Signature weapon
{{Short description|Weapon commonly associated with a certain group or individual}}
{{Redirect|Weapon of choice|other uses|Weapon of Choice (disambiguation){{!}}Weapon of Choice}}
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,{{cite journal
| author = Paddy Lambert
| title = Robin Hood: The Unlikely Hero
| journal = Heritage Daily
| date = 31 October 2011
| url = http://www.heritagedaily.com/2011/10/robin-hood-the-unlikely-hero/
}} 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.{{cite web |title=MTV's Killer Halloween: Weapons of Choice |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/2440218/mtvs-killer-halloween-weapons-of-choice/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225153102/http://www.mtv.com/news/2440218/mtvs-killer-halloween-weapons-of-choice/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 25, 2015 |website=MTV.com |access-date=10 October 2021}}
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.{{cite web
| author = Andrew Williams
| title = Grey Lotus: Obtaining Signature Weapons
| date = 30 January 2005
| url = http://www.greylotus.org/game/Core/html/node218.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160813084808/http://www.greylotus.org/game/Core/html/node218.html
| url-status = usurped
| archive-date = August 13, 2016
| author = Nicholas Tan
| title = Far Cry 3 Signature Weapons Guide
| date = 5 December 2012
| url = http://www.gamerevolution.com/faq/far-cry-3/signature-weapons-guide-75207}}
Historical examples
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.{{Cite journal |last=Krause |first=Jimmy |date=2022 |title=More than Metal: Knightly Swords as an Identity |url=https://archive.nyu.edu/jspui/handle/2451/63968 |journal=The Faculty Digital Archive (FDA) |language=en |pages=11–13}}
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. With how prevalent religion and superstition played an important role in shaping culture and belief, significantly more during wartime,{{Cite web |title=Medieval Warfare and the Christian Religion · Religiosity · War & Conquest in Medieval Europe |url=https://pennds.org/warandconquest/exhibits/show/religiosity/christianity-and-warfare |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=pennds.org}} the mystery of the metal works and sword smithing in general for the time period,{{Cite book |last=Lobach |first=Daniil |chapter=Medieval Sources of the Modern Symbolic Meaning of the Sword |date=November 2018 |title=Proceedings of the International Conference on Contemporary Education, Social Sciences and Ecological Studies (CESSES 2018) |chapter-url=https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/cesses-18/25906624 |language=en |publisher=Atlantis Press |pages=779–783 |doi=10.2991/cesses-18.2018.172 |isbn=978-94-6252-606-8|doi-access=free }} and eventually its lack of combat application on the battlefield,{{Cite web |title=Hype . . . As Ancient An Art As Sword Making |url=https://www.thearma.org/essays/hype.htm |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.thearma.org}} solidy swords as personal status symbols more than practical weapons for the battlefield.
Some examples of fiction work featuring these concepts the many 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,{{Cite book |last=Musashi |first=Miyamoto |title=The book of five rings: A classic text on the Japanese way of the sword |date=24 June 2003 |publisher=Shambhala Publications |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-59030-248-4 |publication-date=1 January 1645 |pages=95–101 |language=en}} 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.{{Citation |last=Mingda |first=Ma |title=Sima Qian and the Way of the Sword in Ancient China |date=2023 |work=Martial Culture and Historical Martial Arts in Europe and Asia: A Multi-perspective View on Sword Culture |series=Martial Studies |volume=2 |pages=45–72 |editor-last=Chao |editor-first=Hing |place=Singapore |publisher=Springer Nature |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-981-19-2037-0_2 |isbn=978-981-19-2037-0 |editor2-last=Jaquet |editor2-first=Daniel |editor3-last=Kim |editor3-first=Loretta|doi-access=free }} 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.{{Cite web |title=Sword {{!}} Medieval, Samurai & Katana {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/sword |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}
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,{{Cite journal |last=Moore |first=Richard |date=2014 |title="The Production of Muskets and Their Effects in the Eighteenth Century" |url=https://www.forbes5.pitt.edu/article/production-muskets-and-their-effects-eighteenth-century#:~:text=By%20the%20late%20seventeenth%20century,actual%20weapon%20on%20the%20field. |journal=Forbes and Fifth |volume=6 |via=University of Pittsburg}} 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.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMMOFL674mQ |title=What was the "Loadout" of an 18th Century Officer? |date=2024-04-15 |last=Brandon F. |access-date=2024-10-31 |via=YouTube}} The tradition of carrying swords into battle was eventually abandoned after World War I.{{Cite web |last=Hemmings |first=Jay |date=2019-05-08 |title=Why Did Officers Carry Pistols And Not Rifles Into Battle? |url=https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/officers-carry-pistols-not-rifles.html |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=warhistoryonline |language=en}}
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,{{Cite web |title=First World War.com - Weapons of War: Pistols |url=https://www.firstworldwar.com/weaponry/pistols.htm#:~:text=The%20pistol,%20originally%20designed%20as,police,%20airmen%20and%20tank%20operators. |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=www.firstworldwar.com}} across the many conflicts and events during the time from the Crimean War to the end of the American Frontier,{{Cite web |title=Gun Timeline {{!}} History Detectives {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/technique/gun-timeline/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.pbs.org}} with World War I demonstrating the deadly effectiveness of modernized weapons as a whole.{{Cite web |title=How Modern Weapons Changed Combat In The First World War |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-modern-weapons-changed-combat-in-the-first-world-war |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Imperial War Museums |language=en}}
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{{Cite web |last=Beckett |first=Jesse |date=2022-02-14 |title=Mauser C96: One of Germany's Most Iconic Firearms |url=https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/mauser-c96.html |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=warhistoryonline |language=en}} and the locally produced clones by the Republic of China.{{Cite web |last=Gorelick |first=Marc |date=8 November 2024 |title=THE CHINESE SHANXI TYPE 17: A LOCAL WARLORD'S .45 CALIBER VERSION OF THE MAUSER C96 |url=https://www.vgca.net/article/65b63c46870529aeaa386a7e }}
Self-loading pistols gradually became more common for civilian and military use during and after World War II, 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.{{Cite web |title=America's National Churchill Museum {{!}} Collections Highlight: The Luger Pistol |url=https://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org/02-13-23-luger-durell.html#:~:text=The%20Luger%20pistol%20was%20a,to%20be%20offered%20the%20pistol.&text=During%20the%20First%20and%20Second,Luger%20pistols%20as%20war%20spoils |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org}}
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{{Cite journal |last=Parker |first=Sarah |date=July 2011 |title=Small Arms Survey 2011: States of Security, Chapter 9. Balancing Acts: Regulation of Civilian Firearm Possession |url=https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/Small-Arms-Survey-2011-Chapter-09-EN.pdf |journal=Small Arms Survey }} and to combat the proliferation and the over-availability of firearms to the public.{{Cite web |title=Injuries and violence |url=https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/injuries-and-violence |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}