Akame Ga Kill’s One-Cut Killer: The Murasame Sword

Japanese anime frequently feature variants of the Japanese katana as a way of sharing traditional culture and one of the many swords we’ve been given over the years is the Murasame sword.

The Murasame sword is a Japanese sword featured in Akame Ga Kill!, an anime and manga series about a young man venturing to the city in order to help support his family. While you’d think a sword as powerful as Murasame would belong to the protagonist, it is actually the blade of Akame, an assassin and member of the Night’s Raid.

What Is the Murasame Sword? A Guide to Murasame’s History

Murasame is a katana style sword that is counted among the Teigu or Imperial Arms. Weapons recognized as Teigu are legendary relics that give their users unparalleled power with the caveat that they require a powerful user that can handle the strain of wielding them. 

Each of the Teigu have their drawbacks and Murasame’s is a curse that leaves black markings on the body of its victim. Once the marks appear, the victim will begin to suffer from poisoning until their heart stops. Because the Murasame katana is incredibly sharp, this also means that it could easily poison its own owner while being polished. 

Murasame’s ominous curse has led characters and fans to speculate about what the blade material really is. However, these pieces of trivia are all that’s really known about Murasame’s history. 

• It came from Japan

Murasame’s origins are never fully explained, but The Complete Book of the World: Rongo Rongo, another Teigu in the show, says that it came from Jinwa, an island nation in an eastern region known as Wakoku. 

While the show keeps a fantasy setting, Wakoku is a direct reference to the name that Chinese writers gave to Japan back in ancient times. This explains its unstylized samurai sword design. 

• It once belonged to Akame’s mentor

It’s not uncommon for anime like One Piece and Naruto, a ninja shonen series, to have mentors pass their weapons onto their students as a way of saying that they’ve become masters of fighting. Similarly, Murasame was passed down to Akame by her mentor, Gozuki. 

Both Gozuki and Akame are assassins for the Empire with Gozuki being the leader of the Elite Seven, the group of fighters that Akame is also a member of. 

• The sword ties Akame Ga Kill! to Hinowa ga Yuku!

Since Murasame is hinted to come from Wakoku, it’s one of the many elements that tie the Akame Ga Kill! manga to its sequel, Hinowa ga Yuku! which is set in Wakoku. The series also features Akame alongside new characters such as the titular Hinowa. The manga currently has seven volumes but is not slated for an anime adaptation.

• Murasame doesn’t work on non-organic enemies

Murasame’s abilities, particularly its poison curse, all revolve around corrupting biological material. This makes it ineffective against enemies that aren’t organic or alive to begin with. The curse can also be circumvented by cutting off the poisoned body part before it spreads, something which Esdeath discovered during her fight with Akame. 

Unique Abilities of the Murasame Sword

All Teigu belonging to the Night Raid and Elite Seven have mystical powers that set them apart from regular weapons and objects. Murasame’s are some of the strongest and most menacing abilities because it allows its user to kill people with a single poison strike. 

Murasame Could Kill People With A Single Cut

Murasame doesn’t have to use its entire blade length in a stab or slash in order to be deadly. The katana sword is practically a solidified poison that can instantly kill enemies with even the smallest cut. This makes it extremely difficult to fight against Akame because it leaves no room for an opponent to make mistakes while parrying and dodging blows. 

Murasame Could Power Up It’s Wielder With Little War Horn

If instant poison isn’t enough to make you add Murasame to your anime replica swords’ wish list, its Trump Card might do the trick. Trump Cards are special abilities that a Teigu can grant to its user to make them even more powerful. 

Murasame’s Little War Horn Trump Card subverts its poison curse’s ability to weaken enemies into a Venom-style power up that gives its users black markings on their skin and black eyes. But since the curse remains a poison, it causes permanent damage to the user’s body.

The Murasame Teigu Has Real Life Parallels

Murasame’s name translates to “autumn rain” and sounds similar to the Muramasa swords that were widely feared in feudal Japan. Muramasa swords were high quality blades crafted by Muramasa Sengo, a swordsmith whose madness supposedly transferred to his weapons. This made the swords abnormally sharp but also gave them an innate bloodlust that would then transfer to their user.

Legend has it that Tokugawa Ieyasu once picked up a spear during a battle because he was impressed upon seeing it pierce through an enemy soldier’s helmet. While holding the blade, he accidentally injured himself and joked that the spear was a Muramasa blade, but when he got a good look at the spear, he was horrified to find that it really was made by Muramasa.

The shogun subsequently ordered all Muramasa blades to be banned.

You Can Have the Murasame Sword in Real Life

This top of the line replica of the Murasame sword is a complete package that includes a leather scabbard with a yellow sageo cord tie. The sword uses matte black paint on half of its stainless steel blade to simulate the appearance of a hamon line. It has an all red tsuba and handle which bears a paper talisman inspired design.

• Material: Stainless steel
• Length: 105 cm

Conclusion

Akame Ga Kill’s Murasame sword has earned its spot among the most powerful swords in anime for its ability to kill with a single strike. The poisoned blade shares similarities with real legendary Japanese swords made by Muramasa. But with a finely made replica, you can have your own Murasame that’s curse-free and cosplay-ready.