History Main / OrnamentalWeapon

* One of the bad guys in ''Film/SwampThing" wears ammunition belts over both shoulders. He never picks up a gun during the film.

* In his GuestFighter appearance in ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'', VideoGame/{{Pico}} keeps his signature uzi in his hand at all times. But since this is a RythmGame, he doesn't actually use it at any point.

* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' has a Celtic sword, but fights exclusively with his fists. He does use it for {{Flynning}} twice, and once for cutting cake, but he's never allowed to hurt anyone with it on the grounds that it would be too violent.

* Any equippable weapon in either ''VideoGame/DragonballXenoverse'' or [[VideoGame/DragonballXenoverse2 its' sequel]] falls into this category, as the player will either not use a weapon at all, or the weapon will materialize in their hands when needed, and vanish after use (for example, if the player is using either Shining Slash or Burning Slash, Trunks' sword techniques).

* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'', Alvin eventually takes a second gun that was a family heirloom, but never uses it. Averted in [[VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2 the sequel]], where he finally gets to use it in one of his arcane artes. Aside from that, there are [[AndYourRewardIsClothes various decorations]] that take the form of weapons to be placed on your characters, which of course cannot be used.

* Rokurou in ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'' is extremely attached to his greatsword Stormhowl, despite using a pair of daggers in combat instead and deflecting whenever Velvet tries to ask why he doesn't use the bigger weapon. [[spoiler:It's actually broken inside the sheathe with only a few inches of blade attached to the handle. He carries it for sentimental/motivational reasons. He eventually does get an intact Stormquell that he pulls out for his level 3 [[LimitBreak Mystic Arte]].]]

* Ceremonial maces are a common one in government and academia. The elaborate decoration at the "top" of the mace is actually a descendant of the decorative "button" occasionally included at the ''bottom'' of historical [[CarryABigStick maces intended for fighting]]. Today, they are most commonly found in legislatures, where they symbolize the body's right to assemble and make law for the State; while they are heavy enough to [[BloodOnTheDebateFloor cause mayhem if actually used as weapons]], they are generally only ever picked up and swung threateningly (either by the sergeant-at-arms or equivalent, to remind a particularly unruly member that they could be thrown out bodily for being disruptive, or by an unruly member to show that they are particularly passionate about the issue at hand).

There are some characters who like to walk around with their weapons out in the open, presumably to [[WeaponForIntimidation 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.

** Kouga carried a katana for ornamentation, and used it only ''once'' in the whole story.

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

* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', people usually think this of Guts' main weapon, a [[{{BFS}} huge slab of iron even taller than he is]], up until [[OneManArmy they see him use it]]. It's {{justified|Trope}} that they'd think so, since in real life there are many examples of oversized versions of standard zweihanders being made for purely ceremonial use.

* In later seasons of ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'', Wolnie rarely hits anyone with her frying pan. She still carries it occasionally in later seasons, but doesn't hit anyone.

* Power Forged weapons in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' look like this because they have been enchanted to never break, rust or need sharpening. One character mentions that over the thousands of years since his sword had been made his family has only had to replace the hilt.

* In ''Literature/TheBridgeKingdomArchives'' a married woman from Maridrina is supposed to wear two ornamental daggers, which ''her husband'' is supposed to use to protect her honor. [[TheProtagonist Lara]] gets her set when she gets married as a part of [[AltarDiplomacy peace treaty]] and they are really beautiful, their handles and scabbards are set with famous Maridrinian rubies. Subverted in that [[spoiler: they are only a decoration, real weapons, small throwing knifes, are cleverly hidden inside their handles]].

* Almost everyone in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' has one, such as Chaos sorcerer staffs, Tau bonding knives...

** Subverted in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess''. Ganondorf carries the Sword of the Six Sages as a trophy from his escape from execution, but finally resorts to using it after losing to Link in his Ganon form.

* Marcus Fenix of ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' fame carried a knife on his right boot, but is never used.

** ''VideoGame/Halo3'' has an unlockable katana that can be worn on the back. It naturally cannot be used in game. Also, the CQB armor has a knife on the front of the chest which cannot be used.

* ''VideoGame/ChampionsOnline'' allows the player to customize their costume including some weaponry such as daggers on the belt or a sword slung across the back. However because these are costume items, they merely show up on the player avatar and don't get any particular use (not even if you have the same weapon as what you're carrying).

* In the arcade beat-em-up ''VideoGame/DDCrew'', one of your enemies is a military-type who carries a large machine gun. At no point does he ever fire it, prefering to kick you instead.

* Occasionally happens in ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''. Soldier: 76 has a pistol on his belt that he never uses, and Roadhog what appears to be a sawn-off shotgun (''not'' his Scrap Gun) slug across his back. Genji has a sword that is decorative for 99% of the time, except when he uses his ultimate ability, which begs the question: wouldn't a sword be more effective than shurikens, even without the powered-up dragon that accompanies it in his ultimate?
** Ana and Widowmaker likewise have spikes on their arm to stabilize their weapons while sniping, although they never get used in game (because you can't rest your arm on anything to stabilize).

* ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'': Roughly half the members of G.I. Joe are equipped with some kind of combat webbing or utility belt laden with grenades, sidearms, knives or other equipment. Out of the entire series, they have actually been ''used'' maybe twice.

* In the Ottoman Empire it was expected that a noble be allowed to keep his personal sidearm at all times, even at formal parties. This got a bit dicey when personal weapons shifted from swords to pistols. In the end it was compromised with highly ornamental pistols, that usually couldn't shoot (although they were heavy enough to be used as a blackjack and many had a blade under the barrel).

* Several American Civil War generals never drew their swords, not even to command their men. One is said to have had his sword rust in the scabard, while another didn't even bother taking one with him, instead strapping an umbrella to his waist.
* Souvenir and decoration swords fall under this by definition. Weapon enthusiasts call these blades [=SLO=]s ("Sword-Like Objects"). They're vaguely sword-shaped, are ornamental, and certainly look flashy. But looking cool is all they're good for, since they're too weakly built to actually use in combat. [=SLOs=], more often that not, are horribly balanced, made from inferior materials (such as stainless steel, which is prone to shatter when used on anything longer than a kitchen knife and can't keep its edge for a long time), and either over-tempered to be too stiff or not tempered at all. One notorious "feature" common to [=SLO=]s is a thin welded-on tang attaching the blade to the handle. A quality sword suited for combat should have a tang that's integral to the blade, and preferably a full tang that extends down the full length of the handle. As a result, this small tang (derisively known as a "rat-tail tang") is very prone to snap off if the blade hits anything. Some [=SLOs=] have tangs built so badly that they can break just from ''swinging it through the air''. Using a blade with such construction for anything other than display can be outright dangerous to the person holding it. They are purely wall-hangers, and nothing else; anyone who attempts to use an SLO like a real sword would have more luck injuring their opponent if they were using a butter knife.

* Tetra the young pirate captain in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' carries a cutlass but never uses it except in ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors''.
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'':
** Prince Sidon wears a sword on his hip, but like all the other [[FishPeople Zora]] he favors the spear in actual combat.
** The Royal Guard weapons the player can collect are basically this. These [[BlingOfWar fancy and highly-decorative weapons]] do a great deal of damage, but are extremely fragile and don't last long. Their description even explicitly calls them ceremonial weapons, so they were likely never intended to actually be used as practical weapons, but for display purposes.

* In ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'', Maledict carries a sword he doesn't know how to use. As a vampire, he doesn't need one, but people see the sword and don't attack him.

* Ryu Hayabusa's sword in the ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' series. Same goes for Hayate's and Kasumi's swords.

* In ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'', Sun-Tsu Laio, ruler of the Capellan Confederation piloted a [[BlingOfWar blinged out]] Emperor Battlemech that he never actually took into combat. The few times that it was deployed in actual combat, one of his elite Death Commandoes piloted it in his place while wearing a disguise so that people thought he was in it.

* ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'': Anduin wields his father's sword, Shalamayne, but leaves it on his back 99% of the time. Even when he's attacking an enemy in melee, he still shoots holy energy at them. The only animations where he even holds it involve him essentially waving it around like a MagicWand. This does make some sense though - he's a [[SquishyWizard Priest]] and not a Warrior, and was pretty bad at using the sword in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''.

* The Lee-Enfield Mk 3/4 bolt action rifle that was the British Army's mainstay for nearly seventy years is retained by some units for neither combat nor ceremonials. Long obsolete for front line use, this rifle is used as extra weight for recruit soldiers and others detailed to take on assault courses in full kit: simply because the issue front-line rifle is too delicate (and expensive) to withstand continual bashing, battering, immersion in mud and water and frequently being dropped by ham-fisted recruits. Rather an old heavy weapon designed to be exceedingly forgiving to rough treatment, and which will never be fired in action again, takes all the impacts of hard dirty training - and it also weighs heavier than the SA-80.

* One of the five major tenets of UsefulNotes/{{Sikhism}} is that adherents must carry a dagger - as this has naturally presented problems as SocietyMarchesOn, workarounds such as this, daggers that are locked into the sheaths, and even images of daggers have been developed.

** US Navy officers still sometimes wear swords with their Dress Whites. Like the Marines, they have to buy them out-of-pocket. If an occasion calls for commissioned officers to wear swords, Chief Petty Officers will wear cutlasses.

* In the first ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' game, Shingen Takeda has a katana sheathed on his belt, which he never uses. This was removed from subsequent costumes. In the second and third games, Mitsunari Ishida keeps an unused dagger sheathed hanging out the front of his coat.

* In ''Literature/TheBridgeKingdomArchives'' a married woman for Maridrina is supposed to wear two ornamental daggers, which ''her husband'' is supposed to use to protect her honor. [[TheProtagonist Lara]] gets her set when she gets married as a part of [[AltarDiplomacy peace treaty]] and they are really beautiful, their handles and scabbards are set with famous Maridrinian rubies. Subverted in that [[spoiler: they are only a decoration, real weapons, small throwing knifes, are cleverly hidden inside their handles]].

* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', Prince Sidon wears a sword on his hip, but like all the other [[FishPeople Zora]] he favors the spear in actual combat.

* ''Wiki/SCPFondation'': [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-572 SCP-572]] is a replica sword in a fantasy style, which, when held, produces a major mind-control effect, whereupon people will become convinced of its superior balance and sharpness, of which it really has neither, being purely a decorative piece. It also compels them to perform insane stunts with it (all while convincing them they can), such as deflecting bullets with the blade, taking on trained swordsmen with real swords, and cutting moving cars in half. Due to the prevalence of unnecessary blades facing in odd directions, the slightest swing will result in injury to the user. Fortunately, upon removing the sword from the holder with tongs, the psychological effects can be instantly redacted by [[DopeSlap a smack on the head]].

[[folder: Film]]

* In ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'' Maledict carries a sword he doesn't know how to use. As a vampire, he doesn't need one, but people see the sword and don't attack him.

** ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' has an unlockable katana that can be worn on the back. It naturally cannot be used in game. Also, the CQB armor has a knife on the front of the chest which cannot be used.

* [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-572 SCP-572]] is a replica sword in a fantasy style, which, when held, produces a major mind-control effect, whereupon people will become convinced of its superior balance and sharpness, of which it really has neither, being purely a decorative piece. It also compels them to perform insane stunts with it (all while convincing them they can), such as deflecting bullets with the blade, taking on trained swordsmen with real swords, and cutting moving cars in half. Due to the prevalence of unnecessary blades facing in odd directions, the slightest swing will result in injury to the user. Fortunately, upon removing the sword from the holder with tongs, the psychological effects can be instantly redacted by a smack on the head.

* Roughly half the members of [[WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero GI Joe]] are equipped with some kind of combat webbing or utility belt laden with grenades, sidearms, knives or other equipment. Out of the entire series, they have actually been ''used'' maybe twice.

* Ricky "The Rocket" Roberts, who has appeared in All Pro Wrestling, used brass knuckles as his belt buckle.[[/folder]]

* Souvenir and decoration swords fall under this by definition. Weapon enthusiasts call these blades [=SLO=]s ("Sword-Like Objects"). They're vaguely sword-shaped, are ornamental, and certainly look flashy. But looking cool is all they're good for, since they're too weakly built to actually use in combat. [=SLOs=], more often that not, are horribly balanced, made from inferior materials (such as stainless steel, which is prone to shatter when used on anything longer than a kitchen knife and can't keep its edge for a long time), and either over-tempered to be too stiff or not tempered at all. One notorious "feature" common to [=SLO=]s is a thin welded-on tang attaching the blade to the handle. A quality sword suited for combat should have a tang that's integral to the blade, and preferably a full tang that extends down the full length of the handle. As a result, this small tang (derisively known as a "rat-tail tang") is very prone to snap off if the blade hits anything or even just from ''swinging it through the air''. Using a blade with such construction for anything other than display can be outright dangerous to the person holding it. They are purely wall-hangers, and nothing else; anyone who attempts to use an SLO like a real sword would have more luck injuring their opponent if they were using a butter knife.

* Souvenir and decoration swords. Enthusiasts speak rather of [=SLO=]s, or Sword-Like Objects. They look like swords, are ornamental and look flashy, but they are horribly badly balanced, made from inferior materials (such as stainless steel, which is prone to shatter when used on anything longer than a kitchen knife and can't keep its edge for a long time), either over-tempered too stiff -- or not tempered at all -- and are too weakly built to use. One notorious "feature" common to [=SLO=]s is a thin welded-on tang attaching the blade to the handle[[note]]A quality sword suited for combat should have a tang that's integral to the blade, and preferably a full tang (meaning it extends down the full length of the handle).[[/note]], which is very prone to snap off if the blade hits ''anything'' or even just from ''swinging it through the air''; these are derisively known as a "rat-tail tangs" and using a blade with such construction for ''anything'' other than display can be outright dangerous to the person holding it. They are purely wall-hangers. Even a complete layman can distinguish between a sword-like object and a real sword by merely grabbing one.