The Japanese Katana is a design that is almost ubiquitous in gaming, appearing in many genres, from first-person shooters to role-playing games, action games, and more. There’s just something about the design that is evocative – the single-edge blade, the slight curve of the sword, and the handguard separating the hilt and the blade make for a striking profile.
Related: Best Swords In Gaming, Ranked In Order Of Girth
There’s also a bit of mythologizing around the weapon, inevitable since it’s an ancient design that has survived into the modern-day. It has captured the imagination of creatives throughout the years, so it also makes sense then that the design would also make it into video games. Here are some of the best examples.
Updated February 20, 2023: Katanas continue to be one of the coolest sword types around, and they will likely stay that way for as long as human history exists. We even missed some classics the first time around, so we added them here, alongside some more contemporary examples as well.
14 Half-Zatoichi — Team Fortress 2
Perhaps one of the coolest weapons in Team Fortress 2, not only because it’s based on one of the coolest weapons in history, but because it forces players to live by the virtues of those who historically wielded it.
Samurai were honorbound to draw blood when their blades are unsheathed and so too are the Demoman and Soldier who wield the Half-Zatoichi. When trying to switch from the weapon, you take 50 damage if you have not killed with it and if you have less health than that, you cannot switch from it at all. However, if you can get a kill with it, you get 50 percent of your max health back, which can overheal. You can also get into duels with other wielders of the Half-Zatoichi, which results in instant death for one of you. Live by the blade, die by the blade.
13 Katana — Fallout New Vegas
In the irradiated future wastelands of the Mojave, one of the deadliest weapons is…the Japanese Katana? That’s right, hundreds of years and thousands of miles out of time and space and fallen right into the hands of one (un)lucky mail courier.
RELATED: Fallout New Vegas: Most Powerful Weapon Mods
The Katana is part of the Gun Runners Arsenal DLC, which adds a bunch of weapons to Fallout New Vegas’ already robust arsenal. It’s arguably the best melee option in the game, hitting three times a second at base and up to six times a second with certain perks. It also has a special V.A.T.S. attack, Unlabored Flawlessness, which hits for 250 percent more damage and is performed with a badass reverse-grip animation.
12 Kiku-ichimonji Anemos — Final Fantasy 14
The noble Samurai in Final Fantasy 14 seek perfection of their craft to the exclusion of all others. Eschewing any abilities to boost their teammates, Samurai are good at one thing: dealing a whole lot of damage with their implement of choice, the elegantly-designed Katana.
While the best gear for any given class can change in between expansions or even patches, there’s one thing that will never change: style. And the Kiku-ichimonji Anemos has it in spades. It is an elegant blade that is beautiful without being ostentatious or gaudy, and it can be dyed to suit the personal taste of the wielder. No matter what color you choose, it will be complemented well by the blades' glow and sparkle effects.
11 Tsuru-GR — Ghostrunner
While a lot of the badassery in Ghostrunner is possible because our titular protagonist is a future super robot with machine strength and lightning reflexes, there’s something to be said for the tools that can keep up with him.
And what a tool the Tsuru-GR is, able to withstand cutting through multiple mooks– armor and all in one swipe and deflecting projectiles with ease, all while looking good to boot. Its base form is an elegant combination of old-world sensibilities with new world materials. If you want something a little more ostentatious, the Void Dragon looks pretty slick– forgoing the tsuba and giving it a neon purple paint job.
10 Raizan — Onimusha: Warlords
An awesome weapon from an underrated series, the Raizan is an awesome demonic lightning katana and marks a turning point in the first game, Onimusha: Warlords. This weapon is the first magical weapon that protagonist Samonosuke acquires and before then, you have to contend with powerful demons using a normal katana.
Your starting loadout is sufficient, but your enemies are tough to kill and hit you for a lot of damage. Upon acquiring this weapon, the playing field is evened and transitions from survival horror to action horror since now you have a magic katana with a seven-hit combo that summons lightning.
9 Homuranagi — Siren: Blood Curse
Siren: Blood Curse, like most survival horror games, is an experience defined by your helplessness as a player. Throughout most of the game, you are stuck using improvised or outdated weapons against unstoppable monsters. If you manage to defeat them, they just get back up, meaning all you’ve done is buy yourself time.
Except, for the very end, when you get a katana from the best character in the game and combine it with an ancient and alien artifact to make the Homuranagi, a blade engulfed in blue flame, capable of firing off waves of holy energy. Your time with it is tragically short, as it’s only used to off the final boss. While you get a cathartic scene at the end where the protagonist lays waste to a bunch of previously-immortal Shibito, it would have been nice to unlock this weapon for New Game Plus.
8 Killing Edge — Fire Emblem Series
A recurring weapon in the Fire Emblem series, characterized by a high critical chance, allowing characters to deal massive damage and likely triggering a sweet critical hit animation. Though it can turn the most mediocre fighters into heavy hitters, Swordmasters and Assassins become walking Vitamix blenders when equipped with one of these.
RELATED: Fire Emblem: Best Games For Beginners
Unfortunately, the Killing Edge is also well-known for having poor durability, meaning you wanna save them for the tougher fights. Also, though this weapon appears as a katana in most Fire Emblem games, this isn’t always the case.
7 H.F. Blade — Metal Gear Rising
A staple of Cyborg Ninja in the Metal Gear games, the High-Frequency Blade is a very powerful weapon in skilled hands and is shown regularly to be able to deflect bullets with ease. As its name implies, this blade vibrates at a frequency high enough to weaken molecular bonds, making it wicked sharp and able to cut through most objects, including steel beams and building-sized Metal Gears.
Perhaps the most distinct example is the H.F. Murasama blade wielded by Jetstream Sam in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, its blood-red blade stands out in a game full of H.F. Blades and is actually a tricked-out ancient katana.
6 Shuraba — Bayonetta Series
This weapon is a living, bloodthirsty katana said to contain the heart of Ashura, the demonic god of war. It is also one of the most accessible weapons in Bayonetta’s arsenal, having reach, speed, and damage that make it good in most fights, allowing newer players to get a feel for the game while still feeling capable.
As a katana, the Shuraba has all the requisite anime moves, from sweet long-range thrusts that send Bayonetta flying across the room to her foes to super-power Iaijutsu blade-draws that decimate enemies.
5 Rivers Of Blood — Elden Ring
Elden Ring players may balk at choosing Rivers of Blood over Moonveil, and though the latter is quite good in its own right, this weapon is a monster, especially in PvP, and is far more interesting aesthetically.
Related: Elden Ring: Best Colossal Swords, Ranked
This blood-edged blade comes with the ability Corpse Piler, a series of deceptively long-ranged slashes that stack bleed on hit, upon which acquiring enough stacks will stun and cause a lot of damage. As a bonus, the animation for stacking enough bleed calls to mind samurai films in which someone is slashed and after a beat, explodes into arterial spray.
