One Piece may be a show about devil fruit-powered pirates, but neither the manga nor the anime lack sword swinging heroes with exceptional fighting skills. That said, One Piece is a bit odd with regards to its choice of swords. Unlike real life pirates who mainly used sabers and cutlasses because they’re relatively low maintenance and useful in tight spaces, the Straw Hat Pirates use Japanese katanas which are known for their rigorous maintenance needs.
Though katanas may not seem like the most practical choice of sword for a sea-faring wielder, the legendary sword grades of One Piece explain why our heroes chose them anyway.
One Piece Sword Meitos and What They Mean
One Piece may have a ton of legendary swords, but not all of them are made equal. Like real life katanas, these swords come with grades that determine how valuable a sword is, how much innate power it has, and its durability. This holds true even if a katana happens to be a cursed blade. Named swords or meito are the most prestigious katanas in One Piece but even they are classified into a strict hierarchy.
The One Piece manga isn’t coming to an end any time soon, but these are the meito we know about so far.
Supreme Grade Swords
Swords that belong to the Supreme Grade or Saijo O Wazamono meito are the rarest of all One Piece swords. As of now, there are only 12 of these swords and that’s probably a good thing considering that the 12 Supreme Grade swords we know of have been shown to possess the power to cut mountains and ships. Dracule Mihawk’s Yoru and a cursed sword, Shodai Kitetsu, are two of the known Supreme Grade meito katanas.
Great Grade Swords
The 21 Great Grade Swords or O Wazamono may not be as powerful as their Supreme Grade cousins, but they still pack a mean punch. Katanas belonging to the vaunted list of Great Grade meito swords are known for their remarkable durability and strength. Some of the more powerful Great Grade Swords are able to withstand duels against a wielder that has a sword belonging to the Supreme Grade meito.
Most of the One Piece Sword replicas you’ll find on this list are Great Grade Swords such as Kozuki Oden’s Ame no Habakiri and several of Roronoa Zoro’s swords including Enma, Wado Ichimonji, and Shusui.
Skillful Grade Swords
The Skillful Grade Swords or Ryo Wazamono are a cut above regular swords yet are nowhere near as powerful as swords from either the Supreme Grade or Great Grade meito. Like other graded swords, these Skillful Grade katanas are incredibly strong, sharp, and durable compared to the average sword. Their unique strength lies in their light weight which lets a wielder use a faster swordsmanship technique.
So far, there are 50 swords belonging to the Skillful Grade meito but the anime and manga have showcased only a handful of them.
Grade Swords
The Grade Swords or Wazamono are the lowest meito a katana can be classified under. These swords are still high quality despite being less desirable than higher grade swords. The Sandai Kitetsu, a cursed blade owned by Roronoa Zoro, is counted among the Grade Swords.
It’s not clear whether Durandal, a rapier-type blade owned by Cavendish, belongs to this grade of sword but we do know it’s one of the meito swords. Raiu, a nodachi owned by Shiryu, is another meito sword of ambiguous grade that some fans speculate might be a Wazamonosword.
Ungraded Swords
These One Piece swords do not have a notable meito but that doesn’t make them insignificant. In fact, some of the most skilled swordsmen in One Piece don’t have a graded sword. Shanks, one of the few One Piece characters to use a proper saber, owns an ungraded sword called Gryphon that looks like your typical blade but is deadly in his skilled hands.
9 One Piece Sword Replicas You Should Check Out
Kozuki Oden’s Ame no Habakiri
Ame no Habakiri’s current wielder may be Kozuki Oden but it was once the sword of Kozuki Oden, a samurai lord who began life as the head of his clan before deciding to spend some time adventuring as a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. Just like its owner, Ame no Habakiri has a larger than life story. The sword is actually one of the 21 Great Grade swords made by Tenguyama Hitetsu and serves as the heavenly counterpart of Enma, an infernal blade made by the legendary swordsmith Shimotsuki Kozaburo.
Ame no Habakiri’s design reflects its thematic inspiration which is why its sword replica is mainly white and gold. The blade has a bright red wave running along its length which is then topped off with a gold cinquefoil-style handguard. The scabbard also has gold hardware and painted details that make it look exactly like the one in the anime and like a real katana.
Length: 103cm
Material: Wood
Luffy’s Nidai Kitetsu
With its white, purple, and gold color scheme, Nidai Kitetsu will remind you of the Ame no Habakiri. Considering that both swords are part of the 21 Great Grade swords, it makes sense for them to share a visual motif. Like many of its sister swords such as the Shodai Kitetsu and the Sandai Kitetsu, the Nidai Kitetsu no longer belongs to a samurai but to Luffy, the anime’s endearing protagonist and leader of the Straw Hat Pirates.
If you’ve always wanted to cosplay Luffy, you’re going to love the attention to detail that this sword’s replica has. The blade imitates the pattern that forms on a katana during forging and the gold-toned handguard is aged to look as if the sword has seen its fair share of fights.
Length:104cm
Material: Carbon steel
Roronoa Zoro’s Enma
The Enma sword is best known for belonging to Roronoa Zoro, one of, if not the most, prominent swordsmen in One Piece. What most One Piece fans may not be aware of, though, is that Enma is Ame no Habakiri’s thematic twin and also belonged to Kozuki Oden.
As another of the 21 Great Grade swords, Enma embodies the Japanese concept of hell which is why its design is an inversion of the Ame no Habakiri. The two replica swords have an identical blade, but Enma has a black handle and scabbard that’s accented with red cords and tassels.
Length: 104cm
Material: Carbon steel
Roronoa Zoro’s Sandai Kitetsu
The Sandai Kitetsu is another Grade sword whose name, “san”, marks it as the third of the Kitetsu swords. It was made by Tenguyama Hitetsu, a sword craftsman descended from the swordsmith that created Luffy’s Nidai Kitetsu.
It’s not quite as powerful as the Nidai Kitetsu, but the sword is still strong enough to be worthy of Roronoa Zoro who got a hold of it after convincing its former owner that he’s too lucky for its cursed blade to take effect on him.
You won’t need any luck to buy this beautiful replica of Roronoa Zoro’s Sandai Kitetsu. The sword shares the Nidai Kitetsu’s classic katana handguard. Its blood red scabbard and handle are accented with engraved, gold-toned hardware that makes this Japanese sword look more luxurious than many other swords on this list. The sword is a bit shorter and has a more subtle curve but is otherwise true to the anime version.
Length: 103cm
Material: Steel
Roronoa Zoro’s Yubashiri
How many swords does a guy need? More than two, apparently, which is why Yubashiri belongs, once again, to Roronoa Zoro who got the sword for free. This katana isn’t one of the 21 Great Grade swords, though. Instead, it’s part of the 50 Skillful Grade swords. Its fine craftsmanship gives it a marked lightness that makes it easy for Zoro to make fast cuts on his enemies.
The sword’s replica translates this in real life by having a thinner looking blade and a more streamlined silhouette. It’s a lot more down-to-earth design-wise thanks to its all-black handle and scabbard as well as its bronze-colored metal details. This is a great sword for One Piece fans who want a piece of show merchandise without making it obvious that the sword is merch.
Length: 103cm
Material: Metal
Roronoa Zoro’s Wado Ichimonji
Zoro’s Wado Ichimonji may be valuable to others because of its status as one of the 21 Great Grade swords, but to him, it’s the sword of his childhood friend, Kuina. The Wado Ichimonji is noted for its remarkable strength that gives it the ability to withstand even the strongest blows from other legendary swords.
Though its replica isn’t anywhere near as strong, you can still count on getting a quality steel blade complete with a forge pattern that convincingly mimics the dual tone of traditional Japanese katanas. The sword has a pure white scabbard and handle which would be visually impressive on its own if not for the bronze-colored hardware.
Length: 103cm
Material: Steel
Roronoa Zoro’s Shusui
The Shusui sword stands out among the 21 Great Grade swords because of its one-of-a-kind black blade and the fact that it’s one of Wano Country’s national treasures. It’s said to have the power to boost its owners martial abilities thus giving them the ability to vanquish any foe. Because of this, Zoro used to think he needed Shusui to win against the Beast Pirates. While the replica version of this sword isn’t designed to take on legions of pirates, what it can do is look great on your wall as decor or on your hip as a Straw Hat pirate cosplay accessory.
The all black blade sword has several tiny details that bring out its beauty, namely the red pattern on the blade and the seals along its scabbard. Unlike other replicas, which simplify the tsuba to lower production costs, this replica’s handguard keeps the floral design of the anime sword complete with a subtle engraving in the portion where it attaches to the blade.
Length: 103cm
Material: Metal
Trafalgar Law’s Kikoku
Kikoku may not be a ranked blade like the others on this list, but it’s more than capable of holding its own against swords that are. The sword lacks the innate powers of other characters’ katanas, but Trafalgar Law’s masterful use of it makes the Kikoku able to make clean, precise cuts and exploit enemy weak points.
This sword replica is one of the few faithful copies of Kikoku. Where other replica swords opt for a white or black handle wrap and a solid handguard, this replica sticks to the anime’s light purple handle and faux fur handguard. Its scabbard is decorated with white crosses and a great quality red cord makes the sword look more dynamic when worn.
Length: 103cm
Material: Steel
Dracule Mihawk’s Yoru
In a sea of katanas, Dracule Mihawk’s Yoru stands out in One Piece as one of the only cutlasses or, at the very least, cutlass-inspired sword we see in the series. The blade has a Western influence but has an exaggerated blade and handguard size that’s characteristic of the anime’s art style. Despite it’s Westernized appearance making it look nothing like its katana style peers, this blade is actually one of the 12 Saijo O Wazamono grade swords.
The replica of Yoru doesn’t shy away from copying the original’s exaggerated look. Its crossguard is a literal medieval cross complete with blue gemstones and engravings to give it a highly ornate appearance. While the blade lacks the sheen of a true sword, it ends in a thick curve, as opposed to the katana’s thin curved end, that copies real cutlasses.
Conclusion
For an anime that’s about pirates, One Piece has a ton of gorgeous swords to choose from. Some of them have more fantastical designs than others, but a handful have subdued designs that pretty much pass for historical replicas. Fans looking to buy a One Piece sword replica that isn’t over the top will have no problem picking one out from this list of top grade replica swords.
20-something freelance writer who likes games and history maybe a little too much. When I'm not writing for the web, I write notes for a new Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Hyperfixations include Genshin Impact, color eyeliner, true crime, and Star Wars.
Juliana has been writing for nearly thirty years and concentrates on Tudor and Medieval history. She has written for Tudor Dynasty, Tudor Writing Circle, Historian Matt Lewis, and others. Juliana currently writes for Pen and Sword Publishers and is the author of several books, including Medicine in the Middle Ages and A History of Insanity and the Asylum.
