Yoru

Known to be the strongest Sword in the world, the Kokutō Yoru is one of the 12 Saijō Ō Wazamono Grade Swords, under the ownership of Dracule Mihawk.

Appearance
It is an ornately decorated and very long blade with a total length of at least 7 feet, as it is seen to be at least a full head taller than Mihawk himself (who is 6'6", or 198 centimeters) when it is placed on his back. On the hilt of this blade is a crossguard, though the bars between the blade and the hilt are much longer than average. The blade itself is pitch black with a very strong sheen, and its shape is similar to the German "Großes Messer", a single-edged long sword with a slight curve at the end of the blade.

Abilities
"Without subtlety, a sword is but an iron bar." Mixed with Mihawk's abilities, Kokutō Yoru has tremendous power, as it was seen destroying Don Krieg's flagship with a single strike. While Kokutō Yoru is the sharpest blade in the world, it is also gentle. This was as demonstrated when Mihawk deflected the course of bullets that were aimed at him with only a slight touch of the sword. He can also launch a massive slashing attack of compressed air or energy that can reach at an extremely long distance, sending spiraling waves at the opponent at pinpoint accuracy, and capable of slicing a mountain of ice from afar. Although Mihawk is the owner of the best sword of the world and his swordsmanship is known to be the strongest of the world it's still unknown if he is able or not to cut through diamond, at least, with the techniques he has shown at the moment.

Attack List
Although Mihawk does not name his attacks in the mainstream of the series, there are several specific attacks he has used during the series that are named in various video games. Below is a description of the variety of attacks shown.


 * Mihawk swings his blade to launch a wave of compressed air from his sword, which is able to cut everything in his path, making a powerful long-range slice. A vertical version of this attack was first seen to cut in half Don Krieg's ship and a horizontal version was then seen in attempt to attack Luffy, but missed, slicing a massive mass of ice. This is called Kokutou Issen (黒刀一閃 (こくとういっせん) Black Blade Single Flash) in One Piece: Gigant Battle.
 * Sekai Ichi no Zangeki (世界一の斬撃): Most likely Mihawk's most powerful attack, possessing incredible range and power. Using his Kokutou Yoru, Mihawk launches a massive air compressed wave (even longer than the Moby Dick) towards his opponent, capable of cutting through massive amounts of ice, and supposedly much more. "Diamond Jozu" of Whitebeard's crew was able to stop it, although it's unknown if it was because Mihawk lacks the ability to cut through diamond, because Mihawk did not expect Jozu blocking the attack or because the use of Haki from part of Jozu. It was "named" by one of the war participants when he described the attack. It was first seen used as a long-range opener against Whitebeard but was blocked by Jozu's diamond body.
 * Mihawk jumps, standing on his sword, and descends to impale his opponent. It was first seen being used against Luffy. This is called Kokutou Arahoshi (黒刀荒星 (こくとうあらほし) Black Blade Heavy Star) in One Piece: Gigant Battle.
 * Mihawk awaits his opponent's next attack holding his Black Blade with two hands over his back. Once the enemy attacks, Mihawk counterstrikes quickly with a powerful downward slash. It was first seen tried to use against Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Jet Bazooka, but he realizes that if he attacks Mihawk, his arms would be cut off; thus directing his attack to the ground, making Mihawk unable to counterattack. This is called Kokutou Saku (黒刀朔 (こくとうさく) Black Blade First Day) in One Piece: Gigant Battle.


 * Mihawk attacks with his Kokutou Yoru at great speed. This technique seems to be more powerful than a normal slash of the sword as it emits some kind of cutting air (but not enough to cover great distances). This was first seen against Luffy. This is called Kokutou Kogetsu (黒刀弧月 (こくとうこげつ) Black Blade Arc Moon) in One Piece: Unlimited Adventure, One Piece: Unlimited Cruise, and One Piece: Gigant Battle.
 * Mihawk makes a downward swing to launch a projectile of slicing wind that travels at great speed through the ground. This attack is able to cut through steel with ease and rapidity. It was first seen used against Luffy but was blocked by Mr. 1, who receives all the damage, breaking his steel body in just seconds. This is called Chi wo Hau Zangeki (地を這う斬撃 (ちをはうざんげき) Earth-Crawling Slash) in One Piece: Gigant Battle.
 * Mihawk slices the opponent with a spiral-like stream (very similar to Zoro's Sanjūroku Pound Hō) of compressed air with great speed. This alongside with Mihawk's outstanding eyesight make one of the most speedy and accurate attacks shown in the whole series (to even strike a Luffy in Gear Second mode while he's moving in the middle of the war of Marineford).

Anime and Manga Differences
In the anime and video games, the sword's blade is quite thick while in the manga, it is very thin. Also the beads on the sword's hilt were initially red in the manga, while in the anime they are blue and green in color; in the manga the color was later changed to green. The background of the golden part of the sword is also green in color in the manga. Also in the anime, the blade of the sword emits purple (changed to green during the Marineford arc) streaks when swung.

Trivia

 * For the 4Kids dub the sword's cross-shaped guard was shortened because it looked too much like a crucifix.

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