Summary

• Martial arts movies feature cool and dangerous weapons with backstories and special purposes for characters.
• Well-known weapons like shurikens and sais gained notoriety through their use in martial arts media.
• Some weapons, like the iron fists, tiger fork, and Fang Kang's sword, stick with viewers long after watching due to their creativity and inspiring use.

The best weapons in martial arts movies are both cool to look at and dangerous to use. Many great martial arts weapons have a backstory to them and a special purpose for the characters. Even though some of the best martial arts fights are done mainly with hand-to-hand combat, there are many that involve some unique and exciting weapons.

There are many well-known weapons that gained their notoriety through use in the martial arts media. The shuriken, or throwing star, has become synonymous with ninjas even though they were originally used by samurai. Sais, small melee swords, were popularized by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as Raphael used them. There are so many good weapons to choose from, but the best of the ones that stick with the viewer long after watching.

10 The Iron Fists

The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)

Written by rapper RZA and actor/director Eli Roth, The Man with the Iron Fists is an homage to martial arts movies. RZA also played the main character, an emancipated slave known only as the blacksmith. The blacksmith, in his quest to buy the freedom of his love, Lady Silk, has his forearms cut off by Brass Body. They are replaced by iron arms that can harness his body's energy. Even though no one went the extra mile to make a movie that reinvented the martial arts genre, the blacksmith's iron fists are a bright spot in of creativity.

9 Tiger Fork

Legendary Weapons of China (1982)

A Shaw Brothers movie, Legendary Weapons of China contains many fascinating weapons, as its title suggests. There are 18 weapons featured in the movie, but one of the best is the tiger fork. Essentially a giant trident, the tiger fork is able to stab and twist an opponent. The tiger fork is one of the many weapons used by Lei Kung and Lei Ying during the final fight of the movie. The simplicity of the tiger fork is what makes it such an incredible weapon. It's still effective despite being so simple.

The trident is prominent in many cultures. The Greek god of the sea, Poseidon, wields one and in Hinduism, Shiva carries a trishula to represent the three gunas in Indian Vedic philosophy.

8 Fang Kang's Sword

The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)

Sword fights in martial arts movies are always incredible, so it's no surprise that swords are such a popular weapon. Even though nothing is inherently special about Fang Kang's sword in The One-Armed Swordsman, the story behind it makes it cool. After getting his right arm cut off by Pei Er, Fang Kang falls into a depression because he can no longer use a sword. He's given an old kung-fu manual by Xiao Man and learns how to use a sword one-handed. Seeing Fang Kang using his sword to teach himself how to fight again is very inspiring. Even though his sword isn't necessarily unique, the way Fang Kang uses it is.

7 Bamboo Pole

The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1984)

Similarly to Fang Kang's sword, the bamboo pole used by Yeung Dak in The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter isn't unique in any way. Yeung Dak became a Buddhist monk after most of his family was killed or captured by general Pun Mei. Since blades were not allowed in the monastery, Yeung Dak practiced fighting with a bamboo pole and created the eight-diagram pole technique that he uses throughout the movie. As many martial arts movie weapons are blades of some kind or a special staff, having an ordinary bamboo pole be the weapon of choice is interesting.

6 Meteor Hammer

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Although Kill Bill: Vol. 1 also has the Hattori Hanzo sword used by the Bride, Gogo Yubari's Meteor Hammer is one of the coolest weapons in the movie. Yubari, a schoolgirl, is O-Ren Ishii's bodyguard and confronts the Bride during her quest to kill Ishii. Her Meteor Hammer is a spiked metal ball on a long chain, and it's as scary-looking as it sounds. Even though the Bride is able to defeat Yubari with the Hattori Hanzo sword, the concept of the Meteor Hammer is too cool to ignore. With the push of a button, Yubari can release a circular blade hidden within the Hammer to use when swinging at her opponents.

5 The Claw Hand

Enter the Dragon (1973)

Enter the Dragon is one of the best martial arts tournament movies, and it has one of the coolest weapons. Bruce Lee's character goes up against Han, a crime lord holding a tournament on his private island. Han's left hand is artificial and can have a variety of tools attached to it. One of the best, and most deadly, is the claw hand. Han is already a horrifying villain as he runs an underground drug trafficking ring and employs some brutal people. The claw hand attachment only makes him more sinister. Even though the blades are no match for Lee's superior martial arts skills, they still inflict some serious cuts.

4 Three-section Staff

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is another Shaw Brothers movie. After a failed rebellion, San Te seeks refuge in a Shaolin temple and dedicates himself to the study of kung-fu in the temple's 35 chambers. During his time there, Te creates his signature three-section staff and is given the opportunity to oversee one of the temple's chambers. The three-section staff proves to be a useful and versatile weapon for San Te. When he is finally able to confront Tien Ta, a brutal general, Te uses his staff to soundly defeat him.

3 The Monkey King's Staff

The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

Although the staff of the Monkey King is prevalent in many martial arts movies, including the Journey to the West franchise, The Forbidden Kingdom uses it in such a fun way that it's easy to see why it's such a popular weapon. Watching Jet Li's Monkey King use his staff to fight in such a playful, yet deadly, way really accentuates his character. The staff itself seems to have some power, as being reunited with it frees the Monkey King from the statue Jade Warlord trapped him in during the Battle of the Immortals. The staff, combined with the Monkey King's abilities, makes for some incredible fight scenes.

2 Green Destiny Sword

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

The Green Destiny Sword from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is one of the most iconic weapons in martial arts movies. It's 400-years-old and is shown to be stronger than most other weapons in the movie. The sword is used in one of the best fight scenes between martial arts icons between Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi. Jen, played by Ziyi, uses the Green Destiny Sword and forces Yeoh's Shu Lien to constantly change her weapons as the sword breaks them all. The use of the Green Destiny Sword leads to some of the best fight scenes in a martial arts movie, and it's highly sought after for its power.

1 Flying Guillotine

The Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976)

One of the coolest, and most unique, weapons in a martial arts movie is the flying guillotine. Featured in The Master of the Flying Guillotine, the flying guillotine is essentially a hat on a chain that decapitates its victims. It's used by blind assassin Fu Sheng Wu Chi during his attempts to kill Yu Tien Lung, a one-armed boxer. The flying guillotine is such an interesting weapon as it's such a gruesome concept, but it's done so well. The skill of Wu Chi at handling the flying guillotine as well as he does cannot be overlooked. Everything about the flying guillotine is so much fun to watch.