Basic Trope: Honkin' huge swords, because Bigger Is Better.
- Straight: The legendary Barbarian Hero Clay wields a greatsword as long as he is tall (he's well above 6'5" or 1.95 meters), and does not struggle to carry it.
- Exaggerated:
- The size of Clay's greatsword is comparable to a planet. It is also wielded one-handed as well.
- Clay's sword is thrice as long as he is tall, and twice as wide. Everyone around him wonders how he can even lift the damn thing.
- Clay's sword is so large that he needs a second person to help him carry it.
- Downplayed: Clay wields the largest sword in the series, but it's still a realistic size and wielded with a plausible two-handed style.
- Justified:
- Clay is using some form of phlebotinum that grants him the superhuman strength to lift and wield the thing, such as a Belt of Giant's Strength, aided by the Required Secondary Powers from his Gravity Boots of Not Falling Over and his Vestibular Implant of Magical Stability.
- The sword is made of Hard Light.
- Clay is a giant muscled tower of a man! It makes clear sense why Clay can wield such a thing.
- The swords were invented to fight monsters the size of apartment buildings.
- The sword is made of a material that is incredibly light, yet super durable.
- The weapon's creators were giants, so it would be a normal sized sword to them.
- Clay's primary job is taking down larger enemies, like mounted cavalry, armored vehicles, or huge monsters. He could use a smaller sword (and might even do so for smaller enemies like infantry), but it wouldn't be as effective against the enemies he fights most often.
- Clay uses Mind over Matter to swing the sword.
- Inverted: The Rival Bob's sword is a lightweight saber that's built for finesse fighting, or is so small that the word "dagger" would be a more suitable word. He compensates for his small blade by wielding The Barricade, a giant shield.
- Subverted:
- Clay attempts to brandish his big-ass sword only to find that it's too heavy for him to even lift off the ground.
- We see a huge sword, but it turns out its wielder is a giant, and it's a normal-sized sword for his kind.
- Double Subverted:
- Then Clay realizes he forgot to put on his belt of giant's strength, and twirls the giant sword over his head in one hand.
- The giant is actually a squire who promptly hands the sword to a midget.
- Parodied:
- The legendary sword Worldbreaker is aptly named... in that it's bigger than the Moon and capable of splitting the world in half. Literally. Whoever wields it can carry it perfectly too.
- The "Worldbreaker" isn't so much a sword as it is a sword-shaped atmospheric reentry weapon.
- The "Worldbreaker" is made of cardboard, even a little girl can carry it without any problem.
- Some of Clay's party snicker behind his back, saying that he's Compensating for Something.
- The sword has its own Zipcode, and monsters usually live on its blade.
- The Miles Gloriosus has a massive, blatantly phallic BFS and a cringe-inducing attitude to match.
- Zig Zagged: Clay appears to be using a small sword, but it can magically change into an extremely large one. He then seems to be having trouble in battle because his sword is too large for him to use well, until his mentor instructs him how to release his full potential. His opponent, feeling emasculated, pulls an even bigger sword... but without the help of his one-time mentor, he's unable to use it properly, and Clay defeats him.
- Averted: All the characters' swords are reasonably sized.
- Enforced: "We need to show how impressively strong Clay is. Let's give him a huge sword!"
- Lampshaded: "How do you even fight with that thing?"
- Invoked: "The Enemy's getting stronger! Quick, get the Spine-Breaker!!"
- Exploited: The sword doubles as a bridge and portable grill at camp.
- Defied: Bob is shown a selection of weapons and asked to identify the Infinity +1 Sword to prove he is worthy of it. The huge thing a head taller than himself is the first one he rejects, scoffing that only a child would think Bigger Is Better.
- Discussed: "Just wait. Clay's super secret ultimate weapon is going to be a sword bigger than him."
- Conversed: "I always wonder how Clay is able to even move that thing. I mean, it's as big as he is."
- Implied: Aerith and Bob walk through a battlefield and see several soldiers and horses that have been cut cleanly at the waists.
- Deconstructed:
- Clay insists on using a huge sword, and fights badly due to his lack of agility.
- Due to the length of the sword, Clay's attacks are telegraphed and easy to dodge since he can only swing horizontally or swing the blade vertically down.
- Reconstructed:
- However, between being Made of Iron and the sword's impacts having awesome AOE power, he remains perfectly functional as a Mighty Glacier.
- With Charles Atlas Superpower, he is able to swing through the ground and wields it as if it were weightless.
- He compensates by using a defensive fighting style, waiting for the right moment to strike so that he can punish opponents with a devastating Counter-Attack.
- Played For Laughs:
- Everyone uses swords longer then they are. Climactic battles are basically tests of strength in which the winner is the first to swing his sword in a simple vertical slash.
- Clay is presented with a sword so big he can't lift it from the ground.
- Played For Drama: The BFS is used by the Evil Overlord to execute civilians in one stroke.
Back to the collection of BFS's. And don't even think about trying to carry one on the way back; They'd be too big to fit.
