Sword Pointing - Television Tropes & Idioms

En garde!

A character points a sword forward, either to challenge an enemy or command an army. Depending on how heavy the weapon is, this might be hard as hell to do in real life for any extended time period.

Similar with Giving Someone the Pointer Finger, only with a weapon. Overlaps with Sean Connery Is About to Shoot You when the character is facing the audience. This can also be used with Rearing Horse for extra Cool points. Compare Stab the Sky and Sword Plant.

Examples

General

Pretty much the default for any fencer (assuming it's portrayed properly). The same style (although the shape of the wrist means that the blade is naturally held at 45 degrees to it rather than pointed straight ahead) can be used in knife fighting where it's called the "sabre grip" amoungst other things.
- It should be noted, though, that this "default" position should not have one's weapon arm fully extended; at the risk of sounding redundant, if one's arm is already fully extended then that arm can't be extended any further to parry attacks or take advantage of openings left by one's opponent.
A practical application exists in foil and sabre fencing, in the technique known as 'point-in-line'. By fully extending the sword arm and pointing the sword's tip directly at the opponent's target area*
before the opponent begins an attack and while he/she is outside the user's lunging distance
, the user establishes attacking priority. If the user successfully lands a hit without breaking the stance and without the two blades making contact, the point is his outright, regardless of whether or not the opponent also landed a hit.
A two-handed version shows up in European longsword fencing, where it's known as "langenort" or the long point. It's often held such to provoke the enemy or drive them back through superior reach, but it's not relied on as a guard as it can be gotten around with certain techniques. It's usually not a starting position, though.

Anime and Manga

Sunrise's "Brave Perspective", which is used in almost all of the animes made by Sunrise.
Bleach anime
- Episode 22: When Gin Ichimaru tries to stop Ichigo and friends from entering the Seireitei, Ichigo points his sword at Gin while challenging him.
- Episode 58: Ichigo does it twice to Byakuya during their duel: once while invoking his Bankai, and again just after he achieves Bankai state.
- During their duel Kenpachi Zaraki does it at least four times to the Espada Nnoitra and Nnoitra does it at least once to Kenpachi.
- Episode 176: Rukia does it to Doko Jinnai, the assassin she's fighting. In the same episode Kuzuryu does it to Uryu Ishida.
- Episode 183: Kira does this to a ninja-like opponent.
- Episode 185: Kira to Makoto Kibune during their duel.
- Episode 186: Ichigo to Kumoi
- Episode 187: Ichigo to Captain Amagai
- Episode 220: Captain Komamura does this to his Arrancar opponent Poww while unleashing his bankai.
- Episode 234: Ichigo's hollow form does it to Muramasa while asking him who he is.
- Episode 235: Ichigo's hollow form does it to Muramasa again, and Renji does it to his zanpakuto's spirit form.
- Episode 241: Renji does it to Captain Kuchiki while arresting him.
- Episode 242: Renji does it to Captain Kuchiki again while demanding that he not leave and Ikakku does it to his zanpakuto's spirit before the finale of their battle.
- Episode 244: Captain Kuchiki's zanpakuto's spirit does it to Ichigo.
- Episode 255: During their confrontation Ichigo and Muramasa do this to each other.
- Episode 269: Ulquiorra does it to Ichigo while releasing his sword and changing to Resurrecci�n form.
- Episodes 273-274: During their fight, Captain Hitsugaya does it several times to Harribel.
- Episode 281: Sosuke Aizen does it to the Arrancar Barragan after using his zanpakuto's illusion power on him.
- Episode 298: Ichigo does it to Rangiku Matsumoto, who's playing the character of an evil alien in a film.
Chrona from Soul Eater tended to assume a stance like this (when Ragnorak took the form of a broadsword) with hir sword pointed ahead and off hand arm folded across hir chest.
Signum of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha does this on several occasions, such as to Fate near the start of their battle in Episode 9 of As.
Hanaukyo Maid Tai La Verite. Konoe Tsuragi's "sister" does this twice: once to Konoe in Episode 8 while training her in sword play, and once in episode 10 to Yashima Sanae.
Olivier Mira Armstrong in Fullmetal Alchemist does it numerous times, even to her own subordinate once.
Hiei of Yu Yu Hakusho enjoys this trope.
Bound to happen at least once an episode in Sengoku Basara. Masamune and Yukimura particularly like to employ it.
InuYasha does this all the damn time. Because just pointing would be ridiculous.

Fan Works

In How I Became Yours, Sokka does this during his confrontation with an amnesiac Azula. He and Sho later do this again in their duel.

Film

Theoden uses this gesture when commanding the Rohirrim to charge during The Two Towers.
This trailer for 300, done by Leonidas (at 0:39).
In Spaceballs, Lone Starr and Dark Helmet duel with their lightsaber-like Schwartz sabers. At one point, they circle each other menacingly, sabers pointed at length, so the very tips crackle and spark when they come in contact with each other.
The Pirates of the Caribbean movies include too many examples to list. Ian Mc Shane, playing Blackbeard in the 4th film, is particularly good at it.
The Matrix Reloaded. Morpheus does it to the Agent with a samurai sword while fighting him on the top of the truck.
Archibald Cunningham does this a few times in Rob Roy to toy with his opponent in the final duel. He holds his rapier out in front of Rob's face, and every time Rob swings his heavy claymore around to bat it away, Cunningham just flicks it right back to the same position.
Serenity. The Operative does this to Captain Mal when he first draws his sword during their fight in Mr. Universe's complex.
In The Princess Bride, Wesley uses this pose to threaten Prince Humperdink into surrendering, despite the fact that we know he's barely strong enough to stand. "Drop. Your. Sword."
Seen a lot in Star Wars, but especially notable in Revenge of the Sith where the lightsabers are given points.
Kill Bill Vol. 2. Just before The Bride has her brief sword fight with Elle Driver, they point their katanas at each other.

Literature

The Wheel of Time actually establishes standard signal for "charge" as "the commander lifts his sword/spear/whatever upwards, then swings it down to point at the enemy".
From the Blade Of Tyshalle:
Big Bad: ...You've learned a new trick. Come, then: Let us meet as men, standing face-to-face, for the surrender of the sword. I applaud your sense of ceremony: Grant and Lee at Appomattox Courthouse, rather than Brutus at the feet of Ant-
Caine: (points Kosall at him) You talk too fucking much. You and me, we both know what's going on here, and it has nothing to do with surrender.

Tabletop Games

The fourth edition essentials knight in Dungeons & Dragons has this as one of his powers to draw an enemy closer to him. It's described as challenging a specific monster and allowing his allies peer pressure to do the rest of the work.

Video Games

Dante, Vergil, and Nero frequently done this in Devil May Cry. Vergil's scene at 0:54.
In Mega Man Zero, Harpuia's Desperation Attack (at 0:32) involves this, albeit aimed lower at an angle, as he's floating high on the air.
Bartz does this when confronting his Arch-Enemy Ex-Death during a pre-battle cutscene in Dissidia: Final Fantasy. For the Squee of the audience, he does this while holding his partners's weapons: the Buster Sword to his back and the Revolver Gunblade pointed at the opponent. In the same game, this is also the Warrior of Light's pre-battle Ass Kicking Pose.
- In Final Fantasy VIII, this is Seifer's standard combat pose with his Gunblade. Amusingly, it's also Laguna's pose when play-acting as a sword-wielding knight for a movie, setting off theories that Seifer saw this movie and was thus inspired.
In the Soul Series of video games, in a couple of each of their victory poses, Siegfried and Nightmare point with their BFS.
In Castlevania Judgment, one of Death's winposes is pointing his scythe downward at the opponent/camera.
During the Subspace Emissary; Ike, Marth, and Metaknight do this at the same time before part 3 of the Battlefield Fortress.
- And before facing off with Galleom.
From the Kirby games, the aforementioned Meta Knight also does this before the fight with Kirby.
Mega Man X 4: Colonel does this to X (at 0:16).
Trish does this with her Sparda in one of her hypers in Marvel Vs Capcom 3 (at 0:27).
The Lich King does this often and during the intro to Wrath of the Lich King.
Caim's Idle Animation in Drakengard is pointing his weapon with one hand. He can do this even with Hymir's Finger, which is otherwise the heaviest weapon in the game.
Leonhardt does this all the time in cutscenes. His great-grandson Rex does this too in the True End Route with style.
Riku does this before you fight him in the original Kingdom Hearts Game
Sora, Riku, and King Mickey do this with their Key blades in Kingdom Hearts II upon confronting Xemnas. They soon relax once they start talking to him.
Link in Skyward Sword ends up doing this a lot due to the motion controls and most players' habit of pointing the Wiimote directly at the screen.
Aden does this in the beginning of Rune Factory Tides of Destiny.
- Also the Masked Man does this before the final battle ensues.
In the cross over game Project X Zone, Sanger, Kaguya, Zero, Yuri, Soma, and Gemini do this in the opening (at 1:25).