Swords are relatively uncomplicated things - at their very basic level, they are just a solid metal bar that has been beaten or ground flat and thin along two thirds of its length. No fuss, no complication, and absolutely no moving parts, unless you include decorative handles and the likes.
Not so in fiction. The hero draws his sword and then brings it up to a readied stance, throughout which the weapon *CLACKS* and *CLICKS* as though it had ball-bearings rolling around inside it. In fact, every single time the sword moves outside of its sheath, there's a sharp metallic noise as it reaches its stop.
Other weapons can do it too, apparently. Usually anything metallic, no matter how solid, can make a loud noise as they come to bear and even when touching nothing but air, but occasionally the same thing occurs for weapons made from wood and other materials.
There is some Truth in Television
in this Trope - most weapons can have elaborate hilts, crossguards and other decorative parts that can explain small noises. This trope, however, tries to recognise those that don't have this excuse or make far more noise than even these small exceptions should allow.
Sister trope to Noisy Guns
, occasionally a (non-gun) form of Dramatic Gun Cock
. Not to be confused with Audible Sharpness
, which is the sound of the blade parting the air as it is swung. This trope describes the (unlikely) sound made by the weapon itself.
Anime and Manga
- Dragon Ball Z. Yajirobi and Trunks' katanas and the Z Sword all rattle about whenever brought to bare.
- Fullmetal Alchemist. Eric's spear occasionally does this when brought to bare, as well as showing off its Audible Sharpness.
- Ninja Scroll most weapons - including the huge, double-ended glaive and a trident - suffer from this.
- Samurai Champloo. Constant for heroes and villains alike.
- Sword of the Stranger. Even small touches of bare fingers against some swords - let alone moving or even swinging them - sounds like metal tapping against metal, particularly during the dramatic final fight with the Foreigner.
- Zatoichi especially in the 1970's films, but it does occur in the 2003 version.
- House Of Flying Dagger occurs with knives and spears, as well as swords.
- Chrono Trigger. Crono's sword makes a distinct clinking sound in several of the cutscenes of the Playstation version, as does the Masamune.
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The Sword of Eternia looks very much like a single piece of iron with a bit of leather wrapped around the hilt. It none-the-less sounds like it has moving parts when it is so much as grabbed, let alone moved about.
- She Ra Princess Of Power. She-Ra's sword sounds the same, presumably due to having he same animation studio and, thus, SFX team.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Leonardo's katanas and Shredder's swords all make their own noises when even vaguely in use.
- Samurai Jack. The titular character's magic katana, as well as the one owned by the Scotsman.
- Conan The Adventurer. Another hefty, solid looking magical sword that sounds like it has got a screw loose.