When it comes to weapons, in typical anime fashion, they can definitely have quite a range. There are a lot of really cool designs and concepts for things like unique swords or impressive arsenals. Sometimes the weapons can be insanely huge, have unexpected abilities, or hold a rabbit hole of lore. In some cases, some items, even as mundane as a notebook, can become a weapon of mass destruction. Sometimes characters pull unexpected or ridiculously large weapons out of nowhere, like when a gun pops out of a blank piece of paper in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Whatever the case, there’s definitely no shortage of how many weapons are depicted in the medium. Cartoon violence? Absolutely. But with an anime armory filled to the brim with such unique weaponry, it can be difficult to choose which ones tend to stick out in one’s mind when it comes to choosing a favorite or recalling some of the most interesting. But there are definitely some that many anime enthusiasts recollect as being particularly iconic. So, with a list of a handful of particularly notable ones, let’s rank them!
10) Kirito’s Elucidator and Dark Repulser From Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online often comes to mind when anime fans think of what the most stereotypical isekai might be. As such, the series was wildly popular when it debuted in 2012, and Kirito’s dual black and teal swords, named Elucidator and Dark Repulser, respectively, were very well-known among the anime community. While the official names are indeed edgy, Kirito in Sword Art Online Abridged managed to come up with a bit of a more interesting name for at least the Dark Repulser: “The Piece of Sh-t… Dragon Sh-t that is! LOL Trademark Lizbeth” followed by Lizbeth’s contact info.
Sword Art Online can be streamed on Crunchyroll or Hulu where available.
9) Gintoki’s wooden katana from Gintama
From fighting aliens to toilet humor, Gintama is sure to get a giggle. The series centers around Gintoki, a guy dedicated to helping others, accompanied by his straight-man protégé, Shinpachi, and the red-haired, gluttonous but strong Kagura. As the trio take on freelance odd jobs at Yorozuya, there’s definitely emphasis on the capital ‘O’ Odd. And with a samurai who can’t even brandish a real sword but instead carries around a wooden one? Gintoki still manages to get the job done, no matter how odd. Iconic. Absolute cinema.
Gintama can be streamed on Crunchyroll or Hulu where available.
8) The Scissor Blades From Kill la Kill
Scissor. Blades. Does any more really need to be said? As protagonist Ryuko Matoi wields the red half of the dual Scissor Blades, one of the antagonists, Nui Harime, wields the purple half. Sure, the sentient weapon clothing like Goku Uniforms and Kamuis made from alien Life Fibers are unique in their own right, but the Scissor Blades, the only means of severing said Life Fibers, are an aesthetically unique take on the sword in general as an otherwise stereotypical, simplistic weapon of stabby damage.
Kill la Kill can be streamed on Crunchyroll or Hulu where available.
7) Ichigo’s Zangetsu From Bleach
With the intense lore-building in Bleachyou bet the swords have their own rabbit holes of very specific names and abilities. As the Shinigami wield Zanpakutō in order to defeat Hollows, send spirits to the afterlife, or travel through the Three Worlds, Ichigo’s own Zanpakutō, of course, has its own unique qualities. Named Zangetsu, this specific weapon holds its own manifested spirit as well as Ichigo’s inner Hollow and Quincy powers.
Bleach can be streamed on Disney+ or Hulu where available.
6) Soul Evans the Death Weapon From Soul Eater
This series doesn’t just have weapons like scythes, ninja stars, and pistols, but the weapons are also fellow students. While in reality, some students groan at the idea of being paired up with classmates in order to collaborate on a class project, imagine being paired up with either a classmate who’s a literal weapon like a bazooka or being a weapon who requires a partner to wield you for a single class project that spans the entire school year.
Soul Eater can be streamed on Crunchyroll or Disney+ where available.
5) Haruko Haruhara’s “Bat” FLCL
While the literal and metaphorical theme of taking initiative to swing a bat is pervasive throughout the premise of FLCLHaruko definitely takes it literally. Although her “bat” isn’t really a baseball bat — it’s an electric bass guitar. Or really whatever she manages to pull out of Naota’s forehead. The bats are even modeled after actual types of guitars like the Gibson EB-0, Flying V, Fender Jazzmaster, and 1967 Model Mustang. But her most iconic “bat” is definitely the Rickenbacker 4001. Rock on.
FLCL is available for streaming on either HBO Max or Crunchyroll where available.
4) Guts’s Dragon Slayer from Berserk
There may be many a giant sword throughout different anime series, but Guts’s giant sword, the Dragon Slayer, is one of the most iconic and recognizable within the wider anime community. With the sword being probably the most iconic anime greatsword in general and the particular undertones within the premise of Berserkperhaps some may even think of the massive sword as screaming “compensation”.
As the pommel of some jokes, this particularly massive sword has also been pretty thoroughly meme’d with people trying to draw and photo-edit it to be as ridiculously big in comparison to the wielder as possible. However, size jokes aside, the sword has become integral to Guts’ journey in Berserk, thoroughly steeped in the malice of his slain foes, and now strong enough to harm incredibly powerful astral beings, including members of the God Hand. Suffice to say, Guts would have made a mistake to accept Schierke’s Axe of the Gnomes all those chapters ago.
3) Light’s Death Note From Death Note
Death Note is a well-known, beloved classic anime by Madhouse that is so recognizable that it’s been referenced by many other types of media as a familiar anime in general. And with the premise of a teenager going around murdering people with a mere notebook? Yeah, this anime weapon is fairly iconic. Cause, y’know, how better to create an idyllic, peaceful world than to use school supplies to kill people who are already in prison. No wonder the true owner of the main Death Note, the Shinigami Ryuk, thinks the entire chain of events following his initiation of dropping the thing was just an entertaining domino effect.
Death Note can be streamed on Netflix, Prime, Hulu, Peacock, Pluto, or Tubi where available.
2) freezing Staff from Freeze: beyond journey’s end
There may be plenty of other kinds of weapons that are utilized in anime, especially swords, but frankly, staves need more love. Oftentimes they’re not as commonly associated with anime heroes as even other conventional fantasy weapons. But Freeze is no conventional anime, and it shows.
While there’s no doubt that Frieren could commit massive atrocities in the blink of an eye without the aid of even lifting a finger if she so chose, her staff is still incredibly iconic. And, hey, it matches her outfit. Iconic and fashionable. Perhaps there’s much more to her staff that is yet to eventually be revealed…
Freeze: beyond journey’s end can be streamed on Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll.
1) The Eva From Neon Genesis Evangelion
The Eva have been an absolute hit since the debut of Neon Genesis Evangeliona series with an opening that even non-anime fans consider a banger, in 1995. Widely recognizable as a top-of-mind piloted mecha, these weapons aren’t actually as “mecha” as people tend to think when seeing their robot-like exteriors. They’re actually modified from a combination of living beings, including the strange creatures known as Angels and human material.
Along with the extensive lore hidden just beneath the armor exteriors, these mecha-creatures that are considered weapons themselves also tend to wield a variety of handheld armaments like giant knives, guns, and spears. If weapons wielding weapons isn’t considered peak among anime fans, who knows what is?
Neon Genesis Evangelion can be streamed on Netflix.
What’s your favorite weapon in anime? Let us know in the comments!
