Weapons – A Reflection of One’s Own Personality
In anime and games, we had seen countless badass characters wielding swords and blades like a professional. One may be using a sword, another may be using a staff, but what if one suddenly try to wield another new weapon he is untrained in? He would probably feels awkward in using it.
That is where personal preferences, styles and even one’s own personalities come into play. Not counting guns, have you ever thought that each separate weapon is like a reflection of one’s own self? Some weapons look like they are specifically crafted just for some particular user while some may find the same weapon a complete junk. I made a few analysis regarding a few weapons and please note that I made these deductions from fictional world like anime or games. I hope the day where I had to see a sword or a gun in real life won’t come…
Anyway, since all these are from my own deduction and observations, they may not be 100% true, feel free to debate :D
Swords
“With this one sword I can protect the people in this community, especially the one I care for.”
~Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin
Swords are mostly the more heroic weapons one can posses, and probably, not everyone can wield them. They are heroic weapons and obviously, only the hero of the heroes are qualify to use them. Sword users are usually leaders of their own groups, and are responsible for leading their groups to victory. They are also required to be calm and decisive at all times. For example, you can’t expect Yuno (Mirai Nikki) to wield swords calmly like a proper samurai, swinging around an axe wildly and randomly suits that girl more.
Swordsmen also have various morals they need to upheld. Each swordsmen or the dojo they are following, mostly have their own rules and morals which were passed down traditionally. Most swordsmen take these morals seriously and once they violated their own morals, they had to proceed with their sepukku. Interestingly enough, these rules seem like they are still ongoing now. I remember hearing about present world Yakuza having to cut his own pinky finger if they violated some of their rules, it’s not the same punishment as medieval sepukku but the system is somewhat close.
A popular archetype in anime and games dealing with swordsmen developed one controversial theory. Swords are not meant for killing, they are used for protecting. Himura Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin is the prime example where this statement is the epitome of his character itself. He uses his swords to protect all those he care, and instead of killing his opponents, he “knocked them out” using a reverse blade.
Fists
“You’re already dead.”
~Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star
If you’re going against opponents using swords and blades unarmed, you are either super confident you can win without weapons, or you must be incredibly stupid. In this case, Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star is definitely the former, the man can blast human beings from inside, bested weaponaries and even destroy tanks. He’s definitely a force to be reckon with, and just his presence alone equals to the strength of one whole army. Now that when I think about it, all the masters from Strongest Disciple Kenichi looks like Kenshiro wannabees.
Speaking of Strongest Disciple Kenichi, I do think the main character, Kenichi, maybe a bit foolish in facing his opponents without any weapons. He has a beautiful weapon master at his dojo and I’m sure he could easily learn a few tricks from her. He’s definitely not as strong or as badass as Kenshiro from the Fist of the North Star so this skill would definitely help him. Because he didn’t train in the art of weaponary, 300-400 chapters of the manga had passed and he is still scared of swords. Well, he can dodge/parry them at least.
Overall, fists practitioners can be quite hot-headed, sometimes, even going all out at the very beginning. They don’t have the patience to stall and wait, and would rather rush in.
Spears
“Like a whirlpool, shall the spirit of fire turn!…In the wake of my demise, may you still continue!”
~Sanada Yukimura from Sengoku Basara
The mindset of spear users (or any other polearm users) are pretty similar to sword users, aside from the fact that spear users may be a bit less strict on rules and morality. They would still upheld them, but probably not as strict as swordsmen do. But overall, their undying faith, loyalty and trust are what makes their spears the greatest weapons. Another trait for most spearmen is that they can be quite stubborn.
In a sense, spear-users are like guardmen, and their choice of long-length weapons may serve as a purpose of preventing enemies from engaging into close contact to their lord, thus, explains their loyalty. Kan’u Unchou (from Ikkitousen) is a great example. She is loyal to Ryuubi, and using her spear, she defeats any opponent that may come to harm her. While I’m on that subject, the yurism between them may be a bit subtle but kinda lovely.. hmm okay, I may had gone a bit off subject.
Scythes
“Watch it, or I’ll take your soul!”
~Maka Albarn from Soul Eater
Scythe, is a weapon less usable in real life, but more usable in anime/games. In fact, it looks very badass in the fiction world. This weapon is normally a sign of doomsday, it is the presence of extreme evil and mayhem, and is usually used by some bad guys, some death gods, some evil overlords… you get the drill.
On another note, I used scythes for cutting vegetables. Mom even had her seal of approval when she sees me cooking. Badass.. aren’t I?
Knives
“I can kill anything that’s alive, even if it happens to be God.”
~Ryougi Shiki from Kara no Kyoukai
Knives or daggers or other short weapons, are used by crafty and witty people. When wielding one, it takes skill to quickly dodge oncoming attacks, and the ability to predict the next attack and to counter at the perfect timing. A knife, also have a lot of other alternative ways to kill, for example, by infusing poison into the blade, one can slowly corrode and kill a person at the most unexpected moment. The fact that knives can be used both as short range or as throwing projectiles prove it’s flexibility as well, and is also why it is so useful for assassination. or perhaps I had been playing too many Assassin Creed. Because of it’s wide array of usage, one needs skill and wits, and is perhaps users of these weapons are so crafty and creative.
In my opinion, quite a few knives users are calculated and cunning too, and always think of the best way to complete a job splendidly, while using the least minimum effort. They are the ones who, unlike the honorable swordsmen who take on everything fairly and legally, knives practitioners use any ways they can think of to win, even if their victory might appear a bit dirty.
So what weapon are you? I’m “fist” mostly, always going all out despite not knowing if there are any consequences. I do all the things I need to do with speed, and sometimes, I may even value quantity over quality.
deluscar 
I never really though about the weapon choice being tied to the character’s personality\moral code, but after reading your post, I can see how that applies and I can understand it now. That’s really interesting. While I was reading about the swords, I thought of Excaliber and King Arthur. I also thought of the TV program “Legend of the Seeker” with the character Richard Cypher. Another one that came to mind was the book “Dune” by Frank Herbert. He writes about different methods the Guild of Assassins use. There are many more of course, but your post has, and will, make me think of WHY that choice of weapon in the future. Very good post!
Yes indeed, and Excaliber and King Arthur are definitely one of the few entities we thought when we think about swords :D Sword is definitely quite a heroic and historic weapon.
I doubt I’d be willing to do anything to win, so I dunno about being knife. Still, the adaptability of the knife seems to fit me as well. It’s a tough one…
I think it’s interesting that you point out how spears seem to embody loyalty, whereas swords are more for leadership. I never thought about it that way.
Question: How do bows factor into all of this? I almost wonder if that suits me.
I guess you’re pretty adaptable then.. “half-knife” I guess?
As for bows, I didn’t thought about it as of yet, but to use a bow, one must stand far away and shoot an arrow. And he definitely has to very calm since panicky can cause the shot arrow to go haywire. Also, since bows aren’t used for short range, they are for supporting melee fighters from afar. So I would think bowmen are ones who are calm and can support whoever efficiently. Sort of like cleric, calm and supportive, but without the magic.
What a fun post :)
I’m going to have to argue with you, however, on your thoughts about sword versus spear users. I view swords as made for killing as opposed to protecting because of how they are made. Visually, the blade takes up the majority of the weapon, with only a small amount of hilt for the user’s grip. It takes a lot of effort on the holder’s part to avoid cutting someone, even more so if the sword is double-edged.
A spear, on the other hand, is mostly pole, with only a very small section devoted to the blade. You state that, “…spear users may be a bit less strict on rules and morality,” but I disagree. I view them as even more moral–having chosen to wield the spear in the first place, they knowingly set themselves in a more defensive position. A good example of this is Balsa from the anime Seirei no Moribito. She devotes her entire life to protecting the lives of others; her spear that has forced her to hone her craft sets her above many of the sword wielders she comes across who don’t have a clue how to use their weapons. She has the ultimate defense.
Hmm while I do agree that the “protecting” theory behind the swords can be quite skeptical. But as for spear, I think what you said is just somewhat like my post, lol. Balsa from the anime, devotes her entire life to protect others: this can be seen as an another form of loyalty. Loyalty isn’t just directed at a single person, it can be directed at a whole group or a whole village as well. Balsa is “loyal” to others, and thus she protects them. And about the morals, I didn’t mean the fact that they can protect, and that count as a moral. I mean that “morals” as in a set of rules. If you had played the game Assassin’s Creed, the assassins in the game had a set of rules and principles they had to follow when assassinating people, it is literally their morals. Fyi, the rules for the assassins are:
1. Never kill an innocent person
2. Always be discreet
3. Never compromise the brotherhood.
And that’s what I’m trying to entail :)
There’s actually some debate in Kenichi between weapon users and non-weapon users, so there’s likely a bit more too it than what’s better on the surface.
I would have expected myself to be a spear user, but maybe swords are better after all. I do consider myself the lawful type.
Yea, I realized the recent arc (I mean the latest arcs where I had temporarily stopped) had dealt more heavily with weapons stuffs. The weapons antagonists don’t look pretty badass though.. except for that yami swordsman.
Ooh swords for you then :D Being lawful is good too~
I am the knife user, whatever it takes to win… cheating? you won’t care about the small details after I bury you.
Guns aside, of course.
“Always cheat, always win. The only unfair fight is the fight you lose.”
I had a friend that always said that in high school ^^
Lol, that’s one way for victory.. :p
Mhh I guess following your explanation I’m also fist, caught by the heat of the moment. In terms of guns I would be a shotgun, bad aiming, much damage *lol*
Mami’s butt can also be considered as a weapon XD
The spear is the most elegant weapon in my opinion, it needs a lot of skill to wield it and it can be used as lethal as well as a non lethal weapon.
A Scythe looks always impressive, but for fights it’s not really a good choice I guess.
Knives are often used by persons with a twisted personality and psycho killers, the closer body contact in knife fights underlines the brutality of the weapon and it’s wielder.
Fist eh, I guess we are very passionate people :D As for guns, I tried not to relate them into these, since I want it to be more “blades focused”. If for guns, I don’t think I can think of any that suits me, except for maybe.. dual pistols? Hmmm.. maybe.
Oh that’s an unique way of thinking. While I do think polearms are elegant in general, I think the most elegant and unique of them all is the three-section staff :D It can be used as a staff, or a tri nun-chuks, how awesome can it get?
Well, if is within the fictional world, then sure, scythe’s can own people. But in real life, I think the best it can do is cutting yourself, lol.
Oh, so you’re saying Dai is a psycho and is twisted :D
A three-section staff is very cool, but seems to be impossible for beginners, the wielder needs a lot of training before he can take on real opponents with this.
The risk of clamping your fingers or one section hits your face is quite high :D
I don’t know a character called Dai, unfortunately :(
How unfortunate.
@wiselhead Well it is definitely hard to use, I think the most simplest weapon to use so far is the plain old sword :D
@dai *snort*
ehehe, oh don’t take it personally ^^^
I haven’t noticed Kai was talking about you.
*damn* I thought that was the name an anime character XD
There’s nothing to take personally o.o
Hmmm interesting post :)
I’d say I would be a fist. Though, maybe not for the same reason/definition for fist users you gave. I would have thought that fist users would be people who wear their hearts on their sleeves, always willing to join the fight even if it means they get head. Headstrong and rash probably they charge in but its with good intentions, even if the outcome isn’t always positive. Just my two cents on it!
I think that’s basically what I said :D They are rash and reckless, whether or not they are strong or not, they rush in.
As much as I’d like to go for knives, I don’t think I’d do “anything” to win (sorry Shiki >.<) so I guess I'm more spear-inclined.
Because of video games I had the role of spears and swords the other way around – I always saw spear wielders as pretty heroic or at the least leader-oriented, since in most cases the wielders are also mounting a horse (well, you can also use a spear on the ground though) while the swordsmen were either heroic front line men or righteous warriors.
As for guns, we could use what Hawkeye said in one episode of FMA, like how it doesn't leave the feeling of having killed a person, so it's for those guys who don't want to get their hands dirty, but wants to off someone ^^
You must be the loyal-type then, to my understanding and deduction that is.
Well, sword-wielders mount on horses too, but I guess sometimes their roles can be reversed too, though I still do see sword wielders are more heroic then spear users do.
Hmmm, that only applies to all guns in general, if we break it down further, what about pistols, shotguns, machine-guns or rifles?
I think you’re spot on for swords, fists, and knives. I can’t say much about spears or scythes since I don’t recall many characters that use them. If I were to pick one, I think I would be more suited for knives.
You must be flexible then ;D
Hammer Time Babeh! I’m all about hammers, mallets, sledgehammers, those big cartoon hammers.
Destructive :D
Nuclear warhead. Solves every single problem you might have in life :D
You mad? D:
Lol, nope. Just want to see someone take down a nuke successfully :D
However, in all seriousness, I would probably be more partial to a knife or lance rather sword. Swords are cool and all, but with a knife it makes it easier to to move in on a opponent with carrying a huge object or perfect for stealth (something I fail at miserably in doing in Assassins Creed, lol) On the other hand Lances are great, since they allow for greater reach and to stay a considerable distance from the enemy.
Would been interested to see what you had to say about rifles/guns :D
Hmmm okay, you mad indeed >_>
Stealth indeed, that’s why knives users are pretty crafty. Ooh I didn’t know you play Assassin’s Creed. I assume you played Revelations by now? ;p I finished it weeks ago, I’m looking forward to Assassin’s Creed III, sad that it’s not taken place at an Asian country (like Japan) but it’s still great. Lances aren’t good for stealth though @.@
I have a general idea, but I’m withholding it for now since I still can’t get quite a clear picture out of all the guns I had chosen :p
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I would love to see a continuation of the list maybe an explanation of the AXE and The Bow please
I probably won’t do another one. Looking back to this post, it’s kinda awkward, lol. But if you want-The Bow is close to the “sniper personality” I described here-https://deluscar.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/weapons-a-reflection-of-ones-own-personality-2/
Not too sure about axe though.
Some of the things you said about knives can be said about the other weapons as well. You can coat any weapon in this list in poison (exept the fists for obvious reasons) Spears are quite useful as throwing weapons as well, swords less so but still feasible. (Scythes and Fists again due to obvious reasons are quite hard to throw)
However the rest seems about right. The only thing I would like to add is that the knife is the only weapon in this list that can be hidden in a sleeve or something of similar length making your point about stealth and cheating even more correct.
As you could probably guees I would be a knife user. If only due to strength limitations making me unable to wield any of the other weapons properly and making my punches rather weak.
I think the biggest trait of unarmed users is there unwillingness to kill. There is a saying that goes “when a warrior draws his weapon, he must be ready to take a life”. According to this, an unarmed user is willing to fight, but not kill. Superheroes for example mostly fight unarmed since they want to take even their worst enemies alive. I believe that someone who fights unarmed prefers to solve their problems with as little violence as possible, but when it is needed is willing to literally get their hands dirty and get their enemy out alive.