History Main / OrnamentalWeapon

* A big shiny sword in ''ZeroNoTsukaima'' turned out to be ornamental and pretty useless. The rusted one however...

Some reasons for this may be that the weapon in question has a sentimental value to its holder, can only be used for [[EigenPlot certain situations]], or may just be TooAwesomeToUse. At times, it may [[FridgeLogic make one wonder]] if they might just be better off leaving the damn thing at home.

* Most weapons in the Arms and Armor gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or any other art museum that displays weaponry, were probably ornamental weapons. Swords that the average person carried into battle rarely survived to be museum-quality art, even if they had been when they were made.

[[AC:Anime & Manga]]

* Princess Millerna from ''{{Escaflowne}}'' movie carried a sword on her belt throughout the film, but she never, ever takes part in a single action scene, and never gets to draw it from its sheath, cementing her status as a FauxActionGirl.

[[AC:VideoGames]]

* In MetalGearSolid3, our protagonist runs into a young man going by the name of Ocelot. On their first meeting, he's using an automatic pistol, but using revolver techniques. After getting scolded for that, he returns later with a revolver, which is ridiculously classy. He's again scolded, this time for bringing a pretty yet impractical weapon into combat, being told it would make a decent collector's item. Thereafter, he fights with rather plain SAAs.

[[AC:Literature]]

[[AC:RealLife]]

** In the 18th century a well-dressed gentleman was almost required to carry a smallsword on his hip, though carrying a walking stick was an acceptable alternative.

-->'''Zack:''' I've never actually seen you use that thing. Don't you think it's kind of a waste?

** Of course the other half of the reason is that the Buster Sword "is heavy and unwieldy", as an extra scene reveals. ''Crisis Core'' actually deconstructs some iconic elements from the sub-series for laughs like that...
** The Buster Sword did end up getting rusted... [[spoiler: when Cloud used it as Zack's Gravestone]]

* In FreedomFighters, Christopher Stone gets a knife on his left shoulder, but his only CQC weapon is his [[WrenchWhack wrench]].

There are some characters who like to walk around with their weapons out in the open, presumably to intimidate other people, or to have it ready right away in the case of a monster fight. However, upon close inspection, you might find that the weapon barely has any signs of being "broken in" - no scratches, no gunpowder...it still looks as sharp as the day the guy bought it.

** Captain Falcon and Snake have guns on their person in ''SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' if you look closely, but naturally they don't get any use either.

-->"That thing on your back isn't ornamental, is it?"\\
-- Rod (to Rue), ''ThreadsOfFate''

*** Not anymore; [[spoiler: the new ending to Advent Children Complete reveals that Cloud polished and repaired it, and used it as a memorial in Aerith's church, overlooking Aerith's Lake (that contains the Great Gospel).

*** Not anymore; [[spoiler: the new ending to Advent Children Complete reveals that Cloud polished and repaired it, and used it as a memorial in Aerith's church, overlooking Aerith's Lake (that contains the Great Gospel). Not only this symbolizes Cloud getting over his guilt, it also symbolically reunites Zack and Aerith in the Lifestream.]] ''D'awwww''