Besides advanced technology, giant monsters, and anime, Japan is probably best known for the samurai.
And when they think of samurai, they think it's a great swordsman, doing justice in a straw hat. I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I'm not here to judge.
But who are the best swordsmen (and swordsmen) anime has to offer?
This is what we will be ranking today in our anime swordsman rankings. Keep in mind that I will rate both of them by theirskills possession of the sword, as well as theiroverall strength and perhaps just a hint of sympathy.
20. Mi-Ra Yu
Anime: god of high school
I think Mira is a good base for this list. Because shedefinitely moving towards mastery of the sword, but not quite there yet.
Her Moonlight Sword style proved to be very powerful. However, it is not until the second half of the show that she even awakens her sword.
Obviously she has a lot of training under her belt. But where the season ended, she's pretty average in her own universe, which is why she ranks last on this list.
19. Anri Sonohara
Anime: Durarara!!
Henri has the opposite problem of the last peak:
She has great strength, but it's obvious that she hasn't mastered the sword yet.
If you didn't know she has the power to put underfull control anyone she hits with her sword, and actually form an army. It's exhausting to the mind, but in that regard, she seems solid as a rock.
So if she ever truly masters her sword and starts jumping around the battlefield, she's almost unstoppable.
18. Askeladd
Anime: Vinland saga
Because the Vinland Saga is based so much on reality, Askeladd doesn't have any flashy moves that I can point to and say, "Look how good he is."
But behind him he has serious feats.
The fact that Thorfinn was never really able to challenge him, but on the other hand was able to face dozens of enemies, already shows a lot.
And if you've watched the entire first season, you should also know that Askeladd is deadly not only in 1v1 matches, but even in the environment.
17. Mugen
Anime: Samurai Champloo
Mugen is one of those natural born talents who can wield a sword like nothing even without proper training.
In fact, his unorthodox fighting style is his greatest strength, as a trained samurai cannot seem to predict his movements.
He is probably equal to Jin in strength. However, I think Mugen can adaptmuch faster and has yet to reach its full potential. That's why I chose him for this list. I like him a little more too.
16. Spot
Anime: My Hero Academy
I think the Blur has a rather mediocre quirk. Of course, he can paralyze you, but first he must take the blood and lick it off.
Compared to flash vaporization, giant ice projectiles, or even just impenetrable skin, CC isn't everything.
However, the Stain does take full advantage of this Quirk with his unusual blade skills.
He kills dozens of professional heroes without a scratch and even inspires a whole new generation of villains.
15. Yami Sukehiro
Anime: black clover
Yami has insane stats. So I think he could beat most people with a simple stick, but his katana looks cooler.
Because of his magic, every blow he makes inflictshuge damage . Moreover, in the second part of the series, you can literally hit with different sizes. He also uses ki to accurately predict any incoming attack, and can fend off light attacks with no problem while keeping up a conversation.
So I'm not sure how skilled anyone would call Yami, but I'm sure we can all at least agree that this person is powerful.
14. Nobunaga Hazama
Anime: Hunter x Hunter (2011)
Without a doubt, Nobunaga's greatest strength is his speed.
Having made a circle around himself, he is ablerespond instantly to any movement and counterattack in the blink of an eye.
And given that he's honed his swordsmanship, you can be sure that once he's within range, he won't miss your vitals.
The very fact that he could be compared to the animal-loving Ubogin already shows how powerful a warrior Nobunaga is.
13. Killer bee
Anime: Naruto hurricane chronicles
Of course you can put Sasuke here because of his overall strength. But when it comes to who is the best swordsman, I think the answer is obvious.
Killer Bee couldn't be satisfied with even one sword. So he decided to use seven.
The fact that he can even move around, let alone fight Sasuke while armed with seven swords, is pretty impressive if you ask me.
His rapping skills may have also influenced my opinion.
12. Reinhard van Astrea
Anime: Re: Zero
The man is literally called the saint of the sword. No wonder he's here.
Unfortunately, we don't often see him in battles. But whenever he is present, there is practically no tension anymore, as it always seems that he is going to win.
He is known as the knight of all knights, not only because of this massive strength, but also because he is actually quite a cold dude; ready to help strangers and defend justice.
11. Yato
Anime: Noragami
If Yato didn't find light in his life, he would probably be taller.
But since it only clicked a few times and for a limited amount of time, I'm going to put it in the middle.
He is the god of disasters, one who was capable of killing entire armies.
Which is actually pretty commonplace for a god by anime standards. But he obviously had a lot of importance in his own universe.
Of course, now that he's mostly a freelancer, he's not as strong. But if you take into account his glory days, I think this placement is justified.
10. Akame
Anime: akame ga kill
For most of the show, Akame looked pretty decent with her sword. She had incredible speed, agility and accuracy.
Then we find out that the single cut is basically a guaranteed win and it started moving into the OP category.
And then the final season came along and we learned that despite popular belief, Akame could tap into the hack category in combat. And she became the strongest character in her entire series.
But since it was only one fight and she hasn't shown too much of her real skills yet, she ranks in the middle on this list.
9. Lai Glanzudly
Anime: Demon King Academy Mismatch
Someone might be tempted to fall asleep on Lay because Anos kicked his ass using only a stick.
But this is not a fair comparison, since Anos looks like Jesus from the anime.
But if you don't count him, Laydefinitely the most powerful in their entire universe.
With incredible speed, skill, strength, and waifu taste, he has extremely high stats.
And if you've watched the entire season, then you know how difficult it really is to beat this man in a 1v1 fight.
8. Alibaba
Anime: Mages: Labyrinth of Magic
When it comes to swordsmanship, Alibaba is a real beast. Even when he is armed not so much with a sword as with a dagger.
In fact, watch him fight someone 1v1. He lectures them about all the ways he could have killed them at any moment.
He eventually moves on to a much more powerful sword. But to be honest, he doesn't have the same dexterity as with a dagger.
However, his craftsmanship is still impressive.
7. Hyakkimaru
Anime: Dororo
You always hear the expression "let the sword be an extension of your hand" when someone is learning to be a sword master.
Hyakkimaru's hands are literally swords. So he didn't need much help on that front.
And because they are so often available, his skills are incomparable to anyone else in his universe.
The fact that he defeated the demons and stormed the castle alone, plus an angry magic pony, shows how strong he really is.
6. Kirito
Anime: Sword Art Online
We've all seen memes about how cool the original Kirito was.
He could tank multiple men without sustaining any injuries, take out most enemies with a single shot capable of taking down entire hordes of warriors, and generally win any battle without much difficulty.
This is further highlighted when he gets some hacking opportunities and even defeats a guy who literally cheats the system.
In this universe, he is probably the strongest on this list and one of the most popular. But since his skill is not very high, and his character is mediocre, I cannot put him in the top five.
5. Guts
Anime: Berserk
As every character in the manga has repeatedly emphasized, Guts can hardly even be called a swordsman. His sword is so huge that it has more in common with a tombstone than a real weapon.
And this analogy is quite appropriate, given that Guts is capable of destroying entire platoons on his own.
Even as he begins to fight face to face with hordes of undead and real demons, Guts manages to hold his ground.
4. Ichigo Kurosaki
Anime: Bleach
I mean, this is the protagonist of one of the original big three shounen. So, you already have an idea about the power that this dude has.
Initially, his character was more skill-oriented. But as the series went on, he becamewall of power Enemies simply couldn't get through.
At the end of the game, Ichigo was a monster capable of flattening an entire mountain with a single swing of his sword, while, mind you, in his base form.
So he may not have shown his skills that much in the late game. But it still holds true that he is the master of his blade.
3. Saber
Anime: Fate/Zero
In the Fate series, combat skills are usually very well expressed.
Most fights have less mining and more traps, parries and replays.
Lancelot's fight against Saber, for example, shows how detailed the warrior's skills are.
And although Saber received an A in this fight, she has other victories under her belt.
She alsovery good features: reliable defense, unpredictable attack, reliable mobility and so on. She is a jack of all trades and the third seed on this list.
2. Zoro
Anime: one piece
If Zabuza taught me anything, it's that as soon as someone starts wielding a sword with their teeth, run away as fast as you can.
And Zoro does this quite often, using his famous three-sword style.
What's worse (for his enemies) is that this person is too stubborn. You can hit him with a sword and he will just take it, grab it with his teeth and cut you in half in return.
It's like stabbing him with a knife - it's the same as throwing a sword into his hands.
And don't even make me start with the "nothing happened" scene, it was just ridiculous!
1. Nanashi
Anime: Sword of the Stranger
Although he doesn't have any superpowers, Nanashi is definitely superior to humans when it comes to his sword skills.
In the same vein as Himura Kenshin, Nanashi is an elite warrior who has decided to put away his sword and try to find redemption.
However, he cannot escape the eternal struggle. And once he gets serious, he easily outranks all the people on this list.
Even after running up a snow-covered mountain, fighting high-level soldiers, jumping through fire, and even crashing into a tower, Nanashi refuses to be treated with Senzu beans and still manages to defeat the second strongest warrior in the entire film.
