Top 10 Deadliest Anime Sword Skills

“Yu Yu Hakusho” (1992-94)
Hiei may not be a fan of this technique but we sure are! While the Dragon of the Darkness Flame is infamous for incinerating even the strongest among the demons on contact, the three eyed member of Yusuke’s crew still has this technique to back him up when he has to get up close and personal. Shrouding his sword in the same insidious flames that make up his dragon, even an armoured beast like Kuro was still reduced to scorched shreds after Hiei ignited his blade’s edge.

“Sword Art Online: Alicization” (2018-)
One of the last resorts afforded to an Integrity Knight, this Sacred Arts Ritual is the key that can undo the final lock on a divine weapon, releasing its true potential to the point where it can cleave through both mortals and landscapes. In the case of Fanatio, she was able to implement it against an army of Giants to astounding effect, tearing them to pieces with a hulking beam of light. It was even enough to put an end to the ogre troop’s fearsome leader.

“Black Clover” (2017-)
Granted, the actual kill count when it comes to Asta’s favoured move is shockingly low, at least when compared to some other members of this Wizarding World. However, don’t be remiss in thinking this lightspeed strike with the Demon Slayer Sword does little to no damage – it will end you! After his transition into Black Asta, the no-magic loser of the Clover Kingdom essentially turns himself into a bullet, capable of streaking along the sky before landing a fierce blow with his insidious swords at such speed that anything on the receiving end almost always goes down for the count.

“Shaman King” (2001-02)
While Yoh’s mastery of Over Soul and sword skills had served him well throughout the preliminary stages of the Shaman Tournament, the listless wonder required one hell of a boost to match the likes of Hao and the X-Laws. Thankfully, under the tutelage of his beastly fiancé Anna, Yoh was able to go full-on double medium and unlock the Spirit of Sword – turning Amidamaru into giant, spiritual blade, one that came equipped with a far more devastating slash attack worthy of a Shaman King.

“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (2019)
For all those times your water breathing doesn’t work, just set it on fire and keep on dancing! Might sound ridiculous, but this is what allowed Tanjiro to surpass himself in his moment of defeat and pull a fast one on the spidery Rui. With the memory of his father’s cryptic words, Tanjiro wasn’t only able to find the strength to cut through the Demon Moon’s razor threads, but did so via unlocking a new breathing style, one that allowed him to burn through whatever webbing came his way, and nearly succeed in lopping the creepy arachnid’s head off!

“Rurouni Kenshin” (1996-98)
In the right hands, a style meant to pacify can also eliminate. Unfortunately for anyone who tried to harm the innocent, the Manslayer just happened to have said hands. As an artist when it comes to bloodshed, even with such an impossible style to master and a reverse blade to dull the damage, Kenshin could still obliterate any swordsman who tried to test their luck, even true monsters like Makoto Shishio. Everyone thing they’re gangsta until they get a taste of the Flash of the Heavenly Soaring Dragon.

“Inuyasha” (2000-10)
The Tessaiga is not a weapon you want to be on the receiving end of. Forged from the fangs of Inuyasha’s Dog Demon father, its edge proved sharp enough to cleave through countless hordes of Naraku’s cronies. Of course, for those special someone’s that refused to go down as easily, the half-demon has this little gust to blow them away. A far superior version to the Windscar, the Backlash Wave is able to reflect and reverse the attack of a fellow demon and send it right back – capturing them in a cyclone of pain and death.

“One Piece” (1999-)
We all know that Zoro is essentially the God of Swords, so is it any surprise he’s got a move in his arsenal capable of cutting a whole mountain in half? A far more devastating version of the original secret technique first used to try and bring down Hawk Eye Mihawk, this upgrade sees Zoro infuse both his hands and iconic blades with Haki, rotating them, before finally unleashing a slash of such magnitude that even a stone giant like Pica was torn in half like he was nothing. Did we mention he did this while he was airborne?

“Bleach” (2004-12)
It’s not just enough to get yourself a slick looking Bankai that can slice the flesh of both Hollows and Shinigami alike, if you’re Ichigo, you’ve got have the addition of a killer technique that unleashes a blast of pitch-blade reishi that had spelled doom for numerous foes. Able to increase in density through Hollowfication, even the upper ranks of the Espada and Gotei 13 have suffered the sting of this lethal signature move, with the unlucky ones losing a few limbs along the way.

“Fate” franchise (2006-)
The legendary weapon of Artoria Pendragon isn’t just for show. Well beyond just a gilded blade, this Noble Phantasm can not only withstand the blows of behemoths like Heracles and Lancelot, but also has the power to unleash a devastating wave of golden light that proved strong enough to cleave through Master and Servant alike. Whether its Caster locked inside his mountain of hentai or the Holy Grail itself, there’s very little that can hope to survive against the radiance of the King of Knights.