The katana has reached far and wide in the world of fictional stories and can be used to tell tales of wisdom and bravery or evil and treachery.
Many legends surround Japanese swords, the most frequent being that the blades are folded an immense number of times, gaining magical properties in the meantime.
The technique of folding steel came from the manufacture of the Dao in China, and contact with the mainland would affect how the katana evolved through the centuries.
For instance, some stories state that carrying weapons has been permitted due to a serious increase in crimes or an invasion of monsters from other dimensions.
With this law in mind, katana are sometimes used for comic relief in anime and manga set in the present, although this is sometimes replaced by the use of a bokken having surprisingly comparable capabilities.
Due to the renowned quality of the sword and the mysticism surrounding the relationship between the blade and its wielder, the katana appears in various works of fiction, including film, anime, manga, other forms of literature, and computer games.
[2] It is frequently used by non-Japanese creators, partly due to its status as an easily recognizable icon of Japan and its high reputation as a formidable weapon in skilled hands.
Four well-known appearances in Western culture are Bruce Willis' weapon of opportunity in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, the Bride's signature weapon in Kill Bill (a film strongly influenced by Japanese samurai movies), the katana used by the main characters in Highlander and the 1975 Tom Laughlin action Western film The Master Gunfighter.
Other appearances for the western audience include a pair of Ninjato carried by the character Leonardo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
The lightsaber's design embodies this concept, featuring a hilt that resembles a traditional katana sword handle, complete with a crossguard.
Other games in the Final Fantasy series include a sword called the Masamune, apparently named after the famous Japanese swordsmith.
In the three video games based on the 2D animated French television show Code Lyoko (Get Ready to Virtualize!, Quest for Infinity, and Fall of X.A.N.A.)
At one point, his katana was temporarily modified and upgraded by the false Franz Hopper, capable of charging and emitting a wave of white energy that could wipe out three monsters from a distance.