Top 10 Anime Weapons

Top 10 Anime Weapons
Written by: ClayDragon and Shiggins

Despite many anime fights consisting of simple brawls or battles involving superpowers, almost every anime has a cool, unique weapon in it. As such, Shiggins and I have compiled a list of the top ten coolest, flashiest and just plain overpowered anime weapons.

WARNING: Due to the nature of some of the weapons, there are spoilers in this list. You have been warned.

10.)      Grell Sutcliff’s Death Scythe (Black Butler) (Written by Shiggins)

             Grell: This Death Scythe I’m using will play a duet with the soul’s last moments.

These Shinigami (or Grim Reapers if you prefer) are very different from those of other series. Instead of dressing in uniforms and using giant swords or being creepy while writing people’s names in notebooks, the Shinigami from Black Butler run around using Death Scythes (which look like gardening tools) to reap souls, all whilst wearing their own funky or silly outfit. And with all these Shinigami and their weapons, we have to give this spot to the most well-known weapon of the bunch (and perhaps the most dangerous).

Overcompensating, are we?

Grell’s Death Scythe is big, red and flashy. It’s a chainsaw so it already comes with the threat of killing you but since it’s a Death Scythe, it’s unique. This weapon has the ability to sever a person’s memories from a soul, thus ending their lives completely. However, the Shinigami can look at this person’s memories like an old black-and-white film and then decide if the person should live or die. So to put it simply, this is a weapon that can choose whether or not you die by reading your memories for fun.

"If I couldn't stop a deadly chainsaw wielded by a Shinigami with only silverware...wait, what?"

Other Death Scythes include a gas-powered lawnmower (which should actually be impossible in the show’s time period) and a long metal pruner which is mostly used to pick up Grell like the worthless trash he is seen as by his fellow Shinigami.

9.)        Son Goku’s Staff (Dragon Ball) (Written by Shiggins)

Goku: Oh, that's no toothpick; that's my Power Pole! Cool huh? My grandpa gave it to me                   before he died.

Goku’s Power Pole is a staff that was technically Goku’s first ever form of attack. He wasn’t able to fly, use Kamehameha or throw Spirits Bombs when he was 12, so he had to rely on his own strength and the power of this little stick. Once owned by Goku’s adoptive grandfather Gohan, the Power Pole can extend to huge lengths and can be swung easily in battle, allowing for a great advantage against even flying opponents.

Back off! I have a stick!

Its original purpose is a strange one however. It was created to provide a “bridge” between a huge tower owned by a martial arts expert (who is a cat), and the floating palace of Earth’s Guardian (who is an alien). As Goku gets stronger and more skilled with all his super-destructive techniques, the Power Pole eventually disappears from sight due to the fact it could probably never handle staying intact during a massive fight with the likes of Freeza and Buu.

It had one last appearance with Goku in GT.

In fact, its last appearance in the Dragon Ball canon was when Goku used it to climb to Kami’s lookout and left it there for many years. However, we can’t forget that without the power of the pole, Goku would never have risen to such heights. And yes, that pun was intended.

8.)        Saika (Durarara!!) (Written by ClayDragon)

             Saika: I love you. I love you. I love you.

Sentient weapons are cool. They have their own personalities, and are essentially a character in their own right. Sadly, Saika never got this memo. A cursed katana, Saika is driven by the desire to show her love for all humans. However, the only way she can do this is by cutting them and then possessing them. Anyone who wields Saika is possessed by her, and is driven to cut anyone they see, and infect them. 

In case you can't read Japanese, that's Saika saying 'love' 181 times.

One of the two known exceptions to this is Shingen Kishitani, who somehow managed to retain his sanity whilst using Saika. Similarly, only Shizuo Heiwajima has shown an immunity to Saika’s possession, as he was cut multiple times whilst fighting Saika’s ‘children’, without any ill effects.

Saika is watching you. Saika is always watching you.

Perhaps tellingly, the only human that Saika doesn’t love is Izaya Orihara (although this doesn’t come as a huge surprise, considering almost everyone hates him). Although Saika could theoretically possess the entire human race fairly easily, she’s restrained from doing so by Anri Sonohara, her main host. Due to events in her past, Anri is unable to feel love, and so is in complete control over Saika, however, should Anri become capable of love, she’d then be possessed by the sword. And you thought your relationships were complicated.

7.)        Celestial Keys (Fairy Tail) (Written by Shiggins)

Lucy: But they feel pain! They have feelings! And yet you call yourself a Celestial Spirit Mage?

Amongst all the tools and weapons and powers that are in Fairy Tail, none stand out as much as these golden and silver keys, which can only be used by people with Celestial Magic. With the amount of awesome weaponry such as all of Erza’s great swords and Mystogan’s super cool staffs, you have to wonder why I chose the keys. The reason is that these keys are so much more than just weapons, and are a lot more recognisable and unique than swords and staffs.

Look at all the shiny!

Celestial Keys allow a person to summon a Celestial Spirit from another world, so long as you have their unique key.  People like Lucy like to create contracts to make it easier on their spirits, while people like Angel just choose to use them whenever and however they see fit, including using them as meat shields.

Need a super-cool boyfriend? There's a key for that.

Some spirits include the lovable “dog” called Plue and a talking grandfather clock with great grammar called Horologium. The rarest spirit keys are the Zodiac spirits, including a playboy version of Leo, a kinky Virgo the maid and a Mother-Son team of Pisces.

6.)        The Notebook (Death Note) (Written by Shiggins)

The Death Note: The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

No, we’re not talking about the Ryan Gosling film here. We mean the much more awesome and much more lethal notebook from the great series Death Note. Dropped by Ryuk the Shinigami (who is far more creepy and evil-looking than other depictions of Shinigami), this notebook has the power to kill any person just by writing their name in the page. The only downside being that you have to know the person’s full name.

Seems pretty standard, really.

A handy little trick this notebook can do is manipulating a person’s death. By writing the cause of death in the book next to the name, you can control how a person lives their final moments. Things such as writing messages, using guns or even robbing a bus are under the writer’s control. With a genius such as Light Yagami in possession of this notebook, you just know this power can be used for so much good or so much evil.

"What is this 'good' of which you speak?"

Of course, this notebook is filled with rules which the writer must obey. That’s where the clever part comes in, and Light Yagami has to make sure he follows these rules or he will die instead. Fortunately for him (but unfortunately for everyone else), he finds a way to use the rules to manipulate people even further. And if you’re feeling a bit lost for discovering a person’s name, you can just trade half of your remaining lifespan to the Shinigami to gain the power to see all names using “Shinigami Eyes”. Cool, huh?

5.)        Liz and Patty Thompson (Soul Eater) (Written by ClayDragon)

             Liz: A sound soul dwells within sound skin and sound cuticles.

             Patty: Giraffe! Giraffe! I love giraffes!

Liz and Patty are strange entries in this list, as they technically qualify as both humans and weapons. In Soul Eater, some humans can turn into weapons and fight together with other humans. Liz and Patty are two such weapons, and they can turn into dual guns that are wielded by Death the Kid. 

To be honest, I've just been looking for an excuse to use this.

Originally a couple of muggers from New York, they bumped into Kid, who offered them the opportunity to become his weapons. They agreed, planning to rob him, but over time grew to like and care for him. When they power up, they become Death Cannons, gaining the ability to fire mortar-like shots as well as becoming much more powerful. They’re both incredibly laid-back, and make a nice contrast to the OCD-ridden Kid. 

This is their attempt at studying.

As the younger sister, Patty is more immature and excitable, as seen when she managed to create a giraffe out of paper when she was meant to be sitting an exam. Liz is somewhat more grown up, although she’s still a bit ditzy, as she seems more concerned with her appearance than exams and tests. However, they both have Kid’s back when he needs them (although he can get frustrated by the fact that they aren’t truly identical).

4.)        Edward Elric’s Automail Arm (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) (Written by ClayDragon)

Ed: Wait, are you telling me if my automail was lighter, I’d grow taller than this?

Okay, Ed’s arm on its own technically doesn’t count as a weapon, but when it’s combined with Ed’s alchemical skill, it can be as powerful and lethal as any other weapon on this list. When a young Ed and his brother Al tried to use alchemy to bring back their dead mother, Ed ended up losing his arm, whilst Al lost his entire body. 

"Bring it."

Thankfully, he managed to get a replacement arm in this mechanical upgrade, allowing him to fight on even terms with any opponent. Impressively, it only took Ed one year to recover from the surgery and go through rehabilitation when it usually took upwards of two to three years.

Don't worry, he doesn't punch children all the time.

When in combat, Ed usually transmutes the metal and turns the end of the arm into a blade, and it’s been used on more than one occasion to save his life. He can also get his mechanic Winry to upgrade it to suit his needs, making it lighter and more durable. Despite it being an impressive piece of kit, Ed wants to get his original arm back, and at the end of the series he succeeds, as well as returning Al to his original body.

3.)        Ea (Fate/Zero) (Written by ClayDragon)

            Gilgamesh: NOW AWAKEN, EA. A WORTHY STAGE HAS BEEN SET FOR YOU!

Some weapons are more powerful than others. Some can cut a person in half, others can cut a building in half. Ea can destroy an entire pocket dimension with one swing. Used as Gilgamesh’s most powerful weapon, it’s very rarely used, as he prefers to simply open his Gate of Babylon and throw his massive collection of swords at his enemies.

Well, that could put a damper on your day.

In fact, throughout the entirety of the Fourth Holy Grail War, Gilgamesh only uses it once, at the climax of his fight against Rider.Shaped somewhat like a lance crossed with a drill, Ea was created long before the concept of swords, and as such cannot technically be called a sword. However, it’s still more than capable of stabbing right through enemies.

"Try not to die too quickly, mongrels."

Ea’s greatest power is that called Enuma Elish, a move that causes the main body of Ea to rotate at extremely high speeds, creating a whirlpool-like vortex that grows so powerful it could theoretically rip and tear the fabric of space-time. It’s so powerful that it caused the complete destruction of Rider’s Ionian Hetairoi within the space of a few minutes. If that doesn’t scream ‘overpowered’, I don’t know what does.

2.)        Minato Namikaze’s Kunai (Naruto: Shippuden) (Written by Shiggins)

 Minato: The mark on this kunai is a jutsu type that alerts me when they’re used.

With all the kunai blades and swords in Naruto, you can’t help but wonder which of them is actually cool and unique enough to be added to this list. Well, I have chosen the signature blades of Minato Namikaze himself (Minato is probably the coolest Hokage as well).

Buy one now! Sexy blonde not included.

These blades are specially made for Minato, which means nobody else gets them and he can use them however he sees fit. And he used them very well. Although heavier than other kunai, it is far more lethal due to the sharpness of the blade and the way it is shaped. The most unique part of the kunai is the “marker” on the handle that Minato uses for his Space-Time Ninjutsu. To put it simply, Minato can teleport to any location where that marker is, including people and his blades.

Tobirama wishes he was this cool.

The markers are all over the place, including his safe house, his home, and even a villain he once faced in an epic battle that involved a Rasengan and lots of teleporting. Minato wasn’t the only user of Space-Time Ninjutsu, but we chose to remember his methods since it’s a lot more entertaining than watching Tobirama Senju do it.

1.)        Zangetsu (Bleach) (Written by ClayDragon)

Ichigo: That’s right. I never tried to get to know Zangetsu.  Zanpakuto aren’t soulless tools.                    They have names. They’re alive.

To be honest, there was never really any discussion about where Zangetsu should be on this list. It was always just assumed that he was at number one. And why wouldn’t he be? The Zanpakuto of Ichigo Kurosaki, Zangetsu is a sentient weapon that can change shape and fire energy blasts. In Ichigo’s inner world, Zangetsu takes the form of an old man who helps tell Ichigo how to properly use him. However, the reality is slightly more complicated. In actuality, Zangetsu is the personification of Ichigo’s latent Quincy powers, and the being who was truly Zangetsu was actually Ichigo’s Inner Hollow.

An asskicking will swiftly follow.

In his Shikai form, Zangetsu resembles a massive khyber knife or a cleaver without a hilt, and with bandages wrapped around the handle. When Ichigo activates his Bankai, Zangetsu changes to resemble a more traditional pitch black katana (or a daito), with a chain attached to the hilt. Regardless of his form, Zangetsu’s most powerful attack is known as Getsuga Tenshou, a black energy wave with a red outline.

Ichigo and his twin never did get along.

When in Bankai, the power of Getsuga Tenshou is increased, as well as Ichigo’s speed. Given that Zangetsu is such a big part of Bleach, as well as the fact that, even now, he’s still being developed, it’s no wonder that he’s number one.

Do you have any suggestions for a Top 10 list, or an anime you want reviewed? Please leave your suggestions in the comments below!

Explosion in three, two, one...

ClayDragon:









ClayDragon is currently studying Physics at university, and is constantly bewildered by it. The main method of contacting him is his Gmail account at kyleroulston1993@gmail.com. The alternative is his Skype account at kyleroulston1993. When not playing games or reading, he can be found with his head in his hands whilst trying in vain to understand quantum physics. His boredom is constantly reaching new levels.

Shiggins:[Admin]
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Shiggins enjoys all strange forms of communication, especially those including cosplayers saying hello to him. However, until that wonderful day comes, you can also contact him on his Skype; shigginsishere. He can also respond to you if you contact him through GMails at shigginsishere@gmail.com.