History Main / KatanasAreJustBetter

* Averted in ''TabletopGame/FengShui'', which lumps katanas and every other sword you can wield under the category of "sword", which along with spears do the most damage out of all melee weapons of the game, particularly when you take one as a Signature Weapon. ''Feng Shui'' being ''Feng Shui'' though, that just means that you get to use said katana to rock all over the opposition without having to worry about stealing the other characters' thunder.

* In the ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' between [[VideoGame NinjaGaiden Ryu Hayabusa]] and [[VideoGame/{{Strider}} Strider Hiryu]], much hype is given to Ryu's True Dragon Sword katana during the analysis, and in the battle itself [[spoiler:it proves to be his only weapon that could withstand Hiryu's [[HotBlade cypher]]]].

* In ''MassEffect3'', Cerberus Phantoms and [[TheDragon Kai Leng]] wield katanas, and Phantoms are incredibly agile and hard to hit while Kai Leng has the strongest shields in the game, making them both very formidable enemies.

* [[{{Samurai}} Micaiah's]] Seiran in ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid''. In contrast to most of the more hi-tech swords of the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise, Seiran is just a normal physical katana. However, it makes up for it by being an AbsurdlySharpBlade, capable of slicing a falling bus into fours in an instant, a feat that impresses the {{Cyborg}} swordswoman Deed, who doubted if she herself could do it without her LaserBlade.

* [[{{Samurai}} Micaiah's]] Seiran in ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid''. In contrast to most of the more hi-tech swords of the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise, Seiran is just a normal physical katana. However, it makes up for it by being an AbsurdlySharpBlade, capable of slicing a falling bus into fours in an instant, a feat that impresses the {{Cyborg}} swordswoman Deed, who doubts if she herself could do it with her LaserBlade.

[[caption-width-right:300:[[GunsAreWorthless Pfft. Forget those assault rifles. What damage can they do?]]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:Pfft. Forget those assault rifles. What damage can they do?]]

[[caption-width-right:300:[-[[Film/TheMatrix Duuuuuude]].-] ]]

WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter is a SubTrope. We also have a UsefulNotes page on UsefulNotes/{{Swords}}; add further details of RealLife swords and katanas there. Those wielding a katana may [[SwipeYourBladeOff Swipe Their Blades Off]].

* Zig-zagged in MutantChronicles. Mishiman katana are better than all other readily available swords, but the claymores forged by the master-smiths of clan Gallagher are the finest (and most hideously expensive) blades in the Solar System.

** Arrancar seal their powers, in a manner that makes them [[BishonenLine more humanoid]], generally. Their power is sealed within a katana, for no particular reason other than katana being better is just the norm for the series.

* For a series about disgraced samurai-turned-assassin, ''Manga/LoneWolfAndCub'' sure averts the heck out of this one: the protagonist doesn't use a regular katana in the first place, he is just as likely to skewer his opponents with one of many spears concealed in his son's cart, and Guns. Are. Better. Period.

* Averted ironically in ''Manga/{{Vagabond}}'' -- MiyamotoMusashi's victories are not due to the superiority of any weapon he uses, but through his skills and strength. Multiple swords break throughout the story. Various characters comment on how by their time firearms have surpassed swords on the battlefield. The only two times where a gun vs. sword encounter is shown, the swordsman's win has nothing to do with the sword. (The first has the gunner being caught by another swordsman after shooting a young Musashi in the leg, the second has grown-up Musashi closing the distance so quickly -- despite standing right in front of the wielder -- that the other guy simply tossed it aside, claiming that he didn't even know how to use it and that it was probably inoperable anyway.)

* Averted in the ''LightNovel/TheTwelveKingdoms'' where the commonly used sword is the Jian sword, as seen with Yoko.
* Averted in OVA ''YakumoTatsu'', where Kuraki has inherited the family's ancient japanese ceremonial sword: a chinese Jian sword.

* Averted in ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne''. Whatever Van carries is ''not'' a katana. In fact, it looks like a ''tachi'' blade with a European bastard sword mounting.

* ''Manga/KamuiDen'': Averted. While there's plenty of fancy swordwork in the series, characters with access to firearms make good use of them.

* Interestingly, averted in ''Manga/BladeOfTheImmortal'' -- many fighters in the series use katanas, but the major characters generally use other weapons: Anotsu uses a Chinese sword and axe; Makie uses a double-bladed pike; Rin uses throwing knives; Manji uses a wide array of weird-looking blades; Shira uses [[spoiler:the sharpened end of his own armbones]]; et cetera.

* Cypha of Huckebein from ''[[MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha Magical War Chronicles Lyrical Nanoha Force]]''. Naturally, she faces the Sword Knight [[LadyOfWar Signum]] on her first appearance. Cypha averts the "just better" part of the trope, however. She's actually a rather sub-par swordswoman (at least in comparison to [[{{Badass}} Signum]]) while her divider is in its katana form, and Signum rather soundly kicks her ass in the first half of the fight. Then Cypha turns her katana into a pair of {{BFS}}s [[GameBreaker which make her immune to magic]], [[TheWorfEffect and down goes the Blazing General]].
* Averted in ''VisualNovel/{{Demonbane}}''. Bring all the katanas you want, you're still getting fought to a tie by an [[GoodOldFisticuffs unarmed]] [[BattleButler butler]].
* Subverted in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''. Dorchette (the dog-chimera) wields a katana and gets beaten every time. By unarmed opponents. Also, the best swordsman in the series, Führer King Bradley, wields Western-style straight-blade sabers.

* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''
** Kamina steals a katana from the village chief in Episode One, and promptly brandishes it at a ''giant freaking robot.'' [[AvertedTrope Averted,]] though, as he never actually wins a fight with the thing. Kamina's katana is probably the longest one ever depicted, compared to the wielder's size. In episode 3 he spends 10-15 seconds drawing his katana at a pretty okay speed, despite the scabbard only being a meter long, yet somehow, [[RuleOfCool he can have a 6 meter long katana inside that scabbard]].
** Viral combines this with {{Black Swords are Better}}, with all but one of his mechs wielding [[MultiArmedAndDangerous at least]] two enormous katanas. He also manages to avert both tropes by having his blades effortlessly destroyed by the hero's [[ThisIsADrill drills]].
* Averted in ''Anime/SwordOfTheStranger'': towards the end of his fight with Luo-Lang, [[spoiler: the point of Nanashi's katana breaks off. Luo-Lang and Nanashi drop their swords in their fight, and end up with each other's weapon. Nanashi kills Luo-Lang with his own dao]].

* Averted, interestingly enough, in ''TabletopGame/{{Magic|TheGathering}}'''s Japanese-themed Kamigawa block, which takes advantage of the possibilities for exotic weapons when it comes to its equipment cards. There are [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=75291 two]] [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=50484 specific]] legendary rare weapons (three if you insist on counting Oathkeeper as two swords, but really only two ''cards'') plus the generic [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=75265 No-Dachi]], but no straight-up plain katanas, and the strongest equipment card by general consensus is actually a [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=81979 legendary jitte]] (sword-catcher).

* Averted in ''ComicBook/JenniferBlood'' Issue 4, in which the eponymous antiheroine easily dispatches three ninja by shooting them. She does ultimately decapitate the ninja leader with her own katana, and even says that she was impressed that it could take a person's head off with a single blow, but she still says that it's silly to use one in an age of automatic firearms.

* Katana, wakizashi, and nodachi are secret weapons in ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade''. Subverted because comparable buyable weapons are statistically better, and can even have positive modifiers, which the secret weapons can't have, due to being unbuyable. Due to being free, relatively easy to locate, and more powerful than most gear that can be found at low levels, they make fine DiscOneNuke{{s}}, but fall well short of late-game gear.

* Every game in the {{ForbiddenSiren}} features a katana as a weapon. In the first game, it's the Homurangi, the traditions-old blade in Jun's real family, obtained after [[spoiler: killing a shibito-turned Jun during the final battle and used against Datatsushi]]. This is same for the game's remake/reimagining, Siren: Blood Curse. In the second game, the blades in the final boss fight are actually transformed versions of artefacts that are from the body of the deity [[spoiler: that created Mother and Otoshigo]].

->''There's nothing more reliable than a Japanese sword, is there?''
-->-- '''Saito Hajime''', ''RurouniKenshin''

!!Examples:

* Yoh from ''ShamanKing'' is a good example of this trope. Even if he is using the sword of his 600 year old spirit, Amidamaru, it's still him using it. It tends to grow in size when he uses his Over Soul's second version. He's also usually the winner. Unless he doesn't wanna be. Such a lazy boy. This Over Soul also tends to be able to change its shape with...Yoh's mind...right.
** Matamune is a Badass cat. He's the first katana that Yoh uses as a guardian spirit. Good pussy cat. Kill the Oni.
* Assassin from ''FateStayNight'' is a pretty cool guy, he uses a katana ([[EveryJapaneseSwordIsAKatana nodachi, really]]) and isn't afraid of anything. The long range of his weapon, excellent skills, and a nigh-undodgeable ultimate technique make him a very difficult recurring opponent to the Western swordswoman protagonist, Saber. This technique isn't even really a special, unique skill like the other Servants have - [[BadassNormal He's just that good.]]
** The difference in the swords is actually commented upon by Assassin. Saber uses a heavy western sword useful for chopping, blocking and endurance fighting. Assassin's nodachi is a good sword, but it's a lot lighter and more suited for quick kills because it's not strong enough to block. When he stops parrying and actually blocks an attack to get into a better position, his sword gets bent slightly and he [[spoiler:ends up losing the fight because it creates a gap in his ultimate technique.]] The weapons screen also notes that his sword isn't useful for actual battle, but since he's such a badass he can do it anyway.
*** Swords bending during the fight was a very common thing. Historical records are ''chock full'' of mentions of mutually agreed timeouts during the battle to right up the bent and replace the broken swords and other weapons, regardless of location: these happened in Japan, in Europe, in Middle East, even in China and India.
* Sort of present in ''OnePiece''. Many of the series' prominent swordsmen (Zoro, Tashigi, and Ryuuma) wield katana or similar swords. However, the greatest swordsman in the world uses what seems to be an enormous Grossemesser or Dao.
* Aya, the primary protagonist of ''WeissKreuz'', uses a katana as his weapon of choice even against enemies wielding guns, and pulls off a couple of {{Diagonal Cut}}s throughout the original series. On the other hand, the trope is also subverted several times throughout the series:

* ''CodeGeass'' has HumongousMecha wielding katana with superheated '''[[ChainsawGood chainsaw]]''' blades. Their superiority comes from the fact that they're one of the two types of powered melee weapons in the show's universe, with TheEmpire preferring to use [[VibroWeapon vibro-swords]] as introduced on the Lancelot SuperPrototype. Turning it up a few notches, Kyoshiro Tohdoh, CG's Manly Japanese Guy has a Chainsaw Katana with ''rockets'' on it. To make it hit harder, of course. And change directions, letting him hit you, even if you dodge. And a rocket powered spike thing on the bottom of the handle, just in case you can dodge that, too.

* Hatsu from ''TowerOfGod'' dual wields Katana, though it is not a simple as you think. One is a FlyingWeapon, the other shoots {{Sword Beam}}s. So these Katana actually ''are'' better. To contrast that, Hong Chunhwa's Narumada is a european longsword that also can fire {{Sword Beam}}s. Both Narumada and The Sword That Flies Lower Than Any are known as ignition weapons.
* ''CowboyBebop'''s Vicious, in a world where most characters are gunmen or martial artists, uses a katana as his weapon of choice. And he is damn good with it, good enough to match his rival, TheGunslinger Spike Spiegel, in no fewer than two one-on-one duels. It helps that he was probably hopped up on [[FantasticDrug Red]] [[CaffeineBulletTime Eye]].
* As is Ginji Matsuzaki from ''BlackLagoon'', an underboss of the Washimine Group who takes a shirasaya katana to a mess of gunslinging yakuza goons and performs [[ImplausibleFencingPowers feats like slicing bullets in half]] and slicing one cocky yakuza's gun (and his hands!) to pieces. He's even {{Badass}} enough to take on Revy herself on equal footing in a one-on-one battle to the death, even though [[spoiler:he ultimately throws the fight and loses]].
* Lowe Gear in ''GundamSEEDAstray'' prefers the HumongousMecha-sized katana Gerbera Straight to the [[LaserBlade Beam Swords]] his mecha comes with. Partially justified in that Beam Swords ''are'' rather power-intensive and the mobile suits of the Cosmic Era typically use finite batteries rather than nuclear reactors as in past series (not that this helps Lowe, as [[HotBlooded his fighting style]] tends to drain Red Frame's battery very fast).
* Played very straight in ''Astray R'', where the Gerbera Straight is portrayed as being much, ''much'' better than the Western-style swords used by the GINN and CGUE mobile suits. Moreover, in what may be the ultimate example of this trope, OldMaster Un No uses his normal, human-scale katana to do a CleanCut on a mobile suit's beam rifle, ''twice.''
* Subverted in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Gundam 00]]'': Graham Aker's HumongousMecha uses a solid katana when he tries to finish off the 00 Raiser with an overhead swing, but Setsuna just grabs the blade with the 00's hands and shatters the sword by bending it backwards.
* 'Anime/TurnAGundam'', features eventual villain Gym Ghingham who carries a katana and insists he is a samurai.
* Justified in ''LupinIII''; Goemon's katana is made from a specialized metal hard enough to cleave steel. In the manga, it's [[ThunderboltIron meteoric iron]]; in the anime, it's an [[{{Unobtainium}} unearthly metal or alloy]]. Subverted in that there are rare objects and materials in the series that are not affected by the sword or actually break it.
* For a series about disgraced samurai-turned-assassin, ''LoneWolfAndCub'' sure averts the heck out of this one: the protagonist doesn't use a regular katana in the first place, he is just as likely to skewer his opponents with one of many spears concealed in his son's cart, and Guns. Are. Better. Period.
* Used interestingly in ''BusouRenkin''. The Sword Samurai X Busou Renkin is noted to be abnormally fast and accurate, but is otherwise played as the equal counterpart to the main character's [[BladeOnAStick European-super-lancey-thing Busou Renkin]], itself excelling in overpowering the opposition. It doesn't necessarily help matters that the character holding the sword had previously been training in kendo, and a bokken is ''very'' different in weight to a katana. It's also totally useless against European Victor's axe-type Busou Renkin, Fatal Attraction.
* Averted ironically in ''{{Vagabond}}'' -- MiyamotoMusashi's victories are not due to the superiority of any weapon he uses, but through his skills and strength. Multiple swords break throughout the story. Various characters comment on how by their time firearms have surpassed swords on the battlefield. The only two times where a gun vs. sword encounter is shown, the swordsman's win has nothing to do with the sword. (The first has the gunner being caught by another swordsman after shooting a young Musashi in the leg, the second has grown-up Musashi closing the distance so quickly -- despite standing right in front of the wielder -- that the other guy simply tossed it aside, claiming that he didn't even know how to use it and that it was probably inoperable anyway.)
* [[http://bp0.blogger.com/_3Ih4IXFGzXo/SEZplD5wPMI/AAAAAAAAAPA/Nx5pzu-alzY/s1600-h/rawr3.jpeg Ryou Asakura]] from ''FanFic/SuzumiyaHaruhiNoSeitenkan'' has this as his WeaponOfChoice when he attacks [[SugarAndIce Kyonko]].

* ''DragonBall'' has Yajirobe, a rotund samurai uses a katana. His [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome one main moment of fame]] was using his sword in a surprise attack on Oozaru Vegeta, which revealed that Yajirobe's katana was the only thing that could penetrate Vegeta's armour ''and'' actually ''hurt him''.
** In his first appearance, he effortlessly slices one of Piccolo Daimao's offspring to pieces. At the time the Daimao's offspring were feared and considered extremely powerful, capable of killing seasoned martial artists without breaking a sweat.
** Janemba (one of the more monstrous nutcases from the many DBZ films) uses some kind of sword against Super Saiyan 3 Goku - at that point one of the strongest non-fused character in the series - and severly injures him. The sword seems to be based on the Western variety.
* In ''SaiyukiGaiden'', Tenpou Gensui is a soldier who fights with a katana, interesting because as a god and an agent of Heaven, he's not permitted to take a life (even the gunslingers in his group of soldiers only have stunguns), although when he throws all rules out the window, he's shown to be pretty damn good with it. Also interestingly, katanas are rare in the ''Saiyuki'' universe (other than the cannon fodder opponents at the end of ''Gaiden'', Tenpou is the only character shown using one), possibly because it's set in China rather than Japan. His reincarnation, Cho Hakkai, uses no weapon and is, instead, a gifted martial artist and manipulator of chi.
* Averted in ''PrincessMononoke'' where the katana-armed samurai prove to be no match for Ashitaka, who wields a straight, chinese-pattern sword as befits the last prince of a precursor culture.
* Averted in the ''TheTwelveKingdoms'' where the commonly used sword is the Jian sword, as seen with Yoko.

* Averted in ''{{Escaflowne}}''. Whatever Van carries is ''not'' a katana. In fact, it looks like a ''tachi'' blade with a European bastard sword mounting.

* ''TheSacredBlacksmith'' runs wild with this trope in the first episode. Luke Ainsworth uses a katana to cleave clean through a [[{{BFS}} giant claymore]], with the show's heroine spending the rest of the episode fawning over the exotic super-blade that chops through everything other swords can't. Then said katana breaks when blocking ice. So... yeah.

* Interestingly, averted in ''BladeOfTheImmortal'' -- many fighters in the series use katanas, but the major characters generally use other weapons: Anotsu uses a Chinese sword and axe; Makie uses a double-bladed pike; Rin uses throwing knives; Manji uses a wide array of weird-looking blades; Shira uses [[spoiler:the sharpened end of his own armbones]]; et cetera.
* ''[[SamuraiSeven Samurai 7]]''; samurai armed with katana are able to take on powered armor, cyborgs, and more. One enemy samurai turns to using a {{BFG}}; he is looked down upon for it, as are the former samurai cyborg bandits, who have given up their bodies and, according to Kambei, their honor as well. He insults them, doubting they were ever samurai.
* In ''Manga/SoulEater'', Tsubaki has a katana as one of her several forms; Mifune had [[FieldOfBlades many katanas]]; Ragnarok has recently been shown in a katana form, a departure from his usual shape as a decidedly Western sword design.
** Becomes a subversion when you remember [[InfinityPlusOneSword Excalibur]] surpasses all of them.
* Cypha of Huckebein from ''[[MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha Magical War Chronicles Lyrical Nanoha Force]]''. Naturally, she faces the Sword Knight [[LadyOfWar Signum]] on her first appearance.
** Cypha averts the "just better" part of the trope, however. She's actually a rather sub-par swordswoman (at least in comparison to [[{{Badass}} Signum]]) while her divider is in its katana form, and Signum rather soundly kicks her ass in the first half of the fight. Then Cypha turns her katana into a pair of {{BFS}}s [[GameBreaker which make her immune to magic]], [[TheWorfEffect and down goes the Blazing General]].
* Averted in ''{{Demonbane}}''. Bring all the katanas you want, you're still getting fought to a tie by an [[GoodOldFisticuffs unarmed]] [[BattleButler butler]].

* Played straight in the fifth ''KaraNoKyoukai'' movie. When Shiki gets her hands on a katana, she becomes exponentially more proficient and deadly.

-->Zanbamon: The gun is mightier than the sword, but the katana surpasses the gun.

* [[{{Zoids}} Zoids Generations]] has Liger Blue Souga, a [[AnimalMecha lion]] [[HumongousMecha mecha]] that wields a katana ''with its mouth.''
* Kamina of [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Gurren Lagann]] steals a katana from the village chief in Episode One, and promptly brandishes it at a ''giant freaking robot.'' [[AvertedTrope Averted,]] though, as he never actually wins a fight with the thing.
** Kamina's katana is probably the longest one ever depicted, compared to the wielder's size. In episode 3 he spends 10-15 seconds drawing his katana at a pretty okay speed, despite the scabbard only being a meter long, yet somehow, [[RuleOfCool he can have a 6 meter long katana inside that scabbard]].

* Averted in ''SwordOfTheStranger'': towards the end of his fight with Luo-Lang, [[spoiler: the point of Nanashi's katana breaks off. Luo-Lang and Nanashi drop their swords in their fight, and end up with each other's weapon. Nanashi kills Luo-Lang with his own dao]].

* Played with in one episode of ''Kaiketsu {{Zorro}}'' (Zorro's anime adaptation), where the conflict was around a race to get a katana imported from Japan before the villain, because otherwise the katana would have been able to cut Zorro ''and'' his sword if he was forced to block. The villain gets his hands on the katana and faces Zorro, who at one point is forced to block... At which point it's found out it's a ''[[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter wooden]] katana'' (the importer had not been able to bring out the real thing), [[SubvertedTrope that is cut upon hitting Zorro's sword]].

* Averted, interestingly enough, in ''[[MagicTheGathering Magic]]'''s Japanese-themed Kamigawa block, which takes advantage of the possibilities for exotic weapons when it comes to its equipment cards. There are [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=75291 two]] [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=50484 specific]] legendary rare weapons (three if you insist on counting Oathkeeper as two swords, but really only two ''cards'') plus the generic [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=75265 No-Dachi]], but no straight-up plain katanas, and the strongest equipment card by general consensus is actually a [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=81979 legendary jitte]] (sword-catcher).
* Lampooned in the non-collectible card game ''LetsKill''. One of the weapons available to the serial-killer players is a 'Cool Oriental Sword', whose flavor text cited all the work the smith put into forging it just so 'you can play this card and Whack (kill) a couple of other cards.'

[[folder:Comics]]
* In an early issue of his first ongoing run, ''{{Wolverine}}'' states that "in the hands of a master, there is no deadlier single-combat weapon in the world, in all history...than the Dai-Katana, the Japanese samurai sword." One of his villains, Silver Samurai, proves this a few pages later, deflecting bullets from a semi-automatic gun.
** This was probably more because of Silver Samurai's mutant power of channeling energy through melee weapons he wields than from the katana itself.
*** That would help keep the bullets from shattering the katanas, but the fact that he can intercept the bullets at all is solidly this trope (or maybe a subtrope along the lines of "people who use katanas are just more skilled").

* ''GrooTheWanderer'' fights with two katanas, one in each hand. A "swords origin story" in the Epic run established that his skill in combat is due to them. The first time he uses them, he is stunned by how well they work.
* ''{{Deadpool}}'' frequently uses and is often seen DualWielding katanas, and kills a ton of people with them.
** It's not clear whether this has anything to with the katanas, though.

** In ''MarvelVsCapcom3'' Deadpool can fight his equivalent, Dante. In other words Dante, a character made in Japan, will use his claymore against Deadpool, a character made in America, who use two katanas.
* ''GreenArrow'' recently took up the katana under Judd Winick's authorship. By all accounts, he's fairly good with it, although this is more out of a tremendous amount of life-or-death training than the weapon itself.
** Many Green Arrow fans find the use of a katana instead a more theme-appropriate longsword somewhat pandering.
* Toyota, the female ninja mercenary in ''YTheLastMan'', displays open pleasure whenever someone challenges her to a sword fight, as her previous (male) sparring partners were all killed in the gendercide. However she prudently vanishes when her sword is shot in half by one revolver-wielding opponent.
* Zealot of the ''[[WildstormComics Wildstorm Universe]]'' uses a Kherubim warsword that can absorb large amounts of energy and is sharp enough to cut atoms (makes you wonder what it is made of, a super-sized neutron or something?) It is, incidentally, often drawn as a katana.
* Knives Chau's father uses a katana in ''ScottPilgrim'', at one point even ''slicing clean through a street car!''

* The appropriately named Captain Katana from ''Comicbook/{{Empowered}}'' had his arms and legs replaced with 'em. He also has a magical one stuck in his head.
* Miho in ''SinCity'' often uses a katana in concert with a wakizashi.
* Averted in JenniferBlood Issue 4, in which the eponymous antiheroine easily dispatches three ninja by shooting them. She does ultimately decapitate the ninja leader with her own katana, and even says that she was impressed that it could take a person's head off with a single blow, but she still says that it's silly to use one in an age of automatic firearms.
* Michonne's main combat attribute in ''Comicbook/TheWalkingDead'' is slicing zombies' heads off with her [[WeaponOfChoice katana]].

[[folder:Fan Fics]]

* This is the reason that having a katana is one of the CommonMarySueTraits.

[[folder:Film]]
* ''TheLastSamurai'' is [[InspiredBy based on]] the Satsuma Rebellion against the Meiji regime in 19th century Japan, at a time when the rapid modernisation of the country had just begun. The "honorable" rebels are depicted as wearing anachronistic armor and using "honorable" weapons such as katanas. Their opposition fights in the "despicable" Western style, with rifles, field artillery, machine guns and "barbarian" uniforms.
** In the first battle, the rebels win a smash victory against the poorly-prepared loyalist army. One particular samurai cuts through an enemy's rifle to kill the man behind it.
** Subverted in the first battle, however, by Algren, who seems to be defeated and is about to have his head cut off by a katana-wielding samurai, only to turn the tables with his cavalry saber and a spear-tipped banner pole.
** Averted in the final battle, where the traditionalists [[spoiler:make a good showing of bravery, but succumb to the superior firepower of the loyalists]]. The historical rebels actually used a good deal of Western tactics, but did die in an old-fashioned cavalry charge after their ammo ran out.

* In ''Film/PulpFiction'', Butch Coolidge, Bruce Willis' character, chooses a katana over a variety of other weapons (including a small ''[[ChainsawGood chainsaw]]'') to [[spoiler:rescue Marsellus Wallace, the guy that previously wanted him dead, from the rapist hillbillies currently working him over]]. To be fair, it ''is'' kind of hard to sneak up on someone with a chainsaw... Plus the 'weapons' he picked up before the chainsaw was a claw hammer and a wooden baseball bat, so really he picked the only item designed to actually kill people.
* Subversion: In ''DeadMansShoes'', wielding a katana doesn't do the AntiHero's prey much good at all. It pretty much highlights the way the villains do everything they think BadAss gangsters should, while their opponent is a no-nonsense CombatPragmatist.

* The Kevin Costner flick ''TheBodyguard'' uses this trope. Costner demonstrates the implausible sharpness of the katana by tossing a silk cloth into the air... which lands on the katana blade ''and is cut in half just from its own weight''. This scene is probably taken from an apocryphal story celebrating the sharpness of Damascus steel.
* OlderThanTheyThink? In the 1974 HammerHorror ''CaptainKronosVampireHunter'', the titular character carries a katana as well as a cavalry saber, and at one point kills three bravos who try to pick a fight with him in two quick slashes. However, since it's still an UnbuiltTrope, it turns out not to be the ultimate vampire-killing weapon.

* In the new ''Film/StarTrek'' movie, there's a scene where Sulu fights Romulans with a folding sword that looks a lot like a katana, though it could also be a saber. He describes his combat training as "fencing."

* Subverted in ''SevenSamurai''. All the samurai who die are picked off by muskets, as there is very little they can do about them. The peasants also have a large collection of katanas from samurai they have killed in their sleep. Kikuchiro anticipates that his swords will probably break during the battle, so he collects a supply up back-ups. Most of the sword-wielding bandits are killed by the peasants, who wield little more than sharpened bamboo spears.

* Subverted in ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra''. Snake Eyes is very good with his katana... until [[spoiler:Storm Shadow breaks it. Then Snake Eyes pulls out the [[DualTonfas Bladed Dual Tonfas]] and wins.]]
* Played straight ''and'' slightly subverted in the film ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation''. Snake Eyes uses his katana to chop [[spoiler:Storm Shadow's hurled shuriken to pieces.]] Storm Shadow uses ''his'' dual katanas to block incoming automatic weapons fire from prison guards. Subverted when [[spoiler:Storm Shadow breaks a katana that he allegedly used to assassinate the Hard Master by striking it against Snake Eye's own sword to prove that the broken sword was not his--"Arashikage steel would not break"--and that it was a copy Zartan used to frame him for the Hard Master's death.]]
* The Western ''RedSun'' is about a samurai (played by Toshiro Mifune) trying to retrieve a gold katana, meant as a gift to the US President from Japan, that was stolen by the leader of a band of train robbers. He teams up with an outlaw (played by Charles Bronson) to get it back.
* In the epic swordfight in the Film/JamesBond film ''Film/DieAnotherDay'', at one point Gustav Graves gets hold of a katana and promptly chops Film/JamesBond's sabre in half with a single blow. Curiously, they both pass up katanas in favor of broadswords for the final duel.

* Eric Lustbader's NicholasLinnear novels (''The Ninja, The Miko,'' and ''White Ninja'') tend to use katanas. A lot. At one stage the protagonist cautions his LoveInterest against touching the blade of a katana because if she did it would sever her finger. Lustbader goes on to suggest that a ''bigger'' katana is even better: ''Iss-hogai,'' Linnear's weapon, is a ''dai-katana'', or literally "big katana".
* Niko, the BadassNormal of Rob Thurman's ''CalLeandros'' series, is proficient with a variety of edged weapons, but his favorite is the katana. Interestingly, his brother Cal fares as least as well or better when he just shoots monsters with a gun.
* The hero of MarionZimmerBradley's ''HuntersOfTheRedMoon'' is abducted by aliens and ends up being chosen for a [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame Most Dangerous Game]]-type reality show. He is given the choice of a wide range of hand-held weapons from across the galaxy and is happy to spot a Japanese katana which he uses to be one of the rare survivors of the game.
* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' book ''Summer Knight'', the Winter Knight, Lloyd Slate, uses "a Japanese sword without enough class to be an actual katana." The trope is averted with the Knights of the Cross. Each of the three wields a sword with a nail from the Crucifixion worked into the hilt. One is a longsword, one is a cavalry saber, and one is a katana.

* As a fanboy of ancient cultures, Valerian Mengsk in the ''StarCraft Dark Templar Saga'' novels has quite a collection of ancient weapons. In itself, perhaps not so strange. But he's also a master swordsman who regularly practices with his trusty katana.
* ''StarWars'' [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]]:
** In ''TheThrawnTrilogy'', part of the A fleet of two hundred dreadnoughts called the [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Katana_fleet Dark Force]] was also called the ''Katana'' fleet after its flagship. However, the Katana Fleet was a dismal failure in the eyes of the Republic, having lost the entire thing.

* Subverted in the Literature/{{Discworld}} book "Interesting Times".
* Both played straight and subverted in ''[[Literature/TheGoldenOecumene The Golden Age]]'' series by JohnCWright, as a katana is used to finish off an enemy ''after'' he has been hit with hard radiation, nanotech poison ''[[NoKillLikeOverkill and]]'' disruptive supergravity. On the other hand, said katana is only still a sword in the loosest sense, being stuffed so full of hyper-tech that it almost bursts at the seams. Poked fun at by the protagonist, who at one point internally ridicules the soldier for still "carrying a sharp bit of metal made for poking people."

* Yakuma in ''CanYouSurviveTheZombieApocalypse'' uses [[DualWielding a pair]] of katanas as her main weapon.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* The ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' finale took place in Japan, and featured numerous references to the superiority of the Katana, even depicting Xena's sword being ''sliced in half'' by a katana. After her first experience with the katana (seen via flashback) warlord Xena says, "Oooh Gimme, Gimme!" She also uses a katana upon her second trip to Japan (the non flashback material of the finale), to fight Yodoshi, the Lord of The Darkland.
* The ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' TV series carries on the film's tradition of arming its Scottish Highlander main character with a katana as his default weapon, justified as well by the sword' sentimental importance. Duncan was versed in a variety of weapons, however, and would occasionally wield other weapons--one episode had him refreshing his memory with a rapier and dagger when preparing to fight a duelist on equal terms--and sometimes switched back to his old Scottish claymore when things get very personal. In one notable episode, Duncan is able to quickly dispatch a foe after they swap weapons--while Duncan was proficient in his opponent's weapon, his enemy was totally unfamiliar with the katana.
* ''KamenRiderRyuki'' starts off with a katana in his blank form. Subverted when it easily snaps against the very first MonsterOfTheWeek, only to be replaced by a Chinese saber which easily minces the same monster while deflecting all its attacks.
** It's worth noting that for a Japanese franchise, the only notable use of ''katana'' was in ''KamenRiderHibiki'', culturally steeped to the point of being a Widget Rider series. And even then it was just a handful of times in the series (combined with BlazingSword) and part of TheMovie.
* ''SuperSentai'' gets to use more ''katana'', due to Rangers being more weapon-savvy than Riders. In particular, ''NinjaSentaiKakuranger'', ''NinpuuSentaiHurricaneger'', [=DekaMaster=] from ''TokusouSentaiDekaranger'', and ''SamuraiSentaiShinkenger''. Other seasons (in fact, other {{toku}} as well) sometimes employ ''kendo'' technique to non-katana swords. The Megazord is also not a katana.
* ''{{Garo}}'''s hero carries an AppliedPhlebotinum katana (technically a chokuto) and weilds it with ImplausibleFencingPowers, and yet still subverts this trope. The katana is the sword's weaker form as it powers up into a claymore when slaying monsters. He also fares terribly when pitted agaisnt a gunman and only survives [[spoiler: in his armored, claymore-weidling form as it is bulletproof]].
* The ''CSIMiami'' episode "Die By the Sword" features the ''sekiru'' (''{{Yakuza}}'' with [[CaptainErsatz the serial numbers filed off]]) wielding katana that can cut a person in half, literally. I smell a ''Series/MythBusters'' episode...
* The ''{{CSI NY}}'' episode "Corporate Warriors" features a businessman beheaded by a katana-wielding rival from his firm. Also inserted are obligatory scenes of Mac Taylor looking sexy while testing said katana, or a replica of it.

* RLeeErmey on Lock And Load tested a katana against a traditional European longsword. He determined the katana was better at both slashing and penetrating armor, but not to a mystical degree.
* ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' averted this trope when testing if one sword can slice through another. The katana got bent sideways by a [[{{BFS}} Scottish Claymore]].
* In ''TheOuterLimits'' episode "Mindreacher", a woman is attacked by a monster in a dream. After she realizes she's in a dream, she wills a katana into her hand and kills the monster.

* ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]''

** The fifth edition playtest has the simplest iteration of katanas yet. They're just longswords that classify as "finesse" weapons, allowing the user to apply either strength or dexterity bonuses to their attacks, instead of defaulting to strength. So this trope only applies if a character favors dexerity - otherwise, it's just an expensive and fancy longsword.
* ''D20Modern'' has the katana as the best sword in the core rules, but it requires the Exotic Weapons Proficiency feat to use.

* In the ''StickGuy'' Role Playing Game, most equipment provides either a + 1 or + 2 bonus on a roll. Katanas ALWAYS provide a + 3, whether the situation makes the use of a katana logical or not.

* The ''FinalFantasy Role Playing Game'' neatly averts this issue: katanas and single handed swords match each other stat for stat, the only differences being price (katanas are more expensive, owning to their more complicated method of creation) and weapon abilities, and even then one doesn't top the other. Katanas are, however, necessary for the Samurai job to use its full abilities, though that is more a function of the Samurai job than of the katana itself. The strongest weapons in terms of pure statistical power are, fittingly enough, the weapons most likely to be swung with the most strength behind them: the greatswords and polearms (spears, lances, etc).

* Used and (partially) subverted in ''LegendOfTheFiveRings''. In fact, the book lists half a dozen weapons as "the only truly honorable ones for Samurai". In due fairness, however, it then proceeds to list exceptions by clan, and the katana is not an all-purpose superweapon in this game (heavy weapons are more useful against opponents with carapace, bows can be devastating if used right, etc.). Nearly all of the powerful magical weapons in the setting ''are'' katanas, though.
** Played completely straight in earlier editions though. [[SpoonyBard No matter what tricks a weapon had]], the katana could [[LightningBruiser generally outdo it]] [[AttackAttackAttack simply by being so damaging that nothing else mattered.]] 4th Edition solved this [[{{Nerf}} by giving other weapons a general boost while leaving the katana untouched.]] The katana is still a [[JackOfAllStats solid bread-and-butter weapon though.]] This IS a game about {{Samurai}} after all.
* ''TheRiddleOfSteel'', a highly intricate game with a largely accurate depiction of historical European martial arts, added Eastern swords and Kenjutsu to its repetoire in one of its supplemental books. Katanas are quite weak against plate armor and require some work to set up their best moves due to a poor reach, but their proficiency contains several excellent maneuvers with which to accomplish this and if you DO land its draw cut on an unarmored or poorly armored part of your opponent? [[OffWithHisHead He's probably a goner.]]
* In Chaosium's ''Basic Role Playing'' system, a multi-genre game based on the rules used in ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' and ''RuneQuest'' among others, the Katana does the same amount of damage as a bastard sword ... but it has a higher "base" value, meaning that people who train in the use of a Katana start out with a higher chance to hit -- and it can be used one handed by weaker and less dextrous fighters, as well!
* TableTopGame/AnimaBeyondFantasy makes not just the katana, but all Japanese weapons superior to western counterparts. They all have a higher presence(coolness factor basically) than western weapons.
** Mechanically, however, it's not really any different from a longsword in combat and its higher presence score only means that it's very slightly more resistant to being--for example--magically transmuted into a rubber chicken. It's also slightly less durable physically.
* Averted in the game TabletopGame/UnknownArmies, which only stats melee weapons by asking three questions. Is it big? Is it sharp? Is it heavy? For every yes, the weapon does +3 damage. From a mechanical point of view, UA doesn't care if the weapon is a priceless, ancient Japanese sword, a modern combat-ready replica sword, or an axe for splitting logs bought at a hardware store.
* SavageWorlds outright asks: "How do you want katanas to work? If you want realistic katanas, use longsword rules. If you want movie katanas, use katana rules. If you want anime katanas, use laser sword rules." Katanas can be better, or not, as the GM pleases.
* Averted in {{Warhammer}} (Fantasy Battles, Historical Battles and Fantasy Roleplay) where katana is just another two-handed weapon, always striking last and gaining +2 Strength bonus.
* In ''BattleTech'' the Draconis Combine features Samurai battlemechs equipped with mech sized katanas.

* As demonstrated, [[VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay Conker]] selects the katana from a wall of weapons to kill the alien at the end of the game.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'':

* In ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn]]'', there's a sword called the Wo Dao that looks remarkably like a katana.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'': The thief and standard knight classes are comparatively easy to acquire and have fairly mundane abilities: The knight breaks armor, and the thief steals things. Their Japanese equivalents, the ninja and samurai classes respectively, are both much harder to acquire and have mystical abilities: The samurai is capable of drawing upon his or her 'sword spirits' to unleash Main/KiAttacks, and the ninja can turn invisible as a counter technique.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' doesn't have Katanas as a stronger weapon type in general (although the Hyakushiki-masamune is tied with the Tournesol for the best Attack, not counting the [[EvolvingWeapon Sequencer]]), but the skills learned from them, most notably Dual Wield, are much more powerful. And by extension, the katana-wielding Paravir is easily the most physically powerful close range class. Ninjas less so, but they have the best speed growths of any hume class (they are both GlassCannon classes, though).
** Although the Samurai and Ninja are very powerful classes, that can overpower the rest when properly utilized, katanas and ninja swords are atrociously weak. The game's InfinityPlusOneSword (the Javelin II) is a polearm, and Knight Swords and Fell Swords are stronger and more versatile than even the highest-level katana.

* Balanced by ''BraveFencerMusashi'''s titular hero who wielded both a katana and a large, double-sided sword. Technically the double-sided sword was more powerful, to the point of being the only weapon that could damage certain bosses.
** The double-edged sword was also ''statistically'' superior. In fact, the only drawback of the huge weapon was that it was ''huge'', and therefore took a lot longer to swing than the katana. Comparatively, the katana didn't do much damage, but could it could be swung three times in the time it took to swing the huge sword. Once the player learns combos that combine the power of both swords, mooks just don't match up.

* Zig-zagged throughout the ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' games. For example, in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaCurseOfDarkness Curse of Darkness]]'', the nodachi (A larger cousin of the katana) is both slightly more powerful and much faster than the comparable Western sword, the Zweihänder, while in ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Dawn of Sorrow]]'', the katanas are actually among the weaker weapons, with what advantage they have being entirely in attack speed.
** They are actually overall slower than longswords even in ''Dawn'' due to the gaping lag time following each swing. Katanas only hit sooner because Soma uses them in a quickdraw style. You ''can'' cancel out of the lag with a backstep, though.
** This is also because the Katana is a weapon ''type''. It is one of the weaker weapons of that type, but with souls, can be upgraded. Even at the highest stage, the katana-esque weapon is one of the less useful ones compared to the highest stages of say the great sword (Claimh Solais), normal sword (the intense multi-hit wind attacking Valmanway) or the spear (Gunger).

* ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'' is mostly based on NorseMythology. So it's no surprise that the best weapons for the protagonist are based in Norse and Arthurian myth, with the katana trailing far behind.
** If you visit Japoni at the earliest opportunity, the Muramasa is the best slash weapon for a while. Just not forever.
* ''BlazingWarriors'' (also known as Mystaria) on the Sega Saturn reversed the rule; the "Western" characters were good guys with better powers and weapons, and with the exception of a couple of ninja allies, the "Eastern" characters were evil and with lesser but still respectable powers.
* ''RecordOfLodossWar'', an anime influenced almost entirely by ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and other Western role-playing tropes, featured no Eastern swords at all, but the Dreamcast game based on it includes a folded-steel "Oriental Sword", which has an absolutely absurd critical-hit rate and deals ''eight times'' normal damage on a critical strike (the average weapon's critical deals double damage or less). Needless to say, that makes it one of the game's best weapons, especially when you can customize a weapon to give it a 100% critical chance.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'': ChainsawGood, because it can kill in one hit. But KatanasAreJustBetter because Tommy can run with them and still kill in one hit.
** However, the chainsaw does much more damage to objects (like cars) than the katana.

* There are two katanas in ''{{Drakengard}}'', Nobuyoshi and Takamasa, and they both do good damage, have decent range, and have useful magic attacks, qualifying them as among the best weapons in the game. They are outclassed by [[{{BFS}} certain other]] [[InfinityPlusOneSword swords though.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} III'', most civilizations build the "knight," an armored soldier on horseback. The Japanese build "samurai," foot soldiers in kimono, with identical speed and defense and no need for horses.
** Said Samurai also have a higher attack stat than most other Medieval-era units, able to outmatch the Knight, Swordsman, and even the WAR ELEPHANT in combat. The samurai makes the Medieval era the best time to be a Japan player, for their speed and power in combat is unmatched until you hit the Rennaisance, at which point they start getting fazed out by Muskets and Cavalry.
** In ''Civilization IV'', the samurai remains as a unique unit for the Japanese but it replaces macemen. It has the ability to deal damage before the enemy gets to attack, in a similar way to archers.
*** This is arguably logical, though, since historically samurai ''were'' archers in the battlefield, the sword being a weapon of secondary resort.
**** Tertiary, actually. The order of favored arms for a battlefield era samurai would have gone from bow, then to spear/polearm, then to sword.
** In "Civilization V", the Samurai is still a japanese unique unit, replacing western longswordsman. Has more combat strength than its counterpart and generates more points for great generals, but its main advantage, Bushido, is shared by every other japanese unit (Bushido allows Japanese units to fight as though they were at full strength all the time).

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'', a katana is more powerful than any other melee weapon of the same material.
** One-handed weapons anyway. The greatsword does more damage, has greater range, and can hit multiple enemies with one swing, but it moves much slower.
** The sequel completely reversed this, making the Katana class the weakest melee weapons in the game (and the fastest).
*** Although the katana among the legendary weapons does more damage than any other one-handed melee weapon.
* In ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'', Travis' best EnergyWeapon is a beam katana, stronger than all others, never running out of energy with the right upgrade, and somehow curved despite being a beam of light emitted from a single point. It also has the ability to split into ''three blades'' to hit a wider arc during one of his [[FinishingMove Finishing Moves]].
** All of Travis' weapons are called beam katanas, though admittedly the Mk. III is the only one that resembles the name. Also, the Mk. II is more powerful than the Mk. III. The game is close to the ultimate example of this trope given you play a loser who becomes an assassin simply because he won a beam katana. The game especially reinforces how great katanas are given the diversity and craziness of your opponents weapons.
** Shinobu uses a classical katana in both games. She definitely plays the trope straight in the first where she is frequently considered one of the hardest fights if you don't know how to handle her.
*** Of course, the game ''is'' pretty much [[SatireParodyPastiche satirising]] this trope, given that even Death Metal's [[{{BFS}} giant straight razor thing]] is classified as a 'katana'.
* In ''PrincessMaker 2'' katanas are better than {{Mithril}} swords!

*** Played straight in Dragonbane, an Akaviri katana which is the best weapon against dragons (+40 damage), with a power that scales depending on the level you find it at, reaching Daedric stats at high levels.

* In ''VideoGame/{{La-Mulana}}'' the Katana deals good damage, is about as fast as the whip, and has a very effective hit area. Unless you [[GuideDangIt figure out how to completely power up the whip]], you'll be using the katana as your main weapon (with some Axe thrown in for overhead enemies) once you get it..

* In the original Gameboy ''SaGa'' games (''Final Fantasy Legend'') katanas (and knives) are Agility-based weapons and European swords are Strength-based. While the Agility-based weapons sort of win out because they increase Agility and thus your chances of hitting faster late-game opponents, the European sword Excalibur ("[=XCalibur=]") is the only weapon in the game that will never break.
** In the third game which follows a more traditional inventory system, the Excalibur is simply the strongest "Mystic Weapon", with the katana Masamune in second place.

* In the roguelike game ''LiberalCrimeSquad'', this trope is subverted by the identical damage and accuracy of the katana/wazikashi combo and European fantasy sword, both of which have lower damage values than the weakest firearm (a .22 revolver). It is saved from complete uselessness by the game treating all combat as point blank.

* Sorta subverted in the MMO ''RagnarokOnline'' where the basic Katana has the lowest base attack and weapon level of it's weapon class(unless you use the card system to power it up a certain way then it becomes formable) however some other swords of Japanese origin are quite powerful weapons.

* Citan Uzuki of Spiritual Predecessor ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' was capable of taking down mech-scale enemies with his katana. Then again, this was Citan. Jin can slice Mechs ''and'' aliens in half with one slash. And his own mech is equipped with a BFS version of a katana too.
** It's worth noting that despite being a swordmaster, Citan chooses to spend half the game fighting with his fists specifically because using his katana would be overkill. He only brings it out when things start to really get serious.

* Katana, wakizashi, and nodachi are secret weapons in ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade''. Subverted because comparable buyable weapons are statistically better, and can even have positive modifiers, which the secret weapons can't have, due to being unbuyable.
** Due to being free, relatively easy to locate, and more powerful than most gear that can be found at low levels, they make fine {{Disc One Nuke}}s, but fall well short of late-game gear.

* ''{{Wet}}'': Rubi combines this trope with GunsAkimbo to devastating effect.

* In the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' add-on ''Mothership Zeta'', you can find a katana that belongs to a samurai that was kidnapped by the aliens. You can be nice and give it back. Or you can keep it. It is easily in the top-tier of melee weapons in terms of damage, only falling behind for lack of perks boosting its power.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' has a katana that can be used by the Soldier and Demoman. Killing an enemy with it heals you fully, but when you pull it out in combat, you can't switch weapons until you've killed an enemy with it, leaving you vulnerable to your enemies' guns. It can also [[SingleStrokeBattle kill other katana users in one hit]].
** It is a bit of an aversion. Barring the one hit kill potential against other katana users (and being the only sword weapon the Demoman can use that still gets random crits) it does the same damage as most of the other melee weapons in the game, and the other Demoman swords also have the same extra melee range, plus other abilities that can be more useful for the "Demoknight" playstyle.
*** In the end, it's playstyle dependant. One has to keep in mind that by equipping the aforementioned katana as a Demoman armed with one of the shields and a pair of boots, you effectively get a weapon that has no drawbacks. It provides health on kill and benefits from random critical hits (which other swords trade for additional range). The only drawback is the lack of extra range. In this troper's experience, the katana is the weapon of choice for when you want to berserk; thanks to the random crits and health on kill, killing sprees become quite common!

* ''RuneFactoryFrontier'' has katanas classified as double-handed weapons. They have a slightly better range than other Two-handed swords, and they can [[GameBreaker stun enemies.]]

* Parodied in ''VideoGame/DungeonsOfDredmor'' - The description of the Katana claims [[Film/BackToTheFuture "All the best stuff is made in Japan"]] but there are better swords for raw damage. The Katana is still the best one you can craft and the hardest for enemies to dodge, however, so it's good for some characters.

* Gemini Sunrise's weapon in ''SakuraWars: So Long, My Love'' is a katana. Sakura Shinguji herself also wields a katana.

* Your reward for finding letters of mutinying Japanese WWII soldiers in ''FarCry3'' is a ''tanto'' blade that replaces your normal melee knife. Unsurprisingly, it is more than just a normal sword: It does double damage, meaning it's easier to chew through the later-game super mooks with.

* Some of the translations of the ''{{Ys}}'' games have a katana as a weapon. When it does, it's either the best or second best weapon that money can buy. Of course, there are also much better swords out there that money ''can't'' buy, which are generally needed in order to beat the final boss.

* ''BackwardCompatible'' cites this very site and page in a strip about Left4Dead 2, but then suggests that a ''swung guitar'' is even better.
* In ''{{Harkovast}}'', a battle is looking dire for one side until an ally shows up and defeats the enemy with little effort. Of course, unlike the other combatants that were losing their lives on the battlefield, he wields a katana!
* Quite a few Azurites in Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick fight with katanas (justified, Azure City is the Stick-verse's {{Wutai}}). Subverted by Belkar and Nale, who've both fought with katanas they stole from Azurites, but who switch to their [[WeaponOfChoice Weapons of choice]] at the first opportunity.

* In a flashback scene in ''EverydayHeroes'', Jane's mother (a former ninja) protests that Jane is [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/eddurd/everydayheroes/series.php?view=single&ID=125628 old enough to get a katana for Christmas]] (which is the cue for a shout-out to ''AChristmasStory'').
* In ''PlusEV'' [[http://plusev.keenspot.com/d/20070413.html here.]]
* BoxerHockey: [[spoiler: Daisuke, who is Japanese, defends his honor with a Katana, when he was promised a win (with pay) by Skip, and lost the game.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', several characters use swords regularly and all use katanas.
** Subverted later though. [[spoiler: Jack's own sword, despite being a katana when Jade prototyped the crow, is more of a generic sword shape than anything else, and he beats Bro by killing him with his own sword]]. Dave's higher end weapons and most commonly seen weapon are based on European swords too.

* Weapon of choice of the strongest in GreekNinja. Played straight.
* Subverted in ''SurvivalOfTheFittest''; while people have been assigned katana as weapons before, the people with katana are not shown as any more skilled than anyone else for the most part, and rarely accomplish much. In fact, the person assigned a katana in V1 was quickly killed off ''in their debut thread'', and to add insult to injury their killer discarded the sword as useless. [[spoiler:Adam Dodd would later use the weapon near the end of V1 to pin his nemesis Cody Jenson to a tree before carving the word "rapist" into his chest, a reference to one of the acts that drove Cody over the MoralEventHorizon]].

* Both parodied and played straight in ''[[GaiaOnline zOMG]]''. In the introductory comic, the guard's weapons all shatter on the hides of the [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Animated]]. When a heroic looking guard steps in to save the day with his katana, the other guards express awe at the sheer awesomeness of his weapon... only for them to scream in horror as his Katana is shattered and he gets attacked by Animated Buzzsaws. Despite this, the Mantis Ring generates a G'hi Katana that actually can harm the Animated. Even then, the Katana isn't the most powerful weapon, as the Hack and Slash rings (which summon cutlasses) deal more damage in exchange for speed and energy consumption.
* Main character Snowball from ''BunnyKill'' has a katana as his trademark weapon. But he uses many more weapons in the series.

* ''ThingsMrWelchIsNoLongerAllowedToDoInAnRPG'' has numerous katana jokes, none of them flattering.
--> 87. There is no such thing as a dwarven katana.
--> 1408. Even if the rules allow it, I cannot fence with a katana.
* Subverted in this Vocaloid Miku Miku Dance [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZx5QtxSbaU&feature=related video]].
* [[{{Kickassia}} Phelous and President Baugh both have fake katanas]] with varying degrees of realism between the two.
* Post-Mission ThatDudeInTheSuede.
* ''MallFight'': Tox's choice weapon, Epsilon, is a katana.
* So popular in the WhateleyUniverse that when sensei Tolman sees that Bladedancer wields a jian, she makes note of it. Swordmaiden wields a katana, as well as a couple other types of sword, and her own manifested-matter sword.
* CJ on WereAlive uses a Katana as her weapon of choice.

* In the ''Franchise/TransformersGeneration1'' episode "The Burden Hardest to Bear", a Japanese man is able to use a katana to hurt a Matrix-powered Scourge.
** In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime,'' Wheeljack has two katanas which have kicked liberal ass of enemies weilding what should be much more powerful weapons whenever he shows.
* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack''. The titular character has a magic katana, but the Scotsman has a magic claymore which is just as powerful... [[{{BFS}} and bigger]].
** And it's not just any magic katana. It's a katana forged by the gods from his father's righteousness.
* Ulrich Stern from ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' is certainly a victim from this trope. The Lyoko forms are hypothesized to be created from the subconscious of the virtualized persons... and seeing himself as TheHero, his avatar is quite naturally a {{samurai}} with a katana. Since this is a virtual world, he can get away with things like ReflectingLaser, ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks or {{Sword Drag}}ging.
** But in "A Bad Turn", he uses an authentic katana in the real world with just as much skill.
* On ''WesternAnimation/FriskyDingo'', Killface's plan to recover his son Simon from Torpedo Vegas while wading through the sewers under Vegas's hideout is laughably over-the-top, and involves witty catchphrases, throwing stars and Xander/Barnaby's ludicrous distraction technique (he's already completely naked anyway, and in Killface's imagination, his job is get the attention of a guard, rub his nipples and yell, "OH ME SO HORNY! YOU DISTRACTED? YOU LIKE TEABAG, CHINATOWN?!"). But the trope comes into play when Killface muses that the final showdown with Vegas will be an epic battle, "probably with katanas!".
** Of course, while he slices Vegas in two in his imagination, they're captured before even getting out of the sewer.
* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. Although the Kyoshi Warriors do carry Katanas, they are only shown using them once, and even then they aren't much help (Azula even jumps in the air and smacks it out of Suki's hand when she tries to stab her with it). Chinese weapons, such as the Dao (curved sword) and the Jian (straight sword) are portrayed a bit more positively, but in general pretty much all weapons are shown as being inferior to bending, which isn't surprising since a sword isn't much match for a fireball. This doesn't stop Zuko from [[FlamingSword using both]], however.
** Although, weapons used in conjunction with bending, have shown to be particularly effective, but these weapons are often ones reflective of the actual bending art, for instance the Battle fan's in Aang's case.
* WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 makes it pretty clear that the skill of the wielder is more important than the blade itself, and a SimpleStaff or a [[SaiGuy pair of sai]] are just as good. However, that doesn't stop Leonardo's swords from cutting through robots and metal garage doors like a chainsaw through butter. With katanas ''he made himself [[hottip:*: in a barn, with a pile of scraps]].''
* In an episode of the WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague, Hawkgirl was briefly fighting against a Samurai wielding a katana. This trope is averted because Hawk Girl was able to hit the sword with her mace hard enough to snap it in half.
* Pre Vizsla from ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' uses a black bladed ''lightsaber'' shaped like a katana. [[spoiler:He's still beaten by Obi-Wan, who could equal him in swordsmanship and beat him with the Force.]]

* TheAscentOfMan has an episode (or chapter, if you read the book of the series) called "The Grain In The Stone" examining how humanity's investigations into the structure of matter has advanced technology. One sequence examines the traditional forging of a katana blade, detailing how the folding process made the blade both flexible and capable of holding a cutting edge, how smiths of the era knew the temperature of the metal they were working (through visual cues) and how the blade was ultimately tested. It can be seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8C3Nc_AOUs here]].

* Averted, humorously enough, by ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors,'' which, unlike the ''Dynasty Warriors'' example, actually takes place in Japan. Few of the unique playable officers carry a type of katana (the short list is Akechi Mitsuhide, Imagawa Yoshimoto, and Mori Ranmaru), but countless {{Mook}}s and generic officers ''do'' use them, and are mowed down by the hundreds. Player-created characters may also opt to use a katana, but they are not any more uniquely powerful with them than the aforementioned generic officers and are outclassed by the unique characters.

* In ''BattleTech'' the Draconis Combine features Samurai BattleMechs equipped with mech sized katanas.

* In Film/{{Predators}}'', a yakuza scavenges a katana and faces a predator in a DuelToTheDeath, managing a MutualKill. The other humans had a harder time getting a kill with their automatic weapons.

** ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' has katanas with the damage of a longsword, the handedness versatility of a bastard sword, and the crit range of a scimitar. Wakizashi however, are superior in every way to short swords beyond costing 25 GP more (for comparison making any weapon magic costs 300+2000 GP), having a higher critical range, weighing less, can do piercing or slashing damage (the default shortsword is only a piercing weapon as a fantasy gamer's "short sword" is more like a Roman gladius, which was used to stab and not swing). For balance purposes, a character must spend a feat in order to be able to use a wakizashi at all or a katana one-handed without penalty, because they are "Exotic."