History Main / SwordAlmighty

* In a somewhat meta example ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' has the Saber class of Servant noted as being the strongest and having the best record in previous iterations of the Holy Grail War.

* The Masamune in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' is powerful enough to cleave an entire mountain in half with a single swing of it. Reforging it also requires the player to jump through multiple timelines just it get all the necessary ingredients, and then find the world's best swordsmith. It even gets some GameplayAndStoryIntegration as being necessary to defeat [[ClimaxBoss Magus]], as well as [[spoiler:the Red Knife used to stop the Mammon Machine turning into the Masamune once it's used]].

* The ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' games have had a bad case of this. There's always a long list of weapons available, with a variety of advantages and disadvantages, but swords always stand out as ''the best'' one way or the other. It was particularly bad in the first game, where the most powerful sword available (The Yoshitsune) had more attack-power than the most powerful axe (so much for being considered ''raw power'') AND had a range of 5 panels, far more than any other non-ranged weapon with none of their handicaps. On top of that, the sword's special-moves cover a wide variety of areas - from large fields to long lines - making them useful in a wide variety of situations (meanwhile, axes only have range-1 single-target specials). Later games tried to balance things. By the third game, it would be fair to say that swords aren't ahead by MUCH.

* The Material Blades in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia''.

* [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Fal]][[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening chion]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Tyrfing, the Book of Naga]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe the Binding Blade, Durandal, Armads, Sol Katti]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Ragnell, Alondite]], and [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates Yato]] in ''Franchise/FireEmblem''. All legendary weapons, only usable by one character each (with some exceptions depending on the game [[note]]the Legendary Weapons of Elibe first appear in ''The Binding Blade'', where anyone with a S Rank in the respective weapon type can use 7 of the 8 weapons available, but in the prequel ''Blazing Sword'', Durandal and Armads are exclusive to Eliwood and Hector, and another Legendary Weapon, Forblaze, is Athos's personal tome; Alondite is initially an enemy-only weapon, but is obtainable in ''Radiant Dawn'' after the Black Knight is defeated in Rebirth 2 and can be wielded by a character with a SS Rank in swords; Armads and Ragnell, along with the Twelve Holy Weapons of Jugdral, later reappear in ''Awakening'' as S-Rank weapons with no other unit restrictions (or the [[HeroicLineage Holy Blood]] mechanic from ''Genealogy of the Holy War'')[[/note]]) and (often) the only weapon that can damage the final boss.

-->-- '''Tristy''', ''Soul Calibur 2''

* ''Anime/{{Slayers}}'' normally plays this straight, but it's averted by the ''TRY'' season of the anime - the "Bow of Light" is the most powerful of the five Darkstar weapons.
* There are a few of these in ''Anime/ToukenRanbuHanamaru''. The catch? They're not props, they're characters. All of the characters are [[MoeAnthropomorphism historic Japanese swords turned human]]. So swords like this manifest as extremely powerful - and [[{{Bishounen}} beautiful]] - "Sword Warriors".

** Stormbringer in the ''Literature/ElricOfMelnibone'' stories.
** The Sword of the Dawn in the ''Hawkmoon'' stories.
** Stormbringer returns to be wielded by Urlik Skarsol in the ''Phoenix in Obsidian'' series.
* Lightbringer in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' However, [[spoiler: it's a fake.]]

* The ''Literature/SwordOfTruth''. Besides being an AbsurdlySharpSword, it's unbreakable, can under certain circumstances confer the skills of previous wielders on the current wielder, can act as a bit of a MoralityPet, and is also [[spoiler: the counter to Chainfire and the key to Orden]].

* Excalibur in the KingArthur stories.

** While Caliburn made a lot more sense, back when Arthur was the leader of a band of warriors, not a King with a bunch of knights, Excalibur ends up being mostly symbolic. Pulling it from the stone (a common theme throughout the stories, lots of knights pull swords out of stones) represents him being King by Divine Right, and being handed the new sword by the Lady of the Lake... is mostly included to make the two versions coexist, but fits in with Merlin's arch. Point is, most combat from Malory on has knights fighting with lances, halberds, and other more knightly weapons, and Arthur not actually using the sword to often (he is King, not a knight).
*** {{Excalibur|InTheStone}}, the sword(+scabbard) KingArthur got from the Lady of the Lake never breaks. It's the sword he pulls from the stone (often called Caliburn) that breaks by itself because King Arthur is about to use it against the code of chivalry.

* Falchion, Durandal, Sol Katti, Ragnell, and Alondite in ''Franchise/FireEmblem''. All legendary weapons, only usable by one character each, and (often) the only weapon that can damage the final boss.

* In pretty much every game in the ''Franchise/ShiningSeries'', the weapon with the most attack power is ''always'' a sword and only the hero (provided he's promoted to his Hero class) may wield it.
** Averted in the ''VideoGame/ShiningSoul'' editions though, where the main character can be multiple classes.
* The ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'' has Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. The plot of the games is driven by the swords and those who seek them out. While Soul Edge and Soul Calibur can transform into other weapons to suit their wielders, their default forms are swords.

* In season two of the ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', guess what weapon is the symbol of the Immortal who originally defeated Shendu? Go on, guess! Hint: [[spoiler: It's the same kind of weapon that, when properly ensorcelled, Jackie used to both exorcize the demon from Valmont, and re-banish him to another dimension.]]

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' the best weapon in the core game is between an Easter Egg long sword (the normal powered version is good too though), the main quest important hammer (which requires a special glove be worn with it so it doesn't kill you and drains your fatigue even if you have the glove) and a dagger that does 1.5 the damage of either, but needs to recharge after 11 hits. The limitations make the sword the best choice.
** The first expansion pack ups the power by giving you 2 unique uber swords that have 20-75 damage (plus 30 fire damage) and swing fast but no other high end weapons (oh and one of the swords [[spoiler:belonged to your previous incarnation]]). The 2nd expansion pack gives a spear that is blatantly inferior doing only 40-60 damage with some gimmicky enchantments that often backfire thanks to the reflect on high level foes (and is a two handed weapon!) that isn't very fast to attack with.

* There are a few of these in ''Anime/ToukenRanbuHanamaru''. The catch? They're not props, they're characters. All of the characters are MoeAnthropomorphisms of historic Japanese swords. So swords like this manifest as extremely powerful - and [[{{Bishounen}} beautiful]] - "Sword Warriors".

* Dyrnwyn in the ''Literature/ChroniclesOfPrydain''.

* Averted in [[CelticMythology Irish myth]]; while their are plenty of powerful magical swords, such as Fragarach and Caladbolg, Cu Chulainn's spear [[BladeOnAStick Gae Bolge]] is probably the most enduringly famous weapon in the mythos.

* In a somewhat meta example VisualNovel/FateStayNight has the Saber class of Servant noted as being the strongest and having the best record in previous iterations of the Holy Grail War.

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind' the best weapon in the core game is between an Easter Egg long sword (the normal powered version is good too though), the main quest important hammer (which requires a special glove be worn with it so it doesn't kill you and drains your fatigue even if you have the glove) and a dagger that does 1.5 the damage of either, but needs to recharge after 11 hits. The limitations make the sword the best choice.

* And in Creator/JimButcher's other series ''Literature/CodexAlera'', high Lords, including the First Lord often wield a ''FlamingSword'' when going into battle. Here, the sword itself is a typical sword, but their Furycrafting imbues it with fire.
* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' novels, there are 3 Swords of the Cross. When wielded by the appropriate people, and doing God's work, they are well-nigh invulnerable and unstoppable, as seen in "Changes" when [[spoiler:Karrin Murphy]] wielding one, takes down several high Red Court nobles who are nearly {{Eldritch Abomination}}s in terms of power.

** Justified in that in the real Middle Ages, the sword was the weapon of choice of the feudal nobility, and most ASoIaF characters are exactly that. The Valyrian swords are rare weapons, and no common knight or mercenary can hope to have one.

[[folder: Anime & Manga ]]

* ''{{Slayers}}'' normally plays this straight, but it's averted by the ''TRY'' season of the anime - the "Bow of Light" is the most powerful of the five Darkstar weapons.

[[folder: Literature ]]

** Stormbringer in the Literature/ElricOfMelnibone stories.

** The Sword of the Dawn in the Hawkmoon stories.
* Dyrnwyn in the ''Literature/ChroniclesOfPrydain''.
* In the ''[[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Dresden Files]]'' novels, there are 3 Swords of the Cross. When wielded by the appropriate people, and doing God's work, they are well-nigh invulnerable and unstoppable, as seen in "Changes" when [[spoiler:Karrin Murphy]] wielding one, takes down several high Red Court nobles who are nearly {{Eldritch Abomination}}s in terms of power.
* And in Creator/JimButcher's other series ''Literature/CodexAlera'', high Lords, including the First Lord often wield a ''FlamingSword'' when going into battle. Here, the sword itself is a typical sword, but their Furycrafting imbues it with fire.
* Lightbringer in ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' However, [[spoiler: it's a fake.]]

* Callandor in ''TheWheelOfTime''. The Sword That Is Not A Sword is a sword-shaped crystal sa'angreal, and one of the most powerful, though flawed. Surprisingly, it still functions as a melee weapon.

* The ''SwordOfTruth.'' Besides being an AbsurdlySharpSword, it's unbreakable, can under certain circumstances confer the skills of previous wielders on the current wielder, can act as a bit of a MoralityPet, and is also [[spoiler: the counter to Chainfire and the key to Orden]].

[[folder: Mythology ]]

*** Even on TvTropes, ExcaliburInTheStone. Excalibur, the sword(+scabbard) KingArthur got from the Lady of the Lake never breaks. It's the sword he pulls from the stone (often called Caliburn) that breaks by itself because King Arthur is about to use it against the code of chivalry.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* As far as video games are concerned, both ''DragonQuest'' and ''FinalFantasy'' helped codify this concept to a T, right down to having swords be ''the'' weapon type that helps strike down the BigBad (alongside some LastDiscMagic, of course).

* In pretty much every game in the ''Franchise/ShiningSeries'', the weapon with the most attack power is ''always'' a sword and only the hero (provided he's promoted to his Hero class) may wield it.
** Averted in the ''VideoGame/ShiningSoul'' editions though, where the main character can be multiple classes.
* The Material Blades in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia''.
* Falchion, Durandal, Sol Katti, Ragnell, and Alondite in ''FireEmblem''. All legendary weapons, only usable by one character each, and (often) the only weapon that can damage the final boss.

* ''NeverwinterNights2'' allows your character to use a wide range of weapons, but in the end you are stuck with the SwordOfPlotAdvancement, even if you are a mage (thankfully the sword gives abilities more along the lines of "boost intelligence" and "more spells" if you are one).

* The ''{{Disgaea}}'' games have had a bad case of this. There's always a long list of weapons available, with a variety of advantages and disadvantages, but swords always stand out as ''the best'' one way or the other. It was particularly bad in the first game, where the most powerful sword available (The Yoshitsune) had more attack-power than the most powerful axe (so much for being considered ''raw power'') AND had a range of 5 panels, far more than any other non-ranged weapon with none of their handicaps. On top of that, the sword's special-moves cover a wide variety of areas - from large fields to long lines - making them useful in a wide variety of situations (meanwhile, axes only have range-1 single-target specials). Later games tried to balance things. By the third game, it would be fair to say that swords aren't ahead by MUCH.
* In ''{{Secret of Mana}}'', the only weapon that can be [[spoiler:infused with Mana Magic]] and therefore the only weapon that can harm the final boss is the sword.
* The best recurring weapon in ''{{Avernum}}'' (and usually the SwordOfPlotAdvancement) is the greatsword Demonslayer, both because of its high damage, and because a lot of the nastier boss monsters are demons. On the other hand, there are occasional one-off weapons that are more powerful (like Bloodthirster, a spear made by LizardFolk that does bonus damage to humans.)

* In a somewhat meta example VisualNovel/FateStayNight has the Saber class of Servant noted as being the strongest and having the best record in previous iterations of the Holy Grail War.
* KingdomOfLoathing intended to avert this, placing [[CarryABigStick clubs]] as the premiere weapons. The best available melee weapon over the course of a typical ascension will be a club. Though updates in recent years have added many swords comparable to the best clubs, they can't take advantage of the most powerful weapon skills -- unless the player has a special skill that enables them to grab them by the blade and wield them as clubs.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* The new {{ThunderCats}} series treats the Sword of Omens as one such weapon. The EvilWeapon the Sword of Omens was forged to fight against is also a sword, namely the Sword of Plundaar.

* MichaelMoorcock
** Stormbringer in the ElricOfMelnibone stories.

* Dyrnwyn in ''TheChroniclesOfPrydain''.
* In the ''DresdenFiles'' novels, there are 3 Swords of the Cross. When wielded by the appropriate people, and doing God's work, they are well-nigh invulnerable and unstoppable, as seen in "Changes" when [[spoiler:Karrin Murphy]] wielding one, takes down several high Red Court nobles who are nearly {{Eldritch Abomination}}s in terms of power.
* And in JimButcher's other series ''Literature/CodexAlera'', high Lords, including the First Lord often wield a ''FlamingSword'' when going into battle. Here, the sword itself is a typical sword, but their Furycrafting imbues it with fire.

There's always that one rule in fantasy worlds that no matter what other, more potent weapon types that exist, the sword is the one weapon type that is always held as the standard by which the others are judged, usually due to some ancient InfinityPlusOneSword that just so happens to exist. Yeah, that's right, even compared to a powerful WaveMotionGun or a crossbow shooting explosive shells, the fine blade always comes out on top. It becomes all the more persistent in a world where HeroesPreferSwords and corresponds with the main character being a sword user, in cases where the overall weapon type roster is of limited availability to characters.

[[AC:{{Anime}} & {{Manga}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:{{Mythology}}]]

*** Even on TvTropes, ExcaliburInTheStone. Excalibur, the sword(+scabbard) KingArthur got from the Lady of the Lake never breaks. It's the sword he pulls from the stone (often called Caliburn) that breaks by itself because King Arthur is about to use it against the code of chivalry.

[[AC:{{VideoGames}}]]

[[AC: WesternAnimation]]

----

* In the ''DresdenFiles'' novels, there are 3 Swords of the Cross. When wielded by the appropriate people, and doing God's work, they are well-nigh invulnerable and unstoppable, as seen in "Changes" when [[spoiler:Karrin Murphy]] wielding one, takes down several high Red Court nobles who are nearly EldritchAbominations in terms of power.

* Lightbringer in ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' However, [[spoiler: It's a fake]]

* And in JimButcher's other series ''CodexAlera'', high Lords, including the First Lord often wield a ''FlamingSword'' when going into battle. Here, the sword itself is a typical sword, but their Furycrafting imbues it with fire.

* Callandor in ''TheWheelOfTime''. The Sword That Is Not A Sword is a sword-shaped crystal sa'angreal, and one of the most powerful, though flawed.

* Callandor in ''TheWheelOfTime''
* The ''SwordOfTruth.''

* In ''{{Morrowind}}'' the best weapon in the core game is between an Easter Egg long sword (the normal powered version is good too though), the main quest important hammer (which requires a special glove be worn with it so it doesn't kill you and drains your fatigue even if you have the glove) and a dagger that does 1.5 the damage of either, but needs to recharge after 11 hits. The limitations make the sword the best choice.

* ''{{Slayers}}'' normally plays this straight, but it's averted by the ''TRY'' season of the anime - the "[[TheArcher Bow of Light]]" is the most powerful of the five Darkstar weapons.

->Standing before the sword you long sought after, I can only wonder at what thoughts must have passed through your mind as you learned the truth of its awesome, terrible power. Soul Edge's legacy lives on to this day. It most likely will live on forever, for humans will always desire the ultimate weapon.
-->--Tristy, ''Soul Calibur 2''