Masamune (video game weapon)
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- 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. [1] It could also have been named after Date Masamune, a powerful daimyo known for his swordsmanship in feudal Japan, however, there is a possibility that the weapon is named after both, with elements of each.
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[edit] Depictions in the Final Fantasy series
In the early Final Fantasy games the Masamune was the "ultimate weapon."
In the original Final Fantasy for the NES, the sword's name was spelled "Masmune" in the English translation due to space constraints in the 8-bit game (similar to restraints that turned the Excalibur into the XCalbur). 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. Although it has no weapon symbol on the equipment screen, it's represented as a white katana in battle.
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[citation needed]). In Final Fantasy VIII it is not available for use as a result of the new weapons system, instead being used by the Guardian Force (summon) Gilgamesh in one of its attacks, dealing massive 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. Masamune also appears in Final Fantasy XII as the highest level weapon in the katana class of weapons.[1]
For more information, see List of Final Fantasy weapons
[edit] Depictions in the Chrono series
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 a piece of 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. In Radical Dreamers, the sword is mentioned but is not directly involved in the events of the game.
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. (Although his Prism Weapon is slightly stronger, the Mastermune has a very high critical rate, so it deals more damage on average)
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."
[edit] Depictions in other video games
The Masamune has also appeared in the Castlevania, Golden Sun, Dragon Court, Shining Soul, Soul Calibur, Ragnarok Online, Secret of Mana, Mega Man Battle Network series and Onimusha series. In each of these the weapon is depicted as a powerful sword of either Japanese or European design.
It also appears in Tales of Symphonia, however it is one of the earliest acquired swords in the game, and thus one of the least powerful.
In the English version of Final Fight, Mad Gear member Sodom wields a pair of swords that bear it's name.
In Kingdom Hearts II, the masamune can be added to a gummi ship as a "slash" weapon. It is the slash weapon of medium strength of the three.
[edit] References
- ^ (2006) BradyGames: Final Fantasy XII Signature Series Guide (in English). BradyGames, 266. ISBN 0-7440-0837-9.
