Highlights
- Swordswomen in anime are powerful and skilled fighters who can topple kingdoms and defeat formidable opponents with their swordsmanship.
- Characters like Yuuki Asuna, Akame, Erza Scarlet, and Shinobu Kocho are some of the best swordswomen portrayed in anime, known for their exceptional skills and abilities.
- These swordswomen possess unique attributes and techniques that make them formidable in battle, from lightning-fast attacks to poison-infused blades and mastery over various types of weaponry.
Whether it be through a traditional katana or not, swordmasters in anime are one of the most exciting and entertaining reasons why various individuals love anime so much. While swordswomen are not as common in anime as swordsmen, once fans see one, they have hopes for how powerful they could be.
There are several anime series that show swordswomen who are way stronger than swordsmen. As swordmasters in their own right, Swordswomen are never to be underestimated, as they are capable of toppling kingdoms when needed. Whether it be Mikasa Ackerman or Oliver Armstrong, the various swordswomen depicted in anime are a sight to behold.
10 Yuuki Asuna – Sword Art Online
The main heroine of the Sword Art Online series, Yuuki Asuna, is famed for being a master swordswoman. After getting trapped in the Sword Art Online MMORPG, she was forced to fight for her life and developed a lightning flash type of swordplay.
Asuna primarily uses a rapier, and her skills and speed with the rapier earned her the nickname, The Flash. Since she does not have the build necessary to overwhelm her opponents with pure strength, she does so with lightning-flash attacks and pure skill. As a swordswoman, Asuna possesses an indomitable will and a kind heart that helps others in need.
9 Akame – Akame Ga Kill!
Known for her masterful sword skills and reserved personality, Akame, the anti-heroine of the Akame ga Kill! anime series serves as one of the best swordswomen portrayed in anime. The Empire trained Akame to be an assassin. However, she eventually revolted against the Empire by joining Night Raid, a band of revolutionaries that came together to overthrow the corrupt government.
Wielding the demon sword Murasame, Akame strikes down many of her adversaries with minimal effort. Possessing physical attributes that would put many to shame, Akame defeated Esdeath, one of the anime’s most dreadful female characters.
8 Shinobu Kocho – Demon Slayer
With its engaging ensemble of demon slayers, Hashira, and demons, the anime series Demon Slayer has recently gained a lot of viewers. Shinobu Kocho, one of the elite Hashira from the Demon Slayer anime series, has the highest level of skill with the sword.
Shinobu's usage of poison makes up for the fact that her nichirin blade lacks the pure strength required to decapitate a demon. Shinobu has earned her spot among the Hashira thanks to her ability to dispatch demons far larger than herself using only her insect breathing technique, agility, and reflexes.
7 Erza Scarlet – Fairy Tail
The S-class mage of the Fairy Tail Guild, Erza Scarlet, is a young and powerful swordswoman. Erza is known for her strict personality in tandem with her sense of justice and pride.
As a magic knight, Erza is known for her requip ability, ‘The Knight.’ As seen in the Fairy Tail series, this ability allows her to use her master swordsmanship to its fullest effect. As a swordswoman, Erza is capable of wielding longswords, short swords, axes, lances, and many others. From the air pressure of her sword swing alone, Erza is capable of slicing through metal, and this puts her above many others.
6 Ais Wallenstein – Is It Wrong to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon?
The anime series Is It Wrong to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon? has included many interesting characters. Among the series' adventurers, Ais Wallenstein stands out as one of the best. Ais, although a powerful first-class adventurer and executive of the Loki Familia, is shy and modest.
The swordswoman depends heavily on a violent and aggressive style, which proves highly effective when facing off against monsters. Even against monsters considerably larger than her, she is able to achieve this due to her raw physical strength. Ais is an excellent swordswoman and an asset to Oratorio.
5 Oliver Armstrong – Fullmetal Alchemist
The primary heir to the Armstrong family, Oliver Armstrong remains one of the best sword masters in the Fullmetal Alchemist anime series. She is a fearsome woman with a fearsome presence and is known by many as the Ice Queen. With her thin heirloom sword, Oliver is cold to her enemies and does not tolerate weakness.
While the swordswoman may look feeble, she is able to overpower bigger and more muscular characters like her brother, Alex Louis Armstrong. She is very proficient in using her sword and is strong enough to hold her own against Sloth. With the agility, speed, and combat skill she possesses, few can match the Ice Queen of the Fullmetal Alchemist series.
4 Clare – Claymore
The main protagonist of the Claymore anime series, Clare is a female claymore, a female hybrid warrior of the Organization, an unnamed group that experiments on humans to create Claymores to battle against Yoma – humanoid shape-shifters that feed on humans. Most Claymores are half human and half hybrid. However, Clare is one-quarter Yoma.
This is due to an experiment that was meant to make her a stronger Clayomore, but she turned out weaker than the others instead. However, through her willpower, Claire mastered various sword techniques and became a master swordswoman. From Quicksowrd to Windcutter, the sword techniques she has in her arsenal are not to be underestimated.
3 Mikasa Ackerman – Attack On Titan
The highly skilled Mikasa Ackerman serves as one of the deuteragonists in the Attack on Titan anime and manga series. After the fall of Wall Maria, Mikasa was enlisted into the Military Corps, where she was seen as a gifted combatant. Later on, Mikasa joined the survey corps, where her genius combat sense was put to use.
Rather than the traditional sword that most sword masters use, Attack On Titan has their soldiers use vertical maneuvering equipment that allows them to move through the air as they strike the nape of the titans with blades.
2 Rukia Kuchiki – Bleach
The Bleach anime and manga series starts when Rukia Kuchiki comes in contact with Kurosaki Ichigo. As Rukia grew, she developed her swordsmanship and overall abilities.
Spending most of her life with the blade, Rukia stands as one of Bleach’s most iconic swordswomen. At first, Rukia only knew the rudimentary skills of handling her Zanpakuto (sword). However, after much training with Kaien Shiba, Rukia’s skill with a blade drastically improved. Rukia’s Zanpakuto, Sode no Shirayuki, is a normal katana in its sealed form. However, when unsealed, Rukia’s katana becomes white and much stronger.
1 Saber – Fate Zero
Artoria Pendragon, known more popularly by her epithet, Saber, is a legendary King of Knights and master of the sword. Before becoming a servant for the holy grail war, Artoria served as the King of Britain who conquered battlefields in the age of legends. During the Fourth Holy Grail War, Artoria served as the Saber class servant of Emiya Kiritsugu.
As Saber class servants are known for being Heroic spirits of the Sword, Artoria’s prowess with a sword is not to be underestimated. In life, Artoria commanded the greatest knights of all — the knights of the round table. And even then, she remains at the top in terms of sword skill.