Sabers are the most used and widespread weapons in the One Piece universe. There are a large number of them and in several different varieties. They are divided into two main categories, namely the Meito, legendary ⚔️ sabers which are of very good quality, even excellent , and the others which are classic and of less good quality. The sabers in this second section don't even have names.
Apart from those mentioned in these two categories, there are also other swords which have atypical shapes. This is particularly the case with the Kiribachi (or Saw-Throw) of Arlong the Saw or the Kirisame of the fish-man 🐟 Hody Jones . Note also that certain pirates (Daz Bonez alias the Assassin, Kuzan alias Aokiji or the assassin Baby 5) and members of the Navy (Borsalino alias Admiral Kizaru) are capable of creating sabers or swords thanks to the powers of their Fruits of the Demon.
Types of swords
In the One Piece series, there are several different types of swords with models varying depending on the user and their personal choices.
Katana
First of all, there is the katana which is part of what is called the nihonto (Japanese sword) bringing together all the bladed weapons designed using a particular Japanese technique. Used by a large number of Samurai, the katana has a slightly curved blade with only one side sharp. The blade of a katana measures at least twice as much as a shaku (old unit of measurement in Japan and which is still used in traditional crafts such as the making of swords or bows 🏹), i.e. more than 60 cm and can go up to 73 cm. Among Roronoa Zoro's three swords, one is a renowned katana: the Wadô Ichimonji . Furthermore, Vice Admirals of the Navy also have katanas, or at least swords that closely resemble katanas.
Kogatana
Next comes the Kogatana, which in French means “little saber” (or children’s sword). Indeed, the Kogatana is a small knife, a miniature version of the katana. Its length is that of an average-sized person's hand, like a small dagger. 🗡️ The Samurai generally uses it as a backup or reinforcement weapon during his clashes in addition to his katana. In One Piece, we notably find Dracule Mihawk aka Hawkeye, the Greatest Fencer in the World , who uses a Kogatana to fight against weak opponents. He also uses it to eat.
Daito
Daïto is a generic term which refers more to a category of blades than to a specific weapon. Indeed, Daïtô literally means "Long Sword" or "Big Sword" and generally designates a long saber as opposed to a Shoto or a wakizachi (Small/Short Sword 🔪). Any saber whose blade exceeds two shaku, therefore more than 60 cm, is considered a Daïto. The Katana is therefore considered a Daïto. Furthermore, the three swords which are in Roronoa Zoro's possession and which he uses for his Three Saber Technique or Santôryû are all recognized as being Daïto.
Nodachi
Finally, there is the Nodachi which is a long sword to be wielded with both hands. If, in appearance, it resembles a katana, the main difference lies in its length. Indeed, a Nodachi is much longer than the katana and its size can reach up to 1.50 m. In addition, it is also much heavier, which is why it is more complicated to hold and requires the use of both hands. And, given its size and weight, this sword has a better slicing capacity than the katana. A few people from One Piece have a Nodachi. This is particularly the case of the former Head Warden of the underwater prison 👮🏼♂️ of Impel Down, Shiryu (Shiliew of the Rain in the French version) and also of Charlotte Tablet who is part of the Big Mom Crew. Trafalgar D. Water Law, captain and doctor of the Heart Pirates , also has a Nodachi named Kikoku which he combines with the abilities of his Devil Fruit during his fights. You should know that Kikoku is considered a cursed blade and is part of the category of weapons called Meito.
Meito Sabers
Literally meaning "Excellent sword" or "Famous sword", Meito refers above all to a kind of status for a sword. These are therefore renowned and excellent quality swords. There are a total of 83 swords in the world that have the status of Meito and they are divided into three sections according to their quality:
- The Saijo Ô Wazamono
- The O Wazamono
- The Ryo Wazamono
Saiji O Wazamono
This is the highest category of all Meito and includes exactly 12 blades of exceptional quality. Indeed, the Saijo Ô Wazamono have the best quality of blade that can be found in the world of One Piece. Their power and resistance have no equal. To date, only four swords in this category are known, namely:
Dracule Mihawk's Kokuto Yoru (The Dark Saber of the Night)
- The Kokuto Yoru (The Dark Saber of the Night) of Dracule Mihawk , one of the 7 Great Corsairs. This is a black saber with a length exceeding 2 meters. Forming a crucifix ✝️ with the blade, its guard has several jewels. This saber does not have a sheath and Dracule Mihawk fixes it on his back with straps when he is not fighting with it. Its shape is similar to that of the two-handed version of the Messer (Großes Messer), a medieval weapon used for defense or during duels.
- The Murakumogiri belonging to Edward Newgate, aka Whitebeard, the Strongest Man in the World . It is a Japanese weapon, a kind of halberd called Naginata and whose shape is similar to a falchid (a war scythe). This sharp weapon reaches a length of 6.6 m. It has a gigantic curved blade firmly attached to the long yellow and red striped handle. At the end of this sleeve we find a spherical pommel.
- Even if we haven't seen him in the series yet, we know that Shodai Kitetsu is one of the 12 Saiji O Wazamono. Shodai literally meaning "First Generation", the Shodai Kitetsu is the very first sword designed by the legendary Wano blacksmith, Kotetsu. Just like the other two Kitetsu swords designed subsequently, this one is also cursed 🤬 and can bring death to whoever possesses and wields it. Even if we don't know much about this sword, we can say that it is very resistant and has great powers due to the fact that it is one of the 12 Blades of the first rank.
O Wazamono
Of less good quality than the previous ones, the Ô Wazamono are nonetheless high quality swords. Called in French the 21 Great Blades, they are more powerful and more resistant than the Ryo Wazamono. Of these 21 swords, only five have been revealed to us to date:
- Roronoa Zoro's Wadô Ichimonji once belonged to Kuina, her childhood best friend. 🧑🏻🤝🧑🏼 Forged by Shimotsuki Kozabur of Wano Country, the hilt of this sword is immaculate white and its guard is circular. The strength of its blade is such that it is the only blade not to have been destroyed among the three sabers in Zoro's possession during his confrontation with Mihawk. The young Navy Captain Tashigi finds this blade magnificent and wants to grab it at all costs, especially since she thinks that such a sword should not be in the possession of a pirate.
- Part of the cursed swords, the Nidai Kitetsu is the second blade forged by Kotetsu (Nidai means Second Generation). This saber has a rather original appearance because its guard is in the form of a cross with the ends which are wider than the center. Unique wavelet patterns 🌊 can be seen on the blade. Not much is known about the powers of this blade, but given that it is one of the O Wazamono, its power and resistance are not to be doubted.
- Shuusui, the Autumn Water was the famous sword of Ryuma , a Samurai from Wano who became one of the Zombie Generals designed by Dr. Hogback on behalf of the former Corsair Captain Gecko Moria. After Ryuma's defeat, this sword was entrusted to Zoro who subsequently returned it to Wano Country to become a national treasure. This sword has a black blade displaying spike-shaped patterns and flower-shaped edges 🌸 adorn its hilt. Although Zoro considers this blade difficult to wield, it is very durable. The Shuusui is said to be able to stop an enraged, charging dinosaur without suffering damage or cracking.
- The Meito Enma first belonged to Kozuki Oden, the Daimyo of Kuri in Wano Country , who used it in combination with another Meito, Ame no Habakiri. Kozuki Oden entrusted it as an inheritance to his daughter Hiyori who then exchanged it with Zoro for the Shuusui. Also forged by the famous blacksmith Shimotsuki Kozaburo of Wano, it is the only katana that inflicted a huge scar on Emperor Kaido at the hands of Oden with the Ame no Habakiri. Indeed, Enma is considered one of the best swords in the world. According to Kozuki Hiyori, this blade is even worthy of replacing the famous Shuusui. And according to Tenguyama Hitetsu, himself a blacksmith and descendant of the legendary blacksmith Kotetsu, this sword can “cut to the depths of hell”. This katana has a guard in the shape of a clover 🍀 and a purple sheath decorated with golden flowers. Once mastered, Enma offers its user extraordinary punch power. This was particularly the case with Oden when, at eighteen years old, equipped with Enma and Ame no Habakiri, he was able to cleanly cut the mountain god. For this, he had hardened his blade with his Armament Haki. With these same two swords, Oden was also able to oppose the Murakumogiri of Yonkô Whitebeard which is a Saijo Ô Wazamono type naginata. The Meito Enma has the particularity of sucking a huge amount of Ryuo (Combat Fluid) from its user, which allows it to cut harder than normal. On the other hand, this particularity makes it very complicated to handle. This is also the reason why, before Zoro, Oden was the only one to have had the ability to master this sword. In Zoro's case, he accidentally cut off a whole part of a cliff when he wanted to cut only a tree. 🌳 Enma had overdone the hardening, which left Zoro's arm thin. However, Zoro was able to tame the blade through excellent mastery of Weaponry Haki . It is in fact possible to return the Haki sucked by the blade towards one's body. Otherwise, the swordsman will be drained of all his fluid and will be left with a dry body shell.
- Forged by Tenguyama Hitetsu and considered by the latter to be his masterpiece, the Meito Ame no Habakiri was the possession of Kozuki Oden in the same way as the Enma blade. Tenguyama Hitetsu called it a blade capable of "cutting the sky itself." If it was Kozuki Hiyori who received Enma, it was Kozuki Momonosuke, Oden's son, who inherited the Ame no Habakiri. This saber is identical to Enma, except for the color. Indeed, it is a white katana with a clover-shaped guard with flower patterns. 💐 Just like Enma, this sword has incredible punching power once well mastered. (See the previous section for more on what Oden was able to achieve when he used his two paired blades).
Ryo Wazamono
Even if they are of lower class than the Saijo Ô Wazamono and the Ô Wazamono, the 50 Ryo Wazamono grade blades are nonetheless good quality swords. They are also powerful and durable blades. Of these 50 superior quality blades, only five are known to us to date:
- Yamaoroshi previously belonged to Billy the Killer Orc , a pirate 🏴☠️ captain who faced the young Navy captain Tashigi who easily defeated him. He was later captured by naval officer Smoker the White Hunter. The sword was then recovered by Tashigi. This blade has still not made an official appearance in the series to date and we don't know much about its powers at the moment. However, Billy boasted that he was able to slice an orca with this blade.
- The Meito Kashu was previously owned by Mr. 11 , a former Agent of the criminal organization Baroque Works founded by Corsair Captain Crocodile. 🐊 Just like the previous blade, Kashu ended up in Tashigi's hands after she defeated Mr. 11 in a duel. This saber has not yet been seen used in combat, which is why its true power is unknown.
- Apart from the two swords mentioned above, the young captain Tashigi also has another Ryo Wazamono class Meito, the katana named Shigure . The latter has a green sleeve and its guard consists of four petals (or blue square sides in the anime). As for the blade, it is rather classic. The Shigure has a well-elaborated sheath with a green, bumpy upper part while the lower half is white and smooth. Even though this saber has not been seen in action in a fight, it is quite durable as it was able to stop a cannonball 💣 and throw it in another direction. Tashigi was notably seen in the anime using this blade for a special technique: Kiri Shigure (translated by Giboulée in the French version of the anime). The latter consists of splitting an enemy with your katana soaked in Combative Fluid. This technique allowed Tashigi to defeat the harpy woman Monet. Note that with the Yubashiri, the Meito Shigure is one of the two legendary swords to have been destroyed by a Devil Fruit. However, it was subsequently repaired.
- The Yubashiri is similar to a Guntō , a Japanese saber designed for the army and imperial navy of the Land of the Rising Sun 🌅 after the Samurai era in 1868. This black Meito with a yellow dot on the sleeve belonged to Zoro after 'he got it for free in Loguetown. Rather light but strong and complete, Zoro considered this blade to be a good katana given that it was easy to wield. It allowed him to perform rapid attacks and have good reflexes while having formidable cutting power as well as excellent sharpness. Zoro used it in particular for his three-blade technique. Unfortunately, the Yubashiri was destroyed on the island of Enies Lobby due to the rust caused by Navy Captain Tsû with the powers of his Devil Fruit, the Sabi Sabi no Mi ( Rust Fruit in French). After replacing it with the Shuusui, Zoro buried the rest of the Yubashiri on the ship Thriller Bark.
- The fifth on the list is the Sandai Kitetsu which was the third and final cursed sword in the Kitetsu series (Sandai meaning Third Generation). Unlike the two elders in the series forged by Kotetsu, this one is the work of Tenguyama Hitetsu. Unusual in appearance, this Meito has a cross-shaped guard ❌ with wider parts at the end than in the center. Its blade displays unique wavelet patterns. Zoro has owned it since he received it for free from the Loguetown gunsmith, Ippon-Matsu, who absolutely wanted to get rid of it. Indeed, given that it is one of the three cursed swords causing the death of its owners, Ippon-Matsu feared for his life and sold it at the low price of 50,000 Berrys instead of its true value of 1 000,000 Berry. 🤑 After Zoro tested this curse on his own arm without it being severed, the armorer was impressed and offered it to him.
Get yourself a Meïto and join a Pirate crew!
As you could see in this article, there are a large number of famous swords in the One Piece world and several of the famous characters (protagonists and antagonists) of the series use them during their epic battles. For example, we can cite Dracule Mihawk, the Greatest Swordsman 🤺 in the World, the young captain Tashigi, Kozuki Oden or Roronoa Zoro who has owned several.
You too can acquire one of these famous Meito and join the Pirate crew of your dreams to help them. Become one of the best swordsmen in the One Piece universe and don't hesitate to get our goodies dedicated to the different One Piece swords available in our online store.
