Highlights

  • A man in England has been sentenced to four months in prison for carrying a 6-inch Master Sword replica in public.
  • Despite the man's assertion that the item was nothing more than a fidget toy, Warwickshire police hold a zero-tolerance policy regarding possession of bladed articles in public.

A man in Warwickshire, England, has been sentenced to four months in prison for carrying a miniature replica of The Master Sword from The Legend of Zelda franchise in a public space. While the blade on the sword made famous by The Legend of Zelda was a mere six inches in length, Warwickshire police held it to the same standards as other weapons.

The Master Sword's past stretches back to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which was released on the SNES in 1991 in Japan and other regions in 1992. It has since become an iconic piece of fictional weaponry, and many unique replicas can be found easily on the market.

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According to Warwickshire Police, on June 8, 48-year-old Anthony Bray was caught on a closed-circuit television camera in Nuneaton in Warwickshire walking down Queens Road while holding an object. Bray reportedly approached officers, who found the object to be a miniature version of The Master Sword that releases from its sheath with the click of a button. Bray protested that the object was nothing more than a fidget toy intended to keep his hands busy and that he had no intention of using it as a weapon, but he was ultimately sentenced on June 28 to a prison term of four months and a victims' surcharge of £154 (approximately $197). Warwickshire police hold a zero-tolerance policy regarding possession of bladed articles in public. "It is possible to find fidget toys that aren’t six-inch blades. It is possible not to walk down the street holding them out in front of you," said the Patrol Investigations Unit's Sgt. Spellman.

The Master Sword Has Broken Up A Real-Life Fight

Master Sword and Triforce in front of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom key art
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Link Holds The Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past
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Link after pulling the Master Sword

This isn't the first time that a replica of The Master Sword has been involved in a criminal incident. In 2018, then-22-year-old Jeremy Tazruk of Anchorage, Alaska, tried to ward off an alleged attack made by a member of his household by hitting him with both the sheath and blade of a Master Sword replica. The alleged attacker, who had reportedly already attacked two other household members before turning on Tazruk, was treated at a hospital for a stab wound to the ribs, though it's unclear whether the injury was caused by The Master Sword or a kitchen knife. Tazruk was charged with fourth-degree assault and reckless endangerment.

It also isn't the first time in recent memory that possession of Nintendo-related paraphernalia has resulted in someone's high-profile arrest. In May, an alleged Yakuza member was arrested for the theft of 25 Pokemon cards worth about $1,600 from a home, along with four other items.