After making Cloud's iconic Buster Sword from Final Fantasy VII, let's face it, this next one was inevitable.
If Clopud is the righteous and just heads side of the coin, then assuredly Sephiroth is the demonic ass end of that same coin. Apart from the roles the two play in FFVII, not to mention the numerous offshoots and spin-offs, the two epitomes of RPG both sport eqaully impressive skillsets, as well as hairdos that no doubt require an ungodly amount of product to maintain.
But more than the characters themselves, what represents the duo are their choice of cutlery. With the kind of girth that would make Ron Jeremy jealous, just Cloud's ability to life the dynamic Buster sword is mind-boggling. Sephiroth's Masamune goes the other route, sporting a blade, while thin, is anywhere between six to eight feet long.
It's arguably just as iconic, if not more so, given the sheer destructive force the pair have caused throughout FFVII from Nibelhelm to Cetra and back again. As the sword was only able to be wielded by the most masterful and legnedary of soliders, it was only fitting for the most masterful and legendary of smiths, Tony "Man at Arms" Swatton, to re-create Sephiroth's sidearm in the real world.
While the size of the sword seems to fluctuate a bit from game to game, Swatton settled on making Masamune a more than respectable 7'2", which still outsizes most NBA stars. Swatton took respect to a new height, using an oddly shaped but specialized hammer meant for forging katanas to craft Masamune, which definitely has a katana-on-steroids kinda vibe.
One the blade fit the shaped he liked, Swatton began grinding the unholy blade so it would be able to cut through Cloud's spiked tips like a hot knife through butter. The time to grind down such a massive blade? About 8 hours.
Making up the sword's guard is an ingot of bronze that will lie atop the grip. Swatton was running low on Chocobo hide and Moogle ears, so covering the sword's grip is stingray skin, with nylon running criss-cross for a nice design, with a bamboo pin holding everything together for a traditional feel.
In the end, you have a weapon truly deserving of its video game legacy, and should be wielded by only the most legendary of soldiers. According to Swatton, the Buster Sword would be easily defeated by Masamune, as it's far too bulky to use in actual combat. For any of you betters out there, that's score one for Sephiroth.
Check out the video below to see the entire creative process, and the usual fruit destruction that follows whenever Swatton and crew create some devestating video game weaponry.
