Anime swordsmen are always some of the most popular characters, as seeing someone who has gone through extensive training and practice to hone their skills and bring their techniques to perfection is not only impressive but also inspiring. Often wielding nothing but a sword, these characters can take on any challenge. No matter how intimidating their foes may seem, they rarely refuse a chance to practice.

Even in the realm of sword fighting, there are plenty of different fighting styles and techniques that can be employed. Some swordsmen may prefer to focus on quick and unexpected strikes, while others may wield oversized swords and overpower their enemies through raw strength. Whether they use a single sword or multiple, great swordsmen know how to adapt to any situation and overcome any obstacle. This list presents anime swordsmen not based on their raw destructive power but on their actual skills in wielding their weapon.

20 Afro Samurai

Series: Afro Samurai

Afro Samurai's titular hero tis an incredibly skilled swordsman--in fact, he currently possesses the "Number Two" headband, an object which signifies him as the second-strongest fighter on the planet. His goal is simply to kill the holder of the Number One headband, a man named Justice who killed Afro's father when he was a boy. Afro's movements are insanely fast, and he's extremely deadly with a blade, showing no mercy to anyone who should challenge him, and that Number Two headband draws in a lot of opponents with their own agendas.

Afro Samurai has some ridiculous deeds to his name, splitting bullets with his sword and even deflecting laser beams. He even defeats a robot made to match his abilities, proving his reflexes are even faster than a machine.

19 Vicious

Series: Cowboy Bebop

Vicious is unusual in that he's a swordsman in a world that's otherwise ruled by guns and futuristic weaponry. It's a sign of his "vicious" nature that he prefers such an old-fashioned weapon, but that doesn't mean one should underestimate him just because they have a gun. Vicious goes head-to-head with Spike wielding a pistol and wins, sending Spike through a stained-glass window. Vicious' sword skills are certainly unrivaled within his setting, and he's earned enough respect that the entire Red Dragon Syndicate is willing to follow him after his coup.

Vicious is so confident in his swordsmanship that he doesn't even carry a gun to fall back on, although he certainly knows how to use one. Of course, this might be because Vicious often surrounds himself with armed bodyguards as well--he's no fool.

18 Kenshin Himura

Series: Rurouni Kenshin

Rurouni Kenshin's titular protagonist is Kenshin Himura, known for being a legendary hitokiri, an elite assassin who often killed others under orders from the government. His swordsmanship is legendary and unrivaled, with his skills playing a vital role in the revolution that brought the end of the war and made way for the Meiji era. Not only are his strikes so precise that he can cut neatly enough for sliced objects to be reattached, but he is also faster than most humans can see, using his agility to run across walls, jump off terrain, and strike enemies before they even notice.

17 Goemon Ishikawa

Series: Lupin III

Goemon Ishikawa XIII is a friend of Lupin and a direct descendant of the Japanese folk hero Goemon Ishikawa. Goemon's skills with a blade are second to none; he regularly uses his sword to deflect bullets, and can attack his opponents so fast that they often won't even realize they've been cut. Goemon's sword is insanely sharp, able to split anything it touches in two with even the lightest stroke of the blade--and that includes, at times, his opponent's own sword.

Despite this incredible weapon and his peerless skills, Goemon rarely uses his abilities to kill, instead preferring to disarm, debilitate, and even embarrass his enemies, usually as part of one of Lupin's schemes. It's rare that any fellow swordsmen can stand against Goemon even for a few minutes before meeting their demise.

16 Mugen

Series: Samurai Champloo

Samurai Champloo's central swordsmen are Mugen and Jin, who act as Fuu's bodyguards during her search for the "Sunflower Samurai". There is no clear winner between them, with Jin being the technical one, who learned kenjutsu in a dojo, and Mugen being the reckless one, fighting in a rather erratic manner and relying on his instincts. Still, Mugen's unpredictable fighting style tends to translate into him being more of a threat in actual fights. Not only is it difficult for his enemies to predict and counter his moves, but he is also shown to be a quick learner, constantly copying his enemies' moves and evolving.

15 Guts

Series: Berserk

Berserk's Guts, also known as the "Black Swordsman" has polished his skills in no small part due to necessity. Having to become a child mercenary to survive, he has wielded oversized swords his entire life, resulting in him becoming extremely strong and a true master of the blade. In spite of his stature, he is also surprisingly nimble and agile, easily dodging even the fastest of strikes. While he may not be a particularly strategic fighter, his talent for combat is unrivaled, being able to adapt to any situation. Moreover, Guts has essentially developed his skills by constantly fighting against supernatural opponents that sur him in almost every aspect.

14 Sakata Gintoki

Series: Gintama

With Gintama being a comedy title above all, often incorporating gag humor and parodying pop culture, it may be easy to forget just how strong Sakata Gintoki is supposed to be. As a renowned fighter of the Joui war, Gintoki gained the "Shiroyasha" nickname, being compared to an unstoppable demon. Despite being shown to possess incredible strength and speed, as well as a mastery over various types of weapons, he doesn't rely on his brute strength; instead, he uses his combat experience and intuition to quickly strategize and adapt to the situation, sometimes even tricking his enemies if it nets him a quicker victory.

13 Jean Pierre Polnareff

Series: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Jean Pierre Polnareff is one of the main characters of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders. After being freed from DIO's brainwashing, Polnareff s Jotaro's group in the hopes of finding the Stand who killed his sister, but even after dealing with him, he stays with the group to help them defeat DIO and save Holly Joestar and the world, in general.

While Polnareff, himself, doesn't use a sword, his Stand, Silver Chariot, manifests as a robotic knight wielding a rapier. Silver Chariot is one of the fastest Stands in all of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and can overwhelm nearly any opponent thanks to that, resulting in many of Polnareff's fights ending with his opponents skewered with countless holes they were powerless to defend against. Silver Chariot's speed more than makes up for its lack of power, and even now, there are few Stands that can measure up to it.

12 Hinata Sakaguchi

Series: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Hinata Sakaguchi is what's known as an "Otherworlder," a person from the real world who was summoned to the world of Slime to act as a hero. She leads a group known as the Ten Great Saints, the Lubelius Empire's strongest warriors. She's actually ascended beyond being an ordinary human into a "Divine Human," granting her godly powers. She has inherited over 2,000 years of battle experience, giving her some truly impressive skill. Her sword, Phantom Pain, was enhanced by Rimuru's blacksmith, giving it the ability to destroy even a being's soul with its seventh strike.

Hinata possesses a number of other skills as well, including the ability to transform herself when in possession of certain equipment, allowing her to grow wings of light. In her fights with Rimuru, she has outmaneuvered him in swordsmanship on every occasion, even if Rimuru's other powers may let him escape.

11 Yoriichi Tsugikuni

Series: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

As a major recurring character in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Yoriichi Tsugikuni is widely regarded as the strongest Demon Slayer to have ever existed, and for good reason. Firstly, he is the inventor of the powerful Breathing Styles practiced by Demon Slayer Corps, creating the style that even the protagonist Tanjiro Kamado uses.

However, even without this ability, his swordsmanship is still considered to be virtually unparalleled; he overwhelmed much more experienced foes from the very first time he picked up a sword as a child, and continued to perform miraculous feats ever since, such as employing a variety of techniques to effortlessly overpower even the Demon King.