The sword
Kusanagiis a legendary Japanese sword as important to Japan's history as Excalibur is to Britain's, and is one of three Imperial Regalia of Japan. It was originally called but its name was later changed to the more popular Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi .-Legends:The history of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi extends into...
's high profile has made it popular, and it appears in various works of fiction. Its appearance frequently signals the nearing of an end of the storyline, but not always. Unlike Excalibur, it is rare for characters to actually use Kusanagi in a combat since it is a ceremonial weapon. Instead, its magical properties are stressed. Because it is a Japanese weapon, it is sometimes misrepresented as a katana.
- The protagonist of the King of Fighters series, whose story is loosely based on the Yamata no Orochi mythos, is called Kyo Kusanagi
is one of the main characters in SNK Playmore's The King of Fighters video game series; he was first introduced in The King of Fighters '94 as the leader of the Japan team. He is one of the iconic characters of the series and regularly appears on publicity material and merchandise. His name and...
, and he is one of the descendants of the three clans responsible to seal Orochi 1800 years before.
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The sword
Kusanagiis a legendary Japanese sword as important to Japan's history as Excalibur is to Britain's, and is one of three Imperial Regalia of Japan. It was originally called but its name was later changed to the more popular Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi .-Legends:The history of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi extends into...
's high profile has made it popular, and it appears in various works of fiction. Its appearance frequently signals the nearing of an end of the storyline, but not always. Unlike Excalibur, it is rare for characters to actually use Kusanagi in a combat since it is a ceremonial weapon. Instead, its magical properties are stressed. Because it is a Japanese weapon, it is sometimes misrepresented as a katana.
- The protagonist of the King of Fighters series, whose story is loosely based on the Yamata no Orochi mythos, is called Kyo Kusanagi
is one of the main characters in SNK Playmore's The King of Fighters video game series; he was first introduced in The King of Fighters '94 as the leader of the Japan team. He is one of the iconic characters of the series and regularly appears on publicity material and merchandise. His name and...
, and he is one of the descendants of the three clans responsible to seal Orochi 1800 years before. While his clan guards the namesake sword, the Mirror of Yata is in possession of Chizuru Kagura and the Magatama of Yasakani belongs to the Yagami family (which, currently, seems to be reduced to Ioriis a character from the SNK Playmore's The King of Fighters video game series that first appeared in The King of Fighters '95 as the leader of the Rivals Team. He is an iconic character of the series, and regularly appears on publicity material and merchandise. Iori is a central character to the...
only, due to the accursed blood pact made by them with Orochi himself, by which men would die young and women would die when giving birth).
- In the popular anime/manga series One Piece
is a long-running shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, that has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997. The individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997 and the 55th volume released...
, one of the three admirals of the world government Kizaru uses an attack named Ama no Murakumo. It references the original name "Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi" or "Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven" in which the attack is a blade of light.
- In the popular Japanese manga Naruto
is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage, the ninja in his village that is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
, a villain named Orochimaruis a fictional character from the Naruto universe created by Masashi Kishimoto and developed into a media franchise, which consists of a series of manga, anime, soundtracks, OVAs, movies, video games, and other collectibles...
is able to procure the Kusanagi sword from a snake that comes out of his mouth. This is befitting of him both because it references the Yamata-no-Orochi and because an alternate translation of "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi" is "Sword of the Snake". Orochimaru himself uses many ninjutsu revolving around snakes.
- In the Anime Blue Seed
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yuzo Takada. It was animated for broadcast on TV Tokyo in 1994.The story is based on the Izumo cycle of Japanese mythology and the tale of the god Susanoo and the eight-headed monster Yamata no Orochi. The main character, Momiji Fujimiya, is a...
the main protagonist is named Kusanagi and was given his powers from a giant eight headed dragon. This series also contains the character Susano-o as one of the main antagonist. There however is no mention of the actual sword itself, rather it regards the main character Kusanagi as a Hero metaphorically symbolizing the sword itself, as he has the ability to turn a snake like green and has serpent eyes.
- In Ōkami
is an action-adventure video game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom. It was released for Sony's PlayStation 2 video game console in 2006 in Japan and North America, and 2007 in Europe and Australia...
, a game for the Playstation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. The PS2 console is the sequel to the original PlayStation console. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation series of video game...
and WiiThe is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both...
systems, the Kusanagi is represented as a jade-edged glaive obtained upon defeating Ninetails. In the same game, there is a character named Susano who slays the eight-headed snake Orochi with the help of the protagonist. However, the sword he uses is the wooden sword that he carries around, not the Kusanagi. Also, the sword obtained from the first slaying of Orochi in game is Tsumugari, one of the legendary swords of Japan. The Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi (known in the English version as Thunder Edge) is acquired after defeating True Orochi, echoing the original legend.
- In the Nintendo GameCube game Tales of Symphonia
is a video game first released for the Nintendo GameCube and later for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. It debuted in Japan on August 29, 2003, in Canada and the United States on July 13, 2004, and in Europe on November 19, 2004. The game received a Japanese-only PlayStation 2 release on September 22,...
, each successive defeat of a Sword Dancer is awarded with the Yata Mirror, Yasakani Jewel, and Kusanagi Blade.
- Stan Sakai
is a third-generation Japanese American, Eisner Award-winning comic book creator.Born in Kyoto, Japan, Sakai grew up in Hawaii and studied fine arts at the University of Hawaii. He later attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California...
's comic book series Usagi Yojimbois a comic book series created by Stan Sakai in 1984.-Concept:Set primarily at the beginning of Edo period of Japan , with anthropomorphic animals replacing humans, it features a rabbit ronin, Miyamoto Usagi, who is partially based on the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi...
includes a volume entitled Grasscutter that is heavily influenced by the Kusanagi no Tsurugi legend.
- In Kyuden, a novel by Jonathan Holburt, a man called Scott tries to steal the three sacred items (see Imperial Regalia of Japan
The , also known as the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, consist of the sword Kusanagi , the mirror Yata no kagami , and the jewel Yasakani no magatama...
) to help a man become the rightful emperor.
- In the novel The Sword That Cut the Burning Grass by Dorthy and Thomas Hoobler, Kusanagi is stolen from the boy emperor, but it cannot be used by anyone not chosen by Amaterasu
, or is, in Japanese mythology, a sun goddess and one of the principal Shinto . Her name, Amaterasu, means literally " illuminates Heaven"...
.
- The main character of the Ghost in the Shell
is a Japanese multimedia franchise composed of manga, animated films, anime series, video games and novels. It focuses on the activities of the fictional counter-terrorist organization Public Security Section 9 in a futuristic, cyberpunk Japan....
franchise, Major Motoko Kusanagiis a fictional Japanese character in the Ghost in the Shell anime and manga series. She is a cyborg employed as the squad leader of Public Security Section 9, a fictional division of the real Japanese National Public Safety Commission. She is voiced by Atsuko Tanaka in the movies and the Ghost in...
, takes her last name from the legendary sword.
- Uesugi Kenshin
was a daimyo who ruled Echigo province in the Sengoku period of Japan.He was one of the many powerful lords of the Sengoku period. He is famed for his prowess on the battlefield, the legendary rivalry with Takeda Shingen, his military expertise, strategy and his belief in the god of war —...
's final weapon in the first installment of the Samurai WarriorsSamurai Warriors is the first title in the series of video games created by Koei's Omega Force team based loosely around the Sengoku period of Japanese history and it is a spinoff of the Dynasty Warriors series...
games is in the English version, and in the Japanese version Ama no Murakumo.
- In the game Kessen III
is a PlayStation 2 video-game produced by Koei and is based on the life of Oda Nobunaga.-Historical background:The game's time frame is roughly between the years 1560 to 1590...
, it is used as Oda Nobunaga was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo with land holdings in Owari province. Nobunaga lived a life of continuous military conquest, eventually conquering a third of Japanese daimyo before his death in 1582...
's strongest weapon
- In the InuYasha
, full title , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It premiered in Weekly Shōnen Sunday on November 13, 1996 and concluded on June 18, 2008...
movie Swords of an Honorable Ruler, Sounga is thought to be Kusanagi till Sota points out the words are read Sounga and not Kusanagi.
- In the Scion role playing game, the Kusanagi is wielded by Yukiko Kuromizu, the demigod daughter of Susanno-o
- In the anime Kannazuki no Miko
is a manga series created by the duo Kaishaku. The series was serialized in fourteen chapters by Kadokawa Shoten and in Shōnen Ace in 2004 and 2005, and collected in two bound volumes. The series was adapted as an anime television series broadcast in 12 episodes on TNK between October and December...
, Himeko Kurusugawa and Chikane Himemiya have the use of a large mecha named Ame no Murakamo.
- In the anime Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora
is the title of a Japanese manga created by Kaishaku which was first serialized in the Japanese shōnen manga magazine Monthly Dragon Age in May 2006. An anime adapted from the manga aired in Japan between January 5 and March 23, 2007; it contained twelve episodes...
, the character Kaon is known also known as the sword of Murakamo. This is a nod to the legendary sword itself and the character Chikane Himemiya from Kannazuki No Miko, who Kaon is thought to be a reincarnation of.
- Monica, from Dark Chronicle
Dark Chronicle is a console role-playing game developed by Level-5 and released by Sony Computer Entertainment on November 28, 2002 in Japan, February 17, 2003 in North America, September 10, 2003 in Europe and September 12, 2003 in the United Kingdom...
or Dark Cloud 2, can use a weapon called Amano Murakumo.
- Was a Izumo class Warship in the Gundam SEED Cosmic Era. First Shown in episode 40 in gundam seed. It carried the surviving orb mobile suit forces from moegenrate into space to stop the war between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance. Then in Gundam SEED Destiny, The Kusanagi rose again with three other Izumo Class warships to fight again alongside the Eternal and Archangel.
- In Final Fantasy XII
is a single-player console role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series...
Ame-no-Murakumo is a Katana which may be acquired by the player.
- In World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is the second expansion set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft, following The Burning Crusade. It adds a substantial amount of content to the game world, including the continent of Northrend, home of the titular Lich...
, the sword named Grasscutter can be obtained by turning in 50 Emblems of Heroism. The sword has the flavor text "Imperial Sword".
- In Thor: Blood Oath
Thor: Blood Oath was a comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics in 2005 to 2006 starring Thor and the Warriors Three. It is set in Thor's early years after Journey Into Mystery Annual #1 but before Journey Into Mystery #125-Synopsis:...
the Grasscutter sword was one of several items ThorThor has appeared as a character in various comics over the years, appearing in series from a range of publishers.-Marvel Comics:Thor is a Marvel Comics superhero, based on the thunder god of Norse mythology...
and the Warriors ThreeThe Warriors Three are a group of fictional characters who served as supporting cast members in Thor published by Marvel Comics. The Warriors Three is made up of the Asgardians Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg...
had to gather on their quest.
- In the movie Pink Panther 2 the Kusanagi or "Imperial Sword" is stolen by the main villain of the movie
- The Kusanagi also appeared in the Video Game and Anime Sakura Taisen as it was used to seal the Demons in the First Demon War
- in the Comic series Usagi Yojimbo
is a comic book series created by Stan Sakai in 1984.-Concept:Set primarily at the beginning of Edo period of Japan , with anthropomorphic animals replacing humans, it features a rabbit ronin, Miyamoto Usagi, who is partially based on the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi...
Kusanagi is featured as a key element in some of the stories of the series. starting out with Miyamtoto Usagi finding the sword in the seashore. though Usagi didn't realize the sword is Kusangi until he finds himself frequently attacked my assassins and samurai trying to take it from him.