Master Swordspeople Wanted

A bracket to determine the best, coolest, and/or simply the most swashbuckling fictional swordsman, -woman, or -person.

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

ROUND 1 MATCH LIST

NOTE: This bracket has been SEEDED. This means that characters with more submissions initially go up against those with less submissions. However, some characters with only one submission are characters I know to be very popular, perhaps because of the "everyone must have submitted them already" effect... let's see how this goes.

Round 1 polls will last a week so people in various fandoms have time to realise their favourite characters are in the poll. Length of time for other polls tbd.

OUR COMPETITORS

Gideon Nav vs Peko Pekoyama.

The Three Musketeers (Athos, Porthos and Aramis, I'm not separating them) vs Darth Vader.

Sasha Waybright vs Mulan

Rose Quartz vs D'Artagnan

Percy Jackson vs King Arthur

Clare vs Anomander Rake

Dave Strider vs Finn Mertens

Pearl vs Zorro

Roronoa Zoro vs Vasher

Camilla Hect vs Weiss Schnee

Crona vs Qui-Gon Jinn

Connie Maheswaran vs Obi-Wan Kenobi

Aragorn vs Michonne

Geralt of Rivia vs Zagreus

Utena vs Yu Jiaolong

Westley vs Duncan MacLeod

Leonardo Hamato vs Deadpool

Luke Skywalker vs Cloud Strife

Meta Knight vs Dante

Ghirahim vs Blade

Sokka vs Alanna the Lioness

He-Man vs Count Dooku

Nico di Angelo vs Vergil

Adora vs Mace Windu

Inigo Montoya vs Tain Hu

Gomez Addams vs Li Mu Bai

Puss In Boots vs Sephiroth

Kai Smith vs the Wilkinson Sword couple

Adolin Kholin vs Xena

Erza Scarlett vs Madame Vastra

Elspeth Tirel vs Yu Shu Lien

Link vs Carrot Ironfoundersson

POLLS BEGIN SOON

[i-mustache-your-opinion]

ROUND 3 - MATCH J

Which character has the best facial hair?

Inigo Montoya (The Princess Bride)

Master Wu (Ninjago)

Voting ended onJun 20, 2023

[loveatfirstsightbracket]

Gomez Addams/Morticia Addams (The Addams Family) vs Hua Cheng/Xie Lian (Tian Guan Ci Fu/Heaven Official's Blessing)

Gomez/Morticia

Hua Cheng/Xie Lian

Voting ended onJun 19, 2023

Why you should vote for each of them below:

In the 60s show they literally get married on the same day as they first met: Gomez was going to be in an arranged marriage to Morticia's sister but him and Morticia fell in love instead and are almost immediately determined to either get married, or if they're not allowed to, that they would rather die and be together in the afterlife than marry anyone else. I also love how they bond over both being weird goths (Morticia is seen as weird by her family, while Gomez's family are as goth as he is but he's clearly had some bad experiences with outsiders as there are several moments where he seems worried about scaring her away…) Meanwhile in the 90s films they met at a funeral and Gomez proposed that very night. They love each other so much they are so devoted and so romantic. Also Gomez, either on the day of their marriage or before it, even carved Morticia's initials into his leg.

-- anon, on Gomez/Morticia

10 yo boy heard a dude say "if you have nothing to live for, live for me" and was like "sure I'll make that my Literal Religion for the next 800+ years" Xie lian had one (1) romantic stroll through the rain with hua cheng and was like well <3 maybe the Dread Ghost King Crimson Rain Sought Flower isn't so bad! How quickly they got together: well. They did have nearly 800 years of pining.

-- @finchflame, on Hualian

[detective-deathmatch]

Detective Deathmatch: Round One, Match Three

Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Conan Doyle books, etc) vs Angus McDonald (The Adventure Zone Balance)

Who is the greater detective?

Sherlock Holmes

Angus McDonald

Voting ended onJun 23, 2023

[eviltothecore13]

PLEASE vote Sherlock Holmes he CANNOT lose in round 1 of a detective poll

also he provides so many good and expressive gifs

LOOK AT HIM

Also he stands up for abused women and helps poor people for free and snarks at terrible rich people.

And three different actors I love played him: Jeremy Brett (my favourite version, in the above pictures, also a bi icon); Peter Cushing (below, also every story I have heard about this man is adorable and he loved his wife so much)...

And Basil Rathbone, whose Sherlock Holmes films I'm less keen on mostly because Watson is portrayed as so stupid, but still a great actor and (while it doesn't really come into his Holmes stuff, even though Holmes canonically *can* fence) the greatest fencer in the history of Hollywood.

[gothgirlshowdown]

Round One: Choose the best goth girl

Wednesday Addams (The Addams Family)

Emily Strange (Emily the Strange)

Voting ended onJun 18, 2023

Propaganda:

Wednesday: Loves horror, has visions and can see and speak to ghosts, listens to music such as The Cramps, wears all black, had The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe memorized as a baby, did a spell to resurrect the dead in Addams Family Values, is writing a murder mystery novel in the new Wednesday show, and is generally revered as an iconic goth character.

Emily: Made a spider cemetery when she was six, created a cybernetic construct made of reanimated bird parts, she is nocturnal, and has four cats.

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

Please vote Wednesday she's a sabre fencer (as well as being skilled in various martial arts) who does cool flips in her swordfight against the bad guy in the season 1 finale of her new show [which is not the only version of the character who knows how to fence--just the only version who's been shown in a serious fight against a real threat], and Emily the Strange was created as a corporate mascot to sell merch and was probably at least in part plagiarised from an older children's book.

[star-wars-forever]

Sir Christopher Lee

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

ROUND 1 MATCH 9: Roronoa Zoro vs Vasher

A character who uses three swords at once, named after the classic swashbuckler Zorro currently in Match 8... vs the wielder of the sentient sword Nightblood, forged from the lifeforce of 1000 people!

VS

Who will advance to the next round?

Roronoa Zoro (One Piece)

Vasher (Warbreaker)

Voting ended onMay 27, 2023

Summaries under the cut:

Roronoa Zoro is the master of fighting with three swords, and aims to become the greatest swordsman in the world (the current greatest being his mentor). As shown in his image he uses three swords at once by holding one in his mouth. Apparently at some point he grew 4 extra arms and 2 extra heads and used 9 swords? He is apparently known for his one-liners and feats of "how is he not dead yet".

"Vasher wields a sword which he forged out of the lifeforce of 1000 people, imbued with the command to Destroy Evil. The sword is named Nightblood and it really, really wants to destroy evil- but being a sentient sword and not a philosopher, it doesn't really understand what evil is. So it must rely on asking its wielder, "Would you like to destroy some evil today?" Nightblood is a black steel longsword that emits inky smoke. Anyone it strikes will be instantly vaporized, and its wielder will be drained of their own lifeforce if they wield it for too long. Nightblood is the single most powerful object in its entire universe, and even the gods themselves are afraid of it." [Note: not my wording, copied directly from submission.]

[somewhere-south-of-neutral]

Nightblood isn't why Vasher is a great swordsman. Vasher has Nightblood, but he is also a really skilled fighter with supernatural strength and resources who has been fighting with swords for over three hundred years on multiple planets and is considered one of the greatest swordmasters alive in a society that REALLY cares about that sort of thing. The nephew of the king (who is also the son of one of the most skilled fighters and generals in the kingdom) had to BEG him to train him.

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

Propaganda!

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

ROUND 1 MATCH 13: Aragorn vs Michonne

The Ranger, warrior, and bearer of the reforged Sword That Was Broken... vs the katana-wielding zombie apocalypse survivor!

VS

Who will advance to the next round?

Aragorn (The Lord Of The Rings)

Michonne (The Walking Dead)

Voting ended onMay 29, 2023

Summaries under the cut:

Aragorn is a ranger and extremely skilled swordsman who, as heir to Isildur, bears the sword once known as Narsil that was broken when Isildur cut the Ring from Sauron's hand. After the elves reforge the sword he renames it Andúril, and the scabbard is enchanted so that the blade drawn from it can never be broken or even stained. The sword glows red during the day and white at night and is compared to the sun and moon; it is a symbol of Aragorn's heritage as King of Gondor and he places great value on it, saying death will come to anyone but him who draws it from its scabbard. Aragorn is able to defeat many opponents in battle while remaining totally unscathed, and in at least one battle the enemy are described as running away from him in terror. His actor in the films, Viggo Mortensen, was trained by Olympic fencer Bob Anderson (a name that's already come up once in this bracket, and will come up more), who described him as the best fencer he'd ever trained, and he incorporated many aspects of accurate historical European swordsmanship into the performance.

Michonne is a survivor of the zombie apocalypse who fights off zombies with her katana. She is one of the toughest survivors and deadliest fighters on the show, surviving for a long time alone armed only with a katana (in a setting where other characters tend to use guns) despite being entirely self-taught, and there are several scenes where she decapitates multiple zombies single-handedly or slices off limbs in one stroke. Michonne is another character where the actor trained extensively with an expert for the role.

[i-mustache-your-opinion]

ROUND 1 - MATCH J2

Which character has the best facial hair?

Inigo Montoya (The Princess Bride)

Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie's Poirot)

Voting ended onMay 21, 2023

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

INIGO SWEEP!

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

ROUND 1 MATCH 12: Camilla Hect vs Weiss Schnee

The dual-wielding cavalier who has never lost a fight on page... vs the graceful rapier-user who can imbue her blade with elemental powers!

VS

Camilla Hect art by quinn ( @friendamedes ) drawn for this tournament! Thank you quinn!

Who will advance to the next round?

Camilla Hect (The Locked Tomb)

Weiss Schnee (RWBY)

Voting ended onMay 27, 2023

Summaries under the cut:

Camilla Hect is an expert in the traditional cavalier fighting style which is based on the use of a rapier and offhand dagger simultaneously. She has never lost a fight on page and was described by one submission as "Directly fought champion duelists and near immortals with a combination of skill, unerring focus, and a cool demeanor. Probably the most competent character in the series, including god."

Weiss Schnee uses a rapier that can be imbued with various different elemental powers. She has a smooth and graceful fighting style described by one submission as entrancing to watch, and also always uses a proper fencing stance.

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

ROUND 1 MATCH 11: Connie Maheswaran vs Obi-Wan Kenobi

The young hero who became a master with a sword while still a teenager... vs the legendary Jedi Master, one of the greatest lightsaber combatants of his time!

VS

Who will advance to the next round?

Connie Maheswaran (Steven Universe)

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars)

Voting ended onMay 27, 2023

Summaries under the cut:

Trained by Pearl who is also in this bracket, Connie is highly skilled with a sword. She is ambidextrous and able to use her sword in either hand, and displays impressive strength and quick reflexes. Initially, she uses the huge sabre that previously belonged to Rose Quartz (ALSO in this bracket!), before having her own sword made specifically for her. With this sword she can effortlessly cut a car in half.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is an extremely skilled Jedi Master who has faced several of the most dangerous people in the galaxy in lightsaber duels. He has trained extensively in multiple styles of lightsaber combat and is in particular a master of the defensive style Soresu, making him skilled at deflecting blaster bolts and reflecting them back at attackers. While he usually uses only one lightsaber he is also trained in dual-wielding. Overall he is one of the most skilled Jedi in the films when it comes to lightsaber combat.

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

ROUND 1 MATCH 10: Crona vs Qui-Gon Jinn

[Note, this was meant to be Camilla vs Weiss but there's something I need to sort out with that poll and I wanted to get others out in the meantime. Camilla vs Weiss should go up later today.]

The child of a witch, fused to a sentient magic sword... vs the Jedi Master whose actor incorporated real swordsmanship techniques into his fight scenes!

VS

Who will advance to the next round?

Crona (Soul Eater)

Qui-Gon Jinn (Star Wars)

Voting ended onMay 27, 2023

Summaries under the cut:

Crona is fused to a sentient magic sword that they can summon out of their own blood (and that also apparently has a human form). They can attack at a distance by manifesting a mouth on the sword that is used to send tangible sound waves at their opponents. They use the sword in combat as well as using their blood to create spikes and throwing knives.

Qui-Gon Jinn is a Jedi Master and skilled with a lightsaber. His actor, Liam Neeson, had extensive training in accurate historical swordsmanship from filming Rob Roy, and incorporated this into his fight scenes--apparently confusing the others on set when he'd do moves that hadn't been choreographed!

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

ROUND 1 MATCH 9: Roronoa Zoro vs Vasher

A character who uses three swords at once, named after the classic swashbuckler Zorro currently in Match 8... vs the wielder of the sentient sword Nightblood, forged from the lifeforce of 1000 people!

VS

Who will advance to the next round?

Roronoa Zoro (One Piece)

Vasher (Warbreaker)

Voting ended onMay 27, 2023

Summaries under the cut:

Roronoa Zoro is the master of fighting with three swords, and aims to become the greatest swordsman in the world (the current greatest being his mentor). As shown in his image he uses three swords at once by holding one in his mouth. Apparently at some point he grew 4 extra arms and 2 extra heads and used 9 swords? He is apparently known for his one-liners and feats of "how is he not dead yet".

"Vasher wields a sword which he forged out of the lifeforce of 1000 people, imbued with the command to Destroy Evil. The sword is named Nightblood and it really, really wants to destroy evil- but being a sentient sword and not a philosopher, it doesn't really understand what evil is. So it must rely on asking its wielder, "Would you like to destroy some evil today?" Nightblood is a black steel longsword that emits inky smoke. Anyone it strikes will be instantly vaporized, and its wielder will be drained of their own lifeforce if they wield it for too long. Nightblood is the single most powerful object in its entire universe, and even the gods themselves are afraid of it." [Note: not my wording, copied directly from submission.]

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

RETURN OF THE BRACKET: ROUND 1 MATCH 8: Pearl vs Zorro

A sword collector with a song about risking your life, in battle with a sword, for the person you love... vs the vigilante hero who some consider the first superhero, who inspired a few other characters in this tournament!

VS

Who will advance to the next round?

Pearl (Steven Universe)

Zorro (Zorro stories and various adaptations)

Voting ended onMay 27, 2023

Summaries under the cut:

Pearl is the character who trained one of our other contestants, Connie, in swordsmanship, and she's very skilled with that sabre. She also collects swords as a hobby. She sees herself as a knight dedicated to fighting to protect the person she loves, and has a song about this obsessive level of dedication and how willing she is to risk her life in combat; the episode this song comes from is called "Sworn To The Sword" [incidentally, this is one of those phrases that seems designed to make you mispronounce one or the other word. Like Sean Bean.]. Her primary weapon in modern times is a spear, but she can shorten it and turn it into a sword, and in flashbacks she used the sabre and apparently dual-wields swords at one point but I couldn't find an image of that.

Zorro, meanwhile, has been an iconic swordsman for over 100 years through various different adaptations of the story. I'm using an image from the Tyrone Power film because Tyrone Power was the most skilled fencer to portray him (the first film with Douglas Fairbanks was very much stage fighting, fun though it can be), but all versions of Zorro count for this. Yes, including Antonio Banderas' version even though he's not playing the original Zorro but his successor. I mean, he has That swordfight with Catherine Zeta-Jones, it would be sabotage to not allow that in here (the original Wilkinson Sword couple?) His famous trademark of carving a Z in his opponents' cheek or their clothing shows impressive precision with a blade and he's even been shown to somehow pick a lock with the tip of his sword.

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

You good? It's been about a month since part 1 of round 1. Just wanted to know if you're doing okay

Yes, my apologies, a few things came up unexpectedly but I have more time now and will post the other polls tomorrow.

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

ROUND 1 MATCH 7: Dave Strider vs Finn Mertens

The Knight of Time, trained with a sword since birth... vs a monster-slaying adventurer who loves to fight!

VS

Who will advance to the next round?

Dave Strider (Homestuck)

Finn Mertens (Adventure Time)

Voting ended onApr 19, 2023

Summaries under the cut:

Dave Strider was trained to fight with a katana since he was a child in a traumatic and harsh training regime. He has the title of Knight of Time. And cool sunglasses. He apparently manages to fight with a broken sword, and also removes a legendary sword from a stone by breaking it and then using his time powers to wield it intact.

Finn Mertens is another character who's been swordfighting from an early age, having apparently skinned a bear when he was a baby to make his hat, and at the start of the series is a 12-year-old who's already fighting dangerous monsters. He loves adventure, fighting and danger, and has various cool swords including one with a golden blade, a black hole sword, a cursed sword that can cut through anything, and a sword made of demon's blood.

[ultimate-swordsmanship-bracket]

ROUND 1 MATCH 6: Clare vs Anomander Rake

"The Fastest Sword Of All Claymores"... vs the hundreds-of-thousands-of-years-old wielder of a sword that devours souls!

VS

Who will advance to the next round?

Clare (Claymore)

Anomander Rake (Malazan Book Of The Fallen)

Voting ended onApr 19, 2023

Summaries under the cut:

Clare is a super-strong and super-fast warrior with advanced combat training, known as a Claymore. Out of all the Claymores she is the only one to have chosen to become one. The Claymores spend their lives fighting man-eating monsters and are part-monster themselves. Her superstrength allows her to wield her heavy claymore sword single-handed.

Anomander Rake is the leader of the Tiste Andii, powerful unaging beings known as the Children of Darkness. Rake is 7ft tall and his black sword Dragnipur is 6ft long with a dragon's skull pommel. He is both a master swordsman and master of dark magic. He once visited the island of the Seguleh, warriors who view eye contact as a challenge to a duel (though he was unaware of this): he ended up fighting several duels with the various warriors who challenged him and accidentally rose to the rank of seventh greatest fighter in their society. The only reason he hasn't become a god is that he hates being worshipped and frequently has to discourage people from doing so. His sword emits chains made of smoke when unsheathed, and even when sheathed creates a sense of terror in those who look upon it; the souls of everyone killed by the sword are imprisoned inside it. Rake can also turn into a black dragon.