best swordsmen in anime — 15 Strongest Swordsmen in Anime Ranked

In the world of anime, there are countless swordsmen. There are traditional swordsmen with basically human capabilities (albeit boosted by anime-reality specific abilities like being faster than bullets), as well as sword fighters with supernatural gifts. In this list, you will find the 10 strongest swordsmen in anime ranked according to a) swordsmanship capabilities and b) extra abilities ranked by degree of effectiveness in battle.

15. Vicious – Cowboy Bebop

Vicious is so skilled with his sword that he’s able to go head to head with his nemesis, Spike Spiegel, with only a Japanese katana versus Spike’s arsenal of guns, grenades and karate. Not only is Vicious a skilled swordsmen, he’s also a master strategist, capable of bringing down an entire ruling crime syndicate while chained up in prison.

If you see Vicious coming for you, you’d better watch out.

14. Zabuza – Naruto

Up until now, all of the swordsmen on this list have been what you might call “regular people” with human-based levels of swordsmenship skill. This means that although some of them possess superhuman speed (Levi) and superhuman strength and resistance (Guts/Mugan), it’s all just basically enhanced human skills. From here on out, however, these swordsmen have additional abilities that are more supernatural.

Zabuza is one such character. Not only is he a tremendous swordsmen who wields one of the seven legendary swords of the Village Hidden in the Mist, he also has powerful jutsu like hidden mist, and water vortex, that would probably give him an edge over any more traditional swordsmen.

Zabuza is so powerful that he’s even able to give Kakashi a run for his money. And although we don’t realize it at the time, Kakashi is one of the most powerful shinobi of not only his age, but of all time.

13. Captain Levi Ackerman – Attack on Titan

Despite residing in a world of titan transforming super humans, Levi still stands out as the toughest soldier humanity has to offer. He has fought his way out of countless, hopeless situations thanks to his overwhelming skill, tenacity, strategic ability and levelheadedness.

However, Levi’s fighting style is somewhat unorthodox based on necessity – in his world, swordsmen fly around on ODM gear that basically works like a grappling hook. Being such, he relies on acrobatic movements to take on his biggest foes. It’s hard to determine how he would match up against the other, ground based, more traditional swordsmen on this list.

12. Askeladd – Vinland Saga

Vinland Saga is one of the hottest anime around right now. With season 2 out, there’s plenty buzz around who the strongest characters in the show are. However, there is one swordsman that stands out. Askeladd may not be the brawniest character in Vinland Saga, but what we lacks in raw strength he more than makes up for in swordsmanship skill and sheer intelligence. He is, without a doubt, the single greatest strategist in all of Vinland Saga, able to overcome more powerful opponents thanks to this skill when necessary.

11. Sakata Gintoki

Sakata Gintoki is the main protagonist of the anime and manga series Gintama. He is a former samurai who now works as a freelancer in an alternate Edo period where aliens have invaded and taken over. Gintoki is a skilled swordsman and a kind-hearted person who is always willing to help those in need. He is also a bit lazy and loves to eat, but he is also incredibly loyal to his friends and will do anything to protect them.

What lands him a spot on this list, however, is his incredibly swordsmanship abilities. Most notably, he is able to use a variety of weapons, including his trademark wooden sword. He is also able to use his sword to perform a variety of techniques, such as the "Kyoketsu Issen", which allows him to cut through his opponent's body in a single strike.

10. Mugen – Samurai Champloo

Mugen is the rebelious hero of Samurai Champloo. And while he may get the girl in the end (did you miss that?), he simply isn’t in the same class as swordsman as Jin. Despite his wild style, and abiliyt to improvise, in a drawn out battle, it is likely that he would eventually fall to the discipline of Jin.

Still, Mugen is incredibly strong, ferocious, and can take an incredible beating without being killed, which lands him such a high spot on this list.

9. Jin – Samurai Champloo

Although vastly different in regards to fighting styles, Jin and Mugen are very similar in combat ability. Jin is a traditional sword fighter – as traditional as you can get, raised in dojos and trained in swordsmanship in as far as it can be applied to open spaces that mimic dojo-like situations. Variation is his enemy, and he is unable to adapt to some physical fighting locations that limit his movement or require improvisation. Mugan is basically the opposite. Throw him in the midst of a dojo duel and he’ll still come up with some tricks in order to get ahead.

In a protracted battle, however, Jin has the advantage due to his higher level of skill and discipline (not to mention his secret hidden move that pretty much guarantees him victory no matter the situation).

8. Luo-Lang –Sword of the Stranger

Sword of the Stranger is a great movie with impeccable fighting scenes. It also has some of the most skilled swordsmen in all of anime. Luo-Lang is a foreigner who has traveled the world looking for a skilled opponent. He finds that in Nanashi, the Rounin who travels the land alone after experiencing (and committing) atrocities during the war.

Ultimately, Nanashi finds something more than himself to fight for, which leads him to face off one on one against Luo-Lang. The victor of this fight wins by just a hair (or a stone).

Nanashi and Luo-Lang are actually a lot like Jin and Mugan respectively. However, these two outclass the hip hop samurai by just a hair.

Despite his incredible strength and unmatched love for battle, Luo-Lang’s wild style is no match for the disciplined appraoch Nanashi takes.

7. Nanashi – Sword of the Stranger

Nanashi is something of a mystery to us, and by the end of the movie, we don’t really know everything that there is to know about him. We know that he is a foriegner, although from where he hails we don’t know. it could be that, due to his hair being red naturally, he is from a similar part of the world as Luo-Lang, drawing further parallels between them.

Nanashi, however, is not a wild, roving battler. He is a disciplined former Samurai, now without a lord. But his resiliance in battle makes him incredibly dangerous, and desptie all odds he has an indominable will to overcome his enemies.

6. Guts – Beserk

There are very different kinds of swordsmen in the world of anime. There are nimble, skilled fighters like Captain Levi. And there are highly skilled, well rounded masters like Nanashi and Luao-Lang. And then there are beasts like Guts.

Guts is an armored tank who is likewise skilled with his sword. His incredible strength and endurance are basically superhuman. And unlike other tanky characters who wield large swords, Guts is able to use his weapon with incredible speed, making him the classic double threat.

5. Kisuke Urahara – Bleach

Urahara is one of those characters in anime that you love because of his goofy demeanor, but fear thanks to his seemingly darker side. As we find out late, late into the story, Urahara has top notch abilities. And, for those who are not familiar with Bleach, Soul Reapers like Urahara gain their powers literally from the supernatural realm.

One really unique thing about Urahara that we learn about relatively early on is that his Zanpakto (soul reaper sword) is as powerful if not more powerful than most other character’s Bankai (a technique that unleashes the true power of the swordsmen). His Bankai, however, is incredibly formidable.

4. Rurouni Kenshin

Now, let’s talk about Rurouni Kenshin. For many, Kenshin is the definitive swordsmen in anime, and really sets the standard for what an anime sword fighter should be. In his past life as an assassin, Kenshin killed countless individuals in his quest to fulfill his duty. After a tragic experience, he changed his ways adopting the far less effective reverse edge sword. Of course, even with the reverse blade, he is still more formidable than anyone he comes into contact with.

Additionally, he is the master of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū style as well as the Battōjutsu – the lethal ability to one shot kill his opponents.

Kenshin possesses a range of abilities, and has a tragic past, best seen not through his show but actually through the incredible “Samurai X” features.

3. Ichigo Kurasaki – Bleach

Before the Thousand Year Blood War Arc premiered in 2022, no one really knew just how strong Ichigo Kurasaki was. Now, we get to see him finally reach his full peak. And it is no doubt awe inspiring.

Massively overpowered and able to scale indefinitely, Ichigo is the Goku of the swordsmanship realm. He is easily one of the strongest swordsmen in Anime, and for an entire generation of Anime lovers, the first person you think of when sword anime gets brought up.

As we find out from the show, part of the reason for why he is so strong is that Ichigo harnesses the joint powers of a Quincy, a Soul Reaper, and a Hallow, giving him unparalleled power within his world.

2. Hiko Seijūrō XIII

Hiko Seijūrō XIII is the master of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, a legendary sword style that is said to be capable of killing a thousand men. Although Kenshin is usually the one who gets the most notice from the anime series, he is in fact only the second strongest swordsman in that world.

In addition to his physical and technical abilities, Hiko is also a wise and insightful man. He has a deep understanding of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, and he is able to teach Kenshin how to use it to its full potential. He is also a compassionate man, and he wants to use his skills to protect the innocent.

1. Mihawk is the World’s Strongest Swordsman – One Piece

Dracule Mihawk, also known as "Hawk-Eye", is the current holder of the title of "World's Strongest Swordsman". He is a former Shichibukai and is considered to be one of the strongest characters in the One Piece world.

Mihawk's abilities are truly superhuman, and he is a master of all aspects of swordsmanship. He has incredible strength, speed, and agility, and he is able to wield his sword, Yoru, with incredible precision and power.

If anyone else were to ever take this title from him – either in One Piece or any other Anime – they would be true force to be reckoned with.

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