This post tells you the 16 most amazing sword fighting anime series that have ever been made, so scroll down and lets get started! Whether you are a fan of anime series that consist of either shonen, seinen, martial arts, or magic powers, everyone loves to watch a great sword fight.

The way we constructed this list is to only put anime series where the main focus is on sword fighting and sword wielding, so not anime series that feature some of it like One Piece or Naruto. Many popular strong anime characters use interesting weapons to enhance their fighting abilities, but this list focuses more on swords.

In most of these storylines, we see the plot focusing on the main character, who ends up using swords as his main weapon in battle. There are shows here that have memorable fight scenes, as well as using unique anime swords in their verse.

16. Biao Ren: Blades of the Guardians

Blades of the Guardians is a well-animated sword-fighting anime that heavily focuses on its sword battle scenes. It follows the story of Dao Ma’s strides through the vast desert of the Western regions.

Along the way, he accepts a guarding assignment headed for Chang’an. What initially appears to be a straightforward task soon reveals itself to be fraught with peril.

Thus begins a journey that will shape the fate of the world. You can easily binge-watch this anime series, as it only has 15 episodes. It is actually a Chinese manhua that was written and illustrated by Xianzhe Xu. So similar to Solo Leveling, which is a Korean manhua. There are plenty of elements that accurately show Chinese history, such as their samurai for example.

15. Ninja Scroll

Ninja Scroll follows the story of the wandering ninja swordsman Jubei Kibagami who finds himself joined by a kunoichi and a spy as they take on a demonic clan of assassins. A ghost leads this group of assassins from his past, who aim to overturn the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The story takes place in the Edo period of feudal Japan, where a fragile peace was established, but it came at a cost. During this era in Japan, mostly ninja clans prevailed over other clans. One clan, for example, is the Hiruko clan, who exist in the shadows where they guard a holy artifact known as the Dragon Stone.

On the contrary, you have the Kimon Clan, whose purpose is to resurrect the power of the Toyotomi and to possess the Dragon Stone. Our protagonist, Jubei Kibagami, is the ideal candidate to protect the sacred Dragon Stone and to be the only one to wield its secret powers.

14. Noragami

Noragami is a compelling anime series where gods settle their fights with holy swords with special powers. This series follows the god Yato, who may be a minor god at the moment, but he’s set on making a name for himself, and he has a plan in mind.

Unfortunately, things aren’t going his way. He lacks a single shrine in his honor, his partner has just left him, and now he needs to find a new divine weapon. When it seems like all hope is lost, he encounters a girl named Hiyori, changing her life forever.

While things appear to be settling down, the complicated past between Yato and Bishamon, the goddess of war and warriors, haunts them. Bishamon harbors a mysterious grudge against Yato, leading to constant violent confrontations.

To make matters worse, Bishamon’s most trusted Regalia, Kazuma, owes a debt to Yato. When lives are at stake, uncovering these secrets might be the only way to rectify the mistakes of the past. Although fans have been waiting a long time for a new season, it still is a great pick to watch!

13. Gintama

Gintama combines humor, sword fights, and much more in this long-running story. Our main character, Gintoki Sakata, possesses the soul of the samurai Yorozuya-Gin and wields a sword as his weapon. Gintoki mainly uses a wooden sword, but we see many classic katanas during his sword fights against his opponents.

Even though Gintoki is super reckless, his resolve is great enough to take on any opponent. This anime is so funny because it takes elements from other series like One Piece, Dragon Ball, and Naruto, and no one seems to be bothered.

12. Dororo

Dororo belongs among the top fan-favorite sword-fighting anime series, as it follows an emotional and epic story. After the land of the greedy samurai lord, Daigo Kagemitsu continues to die, he goes to pray to Budha to find a solution.

As a result, his prayers are heard by twelve demons and they make a pact with him but it comes with a heavy pice. Because of his greed, he accepts the pact and offers his first son to the demons.

After his birth, the boy has no nose, no limbs, no eyes, no ears, nor any skin, yet he still lives. The father disposes of him into a river, but a mysterious medicine man finds him and gives the boy a prosthetic body along with weapons. After Dororo becomes bigger, he still can’t see, feel, or hear anything, he can only sense if someone is kind-hearted, evil, or a demon.

He has to kill the twelve demons to recover his body parts; for example, he gets his nose back after killing one. After wandering around alone for years, Dororo is accompanied by an orphan kid who wants to help him. They go on an epic journey against corrupt people, demons, and even his father all in order to reclaim his humanity once again

. For many years he wanders alone, until one day an orphan boy, Dororo, befriends him. The unlikely pair of castaways now fight for their survival and humanity in an unforgiving, demon-infested world.

11. Katanagatari

Even the name of this anime series has the name of a sword in it, Katanagatiri is a 12-episode masterpiece that shows many sword-fighting styles. During the Edo era in Japan, Shichika Yasuri practiced a unique fighting style called KKyotouryuu, a special technique where the user’s body is wielded as a blade.

He lives with his sister Nanami until one day the ambitious strategist Togami comes into their lives. She urgently requests the help of Shichika for her mission to collect the “Deviant Blades,” which are twelve special swords the shogunate wants to obtain. He accepts this request mainly because he is fond of Togami, and so his epic journey begins. Along the way, you see epic sword fights with unique and legendary weapons that cause great battle scenes.

10. Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

Moribito stands out as one of the best sword-fighting anime, along with a badass female warrior to showcase great battle skills. The story begins when Crown Prince Chagum is born with an ancient water spirit inside him, the emperor sends assassins to eliminate the child. However, Balsa, a warrior hired by the empress to safeguard her son, is determined to protect Chagum at all costs.

As catastrophic as this sounds, the Star Readers of the Shin Yogo Empire must come up with a strategy to prevent widespread starvation. Ancient myths tell of the first emperor and eight warriors who defeated a water demon to avert a severe drought and save the land that would become Shin Yogo.

If a water demon were to reappear, its defeat could bring salvation. Yet, the water demon has taken residence within the emperor’s son, Prince Chagum under the emperor’s orders, Chagum is to be sacrificed to save the empire.

9. Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online is an amazing anime where VR gaming turns into reality and the players from SAO are stuck in this digital world. There are many different types of swords combined with magical powers for each player, as your powers increase after more combat and intense battles.

Most growth actually happens when facing more powerful opponents, which as a result, concludes in life-death situations. Our main character Kirito grows throughout the series as a formidable sword fighter, beating more powerful bosses after another. Things like dragons, potions, giants, ghosts, insects, and spiders are normal in the world of Sword Art Online.

8. Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku

One of the hottest newer anime series out there, Hell’s Paradise has it all: an interesting power system, epic fight scenes, action, magic, shinobi, heartfelt moments, and more! We follow the epic quest of Gabimaru, a dangerous shinobi who gets labeled as a criminal after the people from his village set him up and betrayed him.

All Gabimaru wants is to fulfill his quest and reunite with his beloved wife and his spirit and desire during life-death situations showcase that.

Even on the brink of death when fighting against gods, his wife is the only thing going through his mind. his goal. All of the fights pack intense action, are extremely violent, and are harsh to watch.

7. Bleach

Bleach is a fantastic shonen anime series that is part of the anime Big Three. The story comes with a unique storyline, amazing side characters, a cool power system, humor, and a collection of unique swords you have never seen before. Maybe you even heard the word “Bankai” before. You follow the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a normal teenager who enters the Hollow World after an encounter with Rukia.

He fights Hollows with large Japanese-style swords, which are a monstrous soul-eating spirit that arises when a deceased soul is consumed by negative emotions or is forced to convert by other hollows.

The battles that Ichigo engages in with his sword are truly remarkable and unique. They are intense, violent, and gory, showcasing the incredible powers of the soul reaper’s “Zanpakuto,” which can inflict massive damage on multiple enemies simultaneously.

6. Afro Samurai

Afro Samurai is your top pick from this list if you mostly love swordplay and fight scenes rather than a deep dialogue and storyline. Samuel L. Jackson makes this anime series, maybe that is why our main protagonist is a dark-skinned character. Most of the story focuses on different types of swords, which are displayed with precise details.

The sword that is featured the most in Afro Samurai is the Japanese katana, but other swords also come into play. You can easily binge-watch this anime series, and you enjoy it the most when you love extreme battle scenes. For example, these fight scenes are extremely violent, show lots of blood, and have fierce deaths.

5. Sword of the Stranger: Sutorenjia: Mukô Hadan

Sword of the Stranger is a beautiful classic sword-fighting anime that is deserving of its high placement on this list. Although its less popular than some nowadays shonen series, it beautifully combines elements of swordfighting, emotional prowess, and character development. The story follows a young orphan called Kotarou and the ronin Nanashi, they go through this journey together.

Most of the swords in Sword of the Stranger are of Japanese and Chinese origin. Even though the story progresses slowly, it becomes better and better towards the end. All of the epic swordfights and encounters are worth the while.

The anime showcases both Japanese and Chinese swords, paying close attention to detail. While the action unfolds at a slow pace, the wait is worthwhile once the swords are drawn and the clashing begins.

4. Rurouni Kenshin

Rurouni Kenshin is one of the classic anime series from 1996, but it got a remake in 2023, and season two airs this year in 2024. Our protagonist, Himura Kenshin, is a former assassin swordsman who now travels through Japan, where he encounters numerous people, and faces many hardships

Most of the swords in Rurouni Kenshin are traditional Japanese Samurai swords, fitting to the time period of Japan in the storyline. Although only wooden swords are used in training, the Japanese katana swords are used for battle.

Himura Kenshin is a unique character, not because of his abilities or skills like sword fighting, but because of his personality. You see, even though Kenshin is a former assassin, he now made a vow to never kill again. Great character development!

3. Berserk

In terms of being one of the most iconic anime/manga characters of all time, Guts from Berserk for sure is an icon. Guts is famous for using a massive sword in battle, and it weighs over 388 lbs/175 kilos!

This series and this particular character are infamous around the anime/manga world, also because of the epic sword fights. Even the intense one-vs.-one battles among characters lasts over multiple episodes, all during a war. The level of attention to detail for Gut’s swordplay in these battles creates a better experience overall. There is repetitive consistency, and this series is a must-watch for every anime/manga fan.

2. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Demon Slayer has an interesting power system for their sword-fighting characters, called Breathing Techniques. The main protagonist is Kamado Tanjiro, a kindhearted and honest boy who becomes a demon slayer after his family is murdered by demons. His journey to becoming an excellent swordsman is inspiring but also dangerous because he constantly fights demons with special abilities.

Demon Slayers use Nichirin swords or katana, which are Japanese samurai swords. Each sword is different from another, fitting for its user and their breathing styles. For example, the shape, weight, swordsmiths, and material are all different from one another. So therefore the user of the sword can use its swordsmanship skills and special powers to the fullest in battle; set your heart ablaze!

1. Samurai Champloo

Samurai Champloo is the ultimate example of how a samurai anime series should be made. Having the cool main character Mugen, along with a respectable and cool friend named Jin. We see many different swords in Samurai Champloo, for example, a katana, Asian swords, and a double-edged tsurugi.

This series is very enjoyable and funny to watch, along with epic fight scenes and learning more about the way of the samurai. Each sword fight comes down to strategy, skills, and adapting to your opponent. When watching these epic battles, you notice the stronger swordsman doesn’t automatically win by default, because each opponent needs a different approach.

The characters are energetic and disciplined, it is a unique experience watching this anime series as if it is a fresh breath of air. Make sure to check this series out, as it is worth watching every second!

Comment down below which series is your favorite!