History Main / WhipSword

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' has the Sword of the Creator, which can transform into an extendable whip. This one has an explicitly magical explanation ([[spoiler:it's made of dragon bone that might still be semi-sentient]] and only responds to certain people), and even then Byleth is noticeably light on the theatrics when using the sword's whip form, largely reserving it for simply striking enemies from a distance. Even in cutscenes, the weapon is kept fully retracted as a rigid greatsword if Byleth's doing any acrobatics.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'' actually had an earlier instance of this trope in the form of a Bonewalker's default monster weapon called the "Bone Sword". Incidentally, it does share a trait or two with the Sword of the Creator such as being able to extend into a bladed whip [[spoiler:and of course being made from bones itself]].

* Ries Argent, a main playable character from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky The 3rd'' and Scarlet from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'' have this as weapon of choice. It is implied that all [[ChurchMilitant Gralsritter]] squires in ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' are trained to use what in this universe is called "Templar Sword". [[spoiler:This is a hint that Scarlet used to be member of Gralsritter, although she quit midway in her training.]]

This type of weapon often falls squarely into AwesomeButImpractical, where you'd need a pretty impressive engineering setup to create a mechanism and spring capable of holding the sword in sword form without violating basic structural integrity ''and'' capable of sending it out as a whip. As of yet, no one's managed to make a working model of such a weapon in RealLife (though some come close in principle), but fiction usually {{Hand Wave}}s any structural issues through magic, or [[MagneticWeapon electromagnets]]. The closest practical RealLife equivalents, like the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_whip chain whip]] and Indian ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urumi Urumi,]]'' usually lack the cutting power of a sword or the reach of a whip.

* Tuo-tuo, the DarkActionGirl assassin from ''Film/FourteenBlades'', wields a whip-sword that doubles as an EPicFlail, and she's damn good at using it.

* In ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes'', Lizard uses a spike strip (the kind laid across roads to flatten tyres) as a flexible melee weapon.

* The "sword" of the rebuilt Gipsy Danger in ''Film/PacificRim'' starts as this, but can click together into a regular sword. The whip form seems to be a way to store the weapon in Gipsy's arm instead of a viable weapon by itself.

* Lots of it in ''Film/ZuWarriorsFromTheMagicMountain'': https://youtu.be/yoHyZnq1w38?t=3541

* Roxy's weapon of choice in ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'' is one of these, worn as her belt.
** If it helps, it doesn't retract into sword-form, it's just a bladed whip that she swings around. (Special features reveal it's modeled on a gymnastics ribbon, so it's probably much "floatier" than the real thing could be. More suited for dramatic shots, though.)

* Roxie Richter, the 4th boss of ''[[VideoGame/ScottPilgrim Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game]]'', uses a whip katana. A compromise between the books, where she uses an ordinary katana, and the film where she uses a bladed whip.

* The ''Literature/RedRising'' trilogy written by Pierce Brown features swords called Razors, which is about a meter long and can be toggled to change shape. The blade can be stiff like a sword or loose like a whip.

* Kyouko Sakura in ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' uses a [[BladeOnAStick chain-spear]] as her weapon, which works under the same premise.

* The Galient Blade in ''Anime/PanzerWorldGalient'' from 1984 is actually the ''source'' of this trope. Story goes, it's based on Indy's whip and the bicycle chains 1980s punks would use as streetfight weapons.
** Because it's stored in Galient's forearm area, it's kept in its whip form until being solidified into sword form in battle. Part of this is explained by Galient being a transforming mecha, which means having a compact form for its primary (and for a significant amount of time, ''only'') weapon prevents it from getting in the way - and also by it being an interesting visual take on Iaijutsu.
** More importantly, it gets around the AwesomeButImpractical issue by:
*** Galient being a buried relic from an age where this kind of technology existed. (The engineering's already taken care of.)
*** Having a retraction mechanism strong enough to stop the whip's momentum by pulling it back into a sword. (The control issue is minimized.)
*** Being a giant robot's weapon, and therefore something already under control without having to learn how to use it. (So the pilot doesn't necessarily need the skill to use it - the mecha takes care of it automatically.)

* Raya, of ''WesternAnimation/RayaAndTheLastDragon'' uses her father's whip sword as her signature weapon, using it both for sword attacks and ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' inspired whip maneuvers.