Katanagatari

Katanagatari (刀語?, Sword Story) is a Japanese light novel series written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Take. The series is published by Kodansha under the Kodansha Box imprint. An anime adaptation by White Fox began airing on January 25, 2010 and consisted of 12 episodes. The story revolves around the collection of twelve weapons that were created by a fictional swordsmith. A single episode of the series was aired each month. NIS America announced that they have licensed the series. They will release the series in Blu-ray/DVD combo sets in July 2011. Volume two will be released on September 20th, 2011.


Plot and settings

Katanagatari is the story of Yasuri Shichika, a swordsman that fights without a sword, and Togame, an ambitious strategist that seeks to collect twelve legendary swords for the shogunate. The son of an exiled war hero, Yasuri Shichika is the seventh head of the Kyotoryuu school of fighting and lives on isolated Fushou Island with his sister. At a request from the female general Togame, Shichika and Togame set out on a journey across Edo-era Japan to collect the twelve Deviant Blades.

... what attracts me is the 12th sword that they hunt . well this is the list of the sword :

Kanna (絶刀「鉋」 Zettō Kanna?, [Absolute sword, Plane])
The first blade retrieved by Shichika and Togame, it is in the possession of Koumori. The blade is straight unlike most katanas, and it is the hardest blade with the ability to never break or bend. The hilt is neatly decorated with plum flower designs. This blade is strongly based on the real life Dotanuki.

Namakura (斬刀「鈍」 Zantō Namakura?, [Slash sword, Blunt])
The second blade recovered, it is in the possession of Ginkaku. It is the sharpest blade with the ability to cut through anything, in sharp contrast to its ironic name, meaning "blunt". It was made for unsheathing at an incredible speed. The katana has triangular patterns around its hilt guard and a black sheath.

Tsurugi (千刀「鎩」 Sentō Tsurugi?, [Thousand sword, Sword])
Comprising 1000 swords, with the last 999 being copies of the first, all 1000 of them are in the possession of Meisai. Even though there are 1000 swords, all of them together are considered to be one sword. It is the most numerous blade with the ability to overwhelm its enemy with its numbers. What makes them stand out is their red sheaths. Only Shichika is able to identify the original sword.

Hari (薄刀「針」 Hakutō Hari?, [Thin sword, Needle])
An extremely thin blade as per its namesake, meaning "needle", it is in the possession of Hakuhei. It is the brittlest blade as the blade itself is made of glass, which gives it its light weight, but it is rather fragile if used incorrectly. The sheath and hilt are white and decorated with floral patterns.

Yoroi (賊刀「鎧」 Zokutō Yoroi?, [Bandit sword, Armor])
A massive full set of armor, it is in the possession of Kanara. It is the most defense-oriented blade with the ability to protect the user from any damage, especially against attacks that have armor-piercing properties. Its design was based on Western armor, and it has numerous blades around it if observed carefully, both according to Togame. The armor is decorated with many references to the ocean, such as shells and a helmet that's based on a whale.

Kanazuchi (双刀「鎚」 Sōtō Kanazuchi?, [Twin sword, Hammer])
A large, blunt-looking, stone sword, it comes into the possession of Konayuki. The blade is extremely heavy, capable of leaving a crater even when it is simply dropped, and only Konayuki is capable of wielding it with ease. It is the heaviest blade with the ability to crush the enemy with its weight. The sword can also be held by its tip, and used as a hammer instead, hence its "twin" title.

Bita (悪刀「鐚」 Akutō Bita?, [Evil sword, Poor])
A small yellow kunai-like weapon, it comes into the possession of Nanami. It holds electricity within it and was designed similar to a lightning bolt. It is the evilest blade with the ability to rejuvenate the user's body.

Kanzashi (微刀「簪」 Bitō Kanzashi?, [Delicate sword, Hairpin])
A four-armed, four-legged, solar powered clockwork mechanical doll that seems to function on its own. It is the most human-like blade with the ability to think by itself and adapt to any situation. It wears a kimono and tall black shoes. Each of its arms hold a sword, and an extra one is hidden in its mouth. Its appearance, made in the image of its creator's love, changes according to the situation, becoming more menacing.

Nokogiri (王刀「鋸」 Ōtō Nokogiri?, [King sword, Saw])
A wooden sword that sharply contrasts its title as "King of Swords", it is in the possession of Zanki. Unlike the other Deviant Blades, it doesn't have any of the poison found in Kiki's blades. It is the purest blade with the ability to cure the poison the other swords have on their owners. A small floral mark and yellowish streak on the sword identifies it as Nokogiri.

Hakari (誠刀「銓」 Seitō Hakari?, [True sword, Scale])
A sword with no blade, it is in the possession of Rinne. The blade itself is not meant to "cut" anyone other than its owner. The sheath is black and decorated with orange floral patterns, and a wreath of those flowers encircle the top part of the sheath. It is the most trustworthy blade with the ability to weight the user's heart.

Mekki (毒刀「鍍」 Dokutō Mekki?, [Poison sword, Gilt])
A black jagged and bladed katana decorated with iridescent designs, it is now in the possession of Houou. The blade also gives off a dark cloudy aura. This blade originally has no owner as it was found inside of a crystal-like spire. It is the most poisonous blade with the ability to corrupt the user. The blade itself contains a part of the spirit of its creator within.

Jū (炎刀「銃」 Entō Jū?, [Flame sword, Gun])
A pair of pistols, one a blue six-chambered revolver and the other a red semi-automatic that holds eleven bullets, both are in the possession of Princess Hitei and used by her retainer, Emonzaemon. Each is decorated with a long flowing mane with a bead on its end. It is the most automatic blade with the ability to consecutively shoot down enemies from a distance.

credit :
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katanagatari