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Heroes Prefer Swords: Difference between revisions
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And it's even rarer for the main character to be able to use both swords and non-sword weapons, but not start with a sword. Rarer still is the hero who starts with a sword and then moves on to something else.
Given that a sword is a fairly useful melee weapon with a [[Jack of All Trades|wide variety of uses]] (and historically, pretty much everyone who could get a sword would have one) this makes some sense. Still, given modern society typically prefers ranged weapons, it looks out of place. This can lead to improbable weapons that take the coolness of a sword and combine it with the effectiveness of a weapon modern to the work's universe, such as "gunswords." This is more of a [[Justified Trope]] than one might think, since at the very least, bayonets are still used, both for their practical uses in close combat when bullets run out, but also because they are able to puncture body armor that bullets can't (according to a [[wikipedia:Bayonet|bayonet]] article, a prototype was able to pierce a punching bag covered with aircraft aluminium and a ballistic vest).
It's very often [[BFS|implausibly large]]. Or just very, very [[Cool Sword|cool]]. Expect [[Implausible Fencing Powers]].
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* Yuri Hyuga of ''[[Shadow Hearts]]'', as befits his street-brawler personality, fights with his fists. The game's sword-wielder, Keith, doesn't appear until past the halfway point, and he uses a rapier as opposed to the standard flat blade.
** In ''Covenant'' Yuri continues to let his fists do the talk. This time, the sword-wielder is Karin who also uses a rapier, beffiting her [[Lady of War]] Status.
** In ''From The New World'' [[Kid Detective]] Johnny Garland wields an assortment of knives and daggers. It's [[Highly-Visible Ninja|Highly Visible]] [[McNinja]] Frank who gets the swords. And by "swords", we mean [[Improbable Weapon User|"anything that can be put on a hilt"]] ranging from a cactus to a bus stop and ''a dead swordfish''. And not to mentioned his [[Infinity+1 Sword]] {{spoiler|'''''A hot pippin shishkebab!'''''}}
* In ''[[Xenogears]]'', Fei uses his fists as weapons, as do Rico and Emeralda. Other characters use whips, firearms, and combat rods. The only playable character who gets a sword, Citan, gets it after the first disc, a good way through the storyline... instantly making a massive leap in combat power. Not that he was ''ever'' a slouch in that department, even barehanded.
* Similarly, Shion Uzuki in ''[[Xenosaga]]'' uses the MWS, a combination mechanical hand/energy cannon strapped to her arm. The other arguably main character of the series, Jr., uses pistols. In fact, the one sword user in the series doesn't even show up until the second game.
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* The hero in ''[[Jade Empire]]'' can use a sword, but they aren't inherently superior in any respect, and you're probably most likely to be a bare-fist kind of fighter.
* In ''[[The Last Remnant]]'' RPG, the main character is given a sword for the first battle, but after that can switch to any number of different weapons and combat styles. Rush happens to be the most versatile character in game, and so can wield practically anything.
* The protagonist of ''Lunar: Dragon Song (Lunar Genesis)'', Jian Campbell, fights with his feet and all of his weapons are things like sandals and sneakers (although his character design has him wearing boots). His few magic spells are performed by spinning on his head. In fact, of the five playable characters, the only one who wields a sword is in the party for only a few battles; the other three use bows, claws, and ''umbrellas''.
* Subverted, the main character, [[Tales of the Drunken Paladin|Anebriate]] prefers a [[Blade on a Stick]]. Emma, despite being a warlock (and an [[Optional Party Member]]), is really the only one who uses swords.
* [[Mass Effect 3]] gives us the Omniblade, an extension of the Omnitool technology modified for close quarter combat. Sentinels are able to dual-wield, Infiltrators have an electrified version, while Engineers get one ''on fire''. Its as ''awesome'' as it sounds.
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** Also, two temporary main characters from ''Radiant Dawn'' use lances.
*** And one of the three main characters in Part IV uses his talons, because he's the king of [[Petting Zoo People|the hawk laguz]].
** Hector, of the lords in ''Blazing Sword'' (the main character if you choose his mode) uses axes. This is in contrast to the other two lords (each one being the main character at one point during the "normal" mode) who use swords. However, upon promotion, Hector also gains the ability to use swords.
** ''Blazing Sword'' also discusses and attempts to defy it briefly: [[Chivalrous Pervert|Sain]] insists early on that "the lance is more heroic. A knight should look heroic, don't you think?" and so refuses to [[Tactical Rock-Paper-Scissors|use a sword against the axe-wielding]] bandits they're fighting. It doesn't last.
* Most [[Nippon Ichi]] [[Turn-Based Strategy]] games avert this simply by the fact that they allow your characters to arm themselves with any weapon they like, although promotional images and videos may associate them with a certain weapon, and/or they start with a certain weapon. That said, three of the four protagonists from ''[[Disgaea]]'' start with, and have proficiency in, swords, but Adell from ''[[Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories]]'' fights with his fists. Prier from ''[[La Pucelle Tactics]]'' is nominally shown wielding a baton, but she's just as likely to [[Groin Attack|kick evil in the junk]] as she is to bash it upside the head. Ash and Marona from ''[[Phantom Brave]]'' are often shown not using weapons at all, although Ash again often plays it straight like Laharl. Nippon Ichi's first heroine, Cornet from ''<nowiki>[[Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure]]</nowiki>'' uses her namesake (A trumpet-like musical instrument). Revya from ''[[Soul Nomad and The World Eaters]]'', who has no choice in weapon selection, wields a great sword that's also an [[Artifact of Doom]].
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** Huckebein - Beam Sword
** Grungust - Sword and [[Rocket Punch]]
** Alteisen - Stake Driver; Weissritter - Carries a Beam Sword but is more of a [[BFG|Gunner]].
** R-1/SRX - R-1 uses knives, SRX a sword.
** Grungust Type 2 - Sword and [[Rocket Punch]]
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** Vysaga - [[Katanas Are Just Better|Katana]]
** Aile Chevelaire/Geant Chevelaire - giant beam saber
** Excellence series - Varies.
*** Striker - Head- and Foot-blades, Claw
*** Gunner - Knife
*** Diver - Harpoon
*** Flyer - Beam Sword
*** Cosmo-Diver - Elbow-blades
*** Lightning - Beam Sword
*** Eternal - Bladed tails with convenient handles
** Wild Wurger - Has a sword, but it's signature weapon is a scissor-like crusher.
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* Julio, protagonist of ''[[Gungnir]]'', starts out fighting with swords but progresses towards primarily using the game's eponymous spear. Mind you, he can still ''equip and use'' swords, but Gungnir is so heavy it's pretty hard to find one light enough for him to carry while he's got it on, and Gungnir is generally much more useful.
* Fellow Sting game ''[[Blaze Union]]'' features lance-wielding horseman Garlot as its lead character. He switches to using scythes towards the very end of the canon route of the game.
* Averted in [[Resonance of Fate]] marketed itself as a Steampunk flavoured game with lots of guns. The heroes weren't limited to guns, though. They can still fight with grenades or fists - just no swords for them.
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=== Film ===
* [[Star Wars a New Hope|Han Solo]] believes that hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side. This helps establish him as [[The Lancer]] and Luke [[The Hero]].
* For the final duel between Brian de Bois-Guilbert and Wilfred of ''[[Ivanhoe]]'' in the 1952 movie adaptation, both are given their choice of weapon. Neither man chooses a sword for this fight; instead, Bois-Guilbert picks a morning star and Ivanhoe a battle axe (both of which are realistically better choices than a sword against a heavily armoured opponent).
* The trope is played with, then discarded in ''[[A Knight's Tale]]''. William starts out being more skilled with the sword than he is with a lance, and is champion of the sword in his first tournament. He never enters the sword ring again, officially because the prizes and prestige are better in the joust, and unofficially because he wants to beat Count Adhemar and impress Jocelyn.
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** ''[[300]]''
** ''[[Immortals]]''
* In ''[[The Crow]]'', the main villain Top Dollar is a swordsman, while the hero Eric fights him off with a lightning rod. He does briefly use one of the villain's katanas during the big mook brawl, however.
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* The [[Night Lords|Night Lord]] Talos provides a potential subversion of an inversion the concept: although he and his legion are [[Villain Protagonist|Villain Protagonists]] ten thousand years after their original [[Face Heel Turn]], he himself is [[Noble Demon]] to the core, and wields a [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|golden]] power sword stolen from the loyalist Blood Angels.
* In the "Dunk and Egg" short stories of ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'', Dunk prefers axes and maces to his sword, apparently because his strength plays a bigger part in their use.
* ''[[The Iliad]]'' portrays the heroes prefering their spears and resorting to their swords only as backup. Several heroes are better known for their archery than hand-to-hand fighting.
=== Live Action TV ===
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=== Tabletop Games ===
* Justified in ''[[In Nomine]]'', where swords routinely outperform guns in combat, to where a blade-wielder with sufficient Strength and skill can be deadlier than an M-16. Angels and demons often prefer to pack a blade, especially if it can be a [[Flaming Sword]]. Some angels even have the ability to sheathe a sword [[Hyperspace Arsenal|in thin air]] until it's needed.
=== Toys ===
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Role Playing Game]]▼
[[Category:Video Game Tropes]]
[[Category:I Like Swords]]
[[Category:Heroes Prefer Swords]]
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