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10[[quoteright:310:[[Webcomic/{{Sinfest}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/supersharpkatana_6863.jpg]]]]
11
12->''"I can tell you with no ego, this is my finest sword. If on your journey, you should encounter God, God will be cut."''
13-->-- '''Hattori Hanzo''', ''Film/KillBill''
14
15An absurdly sharp blade is a bladed weapon with AbsurdCuttingPower because it's just ''that damn sharp''. No magic, technology, superpowers, or other type of AppliedPhlebotinum required to slice and dice to your heart's content. Such things may have been involved in the production of the blade, but when in use, its cutting power comes from its pure physical sharpness alone.
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17Blades like these almost always result in a CleanCut -- in fact, about the only thing they can't cut is [[LikeCannotCutLike a similarly sharp weapon]]; lesser weapons, of course, [[WeaponsBreakingWeapons will be sliced, diced and Jullienne fried]]. Expect to hear some AudibleSharpness (AudibleGleam optional) whenever one of these blades is in use. Frequently used in {{single stroke battle}}s. Be very afraid if an Absurdly Sharp Blade is in the hands of a swordsman with ImplausibleFencingPowers; luckily, the InverseLawOfSharpnessAndAccuracy usually ensures that it isn't.
18
19SharpenedToASingleAtom is a subtrope popular in ScienceFiction settings, where the blade is so sharp that the width of the cutting edge can be measured in atoms or molecules. See AbsurdlySharpClaws when the ASB is a NaturalWeapon.
20----
21!!Examples:
22[[foldercontrol]]
23
24[[folder:Advertising]]
25* The SoBadItsGood ads for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q7GCuWFsSs Ginsu knives]] try to sell the Ginsu 2000 as an Absurdly Sharp Blade that NeverNeedsSharpening. Though it's a DeceptivelySimpleDemonstration, as cutting through an aluminum can (or whatever absurdly hard object they demonstrate the knife slicing through) is a lot easier than many everyday cooking tasks, such as slicing through a winter squash, clearing beef gristle, or boning a fish fillet.
26-->[[Series/{{Seinfeld}} "If you really need a knife that can cut through a shoe, maybe you're not buying the best quality meat."]]
27* Banco do Brasil parodied this by advertising their credit card, "which can split anything" (as in, split payments.)
28* Chef Tony once advertised the Perfection Series knives as so sharp they can cut a pineapple in half in midair. Also a DeceptivelySimpleDemonstration, since a blade doesn't necessarily ''need'' to be razor sharp to cut through a pineapple if you're using a forceful swing of the knife.
29[[/folder]]
30
31[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
32* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', the soldiers' specialized blades can slice into the giants' [[AttackItsWeakPoint weak spots]] that even cannons have trouble destroying. The [[CripplingOverspecialization trade-off]] is they are so easy to dull and break, each soldier carries twelve of them and can still run out.
33* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', Guts receives a sword from the master blacksmith Godo shortly after the Eclipse which proves itself capable of cleanly cutting through the blade of another sword and the tip of an anvil in a single stroke. However, an absurdly sharp sword of merely ordinary size doesn't suit Guts' style, and it [[WreckedWeapon doesn't last a single fight]].
34** Subverted with Guts' {{BFS}} that Godo gives him after that. While the Dragonslayer does far better and cleaves through nearly anything, it's really because the blade is insanely heavy (400 lbs of solid iron, for the record) and Guts is just that strong to swing it with any manner of efficiency. In fact, Godo calls it absurdly ''dull''.
35* ''Manga/BlackButler'': It is said that the shinigami's scythe can cut through anything, although the actual power of each scythe seems to vary depending on the user. That being said, [[spoiler:Undertaker's]] scythe can cleave a ''cruise ship'' cleanly in half.
36* Creed Diskenth's ''ki'' blade in ''Manga/BlackCat'' will slice cleanly through everything short of the {{Orichalcum}} used in Chronos assassins' weapons. When he cuts off Train's hand during their first encounter in the manga, the doctor who re-attaches said hand notes that it's as if the cells were simply pulled apart.
37* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
38** The standard Zanpakuto, being a sword forged from the user's own soul, can slice through just about anything provided that the wielder has enough spirit energy.
39** [[UltimateBlacksmith Oetsu Nimaiya]] crafted Sayafushi, a blade with incredible cutting power that cannot chip due to its impossibly smooth blade. At the same time, it would destroy any traditional sheath and must be carried in a backpack filled with a thick jelly. Because of this, Nimaiya considers Sayafushi to be a failure, since it fails to meet the basic definition of a sword.
40* [[ManOfWealthAndTaste Solomon Goldsmith's]] from ''Anime/BloodPlus'' has a BladeBelowTheShoulder capable of cutting through cliffs and the limbs of [[NighInvulnerability Chevaliers]]. This includes the arm of [[spoiler:James]] who sports extremely powerful InstantArmor.
41* The sword Melan wields in ''Anime/BrigadoonMarinAndMelan'' can cut through almost anything on Earth, including bullets and gun barrels. However, it's not always successful against weapons made on Brigadoon.
42* The Sword card from ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''.
43* The mid-'90s anime ''Manga/ChuukaIchiban'' (Cooking Master Boy) has Leon, one of the main characters, in possession of a legendary set of seven cooking knives called the Seven Star Knives. The smallest is the size of a fruit knife while the largest is borderline {{BFS}} to prepare a cow or a bull. They're ''all'' so sharp that one of it was once used to cut open a fish's ovary, extract all the eggs, and then without any surgery, close the wound again due to the extremely clean cut it was made, and the fish is released back to water without so much of a scratch. This is consistent with the wielder's ActualPacifist outlook, despite his FaceOfAThug.
44* The swords given to the warriors in the unnamed organization in ''Manga/{{Claymore}}''. This is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d at one point when Miria says something along the lines of "Have you ever wondered why our swords never chip or dull, no matter how hard we swing or how hard the surface we hit? What exactly are they made of? The material can't be from this continent and I've looked everywhere." [[spoiler:Priscilla somehow consumed her own sword when she Awakened, and is able to form it again whenever she feels like swordfighting.]]
45* ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'': If Hei's knives aren't these, then crappy concrete is probably more of a threat to Japan than Hell's Gate and everything that came out of it put together.
46* ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'' has [[spoiler: Senshi's {{mithril}} knife]]. It will even slice through dragon skin, which blunted a normal dwarven axe. Being Senshi, a ChefOfIron, he uses it for cooking.
47* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
48** Yajirobe's katana. Weapons are mostly useless against even weak enemies, but Yajirobe is able to accomplish feats like slicing off Great Ape Vegeta's gigantic tail in a single swing, despite his unimpressive strength (by DBZ standards.)
49** Also Krillin's Ki-Enzan ("ki razor," an energy disc called "Destructo Disc" in the dub), an absurdly sharp [[KiManipulation ki attack]]. Though Krillin himself is quickly OvershadowedByAwesome, his signature technique remains deadly, and at one point he is able to cut off Frieza's tail. His relative lack of power is an advantage with this technique: The disc is slow enough that most enemies see it coming and could dodge easily, but instead try to NoSell it, getting themselves cut. He almost takes out [[TheDragon Nappa]] (who was dominating the entire Z-Fighter team minus Goku) during the Saiyan Saga with it... But the much smarter Vegeta recognized the nature of the attack in time to warn Nappa. Frieza also knew to dodge because he independently invented his own version (the Death Saucer, which he can guide telekinetically,) but got caught off guard by one of them and thus lost his tail. Krillin tossed dozens of others at Frieza but failed to get any other hits... And later on Frieza [[HoistByHisOwnPetard accidentally cut himself in half with a Death Saucer]]. Only Cell manages to tank it, and even though Kid Buu was sliced in half with one, he just merged right back as if nothing happened.
50** How Trunks' sword can cut through the augmented Frieza without shattering is never explained, but it is clearly more durable than almost any other weapon shown. King Cold assumes that Trunks was able to slice through his son thanks ''entirely'' to this trope, but he finds out he's WrongGenreSavvy the hard way: Trunks is just as dangerous without it.
51** The Z Sword is a subversion: it's incredibly heavy and sharp enough to make clean slices through boulders without issue, but when they test the blade against a block of solid ''katchin'' (the hardest metal in the universe, apparently), it breaks in half. [[spoiler:This turns out to be a good thing though, since it frees the Kai that was sealed inside it.]]
52* ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'' has Celty's scythe and [[EvilWeapon Saika]] which can easily slice through objects like butter.
53** [[ImprobableWeaponUser Shizuo]] somehow manages to apply this to a ''traffic sign'' which he uses to cleanly cut off the roof of a car that was trying to run him over.
54* In ''Anime/FateStayNightUnlimitedBladeWorks'', falling leaves land on Assassin's sword and split on contact.
55* In his first episode on ''Anime/FZeroGPLegend'', Samurai Goroh uses his sword to cut through prison bars, a missile flying towards him (while on the back of a moving vehicle,) an armored vehicle, and at the end, an ''entire spaceship''. Truly Goroh's blade is the mightiest force in the universe.
56* AxCrazy Sword Guy from the first episode of ''New Manga/GetterRobo'' has this going on with his katana. Including slicing down the better part of a Shinto Shrine. It works for Ryoma when he disarms him too; he [[BareHandedBladeBlock grabs]] it, redirects into the face of one of his attackers, slashes the sword's owner with it, and then hurls it through the arm of the guy with the knife. There's a pause of about two seconds before his arm goes off and blood starts spewing everywhere. This fight was taken almost frame-for-frame from Creator/KenIshikawa's original ''Getter Robo'' manga, with the major exception that instead of Adult Ryoma, it was the classic version who did it.
57* In ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'', Sakata Gintoki's sword is so sharp it can be used to cut through several feet of metal. It's also made of wood.
58* In ''Anime/{{Grenadier}} -- The Smiling Senshi'', the hero, a swordsman, has a(n impractically) long katana, sharp enough to slice an incoming artillery shell in half (without triggering the fuse,) and cut a giant boulder clean in half, albeit with assistance from the heroine's pistol (four rounds to the back of the blade at the moment of contact, to propel it into the rock.)
59* In ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'':
60** Father Alexander Anderson of the Vatican's Iscariot Section XIII fights vampires, ghouls, and Nazis with ridiculously sharp bayonets that he blesses before combat. Not only does he keep a seemingly endless supply of bayonets on his person at all times, he also carries a very long, bayonet-lined, exploding chain that utterly destroys whatever monster he's chosen to hunt that night. According to WordOfGod, Anderson does possess a form of HammerSpace and is actually [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-dimensional_space four-dimensional]].
61** Sir Integra Hellsing always carries a sword on her person and doesn't hesitate to use it, the most memorable of which involves slicing clean through a Nazi vampire's head. Even HolyHitman Anderson compliments her on such a swift, bloody kill. Not bad for a [[BadassNormal normal human]].
62* In ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', the only thing that a Ben's Knife is confirmed unable to cut is its sheath. As a result, even the most skilled, strongest fighters on the highest ends of the SuperpowerLottery will carry around a Ben's Knife -- if they can obtain one, because the Ben who created them died a century ago, making them extremely expensive.
63* In ''Manga/{{InuYasha}}'' the Tetsusaiga is sharp enough to cut through the scar in the wind created when two demons' auras collide, allowing Inuyasha to use his signature Wind Scar technique.
64* Mai in ''VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}'' has a sword that's strong enough to slice clean through several metal objects around her and ''crush a brick wall''.
65* Parodied in ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'', during a {{yonkoma}}-style {{omake}} (seen in the 2nd anime ending: Shigure sharpens a kitchen knife for Miu, which ends up cutting through the radish, cutting board, and about three feet of counter/cabinet.
66** Shigure sliced tonfas, sticks, steel sai and then [[ClothingDamage the enemies' clothes]] with a ''wooden spoon''.
67** Played straight with Shigure's Nihontou, which can cut through anything.
68* In ''Anime/KillLaKill'', Ryuko's Scissor Blade can cut through Goku Uniforms, which normally make the wearer {{Nigh Invulnerab|ility}}le against anyone not wearing one. Two scissor blades can cut through life threads in such a way they can never repair themselves.
69* In ''Manga/KnightsOfSidonia'', the Kabizashi blades used by the show's HumongousMecha are the only weapons that can truly kill the Gauna.
70* Goemon from ''Franchise/LupinIII'' wields a katana called the ''Zantetsuken'' ("Iron-Cutting Sword") in the anime, and Ryusei ("Falling Star") in the manga. If the sword is unable to cut something, it becomes a plot point.
71** Exactly ''why'' the sword has such incredible cutting power varies, due to BroadStrokes continuity. ''Anime/LupinIIIEpisode0FirstContact'' and ''Anime/LupinIIIDragonOfDoom'' both explain that the Zantetsuken is made out of a mysterious alloy. ''Anime/LupinIIIPart1'' explains that the three famous swords of UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese past (Murasame, Masumare, Ken) were reforged into this one sword, and it is their spirit that makes it so powerful. In the manga, it's said to be made of a rare steel alloy produced from [[ThunderboltIron meteoric iron]] that is almost indestructible, though apparently the metal can cut itself.
72** Regardless of why it can cut anything, it's a running gag in all versions of the series that the sword, for all its sharpness, can't cut a yam-based gel named "Devil's Tongue". In addition, he almost never gets to cut a ''person'' with it -- his catchphrase, said after he cuts something inanimate (often [[ClothingDamage clothing]]) is "Once again I have cut a worthless object."
73* ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'''s Brera Sterne has a BladeBelowTheShoulder no larger than a small combat knife that ''cuts a Hydra in half''. While the setting ''does'' have AppliedPhlebotinum, such as the Pin Point Barrier knives on the TransformingMecha, but no explanation or even visual/audio cue is ever given for Brera's knife other than it cuts tiger-sized creatures in half.
74* Micaiah's katana in ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid'', which is mentioned to be a normal physical sword. After she sharpened it for the tournament, she tests its edge by slicing a falling bus into fours.
75* The Gerbera Straight used by [[Manga/MobileSuitGundamSEEDAstray Lowe Guele's Gundam Astray Red Frame]]. He had it built because he needed a weapon to defend himself with, beam sabers drained precious energy and a [=GINN=]'s Heavy Sword used inertia, thus precious energy, to cut.
76* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' has the GN swords. They are all quite bulky, but they are absurdly sharp despite not looking like it. Justified in-universe as GN Particles can (apparently) be used to increase a solid blade's sharpness... [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext whatever that means]].
77* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' has Shota Aizawa’s tanto knife. He severs his own leg at the knee using it after he’s shot with a quirk-erasing bullet. It only takes a single stroke.
78* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
79** The Sword of {{Kusanagi}} which is the blade that Orochimaru uses. It's sharp enough to cut through diamonds and even damage Monkey King Enma in his [[TelescopingStaff Adamantine Staff Form]]. The only thing it failed to damage is the Version 2, Four Tailed form that Naruto Uzumaki had.
80** We also have Sasuke's version. While it's no sharper than an ordinary sword, it becomes nearly unblockable when he charges Chidori through it. With it, he can cut through kunai like butter. When he tries to use it against Killer Bee, he learns the hard way that lightning-infused weapons are commonly used by Cloud Ninjas and gets countered pretty hard by Bee's own blades.
81** It’s stated that adding [[ShockAndAwe Lightning]] or [[BlowYouAway Wind]] [[RazorWind Release]] [[SpellBlade chakra to a blade]] can increase its cutting power.
82** Then we have the blades [[PoweredArmor Susano'o]] uses. [[spoiler: Madara's shown to be sharp enough and strong enough to break through Gaara's sand, as well as in its Perfect Form ''bisect two mountains'' in a single swing.]]
83* Several of the swords in ''Manga/OnePiece'' are like this. Dracule Mihawk's Black Sword, for instance, is so sharp that it once cut a wall of ice in half, length-wise. And that was without using Haki, the power in the ''One Piece'' world that lets someone's weapons affect nearly anything.
84** Roronoa Zoro had swords like this too, even before the TimeSkip when [[TookALevelInBadass he got infinitely better]]. He learned how to cut through cannonballs and a man made entirely out of swords. This partially has to do with how good Zoro is, and because the three different swords he uses are all at least partially magical.
85** A flashback during Zoro's time at his dojo has his sensei explain that inverting this trope is also necessary to play it straight; only the very best swordsman can ''choose'' whether or not they want to cut something. He demonstrates this by purposely failing to cut a piece of paper. During Zoro's battle against Mr. 1 in Alabasta, he shows that he's mastered this aspect by running his sword through some palm leaves- and doing no damage.
86--->'''Koshiro:''' A sword that can cut anything is not a sword. A sword that can cut nothing can cut anything."
87* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'':
88** Sagara Sanosuke may have a {{BFS}} but Kenshin's original sword cut through it. He's also used the sharp side of his reverse-blade sword to slice through cannonballs and a huge lamp-post.
89** When his original reverse blade sword broke, he went to visit a swordmaker, who has retired from swordsmithing and started making cooking knives instead. That man's cutting knives were able to slice a turnip in half with a cut so fine that Kenshin was able to fit the two halves back together without showing a seam.
90* Every katana forged by Luke in ''Literature/TheSacredBlacksmith'' seems to be capable of cutting through most things, such as a two-handed sword or another katana that was swung at it, meaning it can cut through other swords with no force behind it at all. His magically forged katanas are offset by their fragility, but they still cut through the insanely overpowered demon swords.
91* While ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' contains more typical examples with swords, the blade on Umanosuke's [[SinisterScythe kusarigama]] really takes the cake, being able to cut clear through rocks and thick wooden support beams without even slowing down. It also makes such an [[AudibleSharpness insanely loud noise]] when swung through the air that you'd think it's regularly breaking the sound barrier. Ultimately, this ends up completely biting him in the ass, as Mugen is able to [[HoistByHisOwnPetard swing the blade back at him]] and even without a huge amount of force behind it [[OffWithHisHead the thing manages to cut his head off]].
92* ''Manga/TheSeveringCrimeEdge'': Kiri's scissors can sever body parts, something ordinary scissors obviously can't do.
93* Played with in ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' with the Blast Sword. It was so sharp you couldn't put it in a sheath without cutting it in half. It was so sharp it was useless so they had to find someone to cast some magic on it to dull the blade. But even the dulled blade still fits this trope.
94* In ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'', Tenchi discovers the Master Key and is dismayed that it's just a rusted piece of junk. However, when he accidentally breaks the blade, it ends up splitting a rock in half and later learns the sword is actually a LaserBlade.
95* PlayedForLaughs in ''Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'' spinoff ''The Slime Diaries'', where Shuna is testing out a new kitchen knife made by [[UltimateBlacksmith Kurobei]]. With a single almost casual slice, it cuts clean through the onion...and the cutting board beneath it...and the countertop beneath ''that''...''[[ExaggeratedTrope and the kitchen wall the countertop is attached to and Shuna is facing when she sliced the onion]]''.
96* In ''Manga/{{Toriko}}'', kitchen knives made by the master sharpener Melk can't be bought without a license, to prevent unskilled users from accidentally injuring themselves. This culminates in what could possibly be the best example of this trope, when Melk the 2nd completes Komatsu's new knife. A light swing of it proceeds to make a gigantic gash in the mountain. ''It didn't come in contact with anything''.
97* In ''Manga/TriageX'', Yuko wields a seemingly ordinary sword that is apparently capable of slicing a ''shipping container'' in half in one stroke.
98* In ''Manga/UntilDeathDoUsPart'', the protagonist's sword is camouflaged inside his white cane. Said sword is able to cut through a gun... And the cut is so clean they actually manage to stick the parts of the gun back together. Unlike most such blades in fiction, this one requires constant maintenance, needing regular sharpening and coating with a special lubricant to keep it from being stuck in the materials it cuts through.
99* The Blade of Masane Amaha's ''Anime/{{Witchblade}}'' in the anime, as demonstrated multiple times as it takes machines a while to realize that they have been cut and explode.
100* If a monster in ''Anime/YuGiOh'' uses a sword, said monster has probably used it like this at least once, creating a CleanCut in the opponent.
101* In ''Franchise/{{Zoids}}'', blades built into powerful zoids (particularly the Liger series) can cut through damn near anything, including blades used by MechaMooks.
102[[/folder]]
103
104[[folder:Comic Books]]
105* In issue #2 of ''ComicBook/BatwomanRebirth'', a man gets his hand cut off from a single swipe of a knife no larger than a switchblade.
106* Mack "Clownface" Delgado from ''ComicBook/BodyBags.'' He's a knife-user who is seen cutting two men in half with one diagonal stroke among other impressive feats.
107* In ''ComicBook/Camelot3000'', Myth/KingArthur [[ArtisticLicenseNuclearPhysics causes a nuclear explosion by cutting an atom]] on the point of Excalibur. Earlier in the story, Arthur notes that Excalibur's powers are not confined to destruction, and shoving the sword into fuel cells is enough to bring them to full power.
108* In ''Franchise/TheDCU'', a sharpened blade coated with "lubrilon" is so slick it can cut through anything with almost no friction.
109* [[Characters/DCComicsVandalSavage Vandal Savage]]'s illegal Omicronian Knife Suit from ''ComicBook/DCOneMillion''. It used {{nanomachines}} to constantly sharpen the blades so they could "cut out your very soul".
110* The Vorpal Blade wielded by Boy Blue in ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}''. It's so sharp that the only time it didn't cut right through a target is because the target was the BigBad, who has placed countless millions of protection spells on himself over the years.
111* Zauriel, a guardian angel and former member of the ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica possessed a divine, FlamingSword so sharp it could cut through dimensional barriers, even the ones separating the living realm from Heaven and Purgatory.
112* In ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'', the Persuader's Atomic Axe can cut through anything, [[BeyondTheImpossible including the force of gravity]].
113* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': Asgardian warriors Lady Sif and Skurge the Executioner both carry blades (a broadsword and battle axe respectively) that are sharp enough to cut reality itself and open portals between realms.
114* In the ''ComicBook/NewGods'' series, Giliotina's swords can slice through anything. Then again, [[BrickBreak she doesn't really need them]].
115* In ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'', Knives Chau's father has a sword so sharp it can cut clean through a streetcar!
116* In a fight scene of ''ComicBook/SerenityLeavesOnTheWind'', the Operative gets into a swordfight with one of his former fellows named Denon. He ends the fight with a DelayedCausality CleanCut through Denon's entire head, front to back.
117* ''ComicBook/SinCity'''s Miho has blades that are sharp enough to slice right through human bone or, in one case, a car roof.
118
119* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
120** In the ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} story ''ComicBook/DemonSpawn'', villain Nightflame's magic sword can cut anything, including dimensional barriers.
121** Subverted in ''ComicBook/SupermanVsTheAmazingSpiderMan''. [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] crafted a sword that gives off red sunlight. It was not particularly sharp or sturdy, but it could cut ''Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}}'' because of the red sun radiance.
122** In ''ComicBook/EscapeFromThePhantomZone'', villain Magog boasts that "[his] lance cuts through all mortal matter."
123** In ''ComicBook/TheSuperRevengeOfLexLuthor'', several scientists run several tests on a Kryptonian sword, finding out it can slice through steel beams and cut diamonds into half like hot butter.
124--->'''Scientist 1:''' Amazing! This metal is so strong it can shear through a steel beam as though it were cheese!\
125'''Scientist 2:''' It sliced that diamond-- the hardest known substance-- like a marshmallow! Since he, too, comes from Krypton, Superman is as vulnerable to this sword as an ordinary Earthman is to fine steel!
126* The Libra killer in ''ComicBook/TopTen'' did this. In reality, she was an alien in a volatile life stage, with atom-slicing filaments coming from her body.
127* Warblade of the ''ComicBook/WildCATsWildStorm'' can fashion parts of his body to make blades as sharp as he wants. How sharp? Sharp enough to cut the [[NighInvulnerability Nigh-Invulnerable]] ComicBook/CaptainAtom.
128* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'':
129** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': After their first encounter Nikos Aegeus fled to Olympus and was gifted the knives of Vulcan by a benefactor there. He stabs [[Characters/WonderWomanAllies Steve Trevor]] with one and manages to cut Diana's indestructible lasso, but is disarmed in short order.
130** In ''[[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Wonder Woman 600]]'' Aegeus has stolen the "Knife of Vulcan", which he claims can cut through anything even Diana's indestructible lasso.
131** Starting in the ComicBook/New52's ''ComicBook/WonderWoman2011'' Diana has a sword forged by the god Hephaestus that is said to be so sharp it can cut the electrons off of an atom. She even splits an atom with it causing an atomic explosion.
132* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' manga comics there is a tale of a dwarven blacksmith. He is regarded as the best weaponsmith in the world. After his son is killed by one of his weapons he forges the best weapon he has ever crafted for the purpose of avenging his son. To test his blade he destroys his own anvil with a single one-handed strike.
133* ''ComicBook/XMen'':
134** [[Characters/MarvelComicsLogan Wolverine]] has adamantium claws in his hands. Very, very sharp adamantium claws. There are very few things that they can't cut. He {{lampshade|Hanging}}s this in the first issue of his first solo series[[note]]well before the "bone claws" retcon[[/note]]:
135--> The blades are pure adamantium, honed so keenly they'll cut through anything. Saved my butt too many times to count.
136** Similarly, [[Characters/MarvelComicsLauraKinney X-23]] and her sister Honey Badger, being cloned from Wolverine, also have adamantium claws (two for Laura, one for Honey Badger).
137** Silver Samurai has a sword that can cut anything ''short'' of adamantium. However, it turns out that he is a mutant who generates an energy field that actually does the deed and he can channel it through anything. Should you get your hands on one of his swords, you will find out the hard way that it can't cut butter in any hand but his -- and it'll probably be your last thought as he makes LudicrousGibs of you with literally ''anything'' he can get his hands on. Most adaptations omit this (in ''Film/TheWolverine,'' [[IncendiaryExponent superheated]] adamantium has more cutting power than just adamantium, giving him the edge over Logan) or just don't mention it.
138** ''ComicBook/XMenRed2022'': Purity, sword of the immortal Mutant White Sword is revealed to be imbued with "deep magic" that essentially makes it sharpness incarnate. In the right place, in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, it can cut through ''reality''.
139[[/folder]]
140
141[[folder:Fan Works]]
142* ''Fanfic/BloodBondBloodOmenSeries'': The sharpness of the Lotus Blade is more of an InformedAttribute. While it can obviously take any form that Ron likes while he's wielding it, when Kim [[spoiler: AKA the Scarred Warrior]] wields it, it becomes simply a "very hard, very sharp" sword, one "so perfect that -- if one of the men of the school had been so blasphemous as to try -- it could easily be shaved with." And this description comes from Sensei, who has surely seen his share of swords. On the other hand, we never see it cut anything that an ordinary sword couldn't cut, at least not when it's in sword form.
143* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has a number of examples.
144** Zemo's sword, which cuts through people like air and can punch straight through vibranium weave clothing. It's this, and the fact that Zemo is an indefinably enhanced low-level SuperSoldier and MasterSwordsman, that allows him to slaughter entire US Army patrols armed with nothing else.
145** The Swords of the Cross, e.g. ''Amoracchius'', will cut through literally anything... if properly used. If they are improperly used, then they are no more than ordinary swords and they ''will'' break.
146** [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles The Wardens' swords]], which are 'merely' very well-made swords. Their main cutting properties relate to the fact that they're enchanted to serve as a kind of AntiMagic, meaning they go straight through magical creatures and constructs like butter.
147** Wolverine is also present in the story, with his (duh) WolverineClaws.
148** Harry's sword (resembling a ''[[CoolSword shashka]]'', the Cavalry Sabre of the Russian Cossacks), forged by [[TheBlacksmith Uhtred]] under the guidance of Tony Stark and with a few enchantments from Loki, is this. It is explicitly designed to have a razor-keen edge, owing to Harry's predilection for speed and SliceAndDiceSwordsmanship, and being made of Asgardian steel, it cuts through almost everything. Its rather...strange reforging makes it even more lethal.
149* Quite a few [[PublicDomainArtifact Muramasa and Masamune blades]] in ''Fanfic/HarryAndTheShipgirls'' qualify.
150** Masamune-no-Kotegiri earned her moniker as the "Armor Cutter of the Pure Smith" in 1355 when she removed a fully-armored opponent's limb with a one-handed blow.
151** Masamune-no-Honjo, as the Blade of Selective Cutting, can cut any target she chooses, while all other things around it are unharmed. She can even sever the tendons in a person's hands while leaving the limbs intact.
152** Juuchi Yosamu, the Blade of Indiscriminate Cutting, can literally cut anything, without distinction.
153** Muramasa-no-Umitsubame, a Su Yari, has what she calls the "Diet-Lite" version of Juuchi's ability. She can cut any object she believes she can cut.
154* ''WebAnimation/HoloChronicles'' has the twin katanas of Ayame Nakiri, [[NamedWeapons Asura and Rasetsu]]. Their cutting power against mundane objects is mostly due to their expert craftsmanship and Ayame's ridiculous natural strength as a demon that can then be further enhanced through invoking her Demon Trait. What makes them ''especially'' deadly in this setting (which has weapons such as Calli's scythe and Enma's katana, which can [[OneHitKill straight up kill anything]] in the right circumstances due to the weapons' inherent powers) is that they were forged in Makai, granting them the ability to cut basically anything of supernatural origin just as well as anything mundane, if not ''better'', due to their affinity towards magic. This even includes things without material form, such as light or spirits.
155* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3042958/15/Jamie-Snape-and-the-Chamber-of-Secrets Jamie Snape and the Chamber of Secrets]]'' Slytherin's fencing foil is capable of cutting the near-indestructable diary [[SoulJar Horcrux]].
156* ''Fanfic/JustAnUnorthodoxThief'' allows ''all'' Servants to have weapons that can cut through any material, justified by the fact that these people are "idealized" forms of their past lives, so their weapons are as powerful as people say they were. Also includes Goemon's sword, the Zantetsuken. But in this story, it never has to cut anything.
157* In the ''Fanfic/JWITCHSeries'', the Samurai Khan's shadow blades can cut through anything, even the Guardians' elemental attacks [[spoiler: [[NoSell except]] for [[SixthRanger Jade's]] own [[CastingAShadow shadow blades]]]].
158* In the ''Kung Fu Panda''-based story ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5862877/14/Making-the-Cut Making the Cut]]'', Jo is able to cut a single strand of hair by dropping it onto the edge of his obsidian dagger.
159* ''Fanfic/LifeOreDeath'' has the canon x-ionization process to make weapons that can cut even a [[NighInvulnerability Kryptonian]]. Because the Team is busy and doesn't investigate the weapon-smuggling ring in August, Count Vertigo shows up with one in the Injustice League and uses it to take Renka's arm off.
160* In ''Fanfic/MementoVivere'', a ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' fanfiction, Auron's sword can cut easily through the barrel of a rifle, as well as damage any enemy the group has met to date due to its inexplicable piercing game-mechanic properties.
161* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9166793/6/My-Lord-Harry-Potter My Lord Harry Potter]]'' Neville uses the Sword of Gryffindor to slice the King of America in two vertically during a duel.
162* In ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Katana's two katanas, the Soultaker Sword and its powerless twin, are both sharp enough to slice through liquid metal combat robots like tofu.
163* In ''[[Fanfic/ThePrincessAndTheDragon The Princess and the Dragon]]'', Jean Claude possesses a sword forged from the scales of a white dragon that can cut through almost anything, including other dragons' scales.
164* Sephiroth receives a magical dagger that can cut through any substance as a present from Yuffie in ''Fanfic/ShinraHighSOLDIER''.
165* The punching dagger in the ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' Fanfiction, ''Fanfic/SilentKnight'', counts as this. According to one of the characters, it displays several examples also demonstrated by Real-Life blades.
166* Averted in ''Fanfic/{{Sleepless}}'': the knife Diamond Tiara uses is too small to [[spoiler: sever Alula’s wing]].
167* In the ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'' fanfiction ''Fanfic/EzraLost,'' a few of the characters naturally use lightsabers, fictional blades that can cleanly slice straight through almost any material.
168* ''Fanfic/TalesOfTheUndiscoveredSwords'' gives us the personification of Sasanoyuki, a sword known for being this in history. He is characterized as a cold emotionless IaijutsuPractitioner and special care is taken by the narrative to show how scarily sharp he is, especially with his ability to leave wounds that ''don't'' hurt. Hell, even this sword's name, which is literally "snow on bamboo", [[FluffyTheTerrible references his sharpness]].
169* Nav's InfinityPlusOneSword in ''Fanfic/DiariesOfAMadman'', [[spoiler: which turns out to be Excalibur]].
170* The Normans in ''Fanfic/WarriorsOfTheWorldSoldiersOfFortune'' discover that, among other things, Baphomet's [[SinisterScythe scythe]] is sharp enough to slice through tree branches like paper.
171* In ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'', the Hunter's {{BFS}} Blackfire, inspired by [[Literature/TheElricSaga Stormbringer]], flaming black, was sharp enough to slightly cut the {{Nigh Invulnerab|ility}}le Paul's arm and draw a bit of blood.
172* ''Fanfic/TheWorldIsFilledWithMonsters'': The spear that Luna gives to Zephyr from her hoard of ancient artifacts, whose tarnished, battered blade can sink through a foot of stone after a fall of a few inches and pin a person's shadow to the ground.
173* In ''Fanfic/WhatIsWrittenInBlood'' Angel once cut through a soldier's arm, down to the bone, in a single slice with only simple combat knives.
174[[/folder]]
175
176[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
177* Saluk from ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves'' has [[WolverineClaws brass knuckles with blades]]. He can use them to [[BladeBrake slice his way down a cliff]] -- and they don't get dull at all.
178* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'', the Red Hood's knife can cut through Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}}'s line and concrete. Batman makes a note of it as he explains not many blades can cut through his line.
179* Near the climax of ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', Frollo pursues Quasimodo and Esmeralda on the balcony of Notre Dame, all the while cleanly slicing through ''stone gargoyles'' attempting to slash at them.
180* ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'' franchise.
181** The [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1 original movie]] featured the Sword of Heroes. "Said to be so sharp you can cut yourself just by looking at -- Ow!"
182** [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda3 The third film]]'s villain Kai carries a pair of jade swords on chains that can pierce through and ''slice'' solid rock!
183* ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'' has the Sword of Exact Zero. A justified example, as it is an actual metal blade (an X-Acto Knife, to be exact) in a world where nearly everything is made from plastic.
184* ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'': Shan-Yu's sword cuts through almost ''anything'' — including ''thick wooden columns!'' — ''sending them down like TIMBER!''
185* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'': Stinky Pete's pickaxe, which is clearly made of plastic, can still tear through stitching. (And act as a screwdriver.)
186[[/folder]]
187
188[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
189* A scene in ''Film/TheBodyguard'' involves a katana and a silk scarf. The scarf falls across the katana's blade and is sliced in half by its own weight.
190* In ''Film/TheBurning'', the blades of Cropsy's [[ShearMenace shears]] are sharp enough to cut through one's skull with one swipe.
191* In ''Film/{{Clash of the Titans|1981}}'', Perseus receives a sword from the gods that slices through a block of marble without leaving a scratch on the blade (and he wasn't even trying to cut the marble, he was just a bit careless with how he lowered the sword after testing the balance and accidentally hit the marble block...). The weapon is primarily intended to cut through the scales of {{Medusa}} to [[OffWithHisHead behead her]], which he ends up doing, and he also later uses it to slay Calibos.
192* The legendary Green Destiny sword in ''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon'' is capable of slicing through virtually any other weapon, and apparently never gets chipped or cracked, regardless of how often it gets used. Amusingly, in one of the later fight scenes, there is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot that clearly shows the prop sword to have been severely deformed in the action sequence.
193* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse:
194** [[Characters/DCEUWonderWoman Diana/Wonder Woman]]'s swords (the Godkiller in [[Film/WonderWoman2017 her first solo film]] and the Sword of Athena in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' and ''[[Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague Justice League]]'') which were made by the Gods of Olympus have no issue cutting through such things as World War I German rifles, a Kryptonian monstrosity's arm, a giant statue's head and Parademons.
195** In ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'', tridents and swords made of Atlantean steel can go through ultra-dense Atlantean flesh and even Atlantean power armour like it was nothing, to say nothing of tech made by surface-dwellers.
196* In ''Film/DOADeadOrAlive'', an early fight between Kasumi and Ayane comes to a standstill to have Kasumi's discarded kimono fall on Ayane's katana, splitting it clean in half.
197* ''Film/{{Dragonslayer}}''. Galen's lance could slice through a horseshoe, but after being sharpened by magic fire, it's made sharper than sharp. It slices ''through the anvil'' with little effort.
198* Kruger's katana in ''Film/{{Elysium}}''. When he stabbed [[spoiler:Julio]], he put it full length through the man ''and'' the ground beneath him with no apparent difficulty. Even with super-strength, we're talking about hard-packed earth.
199* In ''Film/{{Equilibrium}}'', Cleric Preston uses a katana sharp enough to perform a DiagonalCut.
200* At one point in ''Film/TheForbiddenKingdom'', the blade of the Jade Warlord's weapon is smashed into the floor and then dragged across the room. It cuts through the stone floor like butter. Granted, this is probably a magical blade, but still.
201* ''Film/TheHobbit'':
202** Gandalf's Glamdring beheads a goblin so [[CleanCut cleanly]] that the head doesn't budge from the now-stalled goblin -- complete with eyes still moving -- until Gandalf nudges it, causing it to fall. Since Thorin's Orcrist and Bilbo's small Sting come from the same elven source in Gondolin, they can be assumed to share the same quality. This is true in the book as well; Bilbo demonstrates Sting to Frodo by thrusting it deep into a wooden beam with little effort.
203** Elvenking Thranduil's [[KatanasAreJustBetter elven katana]] also qualifies, as he beheads an orc he is interrogating in ''Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug'' with one swipe, which results in Legolas holding the severed head while the orc's body crumples to the floor. In ''Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies'', Thranduil easily decapitates several orcs who get stuck in the antlers of his giant stag with just a single stroke. He also effortlessly slices through Tauriel's well-seasoned bow.
204* Hilariously inverted in ''Film/HotShotsPartDeux''; Topper swings a sword through a candle, and it passes clean through... only for the sword to break a moment later.
205* In ''Film/KickAss'', Hit-Girl (a 10-year-old girl) uses a double-bladed weapon to cleanly and ''casually'' slice the leg off one opponent, then stabs her blades through a ''metal door''.
206* At the start of ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'', Gazelle slices a Kingsman completely in half (height-wise) with one slash of her leg-blades. She also proves capable of cutting through guns like warm butter.
207* The Hattori Hanzo katana owned by the Bride in ''Film/KillBill''. "I can tell you with no ego, this is my finest sword. If on your journey, you should encounter God, God will be cut." This is a quote of [[ShownTheirWork Musashi]], although in his context it meant steeling yourself for battle no matter who faced you.
208* ''Film/{{Malignant}}'' has the villain turning a medical trophy into a sharpened blade with quite the cutting power, including slicing arms clean - though SuperStrength might play a part.
209* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
210** In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', Loki has a dagger that can harm his [[NighInvulnerability Nigh-Invulnerable]] brother [[PhysicalGod Thor]].
211** ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' has Corvus Glaive's, well, glaive. Whatever that thing's made of, it's sharp enough to cut through [[spoiler:the Vision's vibranium body]] like tissue paper.
212** Thanos uses a double-bladed sword in ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' likely made of the same metal as Corvus Glaive's blade. He uses it to hack Captain America's vibranium shield to pieces.
213* ''Film/MirrorMirror2012'': Snow White's dagger is so sharp she can slice an apple in half with a lazy flick of her wrist.
214* ''Film/NinjaAssassin'' has this on every blade we ever get to see. The swords can cut a man in half, and on one occasion, the protagonist is seen slicing open a wooden floor with his [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon kusarigama]]. The shuriken are also pretty sharp, able to slice a man's head in half or cut off two arms at once, without changing trajectory. The movie actually spends a ''lot'' of scenes showing ninja sharpening their blades.
215* ''Film/PacificRim'':
216** [[HumongousMecha Gipsy Danger]]'s retractable arm blade. It can slice through a {{Kaiju}} with very little effort. The same kaiju can withstand multiple shots from a house-sized plasma cannon. It is practically a StoryBreakerPower and is conveniently forgotten by Mako until the heroes have no other options.
217** Striker Eureka's blades used in the finale inflict major wounds on Slattern, the Category Five Kaiju that was barely scorched by a multi-megaton nuclear detonation at a range of meters.
218* In ''Film/PansLabyrinth'', Mercedes uses her ordinary kitchen knife to slice Captain Vidal's cheek cleanly in two. However, though the blade is sharp, it's still too small to kill him when she stabs Vidal.
219* ''Film/ProjectPower'': Knifebones, a henchman seen in the climax, can grow his bones into sharp blades that protrude from his forearms, knees, and back. These are shown to be able to cut through metal easily.
220* ''Film/StargateContinuum'' has a sword whose blade is stated to be honed to the width of a single atom. [[spoiler:Ba'al uses it to lop off the top of Apophis's head, and later Qetesh uses it to cut Ba'al cleanly in half with zero effort, vertically.]]
221* ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'' had Reedman, a robot sharp enough that it cut a soldier in half just through a full-body tackle. Optimus Prime’s [[BladeBelowTheShoulder twin swords]] are also super-heated to make slicing through metal easier.
222* ''Film/Underworld2003'':
223** At the end of ''Underworld'', Viktor's sword is fully sharp enough to cut through someone such that [[DiagonalCut they don't fall apart immediately]].
224** Subverted in ''Film/UnderworldEvolution'' when [[spoiler:Selene uses a downed helicopter's propeller to kill Marcus]].
225* Machetes in ''Film/WalkHard''. They have to be sharp to cut a person in half and impressively sharp to do so on accident, but it's reaching into the realm of the absurdly sharp when you can cut yourself in half by accident.
226* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
227** ''Film/X2XMenUnited'': Lady Deathstrike's fingernails (or talons, if you prefer) are made of adamantium and can effortlessly slice through everything in their way.
228** ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'':
229*** Wolverine's claws, which are coated in adamantium. Shortly after he receives his adamantium infusion, he slices up several items in a farmhouse bathroom (including a porcelain sink) with his now impossibly sharp claws, despite applying what appears to be no more than the force required to move an unrestrained arm.
230*** Wade Wilson's katanas.
231** ''Film/TheWolverine'':
232*** The heirloom katana that Yukio brings with her to meet Logan is able to cleanly slice barstool legs and a beer bottle, without harming the man on the stool or the guy holding the beer bottle.
233*** Ichirō Yashida's samurai swords [[spoiler:which actually cut through Wolverine's claws]].
234** ''Film/{{Deadpool 2016}}'': Deadpool's katanas are able to cut through anything he uses them on in the movie with no effort on his part, with the only exception being the axes Ajax uses against him.
235** ''Film/XMenApocalypse'': Psylocke's psionic blade can slice through a car as if it were a hot knife cutting butter.
236* In the long-running ''Franchise/{{Zatoichi}}'' franchise, Ichi's sword cane (shikomizue) cut through candles, papers, lanterns, shōji's (doors, windows), ryō's (golden coins), wooden buckets, wooden columns, pushcarts, stone statue (in the [[Film/Zatoichi2003 2003 film]]) and katanas.
237[[/folder]]
238
239[[folder:Literature]]
240* The poem ''Literature/{{Jabberwocky}}'' from Creator/LewisCarroll's ''[[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There]]'' has the hero use his vorpal sword to take down the Jabberwock in two strokes. While Carroll refused to clarify what "vorpal" meant, popular {{Fanon}} is that it means "sharp", an interpretation codified by Creator/GaryGygax when he included the [[OffWithHisHead head-lopping]] Vorpal Sword in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. Ever since, Vorpal Swords have made appearances in numerous video games as weapons with AbsurdCuttingPower, often with the ability to inflict a OneHitKill.
241* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' has Andalite tail blades that seem to be able to cut through pretty much anything. Although, at one point, Tobias (in Andalite morph) gets his tail blade stuck in the trunk of a tree he was practicing on, much to Ax's amusement.
242* Rom's [[ThunderboltIron thunderbolt steel]] sword in ''Literature/TheBarbarianAndTheSorceress''. Cuts through steel chains like a hot knife through butter, and is even capable of cutting an EldritchAbomination and making it feel pain.
243* In the second trilogy for ''Literature/{{Corum}}'', the UltimateBlacksmith character takes Corum's old sword and a sword he's made earlier to forge a new [[LightIsNotGood glowing white-bladed sword]]. When the smith asks Corum to name it, Corum gets a vision of the [[BlackSwordsAreBetter sinister Black Sword]] and is compelled to name the weapon "Traitor". Traitor can cut through Fhoi Myore gods and the Chaos armor of Prince Gaynor the Damned, like they were nothing. Ultimately Traitor will cut through Corum's unique double-layer chainmail to impale him through the heart.
244* In the ''Cross Time Engineer'' novels by Creator/LeoFrankowski, Conrad Stargard has a sword that regularly slices through armor, body parts, anvils, and other swords. He thinks it is just really good steel. In reality, it has a diamond edge and was made by the same [[MagicFromTechnology highly advanced]] people who accidentally sent him to the [=13th=] century.
245* ''Literature/TheDevilsDictionary'''s article on [[http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/devils/s.html Scimitars]] has a lengthy passage on an executor flourishing his sword before lightly tapping the condemned man's neck. He is later called in to explain why he didn't kill the man and realized he had in fact ''[[YouAreAlreadyDead decapitated himself]]'' while showing off.
246* Literature/{{Discworld}} has several examples of this:
247** Both the scythe and the sword of Death, especially in ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}''. The edges of these weapons glow blue because of the air molecules being sliced in half all the time. The sharpness even extends a few inches beyond the blade due to the impossible aura of sharpness. In ''Literature/ReaperMan'', Death sharpens his scythe on progressively finer materials, from silk, to spider's web, to ''sunlight'', and then tests it by cutting a sentence Miss Flitworth is speaking ''into its individual words''.
248** Death defeats his evil replacement with an ordinary field scythe sharpened by ''his own pure rage''. Rage isn't even "real," it's just an abstract concept.
249** Carrot's sword is sharp enough to pierce a solid stone pillar. It is the long-lost sword of the Kings of Ankh, and the Disc's rules of [[TheoryOfNarrativeCausality narrative causality]] insist that such a historic weapon ''must'' be sharp enough to do such things. His ancestors specifically didn't want a magical sword; they wanted a sword that was ''really good at killing people''. It's also very subtlety implied that the reason the sword is so effective is because it's so mundane it lacks even the tiniest amount of magic. Given that nearly everything on the Disc is at least partially magical thanks to the background magic infusing everything, it means that the sword is ''more real'' than nearly everything on the Disc, and therefore hardly anything else can resist it enough to prevent being damaged.
250** In ''Literature/InterestingTimes'', when a small army of samurai demonstrate their absurdly sharp blades by throwing silk cloths in the air and slicing them in two, a reference to the old Saladin/Richard legend. CombatPragmatist Cohen the Barbarian claims he can do the same with his ancient notched sword -- then, while they're all looking up at the handkerchief, he and his men decapitate nine of them. In ''Literature/TheLastHero'', however, Cohen uses the same sword to roll a seven with a six-sided die by ''slicing the die in half'' while it's in the air, so his sword must be quite sharp. See the example under "Myths & Religion" below. The whole extended sequence is a ShoutOut / ContinuityNod to the original use of this device in ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'', where the Lady outwits Fate as her die flipped gently onto a point, spun round, and came down a seven.
251---> ''Come on, play fair!''
252** ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'' has a much more mundane example.
253--->"Every established kitchen has one ancient knife, its handle worn thin, its blade curved like a banana, and so inexplicably sharp that reaching into the drawer at night is like bobbing for apples in a piranha tank."
254* In Creator/BrianDaley's ''The Doomfarers of Coramonde'', the protagonist Prince Springbuck bears the sword "Never Blunted" aka "Bar", a magical blade capable of cutting through thick plate armour without stopping.
255* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
256** The Warden's specially enchanted swords, which cut through demons, summoned constructs, and enchantments with ease. Their magical abilities do seem to be considerably more potent than their physical ones, however, as WordOfGod suggests that their physical sharpness is basically just because they're really well-made swords.
257** Played straight with the Knights of the Cross' holy blades. One cut right through a ''steel door''. Of course each one also contains a Nail from the Crucifixion in the hilt and it's suggested (although not verified) in ''Literature/PeaceTalks'' that each one also [[spoiler:is powered by its own actual Angel, in a setting where an Archangel makes it clear that he can literally make and unmake galaxies with little effort]].
258* In ''Literature/{{Everworld}}'', Coo-Hatch steel is used to make absurdly sharp blades. The Coo-Hatch show off by cutting a tree into pieces, which stand for several seconds before falling, and then cutting the falling pieces with throwing blades. Later, a Coo-Hatch pocketknife is used to ''tunnel through rock''. Very slowly.
259* One of the evil empire's primary advantages in the ''Literature/FarsalaTrilogy'' is that their folded steel blades ('watersteel') can cut through the Farsalan weapons, though with their superior numbers, much smaller egos, and much greater brains than the first line of Farsalan defenders they hardly need them.
260* In ''Literature/ForgingDivinity'', the Sae'kes has a cutting aura that appears to disintegrate anything it comes into contact with. It's such a powerful weapon that [[spoiler: Taelien, who owns the weapon currently, can't even use it properly after years of training]]. It's also been shown cutting into [[spoiler: other powerful artifacts, such as the Heartlance]].
261* Played realistically in Creator/TimothyZahn 's ''Literature/HandOfThrawn'' duology with "molecular stilettos," pocketable knives that can cut through almost anything... but are also absurdly delicate, to the point that even a simple cutting job is as likely as not to ruin the blade. Using them to attack a person is considered both overkill and wasteful.
262* The Subtle Knife from ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' would definitely qualify, being a blade sharp enough to slice through reality itself. One edge cuts anything material without pause or effort (and often leaving a WoundThatWillNotHeal behind); the other cuts more ephemeral things, like the walls between worlds, [[spoiler:the bond between the soul and the body, and even souls (and angels) themselves. The only thing it can't cut is [[TrueLoveIsExceptional love]], though in a partial aversion of the usual trope, it doesn't have to be romantic love -- the love of a son for his mother works just fine]].
263* ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'':
264** Throughout the series, all Riders' swords are imbued magically such that they never rust or dull and can defeat or outright ignore most enchantments. They're also forged using a rare meteorite that the sword smith Rheunon named "Brightsteel" which has a notable crystalline structure. The same is true of Eragon's first Riders' sword, Zar'roc. After getting a new sword in ''Brisingr'', Eragon was able to cut through a portcullis and then the door behind it. That said, while Eragon is discussing the smithing of his sword Brisingr with Rheunon, the elf corrects him on the idea of a super-thin blade: a proper working sword needs a broad, flat bevel for strength and cutting power.
265** Angela the Herbalist has a sword she calls "Tinkledeath" which is so sharp that it can literally cut through anything as if it were custard.
266* The contemporary fantasy novel ''Into the Out Of'' by Creator/AlanDeanFoster features an African master woodcarver who furnishes the heroes with ''wooden'' knives and spears so sharp they give you a paper-cut-like cut just from touching the edges of the blades and can be thrown right through a wall. You can't even quite make out where the edge of one of them ends and the air begins, they're so sharp. As one of the characters describes them:
267-->"They are wood, but they are anything but ordinary. There are no other such weapons anywhere in the world. They are blackwood plus history, blackwood plus a little of every weapon that has ever been. There are the spears of the great Zulu impis in each edge, the power of Tamerlane's hordes, the thrust of Caesar's legions. On the very edge of each swim things that race the components of existence around racetracks on which the beginning and end of the universe is the bet. They contain weapons that have not been and weapons that will never be. They are blackwood plus all that plus Nafasi. Into them he has put his heart and soul and much more. They will cut well. I think they will even cut a [[TheLegionsOfHell shetani]]."
268* In one of the ''Literature/LeftBehind'' novels, [[EvilOverlord Carpathia]] is slain with a sword that's supposedly sharp enough to sever half of someone's fingers off, before they even notice they're being cut.
269* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheIceGarden'', Vuko slashes his long, monomolecular blade at a dog inside a building. The dog is defeated, and so is a heavy wooden beam in the doorway.
270* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', high elven blades are sharper than anyone else's and the blades hold their edge forever. Then there's the dwarven-made Narsil, which is absurdly sharp even by elven standards.
271* In ''Literature/TheLostRedeemer'', It's said that Ethereum blades can cut through steel like paper.
272* There's one of these in ''The Magic and the Healing'' [[http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?7249 ]] by Nick O'Donohoe.
273* ''Literature/MagnusChaseAndTheGodsOfAsgard''. Magnus' sword, Sumarbrandr, a.k.a [[EmpathicWeapon Jack]]. It's said to be the sharpest sword in the nine worlds and more than lives up to its reputation, being capable of slicing steel, enchanted rope, and ''the fabric of reality''.
274* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'':
275** It seems that all Hust Swords were like this, but most, if not all of them were lost. [[spoiler:Yedan Derryg]], wielding one of them in ''Literature/TheCrippledGod'', can decapitate ''a dragon'' in two hits, and just the fact of owning the sword changes him into a OneManArmy.
276** The Whiteblade is made from chaos and will cut through most things like butter. If you do not know how to properly handle it, just touching the blade will cost you fingers or even a hand.
277* ''Literature/{{Nightside}}'', Razor Eddie. His razor can cut through space, forming portals.
278* In ''Literature/ThePrincessSeries'', Danielle Whiteshore- Literature/{{Cinderella}}- possesses an enchanted glass sword as the final gift from her mother's spirit, capable of cutting through anything apart from Danielle's own flesh.
279* ''Literature/ReignOfTheSevenSpellblades'': At the climax of volume 1, Oliver and Nanao catch the StarterVillain in a pincer: they can only point their DeadlyGaze in one direction at a time, leaving Nanao free to backstab her... which is when they reveal a ''second'' enchanted eye [[HandBlast implanted in the palm of their left hand]]. Unable to close the distance in time, Nanao [[AutopilotArtistry unconsciously]] wills her sword to cut through '''space and time itself''' and reach her target before the curse from the eye can strike her, severing that hand at the wrist--an UnblockableAttack constituting the invention of the eponymous [[TitleDrop Seventh Spellblade]].
280* In ''Literature/TheReynardCycle,'' Isengrim No-Father's sword, Right-Hand. On several occasions, it cuts through (or breaks) swords of inferior make.
281* In ''Literature/{{Ringworld}}'', the variable sword, a piece of monomolecular wire held taut by a stasis field can cut anything. A glowing red ball marks the extended tip of the wire/blade to protect the user.
282** There's also "shadowsquare wire", which is monomolecular wire ''without'' the stasis field. It's even more dangerous since it's too thin to be visible.
283* The main character of the ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' series has one of these, it's made of some super-hi-tech alloy that's nearly indestructible to boot, he actually considered making an even sharper blade with an edge SharpenedToASingleAtom, but decided that was overkill. It helps that the character in question is a {{Ridiculously Human Robot|s}} with SuperStrength who can thus put enough force behind the blade to slice an opponent's own sword into bits. Later he gives another character a similar blade.
284* In ''{{Literature/Shadowboy}}'', Icerazor's sword is among the few things reliably able to carve through force fields and psychic constructs, making steel (galvanized pipe, Omicron bots) mundane in comparison.
285* In ''{{Literature/Shadowdemon}}'', Icerazor's sword makes a return, carving through steel plate armor to create handholds to climb a HumongousMecha.
286* In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', the knife Angrist, a knife that can "cleave iron like green wood..." But, in a realistic touch, it's not super-strong and eventually snaps while doing so.
287* In ''Literature/TheSilverChair'', this is lampshaded in the text, when the Black Knight destroys [[spoiler: the silver chair]] with his sword.
288--> That must have been a good sword. The [[spoiler: silver]] gave way beneath its edge like string.
289* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has several examples:
290** Blades of Valyrian steel are far sharper and stronger than even the best mundane steel. Forging the metal is a magical process that has become LostTechnology after the fall of Valyria and only a few smiths still know how to re-purpose it. It has a smoky, rippled appearance that resembles Damascus Steel. It's also the only metal that's a match for a [[TheDreaded White Walker]] and their weapons (the only other thing that can slay a White Walker is a naturally-occurring substance that's known to be sharp but not to the extent of this trope: dragonglass, what we know as obsidian).
291** Dawn, the ancestral blade of House Dayne. The blade was forged from [[ThunderboltIron meteoric iron]] and is hinted to be of extraordinary quality. [[KnightInShiningArmor Arthur Dayne]], the Sword in the Morning, notably used it to hack a foe's sword to bits, then chivalrously allowing him to retrieve another sword before slaying him. Jaime Lannister also recalls that the sword cut through his tunic and into the flesh beneath when Dayne tapped it against his shoulder to knight him.
292** One of the mountain clansmen Tyrion employs from the Vale, Shagga, brags about the sharpness of his blades. Though clearly a humorous exaggeration, he's still a dangerous warrior.
293---> '''Shagga''': A Stone Crow's axe is always sharp, and Shagga's axes are sharpest of all. Once I cut off a man's head, but he did not know it until he tried to brush his hair. Then it fell off.
294* In ''Literature/SpiritHunters'' Sura's hoko yari, "Leaf-cutter". At one point, a fly flies into the edge of the blade and is bisected instantly.
295* In the ''Literature/{{Sten}}'' novels by Allan Cole and Chris Bunch, the signature weapon of the eponymous hero is an absurdly sharp knife that can cut almost everything, even diamonds. And he keeps it hidden ''inside'' his arm.
296* Shardblades in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' are an interesting variation. They are explicitly magical weapons and can slice through any non-magical, inorganic material -- stone, metal, etc -- without slowing. They only things they don't cut are [[LikeCannotCutLike other Shardblades]], [[PoweredArmor Shardplate]], [[AntiMagic aluminum]] [[note]]Aluminum's anti-magic properties counteract the magic properties of a Shardblade. The Blade is still a large piece of metal, and will cut aluminum "only" as well as a mundane sword, so, for example, a thin sheet of aluminum will not be sufficient to stop the blade[[/note]], and living flesh. Blades simply pass through living things without marking them, and "kills" the part of the body it passes through, including killing them if the spine is hit. Plus their eyes burn out. It's said a few times that the blade [[SoulCuttingBlade cuts the soul]], and WordOfGod has confirmed that Shardblade wounds work by cutting off a chunk of the targets [[OurSoulsAreDifferent Spiritweb]] (although there are ways to magically heal such wounds).
297** Adolin wonders why Shardblades were made because a giant sword that can cut through anything is clearly overkill in normal combat. Then he fights giant stone golems called Thunderclasts and realizes that while Shardblades are overkill on flesh, they're perfect for cutting through a giant monster made of stone.
298** In ''Words of Radiance'', at the conclusion of the novel, it is revealed that Shardblades are the tangible bodies of spren who were once bonded to the Knights Radiant. The "dead" spren created from broken oaths form the normal Shardblades, while a living spren bonded with a Knight who has sworn the Third Ideal can form into any metal weapon or tool the Knight needs: sword, shield, dagger, spear, even blunt weapons like hammers or staves. Lift has her spren [[MundaneUtility form a Shardfork]] so she can eat pancakes, only to discover that it's really hard to eat with a fork that cuts through her food effortlessly.
299* ''Franchise/StarTrek'': Romulan honor blades, called ''dathe'anofv-sen'' in their language, are traditional weapons passed down through Romulan families, which are ritually sharpened and capable of severing an individual's head from their body with a single stroke, as Commander Terix demonstrated when he killed the Romulan politician who assassinated his boss, Admiral Valdore.
300* In Christopher Ruocchio's ''The Sun Eater'' series, regular soldiers are only allowed to carry ceramic blades for their swords. Ceramic blades are still extremely sharp but they can't match the High Matter swords restricted for nobile use. High Matter is a somewhat unstable substance that can alter shape when an electrical charge is run through it -- in swords, High Matter becomes a constantly wavering blade that is a single atom thick and can cut through almost anything.
301* ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'': Laurence receives an antique dao sword as a gift in ''Throne of Jade''. He assumes it to be a ceremonial piece, but when he's stuck in a battle and uses it in a moment of desperation, it cuts his opponent's head off [[CleanCut without any resistance]].
302* Ia from ''Literature/TheirsNotToReasonWhy'' occasionally uses a [[AppliedPhlebotinum crysium]] bladed sword, which she uses to cut steel and harder materials.
303* Flann O'Brien's ''Literature/TheThirdPoliceman'' features a spear so sharp that if you were to prick yourself with it, your finger would begin to bleed about two inches before the point appeared to reach your finger. In fact, when your finger starts to bleed, the spear point had penetrated your skin two inches ago, but was so thin it slipped between the atoms of your finger without causing any damage.
304* Invented in ''Literature/TheThreeBodyProblem'', and put to good use slicing a ship apart.
305* In ''Literature/TheTraitorSonCycle'':
306** The Red Knight's ''ghiavarina'' (a heavy spear), can cut through anything as easily as it does through air. The first time he uses it, he accidentally buries it blade-deep in solid rock because he didn't feel any resistance.
307** Tom Lachlan's sword has been made by the same dragon who's created Red Knight's spear, and as such has the same qualities.
308* ''Literature/WayOfChoices'' has Stainless, the sword Chen Changsheng receives from his master which is paired with a scabbard that doubles as a BagOfHolding. In the TV show, it's called the purity blade.
309* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' series brings us Power-wrought blades. They can cleave through metal armor and the tough flesh of a [[TheUsualAdversaries Trolloc]] with limited resistance. Lan notes that they never need to be sharpened though some men have been known to try, resulting in wearing a whetstone to nothing for no good reason.
310* In his ''World's End'' series, LinCarter uses a super sharp sword, in Ganelon Silvermane's "Silver Sword", although it won't quite cut anything -- there are limits, it seems.
311[[/folder]]
312
313[[folder:Podcast]]
314* Podcast/TheAdventureZone/Balance: The Flaming Poisoning Raging Sword of Doom is hilariously OP, to the point that in one of the live shows, [[spoiler: Davenport]] manages to cleave through multiple Kraken tentacles just by holding it still while they sail past.
315[[/folder]]
316
317[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
318* ''Series/BetterCallSaul'': Lalo manages to take a man's leg clean off with a single axe swing.
319* One of the Salamanca cousins in ''Series/BreakingBad'' carries a chromed fire axe. It's sharp enough to stick in pavement just from being accidentally dropped.
320* The Scythe in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', which is actually more of a Lochaber Axe but regardless it's absurdly sharp. Moments after acquiring it, Buffy effortlessly bisected the super-strong and super-durable [[TheDragon Caleb]]. Earlier, there was also the Blessed Sword used to defeat Acathla, which also cut through vampires' necks like a hot knife through butter.
321* In an episode of ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'' ("Heroes & Villains", s4e2), a victim is laterally bisected apparently through his skull by what turns out to be a samurai sword.
322* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
323** Any blade made from Valyrian steel, as the forging secrets (long since lost) allow them to keep their edge way longer than regular steel.
324*** Dark Sister (which is owned by Daemon Targaryen in ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'') was this even more than most Valyrian steel weapons, since it was designed ''for'' Visenya, and was therefore skinnier and more flexible than the typical broad or longsword, and thus had to rely on sharpness for cutting power more than raw force. It was not, however, a rapier like Arya's Needle.
325** The crystal blades of the White Walkers shatter regular steel on contact and slice through armour with ease.
326* Happens several times in ''Series/{{Highlander}}''. Particularly with Duncan. He chops a heavy oak desk clean in two with his katana, and a one point beheads an opponent with a fairly light sword with little more than a few inches of movement. The samurai he got his sword from also used it to cleanly slice another sword in two as easy as if were a piece of bamboo.[[note]]There is some TruthInTelevision to this: the sword that gets broken is made of low-quality steel which can be rather brittle, while Duncan's katana is made of high-quality "folded" steel. If a strong steel blade strikes a brittle one in a weak place, the brittle blade can break just as shown.[[/note]] Though in general there seems to be something about Immortals that makes the swords they wield have more cutting power than they should.
327* The 1998 television series ''[[Series/{{Merlin1998}} Merlin]]'' has an example of Excalibur that fits this interpretation. Just parrying a weaker sword will cut the weaker sword in half.
328* In an episode of ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', Jay O'Callahan told the story "The Bubble", about a king stuck in a giant bubble and his attempts to get out. One of the knights who failed to pierce the bubble had a sword so sharp it "cut the wind and made it bleed".
329* Parodied in an episode of ''{{Series/NewsRadio}}'' Matthew gives Dave a katana which Bill thinks is fake. When Bill realises it's real he drops it and it cleanly cuts off a piece of a nearby table as it falls.
330* Subverted in the ''Series/{{Nova}}'' episode [[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/secrets-viking-sword.html "Secrets of the Viking Sword"]]. A swordsman cleanly chops a rolled-up bamboo mat in half with a wickedly sharp katana, but then does the exact same thing with a European broadsword and demonstrates afterwards that it has little edge at all. The trick has more to do with the swordsman's skill than the actual sharpness of the sword.
331* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': Elnor's tan qalanq (a sword used by the [[AmazonBrigade Qowat Milat]]) can [[OffWithHisHead slice a person's head off]] with a single stroke, and it's a very CleanCut.
332* In ''Series/TeenWolf'', werewolf claws, despite looking almost like 'normal' sharpened human nails, can substitute a knife to cut cable and rake through metal effortlessly.
333* An episode of ''Series/Warehouse13'' revolved around the threat of the assembly of ''the'' [[UsefulNotes/MuramasaAndMasamune Masamune]]. The sword was so sharp, it could cut through light, rendering the user invisible. That was clearly a bit of hyperbole though, since that function didn't work until the ''tsuba'' was reattached. That said, the sword is absurdly sharp in its own right, as it was able to slice through a computer monitor and stab a man's shoulder effortlessly.
334-->'''Pete:''' You sure you want me to just pull it out?\
335'''Artie:''' It's the sharpest sword ever created, it should slide out like butter.\
336'''Pete:''' ''[pulls the sword out]''\
337'''Artie:''' ''[crying out in pain]'' Not like butter!
338[[/folder]]
339
340[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
341* Myth/ArthurianLegend: Some incarnations of Myth/KingArthur's sword Excalibur fit this trope. Depending on which legend you're reading (and which interpretation of the legend), Excalibur is either the most powerful blade ever worn by a British king, or else was just a sword. Most linguists believe that "Excalibur" is ultimately derived from the Welsh name "Caledfwlch" meaning "hard cleft".
342* Myth/NorseMythology: According to ''Literature/TheSagaOfHervorAndHeidrek'' the dwarf-forged sword Tyrfing was the sharpest blade in the world and cut "into iron and stone as if into cloth"; its blows could not be stopped by anything "before it plunged into the earth."
343* In Myth/IrishMythology, Cuchulainn's sword can shave a hair from the skin without cutting the skin, or cleave a hair floating on water in twain, or cut a man in two "[[DiagonalCut that the one half of him might not miss the other for some time after]]". [[note]]The ability of a sword to shave hairs was impressive because of the sheer thickness of the blade (and thus the trouble of getting a very sharp edge without burrs). Some swords of antiquity were in excess of 1/4" thick. Having a sword capable of field combat yet also able to shave hairs was a sign of superior bladesmithing.[[/note]]
344* There are claims that certain units of lancers from Eastern Europe and Eurasia (it has been attributed to Polish lancers and Cossacks) would shave with the tips of their lances before battle, and if their commander could see any stubble or nicks on their chin, then their weapons weren't sharp enough for battle.
345* A popular Japanese legend[[note]]"Legend" being the operative word, since the people we are about to mention weren't alive at the same time[[/note]] tells of a competition between two famous swordsmiths: [[AxCrazy brilliant but slightly unbalanced]] Muramasa Sengo, and even more brilliant and universally revered Masamune. Each smith held his sword tip-first into a gentle brook, with the edge facing upstream. As leaves floated down on the current, Muramasa's sword cut them neatly in half as they wafted against the blade. Leaves that encountered Masamune's sword, however, would make a 90-degree turn and avoid the blade altogether, in a Crowning Moment of Zen. In other versions of the legend, the leaves that Muramasa's blade cut, Masamune's blade healed together. In yet other versions the blades were placed in the river and floated downstream. Muramasa then argued that his blade was finer since it cut the leaves, Masamune pointing out that such a blade was inherently evil and bloodthirsty, which his wasn't, therefore was superior.
346* And while we're on Japanese legends (these used to be in the Real Life section, but at least two of them are literally impossible):
347** The ''Heshikiri Hasebe'' ("Forceful Cutter" Hasebe), a katana infamously purported to have ''cut through a wooden cabinet'' when UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga swung it in anger to successfully slay a man hiding inside it, hence the name.
348** ''Higekiri'' ("Beard Cutter"), so named for being able to cleanly slice the beard along with the neck of a body. That's not all; one of its other names was ''Tomokiri'' ("Cutter of Its Own Kind"), so given for being able to cut ''another sword''.
349** ''Yagen Tōshirō''/''Yagendōshi Yoshimitsu'' ("Medicine Grinder" Tōshirō/"Medicine Grinder Piercer" Yoshimitsu). It didn't pierce the stomach of a man attempting suicide with it but pierced a ''stone medicine grinder'' nearby when he tossed it in frustration.
350** ''Honebami Tōshirō'' ("Bone Gnasher" Tōshirō). Sliced a person's bone without even making contact.
351** ''Nikkari Aoe'' ("Giggly" Aoe). Its owner thought he killed two giggling ghosts (hence the name) with it, but the ghosts turned into severed ''stone lanterns'' the next morning.
352* In American tall tales, Pecos Bill's razor was so sharp he shaved with just the shadow of it! (Which means he [[PermaStubble didn't shave so well]] on cloudy days, when the shadow was dimmer and fuzzier.)
353* In the tale of Myth/WaylandTheSmith within ''Thidrek's Saga'', Wayland makes a sword, Mimung, so sharp that he slices the competing smith Amilias from the head down in half with one stroke, complete with his extremely thick armor, and Amilias [[DiagonalCut didn't realize this]] until he was asked to shake, at which point he fell apart.
354* In the same vein, in ''Literature/{{Nibelungenlied}}'', Hildebrand cuts Kriemhilde in half with his sword on a single strike. She does not notice it until Hildebrand asks her to bow when she falls in twain.
355* There's an apocryphal legend about UsefulNotes/{{Richard the Lionheart}}ed having a conversation with Saladin about their respective swords. Richard requests an iron bar, and chops through it cleanly. Saladin shrugs and requests a silk pillow. Richard's sword fails to even mar it, while Saladin's scimitar slices it neatly in half. [[RuleOfCool More fanciful]] versions of the story have Saladin letting a silk veil fall across the edge of his scimitar, and cutting ''itself'' in half, while Richard was able to split an ''anvil''. The legend is regurgitated in ''Literature/TenSixtySixAndAllThat''.
356* A 20th-century apocryphal tale has a burly Afrika Korps infantryman going hand-to-hand with a Gurkha. The latter delivers a throat-high slash with his [[KukrisAreKool kukri]], which the German doesn't even feel. "You missed!" he snarls, preparing to skewer the little Nepalese guy with his bayonet. Unperturbed, the Gurkha just says "Nod your head...". [[DiagonalCut And, of course...]]
357* Islamic folklore has Zulfiqar, Ali's sword. It was found by Muhammad in the Mecca temple of Ishtar, and described as a long scimitar with a curious forked end. According to the legend, the archangel Gabriel constantly chained the true power of Zulfiqar since it was so sharp that at full force it could create RazorWind that would cut mountains apart. Another myth says that Ali killed an enemy knight by beheading the horse and slicing the knight in half with a single slash.
358* According to the Norse/Germanic saga of Sigurd/Siegfried, same hero's sword Gram/Balmung/Nothung was so sharp that he tested it by ''slicing an anvil in half''. It is also told that Sigurd threw a wad of wool into a stream, placed the sword in its path, and just the current of the water provided enough force to slice the wool apart.
359* There are referents to this feat in both Norse and Irish mythology, the trick being attributed to both Finn [=McCool=] and to King Olaf of Norway when in a dispute with the King of Sweden over ownership of an island, they diced for it. The Swedish king rolled two sixes, knowing this was unlikely to be beaten. Olaf rolled two dice, one coming down as a six, and the second induced to come down as a winning seven due to the intervention of his sword-blade slicing the dice in half. This was referenced by Terry Pratchett in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' (See ''Literature'', above.)
360* Durendal, the legendary sword of Roland, was said to be the sharpest sword in existence. Roland's attempts to destroy it to prevent it from falling into Muslim hands resulted in [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Brèche_de_Roland this]] happening.
361[[/folder]]
362
363[[folder:Pinball]]
364* In ''Creator/SternPinball's'' ''[[Pinball/XMenStern X-Men]]'', [[Characters/MarvelComicsLogan Wolverine]]'s claws are shown slicing through the playfield. The Wolverine Limited Edition table also has his claws gouging the sides of the backbox.
365[[/folder]]
366
367[[folder:Roleplay]]
368* Dominic's sword in ''Roleplay/AtherCity''. Don't bother asking which one, because it seems to spontaneously apply to every sword he picks up.
369[[/folder]]
370
371[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
372* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
373** Weapons made of adamantine bypass most objects' hardness -- meaning that, essentially, they're so sharp that they can cut steel (hardness 10) as easily as paper or cloth (hardness zero). Of course, this ability only works on objects up to hardness 20, meaning that adamantine (hardness 20) cannot [[LikeCannotCutLike cut itself]].
374** The major artifact sword Angelwing Razor is so sharp, it can cut through literally anything, bypassing all forms of hardness and damage reduction. This includes barriers of pure magic that have no actual material substance.
375** There is also the Vorpal enchantment (inspired by [[Creator/LewisCarroll Carroll]]'s ''Jabberwocky'') which can be added onto any sword. It makes the blade in question so sharp that upon a successful CriticalHit, it automatically severs the head of whatever it hit in a single blow (in 5th Edition, some creatures are immune to this, either because their neck is too thick or they don't have a real neck, in which case they "merely" take a lot of bonus damage).
376** The Sword of Sharpness is another magical blade that, as its name implies, is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin really, really sharp]]. Such blades automatically deal maximum weapon damage on a hit and on a crit slices off a random body part of the target.
377* The ''TabletopGame/{{Everway}}'' RPG had among its legendary artifacts a sword named the "The Edge of Light and Darkness", which was created to exemplify "the dividing line between ''Is'' and ''Is Not''". The Edge of Light and Darkness could cut anything its owner could conceive of cutting, and could wield the blade with sufficient skill to hit. In addition to the relatively mundane task of doing a CleanCut through any physical substance, known examples include cutting through the fabric of space-time to create portals between alternate universes, killing an opponent by cutting his soul free of his body (without actually leaving any physical wounds on his body), and destroying a pocket universe by slicing the substance of reality into its fundamental elemental components.
378* In ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'', assorted magic allows blades to cut through everything, up to and including spirits, mountains, memories, souls, and reality, amongst other things.
379* Creator/GamesWorkshop games:
380** The [[CoolSword mighty blade]] of the Blood God [[WarGod Khorne]] in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'' and ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' is so sharp that, when imbued with the strength of his endless rage, it is capable of splitting the very fabric of reality itself.
381** ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' has the Runefangs, dwarven-made swords that are wickedly sharp. There are twelve of them, each made for one of the Elector-Counts of the Empire. None of the people the swords were made for lived long enough to use them, because the dwarves wanted them to be perfect and it took longer than a human lifetime for the smith to make them all. The descendants of the original intended owners use them just fine.
382** ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'' allows runesmiths to create more Runefangs by adding the master rune of Alaric the Mad (the smith of the original Runefangs) to weapons. To keep this from being overpowered, creating a new Runefang can only be done by a master runesmith (a tertiary career), will take ''years'' for a PlayerCharacter even without failing any checks (making a sword that can become an absurdly sharp blade for a single blow is easier, taking a few days' off-time), and it's explicitly verboten for a runesmith to ever create two weapons with identical runes on them (that Alaric did this is why he's called 'the Mad'), and master runes occupy all slots on a weapon.
383** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
384*** The background information frequently describes bladed weapons as having "Monomolecular edges", especially on the chainswords and power swords used by [[SuperSoldier Adeptus Astartes]] and the various edged weapons used by the [[SpaceElves Aeldari]].
385*** The blades of the phase swords used by Imperial Callidus Assassins slip in and out of realspace, allowing them to cut through absolutely anything, from the thickest armour to the most sophisticated of [[DeflectorShields force fields]].
386*** The [[WolverineClaws lightning claws]] melded to the hands of a [[TheCorruption Chaos]] [[SuperSoldier Warp Talon]] are described as being spirit-sharp. These claws are so sharp that they are even capable of slicing through the veil between [[HyperspaceIsaScaryPlace the Immaterium]] and the physical universe.
387*** The [[MachineWorship Adeptus Mechanicus]] relic weapon known as [[NamedWeapons The Red Axe]] is a massive Omnissian axe whose cutting edge was made with a unique [[ThunderboltIron starmetal]] that emits a [[PowerGlows crimson glow]]. The weapon is said to be able to cleave through even the toughest material, something the 8th Edition ''Warhammer 40,000'' rules represent by giving The Red Axe the highest Armour Penetration value of any weapon available to an Adeptus Mechanicus army.
388*** The blessed [[NamedWeapons Blade of Admonition]] is a relic of the [[WarriorMonk Adepta Sororitas]] and is the very sword used by Saint Dominica to remove the head of [[EvilOverlord Goge Vandire]]. The silver blade of this sacred weapon is razor-sharp and has taken the lives of countless heretics since. The 8th Edition ''Chapter Approved'' rules for the Blade of Admonition give it superior Strength and Damage compared to regular power swords.
389* ''{{TabletopGame/GURPS}} Ultratech'' has a number of (increasingly super-science) ways of justifying this. Superfine blades divide damage resistance by two. [[SharpenedToASingleAtom Monowire and nanothorn]] blades divide damage resistance by ten, and the latter is additionally described as ''shredding'' molecular bonds.
390* [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/katanas-are-underpowered-in-d20 Katanas are underpowered in d20.]]
391* ''TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness'' has a supplement called ''Dudes of Legend: How To Be Fucking Awesome''. It contained- among rules for using your genitalia as a bludgeoning weapon, instituting experience charts for kills, and other things that ran completely contrary to the intended feeling of nWoD- a hack that lets you wield a katana that had the 7-Again quality, allowing you to reroll any result of 7 or higher on a d10. Considering that the system only counts successes at 8 or higher, and rerolls at 10, you will reroll every success you manage to get, again and again. It's explicitly intended to simulate these kinds of weapons.
392* ''TabletopGame/SeventhSea'' has the crescent-shaped scythe of the NPC Captain Reis, which allows him to cut through anything -- even armor made from Dracheneisen, the ''7th Sea'' version of {{Mithril}}, gets cut in half like so much butter.
393[[/folder]]
394
395[[folder:Theatre]]
396* Based on stories similar to those in the Myths and Legends section, above, Music/RichardWagner in his music-drama ''Theatre/{{Siegfried}}'', has the eponymous hero, after he has [[ForgingScene reforged]] his father's sword Nothung, use it to slice in two the anvil he has formed it on.
397[[/folder]]
398
399[[folder:Video Games]]
400* ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfWillyBeamish'' uses the Ginsu Knife example mentioned under "Advertising" above ([[BlandNameProduct renamed the Jinsu Knife]]), but Willy only uses it for the mundane task of peeling carrots, and he ends up knicking his thumb with it.
401* ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt3'': {{Discussed|Trope}} in one of the Chats by Apollo and Gunvolt about Kirin's [[SwordCane staff sword]], which in-story and in-gameplay has no problem dicing through the solid metal of advanced combat mechs, with them wondering how it was made to be so sharp. Kirin's response indicates it's not absurdly sharp but rather absurdly ''tough'' because that's the only way it can handle the abuse she puts it through. Apollo and GV are left stunned by the unsaid implication that [[MusclesAreMeaningless the thin-framed Kirin herself]] is just that naturally strong on her own.
402* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' has the Silver Sword, which is a vorpal blade as outlined under the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' rules above. It has a 25% chance to instantly kill anything it hits. (Although most bosses are immune.) The ExpansionPack, ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'', added the Axe of the Unyielding and the Ravager halberd which have a similar chance for an instant kill.
403* Asagi's Great Psychic Wave Sword from ''VideoGame/{{Bombergirl}}'', her trademark katana is capable of cutting through metal like a hot knife through butter, as shown in [[https://twitter.com/bombergirl573/status/1205413312034299905 these]] [[https://twitter.com/bombergirl573/status/1230792803740872704 comics]].
404* Rayne's wrist blades in ''VideoGame/BloodRayne'' cut through bone as easily as air. Also wood, stone, many kinds of metal -- anything that can be [[DieChairDie demolished in the environment]] she can put a blade through as easily as waving her hands.
405* In ''VideoGame/ChivalryMedievalWarfare'', it is possible to behead or dismember someone by swinging weapons such as hunting knives and spears.
406* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', once repaired, the Masamune sunders a passageway into a mountain. Note that this is the unpowered version of the Masamune.
407* ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' has Bishamon's ancient blade, Kien. The sword was originally forged because talented warriors were frustrated that their swords had dulled irreparably. Thus Kien was crafted -- using forbidden techniques -- in such a way that it actually became ''sharper'' the more it was used, meaning a ''stronger'' blade from multiple battles. However, Kien eventually fell into the presence of the demonic Hannya, "the armour of hate", and was subsequently corrupted, gaining a thirst for blood...
408* ''VideoGame/DeadRising'', ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'', and ''VideoGame/DeadRising3'' all feature everyday bladed weapons with peculiar sharpness. Many bladed weapons cut right through a human body in a single blow with practically no resistance, including a few where you'd ''really'' need to put some effort into it such as weapons whose cutting edge consists of a chef's knife or meat cleaver. Amusingly, zombies that are killed in such fashion don't display things like bones, muscle, or viscera, but only feature [[MadeOfBologna a pink, Spamlike interior]] beneath their skin--perhaps inadvertently explaining their fragility, but [[VoodooShark that just raises other questions]].
409* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' has the Dragon's Tooth sword; the blade is made entirely of nanomachines which constantly re-arrange themselves to maintain the sharpest edge possible.
410* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'':
411** WordOfGod says that Dante's blade is capable of slicing absolutely anything in the physical plane. Not very convincing after the series' later graphical pushes (the rust and nicks become more pronounced). GameplayAndStorySegregation is in effect as it still will take several hacks to down any foe.
412** The Rebellion is upstaged by that of the Yamato, [[EvilTwin Vergil's]] trademark sword, which is capable of ''cutting through dimensions''. Although, it being able to cut through absolutely everything doesn't apply during gameplay. Otherwise, it would be even more OP. {{Exaggerated|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', when it becomes sharp enough to cut through ''concepts''.
413* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' has adamantine blades that are so sharp they cut through giant elephants like they are butter. A proper look at the raws reveals that the sharpest possible edge one can give an adamantine weapon is ten times as sharp as the best possible edge a steel weapon can be given. The latter can already decapitate a giant bronze statue in one swing in skilled hands; the former can do without the "skilled hands" part and will tear anything into bloody confetti even when given to a weakling that's never trained a day in his life.
414* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas -- Dead Money'': The Sierra Madre Casino's kitchen staff believed that the Cosmic knives they were supplied were ''too'' sharp for their needs. Sure, they could slice through a T-bone steak with no problem, but they'd cut through their cutting boards and their own fingers just as easily.\
415[[GameplayAndStorySegregation Their effectiveness in combat, though, does not meet the description,]] because they've spent 200 years in a corrosive, toxic miasma. The chemicals probably dulled them somewhat; however, they're still very effective limb loppers, which is good in an environment where most enemies are best dealt with by lopping off a limb. You can actually clean the blades; still not quite the trope, but close—they become ''twice'' as good at cutting off limbs.
416* Throughout the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasy'' series:
417** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'':
418*** Sephiroth's Masamune is often portrayed as being absurdly sharp, often accompanied with AudibleSharpness. In one scene in ''VideoGame/CrisisCore'' where he's fighting Angeal and Genesis, Sephiroth tears apart a gigantic cannon by slicing through the barrel with SwordLines from the blade during the fight. That's one bad-ass sword. In the ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake Remake]]'' he uses it to cut through the [[TimePolice Whispers]] creating a [[ThinkingUpPortals portal]], in order to carve a path for Cloud and his allies to [[ScrewDestiny destroy fate]].
419*** Cloud's {{BFS}} in ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'' is capable of slicing through steel and concrete without losing their edge.
420** Odin's OneHitKill attack cuts (''Zantetsuken'') all monsters on the battlefield in half.
421** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', [[RivalTurnedEvil Seifer]] ''cuts Odin in half''. Which caused the Zantetsuken to go spinning off into the sky, cutting a hole clean into another dimension. Specifically, the Interdimensional Rift from ''Videogame/FinalFantasyV'', where it was caught by Gilgamesh.
422** In the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXVI'' side quest, "Blacksmith's Blues II", a single-edged sword from distant lands catches the titular blacksmith's eye. The metal isn't anything special, but he recognizes that the edge is the sharpest thing he's ever seen and could cleanly split a man in half. A weapon collector who bought the blade explains that it was forged by a school of swordsmanship from the Outer Isles who hone their blades with special whetstones until they're incredibly sharp but extremely fragile, so ItOnlyWorksOnce before breaking.
423** In ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren[=/=]Complete'', Sephiroth's Masamune and Cloud's Fusion Swords are capable of not only slashing cleanly through massive pieces of concrete buildings that are far larger than the swords themselves ([[{{BFS}} which is saying something]]), but setting the edges of the cut concrete ''on fire''. Of course, the swords, despite repeated clashing, never damage each other.
424* ''VideoGame/LoveOfMagic'': Excalibur, which is used to (among other things) cut through a reinforced steel door.
425-->'''Excalibur''': You're using me as a ''can opener''?
426* In the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' universe:
427** Raiden gets one in ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance.'' Part of the gameplay mechanics involve Raiden being able to slice HumongousMecha into pieces.
428** All [[VibroWeapon High-Frequency swords]] in ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', while not conventionally absurdly sharp, can slice through almost anything thanks to their vibration destabilizing the molecules of materials they impact on. Jetstream Sam's Murasama, however, was made from an authentic Muramasa, meaning it's both absurdly sharp conventionally plus augmented with VibroWeapon power. It slices Raiden's cyborg arm off with ease, and it's the only weapon capable of damaging [[spoiler: Armstrong's nanomachine armor, which can absorb the [[HumongousMecha mecha-tossing]] Raiden's blows without a scratch]].
429* ''VideoGame/MinecraftStoryMode'': [[spoiler:The enchanted weapon made for the final battle in Season 1 Episode 4, able to slice Wither Storm tentacles with ease]].
430* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'':
431** The series has plenty of impressive edged weapons, but the most impressive is the humble carving knife. These things are so sharp that it takes an equal amount of effort to carve a hunk of meat off a soft herbivore as it does removing diamond-hard scales from a kaiju-sized Elder Dragon, and unlike the sword made with that dragon's teeth the knife never even needs sharpening. According to background lore, these knives are made of an Ancient Civilization alloy, and the means to produce more is a LostTechnology. A full-sized weapon would be absurdly powerful, but the stuff is so rare these knives already technically belong to the guild, and Hunters are expected to return them when they retire, or at least hand them down to their apprentice.
432** In ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterGenerations'', the Glavenus, a large theropod-like Brute Wyvern, plays with this trope. Its sword-like tail is shown to be so sharp that it neatly slices the stems off of plants that it walks by. Its tail is so hard that it can only be cut off when glowing molten hot—and even then the severed tail will dramatically fly off and slice into the ground, sticking up. However, a Glavenus must constantly use its whetstone-like mouth to sharpen its tail, lest it go dull.
433* ''VideoGame/MuramasaTheDemonBlade'':
434** The Demon Blades of the title can cut demons, gods, dragons, and pretty much anything else. As with the Muramasa blades of legend, dip one into a river and any leaves floating by will be cut in half. And in his second ending, Kisuke manages to [[spoiler:cut Jinkuro's soul out of Momohime without harming her.]] Now ''that's'' sharp.
435** The Oboro Muramasa, which can only be acquired after forging and finding all of the 107 other swords, is so sharp that it [[spoiler:cuts fate. Or, in practical terms, it allows for MentalTimeTravel]]. Just because the sword is really, really sharp.
436* In ''VideoGame/NetHack'', the Tsurugi of Muramasa and Vorpal Blade each have a 5% chance of bisecting (in the case of the former) or decapitating (in the case of the latter) what they hit, causing instant death.
437* The [[EvolvingWeapon Psyphers]] of ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'' are among the most powerful weapons in the game's universe, being one of the few, if only weapons, that can pierce [[SuperToughness dragon scales]]. It's highly likely that none of the characters would have gotten as far as they did without them, [[spoiler:considering they have to fight, along with the aforementioned dragons, armored warriors, mystical mages, undead monsters, lava beings, and the five beings destined to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, which include {{Cerberus}}, an undead {{Cerberus}} lord, [[BigRedDevil the king of the aforementioned lava beings]], a HumongousMecha, and a [[{{Kaiju}} dragon larger than the continent]]]].
438* In ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', the mascot legendary for Sword, ''[[Characters/PokemonGenerationVIIIFamilies Zacian]]'', wields a shining sword in its mouth that is said to "cut through anything," [[https://swordshield.pokemon.com/en-us/pokemon-galar-region/legendary-pokemon/ according to the official site]].
439* ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown II'' features Cham Cham, resident CatGirl with her ImprobableWeapon, a wooden boomerang used for melee combat. It's considered sharp by the game, enough that (in the original releases) you could trigger the game's DiagonalCut death animations if you ended a match with a strike from it. Or if you pitched it at an enemy. Her claws work the same, too. 'Oh! How dangerous a boomerang is!'
440* ''VideoGame/SystemShock2'': The Crystal Shard is, well [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a really sharp and spiky crystal shard.]] It's the most powerful melee weapon in the game, and it's described as being almost fractal (i.e. the spikes are made out of smaller spikes, which are made out of smaller spikes, and so on.)
441* In ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia'', Ramirez's sword is described as being sharp enough to cut through ''light'' (which appears to be evidenced by his powerful "Silver Eclipse" attack).
442* ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight'': Excalibur, [[spoiler:the [[SuperMode true form]] of [[TalkingWeapon Caliburn]]]] is powerful enough to slice through the armor of the BigBad, which is even more impressive given the armor in question was created using the [[CompleteImmortality immortality-inducing power]] of King Arthur's scabbard. [[spoiler:Caliburn]] even [[BadassBoast states there's nothing Excalibur can't cut]] [[PreMortemOneLiner right as Sonic punches right through the armor for the finishing blow]].
443* In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', there is nothing that Sanger Zonvolt's [[{{BFS}} Zankantou/Colossal Blade]] cannot cut. It achieves this by having thrusters on the non-bladed side, allowing it to keep cutting even when it should get lodged into its target. This allows it to cut through huge battleships, hence the name "Zankantou", but it still breaks when it tries to cut into Giganscudo's {{Unobtainium}} armor. The Type 3 blade, however, is made of liquid metal and [[RuleOfCool Runs on Badassoleum]], making it more of an example of this trope.
444* ''VideoGame/TimeKillers'' has a variation. Every weapon is capable of cutting off arms and heads. However, what's less known is that Thugg's off weapon can cut off arms. What exactly is the grunting, musclebound caveman's off weapon, you ask? His ''fingernails''.
445* Youmu's sword from ''Franchise/TouhouProject''. "The things that can't be cut by my Roukan Blade, forged by [[UltimateBlacksmith Youkai]], are close to none!" It is able to cut ''spirits'' and possibly other intangible things. However, her ''other'' sword, Hakurouken, while not as absurdly sharp, has the power to cut ''confusion'', to the point of potentially giving instant enlightenment to spirits. It however still hurts humans.
446* In ''VideoGame/TouhouSoccer'', Youmu takes this to an over the top level by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDjtg1K8gkQ cutting the moon in half]]. As the description for Roukanken the equippable item in Touhou Soccer states: "A certain gardener's personal sword. It cannot cut through the ball. [[LampshadeHanging Just what is that ball made of, I wonder.]]"
447** [[{{Pun}} "Close to none."]]
448* In later ''{{VideoGame/Ultima}}'' games, there is the Glass Sword. Good news: one hit should kill anything. Bad news: it only lasts for one hit.
449* Geralt of Rivia's swords in ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'' are described as being absurdly sharp. Later on in the game the player [[spoiler:kills Vincent. The Guards originally believed only a Scythe would have been sharp enough to kill him]].
450* At the beginning of ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} Episode II'', [[BadassBookworm Jin]] is introduced when he slices a HumongousMecha in half with his sword while on foot.
451* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'':
452** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'': The Monado LaserBlade is the only weapon strong enough to cut through the Mechon armor. Unfortunately, the hero Dunban was crippled using it, so when the Mechon comes again, Shulk has to take it up. He has much higher compatibility with it, but the Mechon have created new Faced Mechon who are immune to the Monado. [[spoiler:This is because the Faces are converted Homs, and the Monado is bound to be unable to hurt Homs]].
453** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'':
454*** Noah wields the traditional red LaserBlade required of a hero in this series, but his laser sword is actually the ''sheath''. The outer blade can disassemble into a gauntlet for his left arm and reveal Lucky Seven, a masterwork katana so sharp that it can bisect the otherwise indestructible Flame Clocks with a single slice. Noah normally keeps Lucky Seven contained inside his usual sword because it's far too deadly for his liking. His EvilCounterpart has a similar sword but isn't shy about using the katana as his main weapon. [[spoiler:It is the Sword of the End, forged of metal from Origin. It can cut through anything because, in essence, it is made of the only ''real'' material in the world.]]
455*** The [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3FutureRedeemed prequel DLC]] adds a few extra ones: A's Blade, Rex's twin Blades, and Shulk's Blade can all cut through Flame Clocks just like Noah's. [[spoiler:It is probably not a coincidence that these are all Monados, either born directly from an Aegis core crystal (A's Blade comes from Ontos, Rex's come from Pneuma) or is a replica of the same. Matthew's gauntlets are also revealed to have Pneuma's core crystal hidden inside them, and they eventually become the transforming sheath of Noah's Blade. It's also strongly implied that the Sword of the End has Logos' core crystal]].
456* ''VideoGame/XKaliber2097'' have the titular weapon which the intro states can "rip through steel like rancid butter". It's as sharp as it claims too, capable of slicing industrial drums cleanly in two with each slash and turning most enemies into HalfTheManHeUsedToBe.
457* In ''VideoGame/ZeroRanger'', one of the two possible weapons for your ship's mech form is a sword that is capable of doing massive damage to enemies, most of which are presumably made of some sort of metal. If you finish off a large enemy with the sword, it visually ''slices them in half''.
458[[/folder]]
459
460[[folder:Visual Novels]]
461* The transmutation spell Mage Blade in ''VisualNovel/TyrionCuthbertAttorneyOfTheArcane'' temporarily sharpens the edges of an object, allowing it to [[ArmorPiercingAttack cut through armor easily]].
462[[/folder]]
463
464[[folder:Web Animation]]
465* Baninja's "katanana" in ''WebAnimation/BananaNanaNinja'' is a tiny sword wielded by a banana, which can cut through the roof of a bus and cleave through HumongousMecha. He stores it in his ''head'', disguised as his stem.
466* The sword Kamimura uses to sever Oran's chip-implanted hand and therefore save him in the GrandFinale of ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints''.
467* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Asia can create a giant sycamore seed to use as a sword!
468* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'': Absurdly sharp [[ExaggeratedTrope everything]] in this case, actually. If it can have a sharp edge in the real world, it will have a super-sharp edge in this show, and someone ''will'' be killed or maimed by it.
469* ''WebAnimation/MonkeyWrench'': In "Lythop Liberation", the crystals which grow from some [[RockMonster lythops]] are sharp enough to cut through just about anything, [[LikeCannotCutLike except other crystals]]. [[spoiler:The VillainOfTheWeek has been slaughtering the lythops to forge a sword from these crystals, and she demonstrates its sharpness by casually slicing a bank of computer consoles in two.]]
470* In ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue Revelation'', Tex's combat knife is sharp enough [[spoiler: to pierce the Meta's armor when Washington throws it]].
471** The Meta's Brute Shot as well. It can slice a rocket launcher in half, cleave into stone, and even parry Tucker's [[LaserBlade Energy Sword]], and remain undamaged afterward.
472[[/folder]]
473
474[[folder:Webcomics]]
475* In ''Webcomic/{{CKarrus}}'' Tombstone's sword is large enough to cut a large military-grade vehicle in half.
476* ''Webcomic/DragonBallMultiverse'':
477** Tidar's (from U19) [[BladeBelowTheShoulder God Blade]] which he used to effortlessly cut Uub's arm and the whole arena in a single swing. And that one pales in comparison with the Ultra armor used by his comrade Xeniloum.
478** Special mention should go to the Krillin vs. Salza battle, which seems set up [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny answer the question of which ki-blade is sharper]]: Kienzan or the Salza Blade. [[spoiler:Kienzan wins.]]
479* ''Webcomic/TheDreamlandChronicles'' has the Sword of Kings, which has such demonstrations of cutting power as putting a 50-foot gash in a stone castle wall when used as a BladeBrake.
480* In ''Webcomic/TheDreadful'', during a non-canon advertising intermission, heroine Kit is depicted effortlessly slashing villainous monkeys to bits with a sword that is apparently made from a single large feather.
481* In Garth Graham's ''Webcomic/FindersKeepers2008'', there is a knife that is literally, the Cutting Edge. Of course, ''Finder's Keepers'' is about the realm of Faerie, so [[LiteralMinded things are automatically literal]].
482* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120827 has]] OccamsRazor, forged by Occam Heterodyne. In the words of a Jägergeneral "Dot ting ken cut through anyting!"
483* Bro's swords in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' have cut through wooden ventriloquist's dummies, (extremely shitty) swords, ''meteors'' and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the design on Dave's shirt]] ''[[BeyondTheImpossible without cutting the shirt]]'' in one stroke. [[SerialEscalation Later he tops the record once more]], by cutting into the Beat Mesa, which otherwise requires Infinity Plus One Magical Needles to do. Presumably, [[spoiler:Dirk's sword is capable of the same thing since [[ItMakesSenseInContext he is Bro.]] It's revealed that this sword is somehow a mythical artifact of the Cherubs which probably explains it]].
484* ''Webcomic/LeifAndThorn'': Heartswords seem able to go through just about anything (except other heartswords). Thorn goes [[http://leifandthorn.com/comic/homecoming-2024/ through a hellhound's neck in one stroke]].
485* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Tailor's scissors are able to sever limbs and cut through body armour. Justified given that a) he was originally designed to use his tools to create body armour, and b) the Schlockiverse is the home of ''serious'' overengineering.
486* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', a comparison of swords [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2006-08-27 includes one that cuts diamonds, and one that can cut paper dolls in mid-air.]]
487* ''Webcomic/SlightlyDamned'' Heathcliff is shocked when Miranda manages to snip off the tip of Buwaro's horn using only a small pair of scissors and says that she could pierce the heavens with scissors like that.
488* In ''Webcomic/Trevor2020'', [[spoiler: Trevor]] [[BodyHorror can form]] bone-blades sharp enough to cut through people like a hot knife through butter.
489* ''Webcomic/UhOhItsADinosaur'': Kyra's claws, which can slice and dice small neighborhood animals with ease.
490* Inverted in ''Webcomic/WhiteDarkLife''. While Matt's imitation blades do slice through things, they are designed to be incapable of actually cutting most targets. This is mainly due to the swords being mental projections combined with a user who is hemophobic.
491[[/folder]]
492
493[[folder:Web Original]]
494* ''Literature/EmilyHTheVikingPrincess'' features a sword that can cut another sword.
495* In ''Literature/TheLastAngel'':
496** Baleblades have forcefield cutting edges that will tear through molecular bonds.
497** [[SapientShip Nemesis]] uses a starship-scale version by charging up her WaveMotionGun and ramming a Compact Chariot with the tip of the barrel instead of firing. The hole in reality the weapon creates tears straight through 6 kilometers of warship.
498* In ''Phaeton'' atomic and subatomic blades sharpen to a subatomic level, these blades often have built-in magic which keeps them blunting.
499* ''WebOriginal/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum'': The sharpness of [[http://ppc.wikia.com/wiki/Hammerspace_knife hammerspace knives]] can be controlled by the wielder's thoughts, but they default to "murderously sharp".
500* ''Website/SCPFoundation'':
501** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-585 SCP-585]] is a pencil sharpener that infinitely sharpens the points of graphite pencils. To the point of their being able to penetrate steel. And bedrock. And ''split atoms.''
502** [[http://scp-wiki.net/scp-143 SCP-143]]'s ''petals'' can easily slice through flesh if mishandled.
503** [[https://scp-wiki.net/scp-6572 SCP-6572]] was a sword that could cut through anything, regardless of speed or friction. During transport, it was accidentally dropped into the ground, and during the next few years, it began soaring through the earth, occasionally appearing out of the ground causing mass devastation. As of 2017 it has left the Earth's gravity well and is now just space junk.
504* Invoked by ''Blog/ThingsMrWelchIsNoLongerAllowedToDoInAnRPG'':
505-->1372. Even if the rules allow it, I cannot have a monofilament sledgehammer.
506* The ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'' stories have a few of these. The magical sword Destiny's Wave, wielded by [[TheChosenOne The Handmaid Of The Tao]] (a superheroine codenamed Bladedancer). In the hands of the rightful user, it can cut through anything (even unstoppable superhuman bricks), if the Tao requires it. At other times, it is as blunt and harmless as you'd expect of a blade made of white jade. And then there's Toni's mithril Kukri, Fey's scimitar Malachim's Feather, and Hank's PK shortswords.
507* ''Literature/{{Worm}}'':
508** Armsmaster, a [[GadgeteerGenius tinker]][=/=]martial artist superhero, developed a halberd with a [[{{Nanomachines}} nano-cloud]] blade that can turn anything to dust. He does more damage to [[{{Kaiju}} Leviathan]] with it than the rest of the heroes [[EnemyMine and villains]] put together, though the fact that even his blade cannot just cut through Leviathan's body provides a hint of how ludicrously tough the Endbringers truly are.
509** Flechette's superpower lets her imbue any objects she touches with the ability to cut through ''absolutely anything'', flat out breaking the laws of physics to do it. She mostly uses it with projectiles, though after [[spoiler:she pulls a HazyFeelTurn and changes her cape name to Foil,]] she starts using a rapier.
510[[/folder]]
511
512[[folder:Web Videos]]
513* ''WebVideo/{{Chapel}}'' manages to [[spoiler: decapitate Porter]] with a sword she bought...at Ren Faire.
514* ''WebVideo/{{Tip Not Included}}'' The Pizza Guy’s slicer
515[[/folder]]
516
517[[folder:Western Animation]]
518* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'':
519** In "Slow Love", Jake and Finn's tree-house gets dragged around by a giant snail. At one point it cuts to the bedroom, showing Finn's sword falling over and completely slicing through his bed.
520** Finn's [[CoolSword Root Sword]] cuts through a train's control panel when it's first introduced in "Mystery Train", and yet Jake is able to block it with [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter a wooden sword]].
521** Finn's cursed Grass Sword is even sharper and more accurate than the others, being capable of instantly sculpting Finn's face into wax candles and humiliating a group of burglars by cutting out their hairs before they even noticed in its premiere episode.
522* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''
523** Sokka's "[[ThunderboltIron space sword]]". Its sharpness doesn't come up that often, but during the invasion, he cuts through a ballista in one swing. In the finale, [[spoiler:to stop fire benders, he throws the sword and even without any weight backing it up, it cleanly slices through a sturdy metal platform. Moments before that, it also works against him, when [[BladeBrake his attempt to stop a fall by stabbing the hull of the airship]] just results in the sword shearing through the metal until they reach the bottom and keep falling]].
524** Much earlier in the series, in "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheBlueSpirit The Blue Spirit]]," the titular masked spirit uses dual Dao sabres to cut right through the chains holding Aang captive. In a single stroke.
525* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', [[ProfessionalKiller Curare's]] weapon is a scimitar with an edge that has been sharpened with lasers to the thinness of a single molecule.
526* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', Zoidberg's lobster claws are shown as incredibly sharp and strong, able to win a fight against a robotic pair of clamps and capable of chopping off human limbs in a single snip.
527* In ''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex'', Rex's "[[{{BFS}} Big Fat Sword]]" is so absurdly sharp it can cut a school bus in half.
528* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'', Cobra swordsman Storm Shadow gets his hands on the original Excalibur, which among other things can cut right through an enormous stone pillar with one swipe.
529* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness'': Fenghuang's talons can cut through ''an entire house'' at one sweep.
530* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'':
531** Jack's [[AncestralWeapon ancestral sword]] fits this bill very well. It can potentially cut through almost anything, but he has come across things that he simply wasn't strong enough to cut. It was a plot point at one time when Jack had to destroy a series of robots Aku supercharged himself - the blade couldn't cut because Jack wasn't strong enough, but when given a bionic arm by the creator of the robots (who was tricked into making said robots for Aku), he's able to decapitate them easily.
532** There was also a rather entertaining episode in which he proved that the sword wasn't everything -- he took on an entire army of MechaMooks with a bamboo stick. And cut them in half with it. (When the pieces all merged together into one ''huge'' junk monster, he switched back to his sword.)
533** However, the sword definitely ''is'' magic and not just "really really sharp". There's an episode where Aku manages to get his hands on it and tries to turn it on Jack, only to discover that [[spoiler:because Jack isn't evil, the sword refuses to harm him]].
534** The Scotsman's magical Claymore, being just as powerful as Jack's katana, averts the idea that KatanasAreJustBetter.
535** [[MusicalAssassin Scaramouch]] [[RedBaron the Merciless]] from Episode XCII has his sinister scimitar sword that slices as cleanly as Jack's and the Scotsman's. While his scimitar is the death of him it's not his most lethal weapon, that would be his tuning dagger, which is not just sharp but can also obliterate anything by vibrating at a high frequency.
536* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Homer's scissors in the BarbershopEpisode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E20HomerScissorhands Homer Scissorhands]]" are so sharp they even cut the steel cables of a suspension bridge.
537-->'''Homer:''' These are really good scissors.
538* ''WesternAnimation/SolarOpposites'': Yumyulack's suit releases spikes when under threat.
539* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', [[AllYourPowersCombined Obsidian]]'s gem weapon is a [[HeroesPreferSwords sword]] [[LavaAddsAwesome made of lava]] that's as sharp as their namesake material. [[spoiler: She uses it to cleanly cut through the Diamond Mecha when she's formed to fight against it.]]
540* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in the ''WesternAnimation/Thundercats2011'' episode "The Duelist and the Drifter" where several swordsmen in an {{Adventure Town|s}} {{invoke|dTrope}} this in the local sword competition, each bragging of their blade and striking a towering, giant boulder to see how deeply it cuts (one prideful PigMan sees his sword [[SubvertedTrope shatter on impact]].) Only young hero Lion-O makes good on his boast, as his Sword of Omens totally cleaves the boulder in two with a classic DiagonalCut, winning him a hefty purse.
541* Inverted in ''{{WesternAnimation/Tigtone}}'' where the titular hero is given the quest to destroy "Nothing", so he runs around and begins stabbing the air with his sword. Then he gets the idea to smash and dull his sword to the point where it's so worn to the point where a ''peach'' breaks it in half, so now he has [[SemanticSuperpower a sword that cuts "nothing"]], and proceeds to rip a hole in reality with it by cutting "nothing".
542* The Star Saber in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' can cut through an entire mountain with little effort (as can its evil counterpart, the Dark Star Saber). Part of that is the large sheets of HardLight it shoots, rather than its actual cutting edges (not that it isn't Absurdly Sharp). It's also a mystical relic once wielded by one of the Thirteen, so its ability to slice through things [[DoingInTheScientist isn't entirely based in science]]. The Dark Star Saber was created using one such relic and a large chunk of Dark Energon (which is basically the blood of the devil), giving it similar properties.
543* Sharko from ''WesternAnimation/ZigAndSharko'' has a dorsal fin capable of slicing through metal with ease.
544* Related to this trope is the old cartoon gag of a blade being sharp enough to [[SplitHair split a hair]] neatly in two. A notable example is in the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "WesternAnimation/AliBabaBunny", where Hassan's scimitar comes short of piercing WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck's skull but it does part a single hair (feather?) on the top of his head along with the hat that covered it.
545[[/folder]]
546
547[[folder:Real Life]]
548* To prepare a slide for a transmission electron microscope, a diamond blade is used to get a less-than-paper-thin slice. Once properly sharpened, it's about a hundred atoms wide or so, and it will slide through your hand as easily as through the air.
549* There is another type of blade used in microtomes to prepare samples for the electron microscope: [[GlassWeapon Freshly broken glass]]. A fresh one is among the sharpest cutting instruments known to human science.
550* Broken obsidian shards (as well as knapped knives, arrowheads, blades, etc.) are a small and measurable number of molecules in thickness. And while diamond is the harder material, obsidian can be made ''sharper''. The greatest of care should be used in handling obsidian knives and arrow points, etc. because they can remain absurdly sharp even centuries after being made and will cut you badly with even the slightest touch, as any knapper ''will'' be able to tell you.[[labelnote:How sharp?]]If your body were unfortunate enough to get nicked by obsidian (or worse, have a shard or two embedded inside you), your body may not even realize it had been cut. [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Yes, really:]] a cut from obsidian can be ''so'' fine that the body gets confused and doesn't send the signals that healing needs to happen, meaning death by blood loss is a real possibility. Spaniards back in the day that got hit by obsidian arrowheads would have to actively ''worsen'' the wound to make their bodies start the healing process, often by stabbing it with ''their own swords''.[[/labelnote]] The drawback, of course, is that being basically an exotic form of glass ([[BlackSwordsAreBetter black glass]], to be exact), they wear out quickly in use.
551* The Aztecs used obsidian blades embedded in a wooden club to make a deadly weapon known as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macuahuitl Macuahuitl]]. The weapon was sharp enough to mutilate a man, and was apparently strong enough to decapitate a horse, if the journals kept by the Spanish were accurate. This worked well against the cotton armor of the people the Aztecs typically fought, but they had a rather nasty habit of not being tough enough, as the sharp bits were glass, to take out the steel armor of the Spanish when they came calling. That being said, opportunistic Aztec warriors could still catch Spanish fighters off guard and decapitate them anyway, even [[DecapitationPresentation publicly displaying racks full of heads of Spanish men and their horses for intimidation]].
552* Traditionally, the ''balisong'' was tested before it was sold. The vendor would take out a few one-peso coins and stab right through them with the blade. The blade would be completely undamaged, and the coins (and table) would have holes in them. [[DeceptivelySimpleDemonstration This worked only because the coin was nearly pure silver]], as opposed to the 925/1000 silver in jewels. Silver is very soft, Mohs hardness of about 2.5, and can be scratched by a human fingernail. Think modern electronics solder, with lead replaced by silver in the alloy, and even this is harder than pure silver.
553* A similar tale is told of the original Bowie knives. Their maker supposedly tested them by whittling a piece of hickory for a couple of hours, after which the knives still had to be sharp enough to shave a man's arm without nicking him. This is less fanciful than it may appear. The original Bowie knife (made for Colonel Bowie himself) was forged from a large file. Files are made of extremely hard steel (so that they can be used on regular grades of steel), so as long as it was properly tempered the blade would hold an extreme edge through treatment like whittling.
554* Similarly, the ''tameshigiri'' practice used to test Japanese swords. Swords that can cut more than one body in one go qualify for this trope.
555* Some modern steels such as CPM-154 can be taken to this point by a user skilled at sharpening with fine grit stones or strops. Depending on the steel, this edge can last for a while before use dulls it down.
556* Titanium blades with a carbide edge can be this if made well. The carbide creates a hard, almost ever-lasting sharpness. It should be noted that due to the tooth-like nature of the edge, the blade will not shave hair, but will cut almost anything else once the blade is placed into motion, and behaves more like a very fine hacksaw than a knife or sword.
557* Ceramic knives are starting to become all the rage in the kitchen for their ability to remain sharp for longer periods of time than metal knives. They are harder and aren't affected by chemicals and such that would dull them down. Their only problem is that they're rather brittle and can't be sharpened by anything other than a diamond-impregnated hone, so they're advertised as NeverNeedsSharpening.
558* Hunting knives are effectively oversized scalpels due to the fact that they're meant specifically for skinning and butchering game. They have to be, as animal hide is very hard to cut through with anything short of a scalpel's sharpness.
559* The wings of the F-104 Starfighter were so thin and sharp, the plane came with protective covers to keep the ground crews safe. They were the worst kind of sword, though, since they really only hurt your friends.
560* A very respectable example both for its age and the circumstances surrounding its discovery: the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_of_Goujian Sword of Gou Jian, King of Yue]] was discovered in a flooded tomb, clutched by a skeleton. When unsheathed, archaeologists discovered that inside the nearly airtight scabbard was a pristine 2500-year-old sword. Where other weapons have corroded to the point of near unrecognizability, the Sword of Gou Jian is not only recognizable as an antique work of art but is also remains a viable weapon. The researchers studying it found that it provided amazing control and sharpness for a weapon of that vintage, cleanly and effortlessly cut through a stack of papers 20 pages thick without losing the stroke (which would usually require decent leverage and a paper guillotine).
561* One of the properties of depleted uranium that makes it so attractive to weapons designers is that it's self-sharpening. Instead of losing its edge as it cuts, the more it cuts, the sharper it gets; sharp enough to stab ''[[TankGoodness tanks]]'' to death.
562* Horseflies have very sharp scissor-like mandibles, which is part of why their bites bleed so much.
563[[/folder]]

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