Dual-wielding is cool, but tri-wielding is actually even cooler

Cool Sword Day gives us plenty to celebrate every year. Meteorite swords. Video game swords. People who commission swords from local swordsmiths. There are so many cool swords that you might be tempted to use two at once.

But to paraphrase Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker in the (swordless) masterpiece The social network: You know what’s cooler than two swords? Three swords.

Roronoa Zoro understands this. The A piece legend has never been content to let something as trivial as “having only two arms” keep him from greatness. That’s what your mouth is for (another sword).

(One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda said that making Zoro a tri-wielder was a way to align with legendary Japanese swordsman Musashi Miyamoto, considered one of the greatest to ever wield a blade. “He was known for using two swords. My childish idea was to simply make Zoro even bigger by giving him an extra sword.”)

Nightcrawler understands this. There is nothing in the Bible you cannot wield a third sword with your tail. Nightcrawler would know, he reads that thing every night.

General Grievous, the standout, understands this and uses not two, not three, but four lightsabers. He’s eliminated from this discussion on a technicality – lightsabers aren’t swords, and having four arms makes this a lot easier – but his efforts are appreciated nonetheless.

Shout out to these heroes (and villain) for their efforts to advance swordplay in fiction. It’s a tragically underplayed character choice, but Zoro and Nightcrawler are more than happy to shoulder that burden. If there are more characters you love who wield more than two swords at once, tell me in the comments. I eagerly await your response.