Weapon of Choice: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''Don't be shocked by the tone of my voice

 

This is similar to [[Personality Powers]], but with weapons. Basically, in various works of fiction, characters tend to possess weapons that are either a direct reflection of their personality or the traits commonly deemed to their character type.

** '''[[Katanas Are Just Better|Katanas]]''': If both katanas and broadswords are present, the katana will invariably be in the hands of the [[Badass]], because [[Katanas Are Just Better]]

* '''[[Machete Mayhem|Machetes]]''': The machete and related blades are used by characters who live wild, or have wild, untamed natures, calling back to its use in the wilderness. Usually used by an [[Anti-Hero]]. However, they can be used by anyone in a jungle setting, when used as a tool.

* '''[[Carry a Big Stick|Clubs]]/[[Drop the Hammer|Hammers]]''': [[Boisterous Bruiser|Big and brash]] characters, like a giant [[Smash Mook]] or [[The Big Guy]], just need the bluntest weapon they can muster: A giant club, mallet, or mace. [[Our Dwarves Are All the Same|Dwarves]] tend to like hammers, too; probably because they like forging so much. Size for size, hammers are heavier, slower, and harder hitting than axes. Smaller, more manageable versions are sometimes favored by paladins and priests or monks who [[Technical Pacifist|frown upon shedding blood, but have less compunction about causing concussions and breaking bones]]. This originated with a medieval papal mandate to discourage bloodshed between Christian nations (although blunt weapons still do shed plenty of blood). ''Dungeons and Dragons'' revived this idea in the modern world as a form of game balance, but it became popularized to the point where all fantasy clergy are depicted with blunt weapons. Very large, possibly comically oversized warhammers are also favored by a number of [[Cute Bruiser]] types in roleplaying video games. If a hammer is a mundane utility hammer, then the wielder is almost always [[Ax Crazy]].

* '''[[Simple Staff|Staves]]''': Wizards and other wise characters that rely on talents other than brute force to deal with conflict still sensibly bring at least a staff for protection. This covers the [[White Magician Girl]] and the [[Black Magician Girl]], both of whom typically use them. In the former's case, they'll typically be called Staves, while in the latter's case, they'll be Rods/Wands. It's a less lethal but still effective weapon often used by the [[Technical Pacifist]], who needs to fight but doesn't want to use deadly force. Those trying for historical accuracy may have them appear in the hands of [[Robin Hood]] and his merry men, or other persons legally or practically barred from possession of edged weapons for their close-range fighting needs.

 

Of course, any ''true'' Troper's Weapon of Choice would have to be a [[BFG|Big Freakin']] [[Gatling Good|Gatling]] [[Sawed-Off Shotgun|Shotgun]] that can be [[Dual-Wielding|Dual Wielded]] with a [[Bifurcated Weapon|Detachable]] [[Chainsaw Good|Chain-Bladed]] [[Laser Blade|Laser]] [[Katanas Are Just Better]]. Anything else just pales in comparison, save for the [[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann|Giga Drill Breaker]]. If there is a [[Five-Man Band]], the weapons will probably be [[Heroes Prefer Swords]], [[Blade on a Stick]], [[Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me]], [[Simple Staff]], and [[Magic Wand]]. For non-weapon examples, see [[Tell Me How You Fight]]. Contrast [[Choice of Two Weapons]]. See also [[Good Weapon, Evil Weapon]].

 

== General ==

* [[Robin Hood]] was quite possibly the greatest [[The Archer|archer]] in English legend, though he was no slouch with a sword either. He is also definitive proof that [[Improbable Aiming Skills]] as a trope [[Older Than They Think|predates guns by far.]]

 

 

* ''[[Lyrical Nanoha|Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' has this with each of the main characters having a specific "device".

** Nanoha has her magic staff, Raising Heart. (Still called ''[[Spell My Name with an "S"|Raging]]'' Heart by many. For good reason.)

* ''[[Madan Senki Ryukendo]]'' shows this trope in both showing the Madan Warriors' personalities through the weapons, and by giving [[Non-Human Sidekick|the weapons themselves personalities]]. Kenji/Ryukendo, the title [[Idiot Hero]], uses a sword. The sword itself, GekiRyuKen is equally heroic, but a Trickster Mentor. Fudou/Ryugunou and his blaster, GouRyuGun, calculate their strategies, making Fudou the intelligent balance to Kenji's [[Determinator]]. Koichi/Ryujinou is an interesting case. His ZanRyuJin becomes an axe and a bow. Koichi himself is powerful and dangerous, but does know how to fight controlled. ZanRyuJin itself is a wiseguy, only on good terms with his partner.

* In ''Yoroiden Samurai Troopers'', (''[[Ronin Warriors]]'' in US), this trope partially applies to the heroes. The main hero has dual wield katanas that also connect into a single double-sided sword, [[The Smart Guy]] is an archer, and the one whose powers come from water has a trident. The other two of the [[Five-Man Band]] are anomalies: the weapon of the quiet, mature Sage is a huge greatsword, while big eating, hot tempered [[Big Guy]] Kento uses a sectioned staff.

* ''[[Tsukihime]]'''s protagonist Tohno Shiki only ever uses his knife, which has the symbols for '7 Nights' carved into it ({{spoiler|the actual meaning of the characters is 'Nanaya,' it is an heirloom from his true family of demon-slaying assassins that was passed down to him.}}).

* Many late 1980s Anime involving female juvenile delinquents equipped them with toys as weapons. Notable examples include:

** ''[[Sukeban Deka]]''—a yo-yo used to very deadly effect

* From ''[[Berserk]]'', both the original Band of the Hawk and Guts' post-Eclipse party have weapons of choice. In the Band of the Hawk, we had Guts with a greatsword, Griffith with a rapier, Casca with a short sword, Judeau with knives, Pippin with a hammer, Corkus with an ordinary sword and Rickert with a crossbow. In the post-eclipse team, we have Guts with the [[BFS|Dragon Slayer]], Serpico with a rapier and then a fan/sword, Isidro with two knives, Schierke with a magic staff and Farnese with a small silver knife.

* ''[[Golgo 13]]'' generally uses an M-16. They're easy to find (so he can acquire one on site), easy to have modified, and cheap enough to dispose of if necessary (whereas specialized sniper rifles tend to be expensive and hard to get on short notice). In addition, this gives him a close-combat weapon if circumstances go sour. He has, however, used other guns as needed. Notably, Golgo tends to upgrade to the latest model of M-16 five to ten years after their release. Fans speculate he waits for their reliability to be proven before switching preferences.

 

 

* Subverted in [[Greg Rucka]]'s ''[[Queen and Country]]''. Secret agent Tara Chace is issued a gun for a mission; her contact comments, "Your file says you're a P99 girl," to which she replies, "I'm more of a stay-at-home-and-fancy-a-cuppa girl." As the series handles guns and gunplay very realistically, weapons are rarely issued, and when they are, it's usually a sign that Something Bad will happen.

* ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'':

{{quote|'''Raphael:''' ''Cricket?'' Nobody understands cricket! You gotta know what a ''crumpet'' is to understand cricket!

'''Casey:''' I'll teach you! ''(wham)'' See? Six runs. }}

** Meanwhile [[The Mighty Thor|Thor]], his [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|fellow Avenger]], sticks true to his mythological roots and wields Mjolnir, his [[Drop the Hammer|hammer of thunder]].

* The [[Green Lantern Ring]].

* Hawkeye, who may or may not be [[Marvel Comics|Marvel's]] expy of [[DC Comics|DC's]] [[Green Arrow]], is likewise a hotshot archer whose real weapon isn't the bow so much as the bag of tricks he fires from it. He's shown to have the same accuracy hand-throwing his arsenal of arrowheads or firing them from improvised launchers.

** In the Ultimate Universe, he's even shown using his ''fingernails'', but then that version of the character is borderline [[Ax Crazy]] and a former black ops. As of Volume Three, he started showing a preference for guns.

* Whiplash/Blacklash, an [[Iron Man]] foe best known as the partial basis for [[The Movie]]'s Whiplash, engineered his own electric whips and used them to wreck things up... until he was accidentally killed by his old enemy. He could also turn his whips into nunchucks. Anyway, since his death, a BDSM-loving couple adopted both the Whiplash and Blacklash identities, then his daughter stepped into the role, a version inspired by the movie character debuted, and the original's been seen in action again, too.

** Somewhat related are the Constrictor and Omega Red, who both have tendrils that come out of their arms. Constrictor's Serpent Society teammate Coachwhip explicitly themed herself around her signature weapon, as well.

 

== Fan Works ==

** Buffy gets a short sword named "Companion" that enhances her secondary Slayer powers (prophetic dreams, sensing vampires, etc.), and provides a mental link to Faith.

** Cordelia gets a greatsword named "Subtlety" that grants her minor healing powers, doubles as a lie detector, and is actually very light when in her hands.

** The straitlaced Kendra gets a katana named "Honor's Grace" that allows her to stop time for a few seconds every time she draws it.

** Angel gets a short sword, "Solitude", similar to Buffy's that can burst into flame, and will burn him up if he loses his soul.

** Giles receives a rapier, "Wisdom" that enhances his casting abilities.

** Oz's weapon was originally a bastard sword named "Cool Sword" with frost powers. However, it spontaneously transformed into a pair of [[Wolverine]]-esque claws that gave him some measure of control over his werewolf.

** Sophia: The Scythe from season 7 of ''Buffy'' and [[Fray]]

** Skye: Sharpened Sai Daggers

** Erika: Staff

** Reiko: Bladed Fans

 

 

** [[The Chick|Wendy]]: gets a [[Magic Wand]].

** [[Mysterious Protector|Pendrake]]: [[The Gunslinger|A brace of .45s]], in keeping with his classic-noir persona.

* In the ''[[Battle Circle]]'' trilogy by [[Piers Anthony]], the main culture is based on [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]s; and the society is based around ritual combat in the titular Circle, with warriors typically specializing in one of 7 common weapons (although a few less common ones show up occasionally). All men are known by their signature weapons, which they use as a title, eg. Var the Sword, Kal the Club. A few rare individuals are proficient with more than one, which they add to their title.

** The main characters the trilogy are Sol of All Weapons, who is unique in his mastery of combat, and Sos the Rope (actually a long steel cable), who choses an unusual signature weapon after being forbidden to use the common ones.

** Boromir: Sword.

*** In [[J. R. R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]]'s works, generally Men (and hobbits) prefer swords, Elves bows, and dwarves axes. Maces and clubs [[Good Weapon, Evil Weapon|seem to be the province of evil characters]], as well as the curved swords wielded by orcs.

* ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'', most obviously with Arya's Needle, Jon's Longclaw, Dothraki arakhs, and Ned's Ice. Ser Barristan Selmy even discards his sword in favour of an epic staff, befitting his transition from general [[Badass]] to [[Badass Grandpa]].

** Tyrion subverts this by fighting with maces and swords, extremely at odds with his character and his physical stature.

** Aversion: Sven loves all weapons.

** Anne has a pair of delightful little [[wikipedia:Webley Revolver|Royal Irish Constabulary Webleys.]]

** Jack the Ripper prefers an [[wikipedia:Jambiya|Arabian jambiya]] for the ceremonial taking of heads.

** Kynan Rhys Gower prefers his longbow or a war maul. But when their superiority is demonstrated in the face of an angry Cape buffalo, he asks, "You show gun?"

* In ''[[The Stormlight Archive]]'', swords are considered upper-class weapons, meaning that [[The Hero|Kaladin]], who is lower-class, uses a spear as his Weapon of Choice (toying in a minor but noticable ways with genre conventions). Heroic ''and'' villainous aristocratic characters use swords all the time as a status symbol, with the magical shardblades being the most prized. [[Anti-Villain]] assassin Szeth also has a shardblade, which both makes him even more [[Badass]] than he would be otherwise and, since he comes from an extremely pacifist society, using the most deadly weapon of all marks him as a disgraced outcast.

 

== Live Action TV ==

** Gabrielle also had her Sais starting in season 5 and lasting until the end of the series, and her (less exclusive) staff in seasons 1-3.

** Her and every other Slayer within spitting distance.

** Gunn also carries his Hubcap-Axe until season 4.

* ''[[The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog]]'':

 

== Tabletop Games ==

** Eldar favour advanced laser weaponry and blade-firing "shuriken catapults", along with long swords.

*** Eldar Aspect Warriors all specialize in a single type of weaponry, from the above shuriken catapults, to chainswords or powerswords, to powerful laser weapons, to microwave "melta" guns, to guns that fire streams of "razor floss"—supersharp monomolecular wire.

*** Harlequins are close-combat specialists whose signature weapon is a narrow sharpened tube, similar to an oversized hypodermic needle, that punches through armour and shoots a jet of the aforementioned monomolecule wire inside their targets, effectively liquifying them inside their battlesuits/exoskeletons.

** Dark Eldar utilize similar weaponry to the Eldar, though firing antimatter instead of lasers and needle-like shards instead of discs.

** The Necrons have a distinct preference for weapons which strip apart their target layer by layer, but a few enjoy skinning you with their claws, then wearing your skin.

** The Tyranids prefer to jump on your face and eat you, though they're not above using [[Living Weapon|biological firearms]] grown using their particular brand of [[Organic Technology]].

** There is also the Weapon Master [[Prestige Class]], which requires the character to choose one type of weapon to focus on before they can take the class.

** And 4th Edition's Fighters has a different spin, first one chooses feats that work for a specific weapon, then powers that lend themselves to different weapons.

* The Weapon Master advantage in ''[[GURPS]]'' lets the character use a particular weapon or class of weapons well beyond what a normal human can even attempt.

* Althought the Fighting Style merits in the core ''[[New World of Darkness]]'' book mostly focus on martial arts, quite a few in the supplementary material center around a specific type of weapon (examples include [[Knife Nut|knife-fighting]], sword-and-shield, and [[BFS|heavy swords]]).

 

== Video Games ==

* The [[Ax Crazy|Tall Man]] of [[Chzo Mythos]] uses a giant metal spike with four extremely wide scythe-like blades installed on one of the ends. His preferred method of killing is ramming the bottom of the spike through the very top of the victim's skull. [[Squick]] indeed.

* ''[[Metal Gear]]:''

** Vulcan Raven had the M61 Vulcan he ripped from a downed F-16 to show he's an effin' giant.

** Sniper Wolf, anybody know what she uses?

* ''[[Dynasty Warriors]]''. Simple one-handed swords are generally popular with the leaders of major factions and calm individuals while large polearms are fairly common with the tougher but not necessarily nuts enforcers. Women tend to get weapons that most men wouldn't dare carry. Lu Bu, the game's most feared character, tended to wield a halberd as if it were a one-handed sword. ''Dynasty Warriors 6'' however changed things up a bit, as before that everyone had more or less always used the same weapon.

* The ''[[Soul Series|Soul Calibur]]'' series. Some are rather strange (see Necrid's fragment of an alternate universe).

** They can also all use Slingshots, but that's generally not a good idea. Poo in particular is weakened by equipping them.

** In general, the series gives baseball bats (or regular staves, in Lucas's case) to [[Heroes Prefer Swords|the character that would get a sword]] in most other games of its type, and frying pans to [[Simple Staff|the character that would get a staff]].

* Despite having four (or five to six depending on the game) types of melee weapons, ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' manages to do this; most axe fighters are obsessed with fighting in one way or another (and Keiran in ''Path of Radiance''/''Radiant Dawn'', who takes "Proud Warrior" to an extreme is an Axe Knight), all but four (all but one of whom play second fiddle) of the lead characters use swords, and ALL thieves and assassins in the series use knives (at least in battle sprites). On the flip side only two archers in the series qualify for the listed personality and spear wielding units are just as competent as the other ones. It also subverts this slightly with weapons effective on certain types of foes (such as a large mallet being good on armored units) though.

** Also of note that there are two different classes that wield swords. First is Mercenary/Hero (the sprites in ''The Binding Blade''/''The Sacred Stones'' were broadswords regardless of sword used), the other being Myrmidon/Swordmaster (the sprites here used Eastern-style katanas). Swordmasters also generally get a specialized sword late game called the Wo Dao (which in the later games just is a Katana). Heroes are generally more manly and romantic-male-lead-ish when it comes to looks. While the majority of Swordmasters are females, or males that are [[Bishonen|very pretty]], the animations for the Swordmaster attacks seem very graceful compared to the straight power of the Hero (graceful is badass). The rapier weapon (appears in ''Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light'' (as well as its remake, ''Shadow Dragon'')/''Mystery of the Emblem''/''The Binding Blade''/''Fire Emblem''/''The Sacred Stones'') is usable only by the games leading character (who is always royal, giving them a proper societal weapon). The exceptions are Lyndis (''Fire Emblem'') and Ike (''Path of Radiance'' and ''Radiant Dawn''). Lyndis has her own legendary katana, and Ike isn't actual royalty (and all his animations would fit way more with a Broadsword than a rapier).

* The characters in ''[[Persona 3]]'' openly state the reasons for their specific weapons, whenever it isn't obvious. [[The Hero]] can use anything, though he unsurprisingly defaults to a one-handed sword. [[Leeroy Jenkins|Junpei]] uses a two-handed sword that he holds like a baseball bat (which is to say, improperly). [[Guys Smash, Girls Shoot|Yukari]], a member of the Archery Club, uses a bow. Mitsuru, the rich girl, uses an "elegant" one-handed sword. Akihiko, star boxer of the school and a bit of a [[Blood Knight]], uses his fists. Aigis, a [[Robot Girl]], uses attached guns of various types. Koromaru, the team pet, uses a small knife held in his teeth, presumably to avoid actually biting the monsters. Ken, a [[Wise Beyond His Years]] ten-year-old, uses a spear to even the playing field between him and larger enemies. Shinjiro, the tough dude with issues, uses an axe or mace. In FES, Metis, [[Mr. Exposition|Miss Exposition]], also uses an axe, due to its power.

** In the [[PlayStation Portable]] [[Updated Rerelease]], the new Heroine wields [[Blade on a Stick|naginatas]], presumably due to their historical association with [[wikipedia:Onna bugeisha|women and famous female samurai]] in Japan. The Hero, though, is now restricted to one-handed swords, and Mitsuru's choice is specifically referred to as "rapiers."

* Aya from the ''[[Parasite Eve]]'' series can use any kind of gun, but in official media and cut scenes, she's always holding a pistol.

* Lara Croft from the ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' series uses shotguns, uzis, grenade launchers, rifles, and revolvers, but she's always rendered as using dual pistols, including in the movies.

 

== Visual Novels ==

** It might be argued that they are symbolic of his deep inner conflict over (and bitter acceptance of) the gap between ideal and reality, though...

** Archer says flat out that he isn't one. He just happens to be good at it.

*** Neither does Aradia Megido for the same reason, but she used to allocate [[Whip It Good|whipKind]] {{spoiler|before her death}}.

* ''[[Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire]]''. As can be guessed if you're not too slow, the title character's weapon of choice is a zap gun -- [[I Call It Vera|nicknamed "Junior"]].

 

 

* ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'' has Church with the sniper rifle (which he can't hit the broadside of a barn with), Tucker and his energy sword, Caboose and his SAW, Sarge and his shotgun, Donut and his grenades, Simmons and his rocket launcher, and Grif with the ever-trusty traffic cone.

** Then theres the Meta with its bruteshot and Wash with his pistol.

 

 

* In ''[[Code Lyoko]]'', the heroes' weapons are generated from their subconscious during their first virtualization.

** Ulrich, [[The Hero]], starts with using one [[Katanas Are Just Better]] ([[Dual-Wielding|and later two]]).

** Odd ([[The Big Guy|who thinks the more monsters, the better]]) uses "[[Arm Cannon|Lazer Arrows]]".

** And William, the [[Sixth Ranger]], uses a [[BFS|Big Fragging Sword]].

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Signature Tropes]]

[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]

[[Category:Weapons and Wielding Tropes]]