Meito

Meito is an umbrella term for named blades that have earned fame, as a result of having been forged by master bladesmiths and/or being wielded by master swordsmen. The most notable of these blades are ranked by the "grade" of their quality.
While most "Meito" are swords, a great variety of blades (including bladed polearms/spears) fall under this category, and even non-bladed melee weapons (e.g., clubs) are sometimes regarded in a similar light.
==Overview==
The term "Meito" (lit. "Famous Blade") not only indicates that a blade has made a name for itself but also that a blade is of superior quality, and to have likely been smithed by a master craftsman — hence the designation — and can usually be recognized on sight by those knowledgable on the subject of swords. Given their prestige, these Meito tend to be quite valuable, with the Grade Sword Sandai Kitetsu being valued at 1,000,000 and the Great Grade Sword Wado Ichimonji valued at 10,000,000. In contrast to unnamed, mass-produced bladed weapons, Meito tend to be uniquely designed and individually created by skilled smiths. Because of this, they are generally wielded by powerful combatants skilled in the ways of the blade, who bring fame to their blade along with themselves; it is said that a blade chooses its wielder, and blade-wielding skill is an absolute necessity with the highest-graded Meito, which are known for being notoriously difficult to master, some even being labeled as .
There are currently four known of Meito:
#Supreme Grade Blades (Saijō Ōwazamono), of which there are 12;
#Great Grade Blades (Ōwazamono), of which there are 21;
#Skillful Grade Blades (Ryōwazamono), of which there are 50;
#Grade Blades (Wazamono), of which there is a currently unknown number.
Some Meito are well-known, thus counting as Meito, but have no particular grade.
There is a circumstance where, after countless battles, a sword's blade will permanently turn black, thus becoming what is known as a . Black Blades are stronger than ordinary swords and well known for their impressive resilience; a dinosaur could step on one and it would not bend at all. It has been indicated that Armament Haki is necessary to turn a blade black, given that a Black Blade has the same coloration as weapons imbued with Haki, but it is uncertain if there are other steps needed to achieve the effect permanently. It is said that should a swordsman be able to turn their blade into a Black Blade, it would become one grade higher.
==Meito by Rank==
===12 Supreme Grade Blades===
The are the twelve strongest, highest-quality blades in the world. Through their usage, they have displayed incredible feats of both strength and durability, such as being exposed to the harshest elements without losing their edge and being used to slash through enormous structures with single strokes. Five out of the twelve Supreme Grade Blades have been revealed so far (four swords and one naginata): 
*Yoru: a Black Blade (Dracule Mihawk)
*Shodai Kitetsu: a Cursed Blade of the Kitetsu School
*Murakumogiri (Edward Newgate)
*Ace (Gol D. Roger)
*Yakuza Kasen (Fugetsu Kisaburo (creator) → Issho)
===21 Great Grade Blades===
The are among the highest-quality blades in the world, second only to the 12 Supreme Grade swords. These blades are well known for their incredible power and outstanding balance between strength, sharpness, and durability. In the hands of master swordsmen, they can even stand up to the Supreme Grade Swords in combat. Five Great Grade Blades are currently known (all katana-style swords): 
*Nidai Kitetsu: a Cursed Kitetsu Blade (Kotetsu (creator) → Kouzuki Sukiyaki)
*Wado Ichimonji (Shimotsuki Kouzaburou (creator) → Shimotsuki Koushirou → Shimotsuki Kuina → Roronoa Zoro)
*Enma (Shimotsuki Kouzaburou (creator) → Kouzuki Oden → Kouzuki Hiyori → Roronoa Zoro)
*Shusui: a Black Blade (Shimotsuki Ryuma → Roronoa Zoro → Wano Country)
*Ame no Habakiri (Kouzuki Sukiyaki (creator) → Kouzuki Oden → Kouzuki Momonosuke)
===50 Skillful Grade Blades===
The are blades of a very high quality, outclassed only by the 12 Supreme Grade swords and the 21 Great Grade swords. These swords yield exceptional strength, sharpness, durability, with their light weight being the key factor for their usefulness in speed-based swordsmanship. Three Skillful Grade swords are currently known (all being katana):
*Kashu (Mr. 11 → Tashigi)
*Yubashiri: destroyed (Ipponmatsu → Roronoa Zoro)
*Yamaoroshi (Billy → Tashigi)
===Grade Blades===
The make up the lowest of the four Meito Grades, being outclassed by the 83 blades of the higher (Supreme, Great, and Skillful) Grades; the total number of Grade Swords is unknown. Despite their comparatively lower quality, they are still elite blades that possess far superior attributes than run-of-the-mill blades, such as exceptional resilience and cutting power against sturdy foes. Two Grade blades are currently known (both katana):
*Shigure (Tashigi)
*Sandai Kitetsu: a Cursed Kitetsu Blade (Kouzuki Sukiyaki (creator) → Ipponmatsu → Roronoa Zoro)
===Unknown Grade===
The following is a list of blades of ; that is, they are known to be Meito, but their Grade is unknown:
*Gryphon (Shanks)
*Cat Claws (Kuro)
*Nakiri Swords (Yosaku and Johnny)
*Daisenso (Krieg)
*Kiribachi (Arlong)
*Terry Sword (Dorry)
*Bruiser Axe (Brogy)
*Nonosama Bo (Enel)
*Bamboo (T Bone)
*Funkfreed (Spandam)
*Punishers (Killer)
*Warabide Sword (Basil Hawkins)
*Kessui (Hannyabal)
*Raiu (Shiryu)
*Oto and Kogarashi (Shiki)
*Franken (Franky)
*Soul Solid (Brook)
*Kirisame (Hody Jones)
*Durandal (Cavendish)
*Same-kiri Bocho (Bastille)
*Shirauo (Charlotte Amande)
*Pretzel (Charlotte Cracker)
*Napoleon (Charlotte Linlin)
*Mogura (Charlotte Katakuri)
*Soto Muso (Kawamatsu)
*Konpira (Gion)
*Takeru (Yamato)
====Names Unknown====
The following swords are confirmed to be Meito, but their names are currently unknown:
*Silvers Rayleigh's sword
*Vista's swords
*Kouzuki Sukiyaki's sword
===Ungraded===
Some blades (or other weapons) are confirmed to be . These blades are not recognized for any special quality, but this does not mean they are not powerful weapons; it has been stated that the kanabo Hassaikai, though ungraded (and not even a bladed weapon), would be renowned as legendary for the many feats Kaidou has performed with it. Named ungraded blades/weapons are: 
*Kikoku (Trafalgar Law)
*Sukesan and Kakusan (Kin'emon)
*Hassaikai (Kaidou)
*Tsuji Shibai (Kurozumi Kanjuro)
==Trivia==
*The Meito rankings of the One Piece world are based on the real-world "Wazamono" classification/grading system of Japanese swords, down to the number of blades in each category. Although the number of Grade Swords (Wazamono) in One Piece is unknown, the real world equivalent had 80, adding up to a total of 163 ranked blades.
*With seven, Zoro has held the most Meito of any character to date.
*Tashigi's dream is to free all the Meito from the hands of criminals such as pirates. She believes the swords are crying because instead of being used for noble and honorable deeds, they are being used for criminal activity.
*The anime-only character Eric claimed that the wind scythes created from his Kama Kama no Mi powers are as sharp as a Meito.
*A "Meito" (Famed/Excellent Blade) does not necessarily need to be a sword, and even non-bladed weapons can sometimes be considered to have similar (if ungraded) status, examples being the Tsuji Shibai (a brush), Hassaikai (a spiked club), and Takeru (a knobbed club).
*With the destruction of Yubashiri, there are now technically only 49 Skillful Grade Blades that remain.
**This fact also puts into question whether the amount of blades in each Grade category is still accurate, or if said blades can be replaced in the ranking system.
==References==
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