Anime is a unique style of animated movies and TV series first made popular in Japan. Along with its closely-related art form, Manga (Japanese comic books), it is known for its fantastic characters with oversized physical features and poetic dialog.
In the last few years, Anime and Manga have gained an enormous following worldwide, and the popularity of replica items such as swords has grown greatly.
The first Anime short film was created in 1917, though the medium struggled to gain a mainstream following until the 1960s and ’70s. In those decades, as Manga comics gained acceptance and popularity, Anime series were often spun off in an attempt to gain a wider audience.
Osamu Tezuka is the best-known creator from this early period of Manga’s popularity. More recently, Hayao Miyazaki has achieved worldwide recognition through internationally-successful feature-length films such as “Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away”.
Today, Anime is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in Japan and, to a lesser extent, worldwide. Several modern series have achieved a large mainstream audience. These include Pokemon, Dragonball Z, Naruto and Bleach.
Replicas of Anime Swords have become popular collectors items, though perhaps none as popular as those from “Bleach.”
This massively-popular epic series features numerous sword-wielding characters, including lead characters Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki.
As the series has gained in popularity, replica swords for these and other characters have been produced to meet an ever-increasing demand.
Ichigo’s sword is known as “Zangetsu.” This type of sword is a “Zanpakuto” or “soul-cutting sword” and is one of the most popular Anime collector’s items. Another popular sword is that of Toushiro Hitsugaya, a major character in one of the Bleach films.
Many other Anime series feature swords prominently and most are available as replicas. Dragonball Z’s Trunks Sword is one such example as are InuYasha’s Tetsusaiga, Naruto’s Zabuza Sword, and Rurouni Kenshin’s reverse blade Sakabato.
For a more detailed treatment of Anime and Manga, see the Wikipedia. For an active community of fans discussing “Bleach”, see the Bleach Forums.
Posted on: Jan 4
For collectors of anime swords and for fanatical fans of the game Ninja Gaiden, this 42" katana will be a familiar friend. The mainstay weapon of hero Ryu Hayabusa, the Dragon Ninja Katana was essential to both victory and revenge. The original Dragon Sword was said to be ...
Posted on: Dec 14
This model of a replica sword from the hit anime show Bleach can be found in two different styles. We've seen one version with a leather-wrapped handle, but it's not as common. You'll find this one more often. It has a beautiful burgundy cord wrap around the handle as well as a couple ...
Posted on: Nov 27
The hit Japanese anime show Bleach provides us with yet another sword to bring to your attention: a katana inspired by one of the show's main Soul Reapers, Lieutenant Renji Abarai.
The katana probably best represents Renji's character due to its crimson overtones. In the series, Renji's red ponytail sets him apart ...
Posted on: Nov 26
Many different collectible weapons have surfaced from the popular Japanese anime show Naruto. This is the Kusanagi, wielded by the Sannin Orochimaru. The Kusanagi is more commonly known as a grass cutter sword, so you may see it listed as such.
This sword is popularized mainly by Naruto's "emo kid" Sasuke. His ...
Posted on: Nov 2
In the Final Fantasy saga, the warrior Sephiroth mistakenly believed himself to be the last of the god-like Ancients and through that self deceit was drawn to the path of evil and his eventual downfall. Masamune, his six foot long katana, is reproduced with some expertise in this massive 68" replica.
Perhaps ...
Posted on: Oct 10
This Rurouni Kenshin reverse blade katana from General Edge is one heck of a deal. It's built from decent-quality materials and will look great as a basic display sword. It's not intended to be a high-end sword, so the materials are not top-of-the-line, but that helps keep the cost down.
The blade ...
Posted on: Oct 10
This is a distinctive Bleach anime sword, labeled as the Tensa Zangetsu. You'll also find it listed as a Zanpakuto on other sites.
The edge of the Zangetsu blade is trimmed with 40 inches of 440 stainless steel, giving the entire blade a two-toned black-and-gray effect. And the entire sword measures a whopping ...
Posted on: Oct 7
Here's another anime replica sword that's not a bad deal either. It's from the InuYasha series. The name of the sword is Tessaiga meaning "iron-crushing fang," and is wielded by InuYasha himself. It's otherwise called the Sword of Calamity, and is the untransformed version of the Tessaiga.
The Tessaiga stretches to ...
Posted on: Oct 6
This is the final sword of Bleach's Ichigo, named Tensa Zangetsu, found on the Bleach anime series. Collectors really like to comment on its reserved design. Normally, Bleach swords in their final form have a lot of flair and decor, whereas the Tensa sword is the opposite. So they prefer to call ...
Posted on: Oct 2
Mugen's Typhoon Swell sword from the short-lived series Samurai Champloo is a great deal for an anime replica sword. It's also a decent choice to consider if you're looking for a unique and inexpensive replica sword.
The Typhoon Swell blade is made entirely from 440 stainless steel, and measures 29 inches long. It ...
Posted on: Sep 29
From the Manga series Bleach comes a rare, eye-catching sword known as Senbonzakura. It is wielded by the character Byakuya Kuchiki, and is literally translated "a thousand cherry blossoms." Interestingly, the sword's design wasn't meant to capture the warmth and beauty of a forest full of white cherry blossoms. It ...
Posted on: Sep 25
This fantasy sword is inspired by the Japanese anime/manga series Bleach. It's the blade of 10th Division Captain Hitsugaya Toushiro, and is a very detailed and authentic replica of the original manga sword.
Honestly, due to the price, we didn't expect this Zanpakuto sword to be high in the quality department... but it ...
Posted on: Sep 5
This isn't a "flashy" sword. It's not overlaid with solid gold, or carved with intricate Japanese characters. But it is still a product of quality craftsmanship.
The noteworthiness comes from the battle-ready construction of its blade. The 27.5-inch blade is full-tang, made from one solid piece of high carbon ...
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