Every great quality blade we know, in one piece

Meito, alternatively known as Legendary Swords, Famed Blades, and similar aliases are, as each name suggests, specially crafted blades of excellent reputation. Those well versed in blades will be able to spot them instantly and they tend to command both high prices and excellent owners. Meito are individually given “classes” based on their strength and quality.

Great Grade blades are the second highest grade blades, resting only below the 12 highest blades. There are only 21 of these Meito. The five currently known to the audience come from the land of Wano, which is known for its excellent artisans and is currently owned by those with ties to the area. This list will document every Great Grade Blade currently known.

6 Wado Ichimonji

One of Zoro's blades

• Current Owner: Roronoa Zoro
• Creator: Shimotsuki Kouzaburou

Wado Ichimonji is the katana that Zoro has possessed since his quest to become the world's strongest swordsman. It was previously owned by his friend and training partner Shimotsuki Kuina. Wado Ichimonji was created by her grandfather Kouzaburou, who brought it with him from Wano. He settled in East Blue and helped found the village of the same name, Shimotsuki. Kouzaburou's legacy was later used by both his son Koushirou and granddaughter Kuina.

Kuina and Zoro were Koushira's best students and as a result developed a close friendship and rivalry. In a serious fight, Kuina used Wado Ichimonji and soundly defeated Zoro with it. However, she celebrated little as her sexist belief by Koushiro that women could not be as skilled with a sword affected her, especially as she approached puberty. Zoro assured her that skill and determination were the only things that really mattered, and the two friends swore to each other that one of them would become the strongest swordsman in the world.

After her sudden death at age eleven, Zoro requested the sword so he could fulfill his promise to Kuina. Koushirou allowed it, and it stayed with the swordsmen ever since. In a way, it's still technically a Shimotsuki heritage, since Zoro's paternal grandmother, Furiko, was also a Shimotsuki. The Wado Ichimonji is so remarkable that Tashigi was offended that a mere pirate owned it.

5 I'm not Habakiri

One of Oden's blades

• Current owner: Kozuki Momonosuke (tentative)
• Creator: Kozuki Sukiyaki

Ame no Habakiri was one of Kozuki Oden's signature swords, used in his own variation of the two sword style. The blade has a celestial color scheme of white and gold. It shares its name with the Japanese katana of legend used by the Shinto god Susanoo to slay the eight-headed serpent Yamata No Orochi. This difference is likely because it was previously one of the few weapons that damaged Kaido in his dragon form.

This sword was remarkably forged by Kozuki Sukiyaki, Oden's father, who is a master craftsman. After the death of his son, Sukiyaki somehow managed to obtain Ame no Habakiri. Although Sukiyaki wants Momonosuke to rule over his inheritance, he does not yet see himself as worthy of possessing his father's swords.

4 Enma

Demonic Meito

• Current Owner: Roronoa Zoro
• Creator: Shimotsuki Kouzaburou

The Enma was Oden's other signature sword, it was something of a demonic counterpart to the celestial Ame no Habakiri with a deep purple and red color scheme. Like Wado Ichimonji, he was previously created by Kouzabura and is currently owned by his distant relative Zoro. In particular, Kouzaburou thought that Enma was better than Wado Ichimonji.

While the inheritance of Ame no Habakiri was said to be Momonosuke's birthright, Enma belonged to his younger sister Hiyori. However, Hiyori traded Zoro's blade in exchange for Shusui.

Like Ame no Habakiri, Enma was one of the two blades that scarred Kai many years ago, resulting in the distinct “x” shaped scar he could see on his chest. The blade can unleash its wielder's Arament Haki, resulting in a feared reputation. Zoro's arm was emaciated until he gained control of the blade, and it would probably emaciate the entire body of a smaller swordsman. Zoro not only re-injured Kaid with Enma, but also used it to defeat King, which is especially remarkable considering they are a hardy Lunar species.

Sukiyaki claims that if Zoro can transform Enma into a permanent Black Blade, it can increase the grade and potentially become a top grade sword. An odd detail on Enma is that her size seems to have shifted to accommodate the normally larger Zoro and larger Oden. This inconsistency is also shared with Ame no Habakiri, but is more notable with Enma, as it is specifically seen wielded by two swordsmen of different sizes, and is proportional to either of them.

3 Nidai Kitetsu

A cursed sword

• Current owner: Kozuki Sukiyaki
• Creator: Kotetsu

The Nidai Kitetsu is said to be a cursed katana from the Kitetsu school, all of which are said to bring gruesome death to their owners. It was created by Kotetsu, the ancestor of the Kozuki clan. His descendant, Kozuki Sukiyaki, is the current owner of the blade. Sandai Kitetsu, one of the other Kitetsu Meito, is currently owned by Zoro who discovered it in Lougetown and decided to try his luck against the blade. Notably, the Sandai Kitetsu is Zoro's only sword currently in use that is lower than Great Grade, being only Grade Blade (the lowest grade of Meito, of which there are an indeterminate number.)

The Kitetsu Meito seemed to decrease the more recently they were made. The Nidai Kitetsu is a lower class than the Shodai Kitetsu, a blade made before Kotetsu was created, but it is a higher class than the Sandai Kitetsu created by Sukiyaki, who is still alive. Sukiyaki lent the blade to Luffy, whose handling of the weapon was heavily criticized by Zoro. Notably, Luffy threw the sword rather than directly fighting humans with it. It subsequently came back into Sukiyaki's possession as it was rediscovered in Udon by Kikunoj.

2 Shusui

Black blade

• Current Owner: Ambiguous, rests in the grave of Shimotsuki Ryuma
• Creator: Unknown

Shusui was the signature sword of Shimotsuki Ryuma, a legendary samurai known as the “God of Swords” who was the ancestor of Roronoa Zoro, who resembled his descendant. Ryuma remarkably transformed the sword into a Black Blade that was permanently infused with Ryuma's Arament Haki, greatly increasing its durability. Ryuma was buried along with his sword, but was confiscated along with his corpse when Gecko Moria robbed the grave.

She subsequently emerged next to her owner's reanimated body in Thriller Bark. Zoro battled his zombified ancestor, who eventually gifted the blade to Zoro himself. Zoro believed that his other blades would break against him if the fight continued. Zoro became particularly proficient with the blade once he was trained by Dracule Mihawk, himself the owner of Yoru, another Black Blade.

Shusui has a particularly strong connection to Wano Country. Zoro repeatedly had the weapon stolen from him or otherwise asked to be returned by those of the ground. Onimaru stole Zoro's blade and returned it to Ryuma's grave. She is valued so highly that Hiyori trades Enma, her own blade that was previously her father's, with Zoro to secure Shusui's place in the country.

1 Another sixteen blades of excellent quality

Currently unclear

The status of these Meito, as well as whether or not they will factor into the story at all, remains to be seen. Unlike the five currently known Great Grade Blades, there is at least a possibility that another Meito of this grade came from outside the land of Wano. That being said, this, along with all other details, is purely speculation at this point. Notably, there are a number of identified Meito of unclear grade, meaning that there is a possibility that other existing Great Grade blades have been seen but are not currently identified as such.