Who is the best fictional swordsman of all time?

[Belaam]

Drizzt Du'Urden, Samurai Jack, or Lan Mandragoran

Drizzt is non-human, but per D&D stats, not inhumanly fast or strong.

Jack is pretty straightforward, though he does have the magic sword. However, there's clearly either some magic going on or wildly incompetent foes given the inability of anyone to just shoot him.

I went with Lan over Rand because by the time Rand can beat him, the flame and the void are trying Rand into magic awareness via the power and he's picking up memories of past lives. Using multiple lifetimes of training seems like cheating. Lan is just straight up talent, training and will.

So, I guess Lan overall.

 

[RevRaptor]

I'll pick Manji from blade of the immortal, pre gaining immortally.
Before he became immortal he was an unstoppable outlaw, I'd even say before getting cursed with immortally he was a much better swordsman as he got kinda careless when he couldn't die.

 

[ryukage_sama]

Hmmm . . . can the sword be wielded by a giant robot?

 

[Flames66]

I reckon this chap is best:

Spoiler: Duncan MacLeod

Spoiler: of the clan MacLeod

Spoiler: Best swordsman in history

So-and-so MacLeod of the clan MacLeod. There can be only one. And it's Connor. Erm... Duncan. Yes. Duncan.

Nice to meet a fellow Highlander fan. It's a shame there can be only one. *draws sword*

 

[Blitsie]

Well there's Sakata Gintoki

Spoiler: Sakata Gintoki

Overall one extremely lazy, deadbeat samurai who has about as much motivation for productivity as he has money (note: he's dead broke, always.). On a first impression basis, one would think he's not capable of much at all, since he has a tendency to flee from fights and spends 80% of his time lazing on his couch reading manga, but damned is he far from that. Once known as the White Demon back in his war days, he is amazingly skilled with a sword and can oft do more damage with his wooden one (which he always carries) than most can with a real sword.

Most notable fight was against an alien man which is noted across the universe as one of the strongest (if not the strongest) men alive. While he brandished a second proper sword, Gintoki still decided it was a smart idea to attack this guy with a freaking wooden sword and managed to beat the ever living crap out of him with it, Gintoki, a normal human, whacked the shit out of the strongest freaking alien known across the universe, with a damned wooden sword. Granted Gin got wrecked properly though but damn, it was quite the spectacle.

Also he's pretty damn good with a lot of weapons overall

Spoiler: Video Proof

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

As far as non-magic fiction characters go, I'd give my vote to Strider Hiryu. The guys' already at, or beyond, peak human performance and conditioning, not to mention all of his non-magical gadgetry, his minions AND his plasma sword. The guy is pretty much a ninja-esque Batman...and we all know what Batman can be like.

However, I'd still like to think that, if magic were allowed, it'd be a toss up between Dante, Vergil and Alucard of Castlevania fame, for me at least. I dunno if it's just me, but when you cross demon and human genes, and those genes come from legendary fathers...something insanely awesome usually happens.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Given that I'm halfway through reading Game of Thrones I'm inclined to say Syrio Forel. Thoros of Myr does have a flaming fucking sword though, so he might win purely out of rule of cool, although Syrio is pretty damn cool all by himself.

Boy, girl, You are a sword, that is all

Just wait. Syrio is a punk compared to a lot of the Thrones characters.

 

[Phil the Nervous]

Havelock Vetinari. He's a completely normal 40-50 year old patrician who runs the most dangerous and violent city in the world and never loses a fight. Plus he's awesome.

 

[WinterSoul]

Maybe Duncan MacLeod?))))) from movie and from the series.

 

[Breakdown]

Achilles in the Illiad, before he gets the River Styx forcefield buff in later versions of the Trojan War.