Off the Shelf Media

Katana are curved, single-edged Japanese longswords worn as both status symbols and as one of the primary defensive weapons centuries before the advent of firearms. Many conflicts in Japan were settled with the surgical use of these blades. The art of wielding a sword was so important throughout Japanese history, there was almost a religious disposition of reverence towards it. 

A compound of the Japanese words kata (‘one/single-sided’) and na (‘blade’), these weapons have become synonymous with Japan, its rich culture, and its (often) bloody history. As films from directors like Akira Kurosawa and other various anime became popular throughout the rest of the world, the amount of viewers exposed to this legendary tool is now more numerous than ever. 

Seeing as we’ve had our fair share of Japanese (and non-Japanese) video games featuring these weapons, I thought it would be fun to aggregate some of the coolest katana we’ve seen over the years. Now, this list is non-exhaustive and in no particular order – I am in no way qualified enough to rank the power of one particular katana from one universe relative to another. Without further ado, let’s begin. 

Yamato (Devil May Cry Series) 

A katana so sharp, it can cut through space and time. Wow. This isn’t too far off from what actual katana are capable of doing. The curvature of a katana’s blade and its razor-thinness throughout make it so that it is capable of making fine, deep cuts on the target, while also retaining a strong thrusting point. The Yamato takes this to a whole other level. 

The blade can make use of ‘judgment cuts’, powerful swings that stay frozen in the air and continue to deal damage. Additionally, the sword itself can be swung faster than the human eye can perceive. Wielded by series antagonist Vergil, twin brother to protagonist Dante, the blade was originally created by the pair’s father as a means of separating his power. 

For a while, players could only behold its majesty in boss fights against Vergil in DMC 3’s original release. Now, with the release of the special edition and subsequent entries, players are able to play as Vergil and utilize the Yamato in all its glory with lethal efficiency. 

Raiden’s Katana (Metal Gear Solid Series) 

Raiden, also known as ‘Jack the Ripper’ or simply Jack, is the ‘surprise’ new protagonist of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. A former child soldier from Liberia with a dark past, Raiden began his relationship with fans on shaky ground. Initially, many panned him as ‘whiny’ and ‘lame’. With a cyborg ‘glow-up’ and a badass sword, however, he eventually became one of the most beloved characters in the entire series. Raiden is first gifted his signature sword by the cyborg ninja Mr. X in the latter part of the game. In all of Raiden’s subsequent appearances, he is depicted going into battle with this katana as his weapon of choice. The ‘high frequency’ blade, as it is known in-universe, vibrates at such a frequency that it is able to cleave through virtually anything its blade cuts. 

We see this on display most prominently in the spinoff Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, which focuses on Raiden and his adventures after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. In this entry, the player is able to slice and dice everything from cars, fruit, chairs, railings, metal girders, even (especially) enemy limbs. Virtually every object that the player comes into contact with is able to be cut to pieces, pointing to just how lethal of a weapon the ‘H.F. Blade’ is in battle. As another testament to the blade’s strength, Raiden is able to dispatch a powerful Metal Gear Ray mech with relative ease in the opening chapter of Revengeance.

The Storm of Clan Sakai (Ghost of Tsushima)

This sword is nothing if not effective. At certain points in the game, enemies will throw themselves at you one by one and leave themselves open for a single swift killing strike. Is this the sword? Is it the exaggerated swagger protagonist Jin Sakai brings into battle? Is it video game logic? Who knows! Who cares! I just wiped out an entire Mongol patrol and I only pressed the ‘square’ button like four times! 

In all seriousness, Jin hones and upgrades his family’s sword throughout the course of his journey by accruing the appropriate materials. Players quickly learn these upgrades make a huge difference against the more heavily armored enemies Jin faces later on. As essentially the only melee weapon used in combat throughout the game, Jin commands several stances for the weapon that he can use to address a variety of combat situations. Throughout his journey, Jin fells some of the most skilled surviving swordsmen on his island. His victories are owed, in part, to a well-used, well-cared-for weapon. 

At one point in the story, Jin summits a peak in Tsushima’s northern region of Kamiagata. There, he finds a temple and dojo with a lone guardian in its halls who keeps the secret of the ‘Way of the Flame’. After Jin defeats the guardian in a duel, he gives Jin a rock that fell from the heavens along with oil. Striking the meteorite against the weapon covered in oil allows Jin to imbue his blade with fire. This technique has absolutely zero negative lasting effects on the sword after the flames die. It’s truly a feat of blacksmithing! 

Moonveil (Elden Ring) 

This particular sword is forged from magical, blueish amber fallen from the night sky known in-universe as ‘Glintstone’. This magic katana can inflict physical damage, magical damage, and the powerful ‘bleed’ status effect on enemies, as can all katana in FromSoftware’s masterpiece open-world RPG. The multiple damage types coupled with spam-friendly unique special moves known as ‘ashes of war’ make it easy to understand why hardcore fans deride its usage on the R/EldenRing subreddit as an ‘easy mode’ weapon. 

Dragon Sword (Ninja Gaiden) 

Hardly the only weapon in protagonist Ryu Hayabusa’s arsenal throughout the series, but it is easily one of the most reliable. An heirloom of the Hayabusa ninja clan, when joined with the legendary artifact, the Eye of the Dragon, it becomes perhaps the most powerful weapon in the world. Those who would wield the Dragon Sword are required to possess near-superhuman strength, a spirit full of vigor, and of course, the technique required to wield the blade. Many who did not meet these prerequisites are known to have fallen victim to the blade itself, for the Dragon Sword feeds on the life force of lesser beings who try to wield it. 

Seeing as the Dragon Sword and Eye of the Dragon combined make such an overwhelmingly powerful weapon, the two pieces were often kept apart from each other. Before unlocking the power of the True Dragon Sword, Ryu must first locate the artifact. Still, even without the Eye of the Dragon inserted, Ryu’s sword is able to lop limbs off thick-skinned demons, mutants, and enemy ninja as one would slice a soft piece of fruit. The blade is never shown to be in a state of disrepair or even in need of any maintenance, again a nod to the mystical power imbued within the blade. 

Kusabimaru (Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice) 

The blade of Sekiro, also known by his moniker ‘Wolf’: the undying protector of the Dragon heir. He’s basically a Secret Service agent with ninja skills. Sekiro blocks, strikes, deflects, and parries just about anything with this weapon throughout his journey. From matchlock bullets, pinwheel shuriken, even bolts of heavenly lightning. There is nothing Sekiro can’t defend against as long as he has this trusty tool by his side. 

It is effectively the only true ‘weapon’ you can acquire in the game, outside of the situationally useful shinobi tools. These shinobi tools are meant as more supplemental to Wolf’s arsenal, as the main way you’ll damage and defeat enemies is with this sword. 

Consider this when observing the sword’s rather mundane and unimpressive appearance: Sekiro is able to deflect a blow from an odachi-wielding giant ape, only pushed back a few yards. Sure, Sekiro is strong, but Kusabimaru ain’t exactly made out of sheet metal either. Additionally, Sekiro has no use for adorned, ornamental armor and a fancy-looking sword, he is a shinobi so his blade must be rather inconspicuous and easily hidden in the dark. 

Yoshimitsu (Soul Calibur series) 

A weapon corrupted by the demonic sword Soul Edge, the playable character of the same name was able to harness the evil from within the sword by naming it after himself. Originally coming into contact with the evil energy after a feudal lord betrayed Yoshimitsu and his clan, he and this sword were the only surviving entities when his clan was massacred. 

Despite seeming like an ordinary katana in many respects, the craftsmanship of Yoshimitsu’s Manji clan is made apparent when he is seen wielding the weapon in battle. He is able to use the blade as a propeller to aid in traversal. He can also quickly imbue the weapon with magical energy with a flick of the wrist. As the last sword of its kind, Yoshimitsu is as rare as it is powerful, but perhaps what makes it so powerful is the being wielding it, in this case. 

Katana (Left 4 Dead 2) 

Did you run out of ammo? Is the infinite ammo pistol getting boring? Sick of having to reload all the time while hundreds of sprinting zombies descend upon you? If you’re dealing with this issue while playing 2009’s Left 4 Dead 2, we have the perfect ace in the hole: the simply named ‘Katana’. 

Melee weapons were a new addition in the sequel to Valve’s 2008 mega smash hit, and they provided some much-needed variety to a game that was lacking some in the weapon department. While Left 4 Dead 2 added several new firearms, players were also now able to pick up items like shovels, baseball bats, nightsticks, and golf clubs as new means to keep the infected at bay. 

If you ever stumbled upon the katana during a campaign, however, it was abundantly clear it was the superior choice to most of the other melee weapons. With one quick stroke, the enemy advancing on you would be rent in two, giving you a much-needed opportunity to both catch your breath and save some ammo. 

Scalpel (Cyberpunk 2077) 

With subsequent updates and the release of the Phantom Liberty DLC, this weapon has become much more balanced compared to its launch counterpart. At launch, the Scalpel was simply a katana that did both physical damage and electric damage simultaneously, making it effectively the most broken weapon in the game for seemingly years. 

Most enemies in Cyberpunk have some kind of electrical system attached to them that was rendered useless when attacking with the pre-2.0 update version. It wasn’t until the massive overhaul that came with the DLC that the weapon became more ‘grounded’. 

For Cyberpunk 2.0, the Scalpel now only has a 20% chance of applying shock as opposed to having shock damage stack on top of all physical damage. Still, the fact that there is a katana capable of shredding enemies with the power of electricity in any game is cool as hell, but it’s arguably at its coolest in Cyberpunk. 

Chikage (Bloodborne) 

Literally meaning ‘A Thousand Views’ in Japanese, I sure hope this article can go full ‘Chikage’,  maybe a few times over! This weapon is the perfect anime-style katana for your build in Bloodborne. As is customary in FromSoft’s 2015 masterpiece, weapons have both a regular mode and a ‘trick’ mode that drastically alters the form of the weapon for additional applied combat situations. 

In the case of Chikage, its normal mode holds the sword in the right hand with whatever hunter firearm is equipped in the left hand. Upon hitting the transform button, the player sheathes the sword and draws it again, this time two-handing it with a thick sliver of the player’s blood caked across the blade. This blood blade does extra damage, but in turn, it causes the player’s health bar to wear down over time. Depending upon how long the button is held, charged heavy attacks drain a chunk of the health bar. If wielded with care and the proper blood gem upgrades slotted in, a bold hunter could easily dispatch even some of the “tankiest” bosses with a few well-placed strikes of this weapon. 

Additionally, it’s probably the most unique-looking katana on this list. It does not have a square or circular cross guard like most katana do. Instead, the Chikage features a two-pronged ‘T’ crossguard not unlike a double-edged European sword. The resulting look is the perfect blend of an Eastern-inspired weapon with heavily Western-inspired motifs and aesthetics. 

So, what’d you think of the list? Was there a katana that got snubbed from consideration that I totally overlooked? Should Rivers of Blood have been the katana from Elden Ring featured instead of Moonveil? Let me know below. Thanks for reading!