Sword

A sword is a long-edged weapon used in different forms by various civilizations.

Swordsmithing
A swordsmith (刀鍛冶) is a craftsman responsible for forging bladed weapons that are used in battle or repairing them. Master swordsmiths who are skilled enough can create masterpieces known as Meitos. Known swordsmiths include Kotetsu and Tenguyama Hitetsu of the Kitetsu school of swordsmiths, as well as Shimotsuki Kozaburo.

Strengths and Weaknesses
A sword fundamentally consists of a blade, with one or two edges for striking and cutting, a point for thrusting, and a hilt for gripping. Swords are a very commonly used weapon in the world of One Piece. Many people wield swords, but there are those who train hard, and learn to use swords exceptionally well. These people are known as swordsmen.

A sword's blade serves its primary function, most are designed for cutting, blocking other bladed weapons or thrusting, although not all swords rely on being able to cut a wound to be lethal, a few are also designed with small indents in them to help fight other melee weapons. A swords weakness is its quality and its lack of range, as well as the fact that unlike other weapons they relied more on the skills of the one who used them. A sword does not always deal a lethal blow as depending on the sword type and fighting style they sometimes could not have enough force put behind them to do such a thing.

Classified Swords
While there are a large variety of swords in terms of shapes and attributes, they are also classified by their qualities. The three known classifications are as:
 * Meito (名刀): A sword of exceptional quality that has gained its own fame. Mento boast cutting power and resilience that far outclass other weapons.
 * Kokuto (黒刀): A sword that has a black blade, having been turned into a black through countless battles because of the imbuement and hardening applications of Busoshoku Haki. These swords are stronger than normal blades, most renown for their impressive resilience, not even bending an inch if a dinosaur stepped on it. It is stated that should a swordsman turn their swords into Black Blades, then their grade would increase in rank, but this is rare. Yoru and Shusui are both Kokuto.
 * Yoto (妖刀): A sword that carries a curse and brings misfortune to its wielders; can be overpowered if the user's luck is superior. All three of Kitetsu's creations are cursed blades. Kikoku and Shichiseiken are also Yoto.

Named Swords of No Known Classification

 * Kiribachi: a cross between a saw and a zanbato.
 * Terry Sword: a giant-sized longsword.
 * Eisen Whip: a katana made of shapeshifting iron cloud.
 * Bamboo: a longsword.
 * Funkfreed: a western-curved sword that can change into a elephant.
 * Franken: a giant, single-edged sword.
 * Soul Solid: a shikomizue.
 * Same-kiri Bocho: a cross between a giant cleaver and a zanbato.
 * Kaken: a pair of sabers.

Types of Swords
Within the series, a great variety of swords are used, depending on the user's personal preferences.

Katana


The katana (刀) is a type of sword. It is a single-edged, curved and slender blade.

Zoro's Wado Ichimonji, Sandai Kitetsu and Shusui are katana. High-ranking Marines, mainly Vice Admirals, use a katana or swords that greatly resemble them. There are other characters who wield katana of gigantic proportions in comparison to their own sizes (also known as "zanbato"), such as Squard or Pica. Katanas are also the favorite weapons of the samurai from the Wano Country as shown by Kin'emon and Ryuma, who wield katanas as their weapon of choice.

There are certain fighters who utilize katana blades to customize a standard bladed weapon. The Cat Claws are nekode with a katana blade placed on each finger and thumb, turning them into giant claws. The Kessui is a peculiar naginata that is essentially two katana linked together at each end of the hilt, creating a double-sided halberd.

It should be noted that the kanji for katana is often alternately read as "tou", making it refer to either a "knife" or "blade" (via pareleling its Chinese reading, dāo).

List of named katana:
 * Wado Ichimonji
 * Shodai Kitetsu
 * Nidai Kitetsu
 * Sandai Kitetsu
 * Yubashiri
 * Shigure
 * Kashu
 * Shusui
 * Soto Muso
 * Enma
 * Ame no Habakiri

Kogatana


The kogatana (小刀) is a very small version of a katana, being more akin to hand-sized knife.

Dracule Mihawk uses this to fight weak opponents, and sometimes in order to eat with.

Wakizashi
Wakizashi (脇差) is a short sword, being a shorter version of the Katana with a similar design albeit with a shorter blade between 30 and 60 cm and also a shorter hilt. In the Wano Country, Wakizashi is commonly carried by Samurais alongside a Katana as part of a Daishō set to be used as a side weapon.

A Wakizashi is used by Momonosuke as his main weapon due to his short size and height.

Tanto


Tanto (短刀) is a knife. The blade is single or double edged with a length between 15 and 30 cm. The tantō was designed primarily as a stabbing weapon, but the edge can be used for slashing as well. It is used in Wano as a tool for seppuku.

Nodachi


The nodachi (野太刀), sometimes referred as odachi (大太刀) are another type of sword. Its cutting capability and range exceed that of a katana, due to its longer length, weight, and size.

The Captain of the Heart Pirates, Trafalgar Law, wields one of these, to be used in combination with his Devil Fruit powers. Shiryu, captain of the Blackbeard Pirates' second ship, also wields one. Charlotte Amande wields a nodachi named Shirauo, taking advantage of its length to cut through giant targets easier.

List of named nodachi:
 * Kikoku
 * Raiu
 * Shirauo

Dadao


The dadao (大刀) is a variation of the dao sword. It features a curved, broad blade designed mainly for chopping, with the end of the blade consisting of two angles connected by a straight or slightly curved edge. Akin to the cleaver.

The swords used by both Johnny and Yosaku greatly resemble dadao. Roronoa Zoro borrows these swords for his battle against Hatchan, since his two katana were broken by Dracule Mihawk. Queen also carries a pair of dao swords.

Jian


The jian is a double-edged straight sword with a pommel for balance and a hilt that may feature a tassel. Its blade design features subtle profile taper but often has considerable distal taper, with its thickness near the tip being only half of the root's base, making it highly versatile as it can be used for stabbing, as well as making both precise cuts and slashes.

The Shichiseiken is a powerful cursed sword with the design of an extremely ornate Jian. Shiki's dual Meito, Oto and Kogarashi, are also Jian swords with katana handguards.

Real life Jian is of Chinese origin, early katana and swords in general are based off the Jian, but the curved and single edged design gained popularity for it's ergonomic curve for slashing and sharpness, respectfully.

List of named jian:
 * Oto and Kogarashi
 * Shichiseiken (non-canon)

Cutlass


A cutlass (カットラス) is a short, thick saber, with a slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge, and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket-shaped guard.

Many low-ranking Marine soldiers and pirates are shown to be wielding these types of swords. Hatchan wields six cutlasses, each weighing over 300 kg. Wanda, member of the Inuarashi Musketeer Squad of the Mink Tribe, wields a double-edged cutlass that she often uses to channel Electro.

Saber


A saber (サーベル) is a type of sword with a single edge blade with a large hand guard. Its blade is usually (but not always) curved of variable length. Unlike a cutlass, the saber is longer and thinner in design.

Sabers are often seen being used by background characters. The most notable user of sabers are Shanks of the Four Emperors and the Pirate King Gol D. Roger. X Drake wields a saber, he holds it with his left hand. Vista also employs two sabers, known simultaneously as Kaken, in combat. Vice Admiral Onigumo uses eight of these in combination with his presumably spider-based Devil Fruit, rather than the Vice Admirals' traditional weapon of choice, the katana.

List of named sabers:
 * Gryphon
 * Kaken

Kukri


The kukri (ククリ) is a heavy, curved knife used for both as a tool and a weapon.

The "Big-Knife" used by Sarquiss resembles a kukri, and Helmeppo uses two kukri for combat.

Shikomizue


A shikomizue (仕込み杖) is a sword normally concealed inside a cane or walking stick.

Roronoa Zoro used one in an anime-only flashback. Brook uses a shikomizue as the main weapon for his sword style. Brook named the blade Soul Solid after the timeskip due to his new ability to imbue his spectral energy into it. Issho wields a shikomizue that doubles as a walking stick for him, and like Brook, he tends to channel his Devil Fruit powers through it—in his case, gravitation forces. Baron Tamago uses one and is highly skilled in using it in conjunction with spinning techniques as shown during his battle with Pedro.

List of named shikomizue:
 * Soul Solid

Shirasaya


A shirasaya (白鞘) is a plain blade consisting of a scabbard and hilt.

Kaku uses a pair of shirasaya as part of his Yontoryu. Upon his transformation into a giraffe hybrid form, his swords grow in size proportional to himself, becoming more or less as long as nodachi. Admiral Issho's shikomizue also resembles a shirasaya in terms of design.

In real life, Shirasaya is a type of blade-preservation when weapons are stored for long periods of time during peace. The wooden scabbard decreases the chance for corrosion and internal moisture as compared to a Lacquered scabbard. The Shirasaya was not meant for combat as the tsuba(guard) is not there to protect the hands and the lack of tsuka(Hilt) reduced it's grip. Non Shirasaya swords that are functional and have no guard are called Aikuchi but it's usually only used for tantō and wakizashi but a few instances of Katana Aikuchi can be found, reserved mostly for ninja and shinobi.

Zanbato


A zanbato (斬馬刀) is a particularly gigantic, curved sword in comparison to the wielder.

Arlong's Kiribachi is a zanbato with a saw-patterned teeth for blades, though he has no trouble wielding it due to his fish-man strength. Dracule Mihawk's Yoru is quite long in length, being taller than the 198 cm Mihawk. Squard used a very large katana that can qualify as a zanbato. Pica also wields a giant katana, even in proportion to his own naturally giant size. Bastille wields the Same-kiri Bocho, a cleaver-styled zanbato, until it was destroyed by Sabo. Even among giants, they use swords that are larger than themselves, let alone regular humans, as Little Oars Jr. wielded a gigantic butcher's knife.

List of named zanbato:
 * Yoru
 * Kiribachi
 * Same-kiri Bocho

Rapier


A rapier (レイピア) is a slender, sharply pointed sword, designed mainly for thrusting. The hilt has a complex design that acts as a form of protection for the hand wielding it.

Ryuboshi wields two rapiers that have katana-wrappings around the hilts and prominent handguards. Diamante wields a rapier that he can use either as a normal sword or in tandem with his Hira Hira no Mi to fold and reshape into a mace or an urumi. Cavendish wields the Durandal, a small sword and a Meito, which seemingly possesses a shine whenever unsheathed. From the Mink Tribe, Duke Inuarashi and the Inuarashi Musketeer Squad leader Shishilian both wield rapiers, using them to channel Electro.

List of named rapiers:
 * Durandal

Longsword


The longsword (ロングソード), is a large, straight, double-edged sword, with a cross-shaped hilt.

Mihawk's sword, Yoru, resembles a large longsword in terms of design, but with a single-edged blade instead. Kyros, the legendary gladiator of the Corrida Colosseum, wields a standard longsword. Both Rebecca and Riku Doldo III wield variants with dull edges, in order to prevent blood shedding during combat. Dorry, one of the Captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, uses a gigantic variant called the Terry Sword that suits his size. Charlotte Cracker wields an enormous longsword named Pretzel that is bigger than the average human.

List of named longswords:
 * Terry Sword
 * Bamboo
 * Pretzel

Urumi


The urumi (ウルミ) is a longsword with a flexible and thin blade, classified as a steel whip.

While no actual urumi was ever seen in canon, Ohm wielded the Eisen Whip, which was made of Iron Cloud, allowing him to change its shape into a very long and sharp urumi. Spandam wields Funkfreed, a sword with the Zo Zo no Mi powers, which allows him to extend the blade in a very long and bending fashion. Diamante can use his Hira Hira no Mi powers in conjuncture with his rapier to form an urumi. Similarly, Basil Hawkins has shown the ability to use his sword as an urumi after turning it into straw.

A non-canon user of the urumi is Heaby, who wields a chain-sectioned sword, allowing him to swing it like a whip due to its mechanism, and fitting his theme of snake. In the manga, Holdem's Karakuri-to is a katana which abilities are not shown, but in the anime, it can be split apart to as a whip blade.

List of named urumi:
 * Eisen Whip
 * Funkfreed (while in hybrid form)

Machete


The machete (マチェテ) is a short, one-handed, cleaver-like weapon that can also be used as a tool like the kukri. It usually has a broad blade similar to a cutlass, but the handle of a machete is far simpler in comparison.

Run "the Machete" is able to wield four machetes at the same time thanks to his lower spider body granted to him by Trafalgar Law's Ope Ope no Mi ability. Pedro, one of the Whale Forest Guardians of the Mink Tribe, wields a machete for combat.

Shotel


The Shotel (ショーテル) is a curved sword with a partially circular blade, resembling a large sickle in appearance.

Blondie wields a pair of shotels that have dual blades on each sword. Jack, of the Beasts Pirates, wields a pair of twisted shotels that emulate the shape of a mammoth's tusks, but also look like sickles when viewed from certain angles. The swords themselves are kept inside scabbards that also resemble tusks.

Trivia

 * Napoleon is a bicorne homie that can extend various types of swords from its top, transforming into a sword homie. It can so far change into a cutlass, longsword, and a heraldic seax.
 * Several characters are capable of forming functional, temporary swords through Devil Fruit powers or some other mechanism:
 * Kamakiri wields the Burn Blade, a dial-powered weapon that generates flammable gas, which ignites in the shape of a blade.
 * Caesar Clown's Blue Sword follows a similar mechanic to the Burn Blade, but thanks to Caesar's own Gasu Gasu no Mi, he does not need to utilize dials to generate flammable gas, doing so himself.
 * Kuzan can make a rudimentary ice blade through his Ice Saber technique. Borsalino is capable of doing the same with Ama no Murakumo, which allows him to create a blade made of pure light.

Site Navigation
Spade Espada Miecz