Zoro brandishes his three swords

Supreme Grade Swords in One Piece, Explained

In a world as intricate and detailed as One Piece, it’s no surprise that even the swords of the world have their own different ranks. The highest rank of Sword in One Piece is known as Supreme Grade, of which there are 12. Here are the Supreme Grade Swords explained.

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What Are Supreme Grade Swords in One Piece?

In the world of One Piece, a sword is given one of four rankings: Supreme Grade, Great Grade, Skillful Grade, and Grade. When it comes to the lowest ranking of Grades, there are an unknown number of them as they are more common, and there are 50 Skillful Grades, 21 Great Grades, and only 12 Supreme Grade swords. Those 12 swords are considered to be of the highest quality in all of the world of One Piece.

Moreover, the feats of some of the characters in the series who wield Supreme Grade Blades have been extremely impressive. Interestingly enough, although the existence of 12 supreme grades was made known relatively early in the series, only five of them have been revealed. Here are the five Supreme Grade Swords that we know about:

Shodai Kitetsu

One of the Five Elders with what may be the Supreme Grade Sword Shodai Kitetsu in the One Piece anime

The Shodai Kitetsu sword hasn’t been shown yet, but it is mentioned as one of the 12 known Supreme Grade Swords in Chapter 97 of One Piece. Kitetsu, a school of swordsmiths from Wano Country, crafted the Kitetsu series of swords, which are considered to be some of the most powerful in the world. However, the Kitetsu swords were known as demonic and cursed swords, famous for killing those who wielded them. Each Kietsu Sword was crafted by a different generation of Kitetsu Swordsmiths, with the oldest one, Shodai Kitetsu, being the only known Supreme Grade Sword from this family of blades.

The Sandai Kietetsu, a Skillful Grade blade from the same series, was given to Straw Hat Vice Captain Roronoa Zora in Chapter 97 of the manga, and the three-sword style swordsman has used it ever since. The manga has recently teased that one of the Five Elders has a Kitetsu sword, and it may very well be the Supreme Grade Shodai Kitetsu that the terrifying villain wields.

Murakumogiri

Whitebeard using his Supreme Grade Sword Murakumogiri in the One Piece anime

Murakumogiri is the legendary Supreme Grade Sword that was used by the now-deceased Emperor of the Sea Edward Newgate, known as Whitebeard. Unlike the other Supreme Grade Swords, Murakumogiri is a pole-type weapon, with its Blade only making up a small (but deadly) part of the large weapon. Whitebeard has been shown using this blade in some of the most intense fights of the series, going up against the likes of Admiral Akainu, Kouzuki Oden, and even Gold Roger himself.

The blade is considered one of the most powerful weapons made in the world of One Piece, especially when in the hands of Whitebeard. The former Emperor could channel both his Haki and his incredibly destructive devil fruit powers into the weapon, making its potential for damage one of the greatest of all the Supreme Grade Swords.

Related: What Is The One Piece Remake Release Date?

Yakuza Kansen

Admiral Fujitora using his blade Yakuza Kasen in the One Piece anime

Yakusa Kansen is the most humble-looking sword of the known Supreme Grades, as it doubles as a cane for Marine Admiral Fujitora. Forged by a wordsmith from Wano Country, this straight blade has immense durability and strength and is hardly ever used for offensive purposes like other swords on this list. Instead, Fujitora prefers to use Yakuza Kansen for defense, making it a good pairing for his Press-Press Devil Fruit that manipulates gravity.

Fujitora can channel his gravity-based powers through his sword, making a simple swing or block with this Supreme Grade Blade have devastating consequences for his opponent. Because of this, it was nicknamed the Gravity Blade in the manga.

Yoru

Mihawk with his sword Yoru in the One Piece anime

Yoru is the name of the Supreme Grade Sword carried by Dracule Mihawk, who holds the title of the World’s Greatest Swordsman. Also known as The Black Blade, Yoru is a giant sword with a cruciform shape, often used two-handed by Mihawk. Due to Mihawk’s immense level of skill, Yoru is a dangerous weapon that has crossed paths with Shanks, one of the most powerful characters in the story.

Mihawk has often been shown in anime and manga performing insane feats of cutting and slashing, taking down entire fleets of ships with mere swings of his sword. Luffy himself narrowly avoided losing his hands to Yoru in the Paramount War, as his Observation Haki showed Mihawk using Yoru to cut Luffy down before he could attack. This Supreme Grade Sword is one of the most iconic in the series, and many fans are looking forward to seeing Zoro cross paths with Mihawk once again.

Ace

Gol D. Roger using his sword Ace in the One Piece anime

Not to be confused with the One Piece character of the same name, Ace is the Supreme Grade Blade that belonged to Gol D. Roger, the King of the Pirates. Ace is a cutlass and, without a doubt, the most legendary Supreme Grade Sword in the entire series. This is mostly due to the fact that Gol D. Roger used the Sword in some of the most impactful moments that would shape the future of the series. Whether it was at the mysterious and infamous God Valley incident or his battles with legendary figures like Garp and Whitebeard, Roger’s sword Ace has been through it all.

Gol D. Roger has long been known as the most powerful Pirate to have lived, and his attacks, such as Divine Departure, have been shown to have incredibly powerful effects, especially as it’s channeled through a sword as finely constructed as Ace. It’s also no coincidence that Roger’s son bears the same name. With the One Piece manga in its final saga, it remains to be seen if the seven unidentified Supreme Grade Swords make themselves known. It’s fascinating to see that 27 years later, the world Eiichiro Oda created is still filled with so many amazing details and unknown mysteries waiting to be discovered.

And those are the Supreme Grade Swords in One Piece, explained.

One Piece is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Netflix.


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Author
Image of Ernesto Valenzuela
Ernesto Valenzuela
Ernesto Valenzuela is a Freelance Entertainment writer for The Escapist. For the past seven years, he has covered various festivals, movies, television, and video games for outlets such as /Film, Collider, and DiscussingFilm. In 2020, he received a Bachelor's Degree in Digital Media Production from the University of Texas at El Paso. When he’s not explaining why Metal Gear Solid 2 is the greatest game ever made, you can probably find him catching up on the One Piece anime.
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