Double Weapon

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Rule of Cool! (and sexy!)


Dual-Wielding characters use a weapon in each hand, which is cool. Do you know what's even cooler? Using a single weapon with two ends. It could be a stick with sword-blades on both ends, or maybe a double-bladed sword (in the former case, the weapon is usually wielded like a bladed Simple Staff.) If a Double Weapon is light enough (or the wielder is strong enough), then it can be dual wielded for a total of four blades. Fighting using a Double Weapon often involves a lot of spinning attacks.

It should be noted that the vast majority of these are rather ineffectual from both a historical and practical standpoint (at least in the manner at which their use is portrayed), but few are the writers who let the facts confuse them.

Not to be confused with Dual-Wielding. See also Blade on a Stick and I Like Swords for the single-bladed variants of this weapon. If the Double Weapon can be split into two single-bladed weapons, it is also a Bifurcated Weapon. Tends to be impossibly cool. See also Instant Chucks, when what connects the weapons is a chain or something similar.

Examples of Double Weapon include:

Anime and Manga

  • Akira's one-handed sword in My-HiME has two curved pointy blades.
  • From the Gundam multiverse:
    • Mobile Suit Gundam: The Gelgoog, Zeon's answer to the Gundam, uses a twin Laser Blade officially called a beam naginata.
    • Gundam ZZ: The Dreissen has a beam lancer, which is made by combining its tomahawk and saber weapons, letting it use either as the polearm version (or both blades at once).
    • Victory Gundam: The Abigor, a one-off Zanscare design, wields a pair of beam scythes that can be combined at the butt end.
    • Gundam Wing: Altron's twin beam trident; notably, in the TV series Wu Fei tends to wield it like a standard spear (only using one end) while in Endless Waltz he takes advantage of both ends. The model kit version of Sandrock has the unique gimmick of being able to combine its heat shotels, which is exceptionally ludicrous since they're each as tall as Sandrock itself.
    • Gundam SEED: The Freedom and Justice (and their successors in the sequel can each combine their beam sabers into a double-ended weapon resembling a beam staff (or Darth Maul's double lightsaber).
      • Sword Impulse Gundam from Gundam SEED Destiny takes it up level with its anti-ship swords (BFSes with a beam running the length somewhat like a giant cheese slicer), which can be docked to form a truly massive double-ender, which the Impulse swings around with incredible ease.
    • Gundam 00: The 00 Gundam can dock its GN Sword IIs into a single long lance; on at least one occasion, Setsuna throws it like a giant discus.
  • The "Tek-Lancer" wielded by Tekkaman Blade, as well as the Lancers of Tekkamen Dagger and Evil.
    • In Tekkaman Blade II, Tekkaman Aki's Lancer as well.
    • And of course, the original Tekkaman's SPACE LANCE!
  • Code Geass: Suzaku's Knightmare Frame, the Lancelot double-wields two swords. The mass-production version, the Vincent, not only dual-wields, but the swords combine into a two-way lance.
    • Not to be outdone, the Ace Custom KMF Tristan piloted by Gino Weinberg uses a foldable end-to-end weapons that look like either a two-way scythe...or anchors...
    • The Lancelot Club, an original mecha from Visual Novel Lost Colors that acts as the missing link between the Lancelot and Vincent, has the same lance-type swords.
  • Might be related: in Neon Genesis Evangelion movie End of Evangelion, the Lance of Longinus originally looks like a huge bident. But when Unit 01 extracts it from itself, it bends the lance to be straight... then both ends of the lance curl up into a bident. On the other hand, a minute or so later, the Lance is shown spinning slowly, revealing that it's actually two weapons curling around each other like a DNA helix.
    • Speaking of the Lance of Longinus, the Eva Series' reproduction Lances certainly count before they transform into proper Lance-of-Longinus form at the end of Asuka's butt-kicking sequence.
  • Fate of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha has Bardiche's Riot Zanber form, which is a pair of energy sabers connected by an energy thread. That's right, Fate endorses sword-chucks. They can also be combined to form an even larger version of the weapon's Zanber form.
    • Don't forget that the Zanber forms have energy blades, so Riot Zanber is basically a pair of lightsaber-chucks
    • Force introduces Riot Blade II, where Fate combines the two energy sabers to form a Darth Maul-like double-ended energy saber.
  • In Bleach the filler Zanpakutou "Reppou" is a sort of gigantic double sword with huge blades. There's also a third, curved blade that covers the hilt and connects the two bigger blades.
    • Most recently, the Filler Villain Kageroza Ibana wields a Zanpakutou named "Raikou" (Thunder Lord) and it takes the form of a large, dual-headed voulge which can control time and space.

Comic Books

  • The double-bladed light saber was first seen in several EU Star Wars comics.
  • Mariah uses a collapsable, double-bladed weapon in Sin City.

Film

  • The quintessential example is Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
    • In fact the double-bladed lightsaber was originally pioneered by another Sith Lord named Exar Kun over three thousand years earlier. Though he only seems to have used it once (to murder his former Jedi Master).
    • The Expanded Universe actually makes a point of how dangerously impractical the double-ended lightsaber is, and how it tends to require exceptional skill to wield without injuring oneself. It is generally used by the Jedi for lightsaber training exercises (basically training to swordfigght multiple opponents) using scaled-down training sabers (the beam only delivers a severe shock rather than cutting).
  • In The Movie of Kick-Ass, Hitgirl uses a double-bladed polearm (which can also detach into two long-hilted swords) in her first battle.

Literature

  • The otters' javelins in the Redwall series are double-sided, leading to Cludd's death in Mossflower. The otters spike several javelins into the ground before Cludd duels with Skipper, who then flings him into the air and causes him to land on the upward points.
  • Scythe-arms in Chronicles of the Kencyrath by PC Hodgell are blade pairs attached to the fore-arm, with the longer blade jutting forward and the other back. They are used in pairs, ie one main blade and one spur on each forearm. Training with them easily dissolves into chaos, with inexperienced users not being able to keep track of the spurs.
  • Angela the Herbalist, from the Inheritance Cycle, uses a Hûthvír, a double-bladed weapon sacred to the dwarf of Dûrgrimst Quan, apparently having won it from a priest via gambling and a riddle game.

Live-Action TV

Tabletop Games

  • Dungeons & Dragons has a whole class of weapons based on the concept, which gives the trope its name:
    • The two bladed sword, which draws direct inspiration from Darth Maul's lightsaber. If Neverwinter Nights is any indication, its combat advantage comes from how an opponent parrying one blade is bound to get slashed by the other. (Though the lack of reach means it would be inferior to Dual-Wielding, and in some ways less effective than even a sword and shield, if it weren't for Exotic Weapon Supremacy.)
    • The orc double axe, which has double-bitted axe-heads on both ends of the handle.
    • The dire flail, which has flails on both ends and would look very silly if not for the company it keeps, and should be nearly impossible to use without hurting yourself.
    • The dwarven urgrosh, with an axehead on one end and a spearhead on the other.
    • The gnome hooked hammer, with a hammerhead on one end and a hook on the other.
    • The Arms & Equipment Guide introduces the double scimitar, the double mace, and the gyrspike, a weapon with a sword on one end and a flail on the other.
      • The double-scimitar returned in Eberron as the trademark weapon of the Valenar Elves. Pointing out the impracticality of it will no doubt result in a first-hand demonstration of what the weapon is capable of, with you as the target.
    • And last but not least, the humble quarterstaff, which was upgraded to a double weapon, and the double mace, which is basically just a quarterstaff whose ends are weighted a bit heavier.
    • In 4e, their stupidity is justified by saving money on enhancements.
      • There's also the fact that most double weapons have a different type of damage: most single weapons will give, say, 1d8, while a double weapon would give 2d4. While it doesn't increase the maximum, it DOES increase the minimum; add the "brutal X" enchantment which means you reroll any damage die that lands lower than X, on a class that gives multiple-weapon-damage-roll attacks, and you suddenly have a very high minimum damage range.
  • The Champions of Nurgle in Warhammer Fantasy Battle often a staff with a sword on one end and a flail on the other.
    • The Eternal Guards, the standard melee infantry of the Wood Elves wield double-ended spears.
      • Hellglaives, the Weapon of Choice of the Hellions (sky-surfing gladiators/berserkers) of Warhammer40000's Dark Eldars, are these.
  • GURPS: Martial Arts managed to dredge up an obscure example that I've never seen elsewhere. The Qian Kun Ri Yue Dao has a sickle blade at each end and hand guards that have another blade attached to each. A double, double weapon that's almost comically dangerous to the wielder.
    • What, a tiger hook sword? It's actually a fairly common weapon in southern styles of kung fu. Not nearly as impractical as it looks (and it does look pretty clownish at first glance), but certainly not a weapon you want to use without proper training.
      • This one is apparently a staff version.
    • As a 'nod' to reality, using this thing is at -1 to your skill (Staff skill, for those keeping score). For one possible way to think of this thing, look at the description, and compare it with the bat'leth mentioned above ...

Video Games

  • Kirby wields a yellow double lightsaber with the Electric + Blade powers in Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards.
  • So does Bastila Shan of Knights of the Old Republic.
  • As does The Female Protagonist of Persona 3, as seen above.
    • Tomoe and Suzuka Gongen did it first in Persona 4.
  • Kimmy Howell of No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle has the double lightsaber, partly to differentiate herself from her idol Travis Touchdown.
  • Illidan Stormrage from Warcraft uses two double ended weapons, basically double-bladed scimitars in either hand. In fact this is the weapon set most demon hunters use. They also bind a demon into their body that will try to take control of them. And they're all blind (although they do have a magical sight to compensate). It's mentioned that the fatality rate for demon hunters in training is very high, and no wonder.
    • Pit Lords also favour double ended weapons. They usually wield two-handed warglaives that resemble shortened spears with a huge blade on each end.
    • In both of the cases, the double bladed weapon could be considered to be symbolic. Demon hunter's power is very much a double-ended sword: they use demonic magic to become very effective at fighting demons, but must risk being consumed by the powers they sought to use. Pit Lords on the other hand don't care whose blood flows, as long as there is battle and somebody dies, be it them or their enemy.
    • Troll Shadow Hunters also tend to use double swords because, uhm, Voodoo?
  • Serge's dual-bladed "swallow" weapon from Chrono Cross.
  • Neopets has an item that takes this to an extreme - a four-headed axe.
  • Ansem's double-bladed halberd-ish thing in the first Kingdom Hearts.
  • Incidentally, Luther uses a nearly identical one in Star Ocean: Till the End of Time.
  • Wei Yan from the Dynasty Warriors games has the "Double Voulge", which is really a double-ended sword.
    • Looks like it really is a doubled headed Voulge to me. Maybe Double Glaive.
    • More phenomenally, in Dynasty Warriors 6, Ultimate Badass of Ancient China, Lu Bu, dual-wields double-ended Naginata, sometimes singularly, sometimes combining them into a Swastika of Doom. It's not actually a very good weapon, but who cares? It is AWESOME!
    • In Dynasty Warriors 5 (And as a result, the Warriors Orochi series), Cao Pi also wields a double-ended sword, which literally looks like two conventional, western broadswords attached end-to-end. During some attacks, he'll also split them up Dual-Wielding combos. Sadly, he got downgraded to a boring ol' sword in 6, while his wife switched from an elegant flute to a whip. Poor kid...
    • Zhang Fei has his signature Blade on a Stick, the "Viper Blade", turned into one of these in Dynasty Warriors 6 and 7.
  • Halfway through his fight in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Death converts his Sinister Scythe into a double-bladed version.
  • Skorge of Gears of War 2 carries a double-ended chainsaw staff. Yes, a double-ended chainsaw staff. It can cut a tank in half in 3–4 seconds.
    • And yet it cannot cut through a standard issue COG assault rifle? Sounds like some bad tank construction there.
      • The reason neither cuts through the other is because the chainsaw bayonet on the Lancer is made from the same thing as Skorge's staff "blades". Why either works after one lock, however...
  • Rohan Online has the Zhen, a dual-bladed sword wielded by the dragonlike Dekan warriors. One of the Dekan's skills is to split the Zhen in two for Dual-Wielding.
  • Super Smash Bros Brawl lets Pit turn his bow into a double-bladed stick that he can rapidly spin and slice targets with.
  • In MadWorld, the 'Shogun' boss wields what can only be described as a double-ended circular saw. A stick with a huge saw-blade at either end. Or maybe it's more like a chainsaw... either way, you don't want to get hit by it.
  • Yuan from Tales of Symphonia has an especially impractical double-ended greatsword when you fight him. Slightly justified, though, in that being an angel gives him enhanced strength and reflexes.
  • In Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Kadaj wields a double bladed sword which has the two blades in front of the hilt, making it both useful for disarming and novelty-grade badass.
  • Haken Browning's Night Fowler in Endless Frontier is not only an assault rifle with a pile bunker for a bayonet, it also contains a folding blade in the stock.
  • In Final Fantasy XII, Judge Magister Gabranth wields a dual-bladed weapon that he can pull apart into its component blades—the larger Chaos Blade, and the smaller Highway Star. Most of the time, though, he joins them at the hilt into a lance-type weapon.
    • On the other hand, his moves in Dissidia Final Fantasy can only be said to be purely a sword weapon. His entire move set has him using slashes, not stabs. However, this is a bit of a subversion as he is actually proven to be more adept at fighting with them as two separate swords than a single swordstaff.
  • In Final Fantasy IX, Zidane can equip these, called "thief swords", along with daggers.
  • A whole class of Double Saber weapons exists in the post-Algol Phantasy Star games (Online, Portable, Universe, Zero).
  • In Azurik: Rise of Perathia, the protagonist's main weapon is a double halberd referred to as the "Axion." subsequent upgrades add spikes to the weapon where the blade meets the staff, and even extra blades fanning out from the original pair.
  • In Rise of the Kasai, each playable character uses one as their medium range melee weapon. Rau uses a taiaha, which has a blunt end for bludgeoning and a bladed tip for slashing. Tati has a batton type weapon with retractable blades on either end that further separate into three blades each. Baumusu uses a staff with spiked mace heads on either end, and Grizz uses a polearms with two long blades on either end.
  • The mercenary Zach from Mardek RPG uses a doublesword, although he only ever seems to use one of the blades.
  • With the simple application of Duct Tape, Chuck Greene creates a Bifurcated Weapon in the form of a kayak paddle with a chainsaw on each end. It's one of the most famous combo weapons in the game.
  • Onimusha has Shippu and Senpumaru, double naginata which grows thicker (the former) or add blades (the latter) as they're powered up. They also have Wind powers.
  • At least two weapons in Warriors of Might and Magic are this: the Chien's Halbeard, which is a sort of double-naginata like weapon and the "Clapper" a double Morning Star.
  • In Grand Chase, Ryan can merge his Storm Blades to become a Double Weapon.
  • In Vindictus, some of Lann's attacks combines his Twin Spears to a Double Weapon. Also, Warlord Black Hammer has a double-sided hammer.

Web Comics

  • Eight Bit Theater: "Sword-chucks, yo!" (Throughout the series, Fighter also has a penchant for trying to make chucks out of increasingly improbable weapons.)
  • Homestar Runner "I had to swing by Cool Weapons Surplus for a new nunchuck-gun."
  • The Adventures of Dr. McNinja: Oh how stupid of me. That was the sound of chainsaw nunchucks.
  • Lampshaded, mocked, and still used straight in Errant Story. The leader of the local time-ninja-guild wields a double-ended energy-crystal blade to lethal effect, and the party's recently-recruited time-ninja does the same... however, while duelling her,Sarine takes the time to point out just how impractical a weapon it is, combining the worst traits of sword and spear in one crappy package, and revealing that it was originally created as a show-weapon for fake duels and parades only. She also proves the truth in her statement, but despite all this, Sara continues to kick ass with her double-bladed energy-crystal-stick, against basically anyone who isn't an immortal Action Girl.
    • Mind you, Sara uses time magic to move so fast she can dodge bullets. She'd probably do just as well even if she was armed with a cardboard tube.
  • Rosemary in The Mansion of E has the "Can Opener," which is an open homage to Star Trek's Lirpa, listed above.

Web Original

  • A common weapon type in Chaos Fighters. The most common among them are double sword lances, but double spears, double lances, double wands and double axes (on sides rather ends) appears occasionally. A double scythe was also appeared with two variants.
  • On an episode of Counter Monkey, Spoony and Bennett the Sage talk about a friend's D&D weapon concepts which include the double club, the double spiked club, the double knife, and double serrated sword. They actually note that the guy went out of his way to try to make a double-version of any weapon.

Western Animation

Real Life

  • Truth in Television since most Medieval weapons were actually made so that either end could be used offensively. A poleaxe was a medieval staff weapon with a hammerhead, an axe blade (or a sharp metal beak) and a spear point on one end, and another spear point on the other end, making it a quadruple weapon (quintuple if you count the staff itself!). In a swordfight, a sword could be turned around and the pommel (the metal ball on the end of the hilt) used as a bludgeoning weapon. The word to "pummel" someone literally means to hit them with your pommel. A sword's cross-guard could be used as a hook to trip your opponent up or to capture his arms or weapon. Medieval combat manuals describe numerous such creative uses of weapons, all of which were probably common practice.
  • Going even farther back, the Greek Hoplite's spears had a big, foot long bronze spearhead on one end, and a pointy bottom for dispatching wounded enemies as you walked over them.
  • Jump ahead a few years and the hand guards on Renaissance rapiers and cutlasses could be used for effective grapple counters and when you didn't feel like stabbing someone.
  • And in the modern day, if you're out of ammo, you can always fix bayonets to turn your rifle into a double-ended weapon. One of the standard uses is to hit your opponent in the face with the butt of the rifle to momentarily daze him, so he can't stop you from using the sharp pointy end to open him up.
  • The "shaolin spade" is another example. It's also one of the most effective anti-zombie weapons ever devised.
    • Also from the arsenal of the Shaolin Monks are the "twin hook" swords, made famous by Spike's Deadliest Warrior (where they scored more kills for the monk than a Maori warrior's entire arsenal put together'). Aside from the handle, every inch of these weapons is designed to be lethal, and it can even be taken to the logical extreme of the trope: by locking the hooks at the end of two swords together, they become a single weapon capable of delivering death at a bigger distance than most polearms.
  • The lajatang is a pole weapon with concave, crescent shaped blades at both ends. A number of other Chinese weapons such as the "cicada wing sword" or "heaven and earth, wind and fire sword" are all permutations on a short haft with blades on both ends, and bladed handguards evenly spaced on the haft. The tiger hook sword traditionally has a blade the size of a long knife at the pommel - likewise, many variations like the "nine teeth hook sword" exist. "Sun and moon spear swords," "snake rings" and many others are all variations on a one-handed weapon gripped in the center, with a bladed handguard and slashing or thrusting knives both above and below the hand. These weapons can all be confirmed to have actually existed, but the actual practicality of some may be questionable.
  • The Indian madu is a slightly more practical example, consisting of a metal plate to shield the hand in the center with sharp thrusting points extending above and below the grip. It is intended principally as a defensive weapon for the off hand.
    • On the less practical side, there is another Indian weapon (18th century Gujurat, India, specifically) called the "cumberjung." It is a double-ended flail with spinning quoits or chakrams on the weighted ends. Picture wielding the Chinese three-section staff, but with flying buzzsaws in place of the sticks.
  • Japan also provides us with the Kusarigama. A long chain with a sharp sickle on one end and a heavy weight on the other. True masters can get both sides spinning at once, making a nasty whirlwind of death.
  • In a rather unusual example, Rifle stocks are basically flat triangular clubs when the weapon is used in hand-to-hand combat in Modern martial arts implements.
  • The Maori of Aotearoa (aka New Zealand) have the Taiaha, essentially 5 foot spear-like weapon with a club at the other end which, although not used like a spear, reportedly can break spines, and be fearsome in the right hands.
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