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| 5 | %% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks! |
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| 11 | [[quoteright:234:[[VideoGame/SoulSeries https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reallyevilweapon_6948.jpg]]]] |
| 12 | [[caption-width-right:234:[[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings One sword to kill them all,\ |
| 13 | One sword to slice them...]]]] |
| 14 | |
| 15 | ->'''Revenant:''' Turn away... before it's... too late...\ |
| 16 | '''Arthas:''' Still trying to protect the sword, are you?\ |
| 17 | '''Revenant:''' No... trying to protect ''you''... from ''it''... |
| 18 | -->-- ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III'', about Frostmourne |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Some weapons [[LivingWeapon are people]], complete with [[NamedWeapon names]] and [[EmpathicWeapon minds]]. And some people are evil. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Obviously, weapons are made to hurt and kill. These weapons enjoy it too. And some will try to talk the wielder into it, with strange voices of all kinds. Some are [[TalkingWeapon heard with the ears]], some sound [[HearingVoices in the mind]]. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | These weapons might kill everything in their way, rather than just what they need to. Some refuse to go back into the scabbard without killing. Some [[SituationalSword just don't activate the awesome magic]] without [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten the wielder killing a kitten.]] Some kill not the body, but the soul. [[ArtifactOfDeath Some kill their wielders as well]], whether directly or indirectly, instantly if they're hungry enough or over time by draining LifeEnergy. Some don't. Because, you see, these [[WeaponWieldsYou weapons wield you]], instead of the other way around. And [[ClingyMacGuffin they are prone to being hard to get rid of]]. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | How did they come to be like that? Some were deliberately enchanted, or rather [[CursedItem cursed]]. Some are imbued with the evil of their maker, some indeed, are the SoulJar of an evil human, if not something even ''worse''. With some, it's the material they were made of, and some were corrupted by evil deeds done with them, even worse than the usual cruelty of the battlefield. Some may be ForgedByTheGods - [[GodIsEvil but not by]] [[GodOfEvil any of the]] ''[[JerkassGods nice]]'' ones. If ItWasAGift -- do '''not''' trust the giver thereafter. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | The "personality" of the evil weapon often varies according to the [[WeaponBasedCharacterization traits associated with it.]] A dagger is insidious, an axe encourages brutality, staffs are subtle and sophisticated in their corruption... Swords are the most common evil weapon. Most other weapons have a peaceful purpose: bows and spears for hunting, hammers for hitting nails, axes for chopping wood... The sword and mace are the only medieval weapons that cannot serve any purpose except war. Because they are so common they also vary much more in how they are evil. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | Subtropes of EmpathicWeapon and ArtifactOfDoom and supertrope of HungryWeapon. Compare UnholyHolySword and DrawSwordDrawBlood. See also GoodWeaponEvilWeapon. |
| 31 | |
| 32 | ----- |
| 33 | !!Examples: |
| 34 | |
| 35 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 36 | |
| 37 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 38 | * ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': |
| 39 | ** In an anime-filler-arc-only appearance there are the Bakkōtō swords that -- unlike Zanpakutō who are borne of their users' souls -- are more akin to parasites that will become increasingly powerful with their wielder, but also devour their user eventually. They're outlawed for that very reason. |
| 40 | ** Some Zanpakutōs count as well, since not every Soul Reaper is a good person. And even when they are, it's entirely possible for their Zanpakutō to end up reflecting the darkest aspect of their soul. Specifically: |
| 41 | *** Kazeshini plainly seeks to murder as much as he can. |
| 42 | *** One of the two spirits of Katen Kyōkotsu is described as treating fights as a game... a kind of game in which children tear off wings of a dragonfly. |
| 43 | * ''Manga/{{Dororo}}'': Nihiru is a bloodthirsty demon-possessed katana that is capable of controlling the wielder's body (with some effort, if the wielder chooses to resist) and cannot be released of the one's own free will once held (though can still be forcefully disarmed by another person). It also may affect the mind after enough kills, though it's not entirely clear whether that is the case or whether the wielder just went insane from trauma. |
| 44 | * In ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'', [[spoiler:the truth of the cause of the Slasher attacks was caused by a group of mind-controlled crazies around town, courtesy of]] a sword called Saika, which wants to love, but cannot do so properly, therefore attacks people to "love." After all, it's a sword. [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer Cutting people is the only thing it can do]]. [[spoiler:The true sword of Saika is revealed to be inside Anri Sonohara.]] |
| 45 | * ''Manga/{{Genzo}} Hitogatakiwa'': |
| 46 | ** Subverted in the side-story ''Gotsuden'', where the villain is a madman obsessed with BlackMagic who wields the Jintsumaru Tenganken, said to be an evil sword capable of creating illusions and twists its owner. However, the son of the blacksmith who forged the Jintsumaru claims that the sword has no magic power, it's reputation alone makes anyone who wields deluded that he's been influenced by the evil blade. |
| 47 | ** Played straight by the Yamiganemaru in the final arc: while at first the danger seemingly comes only from the deranged wielder Yasuke, Kiku is overwhelmed by the spirits of the people died to make the sword and is possessed by their influence, turning on Yasuke and her own friends. |
| 48 | * ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'': |
| 49 | ** Toukijin was forged from the fangs of Goshinki, which [[WreckedWeapon shattered]] Tessaiga, by a blacksmith who makes extremely powerful swords due to a forbidden process of forging swords that are imbued with hatred and malice (and Toukijin already possessed Goshinki's hatred and malice to begin with). The completed sword is so insanely powerful it possesses its forger, hunts down Inuyasha (who killed Goshinki) and tries to kill both Inuyasha and Miroku. Even when Miroku kills the possessed blacksmith, Toukijin animates the corpse and keeps trying to fight. Its evil will is so great even UltimateBlacksmith Toutousai doesn't know what to do about it. When the sword attempts to possess Sesshoumaru, however, Sesshoumaru effortlessly suppresses Toukijin's power and [[NoSell destroys the sword's independent will so completely]] it never again causes any trouble. |
| 50 | ** [[Anime/InuyashaTheMovieSwordsOfAnHonorableRuler The third movie]] features Sou'unga, which is so nasty that not only does it take over its user (like Tokijin, but with more BodyHorror), it eventually grows its own body from Sesshoumaru's severed arm and tries to cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. |
| 51 | * Anubis in ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'' is a sword with its own Stand, which possesses whoever picks it up. Even a piece of it has this effect. |
| 52 | * ''Manga/LoveHina'' had an evil katana that possessed Naru, Keitaro and a monkey. Played mostly for comedy. Then it showed up in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' -- ''not'' played for comedy (much). |
| 53 | * In ''Anime/MyHime'', Mikoto's sword Miroku is an aspect of a very malevolent [[EldritchAbomination demonic entity]], and it [[ClingyMacGuffin rarely ever leaves her sight]] [[spoiler:because Mikoto's family had [[{{Tykebomb}} trained her to use it ever since she was little]], and it and [[OrphansPlotTrinket the pendant she wears]] possess mind-controlling powers]]. |
| 54 | * ''Franchise/OnePiece'': |
| 55 | ** [[BadassNormal Zoro]] gets a cursed katana. It encourages the owner to seek conflict and kill, but Zoro was able to overpower it. Occasionally it delivers a serious blow when Zoro tries to hold back, like on Whiskey Peak. It is not sentient, nor does it ever "communicate" in any way- we only have Zoro's reactions and sense to go on. It's also the youngest, and thus weakest, of three swords of the same class by its forger. The oldest is also said to be in the strongest category of swords, and is likely to be much more evil. |
| 56 | ** Deconstructed and Defied later by a certain UltimateBlacksmith. As he puts it, a sword's purpose is to kill, and a swordsmith should try and make a sword that can take as many lives as possible. If his sword is considered evil, hungry or cursed because it's taken so many lives, he takes it as a ''[[InsultBackfire praise]]'', since that means the sword fulfills its purpose well. If the wielder comes into harm for wielding such a blade, that's on the wielder for failing to tame the sword; [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield the sword chooses its wielder, after all.]] |
| 57 | %%* Miramoto Musashi's [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter bokken]] from ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''. |
| 58 | * ''Manga/RaveMaster'' |
| 59 | ** Sacrifar, the ninth form of the [[MorphWeapon Ten Commandments]] sword, is actually a subversion. When Haru used it, it increased his bloodlust and tried to forcefully merge with his body, causing Musica to wonder why his grandfather had created the sword with such a form. The answer: He ''hadn't.'' What the elder Musica ''had'' done was create a sword for the specific use of Shiba, Haru's predecessor, which in its more powerful forms, would not work properly, if at all, when Haru himself tried to use them. The Ten Commamdmemts was eventually reforged so that Haru could use its full power. |
| 60 | ** The Decologue, Lucia's sword, is a more straight example. As a Dark Bring, it constantly tries to corrupt its wielder, and since Lucia's other Dark Bring turned out to be sentient, it's not too great a leap of faith to think that the sword might be as well. |
| 61 | * The swords made in ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' by the man who made Kenshin's sword were all like this, save for his last two. In this case the swords weren't evil in and of themselves, they were just more likely to attract bloodthirsty users due to the way they were made. |
| 62 | * ''Manga/SilentMobius'' has Medium, an evil sword that takes over anyone who wields it. |
| 63 | * ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'' has a few examples. The anime has a cursed knife which possesses its wielder and turns them into a maniac berserker (but this somehow can be undone by an angry wife), which Lina attempts to pawn off to an unfortunate shopkeeper. The novels have Doolgofa, the Cursed Sword of Bezeld, which is actually a disguised mazoku who will [[BodyHorror fuse with]] any poor fool who picks it up. |
| 64 | ** In ''Slayers Try'' [[spoiler: the Sword of Light]] is revealed to be another dimension's Dark Lord equivalent -- and there are four others just like it. |
| 65 | *** The [[spoiler:Weapons of Light -- at least those in the regular Slayers universe and not the sentient starships of the Literature/LostUniverse alternate universe]] are a bit of a subversion, however, in that they don't seem to possess any sort of will of their own, nor do they influence their users in any way, excepting possibly giving them an opportunity to go [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity mad with power]]. In fact, [[spoiler:they were used as integral components of the spell to destroy their creator, with no resistance or side effects on their part.]] |
| 66 | * ''Manga/SoulEater'' has Dark weapons, the evil counterpart to the Demon Weapons. Both are good and evil [[EquippableAlly in their own right]]. The main difference being the latter powered themselves up by eating corrupted souls and the former were more indiscriminate. |
| 67 | ** The Nakatsukasas' Uncanny Sword seem to be one of these; corrupted, possesses the wielder and destroys their soul...but can be turned to good use with the right influences. Apparently many, many previous members of the family had missed out on the last part before Tsubaki decided to have a meister in Black Star (probably significant she was the first of the family to have a meister, given this is a series that favours [[LonersAreFreaks loners being freaky]]. |
| 68 | * The Anathema Scythe from ''Manga/TetragrammatonLabyrinth''. At one point it was described as enjoying the pain it inflicted on its wielder; it was so evil it was able to convince an Angel, a being that by definition does not know death, that it had been murdered. [[spoiler:The source of its power and root of its evil is the nail from the Crucifixion that was used in its construction.]] |
| 69 | * An arc of ''Manga/ToLoveRu Darkness'' feature Rin possessed by a cursed sword called Bladix and Rito uses Mea's telepathic powers to enter Rin's mind and free her. |
| 70 | * Romy the Silver from ''Literature/{{Vamp}}'', which is part of the same universe as ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'', has a massive collection of Demonic weapons of a variety of types with various effects. |
| 71 | * Cards that can corrupt, brainwash, possess, harm, or kill their wielder are a common occurrence in the ''Franchise/YuGiOh''-verse, such as: |
| 72 | ** The Seal of Orichalcos during the [[Anime/YuGiOh Doma Arc]]. |
| 73 | ** Hell Kaiser's Dark Cyber Deck in ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', though Shou gets a good grip on it later. |
| 74 | ** In ''Anime/YuGiOhCapsuleMonsters'', the Blade of Chaos corrupts both Joey and a Red-Eyes Black Dragon. |
| 75 | [[/folder]] |
| 76 | |
| 77 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 78 | * The Ebony Blade, sword of ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' member the Black Knight, was afflicted with a blood curse due to all the blood the original Black Knight had spilled. Dane Whitman eventually purged the Blade of its curse at Doctor Strange's behest by plunging it into the Brazier of Truth while Strange bathed them both in magic fire. The curse returned, however, when the Sub-Mariner used it to kill his wife Marrina. The curse seems to affect different people in different ways. It turned Dane into a statue, it amplified Proctor's ''gann'josin''-based powers, and it granted Sean Dolan great physical powers as Bloodwraith. |
| 79 | ** Later, retcons in ''New Excalibur'' claim the blood curse thing isn't true. The blade was evil waaaay before Sir Percy of Scandia got his hands on it. In fact, he knew going in, since the Black Knights before him had held it and gone insane as well. It was just that the only other options besides Sir Percy were Merlin and King Arthur, and the possibility of ''them'' getting corrupted was not an option. |
| 80 | ** ''ComicBook/AgeOfUltron'' has Captain Britain define the Ebony Blade as being the evil version of Excalibur. Where the former is the Sword That Heals, representative of everything good with Britain, the Ebony Blade is everything bad. |
| 81 | ** ''ComicBook/KingInBlack'' and ''ComicBook/DeathOfDoctorStrange'' expanded the history and the understanding of the Ebony Blade: the Ebony Blade doesn't really have a curse, so to speak, but instead amplifies one's bloodlust and rage and is at its strongest wielded by someone impure of heart. Furthermore, the Ebony Blade and other Ebony Artifacts were made from the Starstone, a meteorite that was not only the stone that Excalibur was stuck in, but was also the gateway to a demonic world known as the Hungry Lands and Excalibur was the only thing stopping its arrival until Arthur pulled it. |
| 82 | * The 2012 ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'' series introduces the Ashoth, a sentient sickle that is able to possess someone with a similar bloodthirsty and carnal mindset when grafted to their body. |
| 83 | * ''ComicBook/ContestOfChampions2015'': Guillotine's sword is an ancient living weapon which feeds on blood, and plenty of it for preference. When first seen it's in an abandoned catacomb under Paris, surrounded by bones, whispering to a Frenchman fleeing some revolutionaries to pick it up. In the modern day, it's having to get by on the paltry amounts Guillotine gives it, while suggesting she solve the little problem of her fiancé by murdering him. And as it turns out, ownership of the sword extends beyond death, since the flashback to Guillotine's origin shows that when she accidentally woke the sword up by cutting her finger on it, she was met by the spirits of every one of her forebears. |
| 84 | * In one issue of ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'', a teenaged delinquent breaks into Barda Free's car and steals her mega-rod, an incredibly powerful weapon forged in the firepits of Apokolips and issued to her when she led [[GodOfEvil Darkseid's]] furies. The mega-rod can be wielded safely by someone as strong-willed as Barda, but quickly possesses the teenaged thief, sending him on a rampage through New York, decrying his loyalty to Darkseid, even though he doesn't know who that is; the rod also drains his life-force. Barda tries desperately to get the rod away from the kid to save him, [[spoiler:but [[DownerEnding Huntress kills him first]]]]. |
| 85 | * Carvin' Marvin from ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable''. Carvin' Marvin has existed in B.A.'s campaign world for close to ten years. Nobody in the party could control it, and every attempt at trying failed horribly, resulting in the deaths of over forty party members. Eventually, they kicked it into a ditch along with the last NPC to die wielding it, buried it, and called it a day. This became a ChekhovsGun when the party needed to find an intelligent sword to match against ''another'' intelligent sword, Tremble, who had taken control of Dave's character. |
| 86 | * All-Black the Necrosword wielded by Gorr the God-butcher, a foe of ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'', is a blade of darkness that grants its owner vast power fueled by the lifeblood of slain gods. The sword also has a nasty habit of corrupting anyone who wields it into an AxCrazy butcher, even someone as heroic as Thor. It's one of the most powerful and evil weapons in the Marvel Universe. |
| 87 | * ''ComicBook/RedSonja'': The ''Queen Sonja'' comic introduced a character named Ariok who possessed an evil sword that corrupted him every time he used it to kill. It was given to him by a demon as a means to destroy Ariok's enemies in exchange for the demon [[SexualExtortion having one night with Ariok's mother]]. |
| 88 | * In ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' storyline ''ComicBook/TheKillersOfKrypton'', it is revealed Rogol Zaar's battle axe influences its bearer by making them angrier and more violent to feed from their rage. |
| 89 | * ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'': |
| 90 | ** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMarvel'': In an early issue, [[EvilOverlord Megatron]] is damaged and becomes stuck in gun mode with no free will. A petty criminal picks up the super-powerful gun and uses it to become a highly successful criminal, but the experience ends up pretty much ruining his life anyway. To cap it all off, after screwing up the crook's life beyond repair, the gun wakes up, turns into a giant robot, insults him, and leaves. |
| 91 | ** In ''ComicBook/TransformersTransTech'', Alpha Trion claims his sword to be one. [[spoiler:Actually, it's not. Alpha Trion himself is [[ComicBook/TransformersShatteredGlass evil]].]] |
| 92 | ** ''ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW'': The weapons sold by Earth's Children, based on Megatron's alt mode. They contain the Decepticon leader's consciousness which can control humans who buy the guns. |
| 93 | * ''ComicBook/TheWarlordDC'': Machiste found an ancient cursed axe containing a demonic entity which took possession of his mind. The demon's will prevented Machiste from letting go of the axe. Seeing that the axe's influence was making Machiste more and more tyrannical as well as violent, Travis was forced to [[LiteralDisarming remove his friend's right hand]], thus severing the axe's spell. |
| 94 | [[/folder]] |
| 95 | |
| 96 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 97 | * ''Fanfic/TheButcherBird'' gives us [[{{BFS}} Amakatta, the Berserker's Blade]], wielded by Herman. If it doesn't like its wielder, it slowly eats their soul and then possesses their corpse until it finds a new wielder. |
| 98 | * ''Fanfic/TheMountainAndTheWolf'': As part of his payment for being Tyrion's bodyguard, the Wolf demands Bronn's crossbow (which Cersei ordered Bronn to use on Tyrion). Tyrion lets him have it, not seeing anything special about it, but to a Chaos warrior like the Wolf, a weapon used by a son to murder his father has considerable potential. |
| 99 | * ''Fanfic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness'': While not evil per se, Yukari falls prey to one briefly in Act III; Ruby, Apoch, and Astreal make her a new wand after her original one broke, but Apoch and Astreal misread the instructions while doing so and give the wand a ''Zeta''-line seal instead of a ''Beta''-line seal. As Ruby explains, Zeta-line seals are specifically designed to harness a witch's natural power and amplify it, and can prove difficult to wield if the user is not trained to handle it. In Act III chapter 13, the seal initially gives Yukari increased BloodKnight tendencies and makes her more irritable to the point where she [[DropTheWashtub drops]] ''[[DropTheWashtub three]]'' [[DropTheWashtub consecutive washtubs]] on Kurumu's head without provocation, but by chapters 14 and 15, she ends up [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity going insane]] [[DrunkOnPower with power]] and attacking the others in a psychotic rampage; the wand [[SuperpowerMeltdown actually starts to physically damage Yukari's body]] before Tsukune manages to bypass her defenses and destroy it. |
| 100 | * ''Fanfic/ThirtyHs'' brings us Fuckslayer, a guitar wrought from the silver heart of heaven's false promise, laced with vessels that pulsed with angel's menstrual blood, hewn from the horns of Satan's generals. Yes, that is a direct quote. Even more amazingly, this thing can summon fire in space, blow planets into smithereens, and requires its own pocket dimension where all scream for nought to store the thing. |
| 101 | * [[{{BFS}} Blackfire]] in ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached''. It's a bit of a [[Literature/TheElricSaga Stormbringer]] {{Expy}}. The four hate it when the Hunter first displays it, and realize it's evil when they see the very similar Heart of Evil. In fact, it's so obviously evil that they're a bit startled when the Hunter claims it's not. When he asks to accompany them back to C'hou so he can give up his adventurous life, they point out that the natives (at least the skahs) have no concept of good or evil, and if he brings Blackfire with him they'll learn what evil is. (Though John mutters that the skahs “might not mind.”) |
| 102 | [[/folder]] |
| 103 | |
| 104 | [[folder:Film -- Animation]] |
| 105 | * ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheSamuraiSword'' featured a katana called the Sword of Doom which was created by a dark forger, and thus, imbued with his evil ambitions. Upon unsheathing it, a samurai was cursed and became known as the Black Samurai. Fortunately, when Franchise/ScoobyDoo [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome battled the samurai and destroyed the sword]] using the Sword of Fate, the Sword of Doom's opposite, the samurai was freed from his curse and his spirit was able to rest in peace. |
| 106 | [[/folder]] |
| 107 | |
| 108 | [[folder:Film -- Live-Action]] |
| 109 | * ''Film/AquamanAndTheLostKingdom'': The Black Trident is a counterpart of the Trident of Atlan forged from dark magic. Anyone who holds it gains enhanced strength and powers, but gets possessed by its true master, Kordax. Exposure to it can mutate people into monsters. |
| 110 | * In the movie ''Film/{{Asoka}}'', Asoka's grandfather tells him to put his sword away because it's a demon that desires bloodshed. |
| 111 | * The laser cannon in ''Film/{{Laserblast}}'', which has a corrupting influence on Billy. |
| 112 | * UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper's knives in ''Film/RazorsTheReturnOfJackTheRipper''. So long as they exist, the Ripper can never be truly destroyed. |
| 113 | [[/folder]] |
| 114 | |
| 115 | [[folder:Gamebooks]] |
| 116 | * The Violin that Kills Demons from ''Literature/TheLaundry''. |
| 117 | * The ''Literature/LoneWolf'' series features several very powerful and very evil weapons, a few of which Lone Wolf can wield. |
| 118 | ** The Dagger of Vashna is Darklord Vashna's weapon and is claimed by Lone Wolf after he foils an ambitious warlord's attempt to revive Vashna with it via maiden sacrifice. |
| 119 | ** Helshezag, the sword of Darklord Kraagenskûl, compels its wielder to butcher its enemies while draining its wielder's lifeforce (represented by a loss of Endurance), and [[WordOfGod Joe Dever]] even stated that it was inspired by [[Literature/TheElricSaga Stormbringer]]. |
| 120 | ** The Nyras Sceptre is empowered by the [[ArtifactOfDoom Doomstone of Darke]], the most powerful Doomstone created by Agarash the Damned. An ambitious Drakkar warlord named Magnaarn rediscovers both and uses the Sceptre in a bid to conquer the good kingdom of Lencia. The Sceptre grants him vast power and allows him to cow the [[EvilSorcerer Nadziranim]] and their armies into serving him, but he pays a terrible price. By the time Lone Wolf catches up with Magnaarn, he is little more than the Sceptre's frail undead puppet. |
| 121 | ** The Deathstaff is a powerful weapon forged by [[GodOfEvil Naar himself]] which he sent to his servants so they could revive Darklord Vashna with it. If Lone Wolf wields it in battle it provides a Combat Skill bonus even greater than the one provided by the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Sommerswerd]] but steadily drains his soul (leading to a major loss of Endurance). |
| 122 | [[/folder]] |
| 123 | |
| 124 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 125 | * ''Literature/TheAsteriskWar'': Gravisheath, the Orga Lux used by Irene Urzaiz, or rather [[RussianReversal that uses Irene Urzaiz]]. A SinisterScythe with energy-intensive GravityMaster powers, it transforms her into a vampire-like state to power itself (by draining mana in the form of blood from her beloved sister Priscilla) and overrides her normal nice (if uncouth and temperamental) personality with a BloodKnight one. [[spoiler:Irene and Priscilla actually ''thank'' Ayato for destroying it in their match at the end of volume 3.]] |
| 126 | * The swords in Creator/FredSaberhagen's ''Literature/BookOfSwords'' series don't talk, but each of them has a specific magic power that sounds like it would be awesome but in fact are mostly BlessedWithSuck. (Farslayer, for example; you can throw it and tell it to kill anyone, and it will, no matter how far away or well guarded they are. Of course, that leaves it right next to the allies of the person you just killed, who can then pick it up themselves...) It's somewhat ambiguous whether the swords themselves are evil or just cursed (and a couple of them aren't too bad, except that they make you a target for everyone in the world who would prefer to have it themselves). |
| 127 | * The sword Excalibur in ''Literature/{{Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming}}''. After the eponymous prince takes it off a BlackKnight, he finds that the sword is utterly paranoid and AxCrazy, and tries to convince him to kill everyone he meets. After he leaves it in the forest, it tries to get revenge on him by siccing a group of demons on him. |
| 128 | * The titular weapon in ''Literature/TheBrokenSword''. Every time it is drawn it cannot return to its scabbard until someone is killed with it, and to ensure that it fills its wielders with violent rage and lust for slaughter. And it is bound to eventually cause death of any creature who dares to use it, likely not before inflicting enough misfortune on them that death would seem a release. |
| 129 | * ''Literature/ChrysalisRinoZ'': The regular Legionaries don't know exactly what Commander Titus' axe is, or how he got it, but when it drinks in enough mana to awaken, they can all feel its aura of violence and thirst for blood, to the point where it gives them nightmares. Even the monsters are so scared of whatever is bound inside it that they stop attacking the fort. Titus keeps it because it's useful, eg he used it to inflict a WoundThatWillNotHeal on Garralosh, but he's worried, rather than excited, about it awakening. |
| 130 | * ''Literature/ConstanceVeritySavesTheWorld'': Among Connie's collection of cursed artifacts is the Muramasa Blade, a sword that demands the wielder to take one life every day. |
| 131 | * The Hand of Kryll and Eye of Rhynn from Moorcock's ''Literature/{{Corum}}'' saga are also... morally questionable. The eye allows you to see into a Limbo-like world of pain and shadows. The hand allows you to summon the creatures of this realm [[spoiler:who kill everything in their path. These victims then take their place in the purgatorial world until they are summoned, or else spend eternity in torment.]] Fairly evil. The fact that [[spoiler:even creatures who were fearful pacifists in life are motivated to become remorseless (and effectively invincible) killing machines by this realm]] should be a hint that it's not Disneyland in there. Differing timescales with the 'real' world, a la Narnia, are implied. |
| 132 | * [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Murasame]], [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the Destroyer]] from ''Literature/DarkHeavens''. The original legend that the novel is lifting this sword from tells of two swordsmiths who each forged what they each respectively thought of as 'the ultimate sword' while one was rumoured to deflect anything that was heading towards the blade, the other actively tries to pull things into the path of the cutting edge. The original legend tells of the Murasame being plunged into a river, and sucking leaves scattered on the surface into its' path. In ''Literature/DarkHeavens'', not only did this happen, but fish started floating to the surface downstream, every one of them cut in two. |
| 133 | * ''Literature/TheDeathGateCycle'' has [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Cursed Blade]]. It's a MorphWeapon that can turn into any weapon necessary to defeat a threat facing its wielder (or [[SummonBiggerFish summon something that can if the threat is more powerful than the blade]]) though its true form is a rather crude-looking dagger. Unfortunately, it also has a rudimentary intelligence that doesn't usually have thoughts more complex than "kill the threat", and once it gets going, it sees ''everyone'' as a threat[[note]] the Blade is introduced with a charming little story about how a past wielder used it to spar with his brother - except the Blade can't tell the difference between sparring and actual combat, and the predictable happened[[/note]]. Even the wielder has only limited control over it, winding up as little more than a means of transport for the Blade. Worst of all? It's the only one that exists in the present time, but at one point the Sartan ''mass produced'' these things before handing them off to unsuspecting [[{{Muggles}} mensch]] allies. |
| 134 | * ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': |
| 135 | ** The Gonne in in Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/MenAtArms'', which wasn't just a powerful weapon, but a weapon that could possess the mind of those who hold it, tempting it with the power it has and what the holder could do with it. |
| 136 | ** Coin's staff from ''Literature/{{Sourcery}}'' might count, though its mind is the mind of his [[AbusiveParents evil father]] who's using it as a SoulJar. |
| 137 | ** Hrun's talking sword Kring from the ''Literature/TheColourOfMagic'' isn't so much ''evil'' as ''long-winded'', but when Rincewind winds up with it it does threaten to kill him if he doesn't do what it wants (and it can move his arm without his will, so it's not an empty threat). |
| 138 | * Morganti weapons in ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' destroy/devour the souls of their victims, and Vlad could sense the hunger in one he was attacked with, and felt one he used to threaten a villain trying to turn in his hand and kill. This semi-sentience is downplayed later on, as Vlad isn't up close and personal with them that often. The Great Weapons are Morganti as well, but are more versatile and don't have to destroy souls (once even being used to ''store'' Aliera's, allowing her to play possum by ''actually'' being fatally wounded.) |
| 139 | ** While a lot of the Great Weapons are shown as loving and protective toward their owners, a story set in the universe titled "The Desecrator" shows this trope to be totally straight with Telnan's Great Weapon, Nightslayer. Nightslayer is basically a CaptainErsatz of Stormbringer and is described being pure evil and wanting to slaughter everyone and everything. Telnan seems to have more luck than Elric in controlling such a weapon, convincing it that if it travels with [[BloodKnight him]], it will have plenty of killing opportunities. |
| 140 | * Shows up a lot in Creator/DavidGemmell's ''Literature/{{Drenai}}'' saga: Turns out that, among other weapons, [[spoiler: Druss's mighty ax, Snaga]], as well as [[spoiler: the Swords of Night and Day used by Skilgannon]] are so effective not just because of their respective wielders' skill, but also because they each come with a built-in bloodthirsty demon. |
| 141 | * ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' has the Blackstaff, a possibly ''living'' stave that massively amplifies the power of any act of black magic it's used in. In an inversion, however, the stave is used to ''prevent'' the wielder from getting corrupted; when [[spoiler: Ebenezar [=McCoy=]]] uses it to kill hundreds of mercenaries in one go, the staff seems to absorb the darkness of the act rather than [[EvilFeelsGood letting its corrupting influence affect the wizard]]. |
| 142 | * Stormbringer (from ''Literature/TheElricSaga'' and other stories) actually steals people's souls in order to give its wielder strength -- including those of many of Elric's friends as well as his enemies. And [[spoiler: Elric's]]. Turns out the sword is actually a demon. It also has a sister sword, Mournblade. |
| 143 | ** ''Literature/ForestKingdom'': Book 1 (''Blue Moon Rising'') features The Curtana, known as the [[CharmPerson Sword of Compulsion]]. It also features the three [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Infernal Devices]]: [[EarthquakeMachine Rockbreaker]], [[FlamingSword Flarebright]] and [[UniversalPoison Wolfsbane]]. Subverted a bit, in that these ultra-powerful, ultra-Eeeevil weapons [[spoiler: nevertheless fail to get the job done]]. Book 4 (''Beyond the Blue Moon'') reveals they were created by The Engineer, one of the Transient Beings, who made them from the bones of saints and delighted in perverting symbols of good into objects of evil, and explains that there are actually ''six'' total, with three having been taken into the mortal world and the other three -- ''Soulripper'', ''Blackhowl'' and ''Belladonna's Kiss'' -- being kept in the Inverted Cathedral. |
| 144 | * The short sword with the wavy black blade in Creator/AaronAllston's ''Literature/GalateaIn2D''. Kevin designed it to be the sort of sword a devil would use, and it's capable of killing TheCape. |
| 145 | * During the liberation of Gereon in ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'', Merrt, an especially unlucky Ghost, loses his lasgun in battle and eventually receives another one, taken from a corpse of an enemy soldier. Not only is it in very poor condition, but it is possible that his new lasgun is tainted by Chaos. Since he is too afraid to admit that he had used a corrupted weapon, Merrt keeps the rifle for the next campaign and starts to believe that it is cursed and will bring his doom. Eventually, he decides to overcome the gun's evil influence with his own strength of will and, although it jams on several occasions, manages to survive the defense of the Hinzerhaus fortress, finally deciding to leave it behind him. |
| 146 | * The Guns of ''Literature/TheHalfMadeWorld'' are [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin guns]] housing demonic spirits bent on spreading chaos and senseless violence throughout the West. Being selected to bear one as an [[TheGunslinger Agent]] gives you superpowers like [[SuperSpeed super speed]], [[HealingFactor rapid healing]], and [[ImprobableAimingSkills never missing a shot]], but you'll also be bound to its will for the rest of your (probably short) life. |
| 147 | * In Creator/GrahamMcNeill's TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 ''Literature/HorusHeresy'' novel ''Fulgrim'', Fulgrim's Chaos-tainted sword. It lures him into treachery and murder [[spoiler:and when he [[CainAndAbel fights his own brother]], Ferrus Manus, convinced him that he must kill him to save his life. Then it plays on his guilt and [[HeelRealization lets him realize the full extent of it]], and uses that to persuade him to [[DemonicPossession let it possess him]].]] |
| 148 | * [[MusicalAssassin Mo]]'s "Zahn Special" white violin in ''Literature/TheLaundryFiles'' by Charles Stross. Despite its [[PoweredByAForsakenChild horrific]] [[HumanResources manufacture]] and [[BrownNote gruesome effects]], the main characters believe that it can still be used for a good cause. [[spoiler:It can, but only until the evil sentience inside it gets strong enough to start trying to take action on its own.]] |
| 149 | * ''Literature/TheLegendOfDrizzt'': Khazid'hea was picked up by Drizzt Do'Urden and used by Catti-Brie, the sword could slice [[AbsurdlySharpBlade through rock with relative ease]] and spoke to the mind of the wielder to increase their blood lust. |
| 150 | * In ''Literature/LightThickens'' by Creator/NgaioMarsh, this trope is played with. [[spoiler:The deranged and wildly imaginative fight master believes his claymore to be associated with decapitation and to possess a supernatural power, and allows this to take control of him.]] |
| 151 | * The three titular swords of Creator/TadWilliams' ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn'' are {{Empathic Weapon}}s with a twist: they can control their wielders against their will. However, the most fitting example of this trope is Sorrow, forged and wielded by the [[BigBad Storm King]] prior to his [[MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning death]]. Merely touching it can [[EvilIsDeathlyCold freeze you]] or [[GoMadFromTheRevelation destroy your soul]]. |
| 152 | ** The other two swords, Minneyar and Thorn, aren't exactly ''evil'' (though they are unnerving if you're not used to them), but the fact that they want to come together and be used alongside Sorrow makes [[spoiler: it possible for the Storm King to use them as his tools anyway]]. |
| 153 | * ''Literature/{{Nightside}}'': The Speaking Gun. It's made out of meat, and capable of unmaking anything by speaking its name in reverse. Created to kill angels, but hateful and eager to kill ''anything''. |
| 154 | * Creator/LarryNiven's "Literature/NotLongBeforeTheEnd" had Glirendree. The sword gave great power to its wielder, who would inevitably die within a year. The Warlock tells the current owner (who hadn't been aware of this) that Glirendree is a demon, correcting him when he asks "There's a demon in the blade?" that ''there is no blade''. It's a demon in the ''shape'' of a blade. |
| 155 | * Present in the animistic universe of ''[[Literature/{{Okuyyuki}} Okuyyuki]]''. According to [[TalkingWeapon Audrey]], the spirit of a weapon takes on some of the character of its wielder(s). Thus, while American tanks are immature and gung-ho but otherwise rather nice, the Iraqi tanks Reilly faces are evil, with thoughts filled mostly with [[SissyVillain "bribes and buggery"]] and such things. |
| 156 | * Another is The Cold Sword from ''The Phoenix in Obsdian'' by Creator/MichaelMoorcock, a blade which "personifies" EvilIsDeathlyCold. It's implied to be an alternate universe Incarnation of Stormbringer. While it doesn't consume souls, as far as we know, it's still far from a friendly sword. [[spoiler:Though it does save the world on its own accord at the end of the story.]] |
| 157 | * In Literature/{{Portlandtown}}, the Hanged Man's red-handled [[HandCannon Colt Walker]] always shoots to kill, and makes whoever's carrying it want to shoot. |
| 158 | * In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[Literature/ProsperosDaughter Prospero in Hell]]'', the Wounding Wand. Caurus thinks he's too tired, because [[TalkingWeapon he hears it]]; Miranda warns him to not listen. |
| 159 | * The "thirsty sword" in ''The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen'' is quite possibly AxCrazy as well as evil. It constantly whispers into the wielder's mind "Give me to drink" it can also "slice through anything without force". [[spoiler: Though it reaches its limit at one point, twists out of one owner's hand and screams "GIVE ME NO MORE TO DRINK!]]. |
| 160 | * The Legendary Weapons of the Four Heroes in ''Literature/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'' have the potential to become evil through the Curse Series. If conditions are met, the Weapon can unlock a cursed form based on the SevenDeadlySins and further corrupt its wielder with that sin. Naofumi unlocks the [[UnstoppableRage Wrath Curse]] which becomes his SuperpoweredEvilSide. |
| 161 | * The Xin Mo sword in ''Literature/TheScumVillainsSelfSavingSystemRenZhaFanpaiZijiuXitong'' is extremely powerful, but mind corrupting and constantly fighting against its wielder. Having had hundreds of owners over the years, all of them eventually died to it, unable to suppress its evil nature, at least until it falls into the hands of ''Proud Immortal Demon Way's'' overpowered protagonist Luo Binghe. But even he has trouble with it. [[spoiler:Shen Qingqiu ends up sacrificing himself ''twice'' to keep him from completely losing control. After the second time, Luo Binghe ends up destroying it.]] |
| 162 | * The four elemental swords ''Literature/TheSecretsOfTheImmortalNicholasFlamel''. They absorb the memories of anything they cut, actively corrupt an unprotected user, eventually absorbing their souls, and so far in the series nothing has been introduced that they can't kill. Clarent (fire), the most evil of all of them, is the one the protagonists end up with [[spoiler: for a while]]. Even the [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] are afraid of them. |
| 163 | * The crystal sword Alanna gets after Lightning breaks in the third ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'' actively tries to kill whoever uses it. Alanna eventually masters it, but [[spoiler:it refuses to obey her once in the vicinity of its maker, [[BigBad Duke Roger]]]]. |
| 164 | * In ''Literature/TimeScout'', whenever anyone brings a modern weapon downtime, its presentation is rather... dark in comparison to the works of art that art downtime weapons. |
| 165 | * ''Literature/TolkiensLegendarium'': |
| 166 | ** Anglachel/Gurthang from Tolkien's ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', described by Melian thus: "There is malice in this sword. The dark heart of the smith still dwells in it. It will not love the hand it serves, neither will it abide with you long." It sang in joy as it killed, and it may be responsible for the death of its third owner, Beleg (the intentions and will of the sword in that matter are left ambiguous), although when Turin asked it to take his life after discovering he had [[SurpriseIncest unwittingly married his sister]], the sword [[TalkingWeapon agreed to drink his blood swiftly]] because it was pissed off that Turin had used it both in Beleg's AccidentalMurder and an intentional but completely unjustified one later. |
| 167 | ** ''Literature/LordOfTheRings'' is about TheQuest to destroy the One Ring, which is an altogether evil device that contains not only much of Sauron's power, but his cruelty, malice, and desire to conquer all living things. Gandalf and Galadriel, both contenders for the position of BigGood, are terrified of using it themselves--they know that their good intentions would inevitably be twisted so that they would become nothing more than a different kind of dark ruler. The Ring actively works to corrupt anyone holding it or anyone nearby and works really hard on Boromir, who can only understand it as a sword that could be turned against its master, until he falls--fortunately he snaps out of it and realizes at last why it absolutely cannot be used. |
| 168 | * ''Literature/VillainsByNecessity'': Inverted; Finwick wields a holy blade called Truelight that exists to cut down evil. [[spoiler: Sam actually uses this weapon to cut off Mizzamir's head, reasoning that however truthful or holy you make a sword, it's always going to be a weapon made to kill.]] |
| 169 | * ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'': |
| 170 | ** Subverted with the sentient sword Nightblood. Though very powerful and incredibly dangerous to anyone in the vicinity, it was actually created for the purpose of ''destroying'' evil. Problem was, its creators didn't realize that a sword has no concept of morality, so Nightblood continually goads its wielder into trying to kill everyone in sight, just to be on the safe side. |
| 171 | --->'''Nightblood:''' I'm not evil, I destroy evil. Those people look evil, let's destroy them. |
| 172 | ** That being said, Nightblood does have some power to distinguish good and ill intentions. "Evil" people are compelled to take it and use it, often killing their partners and eventually themselves. Throwing Nightblood into a group of enemies and letting them take care of themselves proves to be remarkably effective. "Good" people, meanwhile tend to feel nauseous upon seeing it and will simply run away. |
| 173 | * In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' there is a Ruby-hilted dagger that contaminates whoever holds it with madness, until its holder dies and passes it to another. Although it doesn't speak, it is referenced as having a will of its own. |
| 174 | * "Literature/WizardBait": As a reward for his services, Thusalah gives Ernie a [[TechnicolorBlade blood-red sword]] that screams every time it's swung and [[ArtifactOfDeath dooms its wielder with a terrible death]]. Considering Ernie is a [[DemBones skeleton]] animated by {{Necromanc|er}}y, it's an improvement to the rusted hand-me-down sword he was using before. |
| 175 | [[/folder]] |
| 176 | |
| 177 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 178 | * Subverted in "[[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor The Day of the Doctor]]", the 50th Anniversary episode of ''Series/DoctorWho''. Previously, the Moment (the weapon the Doctor used to destroy both the Daleks and the Time Lords) was referred to as a fearsome device that no one in their right mind would ever use. However, in this story, we discover that it actually has a conscience. Further, it tries to convince the War Doctor not to use it [[spoiler: and is clearly happy when he, and Doctors Ten & Eleven, come up with an alternate solution]]. |
| 179 | * ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'' has a zig-zag in the form of the ''Ankouken Kurayami'', a sword of darkness created in tandem with the Sword of Light Saikou. The ''Kurayami'' serves as an "anti-sword" that can seal away the powers of the other Seiken swords as well as [[spoiler: seal people away and absorb souls]]. The weapon itself is not directly evil but it gives its wielders precognition, which the season makes very clear is a bad thing. The ''Kurayami'' has generally found itself in the hands of [[spoiler: [[PragmaticHero well-meaning people]] who are [[MindRape subjected to so many visions]] of a BadFuture as the result of [[TheConspiracy the dark truth behind the organization they serve]] that it [[IncitingIncident cripples their trust issues]] and [[PoorCommunicationKills turns them on their friends as they try to seal the other Seikens to change the future]]]]. |
| 180 | ** A more straightforward example is the ''Mumeiken Kyomu,'' a [[PowerOfTheVoid sword of nothingness]] that's essentially a side-Seiken. The ''Kyomu'' has found itself in the hands of AxCrazy users that [[OmnicidalManiac seek to destroy everything]] ([[RoaringRampageOfRevenge or everyone]]). ''Film/KamenRiderSaberTrioOfDeepSin'' indicates it has a will of its own, the blade ([[spoiler: impaling Yuina when she hesitates to kill Kento per her contract]] and may have [[GreaterScopeVillain kicked off the events of the movie]] by purposefully making itself available to [[spoiler: the past self of]] the film's ManBehindTheMan; only stopped via said man's HeelRealization. |
| 181 | * One episode of ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'' featured the evil samurai Shichijuro, a MonsterOfTheWeek with a sword that could cut anything (including non-physical concepts like the bonds between the team.) Eventually, he's taken down, but the sword remains. When Magi Green picks it up, the armor of the monster appears around him and he attacks the others, revealing that the real Shichijuro was the ''sword,'' posessing its wielder. (Which, [[FridgeLogic in hindsight]], means the "monster" who just got HumongousMecha-ed to death was probably a perfectly innocent whatever-he-was before touching the sword...) |
| 182 | * ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' has the Sword of Darkness, which Rita used to sustain her control over the Green Ranger, and which Jason ultimately freed Tommy from by breaking it. The name says it all. And it looked so awesome, too. |
| 183 | ** Of course, the weapon on Power Rangers you most want to stay away from is the [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Dino Thunder]] White Ranger ''power gem,'' which drove its user mad. To be fair, that was after Mesagog had it soaking in evil energy for a long while. Once that was gone, the White Ranger was an okay guy. |
| 184 | * Discussed in ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' with a certain handgun that has apparently been used in several unrelated crimes. |
| 185 | * ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': The episode "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1995S6E2TheGun The Gun]]" has a gun that fuses to its holder's hand and causes him to become filled with murderous bloodlust. It was sent by aliens to test how HumansAreWarriors and see if they will be valuable allies in an interstellar war. The aliens are disappointed when one man uses ThePowerOfLove for his daughter and grandson to break free and let go of the gun, but decide to just send more guns to different people. |
| 186 | * [[TheSpearOfDestiny The Lance of Longinus (a.k.a. "Spear of Destiny")]] in the short-lived TV series ''Series/{{Roar}}''. |
| 187 | * In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', the First Blade and the Mark of Cain influence their bearer to think that MurderIsTheBestSolution. The current bearer is Dean Winchester. That situation is going about as well as can be expected. |
| 188 | * ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': One shows up in the episode "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S5E31TheEncounter The Encounter]]". It's heavily implied to be a Muramasa blade. |
| 189 | * ''Series/VRTroopers'' had the Millennium Saber. Fortunately, it only activates once every thousand years, hence the name. The rest of the time, it's old and rusty. |
| 190 | [[/folder]] |
| 191 | |
| 192 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 193 | * The titular weapons from ''Axes of Evil'', by Music/ThreeInchesOfBlood. WordOfGod says the song was partially inspired by VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'s Frostmourne. |
| 194 | * ''Black Blade'' by Music/BlueOysterCult is about the aforementioned Stormbringer, and is written from the perspectives of both [[Literature/TheElricSaga Elric]] and the sword itself. |
| 195 | [[/folder]] |
| 196 | |
| 197 | [[folder:Myths & Religion]] |
| 198 | * ''Literature/TheKalevala'': |
| 199 | ** Kullervo has a rather nasty sword that talked to him before his suicide. It also inspired Michael Moorcock and Tolkien. |
| 200 | ** There is also an attempt by Ilmarinen to forge TheSampo, where a failed attempt results in: |
| 201 | --->''From the fire arose a cross-bow,\ |
| 202 | With the brightness of the moonbeams,\ |
| 203 | Golden bow with tips of silver;\ |
| 204 | On the shaft was shining copper,\ |
| 205 | And the bow was strong and wondrous,\ |
| 206 | But alas! it was ill-natured,\ |
| 207 | Asking for a hero daily,\ |
| 208 | Two the heads it asked on feast-days. |
| 209 | * The swords made by the Real Life swordsmith Sengo {{UsefulNotes/Muramasa}} are sometimes portrayed like this. Folklore tell of him competing against his master Gorō Masamune -- who actually lived some 300 years ''before'' Muramasa, making this impossible -- to see who was the better swordsmith. They placed their swords in a river, to see if they could cut the passing leaves and fish without effort. Muramasa's swords cut everything indiscriminately, while Masamune's did not. A mark of their sharpness, yes, but also their complete lack of restraint or recognition of innocence. Other tales state the blades can [[DrawSwordDrawBlood only be sheathed once they have drawn blood]] (and [[DrivenToSuicide aren't picky about where it comes from]]), and that they can drive their wielders [[AxCrazy mad with bloodlust]]. |
| 210 | * Myth/NorseMythology: |
| 211 | ** Swords that "always (must) kill a man when unsheathed" are somewhat frequently encountered. Examples are Dainsleif from ''Literature/ProseEdda'', Tyrfing from ''Literature/TheSagaOfHervorAndHeidrek'', and the sword of Bodvar Bjarki in ''Literature/SagaOfHrolfKraki''. |
| 212 | ** Tyrfing from ''Literature/TheSagaOfHervorAndHeidrek'' was moreover cursed so that three deeds of parricide would be done by it. |
| 213 | * In Myth/IrishMythology, Lugh's spear, variously called Areadbhair, Luisne, and Brionac (the first is the most likely), had the advantage of being able to fight on its own. The bad news: [[BloodKnight it wouldn't stop]], not even when the battle was over. Solution: Immerse the spear's head in poppy juice, keeping it in Snoozeville until it was needed again. |
| 214 | * UsefulNotes/{{Taoism}} holds that ''all'' weapons are this. Being an ActualPacifist is preferred. |
| 215 | --> '''Creator/{{Laozi}}:''' Now arms, however beautiful, are instruments of evil omen, hateful, it may be said, to all creatures. Therefore they who have the Tao do not like to employ them. |
| 216 | [[/folder]] |
| 217 | |
| 218 | [[folder:Podcasts]] |
| 219 | * ''Podcast/DiceFunk'': The "strange dagger" Anne finds in the underground lair is actually [[spoiler:cursed with vampirism so powerful as to be immune to the Dispel Magic spell.]] |
| 220 | [[/folder]] |
| 221 | |
| 222 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 223 | * ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': there are every variety of magic swords that can be thought of, including swords that cause greater injuries if used against those of certain Character Alignment. |
| 224 | ** Bonus points to the magic axe "Lifedrinker", which drains LifeEnergy from anything it hits, and half as much from the wielder at the same time, and to intelligent magic items in general, which come with an Ego score that scales with their power. If their Ego is substantially stronger than your Will save, they take over your body. Using a magic item with a similar alignment and goals can be an interesting choice, but often comes back to bite you. Using an intelligent evil weapon? Not so good... |
| 225 | ** For a specific example, there is the Sword of Kas, forged by the Archlich Vecna for his lieutenant, Kas the Bloody-Handed. Because the sword has a tiny bit of Vecna's power in it, it's the only weapon which can permanently destroy the [[ArtifactOfDoom Hand and Eye of Vecna]]. |
| 226 | * Orgoth Fellblades in ''{{TabletopGame/Iron Kingdoms}}'' turn anyone who picks them up into ax crazy murder machines, while greatly increasing their strength. The Empire of Khador leverages this by forcibly chaining them to men and turning them into berserk Doom Reavers to be used against their enemies. |
| 227 | * Several cursed katanas in ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings ''RPG, including the blades such as Ambition (which does ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin and also is more deadly against those of higher position than the user.) |
| 228 | * The glaive known as the Whisperer of Souls in an example in ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' mythology. It is the weapon of the LoveGoddess Shelyn and is an inherently evil weapon that delights in drinking souls. Once the glaive eats 100 powerful souls, it will supposedly [[DeityOfHumanOrigin become a god]] and create an era of strife and death. Luckily, Shelyn has been freeing the souls trapped in the glaive with a combination of heroic deeds and IncorruptiblePurePureness, keeping the evil weapon in check. |
| 229 | * It is rumored the Ba'al Verzi daggers in the ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' setting cannot be sheathed before having killed someone, and furthermore cannot be sheathed in a scabbard made of anything other than humanoid flesh. |
| 230 | * Several in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''. For starters, every single daemon weapon ever. Notable ones include the Slayer of Kings, the sword of Archaon the Everchosen (''Warhammer Fantasy''), Gorechild[[note]]originally wielded by [[FourStarBadass Primarch]] [[UnstoppableRage Angron]], [[DualWielding in tandem]] with its partner [[ThemeNaming Gorefather]][[/note]], the chain-axe belonging to Kharn the Betrayer (''40k''), and the Primarch Fulgrim in ''40k'' got corrupted by a powerful daemon weapon. The weapon slowly caused him to turn to Chaos, and in the end, [[spoiler:when he refused to obey it, it possessed his body, turning him into a daemon]]. |
| 231 | ** Drach'nyen, the sword of Abaddon the Despoiler (''40k''). It's a Daemon Weapon bound in the form of a sword, but only because that's how Abbadon wills it to be. The entity bound within it is possibly the most powerful warp entity short of the Chaos Gods, having been born from Humanity's primal urge to murder, and was capable of fighting the Emperor to a standstill. Appropriately, it's name roughly translates to "The End of Empires". |
| 232 | ** In addition to Drach'nyen, Abbadon also wields the Talon of Horus, a power claw with an integrated twin-linked bolter torn from the Warmaster's body. This was the weapon which Horus used to kill Sanguinius and which mortally wounded the Emperor as well. |
| 233 | ** There's a Khornate mace that drives its wielder to ever-higher states of bloodlust until the wielder finally collapses from exhaustion. And then it turns on its bearer, because Khorne cares not from where the blood flows... |
| 234 | ---> "Willingly you picked me up. Your first mistake. Willingly you drew me. Your second mistake. I do not allow my servants to make three mistakes, foolish mortal..." |
| 235 | ** The Widowmaker, Sword of Khaine (''Fantasy'') is one of the most powerful weapons in the whole ''Warhammer'' universe. It pretty much single-handedly allowed the High Elves to push back a huge Chaos incursion early on in their history. Too bad it also drove the first Elven king murderously insane, placed a curse on all his descendants (which causes them to become fanatically obsessed with obtaining the sword every decade or so), and caused his illegitimate son to break off and form the Dark Elves, probably tied with the Skaven as the most loathsome and horrible force in the world and still warring with the High Elves to try and reclaim the sword. |
| 236 | ** The Blade of Antwyr, a horrifyingly powerful Warp entity bound to a sword. It possesses, among other things, an ability to mind control the population of entire planets, and required the intervention of the entire Grey Knights chapter to subdue it. Currently in possession of Grey Knights Castellan Garran Crowe, who manages to hold back the blade's mental assault due to his {{Heroic Willpower}} and {{Incorruptible Pure Pureness}}. And even then it is clearly shown that he might fold under that pressure at any moment. |
| 237 | * Soulsteel weapons and armor in ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' fit the bill--while they can technically be used for any purpose, including ''opposing'' evil, the soulsteel that composes them is [[AndIMustScream exactly what it sounds like]], and their bonuses work by draining the life and vigor out of their victims (in the case of weapons) and attackers (in the case of armor). Meanwhile, hell-forged weapons and armor may have still-living demons bound to them as part of their creation... |
| 238 | ** One of the Deathlords favours a daiklave crafted from the soul of one of the few pure heroes of the Old Realm...who was driven violently insane as part of the forging process. In fact, a ''whole'' lot of Deathlords favor soulsteel weapons that work upon these principles; one soulsteel daiklaive will ''eat'' the soul of anything it slays, restoring a measure of its wielder's health. Then there's Princess Magnificent's ParasolOfPain, made from the skin and bones of five First Age Solars. Even their ''umbrellas'' are evil. |
| 239 | * ''[[TabletopGame/YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG]]'': WordOfGod says the equip spell [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Wicked-Breaking_Flamberge_-_Baou Wicked-Breaking Flamberge - Baou]] holds the dark power of Baou, its Guardian spirit. When Warrior Dai Grepher later wields it, he is overcome by the dark energy and later becomes Dark Grepher. |
| 240 | [[/folder]] |
| 241 | |
| 242 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 243 | * Magic Sword Maxwell, later more appropriately referred to as Demon Sword Maxwell, qualifies as this in ''[[VideoGame/DotHackGU .hack//G.U. Redemption]]''. Infected with a [[AIIsACrapshoot particularly nasty AIDA]], the sword puts anyone it "kills" into a coma in the real world and constantly demands to be "fed", but in return makes the wielder (hint: not you) practically invincible. Oh, and breaking the sword just frees the AIDA to [[NiceJobBreakingItHero infect Haseo.]] |
| 244 | * Mike, [[CuteWitch Yoriko's]] [[MagicStaff staff]] in ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart'' which is a sealed Demon King in reality and is more likely to use [[GrievousHarmWithABody Yoriko as a bludgeoning device]] than the other way around. Though really, he is more of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold Weapon than an outright Evil Weapon. Offer him enough [[TrademarkFavoriteFood doughnuts]] and you'll have a friend for life. |
| 245 | * A few of the hexed items in ''VideoGame/{{Arcanum}}'' qualify, but the Bangellian Scourge stands out due to having the most fleshed-out backstory. Children and virgins were burnt alive to fuel the forge that created it. Notable people who wielded it in the past include Lorek (despised by the dwarves as a traitor for starting a civil war), Bane of Kree (barbarian warlord who used it to massacre civilians ForTheEvulz) and Stringy Pete (pirate king who claims he was manipulated, by the blade itself, into using the Scourge to slit the throats of his crew while they slept). |
| 246 | * Desire in ''VisualNovel/AseliaTheEternalTheSpiritOfEternitySword'' tries to force Yuuto to bend to its will through pain. What it wants is for Yuuto to rape, pillage and murder. [[spoiler:Near the end it's revealed that it couldn't really help being like this because it was undergoing the equivalent of prolonged starvation. It also has a little bit of a soft spot.]] |
| 247 | * The ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' series: |
| 248 | ** The first game has the Cursed Sword of Berserking, one of the few +3 weapons in the first game. As the name suggests, the sword drives its wielder into berserker rages and cannot be unwielded except until the curse is removed. A hapless guard captain ruined his life when he unwittingly purchased the sword and slaughtered his own family. |
| 249 | ** Varscona in the first game (better known as "that longsword +2 you can get early in the game"), whose combat bonuses are explained as possibly deriving from its vaguely [[TheUndead undead]] original owner merging with it after remaining entombed for centuries and developing "a rage that bordered on insanity". |
| 250 | ** Lilarcor from ''Shadows of Amn'' is more insane than evil, but it sure does enjoy killing... |
| 251 | ** Blackrazor from ''[=SoA=]'', a life-draining sword that's not intelligent for any practical purposes (it's just another weapon in game terms) but is very firmly described as evil. Choosing to keep it is also part of the evil choice in a test of character and will turn the PlayerCharacter evil. |
| 252 | ** In ''[[VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal Throne of Bhaal]]'' the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One]] SinisterScimitar "Spectral Brand", when fully powered, is described as "an instrument of unholy death that should never have been unleashed upon the Realms". |
| 253 | * The Ars Armagus and Nox Nyctores of ''Franchise/BlazBlue''. While the Ars Armagus, for the most part, "only" expose their weilders to [[AppliedPhlebotinum seithr]], [[PhlebotinumOverload which often leads to]] seithr addiction, physical and mental detoiration, death ([[FateWorseThanDeath if you're lucky]]) and/or BodyHorror bundled up with [[AndIMustScream complete and utter madness]] (if you're not), the Nox Nyctores are noticably more evil in nature. First of all, the catalyst to smelt a Nox Nyctores are tens of thousands of human souls. Secondly, the Nox Nyctores suppress "unnecessary" traits (e.g. {{fear|less fool}}, [[LackOfEmpathy empathy]], [[NoSympathy compassion]] and [[SanityHasAdvantages reason]]) and amplify others (e.g. [[HairTriggerTemper aggression]], [[ThePowerOfHate hate]], {{blood|knight}}lust and [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity latent psychosises]]) in their wielders in order to make them more "effective" in combat. Thirdly, there's also the fact that a Nox Nyctores shares the Ars Armagus' wonderful side effects. |
| 254 | ** The possibly most obvious case of side effects within the games are those displayed by Jin Kisaragi while under the influence of Yukianesa. Sure, he's still a cynical, rude {{jerkass}} without it, but at least he's no longer AxCrazy. |
| 255 | ** Tsubaki Yayoi's [[LightIsNotGood Izayoi]] steals all light around it, both physical and conceptual, in order to fuel [[LightEmUp its own powers.]] And, no, its weilder's light is ''not'' exempt: Tsubaki's usage of the weapon progressively robs her of her eyesight, but also (much thanks to the machinizations of [[ManipulativeBastard Hazama/Terumi]]) seems to take away all "lights" in her life as well, such as her relationships with her friends and love interest. In some of her endings the Izayoi even ends up extinguishing the light of her life itself. |
| 256 | ** There's also [[BigBad Hazama]]/[[{{Troll}} Yuuki]] [[AxCrazy Terumi]]'s Ouroboros, a metallic snake-head attached to a chain, which has the passive ability to MindRape whoever is hit by it. [[SarcasmMode What luck]] [[BadPowersBadPeople that this weapon fell into the hands of a villain depraved enough to get off on making people miserable]]. |
| 257 | * ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' has a variant that qualifies as terrifying in and of itself, being the Hex Cannon/Carronade. Per [[WordOfGod official documentation in the artbook]], [[spoiler: the Carronade not only poisons the land with curse energy but also simultaneously empowers and possesses its users]]. |
| 258 | ** What makes the Carronade especially horrific is two different things--the first being the ''scale'' of the thing [[spoiler: in that it is a literal Nuclear Weapons {{Expy}} and essentially the magical equivalent of multi-megaton nuclear [=ICBMs=]]] and the second being how the Evil Nuclear Weapons Expy is fueled: [[spoiler: Specifically, persons with a connection with the target are tortured to the point insanity and hopelessness, and then are used in human sacrifices as the "warheads". If that wasn't creepy enough, the EvilEmpire of the game specifically seeks out potential "warheads" based ''explicitly'' on the closeness of the connection between "warhead" and "target"--the Evil Weapon ''also'' specifically works under the theory LoveHurts, with the "best" ammo being a person in love with the target.]] Yes, you are reading that correctly: the Carronade is an Evil Weapon that is a magical method to NukeEm--and one which runs on horror specifically operating on the fact LoveHurts. |
| 259 | * The cursed blade Yugiri in ''VideoGame/BushidoBlade'' corrupts whoever holds it. It's done this for a ''long'' time. |
| 260 | * The Masamune in ''VideoGame/ChronoCross''. [[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger Originally]] an EmpathicWeapon, it was once stolen from the kingdom of Guardia and used for evil, turning the once holy sword into a demonic, warped blade that can corrupt or take over the mind of anyone who wields it. By the time of the game's events, it was so corrupted that Lynx was able to use its evil aura to block the entrance to the Dead Sea. Removed from there by the sacred sword Einlanzer, and later cleansed of all evil influence, it was restored to its shining glory and transformed into the Mastermune. |
| 261 | * ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' has the Erebus submachine gun. Being of the byproducts from [[spoiler: Project Cynosure]], the targeting software of the Erebus is [[AIIsACrapshoot a captured AI from beyond the Blackwall]], which makes it a violation of a baker's dozen international treaties in itself in the ''Cyberpunk'' world. The AI makes no effort to hide how it sees humans as beneath it and how it can't wait to wipe out humanity when the player uses it. To top it off, it has a chance of uploading the Blackwall Gateway quickhack on low-health enemies, which can be described as channeling the ''Cyberpunk'' equivalent of '''hellfire''' to finish them. |
| 262 | * ''VideoGame/TheDarknessII'' introduces the sword Kusanagi to the series, which used to be benevolent, until an evil shogun used it to take thousands of innocent lives, corrupting it. In order to purify it, it has to be fed the hearts of (via impalement) ten thousand evil souls, or else it reduces the lifespan of the current wielder by a year each day. Luckily for the sword, its current wielder is the revenge crazy BloodKnight Inugami, who's hunting down murderous cultists. |
| 263 | * ''VideoGame/{{Darksiders}}'': |
| 264 | ** The novel ''The Abomination Vault'' has the Grand Abominations. The Nephilim crafted them from the remains of the Ravaiim, the first race that the Nephilim slaughtered during their rampage across creation. The semi-sentient Abominations possess world-ending power and a deep hatred for everything. They were deemed so dangerous that the Nephilim sealed their full power and locked them away in the eponymous Vault. |
| 265 | ** ''II'' introduces "Possessed" Weapons, which [[MagikarpPower start out weak but grow more powerful]] by being "fed" other items in Death's inventory, leveling up in power and, depending on what items were fed, can stack multiple different effects. Unlike most, these don't actually endanger Death in being used. |
| 266 | * Bishamon in the ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' fighting game series is a samurai possessed by a demonic armour (Hannya) and sword (Kien, which roughly translates to "demonic flame"). Even after he manages to rid himself of these artifacts' influence, they somehow form a body out of nothing at all, allowing them to continue their killing sprees. All they ever talk about is slashing, blood and suffering. And they still go by the name Bishamon, possibly to spite their erstwhile host. |
| 267 | * ''VideoGame/DeathtrapDungeon'' has a cursed Black Sword which deals extra damage of enemies - but ''also'' drains the health of the user. |
| 268 | * [[http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/makoto Magic sword "Makoto"]] from ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' is in fact one of these, draining life from the user each second it's equipped. You can also turn any normal weapon into a ''Curse Weapon'' using a spell with that very same name. |
| 269 | * Quite a few weapons used by or based off of the Hive in ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' are this given the Hive's casual relationship with things like death and the soul. |
| 270 | ** The Sword of Crota was capable of draining the Light of Guardians it killed, resulting in their permanent end. |
| 271 | ** Ir Anûk and Ir Halak once wielded a sniper rifle that didn't kill but [[FateWorseThanDeath altered the targets existence into one of never ending torment.]] |
| 272 | ** The Touch of Mailce [[spoiler: holds a piece of Oryx's soul and will eventually warp its wielder into him]]. |
| 273 | ** The Bad Juju gains power as it kills anything. |
| 274 | ** The HandCannon Thorn drains the Light of its victims. Its weilder, Dredgen Yor, had been corrupted by the Hive and killed for pleasure. |
| 275 | *** In ''Destiny 2'', Thorn makes its return. [[spoiler: But [[PlayerCharacter The Guardian]] is able to purge it of its corruption back into its original configuration, Rose, and then imbues it with Light, turning a Weapon of Sorrow into a [[InvertedTrope Weapon of Hope]] that can [[HealingShiv heal fellow Guardians]].]] |
| 276 | * [[https://mario.wiki.gallery/images/thumb/c/cf/Kleever.png/400px-Kleever.png Kleever]] from ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest''. It's apparently a posessed, evil sword that starts out being wielded by an arm made of fire, then just attacks on its own accord. |
| 277 | * ''Franchise/DragonAge'': |
| 278 | ** In the epilogue of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'', it's heavily implied that [[spoiler: [[InfinityPlusOneSword Vigilance]] becomes one of these. Of course, it was forged with the bone of an ancient evil dragon (whose ghost you had to fight to get the bone) that lived in a swamp that bridged the gap between the physical world and the spiritual one. It would have been a surprise if the thing didn't turn evil.]] |
| 279 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'': Near the end of the first act, an ArtifactOfDoom gets onto the market. Later, [[spoiler: it is used to smith an Evil Sword, and makes Meredith, who was already a KnightTemplar, turn outright evil and crazy (and [[RedEyesTakeWarning make her eyes glow red]]). She eventually tries to use it to become a OneWingedAngel, but that backfires, [[TakenForGranite turning her and the sword to stone]]. Before that, it allowed her to use magic, including [[SuddenlyHarmfulHarmlessObject animating statues]] to [[MalevolentArchitecture fight for her.]]]] |
| 280 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' - should you side with the mages, [[spoiler: Samson]], General of the Red Templars, wields what is implied to be [[spoiler: the red lyrium sword somehow recreated. You can actually add it your inventory after beating him. The same game also reveals what exactly makes the sword evil; the sword is made of lyrium, which only turns red when it has been infected with [[TheCorruption the Blight]].]] |
| 281 | * ''VideoGame/DragonFable'' has the {{Doom|yDoomsOfDoom}} Weapons, which ostensibly exert a corrupting influence over their owners, although this has yet to manifest in any obvious way. It also features the Necrotic Blade of Doom, a much more straight-forward example complete with EvilLaugh, [[LargeHam massive hamishness]], a position on the OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness and [[TheManBehindTheMan obviously being the boss of the]] BigBad. You can either wield them as-is, or you can have Artix purify them to turn them into Destiny Weapons. |
| 282 | ** In ''VideoGame/AdventureQuest'', the E'''b'''il Scythes [''sic''] count, as two of them require payment in the form of [[CastFromHitPoints HP]] or money to perform their special attacks, another corrupts the enemy, and the last one... [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking heals you]]. |
| 283 | * ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'': |
| 284 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'' has the Cursed Sword. One of the best weapons in the game, but it curses the Hero if equipped. |
| 285 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestII'' has the Sword of Destruction/Demon Sword. Really high attack, but curses the user. There's also other "Evil Gear" in armor. |
| 286 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII'': The staff that Dhoulmagus stole allows Rhapthorne to possess the wielder. |
| 287 | ** In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'', Excalipurr is "...wielder of a bewitched blade that can only be used by those it chooses." |
| 288 | * The ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' known as "LetsPlay/{{Deathgate}}" forged the Red Monster Sword. While not intrinsically evil, it ''was'' made from the arm of a fire demon and burned with everlasting {{hellfire}}, so hot that even going near it caused third-degree burns. No one could wield it. At great cost it was sealed in stone. |
| 289 | * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': While the BlueAndOrangeMorality of the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Princes]] tends to put them AboveGoodAndEvil, ''you'' will need to do some fairly evil things in order to obtain and/or power up some of their [[LegendaryWEapon associated artifacts]]. A few examples: |
| 290 | ** In general, any artifacts associated with the more [[JerkassGods outright malevolent]] Daedric Princes may be considered this. For instance, the Mace of Molag Bal and Mehrune's Razor aren't inherently evil on their own, but having to complete tasks for [[TheCorrupter Molag Bal]] and [[DestroyerDeity Mehrunes Dagon]] typically means that you'll be doing ''something'' evil in order to acquire them. |
| 291 | ** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' have Umbra, a powerful [[YourSoulIsMine soul-stealing]] sword created by a witch for [[DealWithTheDevil Clavicus Vile]]. It tends to take over the mind of its wielder, turning them into insane {{Blood Knight}}s. In ''Oblivion'', Barbas (Vile's [[LiteralSplitPersonalities external conscience]] and MoralityChain) begs you not to deliver the sword to Clavicus Vile, since he believes even a Daedric Prince won't be able to control the blade's evil power. [[spoiler:He's right]]. |
| 292 | ** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' has [[ManipulativeBastard Mephala]]'s Ebony Blade, which becomes stronger every time its wielder ''kills a friend or loved one with it.'' You need to kill ''ten trusted companions'' to fully empower the Ebony Blade. |
| 293 | * ''VideoGame/FearAndHunger'': Miasma is a sword looking and working almost identically to [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Edge]], complete with compelling its user to slaughter their party members. Le'garde is the only party member capable of wielding it without risk, as all others lack the mental fortitude to safely use it. |
| 294 | * [[http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Category:Evil_Weapons Evil Weapons]] in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' are floating living weapons that possess the bodies of earth spirits to fight for them. |
| 295 | ** Downplayed by Guttler, the "[[InfinityPlusOneSword Relic]]" Axe weapon. All Relic weapons have some sentience, and have a few lines when a player first obtains one. Guttler appears to be particularly bloodthirsty. In the Wings of the Goddess expansion, Guttler was wielded by Windhurstian mercenary leader Lhu Mhakaracca. When she used the special Onslaught weapon skill in battle, the chat log would show Guttler calling "[[ThirdPersonPerson Guttler]] thirsty! Guttler want blood! More blood!" Despite this, Guttler has no special hold over Lhu, and her main concern with the weapon is getting it to shut the hell up about blood when in town. |
| 296 | * ''Franchise/FireEmblem'': |
| 297 | ** The series as a whole has a couple of examples: |
| 298 | *** The Devil weapons, which are incredibly powerful, but can randomly make you take damage instead of your opponent. |
| 299 | *** The Wo Dao is described as a wicked blade that feeds off of slaughter and bloodshed. As a result, throughout the series its wielders have been {{Blood Knight}}s at best, and deranged psychopaths at worst. |
| 300 | ** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', you have the Loptous tome, which corrupted its wielder Julius from a kind and sickly young man into TheAntichrist as soon as Manfroy put it in his hands. |
| 301 | ** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776'', there's the Shadow Sword that turns Mareeta into a BrainwashedAndCrazy swordmaster. Later, [[spoiler: Saias purifies the weapon in order to allow her to wield it without any drawbacks.]] |
| 302 | ** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'', anyone who takes up the golden axe Armads is cursed to inevitably die in battle. |
| 303 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'' has the Cursed Lance, a weapon in the possession of General Duessel of Grado. According to him, Valter wielded it in battle after his own lance broke, and it turned him from a simple {{Jerkass}} to an AxCrazy monster. It makes its playable debut in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes''. |
| 304 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates: Conquest'' has the final boss' weapon, Skadi. It is described as evil in ''Heroes'', and it is heavily implied to be a corrupted form of [[spoiler:Takumi's Fujin Yumi due to the very distinct physical similarities between the two bows]]. |
| 305 | ** The Heroes' Relics from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' appear bonelike, have a pulsating orb in the centre & constantly twitch & move on their own. [[BodyHorror They also turn those without crests]] [[WasOnceAMan into demonic beasts]] as seen early on in the game with the Lance of Ruin. [[spoiler: Late in the Verdant Wind route, it's revealed that the Heroes' Relics weren't [[LegendaryWeapon gifts from the goddess]], but weapons made utilising forbidden [[AbusivePrecursors Agarthan]] technology & made from [[PoweredByAForsakenChild the bones & hearts of the Children of the Goddess]].]] |
| 306 | * ''VideoGame/FlashOfTheBlade'' have it's BigBad, a sentient, evil sword called the Soulstealer, a cursed blade possessed by maleovalent darkness forged in hell who unleashed TheHorde on humanity. It's former user have to commit {{Seppuku}} after realizing how evil the weapon is, only for Soulstealer to revive it's ex-owner's corpse into battle. Somehow. |
| 307 | * ''VideoGame/{{Gothic}}'' has the claw of Beliar, a weapon which levels up with you, but requires some of your health each time to do so... you have to sacrifice your health to Beliar, the most evil of the three gods in the game. Additionally to the normal damage, it has a certain chance that an enemy will be killed instantly by Beliar's intervention. When you receive the weapon, you have the option to throw it into the sea because it is evil. |
| 308 | * ''VideoGame/{{Guenevere}}'': Meligaunt wields a giant, evil-looking claymore that [[PoisonedWeapons poisons those wounded by it]] and can be used to fuel dark magic. |
| 309 | * The header description from ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' doesn't mention how the Spirit Precipice takes its toll. On a critical hit: |
| 310 | --> '''A bolt of evil energy arcs out of Spirit Precipice and hits you in the [body part].''' |
| 311 | --> '''You lose 12-24 hit points.''' |
| 312 | ** [[ShareTheMalePain *wince*]] This can include a GroinAttack...now that's ''evil''. |
| 313 | *** It also [[BlessedWithSuck quintuples]] your chances of getting a Critical Hit |
| 314 | ** Also in ''Kingdom of Loathing'', many weapons that do Spooky damage. Several are made from human remains. |
| 315 | * In ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'', the Darkin weapons are a series of weapons that corrupt the wielder, eventually taking them over. The champion Aatrox is actually the name of the sword wielded by a nameless gargantuan. Varus is hinted at wielding a Darkin Bow, but not being corrupted - possibly its a symbiotic relationship between the bow's bloodlust and the champions' desire for revenge. The whole schtick of the champion Kayn is he begins each game wielding the corrupting scythe Rhaast, and either succumbs to it or dominates it through the course of each match. Rhaast form is a tanky bruiser, while Shadow Assassin Form is basically ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. |
| 316 | * ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'': Not exactly evil, but very ''very'' insane, the soul [[spoiler:of Raziel]] inside the Soul Reaver, which has been in said blade for thousands of years [[spoiler: several times, kind of]], and it feeds off the souls of its slain. |
| 317 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': |
| 318 | ** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures'', the Trident wielded by Ganon is a demonic weapon that marks its holder as the King of Darkness. It was stealing the Trident from the Gerudo's sacred pyramid that transformed [[{{Reincarnation}} this incarnation]] of Ganondorf into the monstrous Ganon. |
| 319 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' has [[spoiler:the sword of the Demon King Demise. It can take on the form of a white-haired man called Ghirahim, who has an AxCrazy BloodKnight personality.]] |
| 320 | * ''VideoGame/MitsurugiKamuiHikae'' has the Demon Blade, a demonic katana that is said to steal the life-force of its wielder and drains them of their blood. |
| 321 | * The Kris of Ashrah in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'', which ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]]'' later explained is a [[EmpathicWeapon sentient sword]] who fills its user with illusions of being purified as a way to make him/her slay his hatred enemies, those of the Vampire race. |
| 322 | * The Muramasa legend above is brought back in the series ''VideoGame/MuramasaTheDemonBlade'', where [[Mystical108 108]] swords are bound to Muramasa's spirit, and he is unable to pass on until they've all been crafted. The swords have various curses upon them in exchange for their power, as they [[GameplayAndStorySegregation cannot be put away until they've killed something]], and corrupt the minds of unworthy or undisciplined individuals, culminating in the Kuzuryu sword [[spoiler: corrupting and possessing the mind of the shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, with a dog demon trapped within]]. |
| 323 | * Stormbringer from ''VideoGame/NetHack'' is a "bloodthirsty" sword. Normally, when you want to move onto a pet or peaceful monster, you don't attack it (you get confirmation for attack for peaceful monsters, and displace (swap places with) pets). While wielding Stormbringer, you attack those without confirmation. |
| 324 | * Enserric in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights: Hordes of the Underdark'' is a vampiric weapon named after the wizard it killed. The wizard's soul became trapped in the blade and the weapon became sentient. Enserric will encourage you to wield it against as many foes as possible, though it will complain if it doesn't like the "taste" of certain foes (it doesn't like being used against undead, for example). You can also channel a fraction of your own lifeforce into the blade to make it more powerful. |
| 325 | * ''VideoGame/NuclearThrone'': Cursed Weapons have a small chance of spawning inside purple chests in every level. These weapons may be more advanced than what is possible for the given level it spawned in, but like cursed items in other roguelikes, [[StuckItems they cannot be replaced]] except with other Cursed Weapons[[note]]and neither can they be used as throwing weapons by Chicken, for that matter[[/note]]. Carrying two of them at once may cause enemies to drop purple-colored Cursed Mini Ammo Chests which give more ammunition on pickup than regular Ammo items, but will explode if left alone, possibly killing players who take too long to retrieve them. [[spoiler:Finally, loading screen tips suddenly begin turning into distorted messages which imply that the Cursed Weapons [[LivingWeapon are alive]] [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou and can see the player]].]] Retrieving a crown from the Crown Vault, choosing the Last Wish mutation, or looping the game will cleanse the weapon. [[note]]As an aside, [[SchmuckBait eating them as Robot is a real bad idea]].[[/note]] |
| 326 | * The Orchid Malevolence from ''VideoGame/OtogiMythOfDemons'' is a crimson bladed sword covered in purple flames that can kill anything in one hit. The catch? It saps all of your health while it is held, turning you into a OneHitPointWonder. |
| 327 | * Some axes in ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' are so evil they cannot even be wielded by good characters. Names like "Hatred Gift" (wielder goes berserk), "Butcherer of Innocents" (steals enemy's life points) and "Edge of Oblivion" give a hint. Another one, "Entropic Blade", has no evil qualities of its own and can be wielded by anyone without any repercussions, but in order to obtain it you have to unleash a powerful force of, expectedly, entropy and destruction on the universe which instantly turns you Chaotic Evil. [[BlatantLies That's a worthwhile trade-off for a powerful weapon, right?]] |
| 328 | * [[EmpathicWeapon Cursed Sword/Rune Blade]] from the ''VideoGame/RecordOfAgarestWar'' series. Sure, they both sound so simple you'd probably think [[TemptingFate "Eh, they don't sound that bad."]], only to face them in combat and find out just exactly why they were sealed in another plane of existence, though the Rune Blade can be safely wielded with some effort to getting it, which isn't easy. Oh, and did you know that you can face [[OhCrap more than one]] in their respective rematches? And their stats are upped to absurd amounts for their Extended Boundary Plane cousins, have fun with both! |
| 329 | * Gallows Dodger in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowGatOutOfHell'' is a sentient pistol shaped like a demon's skull, and is one the [[SevenDeadlySins Seven Deadly Weapons]], representing the sin of Pride. When you first find it, it gets upset at being called "a gun", claiming that it's like calling Jesus "a guy who wore sandals", and claims that it gets antsy when it hasn't killed for a while. When used during combat, it will compliment you on your killing prowess and make dismissive taunts at your enemies, and if used to inflict enough damage in a short period of time, it will enter "Overkill Mode", temporarily granting an increased rate of fire and explosive shots. |
| 330 | * ''VideoGame/SaltAndSanctuary'' has two of these. |
| 331 | ** The first is the Black Widow, part of the royal regalia of Liven. It was once wielded by the Kingdom's founder, Gandra the Warrior, and handed down through generations of her successors until finally reaching the hands of Queen Lenaia. The description of the item heavily implies that Lenaia's [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen tyranny]] and [[TheCaligula insanity]] were caused by the sword's influence. |
| 332 | --->''The rivers of blood spilled by this cursed sword over the ages are said to have swallowed its prior owners, all of whom descended into violent madness after falling under its influence.'' |
| 333 | ** The second is the Coveted, a strangely sharp executioner's axe made of solid diorite. According to legend, a royal executioner named Erland received it as a mysterious gift and immediately took a liking to it. Power in the kingdom shifted, and before long, the executioner had used his axe on the entire royal family. Power shifted further, and the executioner became king. But the executioner never resigned from his grisly station, and the axe was well fed, though never satisfied. Erland would later die alongside [[OffingTheOffspring his]] [[SelfMadeOrphan son]] in a struggle over the axe. Their ghosts are now bound to the weapon, enslaved to their unending desire to possess the axe. |
| 334 | * ''VideoGame/ShantaeAndThePiratesCurse'': The Pirate Master's weapons are revealed to be cursed and their evil will completely consume their wielder eventually. [[spoiler:However, their curse could be broken if the Pirate Master is destroyed]]. |
| 335 | * The [[VideoGame/Shinobi2002 PS2 remake]] of ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'' has the main character wielding Akujiki, a cursed soul-eating sword that if not repeatedly fed, will begin to eat the wielder (in this case, main character Hotsuma)'s own soul. |
| 336 | ** The bonus character's non-named sword also consumes the soul of his host, though it eats through its reserves rather fast, meaning you get much less leeway on platforming between combat segments before you start losing health. |
| 337 | * The quest "ANIMUSLAVER!" in ''VideoGame/TheSims Medieval'' involves dealing with the titular sword. You eventually learn it's possessed by a demon that has already cleared out entire ''kingdoms'' of people through its wielders. Depending on the approach, you either guide a Knight and Spy in uncovering and ultimately destroying the blade (though the Knight becomes temporarily possessed by it), or letting a Jacoban Priest and a Blacksmith leverage the blade's evil for the good of the Jacoban Church. |
| 338 | * The Soul Edge from the ''VideoGame/SoulSeries''. The Soul Calibur was an attempt by the former wielder (at the time) of the Soul Edge to create the exact opposite of the 'Sword of Destruction', that is, a Sword of Order. However, it apparently just winds up in the [[UnholyHolySword other extreme]], in that the Soul Calibur wants nothing more than to freeze the entire world in crystalline perfection... where there will be no war, no death, no destruction... because nobody will be able to move. Which is interesting, because Soul Edge was a regular sword corrupted by countless kills on the battlefield, while [[DidntThinkThisThrough Soul Calibur was forged from a piece of Soul Edge]]. |
| 339 | ** There are other lesser weapons in the Soul Series who are quite evil; Taki's Mekkimaru and Yoshimitsu's self-named sword are both evil swords with inmense evil power and destructive abilities. In Mekkimaru's case, it has even driven Taki's master insane by the time of the first Soul Calibur. |
| 340 | * ''VideoGame/{{Strife}}'' featured The Sigil. Made by an evil god to corrupt the world, worshipped by its EvilEmpire {{Cult}}, and burns the user's life force to power it. |
| 341 | * While not actually evil, The Star Dragon Sword from ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' is an enormous [[{{Jerkass}} asshole]], and at one point tries to kill the party for being left in a cave. It was left in the cave because it was constantly complaining how much it hated it's wielder. |
| 342 | * Essentially ''all'' of the minions of Smithy in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' are this - except they're also sentient beings that want to ruin the world. Up to and including Exor, the massive sword that strikes Bowser's castle in the game's introduction. Smithy himself is something like this. He's a demonic blacksmith that wants to replace all of the wishes in the world with weapons, and his minions are part of this plan. |
| 343 | * ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' has the Devil's Arms, which are nine demonic, almost organic-looking and moving weapons that apparently can talk, although only Presea is able to hear them. |
| 344 | * In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' one of the unlockable weapons for the [[ViolentGlaswegian Demoman]] replace his normal MadBomber arsenal with a haunted [[{{BFS}} Claymore]] named the Eyelander (which lowers his health, but grants him bonus health if it's used to kill people). It also constantly whispers "headsss". |
| 345 | ** And from the Halloween update we get a haunted battle axe, which is haunted with the spirit of the Horseless Headless Horsemann. (It has the exact same stats as the Eyelander, however.) |
| 346 | ** There's also the Half-Zatoichi. Not stated to be evil, but you have to kill someone in order to switch to another weapon without losing health. |
| 347 | * ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' has Yoshimitsu's katana, [[LegacyCharacter likely the same one from Soul Calibur]], which in ''Tekken 6'' is revealed to drive its wielder crazy if it doesn't taste blood regularly. |
| 348 | * The Chaos Sword in ''VideoGame/UltimaV'' is arguably the most powerful weapon in the game, capable of killing virtually anything in a single hit. Also, using it in combat causes you to lose control of the character wielding it and cause him/her to attack fellow party members as well. |
| 349 | * Zulwarn from ''VideoGame/VanguardBandits'' is a ''HumongousMecha'' example. It is one of the most powerful ancient ATAC mecha, one with the power to MindControl foes. Zulwarn also has a corrupting influence on anyone who is crazy enough to pilot it, though it's not so obvious when the pilot is ''already'' evil. And unlike other ATAC mecha, Zulwarn doesn't rely on a powerstone -- it is fueled by ''human blood''. |
| 350 | * ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'': |
| 351 | ** Frostmourne of ''Warcraft III'' is one of these. It even corrupts the wielder (not that the wielder wasn't asking for it), and hungers for souls. It can drain the victim's soul to strengthen the wielder or to be later reanimated. There's even a warning inscribed on the dais where Arthas finds it: |
| 352 | --->''Whomsoever takes up this blade shall wield power eternal. [[PowerAtAPrice Just as the blade rends flesh, so must power scar the spirit]].'' |
| 353 | ** In fact, all death knight runeblades are sentient to a degree, and share a bond with their owner. Because the runes put on it each contain part of the wielder's soul. |
| 354 | ** Another example from ''Warcraft'' is Atiesh, greatstaff of Medivh, the last Guardian. When Medivh got possessed by Sargeras, the creator of [[LegionsOfHell the Burning Legion]], he sealed a powerful demon inside his staff, turning it into an evil weapon with terrifying magic powers. The staff was later shattered to prevent it from falling into evil hands, but in the Level 60 version of Naxxramas, players can acquire its pieces to remake it and then banish the demon, making it wieldable. |
| 355 | ** Yet another example is the corrupted Ashbringer, also from the Level 60 version of Naxramas. Ashbringer was/is the exact opposite of this trope, being a sword made specifically to destroy any unholy beings, but after its wielder got murdered by his son, it became corrupted. Players who wield the corrupted Ashbringer (prior to it being removed from the game) will occasionally hear the sword whisper to them in a creepy voice. In the ''Wrath of the Lich King'' expansion the sword is cleansed and is now wielded by Highlord Tirion Fordring, the leader of the Argent Crusade. [[spoiler: It even shattered Frostmourne at the end]]. |
| 356 | ** More examples include several of the Artifact Weapons introduced in Legion, such as Apocalypse, a murderous greatsword that Unholy-spec Death Knights get, the cursed Dreadblades that Outlaw Rogues end up with, and literally all of the Warlock's possible Artifact Weapons. Shadow Priests even get a talking Old-God-related dagger with a [[ArousedByTheirVoice disconcertingly attractive]] [[HearingVoices voice]]. Oddly enough, the Frost Death Knight swords, Icebringer and Frostreaper, despite being made from the remains of ''Warcraft'''s king of this trope, Frostmourne, manage [[SubvertedTrope not]] to be. |
| 357 | ** Kingsmourne, another runeblade, outright ''enslaves'' its wielder to do the Jailer's will. [[spoiler:Made even more galling since it was originally Shalamayne before the Jailer reforged it and its wielder is Anduin.]] |
| 358 | * ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': The [[{{BFS}} greatsword]] War is actually the last piece of the massive Sentient battleship, Hunhow. Despite being reduced to a state where he can't even move on his own, he is still fully intelligent, able to talk the Stalker over to his cause, and nearly destroys the Tenno. You can get a blueprint for War, [[GameplayAndStorySegregation but it acts exactly the same as any other greatsword when you use it]], because it broke in half and was then repaired. |
| 359 | * Several games in the ''VideoGame/WorldOfMana'' series feature floating possessed swords as enemies. |
| 360 | * ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'': [[spoiler: The [[LegendaryWeapon Monado]] itself, [[LivingWeapon containing the soul]] of EvilGod Zanza. Initially it doesn't do much actively evil besides [[PowerAtAPrice injuring]] or temporarily [[WeaponWieldsYou possessing]] anyone [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield it doesn't want to wield it]], but later on it starts to actively encourage Shulk to give in to violence and revenge. Once Zanza is unleashed, we get to see just how evil he really is, being an OmnicidalManiac that considers all other life nothing but his playthings.]] |
| 361 | * ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'': Blades generally take after the person who resonated with their core crystal, whether for good or evil, although some do show the capacity to change. The most notable evil blades reflect this, being [[spoiler: [[BigBad Malos]], who merely took on the same evil worldview of his driver, and [[TheDragon Jin]], who was once a hero like his driver before suffering enough to become a FallenHero.]] |
| 362 | [[/folder]] |
| 363 | |
| 364 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 365 | * Komiyan from ''Webcomic/{{Darken}}'' acquired a MorphWeapon called Blackshard, also a particularly [[TalkingWeapon chatty]] one. Before he got it he was warned to be wary of it by a Devil's consort. Currently [[spoiler: it's possessing the body of one of his enemies, and is thrilled to have limbs. And is acting increasingly sinister.]] It's eventually revealed that [[spoiler: the sword is an evil shapeshifter trapped in a gem and affixed to the sword, and was trying to drive Komi mad so it could take over his body. After fleeing it started working for [[BigBad Baal]].]] |
| 366 | * ''Webcomic/TheHandbookOfHeroes'' has Fighter's sword, Mr. Stabby. It's a black sword with a glowing red aura that constantly chants "blood blood blood" and tries to drive whoever wields it to violence. |
| 367 | * ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': |
| 368 | ** One of the strips from the comic's brief run in ''Magazine/{{Dragon}} Magazine'' features a glowing black talking sword that Elan wanted Vaarsuvius to identify. When the elf told him to come back later, the sword said that it was cool, no problem, and hey, want to go kill some people while we wait? |
| 369 | ** Tarquin's axe, as revealed in a bonus strip in the printed book, is an intelligent weapon that seeks blood and destruction, and can possess Evil characters. Tarquin was simply strong-willed enough that he could overpower it and force the axe to obey him. [[spoiler:It briefly possesses Belkar, but Roy grabs it before it can do any damage and chucks it down a pit, where it is forgotten and buried.]] |
| 370 | * ''Webcomic/KeychainOfCreation'' has Cluivnarihe, the ([[TheUnpronounceable unpronounceable]]) soulsteel weapon used by Secret. To be frank, Cluivnarihe is kind of a jerk. |
| 371 | * ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' had a GenreShift story in Japan where a man was possessed by an evil katana and forced to slaughter. When he briefly broke free of its control he drove a dagger into his eye, but it didn't let him die. |
| 372 | * ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'': The [[TalkingWeapon talking sword]] Unholy Evil Death Bringer, aka. Weeping God or Chaz, is something of an instant {{subversion}} in that in spite of its name, its personality immediately turns out to be [[TrueNeutral morally neutral]] and it only does what its wielder wills. Still, it continues to fit the trope in being [[PoweredByAForsakenChild powered by the blood of the innocent]]. The innocent person doesn't actually have to die to power it -- though since it's a god-killing weapon, trying to nick someone with it to get a small blood sample might not be a good idea. |
| 373 | * ''Webcomic/TheWaterPhoenixKing'' has recently given us "Malice," the most powerful blade ever forged by an archangelic servant of the titular Yamra known as [[LightIsNotGood "The Torture Lord"]] to replace Our Heroine's original sword after it's broken by one of her nemeses. [[DarkMagicalGirl Genre-Savvy Anthem]] objects rather strenuously when discovering what her [[SpiritAdvisor Mentor]] is giving her -- "You're giving '''''me''''' an evil sword?" -- but he's confident that it won't be a problem. The blade itself, which cleaves supernatural beings with ease, looks a little bit like a straightened katana with an extra hook cut from a redshifted nebula, and was made from [[spoiler: Kawunei's agony during the time that he and Gilgam were [=POW=]s]] so essentially she's carrying around a piece of his soul; he is apparently resigned to it, but not terribly happy about this. |
| 374 | [[/folder]] |
| 375 | |
| 376 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 377 | * In ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'', [[spoiler: it is averted. The soul trapped in Linkara's magic gun destroyed her parents when they tortured her to death in order to forge her into a weapon, but she considers Linkara a friend and protected him from Silent Hill's influence.]] |
| 378 | * ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' |
| 379 | ** Lord Briarwood's blade, Craven Edge is this. [[spoiler: As a greatsword it is of course wielded by Grog. It constantly whispers to him, craving fresh blood, and occasionally seems to influence Grog into being... slightly more of a [[BloodKnight bloodthirtsy maniac]] than usual. Then you read Craven Edge's stats. If its ability to absorb the strength of the people it cuts is used too often, it can outright kill the wielder the next time they sleep.]] |
| 380 | ** The same goes for Percy's first pepperbox pistol, The List. [[spoiler:It was forged after Percy became a host for Orthax, a malevolent spirit that forges revenge pacts to sate its hunger for souls. The barrels of The List are magically engraved with the names of Percy's mortal enemies (including the aforementioned Lord Briarwood), and when one of them is nearby, Orthax begins to exert his influence, making Percy more violent and less receptive to reason. If Percy even considers sparing one of his targets, Orthax will go as far as to force Percy to attack.]] |
| 381 | * In ''Roleplay/TheGamersAlliance'', the Sword of Darkness grants its wielder immense power but also actively corrupts him or her into becoming a dark knight. Once the sword is drawn, it can't be sheathed until it has tasted blood. |
| 382 | * Perhaps inevitably, the Literature/WhateleyUniverse has one definite, and one possible: |
| 383 | ** The cursed longsword [[SealedEvilInACan Imalris]] from ''Ill Winds'' definitely qualifies. Just summoning it devours the soul of the summoner. |
| 384 | * The ''Website/SCPFoundation'' has plenty of evil weaponry, but one that stands out is actually a subversion, the "[[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-572 Katana of Apparent Invincibility]]". This sword imbues the wielder with the '''impression''' of great power and drives them to attempt dangerous actions that are almost guaranteed to end terribly because the sword actually grants no supernatural combat skill whatsoever and is, in and of itself, a shitty sword with unnecessary cutting parts that are apparently a lot sharper than its actual edge, which is blunt as a butter knife. In contrast to the usual evil weapon, it's pretty much harmless to others, but almost guaranteed to get the wielder injured or killed, so it still handily qualifies. |
| 385 | [[/folder]] |
| 386 | |
| 387 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 388 | * The Grass Sword from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', which binds itself to Finn and slowly starts to possess his body with horrible, plant-like growths. This ultimately turns out to be a subversion: the sword isn't necessarily evil, just really clingy. When Finn admits he's never going to be rid of the sword and just decides to live with it, the sword, happy with that, [[CursedWithAwesome returns Finn to normal and becomes a grass bracelet from which Finn can summon it at will]] [[spoiler: and potentially saves his life when he loses his arm for unrelated reasons, by covering the stump in plant matter so he doesn't bleed out.]] |
| 389 | * Mumm-Ra's Sword of Plundarr from ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' is outright said by Lion-O to be evil, and we find out that [[spoiler:it was created through the destruction of a solar system by collapsing its star, meaning it's powered by the deaths of billions of lives lost. Interestingly, while the Sword of Omens was forged from the same metal, it is not considered evil, presumably because it was only made from fragments leftover, and was not imbued with the spell that the Ancient Spirits seemed to cast on the Sword of Plundarr.]] |
| 390 | * Rubilax from ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'' is a [[SealedEvilInACan Sealed Demon in a Sword]] whose greatest desire is for absolute carnage and happens to be able to [[DemonicPossession possess people]]. Near the end of Season 1, he manages to break free from the sword and fights Sadlygrove, and seals himself back in the weapon upon his defeat. |
| 391 | [[/folder]] |
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