Final Cut

Piastol was featured exclusively in Skies of Arcadia Legends for the GameCube, but she was such a perfect fit for the game that it’s almost hard to believe that she wasn’t included in the original Dreamcast version. The icy cold bounty hunter had a traumatic childhood and devoted her life to killing sky pirates as a result. In her quest to cleanse the skies of pirates, the dominatrix draws from a repertoire of lethal moves. Her Tempest Dance is one of her personal favorites, and allows her to viciously kick and slash at her opponent with the spikes of her boots and her giant scythe. Piastol hunts pirates without prejudice and fights without restraint, so it’s only fitting that her primary weapon would be universally recognized as a symbol of death. Her foes even refer to her as the Angel of Death.

Testament was once a gentle individual who despised violence, but his involvement in the war took a toll on his mental health. A secret society offered to transform him into an artificial magical creature known as a Gear, and he accepted the offer as a means of obtaining power to impress his father. After his transformation, Testament was instilled with a deep-seated hatred for humanity and ultimately found himself fighting for the enemy. The conversion also bestowed Testament with numerous supernatural abilities and he evoked many traits often associated with the Grim Reaper. He also gained the ability of hemomancy, and his scythe is actually formed from his own blood. It’s not unusual for a fighter to view their weapon as a figurative extension of their body, but Testament’s scythe is literally a part of who he is.

Marluxia is the lord of Castle Oblivion and the main antagonist of Sora’s story in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. He takes great pride in his appearance, but his pretty face hides his ugly motives. He’s a mastermind of an internal rebellion and has the ultimate goal to evelope the world in an ever-blooming darkness. Known as the Graceful Assassin, Marluxia is usually surrounded by cherry blossom petals which symbolize the transient nature of life and death in Japanese culture. True to his title, Marluxia wields a elegant scythe called the Graceful Dahlia which he uses for a variety of spectacular slashes and spins. He can also merge with his scythe to form a lethal pinwheel that flies around the battlefield and causes severe damage to anything in its path. In the arc of his scythe, flowers bloom and all else perishes.

Loosely based on Dante’s Divine Comedy from the 12th century, Dante’s Inferno follows the exploits of a Templar Knight named Dante as he journeys through the nine circles of hell to reclaim the soul of his beloved wife. Dante manages to steal Death’s scythe in the game’s opening act and uses it as his primary weapon for the duration of his adventure. The scythe provides Dante with a host of unholy powers and allows him to inflict tremendous punishment. The scythe is able to change its length in order to grab, slash, and impale objects or enemies. It can also change into a spear-like form, extend into a hooked chain, or collapse into a blade. When upgraded, the scythe’s blade can be lit on fire to cause even more damage. When it’s not being used in melee attacks, the weapon can also be used to hold onto ledges or swing from cliffs.

As a travel agent for the Department of Death, it’s Manny Calavera’s job to act as the Grim Reaper and escort souls to the Land of the Dead. The scythe is closely associated with death, so it only makes sense that the Grim Reaper himself would be equipped with one. The weapon is naturally used to harvest new souls or to participate in scythe duels, but Manny also uses it to slice through spider webs, open body bags, and retrieve out-of-reach objects. Most of the scythes on this list are used exclusively as weapons, but Manny’s is more akin to a Leatherman multitool. It even has a foldable handle and a retractable blade for easy transport! He’s not as flashy with his weapon as some of the other individuals on this list, but the scythe is one of Manny’s most valuable possessions and he keeps it next to where his heart used to be.

Zasalamel isn’t the biggest fighter in SoulCalibur, but his oversized scythe makes him one of the most imposing. Before his real name was revealed, Zasalamel appeared in promotional trailers for SoulCalibur III as a darkened silhouette under the guise of the Enigma and the Mastermind. He was shunned by his tribe for his ability to use magic, and this left him as a man with no allegiance except to himself. His scythe proves effective for mid-to-long-range attacks, and he also uses it to throw his opponents around or to reduce distance between them. It’s virtually impossible to truly defeat Zasalamel, since his soul will simply be reborn in a new body if he is killed. Zasalamel can never pass onto the afterlife himself, so it’s somewhat ironic that his appearance could be likened to the Grim Reaper.

Margaret Moonlight is the 4th-ranked assassin in No More Heroes 2. She’s known as the reaper and her loligoth fashion sense ties in with this grim motif. The giant scythes she wields are known as “le croissant du ange” (the crescent of the angel) and are actually modified Barrett M82 rifles that have massive blades attached to their stocks. Her strong slashes can send enemies flying, so it’s difficult to fight her at close range. Her weapons are still functional as firearms, however, so she’s equally effective from a distance. Like the Grim Reaper himself, Margaret has the ability to float in the air or teleport to a new location. She looks relatively harmless, but Ms. Moonlight is easily one of the most dangerous individuals on this list. She also happens to be the only person on this list to have her very own theme song.

As the young prince in the ancient Kingdom of Zeal, Janus was an introverted child with innate magical abilities. After being transported through time, Janus became a powerful wizard in the middle ages and took the name Magus as a reference to his powerful magic. Magus was thought to have awoken an apocalyptic alien parasite called Lavos in an apparent bid to take over the world, but it was eventually revealed that he was attempting to destroy the life form. The scythe is often seen as an instrument of death, but it has a deeper meaning for Magus. Scythes are closely linked with the passage of time, so the weapon is a perfect fit for a game like Chrono Trigger. In the same way that mowing grass or reaping crops allows new life to spring up in its place, Magus hopes to eliminate Lavos to ensure that life on Earth will continue.

As Dracula’s right-hand man and closest ally, Death has a wide array of supernatural attacks at his disposal. He can summon spirits, open dimensional rifts, take control of other bodies, and shoot flaming skulls at his enemies. He has also mastered the art of teleportation and can create flying sickles out of thin air. In Symphony of the Night he robs Alucard of his abilities, and in Portrait of Ruin he offers his own soul to Dracula to increase his power. Death’s attacks change from game to game, but his scythe serves as a constant reminder of his true purpose. In the same way that farmers use scythes to reap crops, Death uses his to reap souls. The personification of Death as a skeletal figure carrying a scythe dates back to the 15th century, but few depictions of the Grim Reaper are more iconic than Castlevania‘s version.

After losing his life in a freak accident, Specter Knight was resurrected by the villainous Enchantress and appointed master of The Lich Yard. Tattered in a crimson cloak and armed with a supernatural scythe, Specter Knight showed begrudged loyalty to the Enchantress and helped recruit other knights to her order. Although he looks like the embodiment of death, he has as much in common with Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden as he does with the grim reaper. He mostly attacks with his scythe, but he ads panache to his assaults by running up walls or attacking opponents while airborne. The sinister scythe can also be used as a projectile since it invariably returns to him like a boomerang. When he’s not slashing through his enemies, Specter Knight rides his scythe like a skateboard and uses it to grind on rails.