History Main / TheManMakesTheWeapon

* Used and lampshaded in ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'' Sauske is able to break Itachi's Genjutsu despite Itachi having the superior Sharingan. Zetsu states that this shouldn't have been the case. His other half tells him that the effectiveness of a weapon depends on how it is used.
** A similar instance occurs during Sauske's battle with [[spoiler:Danzo]]. He manages to win and Tobi explains to the dying leader that while Sasuke's jutsu was incredibly weak and nowhere near as refined as Itachi's, the way he used it (Basically making [[spoiler: Danzo]] think he could take one more hit and instantly recover from the damage when in reality he had used up all of his eyes) granted him the victory.

** UnknownArmies sorta does this trope with its melee weapons list. See, its list is three questions: Is it big? Is it hefty? Is it sharp? Each yes means the weapon grants +3 damage in a game where an attack doing 6 damage is a big deal. As a consequence, whomping someone with a ridiculous object is as effective as a real weapon as long as the object meets some of those criteria; an office chair (big, hefty) is as effective as a baseball bat (same) and a large plush bear would be as effective as a knife (one's big, one's sharp). Furthermore, these would all tie to the same skill, Struggle, so a very skilled fighter will mop the floor with someone less talented even armed with something absurd.

* ''LightNovel/YuushaNiNarenakattaOreWaShibushibuShuushokuOKetsuiShimashita'': Late in the series, Raul grabs a school ruler and treats it like a shortblade. He manages to [[{{Pun}} school]] two adventurers.

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* A somewhat bloodier-than-usual variant is possible in ''WayOfTheSamurai 3'' due to the SingleStrokeBattle game-mechanic. A correctly-executed counterattack can instakill any {{Mook}}, and if your timing is good enough, you can then proceed to do the same to any other nearby enemies. This means that, with the right skills (both for the character and the player), you can equip yourself with a random stick you picked up off the ground, and proceed to carve your way through an army of katana-wielding Samurai or bandits...
* In at least one ''AssassinsCreed'' game, you have the option of picking up a broom if you knock it from the hand of a random guy sweeping the streets. It's wielded like a sword, and does very little damage... but it can still be used for instakill counterattacks, once again enabling you to dispose of a horde of armed guards with a simple stick, just to show off your supreme skills.

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** For the majority of the Fairy Dance arc, Kirito had very low level gear, but is able to perform incredible feats like one-shotting enemy players, including holding his own in a duel against Eugene, the WorldsBestWarrior, and essentially beating him.
** He pulls this off masterfully during his final duel with Sugou/Oberon. Using Kayaba's [[GameMaster admin privileges]], Kirito summons Excalibur, the InfinityPlusOneSword of ALO, and gives it to Sugou before choosing to use his own sword. Sugou has ''no'' experience when it comes to games or swordfighting and ineffectually [[{{Flynning}} attacks Kirito's weapon instead of Kirito himself]]; Kirito easily deflects all of Sugou's attacks before [[AnArmAndALeg literally]] [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe tearing]] [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice him]] [[EyeScream apart]].

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', King Cold is convinced that the inverse is true when he faces Future Trunks, believing that the young Super Saiyan's power comes from the CoolSword he wields, and asks to take a look at it. Needless to say, Cold is [[{{Pun}} dead wrong]].

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' pulls this off masterfully during the climax of the Fairy Dance arc. Using Kayaba's [[GameMaster admin privileges]], Kirito summons Excalibur, the InfinityPlusOneSword of ALO, and gives it to Sugou before choosing to use his own sword. Sugou has ''no'' experience when it comes to games or swordfighting and ineffectually [[{{Flynning}} attacks Kirito's weapon instead of Kirito himself]]; Kirito easily deflects all of Sugou's attacks before [[AnArmAndALeg literally]] [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe tearing]] [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice him]] [[EyeScream apart]].

* Used and lampshaded in ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'' Sauske is able to break Itachi's Genjutsu despite Itachi having the superior Sharingan. Zetsu states that this shouldn't have been the case . His other half tells him that the effectiveness of a weapon depends on how it is used.

Two people are in a duel. One of them pulls a fairly traditional weapon... a sword, spear, maybe even a gun. His opponent (usually the protagonist) picks a relatively "weak" and [[ImprovisedWeapon equivalent]], something that's generally not lethal (something as dangerous as a broken bottle would rarely be seen in this trope). Sometimes, he may even go as far as to ignore real weapons that are lying around. He proceeds to kick the first guy's ass, showing off a clear difference in skill. The key to this trope, however, is ''skill.'' He doesn't win the fight due to the weapon being unconventional, quirky, or unexpected (like a [[Creator/JackieChan stepladder]]). The weapon is generally analogous to the user's own preferred weapon - like a wooden practice sword or an umbrella instead of a real sword. This allows him to show off the fact that he can apply the same techniques with a proper weapon if he chose to do so.

->-- '''One of the many {{Mooks}} Creator/JackieChan whooped'''

->''Did we mention he had windshield wipers?''
->--'''One of the many {{Mooks}} Creator/JackieChan whooped'''

Contrast CherryTapping, where the purpose of picking a weak weapon would be to humiliate their opponent. This is usually why WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter; the weapon isn't better, but the user of the weak weapon is usually stronger. Also contrast ImprobableWeaponUser, someone who regularly arms themselves with wacky weapons. See also ImprovisedWeapon.

* SevenSamurai does this with a duel; two samurai duel with wooden sticks, and after they execute a simultaneous cut, one declares a draw. The second says no; if that sword were real, the first man would be dead. Out of anger and a stunning lack of sense (he thinks it will be a MutualKill, after all!), the first man picks up his katana. So does the second. The duel is repeated - only this time, the second man turns ever-so-slightly off the midline. It doesn't seem like this trope until one realizes all the onlookers knew the first man was completely outclassed just from watching the stick duel.

Two people are having a duel. One of them pulls a fairly traditional weapon... a sword, spear, maybe even a gun. His opponent (usually the protagonist) picks a relatively "weak" and [[ImprovisedWeapon equivalent]], something that's generally not lethal (something as dangerous as a broken bottle would rarely be seen in this trope). Sometimes, he may even go as far as to ignore real weapons that are lying around. He proceeds to kick the first guy's ass, showing off a clear difference in skill. The key to this trope, however, is ''skill.'' He doesn't win the fight due to the weapon being unconventional, quirky, or unexpected (like a [[Creator/JackieChan stepladder]]). The weapon is generally analogous to the user's own preferred weapon - like a wooden practice sword or an umbrella instead of a real sword. This allows him to show off the fact that he can apply the same techniques with a proper weapon if he chose to do so.

The fight will usually end before anyone's killed, but only after the person with the weaker weapon has clearly demonstrated his superior fighting technique. This is a route generally taken by [[TechnicalPacifist pacifists]] who are [[MartialPacifist good at fighting]] and want to end a fight without having to actually hurt anyone. There will probably be a lesson in humility during or after the fight, and the weapon master usually remains humble himself and uses the experience as a teaching opportunity.

* ''TheWheelOfTime'': Mat defeats a pair of very skilled swordsmen with a quarterstaff (at the same time). Upon their defeat, their master points out that the greatest swordsman in history was defeated only once, by a farmer with a quarterstaff.

** Technically, the concept of "Reinforcement" within the {{Nasuverse}} (especially as employed in the sequel story to ''LightNovel/FateZero'', ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'') allows any mage to do this: as long as you know the fundamentals of 1) deploying magic through any part of your body and 2) the basic structure of every single matter, you can make even [[ImprobableWeaponUser a rolled-up poster as hard as a staff or a sword]]--as protagonist Shirou Emiya does in the beginning. [[spoiler: This, together with his innate capacity for Projection, becomes the basis of his Reality Marble, ''[[FieldOfBlades Unlimited]] [[StormOfBlades Blade Works]].'']]

* ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' villain Bullseye is all about this trope. If it can be thrown or shot, he can turn it into a deadly weapon. This includes arrows, guns, ballpoint pens, shards of glass, bits of his own broken teeth, etc...

* SamuraiJack once had to indulge a FakeUltimateHero [[JiveTurkey "Sa-mu-rai"]] in a duel. Not wanting to actually hurt the idiot, he insisted on a duel with bamboo stalks first, and managed to [[DefeatByModesty strip him naked]] with zero effort. He then dealt with an ''actual'' threat (a hundred robot assassins [[DualWield with scimitar-arms]]), [[RefugeInAudacity still using the stick]].

* ''TenjouTenge'': After Soichirou and Bob are beaten by a fire-using Bully, Maya puts him in his place by kicking his ass with a twig she just pulled off a tree.

* ''IpMan'': Ip Man defeats a skilled northerner (who has already beaten all of the town's masters) wielding a broadsword, while using only a feather duster.
** This scene is itself a reference to the scene in ''Film/GameOfDeath'' starring Ip Man's most famous student, where Bruce Lee takes on an escrima master with...a bamboo stick.

* A recurring trope in ''JackieChan'' movies. The mooks (usually) have proper weapons and Jackie's character [[DeadlyDodging dodges]] and uses whatever's around to [[ThouShaltNotKill incapacitate]] them. One often-referenced example is from [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcvXqLrgf0k First Strike]], where uses a folding table, a jacket, Chinese dragon heads, a broom, wooden staves and finally a stepladder.

** Wong Fei-Hung as a child also appears in ''IronMonkey'', in which he takes on a gang of adult street thugs using, again, his umbrella. The street thugs never come close to standing a chance.