Signature weapon

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A signature weapon (or trademark weapon or weapon of choice) is one commonly identified with a certain group or, in the case of literature, epic poems, comics, and film, where it is a popular trope, for both heroes and villains to be associated with and highly proficient in the use of specific weaponry. Examples include Robin Hood's longbow, [1] Don Quixote's jousting lance, a wizard's wand, the Grim Reaper's scythe, Zeus' thunderbolt, Poseidon's trident, Thor's hammer, Arjuna's bow, the Monkey King's iron rod, a Jedi's lightsaber, William Tell's crossbow, David's sling, James Bond's Walther PPK and Gordon Freeman's crowbar. The Colt .45 SAA and Winchester are ubiquitous in Westerns. In horror cinema, there is Jason Voorhees's machete, Freddy Krueger's bladed glove and Leatherface's chainsaw. [2]

Contents

Signature weapons enable viewers of limited animation superhero cartoons, comics, fantasy anime and mecha to easily distinguish between characters who are often nearly identical in appearance (e.g., the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Signature weapons are a common feature of role-playing games and video games. The acquisition of the signature weapons usually marks a newly heightened level of martial prowess and/or aids in the creation of a unique avatar. [3] [4]

Historical examples

Non-fictional associations include: the Japanese katana, the German Luger, the Roman gladius, the Thuggee garrote, and the American Thompson submachine gun.

Additional historical context

Sword's perception and status

Throughout history and fiction signature swords are often regarded as a rare and powerful tool of divinity, demanding the utmost respect from the wielder as often time it’s presented with some sentience element. [5]

During the early Middle Ages, blacksmiths, especially refined blacksmiths in or close to the ruling noble families had a unique social position, as they were responsible for crafting unique and personalized swords using better and costly materials that were often only accessible by individuals of higher class. [5] With how prevalent religion and superstition played an important role in shaping culture and belief, significantly more during wartime, [6] the mystery of the metal works and sword smithing in general for the time period, [7] and eventually its lack of combat application on the battlefield, [8] solidy swords as personal status symbols more than practical weapons for the battlefield. [5]

Some examples of fiction work featuring these concepts the many of the named swords in Game of Thrones, King Arthurian Tales about Excalibur, and the Four Treasures of the Tuatha De Danann.

In Eastern cultures such as Japan and China, swords were treated with similar aspects with one key difference which involves Confucianist philosophy where the focus shifts from the weapon to the self-improvement of the user, with a strong emphasis on morals, ethics, and discipline, as a sword is believed to be another part of the user, it can be corrupted or lost its edge when the user is not disciplined, [9] this concept provided extra dimension to the culture surrounding weapons where the power of a sword was not given but earned through feats and rigorous training of the user. [10] An example of signature fictional weapon that extensively feature this concept is Himura Kenshin's Sakabato.

In present days, swords are mainly reserved for ceremonial use as sidearms and pistol became more practical to use during combat and personal defense. [11]

Many modern and modern classic fictions adopted the concepts and the influence of both worlds into the literature, some examples are Jedi’s Lightsaber in Star Wars, Elric of Melibone’s Stormbringer, Fred Saberhagen’s Book of Swords. All of the mentioned examples contained and featured signature swords that, as part of the story, can either backfire on to the user or be corrupted by some other means.

Pistol perception and status

By the late 17th century to early 18th century when muskets were standardized in the military, [12] armored knights were replaced with lightweight military officers, with unique uniforms and garments however they still retained the use of swords and sabres as symbolic value of a leader, on rare occasions, they may carry with them a flintlock pistol, depending on the officer’s assigned regiment or background. [13] The tradition of carrying swords into battle was eventually abandoned after World War I. [14]

The late Victorian Era to the end of World War I, saw the industrialization and modernization of repeating firearms with revolvers being more common and cheaper, they were found in the hands of many military officers and auxiliary branches of armies, [15] across the many conflicts and events during the time from the Crimean War to the end of the American Frontier, [16] with World War I demonstrating the deadly effectiveness of modernized weapons as a whole. [17]

During this period, the Mauser C96 once received its fame for being the first commercially successful semi-automatic pistol that were adopted by militaries, notably by the Imperial Germany Army for the "Red Nine" 9mm variants [18] and the locally produced clones by the Republic of China. [19]

Self-loading pistols gradually became more common for civilian and military use during and after World War II, [16] the Luger Pistol gained its iconic status during the time due to its lack of appearance on the battlefield, the pistols were being sought after as spoils of war for the Allied forces. [20]

In the civilian context of modern times, firearms are viewed as privileges by most nations due to the regulation of the use and possession of firearms often involve lengthy and restrictive legislative processes as these were implemented to prevent and deter misuse of firearm [21] and to combat the proliferation and the over-availability of firearms to the public. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbine</span> Shortened version of a standard firearm

A carbine is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machine pistol</span> Fully automatic handgun

A machine pistol is a handgun that is capable of fully automatic fire, including stockless handgun-style submachine guns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolt action</span> Type of firearm mechanism

Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by directly manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the firearm. The majority of bolt-action firearms are rifles, but there are also some variants of shotguns and handguns that are bolt-action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luger pistol</span> German semi-automatic pistol

The Pistole Parabellum or Parabellum-Pistole, commonly known as just the Luger or Luger P08, is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The Luger was produced in several models and by several nations from 1898 to 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauser</span> Firearms manufacturer in Germany

Mauser, originally the Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik, was a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols was produced beginning in the 1870s for the German armed forces. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mauser designs were also exported and licensed to many countries, which adopted them as military and civilian sporting firearms. The Gewehr 98 in particular was widely adopted and copied, becoming one of the most copied firearms designs and it is the foundation of many of today's sporting bolt-action rifles. Around 10 millions Gewehr 98 style rifles were produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauser C96</span> German semi-automatic pistol

The Mauser C96 is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937. Unlicensed copies of the gun were also manufactured in Spain and China in the first half of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semi-automatic pistol</span> Type of pistol

A semi-automatic pistol is a repeating handgun that automatically ejects and loads cartridges in its chamber after every shot fired, but only one round of ammunition is fired each time the trigger is pulled. The pistol's fire control group disconnects the trigger mechanism from the firing pin/striker until the trigger has been released and reset manually, unlike the self-cycled firing mechanism in fully automatic pistols.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7.62×25mm Tokarev</span> Pistol cartridge

The 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridge is a Soviet rimless bottleneck pistol cartridge widely used in former Soviet states and in China, among other countries. The cartridge has since been replaced in most capacities by the 9×18mm Makarov in Russian service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT pistol</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The TT-30, commonly known simply as the Tokarev, is a Soviet semi-automatic pistol. It was developed during the late 1920s by Fedor Tokarev as a service pistol for the Soviet Armed Forces and was based on the earlier pistol designs of John Moses Browning, albeit with detail modifications to simplify production and maintenance. The Soviet Union ceased production of the TT in 1954, although derivatives of the pistol continued to be manufactured for many years in the People's Republic of China and nations aligned with the Soviet bloc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stripper clip</span> Speed loader that holds several cartridges

A stripper clip is a speedloader that holds several cartridges together in a single unit for easier and faster loading of a firearm magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Service pistol</span> Standard-issue pistol

A service pistol is any handgun issued to regular military personnel or law enforcement officers. Typically, service pistols are semi-automatic pistols issued to officers, non-commissioned officers, and rear-echelon support personnel for self-defence, though service pistols may also be issued to special forces as a backup for their primary weapons. Pistols are not typically issued to front-line infantry. Before firearms were commonplace, officers and non-commissioned officers typically carried swords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handgun</span> Short-barreled firearm designed to be held and used with one hand

A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long barreled gun which typically is intended to be held by both hands and braced against the shoulder. Handguns have shorter effective ranges compared to long guns, and are much harder to shoot accurately. While most early handguns are single-shot pistols, the two most common types of handguns used in modern times are revolvers and semi-automatic pistols.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OVP 1918</span> Submachine gun

The Carabinetta Automatica O.V.P was a submachine gun developed in Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9×25mm Mauser</span> Pistol cartridge

The 9×25mm Mauser is a cartridge developed for the Mauser C96 service pistol around 1904 by DWM. Mauser pistols in this relatively powerful caliber were primarily intended for export to Africa, Asia, and South America. The 9mm Mauser Export cartridge was produced specifically for Mauser pistols and carbines made from 1904 to 1914 and then later from approximately 1930 to 1945 for submachine guns chambered for this caliber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bergmann 1896</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Bergmann 1894/1896/1897 was a family of 19th-century semi-automatic pistols developed by German designer Louis Schmeisser and sold by Theodor Bergmann's company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7.63×25mm Mauser</span> Pistol cartridge

The 7.63×25mm Mauser round is a bottleneck, rimless, centerfire cartridge, originally developed for the Mauser C96 service pistol. This cartridge headspaces on the shoulder of the case. It later served as the basis for the 7.62mm Tokarev cartridge commonly used in Soviet and Eastern Bloc weapons.

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