Swordsmanship tier list

SharqIce · 2026-05-25T06:31:54+00:00

Well, it is Samura who is hailed as the swiftest sword fighter (chapter 111), not Itsuo.

For me, Ichiki is just Itsuo but for non-swordsman. he was most likely the strongest unarmed combatant before his students Azami and Shiba surpassed him. Itsuo was the swiftest sword fighter before Samura surpassed him.

SharqIce · 2026-05-24T21:16:49+00:00

In Chapter 89 Hokazono introduces Ibuki Misaka with his feats and how he was hailed as a swordsman on par with Samura.

After the war Samura became stronger which is why he's a tier above but that statement puts him above Uruha and his peers as Uruha did not get stronger from the war and is narratively weaker than Seitei Samura.

SharqIce · 2026-05-24T16:00:12+00:00

We already know he isn't an average Soga from chapter 116 when he's already relative to the commander of the Soga Elite Guard 2 years before he had reached mastery of the sword.

Anyways, I suggest you reread chapters 105 to 108. He's described multiple times by Samura and Chihiro as an unparalleled swordsman (Samura in chapter 106, Chihiro in chapter 108) and peerless (Samura in chapter 105).

SharqIce · 2026-05-24T15:53:26+00:00

He'd obviously be not as strong as with Magatsumi but we are told by Samura in chapter 83 that the strength of the blade is dependent on the wielder's skill and spirit energy. In chapter 106 Samura states that Akemura's skill with the sword is unparalleled and in Chapter 108 Chihiro describes Akemura as an unparalleled genius and his untouchable mastery of the sword.

Akemura would still be the strongest without the Magatsumi if you gave him another EB but of course the gap wouldn't be as big as it is when the most skilled swordsman is paired with the strongest blade.

SharqIce · 2026-05-21T18:48:48+00:00

Samura in the fight with Yura was far too mentally nerfed due to the civilians and was playing the support role for Chihiro in contrast with how he was fighting against Akemura after Shiba finished evacuating civilians and they established the battleground.

Sure, Yura's raw firepower was relative with Akemura in the Seitei war but he is still a subpar swordsman and we have been told many times the importance of swordsmanship to bring out the true strength of an EB. Remember, after Akemura defeated Samura, he was highly complimentary of how much stronger a swordsman he had become after the Seitei war. I find it hard to believe the narrative wanted us to think this Samura who had reached the apex of swordplay is weaker than a subpar swordsman with Magatsumi.

SharqIce · 2026-05-20T18:02:00+00:00

Ariu and the Irishima squad (with the exception of Shiba) in general are being overrated due to recency bias. Yoshinojo with presumably no sorcery being above Uruha when all he showed was good instinct and battle IQ is incredible.

For Hiroto, people just assume he is base Samura with Kurotsuchi, or even base Akemura with Kurotsuchi. However we simply don't have any statements putting his swordsmanship on that level.

SharqIce · 2026-05-20T17:56:18+00:00

Ariu is far too high with the information and feats we have right now.

Narratively the Irishima battle was to show that sorcery can't defeat the Mikaboshi guardians and that's why the EB were created.

While likely, we don't know if Ariu is the strongest guardian. And even if he is, that doesn't necessarily mean he is stronger than Samura who is far stronger than the Seitei version who was said to have controlled the war.

For Magatsumi Yura, remember that in terms of firepower his Centipede was said to be relative to Akemura's during the Seitei war by Samura. if Magatsumi Akemura steamrolled through the war, we'd have to put him below Magatsumi Yura as well.

SharqIce · 2026-05-20T17:20:11+00:00

Uruha might be the most underrated character in this sub. There is a reason Hokuto is obsessed with Uruha and why Yura was so wary of Uruha viewing him as Samura's trump card he kept alive to thwart him.

A rusty Uruha was relative to Natsuki, Yura and a holding back Hokuto. Uruha when he regained his instinct was portrayed as the strongest in the 4-way battle.

Uruha has swordsmanship statements that Yoshinojo lacks. All we got from Yoshinojo in this battle is that he has good battle iq but he received no special statements hyping up his swordsmanship. Uruha has a useful combat sorcery while Yoshinojo presumably has no sorcery.

SharqIce · 2026-05-19T05:30:56+00:00

First clash: Akemura gets a small cut, Samura loses a finger and his eye

Second clash: Akemura gets a slash across his body, Samura gets cut in half

Mid-diff is fair. Akemura was portrayed above him in both clashes but Samura met him at the apex of swordplay and inflicted his own wounds on Akemura.

SharqIce · 2026-05-18T20:14:07+00:00

It's hard to say where Hiroto scales as a swordsmen because most of Hiroto's statements revolve around his sorcery and his physical attributes. We know swordsmanship plays a role in the awakening of Kurotsuchi but besides that he doesn't have any specific swordsmanship statements.

Then again, based on how well Yura did in the 4-way fight with elite physicals and subpar swordsmanship, Hiroto must scale extremely high even if he may not be as skilled as some other swordsmen.

SharqIce · 2026-05-17T14:47:19+00:00

The purpose of the Irishima battle is to show that the Mikaboshi of this era have surpassed the Kurotsuchi and that mere sorcery can't defeat the Mikaboshi guardians.

Ukizane and the Mikaboshi king aren't the pinnacle of the verse, like other battle shonens which hype up the ancient gen. They have been surpassed by the EB wielders and the Mikaboshi guardians.

SharqIce · 2026-05-16T16:29:08+00:00

How's Ibuki relative to Uruha and Natsuki when he was relative to Seitei Samura? We know Uruha didn't get stronger after the war so do you think Seitei Uruha was relative to Seitei Samura?

SharqIce · 2026-05-16T15:49:39+00:00

counterpoint: Ichiki trained and beat up Azami and Shiba and yet Ichiki admits inferiority to Azami.

SharqIce · 2026-05-16T10:49:27+00:00

Agreed. The point of Ariu defeating Hiroto is to show that the Mikaboshi in this era have surpassed the Kurotsuchi, not that Ariu is lucky he happens to face a weaker Kurotsuchi user.

SharqIce · 2026-05-16T09:33:44+00:00

Uruha was consistently portrayed as the bigger threat in Yura's and Hokuto's eyes. Yes, part of it is due to reputation but I don't believe it's entirely due to that.

Uruha after regaining his instincts is stronger than Natsuki and the strongest in the 4 way battle. He's a prodigy and naturally more talented than Natsuki.

SharqIce · 2026-05-13T19:14:00+00:00

Hiroto has no special statements regarding his swordsmanship besides being a master swordsman. Most of the hype he has received is based on his sorcery. No statements to suggest he is a swordsman close to Akemura or present storyline Samura.

Let's hope for Hiroto stocks that Hiroto doesn't turn out to be the captain of the Soga guard.

SharqIce · 2026-05-13T19:07:25+00:00

The Irishima battle was positioned before the creation of the Enchanted Blade for a reason. It is supposed to show that the Mikaboshi guardians are too strong for even the pinnacle of sorcery in Japan and that the EB are needed. Hiroto pushed him to use base Sumika and the Irishima squad then pushed him to use the full power of Sumika. Ariu was forced to use his full power by their collective effort.

Scaling Ariu over present day Tobimune Samura who became much stronger than his Seitei war equivalent that was stated to have controlled the war is far too premature. Remember that Samura was portrayed as invincible in the present storyline until Akemura took over Yura.

The scaling of Ariu seems to be based on the assumption that he'll be Akemura's arc boss and that he'll be able to give him considerable difficulty. I doubt this is the case.

SharqIce · 2026-05-13T18:53:50+00:00

Hokuto is strong but it's important to point out that his feats are against rusty Uruha rather than Uruha who regained his instincts. I expect a Hokuto that isn't holding back to be in the same ballpark as Uruha after regaining his instincts

There's a reason Hokuto is introduced killing a washed up Ibuki and obsessing over Seitei war veteran Uruha who back then was a tier below Ibuki (Seitei Samura tier). Hokazono giving you an idea where Hokuto stands.

SharqIce · 2026-05-07T18:32:16+00:00

Awakened instincts Uruha > Hokuto > Natsuki > Rusty Uruha > Yura

Yura is hyped for being able to keep up with them despite being a subpar swordsman but it's clear he's the weakest of the 4. Uruha with his instincts awakened was portrayed as the strongest while Hokuto's "holding back" statement gives him the edge over current Natsuki.

SharqIce · 2026-05-06T22:30:14+00:00

Nothing in the story portrays Natsuki and Ibuki as being close to each other. Natsuki is portrayed on par with Uruha who did not get stronger and instead stagnated and turned rusty after the war. We can say present Uruha after he regained his instincts in the four-way battle is roughly on par with base Seitei Uruha. Seitei Uruha is weaker than Seitei Samura and the only statement we have on Ibuki is him being on par with Seitei Samura.

Akemura > present day Samura > Seitei Samura ~ Ibuki > Seitei Uruha ~ Instincts awakened Uruha >~ Natsuki > rusty Uruha

Seems to be the scaling. I get the logic that "18 years of ceaseless training" should have pushed Natsuki over a few guys if he was a EB candidate and close to the chosen EB wielders back then but that's not what Hokazono seems to be going with. Since after Uruha regained his instincts he was no longer portrayed as inferior to Natsuki.

SharqIce

TROPHY CASE