History Main / ThrowIngYourSwordAlwaysWorks

** In the very first book, ''A Princess of Mars'', the hero and narrator John Carter's jaw drops the first time he sees the move, and Burroughs makes it clear that a) some Barsoomian swords are ''designed'' for throwing, and b) only the low gravity on Mars makes it practical. (a) is {{Justified|Trope}}, (b) is a HandWave. Low gravity won't make the sword any less clumsy or awkward as a throwing weapon, so a throwing sword that works on Earth should work on Mars, and vice versa.

** Averted later when he throws a sword into a ''crowd of people'' during the "Are you not entertained?!" scene and injures... [[DieChairDie a coffee table.]]
* In ''YorTheHunterFromTheFuture'', the title character throws a flaming longsword at a purple caveman. Oh, and he does it underhand.

* The most famous Japanese Swordsman of all times, MiyamotoMusashi was an expert at throwing his sword, making this TruthInTelevision. He also won over 60 duels in his life, and tended to win using things like [[ImprobableWeaponUser wooden sticks and metal fans]], so he may have been a special case.
** It should be noted that there are any number of stick/staff-type weapons in the Japanese fighting arts, including the rokushakubo, jo, and tanjo. And the metal fan actually had its own dedicated fighting art: tessenjutsu. Miyamoto was both an innovator and pragmatist. He would use whatever was at hand.

* Happens at least once in the ''KushielsLegacy'' series. CelibateHero Joscelin successfully nails a guy from throwing range having already thrown his daggers, using his broadsword. He follows up by saying "They don't even train us to do that!" or words to that effect.

* One fencing manual advises to start a fight by unscrewing your sword's pommel and throwing it at the enemy.
** I can't imagine how your foil would even stay together after doing this though... and it's just not feasible with many grip styles such as German or Russian grip as they lack a pommel.
** But it's true. In Gladiatoria manuscript, MS Germ.Quart.16, page 7r, armour fighting with spear. ''Note the twelfth play. If you want to end him rightly (?), [[http://wiktenauer.com/images/3/36/MS_Germ.Quart.16_7r.jpg hold your spear and sword together on your arm, unscrew the pommel of your sword and throw it at him vigorously.]] Close in with the throw and use your sword or spear, whatever suits you best. When he throws his pommel at you, keep your buckler close to you and watch out for the throw. Hold your spear in your right hand and prepare to thrust, to stop him from closing in if it is his intention.''

** Subverted in one of the books, which notes that a throwing knife is carefully balanced to fly true, and it takes practice to throw one right... which is why the cleaver that Sam Vimes throws at a guard misses completely, and doesn't even have the good grace to get stuck in the wall.

** Also subverted in Guards! Guards! when Sam Vimes grabs a butcher's knife and throws it at some guards.
--> There is an art in throwing knives and, even then, you need the right kind of knife. Otherwise it does just what this one did, which is miss completely.

* In the Season 1 finale of ''Series/OnceUponATime'', Emma [[spoiler:throws the sword to slay Maleficent in dragon form, in order to retrieve the true love potion]].

* ''SuperSentai'' also used this trope a few times. For example; in both ''BattleFeverJ'' and ''DaiSentaiGoggleFive'', the HumongousMecha uses this technique to finish off the BigBad.

* Taken to silly levels in {{Delgo}}, where not only does it work, but it works while averting TheBladeAlwaysLandsPointySideIn by knocking out the target with the ''hilt''.

* ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbean''
** Will Turner does this twice. Since he seems able to do it so reliably, one wonders why he didn't just aim it a bit higher and cut the noose, instead of letting him use the blade like a [[SteppingStoneSword miniature platform]].

* In the ''{{Japanese Spider-Man}}'' TV series, this served as [[HumongousMecha Leopardon's]] standard FinishingMove. In fact, outside of a couple promotional photos, this was the ''only'' thing Leopardon ever used its sword for.

* Jetstream Sam in ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengance'' uses a modified form of this as a technique - his sword's sheath is built out of an AR-15 receiver which, when fired, forces his sword out at extremely high speed, at which point he grabs it for a super-fast swing.

* ''Ryan vs. Dorkman 2'' ends this way.

In RealLife, the sword is not designed for throwing. Its shape and weight is optimized for swinging, thrusting, and other movements driven mostly by the user's arms, not for aerodynamically moving through the air on momentum alone. In addition, throwing your sword leaves you unarmed, so even if you ''do'' score a hit, if you do not kill your opponent, you are still in a great deal of danger. If you do throw your sword, you can rule out trying to [[TheBladeAlwaysLandsPointyEndIn impale anyone as if it were a spear]], especially if it's a curved blade slashing sword like a sabre; your best bet is to throw it overhand like a hatchet.