Touken Ranbu (刀剣乱舞) an online mobile and web browser game by DMM and Nitroplus where players take the role of a saniwa (sage) who protects the flow of history alongside the Touken Danshi (Sword Boys). The Touken Danchi in the franchise are some of Japan’s famous historical swords that was used by personalities in Japanese History.

As a player of the game, I have experienced the pains and joys of smithing, collecting and battling with the Touken Danshi. Each of the swords have their own strengths, witnesses and charms – it is without a doubt that each of them will be a good addition to your team. All of the swords in the franchise prove to be very lovable not only for their appearances in the game but also their appearances in “Katsugeki Touken Ranbu”, “Touken Ranbu Hanamaru” and “Zoku Touken Ranbu Hanamaru”.

Here are five of the Touken Ranbu boys who will no doubt, be a good addition to your team if you are playing the game.

[Disclaimer: This list does not in anyway enforce a player to have these certain swords in their team. This is just to provide insight and serves as a guide with selecting swords to add to your Touken Danshi team. The swords on the list are swords that the writer personally has on her team.]

Hotarumaru

This small boy is always somehow thought to be a Tantou when they first appear but Hotarumaru is one of Touken Ranbu’s four Ootachis! The Ootachi type can attack up to three opponents at at time (though they can only attack one opponent in indoor battles) and is the only sword type to have access to elite troops. Though Ootachis may have the highest survival and impact, they have the lowest mobility and have weaker attacks during night battles. Nonetheless, Hotarumaru (or any other Ootachi at that!) has proven to be one of the best additions to the team if you don’t have a Naginata or if your Naginata is still low-leveled.

For players of the game, Hotarumaru is a Rarity(*) 4 sword that can be obtained through smith and in Eras 5-7.

[The Rarity of the Swords is not based on how difficult they are to obtain]

Hakata Toushirou

A Tantou from the Awataguchi School, Hakata is a good addition to the team because of the special properties he has during the game’s “Underground Treasure Chest” events. If you have a Hakata on your team during the event, the Koban or the main currency of the game used to purchase backgrounds and the likes, will increase to x1.5 and if you have a Kiwame(*) Hakata, the koban will increase by x2.

Hakata is a Tantou, and like other Tantous, he has high mobility. He also has access to long-ranged troops. Though they have the lowest survival and deals the lowest impact but they have powerful critical strikes. They are significantly useful in indoor and night battles.

Hakata is a Rarity 1 sword that can be obtained by smith and events.

Iwatooshi

While there are two new Naginatas (Tomoegata and Shizukagata), Iwatooshi will always have a special place in my heart. Most Touken Ranbu players will have Iwatooshi because Tomoegata  and Shizukagata are both hard to smith.

While a Naginata can attack all opponents at once, this ability is reduced in indoor battles and their attack is significantly weaker during night battles. They have the access to the troop types with the smallest access like the Yari. They have the slowest growth rate and won’t do significant damage until later levels.

A Naginata may take time to grow but they are one of the strongest additions to the team.

Iwatooshi is a Rarity 3 sword that can be obtained by smithing and through Eras 3-7.

Kashuu Kiyomitsu

Dubbed by some players as the “semi-poster boy” of the game, Kashuu is a sword who is one of the more popular ones in the franchise. Being one of the main characters in the Hanamaru series and being a central character in the musical, Kashuu won’t be having trouble with getting his masters to notice him.

He is one of the starter swords that you can obtain in the game. That being said, he is an Uchigatana. The Uchigatana sword type is basically the neutral sword type when it comes to stats though they do have higher maximum stats than Wakizashis even if they have a slower growth rate. They deal a decent amount of damage and are unaffected by night battles. Uchigatana swords in Kiwame can protect an adjacent sword from long-range attacks while reducing the amount of damage taken by the uchigatana.

For players, if you did not choose Kashuu as a starter sword, he can be obtainable through smith and can be obtained in Eras 1-4 and Eras 6-7. Kashuu is a Rarity 2 sword.

Yamabushi Kunihiro

Or otherwise known as “KA KA KA KA KA”, Yamabushi is a Tachi sword. Tachis have greater survival and impact but lower mobility and cannot access long-ranged troops. Their attacks weaken during night battles but among other sword types, their stats are generally balanced which makes them handier for higher level maps.

Yamabushi is a rarity 3 sword and can be obtained by smithing and in maps 3-7. His signature laugh “KA KA KA KA KA” will either make you happy or annoy you when you’re trying to smith a sword but nonetheless, Yamabushi is definitely a good addition to your sword team.

Lizzie Satori