The 14 Greatest Anime Swordsmen of All Time

Three swords, a reversed blade, a slab of iron too heavy to swing twice: anime keeps finding new ways to put a sword in someone's hands. Who is the best of them with one?

1

Roronoa Zoro

One Piece: three swords, one of them held in his teeth, and one ambition.

2

Ichigo Kurosaki

Bleach: a sword the size of a door, and a second form for it.

3

Sasuke Uchiha

Naruto: a lightning-charged blade in a series that mostly throws jutsu.

4

Guts

Berserk: a slab of iron too big to be called a sword.

5

Levi Ackerman

Attack on Titan: twin blades and gas-powered geometry.

6

Mugen

Samurai Champloo: breakdancing footwork with a sword attached.

7

Giyu Tomioka

Demon Slayer: Water Breathing, done with less noise than anyone else.

8

Kenpachi Zaraki

Bleach: a captain who fights badly on purpose to make it last.

9

Mihawk

One Piece: the title-holder everyone else is measured against.

10

Afro Samurai

Afro Samurai: the number two headband, and everyone coming for it.

11

Zenitsu Agatsuma

Demon Slayer: one technique, executed asleep, better than anyone awake.

12

Zabuza Momochi

Naruto: the Demon of the Hidden Mist, and the series' first real loss.

13

Byakuya Kuchiki

Bleach: a thousand blade fragments and the manners to match.

14

Shishio Makoto

Rurouni Kenshin: a swordsman whose blade heats up as he fights.