Hammer Time!

As a member of a covert task group known as God Eaters, Nana Kouzuki received specialized training that allowed her to use complex mechanical weapons known as God Arcs. The God Arc she wields looks like an oversized mechanical hammer, but it’s actually made from colonies of tiny, semi-sentient organisms that are even smaller than the tube top she wears. Her God Arc can take the form of a blade or a gun, but it’s most effective when used as a melee weapon since it lends itself well to combination attacks. Nana obviously isn’t the biggest or strongest character on this list, but built-in thrusters in the hammer add a lot of zest to her swings. A massive hammer seems like an usual weapon for a teenage girl to use, but Nana’s upbeat personality fits surprisingly well with her beat down fighting style.

Nicole Mimi Tithel is an energetic beastgirl who was raised in an isolated village. Her outgoing personality makes it difficult for her to sit still, and she’s always looking for a new adventure. Although she looks relatively harmless, she has a short fuse and is prone to violent outbursts. Nikki’s magic abilities are severely limited, but she makes up for it on the battlefield by delivering powerful blows with her double-sided ball-peen hammer. Her oversized weapon likely weighs as much as she does, so it’s effectiveness as a bludgeoning tool is not surprising. “Tiny girls with giant hammers” is a surprisingly common video game trope, but what really makes Nikki stand out is her “crack hammer” skill which somehow allows her to convert woodland creatures into key items. I’m not really sure how that works either.

Tartarus is an arrogant warrior who acts as the final boss in Halo 2. He’s known as the Chieftain of the Brutes and characterized by his distinctive white hair and mohawk, but his weapon is more notorious than he is. The Fist of Rukt is regarded as a holy weapon and was passed down through the generations from one Chieftain to the next. Tartarus came into possession of the ancient hammer after killing his uncle and claiming the weapon for himself. The hammer serves as a symbolic representation of Tartarus’ standing, and it can kill opponents with a single swing. In addition to its raw destructive power, the Fist of Rukt emits electromagnetic fields that stun enemies. A similar weapon was introduced in Halo 3, but the Fist of Rukt is believed to be the strongest and oldest of the gravity hammers.

Hammers a primitive tools, but the signature weapon employed by Jayce is a technical marvel. Before being heralded as a hero, Jayce was a promising inventor who was commissioned to study a rare arcane crystal. He began developing a device that could harness the crystal’s energy, and his trademark Mercury Hammer was the eventual result of his intense research. With his weapon in hand, Jayce was able to defend his state and mount a one-man assault against machine-augmented invaders. The hammer is dangerous enough when used as a blunt instrument of destruction, and its ability to transform into a cannon makes it an appropriate weapon for nearly any situation. It can deliver incredible physical damage to anything it hits, and it can also create fields of lightning that can shock any nearby enemies.

Shao Kahn is a brutal warlord, the Emperor of the mystical Outworld realm, and the primary antagonist of the Mortal Kombat series. He often attacks with magical fireballs or powerful shoulder tackles, but his most interesting moves involve his giant Wrath Hammer. Whether he’s knocking an opponent into the air or pounding them into the ground, Shao Kahn’s hammer is a harbinger of pain. For one of his trademark finishing moves, Shao Kahn uses his hammer like a golf club to knock the head off of his opponent. He crushes skulls, breaks necks, and smashes his enemies into bloody explosions. All the while, he finds time to mock his enemies and laugh at their misfortunes. He needs superhuman strength to wield the giant maul in the first place, but the way he uses it highlights how merciless he is.

Nana and Popo are pretty much joined at the hip and occupy a single character slot in the Super Smash Bros. games, so it’s appropriate to group them together here. The duo has been closely associated with hammers since the original Ice Climber was released in 1984. Hammers weren’t merely a weapon for Nana and Popo; they were a way of life. The pair needed the hammers to break through blocks of ice and to fend off attacks from polar bears. The hammers were also used to whack baby seals – though this aspect was changed in the American release since the seals were replaced with delightful snow creatures. The role of the hammer was expanded in the Super Smash Bros. games and used in a number of creative attacks. One such attack sees Nana and Popo joining hands before unleashing an adorable hammer-drive whirlwind of devastation.

There are many reasons why Amy Rose has earned the ire of the gaming community, but this doesn’t change the fact that her Piko Piko hammer is a surprisingly effective melee weapon. After pulling the weapon out of thin air, Amy can use her love hammer to knock foes into the stratosphere or crush them with devastating downward swings. She can also mow down enemies by spinning around like a top and can slam the ground with enough force to create shockwaves! In some instances, Amy can launch herself into the air by hammering the ground. In other instances, she spins the hammer around fast enough to hover in the air like a helicopter. It you can look past Amy’s clingy personality and ignore all of the creepy upskirt shots, you’ll find one of the most versatile hammer users in video game history.

If this list was based solely on power, Reinhardt would be ranked even higher. The imposing soldier was chosen as part of the original Overwatch strike team tasked with countering the threat of a robot uprising. His knightly armor stands out in a futuristic setting, and his values also reflect a bygone age. Living his life by a code of valor, Reinhardt vows to fight in the name of justice. With his trademark rocket hammer in hand, he can cause devastation to anyone foolish enough to get in his way. He can also create shock waves and stun his enemies simply by slamming his hammer into the ground. By swinging his hammer forward, Reindhardt can create spectacular flaming projectiles that can hit multiple opponents at once. His durability in battle combined with his melee abilities makes him ideal for the front lines.

Kirby’s arch-nemesis has many of the abilities that Kirby has. He can inflate himself up like a balloon to float in the air, and he is also able to inhale objects and spit them out. Instead of copying abilities from his enemies like Kirby does, Dedede is content to arm himself with a large star-studded hammer. Dedede swings the hammer with the greatest of ease and can even throw it like a projectile. Although the hammer looks like a giant wooden mallet, the Super Smash Bros. games reveal that it’s actually outfitted with special mechanical systems like turbo jets. Solid Snake suggests that he wouldn’t even be able to lift the hammer, and it’s further suggested that one swing of the hammer could level an entire building! Dedede’s masterful use of the hammer is a testament to his incredible strength.

The hammer in Donkey Kong was the first power-up ever used by Mario and the first instance of a hammer in a video game. Mario was still known as “Jumpman” when Donkey Kong was released, which means that he was using a hammer before he even had a proper name! Before the world knew him as a plumber, Mario was depicted as a carpenter. The hammer was the perfect tool for him to use on a construction site, and it proved to be effective for smashing barrels and extinguishing flames. Hammers have been Mario’s go-to weapons in his many RPG appearances, and they have even been used as makeshift tennis rackets and baseball bats. The Hammer Bros. suit from Super Mario Bros. 3 is one of the most useful power-ups in the entire series and allows Mario to defeat Bowser with a single hammer toss!