Masamune (video game weapon)

Encyclopedia : M : MA : MAS : Masamune (video game weapon)

This article is about the video game weapon. For the swordsmith, see Masamune.

The Masamune is a weapon that has been featured in many video games, most notably the Final Fantasy series. It has appeared in various incarnations, usually as a powerful sword that the characters discover toward the end of the game. However in a few games, such as Chrono Trigger, the weapon actually plays a key role in the plot.

The sword is named in honor of Masamune, aka. Goro Nyudo. The historical Masamune was a real swordsmith thought to have lived in 14th-century Japan, widely praised for the quality and even mystical virtue of his katana blades. [link]

Depictions in the Final Fantasy series

In the early Final Fantasy games the Masamune was the "ultimate weapon." It was a weapon of ambigious design (it had no graphic to distinguish whether it was a sword, spear, axe, etc. Although remakes of the early games typically label it as a sword) that could be used by most characters and was typically found in the game's final dungeon.

In the original Final Fantasy for the NES, the weapon was spelled "Masmune" due to space constraints in the 8-bit game. In the later Wonderswan Color remake, the weapon was spelled "Masamune" and was given a graphic of a katana. The Masamune was unique in that, unlike other weapons in Final Fantasy, it could be used by any character class, including characters typically not allowed to use strong weapons such as the Black and White Mages.

From Final Fantasy IV onward the weapon is usually presented as a katana and is the most powerful weapon for the ninja or samurai class. One notable exception is in Final Fantasy VII where the Masamune is not available for the character to use. Instead it is the weapon of the main villain, Sephiroth (a possible rationale for this is that Sephiroth was a great hero before becoming evil), though as always it is more powerful than any other weapon in the game. In Final Fantasy VIII it is not present at all for use but because of the new weapons system, rather a Guardian Force (summon) Gilgamesh uses it in one of its attacks, dealing heavy damage. It should be noted that the Masamune in Final Fantasy VIII is not a katana, but an Arming Sword. In Final Fantasy X, Masamune appears in the form of a nodachi as Auron's Legendary Weapon.

For more information, see List of Final Fantasy weapons

Depictions in the Chrono series

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The Masamune plays a much larger role in the Chrono series (Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross). It first appears in Chrono Trigger as the legendary holy sword forged by Melchior. Unlike other Squaresoft games, the Masamune is more of a broadsword than a katana. Two spirits known as Masa and Mune (who inhabit the sword) guard it. After Crono and two of his friends successfully pass Masa and Mune's test, they are given the sword. It is then discovered that the sword is broken and needs to be reforged. After acquiring Dreamstone from the distant past, they bring the sword and stone to Melchior to have it reforged. The process is successful and the sword is presented to Glenn (Frog) to allow him to defeat the dark wizard Magus. After the events of Chrono Trigger, the Masamune is lost during the fall of the Kingdom of Guardia.

The sword reappears in Chrono Cross as "the Blood-Stained Sword of Evil." Something has happened that has changed the Masamune from a holy sword to an evil one. It most likely occurred as a consequence of the fall of Guardia (the sword is shown covered in blood during the specially added FMV sequence at the end of the PlayStation version of Chrono Trigger). Now the sword draws out the darkest desires and emotions of the wielder until the feelings overwhelm him and he acts upon them. For example: if the wielder feels even the most subtle jealousy, it will intensify until the person will kill the object of this feeling. This happens to Radius in Chrono Cross when he kills his best friend Garai (who is the greatest swordsman). Eventually, Serge and his friends succeed in purging the evil from the sword (in a side-quest). Masa and Mune then "wake up" and do not realize what has happened to them and the sword. They then are reunited with their sister Doreen who joins with them to form the Mastermune, a paddle-shaped bladed weapon, which is arguably Serge's most powerful weapon.

The reason the sword appears as a broadsword, rather than as a katana like its Final Fantasy counterparts is that the name of the weapon in the English version is different from its Japanese counterpart, and it was never intended to be the Masamune at all. The original name of the sword in the Japanese version is "Grandleon." Masa and Mune are also called Grand and Leon, with "Grand" signifying the older brother. Similarly, the Mastermune was originally named the "Grandream."

Depictions in other video games

The Masamune has also appeared in the Castlevania, Golden Sun, Shining Soul, Soul Calibur, Ragnarok Online, Secret of Mana, Tales of Symphonia and Onimusha series'. In each of these the weapon is depicted as a powerful sword of either English or Japanese design.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.