History Main / SwordFight

** ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' famously teases a swordfight when a Indy is faced with a scimitar-wielding baddie, [[JustShootHim only for Jones to whip out his gun and shoot him]]. Harrison Ford had dysentery the day of the shoot and did not want to perform the scripted sword fight scene.

** First, Aragorn fighting the Ring Wraiths off with a sword in one hand and a torch in the other.

* Happen several times in ''Film/{{Willow}}'' with Mad Martigan against the evil soldiers, especially against the skull-masked General Kael.

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' book 1 when Visser 3 meets Elfangor the have a tail-blade fight Elfangor loses and is unfortunately EatenAlive.

* Virtually every episode of ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' featured a sword fight between two Immortals, usually to the death. This made some sense in the series, because [[DecapitationRequired decapitation was the only way to kill an Immortal]] and gain his power. The use of firearms to incapacitate them was also seen as dishonorable, so only the most unscrupulous Immortals used them.

Bonus points when it's a modern setting, and using a blade is AwesomeButImpractical because you NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight and the hero is far less likely to possess the training needed to use a sword. Exactly why this is the case varies. In some settings, swords offer advantages [[GunsAreWorthless that guns do not]]. Perhaps the predominant point-defensive system is effective against ranged weaponry and not against blades, à la ''Franchise/{{Dune}}''. Sometimes the enemy and duelists are [[ImmuneToBullets invulnerable to ranged weapons]], such as through using the Force or ImplausibleFencingPowers to deflect bullets, which means that they must battle in close-range with formalized sword martial arts that counteract this invulnerability. Perhaps it is a [[DuelToTheDeath formalized duel]] where modern weapons are forbidden. Maybe there's another consideration, like the risk of gunfire damaging, for example, the delicate electronics or hull of the CoolStarship. Or perhaps the [[KatanasAreJustBetter people using swords or edged weapons]] are just ''that'' [[RuleOfCool cool]], à la [[Franchise/StarWars the Jedi]]. Sometimes, of course, it is left unexplained.

** [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Veronica]] and [[TheStoic Osiris]] take it UpToEleven: Veronica has a BagOfHolding that holds multiples of nearly every kind of sword. She'll often grab a bunch and distribute them among her allies. Osiris has seven magical swords, and an [[ImprobableWeapon improbable sword.]]

* A number of the Ranking Fights in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' and its sequel are of the good ol' fashioned "One-on-one sword fight" variety, albeit with laser swords and Mexican Luchador wrestling thrown in. Off the top of the head, the battles with Death Metal, Shinobu, Harvey Moiseiwitsch Volodarskii, Dark Star, and [[spoiler: Henry]] in the first game are all sword duels. The sequel gives us Skelter Helter, Kimmy, Ryuji, and technically Alice Moonlight, if you count "Swords being held by armored frame" as the proper type.

** Similar to in the movie, in ''VideoGame/LEGOPiratesOfTheCaribbean'' whenever you face any character with a sword you have a sword fight with them.
* In VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Brawl Marth fights Meta Knight briefly but they both learn the other is the good guy and team up.
** Speaking of Meta Knight, in his [[VideoGame/{{Kirby}} native series]], he always offers Kirby a sword of his own before fighting him. Most often, he will [[WorthyOpponent refuse to battle until he takes it]].
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' has several instances of this like whenever Sora fights someone else using a different Keyblade and then there are the bandits that carry {{Sinister Scimitar}}s.

** Ra's al Ghul gets into a swordfight with his grandson Ibn al Xu'ffasch in ''[[Comicbook/TheKingdomDC The Kingdom: Son Of The Bat]]'', and loses to him.

* In ''[[Theatre/HenryIV Henry IV, Part I]]'', the fight between Prince Hal and Hotspur usually takes the form of a sword fight; however, in many productions it ends up suffering a CombatBreakdown, usually serving to highlight (intentionally or not) the massive amounts of FoeYay going on between the two characters.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTintin''. Sir Francis Haddock and pirate Red Rackham duel with cutlasses over a burning PowderTrail. In a CallBack at the finale, Captain Haddock (using a machete-like dockyard tool) duels the BigBad with his SwordCane (though it's overshadowed by their prior fight with ''dockyard cranes'').

[[caption-width-right:350:En garde.]]

* As the name suggests, the players in ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' use swordplay in their fighting. No {{Flynning}} here in the original story arc as players [[spoiler: are trapped in this virtual MMORPG]] and must literally fight their way through many enemies. In a later story arc in the light novels in another virtual game where guns are the primary weapon, the hero still prefers a sword. As TheAce, [[ImplausibleFencingPowers he makes it work.]]

* In ''Anime/YuYuHakusho'' Hiei is a MasterSwordsman but ironically is only seen fighting another swordsman twice in the entire show. Once a flashback where he had a DramaticNecklaceRemoval and another when fighting Shigure, the man who taught how to wield a sword properly.

* ''Manga/{{Gamaran}}'': given the setting and the Ogame School being a Ryuu of Kenjutsu, swordfights abound, such as Gama vs the Hyuga Brothers, Shinnojo Sakura vs Masaku Nikaido, Iori vs Tsurumaru Shinsuke or Gama vs Riko.

* During ''Comicbook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton'', Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} and Amazon Artemis train in a sword match overseen by Wonder Woman.
* Franchise/{{Batman}}:

* The ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' episode "An Affair To Forget" has one between Niles and the German fencing instructor who Maris was having an affair with.
* In R L Stine's ''Series/TheHauntingHour'' four kids get sucked into a video game and when they get to the final boss he breaks out his twin dao and fights the other four and all they have are baseball bats, chains, and other around the house stuff.

* Subverted in an episode of ''Series/StargateSG1'' when the team is on an Arthurian grail quest. Lt.Col Mitchell touches Excalibur in an attempt to get at the Main/McGuffin, and is challenged to a sword fight with a holographic knight to prove his worth. While he is a seasoned and deadly warrior, he is a ''20th century'' warrior, and is completely worthless with a sword. As he's taking a whupping, his team discovers that their other weapons go right through the knight and he tries to give the sword to Teal'c (a Main/ProudWarriorRaceGuy that's excellent at this sort of thing), but discovers that only he can touch it. They end up shutting off the trial another way.

** In reality, George Takei had no such skills but didn't want to admit this to the director when the scenes were proposed, so he spent two weeks doing intensive training before filming.

* Probably the most technically flawless sword fight in cinema would have to be the climactic duel between Creator/TyronePower and Creator/BasilRathbone in the 1940 version of ''Film/{{The Mark of Zorro|1940}}''. Honestly, almost any film with either of those two in it has excellent fencing, since both of them were world-class swordsmen in RealLife. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB8tiSMCwRE Here]] is a clip of the match.

* In a bit of a twist, the FinalBattle of the SherlockHolmes parody ''Film/WithoutAClue'' turns into a sword fight when Professor Moriarty unsheathes his SwordCane. This allows [[FakeUltimateHero Reginald Kincaid]] to finally stand up to Moriarty, as there are functional prop swords lying around and fencing is the one thing he's good at.

[[RoyalRapier Rapiers]], [[MacheteMayhem Cutlasses]], [[KatanasAreJustBetter Katanas]], [[{{BFS}} broadswords]], {{Laser Blade}}s, whatever. At times, a goodie and a baddie just have to have a one-on-one fight, with UsefulNotes/{{Swords}}.

* ''Film/{{Ricochet}}'' manages to have a nazi swordfight in prison. What else would you expect from the director of ''Film/{{Highlander}}''?

---> Rafe: You care...about that parade of losers so much...[[AndYourLittleDogToo I'm going to make sure they join you.]]

---> Rafe: You care...about that parade of losers so much...[[AndYourLittleDogToo I am going to make sure they join you.]]
---> Nate: En garde, dickhead.

Bonus points when it's a modern setting, and using a blade is AwesomeButImpractical because you NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight and the hero is far less likely to possess the training needed to use a sword. Exactly why this is the case varies. In some settings, swords offer advantages [[GunsAreWorthless that guns do not]]. Perhaps the predominant point-defensive system is effective against ranged weaponry and not against blades, à la ''Franchise/{{Dune}}''. Sometimes the enemy and duelists are [[ImmuneToBullets invulnerable to ranged weapons]], such as through using the Force or ImplausibleFencingPowers to deflect bullets, which means that they must battle in close-range with formalized sword martial arts that counteract this invulnerability. Perhaps it is a [[DuelToTheDeath formalized duel]] where modern weapons are forbidden. Or perhaps the [[KatanasAreJustBetter people using swords or edged weapons]] are just ''that'' [[RuleOfCool cool]], à la [[Franchise/StarWars the Jedi]]. Sometimes, of course, it is left unexplained.

** [[ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} Slade Wilson]] likes a GunAndSword combination, and in "The Odessey" he has a sword fight with his former ASIS partner-turned-RogueAgent Wintergreen.

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'': Oliver has a sword fight with Ra's al Ghul in the Season 3 midseason finale. [[CurbStompBattle And gets his ass kicked]].

** [[http://atomicwanderers.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/batman-244-scorpion.jpg This climactic sword fight]] concludes the ComicBook/RasAlGhul arc, fought between a [[WalkingShirtlessScene shirtless]] Batman and Ra's al-Ghul (Batman still has his cowl on). The fight drags on for the better part of the day, and [[DiabolusExMachina only ends when a scorpion stings Batman]]. Talia lingers behind to give Batman the antidote, and that and HeroicWillpower drag him back to Ra's's tent, [[http://atomicwanderers.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/rasalghul_bythegods.jpg causing the latter to exclaim]]:

* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' background lore, the Imga, a race of intelligent "ape men" native to Valenwood, practice these with dueling swords in an attempt to impress the [[OurElvesAreBetter Altmer (High Elves)]], who the Imga idolize.

-->-- ''Series/PushingDaisies'', "TheFunInFuneral"

** ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': In "Absolute Candor", Tenqem challenges a very reluctant Picard to a duel, and their swords clash a couple times before Picard drops his weapon to the ground, refusing to continue. A thug then attempts to strike Elnor with his blade, but the latter is too quick and too agile, and Elnor ends the confrontation by beheading Tenqem.