Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-26397825-20150712053515/@comment-26397825-20150712061859

Swords themselves aren't overused. What they are, however, is misrepresented and used in ways that are physically impossible for a real person. Although, certain swords such as the Katana and the great big swords like Ichigo's from Bleach and Zabuza's from Naruto are definitely overused, simply because you literally see them everywhere. There are literally hundreds of swords from over a hundred different countries - google types of swords and see what pops up.

Another thing is that you literally use the most basic and generic types there are, without trying to incorporate something totally different into it. A katana that shoots dust is something that appears in almost every anime - not dust specifically, but some kind of energy based attack. Then you claim that they are unique weapons made by the characters themselves, when really they're the sort of thing a factory would mass produce.

It seems to me like you're using too much anime and Japanese culture as your basis of inspiration. While yes, the Japanese have come up with some cool stuff other than the katana, it gets lost behind the ease and recognition the katana has in the western world. My suggestion is to step away from Japan and Japanese-inspired video games and anime, and start looking into world history. China and Korea have some really interesting weapons, along with the Germans, the French and the Middle East, and countless other civilisations. And then there's all the Ancient History weapons as well, which can really inspire a person to make some really interesting weapon combinations.