History Main / SimpleStaff

* Leia from ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'' and ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2'' uses as a staff as her weapon of choice and possesses a multitude of flashy artes that make good use of it.

* ''VideoGame/NineMonkeysOfShaolin'' have your StarterEquipment being your trusty oak staff, which deals mediocre damage in the first few stages and only works on mooks. In a YouCantThwartStageOne moment, you ''will'' suffer a defeat in the hands of the marauder leader, since your staff is too weak to damage the leader's armour, and later on you can get the spear and the mace as backup.

* Kilik from ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur''. He, along with his replacement Xiba and Maxi, is the only character in the series [[GuestFighter (besides Heihachi and custom characters)]] to use a blunt weapon. Seong Mi-na's default weapon has a bladed edge, but a variation is blunt.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', Elyham "Elly" van Houten used a pair of collapsible fighting rods in addition to various [[KickChick kicks]] and Ether attack spells.
* Prier of ''VideoGame/LaPucelle Tactics'' also wields a baton as her weapon, and is more than privy to kicking the crap out of her enemies with her powerful legs as well.
* The''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' series offers two variations in their users:
** Venom is an assassin who kills people with a ''pool cue''. Not so much a Simple Staff as an unconventional spear.
* Sin Kiske is something of a more traditional staff user, but he actually uses a ''flagpole'' as his weapon. Despite the rather unusual weapon, his move set is rather conventional to that of a traditional staff user.

* The main character from ''VideoGame/SuikodenI'' used a bo staff as his primary weapon, as did his martial arts teacher [[OldMaster Kai]]. Jowy, the ChildhoodFriend of TheHero in ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'', uses a simple blue staff as his weapon of choice, whilst TheHero himself uses DualTonfas. Prince Freyjadour Falenas from ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'' used a collapsible tri-sectioned staff.

* Jade from ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'' uses a staff as her primary weapon, in kung-fu style. Naturally, taking out enormous guards in PoweredArmor with [[DropTheHammer Hammers With]] [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]] is [[RockBeatsLaser no problem for her]].

* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' typically has their staves as the [[MagicStaff magical variety]] rather than martial but it does have a few exceptions.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' has a few early game staves meant for the Monk job, but due to how its unique barehanded damage is calculated, by the time you have access to them it's better to go unarmed.
** Raijin in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' uses a fighting staff as a weapon alongside martial arts and the occasional thunder spell.
** Staffs are an entire class of weapon in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI''. Though most are wielded by mage classes for spell casting related stats, some are simple staffs and can be wielded as melee weapons by a variety of jobs
** Poles show up in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', but calculate damage as the difference between the target's Magic Defense and the attacker's physical attack and have a high combo rate. As such, they are best used against enemies that are vulnerable to magic but resistant to physical attacks. In the UpdatedRerelease these weapons are the signature weapon of the Monk license board in lieu of bare fists.
** A specific few weapons for the Dragoon job in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' are fighting staves rather then spears and the appearance can be used over any other spear via glamour prisms.
** The Mystic/Oracle Job in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' mainly wields poles, which are one of only three weapons providing a two square attack range, alongside the Dragoon's Polearms, and the Dancer's cloth.
** Poles are also a type of weapon in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'', equipped by Master Monks and Geomancers.

* The later ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' games oddly feature both the bo and the quarterstaff-both have similar if not identical combat performance, but the bo can only be used by a very few classes such as the monk, while the quarterstaff is usable by pretty much anyone.
* In the Doom-based game ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'', the players Melee/Emergency weapon is a wooden staff.
* ''VideoGame/FatalFury'':
** Billy Kane and his three-sectioned cudgel-on-a-chain.
** His sister, LethalJokeCharacter Lilly uses an ancient staff weapon known as a "laundry pole" to fight. ...Or an actual laundry pole. Probably the latter.
* The Warriors of the Order and the Mages in ''VideoGame/{{Risen}}'' use staffs as weapon, but Mages use them for defensive purpose only. Also, note that in this game spears are considered as staves.
* In ''VideoGame/Halo2'', some of the Honor Guards are seen with staves, and in a cutscene, they use them to beat down some Grunts that got too excited. Unfortunately, they're not used as weapons in actual gameplay.
* Eagle from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' uses escrima sticks in battle and got an expanded moveset for them once he migrated into ''VideoGame/CapcomVs'' territory. Rolento also uses a stick, although it is more of a command baton rather than a weapon. Falke from Street Fighter V also uses a staff that she uses as a medium to channel Psycho Power.
* Ryu Hayabusa from ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' gets the Lunar staff in Black. Although less damaging than the Dragon Sword it is still reasonably powerful and has a large attack range and high speed making it one of the more potent weapons.

* Quarterstaves are Jaheira's weapon of choice in ''VideoGame/BaldursGate''. Due to the restrictions of her Fighter/Druid build, they are also some of the ''only'' weapons she can wield. Fortunately there are powerful staves in ''Shadows of Amn'' and an {{Infinity Plus One S|word}}taff in ''Throne of Baal''. As an added bonus, they're one of the few weapon types in the first game that doesn't risk breaking, since, as a wooden weapon, they're not affected by the iron plague.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', animations are added showing mages using their {{Magic Staff}}s as melee weapons.
* ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire''
** It features the staff as one of the weapon styles, though the "staff" style covers a wide variety of polearms.
** OldSoldier Sagacious Zu wields a steel-shod, weighted staff which has more in common with a polehammer than a common staff, and is easily the most lethal-looking piece of hardware in the game.
* Koei's [[VideoGame/DynastyWarriors various Warriors games]] have a number of characters that use staves as their weapon of choice.

* A late-game boss in ''VideoGame/BadDudes'' fights using a pole. He is the epitome of BoringYetPractical and WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer in the game, as all other bosses have impressive, showy weapons, but he is the only one to use his weapon to keep distance from the player characters, among other techniques. As a result, he is surprisingly difficult to defeat even for his point in the game.
* ''VideoGame/Fallout''

* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' DLC characters Robin and Nightwing use a collapsible bo staff and Escrima sticks, true to their comic book counterparts.

** Raiden uses a staff as his WeaponOfChoice from ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]]'' to ''VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]]''. It's really a MagicStaff that he uses as a close-range weapon.

* The weapon of choice for sorcerers and necromancers in ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic VI-VIII'', and by the end-game of ''VII'' for monks (monks primarily specialize in [[AllMonksKnowKungFu unarmed combat]], but the final level of the staff skill, unique to monks, makes staves count as unarmed for the purposes of the unarmed skill...). Often magical, but not necessarily a MagicStaff (they have the exact same enchantments available as ''any'' weapon, though unique staves do tend to give boosts to magical power).
* Leia from ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'' and ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2'' uses as a staff as her weapon of choice and possesses a multitude of flashy artes that make good use of it.

* Kusuha Mizuha from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha 2'' at first used the dragon-mecha [=RyuJinKi=], who possesses a humongous staff called ''Kintoubou'' which she uses to smack around evildoers that threatened those that she cared. However, after she gets her upgrade, [=RyuKoOh=], the staff got ditched for [[CoolSword the Ryuu-Oh Hazan-Ken]].
* The aforementioned Wukong appear also in several MOBA games like ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' and ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}''. And yes, both cases, he comes with his staff as his main repertoire. His staff is also referenced in ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients'', while Wukong himself doesn't appear in the game, there's an item called 'Monkey King Bar', which is obviously a reference to his staff. Eventually, this Wukong becomes PromotedToPlayable in ''VideoGame/Dota2'' and he's still carrying the staff, which becomes doubly ironic that he has his Monkey King Bar already, but still can buy a new one.
* Appears every so often in ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'', specifically ''Super Double Dragon''. While the Lee brothers usually end up FightingWithChucks, they are no slouch with the staff--it's slow but packs a wallop.
* ''VideoGame/TheMatrixPathOfNeo'' when a staff weapon appears it's either a Bo staff, a Quarter staff or a [[MundaneMadeAwesome flag-pole.]]

* Staves in ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' are usually used for magical attacks, but the ''Heart of Thorns'' expansion introduced the Revenant class and Daredevil specialisation for the Thief class. Both of these classes use staves as melee weapons. Revenants can use them for effective support, but Daredevils gain access to a lot of agility-based attacks by using staves.
* ''VideoGame/{{Furi}}'': The Chain, the first boss, wields a plain iron staff as his weapon.
* Jabberjab offers Kirby the Staff ability in ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies''. Gameplay-wise, it's very similar to the Spear ability featured in ''[[VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamland Return to Dreamland]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe Triple Deluxe]]'', only Staff lacks Spear's throwing technique and comes with a pole-vaulting technique.
* Bilbo's first weapon of choice in ''[[VideoGame/TheHobbit2003 The Hobbit]]'' is his walking-stick. While not as powerful as his sword Sting, it has a greater range of motion and can push several enemies away at once. He can also use it to pole vault when he needs to reach ledges that are too far apart to jump across normally.

* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'', staves function in this way, with your skill in using them based off your Blunt Weapon skill (shared with [[CarryABigStick maces and hammers]]). Actually ''striking'' your opponent with them should be a last resort, as they are fairly weak weapons, but they are highly enchantable, meaning that you can beef them up with powerful magic damage. Later games in [[Franchise/TheElderScrolls the series]], including ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline Online]]'', instead change the function of staves into reusable magic spell blasters, removing the ability to strike opponents with them.
* Throughout the ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' series, most of the protagonists wield a staff as their weapon of choice, which serves double duty as both a weapon and as a stirring stick for their alchemy cauldrons.
* From the ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' series:
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': The Hero can wield many of the game's staves, and they're implied to be his Weapon of Choice. Official artwork usually depicts him wielding a simple wooden staff, and his endgame weapon will likely be the Dragon Staff (since only he can wield it, while the only more powerful weapon he can wield is also available to other characters). In all apperances outside of ''V'', in artwork, party games and even non-playable appearances in other games show him wielding a staff, while all the other main title heroes wield a sword. It's always shown to be either the default wooden one shown on the box art or the Dragon Staff.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'': Staves became their own fully-fledged weapon type in this entry, being equippable by default by Martial Artists and Priests and have a lot in common with real life bō or quarterstaffs. Equipping one helps the wielder dodge enemy attacks and they are stronger against undead monsters.

* The Air Nomad monks of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' invented staves with collapsable glider-wings, designed to enhance the power of their [[ElementalPowers airbending attacks and defenses]], and allow them to fly by manipulating air currents.
* Cheetara of ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats'' and ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' uses a [[RetractableWeapon collapsible]] staff.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'', Donatello still uses a ''bo'', although he can convert it to a ''[[BladeOnAStick naginata]]''.
* WesternAnimation/RobinHoodDaffy used a trusty quarterstaff. Actually, it's a ''buck and a quarter'' quarterstaff, but keep it to yourself.

* [[BadassNormal Robin]] from the animated ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' often uses a collapsible bo-staff, when he's not fighting with his bare hands or throwing bird-a-rangs.
* WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack is shown on several occasions to be skilled with a bo staff (along with [[MultiMeleeMaster just about every other melee weapon on the face of the earth,]] but a staff is probably the second-most-common weapon he's seen using, next to his signature magic katana).
* The new Robin, Tim Drake, uses a collapsible, sometimes electrified bo staff in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice.''
* Mysto from ''WesternAnimation/{{Mixels}}'' uses a bo staff as his weapon, in contrast to the bladed weapons his students wield.
* Matt in ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'' uses a long metal rod resembling a bo staff as his weapon of choice and Princess Allura uses one in her duel with the witch Haggar, she however upgrades to a WhipSword in the next season.
* [[spoiler:Mariposa]] in ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' uses a staff while in the Neverzone.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug''
** Adrien uses one while he is transformed into Cat Noir. It is also a telescopic staff, which can extend to truly ridiculous lengths.
** One is also used by [[spoiler: King Monkey, A.K.A Le Chien Kim]], minus the telescoping.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'': A popular secondary weapon of the Leafmen (when paired with an actual leaf it becomes a makeshift glider/parachute).

In the West, a full-length fighting staff is called a quarterstaff. Contrary to [[DanBrowned general opinion]] or [[HollywoodHistory many movies]], in the medieval age, a staff was not held in the middle but wielded in a similar way to a spear or two-handed sword.[[note]]With one hand halfway up, the other a few feet further back to provide more leverage and the rest of the staff ahead of them. One should note that it is hard to find a consensus for the length of the quarterstaff, which ranges in description from six feet to more than double that.[[/note]] In Japan, it is called a ''bo'', with a smaller version called a ''jo''. The Japanese also have ''hanbo'' -- short staves that Westerners would call rods. A Filipino fighting art called ''Eskrima'' (or ''Arnis'' or ''Kali'', depending on which island you're from) also makes use of these short rods.[[note]]An interesting side-note is that eskrima teaches its practitioners to strike with one particular surface of the stick rather than just any part of it -- because eskrima is intended to allow the user to switch his relatively non-lethal sticks for ''blades'' if necessary.[[/note]]

* As mentioned in the ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' example below, Son Goku of ''Franchise/DragonBall'' wields the Nyoi Bou (or "Ruyi Bang" for Chinese speakers/savants)[[note]]In the Funimation dub it's called the Power Pole, a name adopted from the Harmony Gold dub[[/note]], a wooden staff that can extend and shrink at the will of the user. While it is fantastic in the early arcs, it loses its utility when KiAttacks grow in prominence, and is cleanly discarded after the Daimao Arc. Also, Kamesennin (Master Roshi) has a staff of his own, although he never seems to really use it for anything other than a walking stick ([[{{Troll}} and poking a hole in the Pilaf Gang's seaplane]]).

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': As many other wizards do, Harry carries a MagicStaff that focuses and concentrates the power of his spells. He also receives proper martial arts training in the use of a staff, specifically so he can invoke this trope when magic isn't a viable option. At one time, he uses it to motorcycle-joust against a limo.

** Druids like staffs, because they're useful to use as focuses for powerful spells like ''Shillelagh'' and ''Changestaff''.

* In ''Fanfic/SenkiZesshouSymphogearWXDUnlimited'', [[Literature/{{Worm}} Taylor Hebert]] uses the [[Anime/SenkiZesshouSymphogear Relic]] [[Literature/JourneyToTheWest Ruyi Jingu Bang]]. You get three guesses what her WeaponOfChoice is.

* In ''LightNovel/SaiunkokuMonogatari'', [[BadassBureaucrat Ensei]] uses a staff when everyone else walks around with a sword. His [[RedBaron nickname]] is "Little Staff King".

* In ''Literature/BloodSword'', the Sage character class starts off with a quarterstaff to do his fighting and he has special techniques with it to knock an enemy off-balance, making them attack last. This
ability only works when he has a staff.

* In ''Literature/BloodSword'', the Sage character class starts off with a quarterstaff to do his fighting
and he has special techniques with it to knock an enemy off-balance, making them attack last. This

** [[ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} Slade Wilson]], while preferring swords, also showed a fondness for the escrima sticks variant to use while training on the island, and taught Oliver how to fight using them, though Oliver himself mostly sticks to archery or using his bow as a club.

* Venom from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' is an assassin who kills people with a ''pool cue''. Not so much a Simple Staff as an unconventional spear.

[[folder:LARP]]
* Many [=LARPers=] consider the staff to be one of the most effective weapons, due to the simple fact that a hit can be scored with any part of the weapon. There's much more to it than that, a staff also has reach, size, and leverage on its side. The staff is a stupendously effective LARP weapon.

** One is also used by [[spoiler: Roi Singe, A.K.A Le Chien Kim]], minus the telescoping.

** Adrien uses one while he is transformed into Chat Noir. It is also a telescopic staff, which can extend to truly ridiculous lengths.

* In ''Series/TheWalkingDead'', Morgan Jones uses a wooden staff in his practice of UsefulNotes/{{Aikido}}, which he teaches to some others as well. He believes ThouShaltNotKill [[spoiler:at least until things really go south]], but it's quite effective for busting zombie skulls or [[TechnicalPacifist incapacitating an enemy]].

* Ryouga Hakua/[=AbaRed=] from ''Series/BakuryuuSentaiAbaranger'' has a staff with a Tyrannosaurus head, which not only functions as a staff, but the head can munch and eat his enemies. He's still a good guy though.

* Auggie's walking staff in ''Series/{{Covert Affairs}}''.

* Ben from ''Series/{{Lost}}'' prefers a telescopic baton (a homage to ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'', whose writer also writes for Lost), but he's not above using a gun if it's handy.
* Andromeda features the Force Lance. Among its ''[[SwissArmyWeapon many]]'' features is the ability to expand into a full-length staff.

* In ''Film/ArmyOfFrankensteins'', Igor carries a collapsible lighting rod that he uses as a quarterstaff (with great skill) during the battle against the Confederates.

* As mentioned in the ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' example below, Son Goku of ''Franchise/DragonBall'' wields the Nyoi Bou (or "Ruyi Bang" for Chinese speakers/savants, or "Power Pole" for English). A magical staff that grows and shrinks as the user's will. (Known as the "Power Pole" in the dub.) However, it fades from use in ''Anime/DragonBallZ''. Also, Kamesennin (Master Roshi) has a staff of his own, he never seems to really use it for anything though.

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'': The Hero can wield many of the game's staves, and they're implied to be his Weapon of Choice. Official artwork usually depicts him wielding a simple wooden staff, and his endgame weapon will likely be the Dragon Staff (since only he can wield it, while the only more powerful weapon he can wield is also available to other characters). In all apperances outside of ''V'', in artwork, party games and even non-playable appearances in other games show him wielding a staff, while all the other main title heroes wield a sword. It's always shown to be either the default wooden one shown on the box art or the Dragon Staff.

* Literature/SherlockHolmes is an excellent stick fighter, and there are several references to walking sticks being used as defensive weapons. One of which is featured in a SherlockScan: Holmes deduces from seeing a walking stick that's been newly modified to have a lead-filled end (called a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licuala Penang lawyer]]) that the owner thinks he might be in danger.

* When [[spoiler: Kuu Fei]] makes a Pactio with Negi in the ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' manga, her artifact is a replica of the [[Literature/JourneyToTheWest Ruyi Jingu Bang]].

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]], as per canon - six feet of carved oak, when wielded properly, is something to be reckoned with.

* Many [=LARPers=] consider the staff to be one of the most effective weapons, due to the simple fact that a hit can be scored with any part of the weapon.
** There's much more to it than that, a staff also has reach, size, and leverage on its side. The staff is a stupendously effective LARP weapon.

* ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'': Sun Wukong (known in the Japanese translation as Son Goku) used a magical collapsible staff called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruyi_Jingu_Bang Ruyi Jingu Bang]] (or "Nyoi Kinko Bou" to most Japanese speakers/anime fans). It appeared as via the Japanese "Nyoi Bou" reading in some adaptations like ''Franchise/DragonBall'', which the dub called a "Power Pole".

* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'': There was a Jedi Master who used a Simple Staff (somewhat like Yoda) with which he could ''block [[LaserBlade Light Sabers]]'' (admittedly, by using [[FunctionalMagic The Force]]).

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Averted. Giles wants to train Buffy on the quarterstaff. Buffy is not impressed: "Giles, 20th Century? I'm not going to be fighting Friar Tuck." Giles insists, claiming that it will take "countless hours of rigorous training" to master. They face off and Buffy makes short work of Giles, knocking him flat on the ground.

** Not PlayedForLaughs in Season 5's "Into the Woods", where Buffy uses a wooden staff to kill [[CurbStompBattle seven vampires in as many seconds]].

** SpiritualSuccessor ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' has ChineseGirl Litchi Faye Ling using a much simpler staff, but not-so-very-simple, [[FlyingWeapon since the staff can levitate and smack people around]].

* ''VideoGame/FatalFury'': Billy Kane and his three-sectioned cudgel-on-a-chain.

* The go-to weapon for mages in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins''. They never miss.
** Though it isn't until ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' that they get used for melee attacks.
* ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'' features the staff as one of the weapon styles, though the "staff" style covers a wide variety of polearms.

* Koei's [[VideoGame/DynastyWarriors various Warriors games]] have a number of characters that use staves as their weapon of choice. Of special note are Dynasty Warriors' Pang Tong who can momentarily surf on his staff through the air, and ''[[VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi Warriors Orochi 2's]]'' Sun Wukong, who can annihilate anything within seconds with his at max level.

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' has Old Glory, a flagpole tipped with a golden eagle. It's the signature weapon of [[{{Foil}} Ulysses]] and is gained at the end of the Lonesome Road DLC.

*** Kai's ending in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' has him receiving Raiden's staff as a gift. If you beat the game with Kai, he can use the staff as his WeaponOfChoice during gameplay.

* [[WesternAnimation/RobinHoodDaffy Robin Hood Daffy]] used a trusty quarterstaff. Actually, it's a ''buck and a quarter'' quarterstaff, but keep it to yourself.

* Adrien uses one in ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' while he is transformed into Chat Noir. It is also a telescopic staff, which can extend to truly ridiculous lengths.