The eponymous character of the Black★Rock Shooter franchise wields one called the Black Blade, which is.He's even badass enough to take on Revy herself on equal footing in a one-on-one battle to the death, even though he ultimately throws the fight and loses. As is Ginji Matsuzaki from Black Lagoon, an underboss of the Washimine Group who takes a shirasaya katana to a mess of gunslinging yakuza goons and performs feats like slicing bullets in half and slicing one cocky yakuza's gun (and his hands!) to pieces.Still, the sword gets broken by a gunshot. Creed from Black Cat used to wield a katana he called 'Kotetsu.' Later, although still in the form of a katana, it becomes a blade formed from Creed's Chi.Akito helpfully points out that many of the most successful manga that are currently running (some of which already cited here) use katana in them, be they the main focal point of the overall story (as is the case with Bleach) or not (as in One Piece). Discussed early in Bakuman。, as Moritaka and Akito discuss what to have in their manga.The titular character of Akame ga Kill! wields Murasame, a cursed katana with a poisoned blade that can kill her targets with a single cut.The titular charter of Afro Samurai is a Master Swordsman who can pull off a number of improbable feats with his tachi, like slicing a musket ball in such a way that it fragments into pieces and taking out a number of enemies behind him.See also Suave Sabre which is a western variation on curved swords.Ī Super-Trope to Wooden Katanas Are Even Better, in which the ultimate sign of a Master Swordsman in Japan is being able to defeat steel katana using a wooden one. However, despite the fact that its physical performance is not exaggerated as frequently, the katana is still pretty widely considered to be especially cool and stylish. Since the 2010s or so it has become far less universal in popular culture, and excessive boasts about the katana are frequently debunked or parodied online. It seems possible that this will eventually become a Discredited Trope. We also have a Useful Notes page on Swords for more information, as well as a Kenjutsu on the real martial arts associated with their use. See the analysis page for more on that front. They were designed to function best within their own time period and culture, just as any sword. Of course, in reality, katana are no better or worse than most any other type of sword. Even more so than other heroes wielding swords, shooting at this guy is usually pointless unless you want your bullets parried. A character with a katana is usually a Master Swordsman with Implausible Fencing Powers. The katana is usually characterized as an Absurdly Sharp Blade that can make a Clean Cut straight through just about anything, maybe even so clean that the object doesn't fall apart until a few seconds afterwards. Because of this widespread cult of katana supremacy, putting one in the hands of a character is often a statement that they are cooler and more powerful than the ones who don't have one. Japanese media often lionize the katana, and Westerners with a Foreign Culture Fetish or belief in Exotic Weapon Supremacy take this reputation even further. Rule of Cool says swords are cooler than guns and tends to also hold the Japanese katana to be the coolest of all swords.

Futuristic cool katana