The world of anime has a lot of characters that wield one or more weapons. Some of these weapons seem practical and easy to use. Then there are a few that might make some fans scratch their heads because it justdoesn’t seem possible to even lift them. Either way, it can’t be denied that the characters look cool when using them.
These characters have become pretty iconic for dual-wielding their weapons of choice. A few of them might use more than two weapons, and sometimes they’ll even use one, but dual-wielding is their main choice for combat. Let’s take a look at thebest anime dual-wielding characters.
Updated July 04, 2025 by Mark Sammut:A unique fighting style can set a character apart from the crowd, and dual-wielders have an edge since they are fairly uncommon. Thebest anime characters who dual-wield weaponsare usually powerful, aggressive, and incredibly cool. Two more characters have been added, one from Shangri-La Frontier and the other from Ranma 1/2.
Technically,Castlevania: Nocturneis not an anime, just inspired by it.
Annette has a very unique fighting style thanks to her magic. Being a descendant of the god Ogun, Annette can control metal. When fighting, Annette uses her swords for both close and mid-range combat. Up close, she is able to hold her own against powerful enemies like Drolta. She is very proficient and moves with ease while wielding them.
If her enemies are out of her reach, Annette can throw her swords at them. Thanks to her powers, she can control them telepathically and attack from far away or have her swords come back to her.
Having been part of Debauchery Tea Party, one of the most powerful guilds before disbanding, it only makes sense that Nyanta is a strong fighter. As a Swashbuckler, Nyanta uses two rapiers in combat and can do about nine strikes in two seconds. His strikes aren’t meant to be powerful but to weaken his opponents’ stats. The more he strikes, the weaker they become. Because he’s able to strike faster, he’s able to execute more combos than anyone else.
It’s thanks to this speed that he’s able to weaken his opponents to the point they can’t fight anymore. If this doesn’t make him sound like a fearsome opponent, he has an attack that interrupts anybody trying to cast spells. Nyanta might have the most strength, but he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve that make him a formidable fighter.
Soshiro is the vice-captain of the Third Division and is known throughout the whole Defense Force for his swordsmanship. Though he struggles against larger kaiju, Soshiro is the best when it comes to killing small to mid-sized kaiju. Not even Gen Narumi, who is the best in the Force, is as proficient as Soshiro. Soichiro, Soshiro’s brother and captain of the Sixth Division, has said that Soshiro is the best warrior their family has ever produced. This shows his strength since the Hoshina Family has been fighting kaiju for generations.
His attacks are swift and very precise. Sometimes his enemies don’t know when they’ve been hit. Even in the middle of a fight, Soshiro can create new forms of fighting depending on what he’s up against.
Beingthe student council presidentsince middle school, it’s only fitting that Claudia has very powerful weapons by her side. Pan-Dora gives her the ability to see up to 300 seconds into the future. While this is a great ability to have, it comes at the cost of Claudia having nightmares of her experiencing a different death every time she sleeps. Despite this, Claudia still refers to Pan-Dora as her “little darling” and is the only student to ever use the weapon.
Claudia effortlessly wields these swords in combat with great confidence and skill. Being the second top-ranking fighter in the academy, very few can defeat her in battle and her skill is said to be equal to Ayato, the number one top-ranking student.
More often than not,dual-wielding anime charactersprefer to stick to light weapons designed to promote speed and dexterity. Fortunately,Ranma ½is not like most other shows, soShampoo shows upto kill the gender-swapping protagonist with a pair of massive maces. She swings them around with reckless abandon, proving herself to be a powerhouse who could squash most martial artists without breaking a sweat.
Shampoo does not always rely on her weapons to get the job done, but she does generally prefer to have them by her side whenever she either wants to kill Ranma or sets her sights on one of his other love interests. Like all of this show’s characters, Shampoo is a violent delight.
Kohaku is a girl that excels in using her speed in combat so she needs weapons that won’t slow her down. These primitive-looking knives are perfect for her, and Kohaku is very skilled at using them. What she lacks in strength and technique,she makes up for with quick reflexesand great combat instincts.
Despite not having any formal training in using her knives, Kohaku can perform a lot of quick strikes when attacking. Anyone who fights against her will either have to be stronger, smarter, or quicker to win.
Asumawas a well-known shinobiwhen he was alive, and it’s easy to see why. Not only was he observant of those around him, but he was a capable fighter with his chakra blades. He would infuse custom-made trench knives with his chakra, and this made his close-range combat all the more lethal. With these blades, he could cut through just about anything from wood to rocks and even metal.
Thanks to his skill with these blades, Asuma was one of the best fighters in close combat. Plus, he could also extend the blades several feet with his chakra and force his enemies to dodge his attacks even if they weren’t close to him.
Sally is a girl who is quick on her feet and needs weapons that won’t slow her down. Thankfully, she has two unique daggers to help her out. She can slash through enemies quickly and has taken out several players or NPCs with little issue. Her daggers give a boost to her strength, dexterity, and intelligence.
She might not have the highest strength, defense, and HP, but Sally knows her strengths and weaknesses. She knows how towork well with her guildand her methods of doing things can be just as unorthodox as Maple’s.
Another anime set in a game,Shangri-La Frontierfollows Rakuro, a highly-talented gamer who is used to playing broken titles. However, he decided to take his expertise into agod game named Shangri-La Frontier, where he fairly quickly powers up and even ends up unlocking a rare quest. Now, Rakuro uses quite a few different weapons throughout his time inShangri-La Frontier, and he is constantly looking to upgrade to something new. Except for a few early items that were discarded quickly, the protagonist mostly uses dual weapons, be they daggers, blades, or swords.
Shangri-La Frontieris filled to the brim with fantastic action sequences that are specifically designed to allow Rakurou to showcase his fast-paced fighting style that caters to dual weapons. Although taking creative liberties, the anime tries to present a somewhat realistic take on an MMORPG, including pushing Rakurou to maximize his skills and strategies.
Having not received the same Blue Flames as his brother Rin, Yukio was trained at a young age to become an exorcist to protect him. He trained tobecome a Doctor and a Dragoon,becoming the youngest student to pass the exam at thirteen years old. With Dragoon being his offensive Meister, Yukio dual-wields handguns for mid and long-range combat.
Thanks to his flame resistance, Yukio can use guns and ammunition that would harm most wielders because of their magical properties. If that doesn’t make him sound deadly, he can keep up with those who specialize in close-range combat like Shura Kirigakure, who is known as a great swordswoman.
