Possibly justified, since his sword was impossibly strong and sharp, and Snake was lying on the ground at the time.
** Jetstream Sam does it in his TraintopBattle with Raiden at the beginning of ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance''. In this case he's standing on top of an oil tank at the time, so it has the added bonus of [[FlamingSword lighting his sword on fire]] and setting off a huge explosion.
* In ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'', Garland does this constantly with his shapeshifting sword. You can hardly blame him -- in its [[{{BFS}} default form]], it puts Cloud's to shame -- being longer, wider, thicker, and just generally ''[[BiggerIsBetter larger]]'' than the ''entire heroic cast''.
* In ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'', one of (DualWielding) UsefulNotes/YagyuJubei's special attacks (the "''Nikakurato''") has him charging towards the opponent with a shoulder smash while dragging his wakizashi along the ground- leaving sparks behind. After a solid hit or few with the shoulder smash, he then lunges upward with his katana into a soaring slash capable of a CleanCut if it finishes off the opponent.
* One of the cutscenes in ''VideoGame/HaloWars'' has the AxCrazy Arbiter do this, [[LaserBlade with obvious justification]].
** In ''VideoGame/HaloWars2'', a flashback to the day Atriox forsook the Covenant shows him doing something similar with the bladed side of his gravity hammer.
* A magazine ad for ''Franchise/StarWars: [[VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast]]'' has Kyle doing this with a lightsaber after {{Zorro Mark}}ing the wall with the game's insignia.
* Slayers in ''VideoGame/TheSuffering'' will often drag one hand-blade along the ground as they charge. The sound is often the first sign that they're coming. It also often kicks up sparks which are sometimes the first thing you see if they're coming out of the darkness.
* Although it's not in the actual game, the main character Hawke drags his BladeOnAStick while charging a DualWielding qunari in a cinematic trailer for ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''.
* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'' , a Follower of Romulus does this in Cestius' Pyramid. It was not him doing the ass-kicking.
* The Raincoat Killer from ''VideoGame/DeadlyPremonition'' does this with his axe.
* This happens in ''VideoGame/{{Fable|I}}'' if you try to wield a heavy weapon without sufficient strength.
* Occurs twice in ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'', both with Alex Mercer and Captain Cross. Mercer's example comes when he finally defeats the parasite that's been restricting his powers; in a fairly awesome scene, he develops both the Armor and the Blade powers, dragging the tip of the blade in a circle around him. Cross's example is dragging his shock staff across the ground in anticipation of fighting Infected. Both examples are justified, somewhat: Alex's blade is a shapeshifter weapon, so he can easily repair any potential damage, and Cross's staff doesn't have an edge to ruin.
* Kojuro in ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' does this when he enters [[UnstoppableRage Berserk Mode]], apparently to seem more threatening toward opponents. In the anime season 2 he pulls it off in fine style against Hanbe and his mooks.
* The ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' champion [[TheBerserker Tryndamere]] runs around dragging his sword behind him with one hand. But then again, [[{{BFS}} with a sword like that]], you have to wonder if he kills stuff by cutting with the blade's edge or just smashing with the weight of it.
* The Black Knights from ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' tend to do this a bit. Semi-justified, since it's usually the prelude to a big, air-launching upwards sweep attack. A player armed with a Black Knight weapon can do this as well.
* Solange from ''VideoGame/CodeOfPrincess'' does this with the [[{{BFS}} DeLuxcalibur]] because the sword really is too big for her that she has to drag it around just to move.
* The Redeads in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' carry their ginormous cleavers this way. It takes an agonizingly long time for them to swing said cleavers overhead... which is why they're also a case of TheParalyzer, whose scream stuns Link juuuuuust long enough for the clade to connect.
* In ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'', both videogame and film incarnations, [[GiantMook the Executioner]] drags his [[DropTheHammer axehammer]] on the ground. Again, justified because the weapon is [[{{BFS}} only slightly smaller]] than the Executioner himself.
* In ''[[Characters/SoulcaliburIII Soul Calibur III]]'' if you are playing as Nightmare or Siegfried, there are two versions of the same cutscene with slightly different dialogue upon reaching the Forgotten Cathedral, wherein Nightmare arrives and approaches Siegfried while dragging a new version of '''[[ArtifactOfDoom SOUL EDGE]]'''. Justified, naturally, as this is one of the more famous of video game {{BFS}}s. It is made all the more sinister by the fact that Nightmare is actually the will of the cursed sword made solid and given "life". So, Soul Edge is effectively Sword Dragging ITSELF in order to achieve this effect. The creepy eye doesn't make it any less frightening, nor does the [[SinisterScrapingSound menacing sound of the blade]] [[SwordSparks sparking on the ancient stone]]. Later, in Nightmare's ending, he does this while sliding down a castle wall before slaughtering the knights within.
* In ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' there is a two-handed melee ultimate ability that does this.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Transistor}}'', the protagonist Red drags the titular Transistor behind her at all times, [[JustifiedTrope since it's almost as tall as she is]]. The "wear down the sword" bit comes up in an unused line where [[spoiler:Royce]] expresses his distaste upon watching Red drag it around. It's still sharp enough to [[spoiler:stab through Red]] at the end.
* In ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, you can drag a chainsaw on the ground to make it red hot so it does more damage.
* Lucina does this in her approach to attack Captain Falcon in her and Robin's reveal trailer for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros for Wii U/Nintendo 3DS''. {{Justified}} in that Falchion is an unbreakable magic sword which presumably wouldn't suffer too much from such an act.
* Heavy Blades in The World and Edge Punishers in The World R:2 of ''Franchise/DotHack'' tend to hold their blades low with tips barely touching the ground. This is more obvious during CG cutscenes where sparks are rendered to accompany the effect.
* Equipping [[ChainsawGood Salamandra]] to your legs in ''VideoGame/Bayonetta2'' will have Bayonetta do this automatically when she runs, complete with a gratuitous amount of SwordSparks.
* In ''VideoGame/TimeCommando'', if you equip the giant club in the Prehistoric level or the axe in Ancient Rome, you'll wind up dragging them behind you when you move (which slows you down considerably) because they're too heavy to carry regularly.
* In ''VideoGame/LittleNightmaresII'', Mono does this with all the weapons he wields. It's a JustifiedTrope, however. His small size causes most weapons that people would regard as "small" (like a hammer or a [[ImprobableWeaponUser a soup ladle]]) are like large weapons, resulting in him dragging it along the ground.
* Goss Harag from ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'' is the unholy combination of a yeti, oni, and polar bear that can freeze its paws into large icy blades. And if it stuns you, it will drag one of its bladed paws against the ground while it slowly moves in to brutalize you further.
* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': Kriemhild wields her husband Siegfried's sword Balmung. She drags it along the ground a lot, both because she is insane and an untrained warrior, and because the sword is really heavy.
* During the [[https://youtu.be/g57KmSfF17s Release Date Trailer]], the Lamb of ''VideoGame/CultOfTheLamb'' does this to their sword after just using it to slice apart a monster about to eat a prospective follower for the Lamb's cult.
* ''VideoGame/Yakuza2'' has Ryuji Goda do this towards the end of the game, but this is only PS2 Exclusive; Ryuji just points his blade and brings it closer to his face.

* In the beginning of episode "Dethwater" of ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'', Nathan Explosion does this with an ax in the music video for "Thunderhorse", just before decapitating Murderface.

* Snake Eyes does this occasionally in ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeRenegades''.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'', the Grand Inquisitor does this in "Gathering Forces" using his own [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver red lightsaber in one hand]] and the knocked out [[BlueIsHeroic Kanan's blue lightsaber]] (exemplified by the whole thing taking place in a dark, abandoned base) as he menacingly approaches and taunts Ezra about how he's going to die.
* During Season Five of ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' Jack faces off against a very tall assassin who wields a very large sword he controls musically; it flies around at his command. When Jack, stripped of his other weapons, finally cuts Scaramouche down he drags that sword over before heaving it up for the strike, though he doesn’t take it with him because it’s too heavy.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueGodsAndMonsters'' short [[https://youtu.be/K4aB62_PSwE Twisted]], Harley Quinn drags her sledgehammer on the ground this way, one of the many nods to how mentally unstable she is.

* ''Fanfic/NoStarsInSight'': [[Literature/InheritanceCycle Cuaroc]], the metal beast on Vroengard, uses a [[{{BFS}} massive claymore]] that he drags through the ground by the blade as he wanders around his island, leaving a narrow trail carved into the earth next to his footprints. Having been hunted by Cuaroc for decades, Formora can tell if he's nearby by listening for the [[SinisterScrapingSound sound of Cuaroc's sword scraping over the ground.]]

* ''Fanfic/NoStarsInSight'': [[Literature/InheritanceCycle Cuaroc]], the metal beast on Vroengard, uses a [[{{BFS}} massive claymore]] that he drags on the ground by the blade as he wanders around his island, leaving a narrow trail carved into the earth next to his footprints.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WYH2sFCGvE The first trailer]] of ''VideoGame/BrutalLegend'' sees Eddie do this with an ''[[AnAxeToGrind axe]]''.

* In ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'', both videogame and film incarnations, [[GiantMook the Executioner]] drags his [[AnAxeToGrind axe]][[DropTheHammer hammer]] on the ground. Again, justified because the weapon is [[{{BFS}} only slightly smaller]] than the Executioner himself.

* ''Fanfic/NoStarsInSight'': [[Literature/InheritanceCycle Cuaroc]], the metal beast on Vroengard, uses a [[{{BFS}} massive claymore]] that he carries by dragging it on the ground by the blade as he wanders around his island, leaving a narrow trail carved into the earth next to his footprints.

* Justified with Mikoto in ''Anime/MyHime''; her {{BFS}} is just about as big as she is, and it's how she powers up her attack.

** As of Pyramid Head's GuestFighter appearance in Videogame/DeadByDaylight, he can now use this trait as one of his special mechanics. Scraping the Great Knife along the ground will open up trenches that will inflict a survivor with a special "torment" status effect when they walk across them. That effect gives him the ability to basically skip over hooking survivors by instead sending them to special "cages of atonement", or, if they're on their last legs, just flat-out killing them on the spot.

* The Redeads in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' carry their ginormous cleavers this way.

[-[[caption-width-right:350:[[https://www.deviantart.com/mornaainu/art/James-and-the-Great-Knife-91357849 Image]] by [[https://www.deviantart.com/mornaainu MornaAinu]].]]-]

* In ''Film/BlackRain'', Sato does this ''while riding a motorcycle'' [[spoiler: right before he kills Charlie]].

* One of the zombies does this (though with a fire ax rather than a sword) in ''Film/ResidentEvil''.

[[folder:Mythology and Folklore]]

[[folder:Web Original]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' episode "Sokka's Master", Sokka uses the tip of his sword to throw sand into Piandao's eyes.

* Used in the series ''Series/{{Highlander}}''.

* The titular character is fond of this before a big fight scene as an intimidation tactic, dragging the tip in a half-circle then turning the blade 90 degrees, in the ''Film/BladeTrilogy''.

* Film/{{Blade}} does this in the opening fight scene of his first film.