Updated May 12, 2024 by testing

I know you guys love action anime, don’t you? However, there are sub-genres in action as well. For example, Martial Arts, Mecha, and Sword Fighting. In this blog, we’re gonna talk about Sword Fighting anime.

First, we’re talking about sword fighting. What is sword fighting? I mean, it’s really simple, isn’t it? People use swords to fight. However, there are a lot of other aspects as well. There are multiple styles in sword fighting like there are in Martial Arts. I think you guys know Roronoa Zoro, right? He uses the Three-Sword Style. Besides this, there are hundreds of other sword styles. 

But, this list isn’t about that. So, I’ll just stop here with all these sword styles.

 

BEST ANIME WITH SWORD DUELS AND SWORD FIGHTS

 

28- Hakuouki

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
10/20	5/10	6/10	7/10	28/50

Hakuoki follows the story of a girl named Chizuru Yukimura. Chizuru’s father is a doctor and usually stays away from home. However, months passed, but he didn’t show up. This made Chizuru worried and she decided to look for him. She disguised herself and went to Kyoto.

However, on her way, she was kidnapped by an Organization named Shinsengumi. Later on, she finds out that this organization has also been looking for her father. Now, this is interesting! Why are they looking for her father?

Chizuru soon realizes that she is entrapped in a mess. What will she do? Can she save her father? Hmm! The answer lies in the anime, lol!

 

27- Brave 10

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
12/20	6/10	6/10	6/10	30/50

Well! The story of this anime isn’t that interesting. But believe me, you’ll really enjoy it.

This anime follows the story of two brave Ninjas, who are in search of powerful warriors across the entire world. The question here is, why are they looking for powerful warriors? Well! They are supposed to serve under Yukimura. 

Ohhh! I forgot to mention the name of the protagonists. Their names are Isanami and Saizou. Isanami also possesses some strange dark powers and is constantly being chased by other nations. 

 

26- Samurai 7

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
14/20	6/10	6/10	5/10	31/50

You might think that most Sword Fighting anime are supposed to be set up in the past, right? However, this anime is based in a future world where Samurai have placed Chips inside their bodies to become more powerful. The name of the Organization of these Samurai is Nobuseri. These Nobuseri Bandits destroy villages to take control over them.

The MC of this show, Priestess Kirara, hires some Samurai to protect her village. But, these Samurai don’t have any superpowers. They have to fight those Robotic Samurai using their own powers. Can they do it? I’m sure you’re interested to find out.

 

25- Ronin Warriors

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
12/20	7/10	8/10	4/10	31/50

Ahhh! This anime was bound to make this list, wasn’t it?

Ronin warriors follow the story of 5 warriors who possess the armor of Emperor Talpa. Talpa once tried to rule over the entire Earth. However, he was defeated, sent to the Nether Realm and his mighty Armor was divided into 9 parts. 

As he returned, he regained possession of 4 parts. But the other five are possessed by the Ronin Warriors. Can he get his armor back? If he does, then it’s all over for Earth.

 

24- Carried by the Wind: Tsukikage Ran

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
13/20	7/10	8/10	4/10	32/50

Another Old School anime on this list. This anime follows the story of a samurai named Ran and her Chinese martial artist partner, Meow. Now, that’s a weird name, lol!
Well! This anime consists of short episodes following Ran and Meow’s journey as they wander from town to town fighting evil. It is a really fun series to watch if you have time on your watch.

 

23- Shigurui

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
14/20	7/10	7/10	6/10	34/50

Are you a fan of dark themed anime/manga? If yess, then this anime is for you.

It follows the story of two friends named Fujiki Gennosuke and Irako Seigen. Both of them are students of the famous Master Swordsman, Iwamoto Kogan. Both of them are pretty close.

However, the time has come to choose a worthy successor of the Iwamoto School. Now, both of them have to prove themselves in a battle. 

One interesting fact here is that Irako Seigen is Blind. You might think, how is he a swordsman if he is blind? This just shows his commitment.

 

22- Ninja Scroll

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
14/20	7/10	7/10	6/10	34/50

I think you all have heard the phrase, “Old is Gold”, right? This anime is the perfect example of that.

It follows the story of a guy named Kibagami Jubei. Jubei is a Master Swordsman who saved the world from the evil plans of the Shogun. Now, he is traveling alone. Things are quite peaceful. However, everything changes as he meets Shigure, the Priestess of Light.

Shigure is being chased by two Demon Clans. She seeks protection from the Clans and Jubei decides to help her. Can he fight demons? I highly doubt that lol!

 

21- Blade of the Immortal

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
17/20	5/10	6/10	7/10	35/50

Another pretty amazing story on this list. Blade of the immortal follows the story of a guy named Manji. Manji is a Master Swordsman, however, he has been cursed by an evil witch. Yess! You read that right. 

The witch cursed him with Immortality. Isn’t immortality a good thing? Well! It depends on the person. Manji’s life is filled with blood and killing. He wants to get rid of his life. For this purpose, he makes a deal with the Witch. The witch promises to lift his cure if he kills 1000 evil men. Can he do it? Killing a thousand men isn’t easy, lol!

 

20- Claymore

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
13/20	7/10	7/10	8/10	35/50

Claymore follows the story of a “Claymore”. Claymore? What are Claymores? Claymores are basically Semi Human and Semi Youma. The purpose of a Claymore is to kill monsters.

The Claymore MC of this anime saves a girl named Raki as her entire family was murdered. This marks the beginning of their journey as they kill monsters and discover more secrets about Claymores. Interesting, right? I can bet that you’ll like this anime.

 

19- Drifters

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
14/20	7/10	7/10	7/10	35/50

How about the combo of Sword Fighting and Isekai? Sounds weird, right? However, the author of this show has done an amazing job.

Drifters follow the story of a guy named Toyohisa Shimazu. Toyohisa is a warrior who loses his life during the war of Sekigahara. After his death, he gets teleported to a room. A man named Murasaki was waiting for him there. Murasaki then transports him to a new world as a Drifter.

 

18- Mushibugyou

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
12/20	7/10	8/10	8/10	35/50

Do you guys like Insects? Well! Some of you may like them, but for me, I don’t like them. Don’t get me wrong here. 

This anime follows the story of a teenager named Jinbei Tsukishima. Jinbee has a dream, and that dream is to become a strong swordsman just like his father, who is also a powerful swordsman.

However, things don’t usually go smoothly. An incident causes Jinbee to leave his home and join an organization named Insect Magistrate Office. The purpose of this organization is to kill Huge Insects. Can Jinbee do this? 

 

17- Sengoku Basara

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
14/20	7/10	7/10	8/10	36/50

If you’re a fan of historical anime, you’ll love this one. Sengoku Basara is an anime set up in the Sengoku Period of Japanese History.

During this period, four emperors were set out to take control of Japan. This period was full of wars and politics. One of these emperors, Nobunaga Oda, was the most powerful. He had enough power to take over the entire country.

To stop him from taking over the country, two other emperors, Date and Sanada, had to join forces. Can they stop him? I doubt it, lol!

The animation of this anime is pretty amazing. The politics, war tactics, and fight sequences are also pretty amazing.

 

16- Basilisk

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
15/20	7/10	8/10	6/10	36/50

 I think I’ve told you before that I’m a huge fan of romantic anime and manga, haven’t I? I really love to see the two MCs falling in love with each other. 

However, in this anime, the MCs, Gennosuke Kouga and Oboro Iga’s love story is not that simple. I’ll tell you a bit about their circumstances. Kouga is the heir to the powerful clan, Kouga Clan. On the other hand, Oboro is the heir to the Iga Clan. Both clans have been fighting each other for a long time. But, Gennosuke and Oboro’s marriage settled everything. 

However, this peace was not for long as both clans again declared war. What will Gennosuke and Oboro do? I mean, what can they even do?

 

15- Intrigue in the Bakumatsu: Irohanihoheto

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
14/20	8/10	7/10	8/10	37/50

This anime follows the story of a guy named Yojiro Akizuki. Yojiro is a master swordsman who travels from town to town. Even though his sword style is a bit weird, he is still pretty strong. This unique sword style also enables him to locate supernatural items. 

During his journey, he meets members of a theater group. This theater also has a dark agenda. What are they up to? Hmmm! I’m interested, aren’t you?

 

14- Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
14/20	7/10	7/10	10/10	38/50

Fate/Stay Night follows the story of a teenager named Shirou. Shirou’s family was murdered by a mysterious creature and he was adopted by Kiritsugu Emiya. Kiritsugu teaches him the way of magic. 

However, after the death of his foster father, Shirou finds himself in the midst of a battle between two superhumans, Servants. In this deadly event, Shirou manages to summon his own servant named Saber. 

This marks the beginning of Shirou’s journey as he struggles to find the right path. He wants to become a Hero like Kiritsugu. Can he do it? 

Animated by the famous studio Ufotable, the animation quality of this anime is just too good.

 

13- Inuyasha

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
15/20	8/10	8/10	6/10	38/50

Inuyasha follows the story of a teenage girl named Kagome. Kagome fell into a well and was teleported to the past. There, she meets Inuyasha, a half-demon. 

Kagome somehow destroyed a powerful gem embedded inside her and prevented a powerful demon from coming out. This marks the beginning of Kagome and Inuyasha’s journey. 

Inuyasha is a classic anime and it’s really popular among anime veterans. If you’re looking for romance along with some solid action, I suggest you give this anime a try.

 

12- Bleach

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
16/20	7/10	8/10	7/10	38/50

Bleach follows the story of a teenager named Ichigo Kurosaki, who lives with his father along with his sister. He seems like a normal boy, right? However, Ichigo has the ability to see ghosts. What?!!!! 

But, he never paid any attention to them until his family was attacked by a Hollow. What is a Hollow? I won’t tell ya, lol! After that day, he decided to become a Shinigami, in order to protect his family and friends. This anime is kinda long. However, I can assure you that you’ll enjoy every bit of it.

PS. Aizen is the GOAT!!!

 

11- Sword Art Online

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
17/20	7/10	6/10	9/10	39/50

SAO is one of the most popular anime of all time. However, some anime fans don’t like it, because they think that it is too childish, lol!

Sword Art Online follows the story of a teenager named Kirigaya Kazuto AKA Kirito. Kirito was a huge fan of games. The world is set up in the near future, so there are some technological advancements as well. A device named Nervegear has been introduced so that users can experience the game in a virtual world.

However, little did they know that the creator had other plans. The creator trapped all the players inside the game. If they want to leave, they have to clear all 100 levels of this game. Can Kirito and others do it? 

 

10- Blood +

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
14/20	8/10	8/10	9/10	39/50

Blood + is one of the most unique anime I’ve ever watched.  This anime manages to keep its audience interested throughout the entire show.

It follows the story of a girl named Saya Otonashi. Saya might seem like an ordinary girl. However, she suffers from anemia and has no memory of her past. One night, as she was sleeping, she was attacked by a monster. A man named Haji helped her. Well! Haji forced her to drink his blood and this turned Saya into a vampire. In turn, she was able to defeat the Monster.

Now, she has to work with Haji for an organization named Red Shield. Interesting, right?

The animation style is a bit unique, but you’ll get used to it in no time.

 

9- Noragami

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
16/20	7/10	8/10	8/10	39/50

This anime follows the story of a God named Yato. Well! He is a self-proclaimed Delivery God.

You know what? Even Gods have dreams. Yess! You read that right. Even though Yato is a minor deity, he still wishes to have a shrine. 

For this purpose, he does odd jobs for people. However, one day, his weapon partner left him as she was tired of his unreal goal. Sad, right? But, everything changes as a girl named Hiyori saves Yato from an accident and takes the hit in place of him. This caused Hiyori’s soul to become loose. Now, Hiyori wants Yato to fix this problem. However, for that, Yato needs a partner. Unwillingly, Hiyori decides to help him find a partner. This marks the beginning of Yato’s journey.

 

8- Sword of the Stranger

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
17/20	8/10	8/10	7/10	40/50

Another masterpiece on this list. Well! Most of the anime on this list are Old School. It makes sense tho, lol!

Sword of the Stranger follows the story of a strong Swordsman who sets out on a journey. On his path, he saves a kid and his dog. I think you know what this means, right? Now, the two of them will also accompany the swordsman on his journey. But, they’ll soon find out that this journey is not child’s play.

 

7- Afro Samurai

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
18/20	8/10	8/10	7/10	41/50

Afro Samurai is one of the best sword fighting anime out there. If you’re looking for a pure sword-action anime, then this one’s for you. Afro Samurai follows the story of a guy named Afro. Afro is the second-best Samurai in the entire world. 

However, he is not pleased with his ranking. He wants to become number 1. But, the interesting thing here is that the number 1 Samurai is also the one who killed his father.

Now, his main goal is coupled with vengeance. Ohhh! I forgot one thing. As he is the number 2 Samurai, anybody can challenge him to take his position. This makes his task double hard, ig.

 

6- Dororo

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
17/20	9/10	8/10	8/10	42/50

This anime has a special place in my heart. I really loved it and I’m sure you’ll like it too.

Dororo follows the story of a guy named Hyakkimaru. Hyakkimaru’s father, A Samurai Lord, Daigo Kagemitsu, made a deal with the Demons in order to save his land. This deal was made in exchange for Hyakkimaru’s body. But, somehow, Hyakkimaru survives and searches for his body parts as he defeats Demons. 

He is also accompanied by Dororo, a young boy, whose parents had died. Will Hyakkimaru succeed? This anime is pretty underrated as it was released in 2019. I think you know why.

 

5- Katanagatari

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
17/20	8/10	9/10	8/10	42/50

It follows the story of a guy named Shichiki Yasuri. Shichiki lives in a world full of unique sword styles. However, Shichiki is the user of the most unique one of them all, the Kyotouryuu. He lives alone with his sister, Nanami. Their lives were quite peaceful until one day, a strategist asked for his help.

The strategist, Togame, wanted to collect the Twelve Unique Swords. And for this purpose, she needs Shichiki’s help. Shichiki agrees to help her and both of them set out on a journey. 

But, this task won’t be easy. Can they do it?

 

4- Samurai Champloo

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
18/20	9/10	9/10	6/10	42/50

I guess most of the anime veterans have watched this anime or at least heard about it. 

Samurai Champloo follows the story of a guy named Mugen. Mugen is a master swordsman with a fierce and somewhat weird fighting style. Well! This anime has three protagonists. The other two are named Fuu and Jin. Jin is also a swordsman. However, his fighting style is quite traditional. You can say that Mugen and Jin are polar opposites.

But, their paths meet as Fuu asks them to accompany her as she is looking for a swordsman who smells like flowers, lol!

 

3- Rurouni Kenshin

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
17/20	8/10	9/10	8/10	42/50

I know y’all love MCs with dark pasts, right? Well! If you do, then this anime is for you. Anime like this don’t come out that often. 

It follows the story of a guy named Himura Kenshin. Kenshin is a samurai with quite a dark past. Well! He is not a true samurai, he is a skilled assassin. He ran away from his homeland and went on a journey. His journey leads him to Tokyo where he meets a lot of new people with their own dark pasts. 

 

2- Demon Slayer

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
18/20	7/10	8/10	10/10	43/50

Demon Slayer is one of the most popular new-gen anime. Animated by the infamous studio Ufotable, Demon Slayer literally has one of the best animations. 

This anime follows the story of a teenager named Tanjiro Kamado. Tanjiro’s entire family was killed by the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji. However, his sister, Nezuko Kamado, wasn’t, instead she was turned into a Demon. 

Now, Tanjiro has to find a way to turn his sister back to human all while fighting Demons. How can a human fight Demons? Well! You’ll find the answer when you watch the anime, lol!

 

1- Gintama

Sword Fights	Plot	Characters	Animation	Total
17/20	9/10	9/10	8/10	43/50

Gintama really is one of the best anime out there. Yess! I’m not talking about Sword Fighting Anime, I’m talking about anime as a whole. One interesting fact about this anime is that it parodies some really famous anime like Naruto and Dragon Ball.

Gintama follows the story of a guy named Gintoki. Gintoki lives in a world ruled by Aliens. However, Gintoki still has the heart of a Samurai. In order to survive, he makes his living by doing odd jobs along with Shinpachi Shimura and Kagura. Sometimes, these odd jobs can get really messy.

The comedy in this anime is just another level. 

Just don’t laugh too hard or you might disturb your neighbors, lol!

 

Conclusion

Well! This was a long list. I tried my best to give you the best possible anime in this particular genre.

Another thing! The rankings are based on my personal preferences, so don’t get mad if your favorite anime didn’t make the top 10. All of these anime are amazing in my opinion. I’m sure you’ll love them all. Peace!!!