Basic: Heroes and swords go hand in hand.
- Straight: Bob, The Hero of Tales of Troperia, is given a sword right before setting off on his quest to save the world.
- Exaggerated:
- Absolutely every heroic character in the Tales of Troperia series uses a sword, even when the game is set in outer space.
- Everyone, including completely random civilians, uses swords.
- Anything that's not a sword is automatically branded as a weapon fit for crooks and villains.
- Downplayed:
- Bob's favorite weapon is the sword, but he uses a variety of different weapons depending on the situation.
- Bob keeps a sword on his person as an Emergency Weapon; he's much more proficient with the axe.
- Justified:
- Firearms don't exist in the setting of Tales of Troperia, so melee weapons such as swords are effective in combat.
- If Bob is a peasant, then he definitely stole the sword.
- Bob is under the legal age to possess firearms, or doesn't have access to them.
- All the firearms in the setting are used by villains.
- Swords are given as an award for great feats of courage. Bob has a sword because he is a hero.
- Bob's enemies are reinforced to protect against firearms. Bob's sword is more effective against them.
- Bob uses a sword to fight against fairies.
- The Sword of Plot Advancement can only be wielded by The Chosen One. Bob, having been destined to take up this sword, has been trained to use other swords all his life.
- Bob doesn't want to fight, but still needs a way to defend himself. He chooses a sword because it's versatile and easy to carry.
- The story is set in The Low Middle Ages, where swords were hard to come by and this trope took form.
- Bob just Doesn't Like Guns.
- Bob likes swords. He can have a preference too!
- When presented with an armory (in an age where guns don't exist), Bob just doesn't find anything else that he likes other than swords. Lances are reserved for (obviously) The Lancer, the Axes, Warhammers, Primitive Clubs, and Savage Spiked Weapons and what-have-you are too big and scary and only reserved for The Big Guy (the maces and warhammers would go to The Paladin whilst the Savage Spiked Weapons and the axes go to the Barbarian Hero), not to mention the BFSs would also go to The Big Guy, Daggers are too dishonorable and (again) should go to The Lancer, Bob's Book Dumb and can't use magical spells, so those go to The Smart Guy, Bows are usually reserved for the Aloof Archer (something that Bob's not), and as for healing staves and wands, they go to the White Magician Girl. And going in unarmed? Are you crazy!? That's only something that The Big Guy would do, too! If there already isn't a Bare-Fisted Monk too small to be considered The Big Guy, of course. There's simply no other option than to choose the sword.
- Inverted:
- Only the Red Shirts and the Mooks use swords.
- Everyone in the party except the hero wields a sword. The Hero fights with a poisoned dagger instead.
- Bob is a knife-wielder or Aloof Archer, but Emperor Evulz uses swords.
- Swords prefer heroes.
- The work features a very lowly protagonist and clearly thinks Armies Are Evil. Correspondingly, anyone that has a sword - a tool which is only useful for killing - is a villain of the highest caliber.
- Bob uses firearms.
- Bob wields anything but a sword. When there's a perfectly good sword and a meagre club, you bet Bob's grabbing the club without a second thought.
- Subverted: Bob is given a sword, but immediately loses it and fights with something else.
- Bob gets a sword and clearly is set up to be The Hero, but then he quickly gets killed off. The proceeding protagonist never ever even touches a sword for the rest of the story.
- Double Subverted: His Infinity +1 Sword is (you guessed it) a sword, and so is the aptly-named Sword of Plot Advancement.
- Parodied: Anyone who touches a sword instantly becomes The Hero. This leads to characters trying to remove the threat of the Villain of the Week by forcing a sword's hilt into their hands.
- Zig Zagged: Bob starts out with a sword, but then he losses it. He can find one later also a variety of weapons. His better weapons are still swords, but most enemies are immune to swords(?!). However, all of Bob's Limit Breaks that overcome any defense can only be used with swords...
- Averted:
- Bob uses some other type of weapon.
- Absolutely all characters are Improbable Weapon Users. There's not even anything resembling a dagger!
- Enforced:
- Games with sword-wielding heroes sell better so Bob is a sword-wielding hero in outer space.
- You can't change Bob's weapon, since the game doesn't let you sell and buy equipment. Bob's sword stays as his weapon for the whole game.
- When finding a weapon to give to Bob, developers just don't find anything else that fit the hero other than swords. Lances are reserved for (obviously) The Lancer, the Axes, Warhammers, Primitive Clubs, and Savage Spiked Weapons and whatnot are too big and scary and only reserved for The Big Guy (the maces and warhammers would go to The Paladin whilst the Savage Spiked Weapons and the axes go to the Barbarian Hero), not to mention the BFSs would also go to The Big Guy, Daggers are too dishonorable and (again) should go to The Lancer, Bob's Book Dumb and can't use magical spells, so those go to The Smart Guy, Bows are usually reserved for the Aloof Archer (something that Bob's not), and as for healing staves and wands, they go to the White Magician Girl. And going in unarmed? That's only something that The Big Guy would do, too! If there already isn't a Bare-Fisted Monk too small to be considered The Big Guy, of course. There's simply no other option than to choose the sword.
- Lampshaded: "Wow, you must be the prophesied hero! You wield a sword!"
- Invoked: When Emperor Evulz' evil army invade his village, Bob the farmer takes up his sword, hoping to defeat them like the heroes in legend.
- Exploited:
- Emperor Evulz is a master of jutte
, knowing that heroes are out to get him. - Anticipating that his opponent will likely use a sword, Evulz decides on a spear or other anti-sword weapons to take advantage of Tactical Rock–Paper–Scissors.
- Emperor Evulz is a master of jutte
- Defied:
- With more practical weapons available, Bob sees no reason to even look twice at a sword.
- In a game that allows Bob to equip any number of weapons, including melee weapons, swords are specifically off the table.
- “Nah, swords are too generic. Gimme somethin' I can smash people with!”
- "Swords? Swords!? Are you crazy!? Everyone knows that anyone who picks up a tool designed to harm others is evil! I'm going in unarmed!"
- Discussed: "The stories say: in bleak times such as now, there is always a sword-wielding hero rising to fight the tyrant."
- Conversed:
- "Unlike what you may read in story books, a sword is an unlikely weapon for the hero in an age of fire arms."
- [Sees a group shot of the anime or JRPG cast holding weapons] "This one's probably the protagonist; he's the only one with a sword, you see."
- Deconstructed:
- Bob gets into a fight with an Elite Mook. He draws his sword... and his opponent casually draws a gun and shoots him.
- Bob brings in a sword to fight the criminals. They view him as a Sociopathic Hero and flee away. Bob was arrested by the cops for sword possession.
- Bob reflexively chooses the sword as his weapon when given the chance, without knowing how much training this weapon actually entails. He finds himself easily outmatched by more experienced sword users.
- Reconstructed:
- Bob trains in advanced swordplay to deflect bullets and defend himself against more practical weapons. He also wears bullet proof body armor. Thus, he becomes a much more deadly force than any firearm.
- But Goddess Troperia bestows better swords to her chosens.
- Bob, arriving in purgatory, is told by the goddess to return, and his sword is powered up. Now that he Came Back Strong he tears up the enemy.
- After being found no guilty in his records, Bob decided to carry his sword for self-defense without intentions to murder people.
- Bob is warned beforehand that the sword is one of the most difficult melee weapons to master, and so he seeks out training before going into combat with it.
- Played For Laughs: Everyone else, who use more efficient weapons, ridicule Bob as a Heroic Comedic Sociopath.
- Played For Drama:
- It's Bob's code of honor to use swords, so when a hostage-taking situation happens where he is forced to use throwing daggers, he is in a serious pinch.
- Bob's sword is broken, so he gives up being a hero and fades into obscurity.
- Bob, no matter what he chooses, will be derided by everyone he meets due to believing this trope in full effect:
- Bob picks out a bow and arrow? He's considered a loner, a coward, a Miles Gloriosus, and a prissy prima donna who would prefer to snipe people from far off than get down and dirty in a fight.
- Bob picks out a polearm? He's considered as more or less cannon fodder and a Redshirt who isn't given much afterthought, and he shocks people simply by making it so far without being killed.
- Bob picks out a spellbook? He's considered a bookworm who's sheltered and egotistical, and thinks he's above others simply by knowing spells, and a good amount of the archer stereotype comes with it too.
- Bob picks out a direct and crude weapon? He's considered Dumb Muscle who doesn't have the nuance or the elegance of a true fighter, and can't dodge to save his life.
- Bob simply doesn't even pick a weapon at all? He's considered even less than Dumb Muscle because he doesn't even rely on a weapon to do the job, only his muscles, and everyone thinks he's ripe for an absolute schooling.
Take this sword and return to Heroes Prefer Swords. Go and save us all!
