Kusanagi in Popular Culture - Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi in Popular Culture

Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi in Popular Culture

• The character Shura Kirigakure from Blue Exorcist wields a snake sword thought to be the "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi".

• The protagonist of the King of Fighters series, whose story is loosely based on the Yamata no Orochi mythos, is called Kyo Kusanagi, and he is one of the descendants of the three clans responsible to seal Orochi 1800 years before. While his clan guards the namesake sword, the Mirror of Yata is in possession of Chizuru Kagura and the Magatama of Yasakani belongs to the Yagami family (which, currently, seems to be reduced to Iori only, due to the accursed blood pact made by them with Orochi himself, by which clan members possess the powerful Orochi Flames at the cost of their men would die young and women would die when giving birth).

• In the popular Japanese manga Naruto, a villain named Orochimaru is able to procure the Kusanagi sword from a snake that comes out of his mouth. This is befitting of him both because it references the Yamata-no-Orochi and because an alternate translation of "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi" is "Sword of the Snake".

• Also, in Part II of the Naruto Manga, Sasuke Uchiha, a main character in Naruto, wields what "he" claims is a "Sword of Kusanagi", albeit, a different version or variation to Orochimaru's Sword of Kusanagi and it does not share any of the traits that Orochimaru's Sword had. Orochimaru's Sword of Kusanagi is a Jian, while Sasuke's Sword is a Chokuto.

• In Ōkami, a game for the PlayStation 2 and Wii systems, the Kusanagi is represented as a jade-edged glaive obtained upon defeating Ninetails. In the same game, there is a character named Susano who slays the eight-headed snake Orochi with the help of the protagonist. However, the sword he uses is the wooden sword that he carries around, not the Kusanagi. Also, the sword obtained from the first slaying of Orochi in game is Tsumugari, one of the legendary swords of Japan. The Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi (known in the English version as Thunder Edge) is acquired after defeating True Orochi, echoing the original legend.

• In the Nintendo GameCube game Tales of Symphonia, each successive defeat of a Sword Dancer is awarded with the Yata Mirror, Yasakani Jewel, and Kusanagi Blade.

• Stan Sakai's comic book series Usagi Yojimbo includes a volume entitled Grasscutter that is heavily influenced by the Kusanagi no Tsurugi legend. Kusanagi is featured as a key element in some of the stories of the series starting out with Miyamtoto Usagi finding the sword in the seashore. However, Usagi doesn't realize the sword is Kusanagi until he finds himself frequently attacked by assassins and samurai trying to take it from him.

• In Kyuden, a novel by Jonathan Holburt, a man called Scott tries to steal the three sacred items (see Imperial Regalia of Japan) to help a man become the rightful emperor.

• In the novel The Sword That Cut the Burning Grass by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, Kusanagi is stolen from the boy emperor, but it cannot be used by anyone not chosen by Amaterasu.

• Uesugi Kenshin's final weapon in the first installment of the Samurai Warriors games is in the English version, and in the Japanese version Ama no Murakumo.

• In the game Kessen III, it is used as Oda Nobunaga's strongest weapon

• In the Scion role playing game, the Kusanagi is wielded by Yukiko Kuromizu, the demigod daughter of Susanno-o

• Monica, from Dark Chronicle or Dark Cloud 2, can use a weapon called Amano Murakumo.

• In Final Fantasy XI, Amanomurakumo is one of the sixteen relic weapons obtainable by players, which are dominantly the best weapons of their class, the Kusanagi formerly being the strongest of the "Great Katana" combat skill, exclusively available to when the player has Samurai set as their main job. With it equipped, Amanomurakumo grants the user access to the weapon skill (special move) entitled "Tachi: Kaiten", one of the strongest weapon skills in the game.

• In Final Fantasy XII Ame-no-Murakumo is a Katana which may be acquired by the player.

• In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, there is a katana with the name "Heaven's Cloud", a possible reference to the sword's original name, "Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi".

• In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, there is a sword called the Cloud Brand, which can be obtained after defeating the Serpent by examining its tail, which could be a reference to the origin of the legendary sword.

• In World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, the sword named Grasscutter can be obtained by turning in 50 Emblems of Heroism. The sword has the flavor text "Imperial Sword".

• In Thor: Blood Oath the Grasscutter sword was one of several items Thor and the Warriors Three had to gather on their quest.

• In the movie Pink Panther 2 the Kusanagi or "Imperial Sword" is stolen by the main villain of the movie

• The Kusanagi also appeared in the Video Game and Anime Sakura Taisen as it was used to seal the Demons in the First Demon War

• In the PlayStation game Valkyrie Profile, the Soul Sword - Kusanagi is the most powerful Hai-Lan sword equipped by Jun and Suo. It has the innate ability to instantly kill enemies who are weak to the Holy element.

• In the Touhou video games series, Rinnosuke, a shopkeeper, found Kusanagi's sword in a pile of scrap metal.

• In the Yu-gi-oh! trading card game, there is a spell card called Sword of Kusanagi and there is also a Xyz monster card called Heroic Champion - Kusanagi.

• In the game Phantasy Star Online from Sega the items Kusangi, Yata mirror and Yasakani magatama are obtainable in the blue burst installment.

• In the Sailor Moon universe, the Outer Senshi (Sailors Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) possess talismans inspired by the Imperial Regalia. Sailor Uranus possesses the Space Sword, a clear reference to Kusanagi.

• In the Full Metal Daemon: Muramasa Minagoroshi manga, Ame-no-Mahitotsu-no-Mikoto Kusanagi is a cursed Tsurugi that revels in bloodshed and is said to have existed since the Age of Gods.

• In the game Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, there is a sword called the Kusanagi Blade, which also references Yamato Takeru in its description.

• In the novels of The Dresden Files, there are three holy swords each said to contain a nail from the Crucifixion of Jesus in the hilt. One of these is the Sword of Faith Fidelacchius, a Japanese sword (most closely resembling a shirasaya) that is identified as the source of the Kusanagi legend; its brothers Amoracchius and Esperacchius are also said to be legendary swords (Excalibur and Durandal, respectively).

• In the game The Darkness II, in vendetta mode, the character Inugami Wields a katana with demonic powers named Kusanagi.

• In the light novel and anime series Campione!, the princess shrine maiden Ena Seishuuin, one of the main characters, wields Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi.

• In the 1972 Fantasy novel Sword of the Demon by Richard A Lupoff, the titular sword is Kusanagi.