Basic Trope: An all-destroying weapon that can only be stopped by another weapon of the same type.
- Straight: Hiro wields a Vorpal Sword, a weapon capable of cutting through anything except another vorpal sword.
- Exaggerated:
- There are several types of all-powerful weapons in the setting, and each type can only be stopped by another of its type.
- There are only two such weapons in existence, and the only thing that is not destroyed instantly and irreversibly by them is each-other.
- Downplayed: While only another vorpal-tainuim item can stop a vorpal sword, it doesn’t have to be another vorpal sword, and there are several materials that can at least slow one.
- Justified:
- The swords are made of focused voidsuff and can cut through anything However, as each sword is not technically real or technically existent, there’s no ‘‘thing’’ in each sword to BE cut.
- All vorpal blades are siblings, and are unwilling to harm their relatives.
- The Vorpal Sword is a Laser Blade or Vibroweapon surrounded by an electromagnetic field as a side effect of the technology needed for its cutting power. When two of these fields collide, they repel each other, so two Vorpal Swords with this field will never actually collide and be able to cut each other.
- Inverted:
- Shatterglass is so fragile that the only thing that can touch it without breaking it is more Shatterglass.
- Vorpal swords can ONLY be destroyed by other vorpal swords.
- Vorpal swords cannot stop another vorpal sword.
- Vorpal swords instantly break each other contact - but the pieces keep on going.
- Subverted: Hiro fights another foe welding a vorpal sword…and cuts right through it and the foe in question, ending the fight instantly.
- Vorpal blades being unable to cut vorpal blades is a case of Exact Words - it can never harm another vorpal blade but plenty of other things can block or even damage it.
- Double Subverted:
- It turns out to have been a imitation vorpal sword, and the real article blocks Hiro fine.
- The vorpal blade went thought the other sword because they’re incorporeal in nature and go straight THROUGH each other, without harm to either blade; Like Cannot Cut Like because they’re Made of Air. As Hiro find out later, battles between wielders generally end messily.
- Parodied:
- “Only a vorpal blade can block a vorpal blade!” “Why?” “Because otherwise it’ll violate the terms of its warranty!”
- The vorpal blade is subject to Like Cannot Cut Like… Because it’s the only one of its kind, and it can’t bend far enough to hurt itself.
- No matter how hard he tries, Hiro cannot use his vorpal blade with another one…even after hours of effort.
- Zig Zagged: The vorpal blades are psychoactive, and whether or not they can block each other depends of the mood and will of their relative wielders. In particularly pathetic hands, they may not be able to stop a ‘‘normal’’ sword, let alone another vorpal sword.
- Averted:
- The wielders of the blades never encounter each other, so this is not put to the test.
- The blade is damaged by various other sources with ease, but never encounters another such blade.
- Enforced: It’s a variant on a certain laser sword with the serial numbers filed off.
- Lampshaded: “Turns out the statement that vorpal swords can cut ‘‘almost’’ anything is literally true, in the sense is can ALMOST cut another vorpal blade.”
- Invoked: Vorpal blades were designed by the gods to settle their differences, and added this limitation to ensure speed isn’t the only factor in a fight.
- Exploited:
- Evulz makes a suit of armour entirely out of Vorpal blades.
- Evulz steals Hiro's vorpal blade before they duel, leaving him defenseless.
- Defied: “Don’t be absurd. The vorpal blades can cut anything and that MEANS anything. Especially each other.”
- Discussed: “That’s a bit unfair isn’t it? A weapons so powerful, the only way to counter it is to have one of your own…”
- Conversed: “What is it with weapons in sci-fi that can’t hurt eachother? You’d think they’d find some way around that.”
- Implied: While we never find out if it’s abnormal in any way, Evulz’s sword is the only thing shown capable of blocking Hiro’s vorpal blade onscreen, and it’s otherwise capable of cutting through sheet-metal.
- Deconstructed: The Vorpal blade is incredibly dangerous - not because of the damage it can do in battle - it is still just one sword. But because if it was ever dropped or thrown with enough force it could penetrate the earth and send up a very long column of displaced rock and magma. Cautious users chain it to their wrists.
- The Vorpal Blades cutting includes their tang which means that any handle secures it precariously at best.
- Reconstructed: Vorpal Blades are held magnetically.
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