Master Swordsman: Difference between revisions

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[[File:~~zorro999_5812~~.jpg|frame|Rapier hero.]]

[[File:zorro999 5812.jpg|frame|Rapier hero.]]

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* ''[[Kyo Kara Maoh!|Kyou Kara Maoh]]''.

** [[The Ace|Conrad]] is the 'best swordsman in Shin Makoku' and turns out to have an international reputation; he takes after his father, Dan Hiri, who was a widely known master in his day. ''Gunter,'' who is easily taken for a [[Squishy Wizard]], turns out to be amazing with a blade as well. (Yuuri has still never seen him fight.)

** In season three we learn Gunter ''trained'' ~~Conrad--in~~ his adolescence (i.e. [[Half-Human Hybrid|maybe fifty years old]]?) he was getting to be cocky and bitter due to his [[All of the Other Reindeer|social isolation]] and genius, and Gunter, who was still teaching back then, [[Curb Stomp Battle|handed him his ass]] to show how much he still had to learn. Their only battle during show-time (probably best fight in the series) was inconclusive, since Conrad had a separate agenda and ran away at the first opportunity he could make.

** In season three we learn Gunter ''trained'' Conrad—in his adolescence (i.e. [[Half-Human Hybrid|maybe fifty years old]]?) he was getting to be cocky and bitter due to his [[All of the Other Reindeer|social isolation]] and genius, and Gunter, who was still teaching back then, [[Curb Stomp Battle|handed him his ass]] to show how much he still had to learn. Their only battle during show-time (probably best fight in the series) was inconclusive, since Conrad had a separate agenda and ran away at the first opportunity he could make.

** Hube is also pretty damn good, and prone to cutting improbable things; he fixated on Conrad in his first appearance because he knew only a master-level fighter [[Death Seeker|could defeat him]].

* Kuno, from ''[[Ranma ½|Ranma One Half]]'', is a [[Kendo Team Captain]] and is capable of doing tremendous damage with a bokken. He is a scarily skilled fighter, despite his ''many'' personality flaws and general idiocy.

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* ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'': Blademaster is an actual title within the setting, earned either by being recognized as such by a group of pre-existing blademasters or by killing one in a duel. The Heron-mark sword is the symbol of a blademaster, and you're only supposed to carry one if you've earned it.

** [[The Chosen One|Rand]] earns his position as a blademaster after killing [[Authority Equals Asskicking|a Seanchan High Blood]] at the climax of the second book. At this point in the series, he's still not very far removed from a being a simple sheepherder, so it's quite an accomplishment.

** Lan is the stand out in the ~~series--in~~ the prequel to the series, seven men come to kill him. He muses to himself as he faces them that only in stories does one man face seven and come out unharmed...or alive. He doesn't do the former, but obviously manages the latter. There are many others, too, and having a 'Heron Marked' blade is the sign of a true master swordsman.

** Lan is the stand out in the series—in the prequel to the series, seven men come to kill him. He muses to himself as he faces them that only in stories does one man face seven and come out unharmed...or alive. He doesn't do the former, but obviously manages the latter. There are many others, too, and having a 'Heron Marked' blade is the sign of a true master swordsman.

** Other significant ones include Galad, Gawyn, and a couple of the [[Quirky Miniboss Squad|Forsaken]], notably Be'lal (who helped ''invent'' swordsmanship, or at least rediscover it as a form of combat, apparently).

** Notably averted by the Aiel, who are some of the most badass people in the world, but refuse to use swords.

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* Many characters in [[S.M. Stirling]]'s [[Emberverse]], notably Mike Havel, Norman Arminger, Pam Arnstein, Astrid Larsson, Tiphaine d'Ath, Rudi Mackenzie, and Mathilda Arminger.

* [[The Three Musketeers (novel)|The Three Musketeers]], especially D'Artagnan and [[Old Master|Athos]].

* [[John Carter of Mars]], the greatest swordsman of two worlds, at least. He's not the only one, though, what with swordsmanship being an incredibly prized skill among the Martian races, almost all of whom are varying degrees of [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]. In particular, Carter complements the [[Path of Inspiration|Therns]] for their swordsmanship (though it's the ''only'' thing he finds praiseworthy about [[~~Always Chaotic~~ Evil|them]]), and the Okar (Yellow Martian) elite guard [[Badass Grandpa|Solan]] gives Carter a serious run for his money in the third book.

* [[John Carter of Mars]], the greatest swordsman of two worlds, at least. He's not the only one, though, what with swordsmanship being an incredibly prized skill among the Martian races, almost all of whom are varying degrees of [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]. In particular, Carter complements the [[Path of Inspiration|Therns]] for their swordsmanship (though it's the ''only'' thing he finds praiseworthy about [[Exclusively Evil|them]]), and the Okar (Yellow Martian) elite guard [[Badass Grandpa|Solan]] gives Carter a serious run for his money in the third book.

* This is one of the things about Commissar [[Ciaphas Cain]] that makes one stop and wonder just how fair he's being to himself in insisting he's no hero. He's explicitly said to be very good at it, and all kinds of inhuman monstrosities and [[Super Soldiers]] have found their rampage stopped by one (usually secretly terrified) human officer wielding a chain sword who just won't die.

** It's not merely that Cain won't die. It's that he's (against his will) right up close and personal with the enemy, and nonetheless won't let them land a hit on him. '''That's''' the swordsmanship part.

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* According to [[Word of God|Ed Greenwood]], the creator of ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'', the top swordsmen in the Realms are in order: the human Harmel Artru of Sembia, the half-elf and son of Alustriel Maethrammar Aerasume of Silverymoon, the human Loaros Hammarandar of Narubel, the human Ember Tsartaera from Aglarond, the human Skoalam Marlgrask from Chessenta, and the dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden. Artemis Entreri, Drizzt's nemesis, ranks around ninth. Greenwood also clarified that the rankings can change very quickly given that all of them are ''so close'' to each other in skill level.

* In all incarnations of the ''[[Legend of the Five Rings]]'', the Kakita and Mirumoto are entire families of master swordsmen.

* In ''[[The Dresden Files (game)|The Dresden Files]]'', Shiro has a level of swordmanship that is barred to [[Player Character~~|Player Characters~~]]. He also has a shtick that lets him further increase it temporarily for a fate point.

* In ''[[The Dresden Files (game)|The Dresden Files]]'', Shiro has a level of swordmanship that is barred to [[Player Character]]s. He also has a shtick that lets him further increase it temporarily for a fate point.

== Video Games ==

* Several from the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' series, which shares many characters with ''[[Final Fantasy]]''. Though the main characters wield giant Keys, they are functionally magic swords. In that vein, [[Mickey Mouse]] and Riku are [[Master Swordsman]], as well as Terra, Xehanort, and Eraqus from the prequel (Aqua and Ven from the prequel probably don't count as one specializes in [[Magic Knight]] while the other is just generally inexperienced). You also have [[Final Fantasy X|Auron]], [[Mulan]] eventually, [[Final Fantasy VII|Cloud]] and [[Final Fantasy VIII|Leon]], and [[Pirates of the Caribbean|Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa]]. However, the main character, Sora, comes to eclipse them all due to the sheer amount of experience he has whacking [[Eldritch Abomination~~|Eldritch Abominations~~]] and Disney Villains with his Keyblade.

* Several from the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' series, which shares many characters with ''[[Final Fantasy]]''. Though the main characters wield giant Keys, they are functionally magic swords. In that vein, [[Mickey Mouse]] and Riku are Master Swordsman, as well as Terra, Xehanort, and Eraqus from the prequel (Aqua and Ven from the prequel probably don't count as one specializes in [[Magic Knight]] while the other is just generally inexperienced). You also have [[Final Fantasy X|Auron]], [[Mulan]] eventually, [[Final Fantasy VII|Cloud]] and [[Final Fantasy VIII|Leon]], and [[Pirates of the Caribbean|Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa]]. However, the main character, Sora, comes to eclipse them all due to the sheer amount of experience he has whacking [[Eldritch Abomination]]s and Disney Villains with his Keyblade.

* The ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series has plenty of them:

** ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'': Cecil and King Baron (Who gets to show them off as the Eidolon Odin).