Film swords - Our top 5 coolest katana from film & television

Film swords provide action in many blockbusters and series. A scene showing a sword fight is exciting in many ways. Many protagonists also develop a special bond or relationship with their weapon, such as Michonne in the series The Walking Dead.

Samurai swords are an integral part of films set in ancient Japan. They provide an authentic depiction of the great battles that took place at that time.

We have put together our personal top 5 of the best katana from film and television. Have we forgotten your favourite film sword? Then write to us! We welcome all suggestions and comments via the comment function below.

5th place: G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes sword

Snake-Eye is a fictional character from G.I. Joe and a real-life hero. He is one of the most prominent characters from G.I. Joe.
In most stories, he is portrayed as a highly trained ninja. He is extremely calm in his movements and a fast and deadly master of several martial arts. He is an expert in the use of the ninjato, a short sword. He usually uses 2 swords in battle. But he also fights successfully with just one sword. He is also not averse to the use of firearms and explosives.

Thanks to the many franchise products, he has become one of the heroes of our childhood.

4th place: 47 Ronin: Oishi's Sword

The story of the 47 Ronin is one of the most famous events of early Japan and has been the subject of numerous manga, films and series. The film of the same name by Carl Erik Rinsch from 2013 is particularly well known here.

The story of the 47 Ronin takes place at a time when the samurai are struggling for their right to exist as warriors. Lord Asano Naganori is summoned to Edo by the ruling shogun to prepare a welcome home ceremony. During the etiquette training, he clashes with the master of ceremonies, Kira Kozukenosuke Yoshinaka. The argument finally escalates into the attempted murder of Kira by the prince. The latter is then sentenced to suicide, which he is forced to commit.

However, the samurai under his command are now masterless and long for revenge. They devise a long-term plan, which they put into action after sufficient preparation.
The leader of the 47 ronin (masterless samurai) is Oishi Kuranosuke, the Asano family's most important advisor. The picture on the left shows his film sword. It is an extremely beautiful, sharp katana.

3rd place: Michonne's katana from the TV series The Walking Dead

Michonne is one of the characters from the world-famous comic and TV series The Walking Dead. It is a post-apocalyptic horror series in which a group of survivors try to avoid being eaten by the omnipresent zombies.

Michonne's weapon, which she particularly likes to use to decapitate zombie-bites, is a samurai sword known simply as "the katana". It is particularly effective at severing body parts from zombies, making it an important and loyal companion for Michonne and her group.

The katana is characterised by its unmistakable appearance: a curved, slim, single-edged blade and a long handle that allows the katana to be used with both hands. In this article we cover the history of this katana in detail.

2nd place: Zatoichi - the blind samurai: Zatoichi's katana

Zatoichi is a character created by the author Kan Shimozawa as a blind samurai. He gained worldwide fame through a television series and various film adaptations. In our part of the world, the cinema film "Zatoichi - The Blind Samurai" by director Takeshi Kitano from 2003 is particularly well known. It is fascinating to see how well trained his sword fighting skills are.

The sword he uses is not an ordinary katana, as was commonly used by samurai at the time. Instead, he uses what is known as a shikomizue. This is a cane sword. This is a weapon in which a long, pointed blade is attached to the handle of a walking or blind man's cane, for which the shaft of the remaining cane serves as a sheath. You can find out more about Zatoichi's sword here read.

1st place: Kill Bill: The Sword of the Bride

Katana play an important role in the Kill Bill films. They are the weapons of choice for the protagonists.

Beatrix Kiddo, played by Uma Thurman, is simply called "the Bride" in the first instalment of the Kill Bill series. She has gone into hiding from her ex-boyfriend Bill and the group of contract killers under his command.

Her sword is the only and last one to be made by the famous swordsmith Hattori Hanzos after his retirement. (Here learn all about the historical Ninja & Samurai Hattori Hanzo).

Kiddo's sword is described by Hanzo as the best sword ever forged. He had actually sworn never to practise swordsmithing again, as his conscience no longer allowed him to make deadly tools. He makes an exception for the bride.

You can find out more about the swords from Kill Bill in our article read more.

Will there be a third Kill Bill instalment?