# A deep-dive manga analysis ranking the Council of Swordmasters. Using their limited feats and portrayal, we determine how Atomic Samurai, Nichirin, and the others truly stacked up.
Ngetrenz – They appeared in a flash and were extinguished just as quickly. The Council of Swordmasters—also known as the Holy Order of the Sword—represents the absolute pinnacle of human swordsmanship in the world of One-Punch Man. Yet, for many readers, their legacy is defined by their shocking and brutal demise, a moment that served as a grim testament to the power of the Monster Association’s executives. While their time on the page was brief, their impact was immense, leaving fans to speculate on their true power. This deep-dive analysis will dissect the limited evidence available to create the most definitive Ranking Council of Swordmasters OPM.
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This is not a simple power-scaling list. To honor these fallen masters—Atomic Samurai, Nichirin, Zanbai, and Amahare—a clear and transparent methodology is required. Each swordsman will be evaluated based on four key criteria:
- Confirmed Feats: Demonstrable, on-panel achievements and displays of power.
- Narrative Portrayal & Hype: Their reputation, the respect they command from other characters, and how their designs and dialogue inform their status.
- Benchmark Comparison: Using the S-Class Rank 4 hero, Atomic Samurai, as the sole surviving member and our primary reference point for power.
- Quality of Their Downfall: Analyzing the context of their defeat. Losing to a top-tier Dragon-level threat is not a sign of weakness but rather an indicator of the high power floor they possessed.
The Ranking: Forging an Order from Chaos
#1: Atomic Samurai (Kamikaze)
Placing the S-Class Rank 4 hero at the top is the only logical starting point. As the only survivor and the character with the most screen time, Atomic Samurai (real name Kamikaze) establishes the power ceiling for the entire group of One-Punch Man Swordmasters. His abilities are the standard by which the others must be measured.
His feats are numerous and consistently place him in the upper echelon of the S-Class. His signature “Atomic Slash” is a technique that delivers over 100 slashes in an instant. This was demonstrated most effectively during his confrontation with Haragiri, a fellow master swordsman who had accepted monster cells. Haragiri boasted that his blade draw was faster than sound even as a human, but Atomic Samurai cut him to pieces so quickly that the monster didn’t even realize he had been attacked. This feat alone establishes his baseline speed as, at the very least, hypersonic.
However, his performance against the Dragon-level monster Black Sperm provides a more nuanced look at his capabilities. While his Atomic Slash was initially effective, it played directly into the monster’s ability to multiply when cut, eventually overwhelming him. This doesn’t suggest a lack of power, but rather a critical strategic weakness against a specific type of opponent, making him one of Atomic Samurai’s rivals in a conceptual sense.
Later, his potential was fully realized when he briefly wielded the legendary Sun Blade, managing to slice off the arm of Golden Sperm—a being composed of 12 trillion cells. This act solidifies his status as a swordsman with almost unparalleled offensive potential. His power is not a simple number; it’s a profile of immense strength against singular, durable targets, which makes him a complex but necessary benchmark for this analysis.
#2: Nichirin
While possessing fewer on-panel feats than Atomic Samurai, Nichirin‘s portrayal firmly places him as the second most formidable member. He is consistently presented as the elder statesman and leader of the Council. His central positioning in group panels and the profound respect Atomic Samurai affords him are key indicators of his status. An S-Class hero as proud as Atomic Samurai would not show such deference to someone he did not consider an equal or, in some aspects, a superior.
The dynamic of Atomic Samurai vs Nichirin seems to be less about who has the faster slash and more about wisdom and legacy. Nichirin was the guardian of the Council’s ultimate purpose: to find the mythical twin blades, the Sun Blade (Nichirin) and the Moon Blade (Gachirin), and bestow the title of “Sword Saint” upon the one who wields both. His final act was to entrust this sacred mission to Atomic Samurai, positioning himself not just as a fighter, but as the keeper of their tradition.
His downfall further cements his high power level. To save his allies, he and Amahare took a direct, full-body punch from the empowered Vomited Fuhrer Ugly. While Amahare died instantly, Nichirin survived the initial blow, a testament to his resilience. His eventual death, alongside the melting of his sword by VFU’s acid, came at the hands of high-Dragon executives, proving he was a threat significant enough to warrant their full attention. This answers a key question about how strong were the Swordmasters: they were strong enough to die fighting the very top of the Monster Association’s food chain.
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#3: Zanbai
Zanbai embodies the classic, powerful samurai archetype. His confident and proud demeanor before the battle suggests a master completely assured in his own skill. In terms of feats, he, like the other fallen masters, was shown capably holding his own against dozens of Black Sperm clones before the executives arrived—a feat that places him well above the capabilities of most A-Class heroes.
However, Zanbai‘s death is arguably the most narratively significant and provides the clearest answer to who killed the Council of Swordsmen. He wasn’t out-dueled or overwhelmed by a superior swordsman. He was killed instantly and unceremoniously by a glob of Vomited Fuhrer Ugly’s acidic spit, which melted a clean hole through his head. This brutal, shocking panel is the single most compelling piece of evidence for the “glass cannon” theory.
It demonstrates that while his offensive output was sufficient to fight on the front lines, he possessed no extraordinary defense against a specialized, non-physical attack. His death was symbolic: a master of traditional combat was not defeated in a duel but was simply erased by a grotesque monster. It was a thematic execution, signaling that the old rules of martial arts were obsolete against the bizarre and overwhelming nature of these new threats.
#4: Amahare
Amahare is ranked last, but this is almost entirely due to his lack of narrative focus and dialogue. The evidence strongly suggests that the actual power gap between him, Zanbai, and Nichirin was negligible. He stood on the same battlefield, fought the same enemies, and was deemed a peer by Atomic Samurai.
What sets Amahare apart is his unique design and unconventional fighting style. With a more ninja-like appearance and blades attached to his ankles, he incorporated movements akin to breakdancing into his combat, making him the most unorthodox of the masters. This suggests a different philosophy of swordsmanship, one based on agility and unpredictability.
His death was anything but weak. He died heroically alongside Nichirin, taking the brunt of Fuhrer Ugly’s punch to shield his allies. The fact that he was targeted by a high-Dragon executive in the first place confirms he was perceived as a legitimate threat. Ranking him fourth is a necessity of a list format, but the reality is that these three fallen masters likely represented different pinnacles of human swordsmanship—leadership, tradition, and unorthodoxy—that all arrived at a similar, and tragically insufficient, level of power.
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Were the Swordmasters S-Class Level?
This brings us to the central question surrounding this group and the core of any serious Ranking Council of Swordmasters OPM: were they truly S-Class level? The answer is a nuanced one, best explained by the “Glass Cannon” Hypothesis.
In terms of pure offensive power, the answer is an unequivocal yes. As established peers of a top-5 S-Class hero, their attack power was immense. They could handle hordes of Black Sperm clones and were considered priority targets by executives like Fuhrer Ugly and Gums—monsters shown to be capable of brutalizing S-Class heroes like Tanktop Master and Superalloy Blackluster. Their enemies treated them as S-Class threats, which is a powerful testament to their strength. This is the most logical conclusion when asking how strong were the Swordmasters.
However, their instantaneous deaths prove they lacked the other crucial attributes that define the S-Class: superhuman durability, heightened senses, and sheer resilience. Zanbai was killed by a single projectile he couldn’t react to. Amahare was killed by a single punch. They possessed S-Class swordsmanship but A-Class (or perhaps even lower) durability. They were the ultimate glass cannons.
This specific power imbalance served a crucial narrative purpose. Before their deaths, the S-Class heroes felt nearly untouchable. The Council’s swift and brutal annihilation at the hands of just two executives was a message from the author to the audience: human skill has a limit. The threat the heroes were facing was capable of erasing the world’s most legendary martial artists in an instant. This is the meta-level answer to who killed the Council of Swordsmen. Their sacrifice wasn’t just a plot point; it recalibrated the stakes for the entire Monster Association arc, making the subsequent struggles and victories of the remaining heroes feel far more perilous and earned.
A Short-Lived but Unforgettable Legacy
The final Ranking Council of Swordmasters OPM stands as: Atomic Samurai > Nichirin > Zanbai > Amahare. The analysis reveals that the three fallen masters were almost certainly peers in power, possessing S-Class level offensive capabilities but lacking the superhuman durability required to survive against the Monster Association’s elite. They were not failures; they were a tragic benchmark that demonstrated the terrifying power scale of the arc’s villains.
Their legacy is not one of defeat, but of purpose. They stood against an overwhelming tide and, in their final moments, passed their ultimate mission to their sole survivor. The Council of One-Punch Man Swordmasters may be gone, but their memory lives on in Atomic Samurai’s quest to find the Gachirin and fulfill their dream of finding the one true “Sword Saint”. They were some of Atomic Samurai’s rivals and his greatest comrades, and their story remains a short but impactful chapter in the One-Punch Man saga.
The Council of Swordmasters had a short but impactful role in the world of One-Punch Man. Now that you’ve seen our deep-dive Ranking Council of Swordmasters OPM, do you agree with our analysis? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! For more in-depth articles like this, check out other articles from Raven C here at Ngetrenz. And don’t forget to follow and like Ngetrenz on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for all the latest content!
Summary of Ranking the Council of Swordmasters
- The Council of Swordmasters consists of four legendary swordsmen: Atomic Samurai, Nichirin, Zanbai, and Amahare.
- The ranking, based on feats, portrayal, and the quality of their defeat, is: #1 Atomic Samurai, #2 Nichirin, #3 Zanbai, #4 Amahare.
- Atomic Samurai serves as the benchmark, with hypersonic speed and immense destructive power, but with clear weaknesses against certain opponent types.
- Nichirin, the leader, was highly respected by Atomic Samurai and entrusted him with the “Sword Saint” mission upon his death.
- Zanbai and Amahare were powerful masters in their own right, but their swift deaths at the hands of Dragon-level executives Fuhrer Ugly and Gums highlight their fragility.
- The fallen Swordmasters were “glass cannons”—possessing S-Class level offensive power but lacking the durability and resilience of true S-Class heroes.
- Their deaths were crucial for establishing the immense threat level of the Monster Association executives and raising the stakes of the entire arc.