These loyal, dutiful sword bearers can protect anyone who hired them as a bodyguard.

In the world of Japanese anime, sword fighters are among the most popular, often romanticized as honorable samurai or as heroic medieval-style knights with shining armor and an inspiring chivalric code. Some anime are almost entirely about swords, such as Bleach, and these sword-slinging warriors can do nearly anything an anime fan can imagine with their blades.

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Sword fighters are often employed as elite assassins or agents to get the job done, and many of anime's best sword users would make great bodyguards too, if the right client hired them. Even some anime villains or antiheroes would make fine bodyguards if they wanted to make a living faithfully protecting their clients at swordpoint.

Bleach features dozens of sword-slinging characters, with some of them being excellent assassins or hired muscle while others are more about protection and duty. Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of squad 6, for example, is a duty-bound commander who must set a good example as a nobleman and leader.

Byakuya is rarely seen escorting anyone or fighting as a bodyguard, but in theory, he'd be a fine guard for any paying client. He is highly skilled, disciplined, and dutiful, and he wouldn't dare fail a client of his. He is also smart and alert for danger, key traits for any bodyguard.

The villainous Askeladd was Thorfinn's worst enemy in Vinland Saga, and he even cheated in his duel with Thors by calling in fire support from his archers. In other scenes, though, Askeladd was more reliable and trustworthy as a Viking commander and bodyguard.

Askeladd is one of medieval Europe's best swordsman, and he can fend off many enemy soldiers with ease, all by himself. He is also highly observant and experienced as a leader, which made him an excellent bodyguard for prince Canute during their trek across the British Isles.

Berserk's gritty antihero Guts is often feared as a brutish swordsman with an oversized weapon, and he's even scarier in his powerful but costly berserker armor. But he's not a true monster. Guts spent years fighting honorably as a mercenary, and he wouldn't mind a few escort missions, either.

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For the right price, Guts would gladly escort any client, such as a traveling merchant or minor nobleman, across war-torn Midland and keep them safe with his oversized dragon slayer sword. Guts' intimidating appearance and glare alone would scare off many would-be bandits.

The wizards in Fairy Tail employ a wide variety of spells and weapons to fight, from Bisca Connell's rifles to Natsu's fire magic and Juvia's water-based spells. Meanwhile, the S-ranked wizard Erza Scarlet uses her magic solely to access other dimensions where she stores all her weapons and armor.

Erza is famous for her flexible inventory, her immense strength, and her personality as a loyal, stalwart defender of her guild. Any client would be in good hands after they hire Erza for an escort mission across Fiore, and no dark guild wizard would last long against her many swords on the road.

Attack on Titan's main characters stand out among anime sword users, since they usually wield two paring glades along with ODM gear so they can swing around like Spider-Man and slice apart pure Titans on the neck. Those blades may still be effective against human foes, though, such as on escort missions.

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Captain Levi Ackerman is the single most talented and experienced sword fighter on Paradis Island, and he takes his duty seriously. That, combined with his good instincts and his unrelenting tsundere personality, would make him an effective bodyguard for any client he's assigned to.

Tanjiro Kamado is more used to actively hunt down demons as a professional slayer than escort clients, but he could give it a try. In Taisho-era Japan in Demon Slayer's world, traveling merchants would have much to fear from demons on the roads, so they could hire some help.

Tanjiro Kamado would dutifully walk alongside any client and keep his sharp nose alert for any whiff of demons, or even human bandits and robbers. Tanjiro would rather not hurt anyone, but his client comes first, and he would dutifully shield them from harm and swordpoint.

In That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, protagonist Rimuru Tempest made many powerful friends such as the energetic Milim Nava and the assassin ogre Souei, but not all of them served as Rimuru's bodyguards. However, the red-haired ogre samurai Benimaru certainly did.

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Benimaru is effective as both a bodyguard and battlefield commander, making him one of Rimuru's best agents. If asked, Benimaru would serve as someone else's bodyguard on Rimuru's command, such as escorting Myulan or perhaps Shion somewhere through dangerous territory.

In Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the mighty homunculus Wrath functions more like an assassin, but he has the makings of a fine bodyguard, too. To begin with, Wrath is ruthless, merciless, and thorough, so his client's enemies wouldn't stand a chance during an escort mission.

Wrath also has the Ultimate Eye, which allows him to view any attack in time to either block or dodge it, including bullets fired at him. With that eye, Wrath could easily intercept the attacks aimed at not just himself, but also his vulnerable client.

In early Naruto episodes, the rogue Mist ninja Zabuza Momochi was a hired goon whom Gato sent to assassinte Tazuna, meaning Zabuza clashed with Tazuna's own bodyguards – Team 7. However, it's also easy to imagine Zabuza in the reverse role as someone's sworn bodyguard.

Even rogue ninjas need cash, and Zabuza could definitely take odd jobs protecting and escorting shady clients who have made dangerous enemies. In emergencies, Zabuza could use his mist jutsu to confuse his enemies, then retreat with his client under cover of that dense fog.

Luffy's first real crewmate in One Piece was the swordsman bounty hunter turned pirate Roronoa Zoro. Ever since then, Zoro has been Luffy's most loyal and reliable shipmate of all, wielding three legendary katanas in his own unusual but effective fighting style.

If Zoro hadn't gone pirate, he could have found work as a bodyguard and escort for clients all over the East Blue and later, the Grand Line. He may get lost easily, but if he sticks close to a client on the road, it shouldn't be a problem. He could also stand guard in a client's palace or mansion and scare off would-be burglars.

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Louis Kemner has been a fan of Japanese animation since 1997, when he discovered Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z in elementary school. Now he's a bigger anime/manga fan than ever, and is ready to share what he knows with readers worldwide. He graduated high school in 2009 and received his Bachelor's in creative writing from UMKC in 2013, then put his skills to work in 2019 with CBR.com. He's always looking for a wonderful new anime to watch or manga series to read.