What about the dude from record of Ragnarok? He's fighting the sword god right now? And also the guy who killed poseidon? Musashi gave his props to him being a better swordsman.
Once you factor in that Breathing Techniques in Demon Slayer don't actually have magical effects and is just swordplay, it's hard to argue against Yoriichi.
Yeah, by the criteria laid out here, Yoriichi is by far the most skilled. No other swordsman/woman in the video was undefeated and able to send the main antagonist into a panic attack just by having memories of an encounter vs them.
Ye she has experience but he looking for the best swordsman skills in their verse so he would probably pick someone else over unohana. And bleach is just straight hax not rlly alot of straight sword clashing
In that case you go Zaraki, I know most people will say he's just brute strength no skill. But his combat ability at the end of bleach is unmatched if you're talking about pure sword play.
It’s funny how some will get down to the differences between Kèndō & Kènjūtsū while others are upset “but what about this character who is the ultimate in shonen power system blade attacks?!” which I guess in Bleach’s case would be Zánjūtsū… But the reason she’s called Yáchīrū is the innumerable sword techniques of countless forms of whichever combinations of whichever types of techniques with swords which she was capable of… & we can argue there were No REAL Kènpáchí candidates between herself & Zàrákí in the last arc… Ūnōhánà Rètsū is terrifying since she can make characters run by just Having her blade and speaking calmly… & only some people Know who she really is, or whatever caricature created from people not seeing her do more than turn her blade into a big ray creature which does complex kaîdō techniques to save Crowds at a time… & she always refrains from Actual Combat with the blade, only using kídō mostly… I was stoked when we got more info on her as Kènpáchí & a legendary killer who seems to have given up on killing people by blade for reasons we can only speculate on… I do wonder if her shíkaî was different before her kaîdō training & choice to move from squad 11 to squad 4… but Mínàzūkí (All things End) was such an epic wordplay for a Bánkaî… & I love that we get to see the basic Kènjūtsū emerging in that fight… It’s a Top Swordsman thing for me as a fan of Bleach… Probably my number one in Bleach characters to be rated on sword skill… (I’m blanking on if it means 800 or 8000 styles… & remembering Lt. Yáchīrū apologising for never getting beyond a Few Hundred sword styles therefore not living up to the name they were given… - I mean there is Weight to the name & the carrying of it… just like the title Kènpáchí… fits that he’d name his own inner spirit after the scariest lady he ever fought because she’s an internal goal for him… though in that note I wish we got more of Sánpō Kènjū… ) Now I’m just rambling cause medicines… do excuse… But Unohana is definitely the Bleach character that should’ve been counted… cause of Actual Kènjūtsū prowess! Still want more flashback stories for the gōtéī at the start with the version of her that brutally slices everybody to whatever levels which upset whichever fancy royalty folks etc. Hehehe I just want cool sword fight stuff in my mangas & anime with epic swordmasters! Can’t just be me, right?! : D
That is legitimately a crime. He’s one of the best and literally never took a single L his whole life. The mere thought of him terrified the demon lord.
@@akuokami1677he said this video is purely about sword skill and that pure power wasn’t gonna be factored in. If this was based solely on power then Saber Artoria would’ve been no. 1
Side note on Erza, most of her stuff doesn't exist in a pocket dimension but actual rooms in the fairy tail boarding house, and her telekinesis isn't her ability but rather the ability of the Heaven's wheel armor which can summon and fire off swords.
I'd throw in Assassin from Fate/Stay UBW as an honorable mention next to Saber. He didn't even have a Phantasm, his trump card was just a sword technique he practiced for years which almost took out Saber with.
@@joanjorge566 no it isnt, he doesnt have an actual phantasm, and that Sasaki isnt Even Sasaki the same way that musashi (female) isnt the actual musashi, Tsubame gaeshi is a martial technique that can rival phantasm and is close to the concept of true Magic but is neither of those in reality
Kinda hate how in the One Piece anime Zoros slashes are often treated as blunt or explosive. He sends a slash across a room then the back wall explodes. I prefer it when it’s a clean slash and objects just slide apart.
They were blunt and explosive in the early parts of one piece, overtime zoro strikes kept getting more and more precise which the anime started to show but he can do all three.
so true, it would be have been soo much better if instead of all the random explosions and black/red flames; which you cant even tell if its advanced armament or advanced conqueror's haki, and would be better if the fights were simple and showed more of there sword skill instead of all haki (haki is still cool ngl but, too many effects n' visuals just ruin the point of a sword duel)
Ik what you mean but we do also get moments like zoro vs pika, zoro vs Mr.1, zoro cutting kaido, zoro cutting the horn of onigashima. I feel like sometimes he’s just using his swords as conduits to send out haki slashes for crowd control and sometimes he’s really focusing on cutting power and technique when facing 1 strong opponent.
I mean, I feel like that's accurate to how swords work. If you don't cut with the blade, then all you're doing is throwing a shockwave, which is blunt and explosive by nature
so glad someone else feels the same way. i hate the “my sword attack is so strong that it becomes a projectile attack” trope that we sometimes see in anime. i also prefer a clean slash
Kojiro Sasaki from Fate Stay/Night (Assassin class servant summoned by Caster/Madea) is also mad underrated thanks to the strength of his myth/legend as a swordsman
I respect their opinion, but personally I think the cold Hearted but gentle characters are the coolest and normally have the best drip and a lot of them happen to be sword fighters but not all of them characters like spike or benimaru idk how to categorize them besides just a chill character like zoro Mihawk urahara, shinji, aizen, Afro, gioemi
11:10 I would say the Kojiro is above Artoria. Artoria is helped by the rest of her kit (like Mana Burst, Invisible Air, and at her best Avalon)(Also, Excalibur can't turn invisible, that's actually done through the usage of Invisible Air, a different Noble Phantasm/tool). Meanwhile Kojiro just has his sword and his skill with his sword and pretty much nothing else. A mastery so great in fact he was able to create a technique that boarded on true magic (which is effectively another term for miracles) allowing him to bend his swordplay through space-time to create an near-unblockable and completely undodgeable attack, one that Artoria was barely able to block only be unleashing everything she had at the time. The only reason Artoria ended up defeating Kojiro is cause Kojiro's sword was only a normal blade instead of a Noble Phantasm (which meant that it bent when it was clashing with Excalibur which created a small opening in his ultimate attack that Artoria was able to exploit) Also, Artoria herself stated that Kojiro was the superior with a sword. Also, this is just if we use the anime of fate instead of the wider fate/type-moon franchise where another contender would be Mushashi (who beat a stronger version of Kojiro than the one Artoria fought) and a contender for most powerful would be Void Shiki (who can kill anything, even inanimate objects and potentially even concepts)
Even though i like Saber a lot, i definitely agree on your point. Her biggest strength with a sword (or rather with Excalibur mostly) is just raw mana output. F/Z also shows her being pretty decent at strategizing (as seen in her first fight against Diarmuid), but Kojirou definitely has nothing else going on except his sword-skills, no "hacks" nor magical sword. However i'd still give the spot for the best swordsman in Fate to Lancelot, hands down. Artoria might be called the "King of Knights" (which qualifies her being a king ruling over strong knights, not nescessarily being a skilled knight herself), but Lancelot is just the most skilled Swordsman who ever lived. He defeated multiple opponents with an elm branch because of his fundamental and flawless understanding of weapons (knight of owner and eternal martial arts), captured a whole castle on his own, defeating every single knight one after the other in duels (dolorous gard), and finally beat literally every single knight of the round table, including Gawain, who he fought during noon, when he stalemated him until his defeat in the afternoon/evening. Not to mention he wields Arondight, being of the same caliber as Excalibur. As a fun fact, the best fight Lancelot ever had was in a tournament against Sir Dinadan, in short he dressed as a princess, defeated Dinadan on horseback while being on foot himself and then carried him around the whole event while still dressed as a princess. Definitely check that out for more details if you're interested.
@@andreas_rrthe only thing wrong here is wat u said bout arondite. It’s not on par with Excalibur as Excalibur is the strongest holy sword if anything that’s above it is artoria other sword marmyados the one that castoria uses
@@amari7782 it's called Excalibur's sister sword and equally originates from the lady of the lake. It might not be as flashy, but it is still very comparable in the end. It's a divine construct, will cut through anything just as good, even killed a dragon and boosting all stats by one rank is also pretty huge. And then again Arondight overload is undoubtedly more effective against a single target than Artorias "laser beam" NP. To quote the Fandom: "It was given only to someone who could be exalted as the "perfect knight", the strongest, bravest and truest knight of an era, which signifies the unrivaled Lancelot out of all those who sat at the Round Table of Camelot."
You may remember, but at that point I would have already cut you to pieces Yea love this show, shichika yasuri is awesome and show has one of my favorite scores
a good honorable mention is def Shadow from the eminence in shadow. yeah he has magic, but he only uses magic when his sword is not enough, or wants to be flashy.
erza's sword magic is likely a reference to Haru Glory, the protagonist of Groove Adventure Rave, which was a manga that Fairy Tail author made when he was in higschool/college. Haru had a sword called Ten Commandments which could transform into 10 different forms with different abilites, however, Haru had to unlock them one by one over time instead of immediatelly getting them in the begining
You should read Record of Ragnarok. Sasaki Kojiro, Susanoo and Okita Souji are some of the greatest swordsmen in those recent years. Seriously, Susanoo is called the god of sword himself and trust me he deserves that title. There is also Mr Takamura from Sakamoto Days. I won't spoil but that old man did a thing so insane that he might be the best swordsman in the new gen anime and he doesn't even have powers. Atomic Samourai from One Punch Man definitely deserved a spot there. Mifune from a Soul Eater too. He is able to contend with all those meisters and their weapons with just regular ass swords.
Hi. Rurouni Kenshin fan here. Just want to say real fast that Kenshin doesn't use two swords. I think you mean his sheath. One of Kenshin's more famous attacks involves using the scabbard of his sword as a surprise attack, breaking the arm of his opponent who would think to exploit an opening. Kenshin's speed is also said to be "Godlike" at base and "Beyond Godlike" when using his ultimate attack. Not to mention, every attack in the Hiten Mitsurugi style is designed to be a one shot kill. Especially the Kuzu Ryu Sen which attacks 9 points at once, making it impossible to block. That said, I would agree that he wouldn't be the best swordsman in anime. Hell I'm just happy Kenshin makes the list.
Nick this was a very solid list. I kind of surprised you didn’t add anyone from the Demon Slayer universe even just in the honorable mention slot. Or even Hiei from YYH lol.
@@snowmanii man laugh my ass off you guys are annoying every time when somebody reply you guys keep replying and dropping like flies can't just go away holy shit
@newt2120 no ite not...while animated its not an anime it's a cartoon just avatar the last air bender isn't a anime...heavily anime inspired but not an anime
That’s a terrible argument, Kenpachi has no sword skill whatsoever. He literally overwhelms people because his sword will cut through anything and his battle instincts will keep him in the fight alone. None of this is actually swordsmanship and it was actually stated that he’s forbidden from learning swordmanship so him being top 10 on this list is dumb.
If it's raw swords skills, then Afro samurai is definitely top 10. As much as I like Mihawk, he shouldn't be no 1. despite being the best in swordsmen in one piece, we haven't seen much from him in terms of raw sword skills. He's only had about 2 fights in the entire series. Everything else has just been a display of his haki/power. Considering that they're humans fighting super powered demons, with raw sword skills I'm surprised there's no one from demon slayer mentioned
Fr, Yoriichi should’ve been placed on here somewhere. Even without selfless state, transparent world and the mark he’s still an extremely gifted swordsman. Especially considering the fact that breathing techniques are just sword techniques and he created multiple
Absolutely correct. Her main issue in Zero was not a lack of power, it was that Kiritsugu was brought up to distrust mages and magic (and by extension her) and so he didn't really use her much, other than to occasionally be a distraction while he went after the other mages.
I've been watching anime for many many years and theres 1 i would add is Jubei from ninja scrolls undoubtedly could hang with anyone on this list and hes a regular human.
Fun list. I think there's an argument that could be made about Samurai Champloo though. Like if it was a best of 10, do we really think Mugen or Jin would beat Kariya more than he beats them? I feel not. He was manhandling them 90% of the time and only lost to a surprise potential sacrifice play Jin made. Mugen definitely looks the coolest fighting though
@@minato4203 Yeah I was stating best of 10. Realistically, Jin only got a win because of that surprise sacrificial technique where he still could have died himself. Also, it looked like Kariya was mostly having fun and he's not in his prime lol. Imagine in his prime? Would be pretty insane
@@chocolatetobi I agree I was just joking around cuz he ends up dying and Jin should have died too. *cough* “plot armor” *cough* I would say Jin is better than Mugen though.
I love this list. I still put Kenshin at #1. He uses a sword that doesnt cut to beat his opponents. I believe that speaks to his level of sword mastery.
theres 2 people im surprised arent on here Captain Unohana from bleach who clowns on Kenpachi Zaraki just with how good of a swordsman she is Hakurou from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime who was the sensei to almost anyone whos considered a master class swordsman
In a world of magic and powers, Kenpachi is a monster on to his own. Compared to everyone he fights and all the different techniques used against him, at the end of the day hes just a sword swinging bad ass.
I was hesitant when you put my boy, Kenshin, at 3, but you chose the only two swordsmen I was willing to take as acceptable choices lol. Great video and I'm glad that I'm not the only one who appreciates Kenshin even tho he's he's not the most powerful character ever.
In naruto i dont think killer bee is the strongest swordsman i want to say its the farger of kakashi who has the title of whitefang due to his swordmanship. Also why was there no atomic samurai in this list i might not like the guy but gotta admit he has amazing swordsmanship
If we are discussing feats-to-placement ratio, I think it goes without mentioning that Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu final technique "Amakakeru-Ryu no Hirameki" operates at a functional sub- to trans-lightspeed level of literal m/s that visually distorts the local area between the user and the target, creating an ocular fish-eye effect that illustrates, again to reiterate, their nigh incomprehensible movement ability mimicking the wavelengths of photon migration. It sounds silly, but it's a multi-colored expanding spherical fish-eye effect that collapses back in on itself as the technique finishes in a singular slash that almost reaches lightspeed, terminating upon itself and likely finishing off the target without need for repeat engagement; a supposed "ultimate" technique.
I feel like if Ryuko Matoi was allowed an honorable mention slot, then Kenpachi Zaraki absolutely should have been on the list. We're talking about a Soul Reaper who never uses kido and puts raw strength on such a high pedestal that his own squad members actively disdain when they need to use magic or bankai in combat. He killed and succeed the previous greatest swordsman, officially earning his title AND was so dangerous with a sword that they had to put a stop to him learning any more kenjutsu out of fear that he would become unstable if he chose to revolt. They didn't fear a squad, they feared the one man. He's tanked drowning, explosions, being in space itself, and CASUALLY cut down a meteor without knowing what the heck it was. As he said himself, there's nothing he can't cut......except Yhwach....
For kenpachi it's not his skill, it's his raw unfathomable power that makes him impressive, I think he falls well into the "strongest" category, but his style even when using technique is more emphasis on basic overhead power strikes rather than out-skilling his opponents, so I'm not sure he should fall into the "best" category
One of things you forgot to take into account when talking about the greatest swordsman is experience, and with characters like saber and Kirito in the light novels who have thousands of years of experience with a sword would rank much higher.
Personally I think that in the soul eater/fire force universe the best swordsman is Mifune, that guy without a Demon weapon, magic or really being into the power system in his verse can match Sid wielding a Death Scythe, Black Star and Tsubaki with Uncanny blade, and many other strong characters. Dude is amazing Arthur is very strong and is undeniably a good swordsman but if we are talking just skill with swords Mifune is that verse's goat
I feel ya I thought black star at first then I though mifune but I still think author because on top of his feats In fire force he was so skilled and powerful he created excabiler a sword that past through the creation of a new universe and is so powerful that the weakest student in death mister academy from just wielding it beat the strongest including backstar death the kid and some other guy by himself I feel like that should be accounted for
@@goldenblack1681 Blackstar is pretty great at using a sword but to call him just a swordsman would be a disservice to both Tsubaki's versatility on the weapons she can transform into and to his strenght as a brawler as well as using the shuriken, kusarigama, etc.. forms of Tsubaki If we are talking pure swords, no magic, no soul ressonance and no special powers Mifune is the Goat
I'm frankly a little shocked no one from Bleach made an appearance. Like Genryusai literally built out the style and the history of the soul reapers zanjutsu. Don't get me wrong, still love the video just surprised is all
This reminds me of a realization i had not too long ago, that the Swallow Reversal used by Assassin in Fate/Stay Night UBW is actually an inferior version of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū Sen: Kuzu Ryu Sen used by Kenshin Himura from Ruroni Kenshin. The Swallow Reversal is three simultaneous cuts, while the Kuzu Ryu Sen is eight simultaneous cuts and a stab. Both are known as unavoidable attacks, but you would have to be much faster to use the Kuzo Ryu Sen than the Swallow Reversal.
No Kirito, Musashi or Afro? All 3 should be on here. Then there's Gintoki, Unohana, Yoriichi, Mifune or anyone from Slime/Tensura like Hakuro, Kondou or Agera who deserve an honorable mention at least.
Saber being here while kojiro isn't tells me everything I need to know. If anyone from Fate should have made this list its Kojiro and Musashi, not saber.
Real. While Artoria is arguably more powerful, they are for more skilled Sword users. Heck, I will go on to say kojiro is the most skilled Swordsmen in anime history since he goes on to master a technique that rivals true magic on pure skills
Im honestly surprised no one from bleach made the list. Even if you didn't want to include ichigo because he uses magic, you could have included Kenpachi
Erza I feel should be higher then Saber and Levi since she can use so many type of swords but Levi is probably the fast swordmen on his list in terms of combat speed so I get it.
I do think Erza should.be one rank higher for one reason. She had a fight where she lost all her senses. Sight, hearing, and Smell, and still whooped ass whilist also being subjected to having pain being increased by x1000. Meaning she jad no way of really knowing where her opponent was, and every blow was betond excrutiating and she still won.
Kenpachi Zaraki, dude made captain without a bankai or even a shikai. Dude lives for slicing people up and wears a eye patch just to limit his power so he dont kill em as quick
I'm surprised none of the Bleach characters were mentioned here, when the whole universe is kind of about swords. I think Kenpachi with just his pure skills and raw power (without any sword releases or techniques) is worth mentioning. What about Dante or Virgil from DMC? I'm curious about them as Dante is notorious hunting demons for fun and getting paid to do it, and is a weapons master of all sorts.
You would have gotten cooked if you didn’t put mihawk as number one but so far he hasn’t shown any sword skill and he falls into the category of strong guy with a sword rather than skilled swordsman. He has zero swordsman feat except for offscreen battles with shanks, a draw with Vista and destroying east blue zoro. Erza was way too low on this list just because she has telekinesis with some swords is a dumb reason for her position.
We need a part 2 but focusing on what people can do with their swords i.e bleach, SAO etc. (Dont add trunks lol ngl his swordsmanship kinda as.s pully 😂😂😂)
I'd drop the first two down because of general universe hax. I would be willing to go back and forth between Guss and Kenshion, though I am more prone to vote Kenshin considering his power increases and continued resolution to abstain from murder despite the fact that he was fighting a termal and worsening illness the entire time we saw him. The fact that 10 years of rust and an eternal handicap still left him at the arguable top of his world says something about the skill he wielded. That and honestly: it was one of my first manga/anime and as such I am biased lol. Love your content .
She is not and will never be One of the requirements to be a grand is to be the beat of your time hate to break it too you the best swordman in her time was lancelot she might have been stronger power wise but he was the best and considered the strongest even by artoria herself Some one who should have represented fate would have been the most skilled swordsman in fate musashi who surpassed both sasaki and yagyu and their true enlightenment in skill with her beyond true enlightenment
Miyamoto Musashi low-key holding the title in manga and real life
Musashi from where, vagabond, Fate or Baki ?
@@LancerEnkiduvagabond
@@Ash_Wen-li exactly, where the love for vagabond at bro and he should’ve added thors or askladd from Vinland saga or Bradly from fmab like wtf
@@LancerEnkidu yes. And also from Shura no Toki
What about the dude from record of Ragnarok? He's fighting the sword god right now? And also the guy who killed poseidon? Musashi gave his props to him being a better swordsman.
Once you factor in that Breathing Techniques in Demon Slayer don't actually have magical effects and is just swordplay, it's hard to argue against Yoriichi.
Should’ve been #1 IMO
Yeah, by the criteria laid out here, Yoriichi is by far the most skilled. No other swordsman/woman in the video was undefeated and able to send the main antagonist into a panic attack just by having memories of an encounter vs them.
Demon Slayer Mark, access to the Transparent World, and Selfless State, all would keep him off this list based on the criteria.
Afro samurai 😊
?
@startrak9548 I dunno, those just give you information. If things like magic and jinchuuriki abilities didn't disqualify people, those shouldn't.
The fact that there is no Unohana here is a crime, she is the most experienced on this list with over 1,000 years of swordplay.
Ye she has experience but he looking for the best swordsman skills in their verse so he would probably pick someone else over unohana. And bleach is just straight hax not rlly alot of straight sword clashing
In that case you go Zaraki, I know most people will say he's just brute strength no skill. But his combat ability at the end of bleach is unmatched if you're talking about pure sword play.
@@MrJam911 he was just swinging his sword until tybw he did not know any sword skills
@@MrJam911 No, Unohana was the first kenpachi, and has the most sword play skills alone.
It’s funny how some will get down to the differences between Kèndō & Kènjūtsū while others are upset “but what about this character who is the ultimate in shonen power system blade attacks?!” which I guess in Bleach’s case would be Zánjūtsū…
But the reason she’s called Yáchīrū is the innumerable sword techniques of countless forms of whichever combinations of whichever types of techniques with swords which she was capable of…
& we can argue there were No REAL Kènpáchí candidates between herself & Zàrákí in the last arc…
Ūnōhánà Rètsū is terrifying since she can make characters run by just Having her blade and speaking calmly…
& only some people Know who she really is, or whatever caricature created from people not seeing her do more than turn her blade into a big ray creature which does complex kaîdō techniques to save Crowds at a time…
& she always refrains from Actual Combat with the blade, only using kídō mostly…
I was stoked when we got more info on her as Kènpáchí & a legendary killer who seems to have given up on killing people by blade for reasons we can only speculate on…
I do wonder if her shíkaî was different before her kaîdō training & choice to move from squad 11 to squad 4… but Mínàzūkí (All things End) was such an epic wordplay for a Bánkaî…
& I love that we get to see the basic Kènjūtsū emerging in that fight…
It’s a Top Swordsman thing for me as a fan of Bleach… Probably my number one in Bleach characters to be rated on sword skill… (I’m blanking on if it means 800 or 8000 styles… & remembering Lt. Yáchīrū apologising for never getting beyond a Few Hundred sword styles therefore not living up to the name they were given… - I mean there is Weight to the name & the carrying of it… just like the title Kènpáchí… fits that he’d name his own inner spirit after the scariest lady he ever fought because she’s an internal goal for him… though in that note I wish we got more of Sánpō Kènjū… )
Now I’m just rambling cause medicines… do excuse…
But Unohana is definitely the Bleach character that should’ve been counted… cause of Actual Kènjūtsū prowess!
Still want more flashback stories for the gōtéī at the start with the version of her that brutally slices everybody to whatever levels which upset whichever fancy royalty folks etc. Hehehe
I just want cool sword fight stuff in my mangas & anime with epic swordmasters! Can’t just be me, right?! : D
There’s no way Yoriichi isn’t here..
Yeah bro got some dirty 😢
That is legitimately a crime. He’s one of the best and literally never took a single L his whole life. The mere thought of him terrified the demon lord.
Why 🍄 ride someone who is building level
@@akuokami1677he said this video is purely about sword skill and that pure power wasn’t gonna be factored in. If this was based solely on power then Saber Artoria would’ve been no. 1
the dude created a power system😭
Side note on Erza, most of her stuff doesn't exist in a pocket dimension but actual rooms in the fairy tail boarding house, and her telekinesis isn't her ability but rather the ability of the Heaven's wheel armor which can summon and fire off swords.
My headcannon is mihawks neck knife is to butter bagels and open small stuff. He did say you don't hunt a rabbit with a cannon so it makes sense
I feel like Afro samurai could be up on the list.
I was coming to type this
This a great take ✅
*SHOULD
THANK YOU !!!! AFRO IS NEVER GIVEN THE LOVE HE DESERVES!
I was thinking the same thing.
The overlooked Goats:
Mr.Takamura ( Sakamoto Days )
Miyamoto Musashi ( Baki )
Shichika Yasuri, Nanami Yasuri ( Katanagatari )
Yoriichi Tsugikuni ( Demon Slayer )
Takeshi Yamamoto, Superbia Squalo ( Hitman Reborn )
Tamiya Gantetsusai, Yamada Asaemon Shugen... ( Hell's Paradise )
Mifune ( Soul Eater )
Raki ( Claymore )
Mamoru Hijikata ( Until Death Do Us Part )
Okita Sougo ( Gintama )
I haven’t seen a single person mention ichigo 😮
Mr. Takamura is truly invincible as long as he has a blade 🙏 🙏
Miyamoto musashi from vagabond is better
@@neodolla9933 Unohana is better
@@neodolla9933all he does is swing in a straight line
Dude didn’t include Yoriichi, so that he can cause a scandal and the comment section can make the engagement explode😂
dude this HAS to be it, there’s no other way Nick took this big of an L
@@SparktehFox you didn’t understand the video
Dude I was just gonna say this til I saw your comment. That’s his MO. Controversy for clicks and views.
I'd throw in Assassin from Fate/Stay UBW as an honorable mention next to Saber. He didn't even have a Phantasm, his trump card was just a sword technique he practiced for years which almost took out Saber with.
Tsubamegaishi is his noble phantasm its the conceptualization of his cutting a humming bird with just his sword.
@@joanjorge566 oh, fair enough. I had a memory of it being referred to as a Pseudo-phantasm at some point.
I am also throwing in female Musashi. Considering her feats.
@@joanjorge566 no it isnt, he doesnt have an actual phantasm, and that Sasaki isnt Even Sasaki the same way that musashi (female) isnt the actual musashi, Tsubame gaeshi is a martial technique that can rival phantasm and is close to the concept of true Magic but is neither of those in reality
@@chrisanthem9956no female musashi is the real musashi it’s just she’s not pan human history musashi
Zacian better be here
Zacian was a nightmare in VGC 2022. In the anime neither of the gen 8 legendaries are major characters with lots of showing
Make me quit Pokémon unite ,was playing from the launch
Yup!! and Aegisslash
Me with my Dragonite : 😂
@@haveagooddaytoouse Dragonite.
It can solo two Zacian's at same time
Kinda hate how in the One Piece anime Zoros slashes are often treated as blunt or explosive.
He sends a slash across a room then the back wall explodes. I prefer it when it’s a clean slash and objects just slide apart.
They were blunt and explosive in the early parts of one piece, overtime zoro strikes kept getting more and more precise which the anime started to show but he can do all three.
so true, it would be have been soo much better if instead of all the random explosions and black/red flames; which you cant even tell if its advanced armament or advanced conqueror's haki, and would be better if the fights were simple and showed more of there sword skill instead of all haki (haki is still cool ngl but, too many effects n' visuals just ruin the point of a sword duel)
Ik what you mean but we do also get moments like zoro vs pika, zoro vs Mr.1, zoro cutting kaido, zoro cutting the horn of onigashima. I feel like sometimes he’s just using his swords as conduits to send out haki slashes for crowd control and sometimes he’s really focusing on cutting power and technique when facing 1 strong opponent.
I mean, I feel like that's accurate to how swords work. If you don't cut with the blade, then all you're doing is throwing a shockwave, which is blunt and explosive by nature
so glad someone else feels the same way. i hate the “my sword attack is so strong that it becomes a projectile attack” trope that we sometimes see in anime. i also prefer a clean slash
I'm surprised Kojiro Sasaki from Record of Ragnarok isn't on this list!
Him and yoriichi erasure
Thank you! Someone else has the same suggestion as me!
Kojiro Sasaki from Fate Stay/Night (Assassin class servant summoned by Caster/Madea) is also mad underrated thanks to the strength of his myth/legend as a swordsman
Facts he would be on my list
Technically he’s not an anime character since he existed in real life
0:00 preamble
2:18 self promo
2:41 main content
28:10 closing
thanks
Based 🗿
Here, U dropped this king 👑
Atomic samurai
Hell yea one piece content slowly coming we need theory’s from somebody who can actually make them bro !! (That person is you)
This is one of the few videos I’ve seen where Nick mentions Fate so now it’s in my top 5 Nick Videos
Same. Fr WE WANT MORE FATE CONTENT
This. This all day. Someone gotta tell Nick about lostbelt 6. There’s peak fiction right under his nose
Yeah sadly fate videos probably won't do that well
Anime sword users are probably some of the coolest characters 😮💨⚔️
I respect their opinion, but personally I think the cold
Hearted but gentle characters are the coolest and normally have the best drip and a lot of them happen to be sword fighters but not all of them characters like spike or benimaru idk how to categorize them besides just a chill character like zoro Mihawk urahara, shinji, aizen, Afro, gioemi
@@ExoticEioyessir , we got some similar taste my friend. Just named some of my favorite characters from their respective animes 🙌🏽
It gets your cookie dipped in milk😂
@@MrNekko123 sure does brother 😂💀
11:10 I would say the Kojiro is above Artoria. Artoria is helped by the rest of her kit (like Mana Burst, Invisible Air, and at her best Avalon)(Also, Excalibur can't turn invisible, that's actually done through the usage of Invisible Air, a different Noble Phantasm/tool). Meanwhile Kojiro just has his sword and his skill with his sword and pretty much nothing else. A mastery so great in fact he was able to create a technique that boarded on true magic (which is effectively another term for miracles) allowing him to bend his swordplay through space-time to create an near-unblockable and completely undodgeable attack, one that Artoria was barely able to block only be unleashing everything she had at the time. The only reason Artoria ended up defeating Kojiro is cause Kojiro's sword was only a normal blade instead of a Noble Phantasm (which meant that it bent when it was clashing with Excalibur which created a small opening in his ultimate attack that Artoria was able to exploit)
Also, Artoria herself stated that Kojiro was the superior with a sword.
Also, this is just if we use the anime of fate instead of the wider fate/type-moon franchise where another contender would be Mushashi (who beat a stronger version of Kojiro than the one Artoria fought) and a contender for most powerful would be Void Shiki (who can kill anything, even inanimate objects and potentially even concepts)
Even though i like Saber a lot, i definitely agree on your point. Her biggest strength with a sword (or rather with Excalibur mostly) is just raw mana output. F/Z also shows her being pretty decent at strategizing (as seen in her first fight against Diarmuid), but Kojirou definitely has nothing else going on except his sword-skills, no "hacks" nor magical sword. However i'd still give the spot for the best swordsman in Fate to Lancelot, hands down. Artoria might be called the "King of Knights" (which qualifies her being a king ruling over strong knights, not nescessarily being a skilled knight herself), but Lancelot is just the most skilled Swordsman who ever lived. He defeated multiple opponents with an elm branch because of his fundamental and flawless understanding of weapons (knight of owner and eternal martial arts), captured a whole castle on his own, defeating every single knight one after the other in duels (dolorous gard), and finally beat literally every single knight of the round table, including Gawain, who he fought during noon, when he stalemated him until his defeat in the afternoon/evening. Not to mention he wields Arondight, being of the same caliber as Excalibur.
As a fun fact, the best fight Lancelot ever had was in a tournament against Sir Dinadan, in short he dressed as a princess, defeated Dinadan on horseback while being on foot himself and then carried him around the whole event while still dressed as a princess. Definitely check that out for more details if you're interested.
@@andreas_rrthe only thing wrong here is wat u said bout arondite. It’s not on par with Excalibur as Excalibur is the strongest holy sword if anything that’s above it is artoria other sword marmyados the one that castoria uses
@@amari7782 it's called Excalibur's sister sword and equally originates from the lady of the lake. It might not be as flashy, but it is still very comparable in the end. It's a divine construct, will cut through anything just as good, even killed a dragon and boosting all stats by one rank is also pretty huge. And then again Arondight overload is undoubtedly more effective against a single target than Artorias "laser beam" NP.
To quote the Fandom: "It was given only to someone who could be exalted as the "perfect knight", the strongest, bravest and truest knight of an era, which signifies the unrivaled Lancelot out of all those who sat at the Round Table of Camelot."
@@andreas_rr except Excalibur has also killed dragons and the white titan.
@@amari7782 uhhh that's been my point all the time?!?!
Im so happy to see mugen here. I need to find more youtubers that talk about this amazing series
Yu Yu Hakusho’s Very Own OG - Hiei should of been on this List
This is the only comment I can get with I forgot about him also
I rarely associate him with swordsmanship
@@samulrd but he is really a swordsman from when he’s first introduced
Anyone remember Katanagatari? The anti-swordsman.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who watched this series.
hell yeah
You may remember, but at that point I would have already cut you to pieces
Yea love this show, shichika yasuri is awesome and show has one of my favorite scores
But his sister was way better at it than MC, oh god You Made me remember that not animated fight
I feel like Yoriichi, the first hashira from “Demon Slayer”, should definitely be on this list.
Never thought i would see erza in your video
It would be fun to see something more on fairy tail series from you.
a good honorable mention is def Shadow from the eminence in shadow. yeah he has magic, but he only uses magic when his sword is not enough, or wants to be flashy.
erza's sword magic is likely a reference to Haru Glory, the protagonist of Groove Adventure Rave, which was a manga that Fairy Tail author made when he was in higschool/college. Haru had a sword called Ten Commandments which could transform into 10 different forms with different abilites, however, Haru had to unlock them one by one over time instead of immediatelly getting them in the begining
You should read Record of Ragnarok. Sasaki Kojiro, Susanoo and Okita Souji are some of the greatest swordsmen in those recent years. Seriously, Susanoo is called the god of sword himself and trust me he deserves that title.
There is also Mr Takamura from Sakamoto Days. I won't spoil but that old man did a thing so insane that he might be the best swordsman in the new gen anime and he doesn't even have powers.
Atomic Samourai from One Punch Man definitely deserved a spot there.
Mifune from a Soul Eater too. He is able to contend with all those meisters and their weapons with just regular ass swords.
Do you know real life swordsmanship?
Honestly, the preamble before the list made the list itself more understandable. Specifically the some ppl lower may beat some ppl higher
Afro, Kirito, Gintoki, Hakuro, and Clare from Claymore all deserve to at least be honorable mentions on a list like this, if not on the list itself.
Ain't no one getting through awakened flash sword best believe,
Afro isn't a anime technically
Hi. Rurouni Kenshin fan here. Just want to say real fast that Kenshin doesn't use two swords.
I think you mean his sheath. One of Kenshin's more famous attacks involves using the scabbard of his sword as a surprise attack, breaking the arm of his opponent who would think to exploit an opening. Kenshin's speed is also said to be "Godlike" at base and "Beyond Godlike" when using his ultimate attack. Not to mention, every attack in the Hiten Mitsurugi style is designed to be a one shot kill. Especially the Kuzu Ryu Sen which attacks 9 points at once, making it impossible to block.
That said, I would agree that he wouldn't be the best swordsman in anime. Hell I'm just happy Kenshin makes the list.
I see my girl saber... i click. Im a simple man
Sorry but the best saber face is Nero
@@ThefallenSukuna nothing wrong with that.
Same man same
@@ThefallenSukunaRoma citizen spotted. Umu Approved 🗿
Same
Amazing video. Definitely need more of these and updated versions
Nick on a daily streak right now is this what crack feels like?
Nick this was a very solid list. I kind of surprised you didn’t add anyone from the Demon Slayer universe even just in the honorable mention slot. Or even Hiei from YYH lol.
I actually just remembered any character from Bleach but again solid list.
He said no bleach cause of powers.. why do people flip out when 1-2 people don't make a list of potential 200 people across 40 animes chill
Can we get a video of the best of each class in the Fate universe? Thanks as always for the content Nick :)
I'd watch this. I love the Fate series
@@snowmaniino you do not
@@cjcj4861 don't I?
@@snowmanii man laugh my ass off you guys are annoying every time when somebody reply you guys keep replying and dropping like flies can't just go away holy shit
I love this concept, and would love to see similar concepts in the future like greatest jack of all trades
Yeah no musaahi from vagabond is nuts
Also add yoroichi and gintoki
Soo when did the vagabond anime come out?
This is the first time I'm seeing you talk about a Fairy Tail character it would be nice you did more Fairy Tail videos 😊
I SWEAR If Kenshin isn’t on this list! I know he’s not innately powered like some. But his sword craft/art is broken for a mere human
You should do a whole "you know nothing about Erza"!!
Where Afro samurai? He a normal human dodging bullets, lasers, and fights against a god basically at the end of the show!
Technically not an anime...
@@joshpoole3364it is anime wtf….
@newt2120 no ite not...while animated its not an anime it's a cartoon just avatar the last air bender isn't a anime...heavily anime inspired but not an anime
@@joshpoole3364Zuko from Avatar The Last Airbender should be on the list then cuz he's a swordmaster as well
@@cjcj4861 ATLA isn't an anime fam...
Retsu Unohana from bleach hands down is the best swordsman in anime. She mastered all 8000 sword styles in bleach.
I woulda put kenpachi in there as well, he is one of the few characters in Bleach that actually uses his sword as just that…. A sword
I don't think the bleach universe scales in regards to swordsmanship.
@@Rico-v9eUnohana???
@@Mono_303 I hear you.
That’s a terrible argument, Kenpachi has no sword skill whatsoever. He literally overwhelms people because his sword will cut through anything and his battle instincts will keep him in the fight alone. None of this is actually swordsmanship and it was actually stated that he’s forbidden from learning swordmanship so him being top 10 on this list is dumb.
@@tjrose9830 1. It wasnt an argument it was a statement. 2. Who gaf, when he attacks its with a sword not with hado or anything of that nature
I know you're an anime guy, but I would love to hear you talk about warhammer Lore !!!
If it's raw swords skills, then Afro samurai is definitely top 10. As much as I like Mihawk, he shouldn't be no 1. despite being the best in swordsmen in one piece, we haven't seen much from him in terms of raw sword skills. He's only had about 2 fights in the entire series. Everything else has just been a display of his haki/power.
Considering that they're humans fighting super powered demons, with raw sword skills I'm surprised there's no one from demon slayer mentioned
Fr, Yoriichi should’ve been placed on here somewhere. Even without selfless state, transparent world and the mark he’s still an extremely gifted swordsman. Especially considering the fact that breathing techniques are just sword techniques and he created multiple
@@cameronstevens2053 right, exactly. This seems more like a power list than a skill list
I get killer bee uses 8 swords but, ONE fight ??? that should be an honorable mention
12:50 artoria is being given mana by irisviel the majority of fate zero if anything it’s her second strongest stat line next to rin artoria
Absolutely correct. Her main issue in Zero was not a lack of power, it was that Kiritsugu was brought up to distrust mages and magic (and by extension her) and so he didn't really use her much, other than to occasionally be a distraction while he went after the other mages.
@@davidgooding3143 Kerry the king of throwing
I've been watching anime for many many years and theres 1 i would add is Jubei from ninja scrolls undoubtedly could hang with anyone on this list and hes a regular human.
Are you gonna do a greatest hand to hand combatants video
I second that motion.
Levi being described as a 5 foot 4 inch beyblade is so accurate.
Fun list. I think there's an argument that could be made about Samurai Champloo though. Like if it was a best of 10, do we really think Mugen or Jin would beat Kariya more than he beats them? I feel not. He was manhandling them 90% of the time and only lost to a surprise potential sacrifice play Jin made. Mugen definitely looks the coolest fighting though
Facts. I did a double take overhearing Mugen, like hell nah. We all know him and Jim be fighting for #2.
I mean, who got the W though? Not Kariya that’s who
@@minato4203 I agree with the above argument about best out of ten.
@@minato4203 Yeah I was stating best of 10. Realistically, Jin only got a win because of that surprise sacrificial technique where he still could have died himself. Also, it looked like Kariya was mostly having fun and he's not in his prime lol. Imagine in his prime? Would be pretty insane
@@chocolatetobi I agree I was just joking around cuz he ends up dying and Jin should have died too. *cough* “plot armor” *cough*
I would say Jin is better than Mugen though.
I love this list. I still put Kenshin at #1. He uses a sword that doesnt cut to beat his opponents. I believe that speaks to his level of sword mastery.
With the rules You set up i Think You could make a case for King Bradley from FMAB
The problem is his swordsmanship does rely a lot on his eye. So that does fall into the uses other powers... But so do a lot of these
theres 2 people im surprised arent on here
Captain Unohana from bleach who clowns on Kenpachi Zaraki just with how good of a swordsman she is
Hakurou from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime who was the sensei to almost anyone whos considered a master class swordsman
Dragon Armor?? I believe you mean the Berserker Armor.
This one was a banger! Well done sir.
I’m glad you put Humira🙌🏾
Bradley better be on this list bro
So true, Fuhrer King Bradley... Fkn menace.
Coming from the FMAB universe, he should be top 10
In a world of magic and powers, Kenpachi is a monster on to his own. Compared to everyone he fights and all the different techniques used against him, at the end of the day hes just a sword swinging bad ass.
25 seconds ago is wild
Also imma call it now he’s gonna say verbatim at least 5 times
He was on time
Ichigo from bleach. In just a short amount of time, he gained enough skill to fight against people who had been swordmen for hundreds of years.
Once Kagurabachi is finished this list is GOING to be shaken up
It really not
I was hesitant when you put my boy, Kenshin, at 3, but you chose the only two swordsmen I was willing to take as acceptable choices lol. Great video and I'm glad that I'm not the only one who appreciates Kenshin even tho he's he's not the most powerful character ever.
In naruto i dont think killer bee is the strongest swordsman i want to say its the farger of kakashi who has the title of whitefang due to his swordmanship. Also why was there no atomic samurai in this list i might not like the guy but gotta admit he has amazing swordsmanship
If we are discussing feats-to-placement ratio, I think it goes without mentioning that Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu final technique "Amakakeru-Ryu no Hirameki" operates at a functional sub- to trans-lightspeed level of literal m/s that visually distorts the local area between the user and the target, creating an ocular fish-eye effect that illustrates, again to reiterate, their nigh incomprehensible movement ability mimicking the wavelengths of photon migration. It sounds silly, but it's a multi-colored expanding spherical fish-eye effect that collapses back in on itself as the technique finishes in a singular slash that almost reaches lightspeed, terminating upon itself and likely finishing off the target without need for repeat engagement; a supposed "ultimate" technique.
14:29 A five four beyblade is crazy
Really hoping to see goemon from Lupin the 3rd. Watching that man cut an airplane in half in the intro hooked me instantly
To me, the top 3 are Gintoki, Yoriichi, and Mihawk.
Afro is also another, being the Number One Headband and all that.
take mihawk out
Zoro> Mihawk when it comes to Swordsmanship
@@Knull575 well we don't really know
I feel like if Ryuko Matoi was allowed an honorable mention slot, then Kenpachi Zaraki absolutely should have been on the list. We're talking about a Soul Reaper who never uses kido and puts raw strength on such a high pedestal that his own squad members actively disdain when they need to use magic or bankai in combat. He killed and succeed the previous greatest swordsman, officially earning his title AND was so dangerous with a sword that they had to put a stop to him learning any more kenjutsu out of fear that he would become unstable if he chose to revolt. They didn't fear a squad, they feared the one man. He's tanked drowning, explosions, being in space itself, and CASUALLY cut down a meteor without knowing what the heck it was. As he said himself, there's nothing he can't cut......except Yhwach....
For kenpachi it's not his skill, it's his raw unfathomable power that makes him impressive, I think he falls well into the "strongest" category, but his style even when using technique is more emphasis on basic overhead power strikes rather than out-skilling his opponents, so I'm not sure he should fall into the "best" category
HEY NICK IVE NEVER BEEN THIS EARLY BUT HEYYY
One of things you forgot to take into account when talking about the greatest swordsman is experience, and with characters like saber and Kirito in the light novels who have thousands of years of experience with a sword would rank much higher.
So no one gone mention he called the berserk armor the dragon armor 22:00
14:24 Calling Levi a "5' 4" Beyblade" is the funniest burn and greatest complement ever lol
Personally I think that in the soul eater/fire force universe the best swordsman is Mifune, that guy without a Demon weapon, magic or really being into the power system in his verse can match Sid wielding a Death Scythe, Black Star and Tsubaki with Uncanny blade, and many other strong characters. Dude is amazing
Arthur is very strong and is undeniably a good swordsman but if we are talking just skill with swords Mifune is that verse's goat
I feel ya I thought black star at first then I though mifune but I still think author because on top of his feats In fire force he was so skilled and powerful he created excabiler a sword that past through the creation of a new universe and is so powerful that the weakest student in death mister academy from just wielding it beat the strongest including backstar death the kid and some other guy by himself I feel like that should be accounted for
@@goldenblack1681 Blackstar is pretty great at using a sword but to call him just a swordsman would be a disservice to both Tsubaki's versatility on the weapons she can transform into and to his strenght as a brawler as well as using the shuriken, kusarigama, etc.. forms of Tsubaki
If we are talking pure swords, no magic, no soul ressonance and no special powers Mifune is the Goat
I'm frankly a little shocked no one from Bleach made an appearance. Like Genryusai literally built out the style and the history of the soul reapers zanjutsu. Don't get me wrong, still love the video just surprised is all
14:20 lol a 5 ‘4 beyblade
Bro! I am so disappointed you didn't add Captain Unhana form bleach she had master 8000 Sord styles.
I was shocked that not one bleach character made the list.
Yoruichi from demon slayer? Where would he rank here
top 3 for sure
He kinda overrated, his weak verse makes him look strong
This reminds me of a realization i had not too long ago, that the Swallow Reversal used by Assassin in Fate/Stay Night UBW is actually an inferior version of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū Sen: Kuzu Ryu Sen used by Kenshin Himura from Ruroni Kenshin. The Swallow Reversal is three simultaneous cuts, while the Kuzu Ryu Sen is eight simultaneous cuts and a stab. Both are known as unavoidable attacks, but you would have to be much faster to use the Kuzo Ryu Sen than the Swallow Reversal.
I'm just happy Erza made the list🎉😂❤
No Kirito, Musashi or Afro? All 3 should be on here. Then there's Gintoki, Unohana, Yoriichi, Mifune or anyone from Slime/Tensura like Hakuro, Kondou or Agera who deserve an honorable mention at least.
Saber being here while kojiro isn't tells me everything I need to know. If anyone from Fate should have made this list its Kojiro and Musashi, not saber.
Real. While Artoria is arguably more powerful, they are for more skilled Sword users. Heck, I will go on to say kojiro is the most skilled Swordsmen in anime history since he goes on to master a technique that rivals true magic on pure skills
Im honestly surprised no one from bleach made the list. Even if you didn't want to include ichigo because he uses magic, you could have included Kenpachi
Erza I feel should be higher then Saber and Levi since she can use so many type of swords but Levi is probably the fast swordmen on his list in terms of combat speed so I get it.
Kinda surprised no one from bleach is on this list
Yall gotta look into artoria more, her swordsmanship should put her higher on the list
5:02 thank you Nick im here for it
I love Yamamoto's shigure sorn Ryu style is realistic before using the dying Will flames and have offensive and defensive abilities
I do think Erza should.be one rank higher for one reason. She had a fight where she lost all her senses. Sight, hearing, and Smell, and still whooped ass whilist also being subjected to having pain being increased by x1000. Meaning she jad no way of really knowing where her opponent was, and every blow was betond excrutiating and she still won.
“A 5’4” beyblade” is the single best nickname I’ve ever heard
Kenpachi Zaraki, dude made captain without a bankai or even a shikai. Dude lives for slicing people up and wears a eye patch just to limit his power so he dont kill em as quick
I'm surprised none of the Bleach characters were mentioned here, when the whole universe is kind of about swords. I think Kenpachi with just his pure skills and raw power (without any sword releases or techniques) is worth mentioning. What about Dante or Virgil from DMC? I'm curious about them as Dante is notorious hunting demons for fun and getting paid to do it, and is a weapons master of all sorts.
19:14 the samurai who smells of sunflowers would beg to differ.
Kirito not being on here seems wild the guy has effectively 200 years worth if experience with a sword and outclasses everyone hes ever faced
Yeah his online counterpart.
You would have gotten cooked if you didn’t put mihawk as number one but so far he hasn’t shown any sword skill and he falls into the category of strong guy with a sword rather than skilled swordsman. He has zero swordsman feat except for offscreen battles with shanks, a draw with Vista and destroying east blue zoro. Erza was way too low on this list just because she has telekinesis with some swords is a dumb reason for her position.
The fact that there is not a single Bleach or demon slayer character on this list, makes me question the validity of it. Not going to lie.
We need a part 2 but focusing on what people can do with their swords i.e bleach, SAO etc. (Dont add trunks lol ngl his swordsmanship kinda as.s pully 😂😂😂)
Just note for anyone not aware - SPOILERS INCOMING OF PLEANTY!!!
:P
I'd drop the first two down because of general universe hax. I would be willing to go back and forth between Guss and Kenshion, though I am more prone to vote Kenshin considering his power increases and continued resolution to abstain from murder despite the fact that he was fighting a termal and worsening illness the entire time we saw him. The fact that 10 years of rust and an eternal handicap still left him at the arguable top of his world says something about the skill he wielded. That and honestly: it was one of my first manga/anime and as such I am biased lol. Love your content .
Artoria really is the best choice for representing the Nasuverse here. Since there's a very high chance that she's the _Grand_ Saber.
She is not and will never be
One of the requirements to be a grand is to be the beat of your time hate to break it too you the best swordman in her time was lancelot she might have been stronger power wise but he was the best and considered the strongest even by artoria herself
Some one who should have represented fate would have been the most skilled swordsman in fate musashi who surpassed both sasaki and yagyu and their true enlightenment in skill with her beyond true enlightenment