The Chain Gang

Earthquake is a mountain of a man who weighs nearly 1400 pounds, but he doesn’t rely on size alone. The vulgar bandit leader also has an assortment of self-taught ninjutsu techniques in his repertoire, and he’s remarkably deceptive. Rather than relying on his brute strength, Earthquake surprises his opponents by shooting fire out of his mouth, creating illusions, and teleporting short distances. (He can also produce toxic fart clouds on command.) He’s quicker than he has any right to be, but he’s still slower than most of his opponents. To compensate, Earthquake extends his reach with a kusarigama. The chained weapon has a sickle on one end and a heavy weight on the other, and it reaches all the way across the screen. The kusarigama gives him an assortment of ways to slash his adversaries without having to move his fat ass.

Chain chomps are sentient ball-and-chains that have appeared in multiple franchises. Their incessant biting poses a danger to anyone in their vicinity, and they’re occasionally used as proper weapons. Bowser used a chain chomp like a bola in Super Mario RPG, for example, and Bayonetta 2 allowed our favorite witch to strap a chain chomp to her ankle and swing it around like a makeshift Skip-It. They were especially useful in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and the oversized chain chomps could pull go-karts around like chariots while mowing down anything in their path. Chain chomps can be used by Baby Mario or Baby Luigi, but Mario is being singled out since he has one additional way to weaponize them. In Super Mario Odyssey, he could use his magic hat to take control of the chain chomps directly! Their chains were surprisingly elastic in this outing.

As a street artist on the Akomish Reservation, Delsin Rowe was always looking for ways to express himself. He had the occasional run-in with the law, and his rebellious streak was amplified after he was labeled a bioterrorist. Incidentally, Delsin was bestowed with superpowers while he was trying to rescue survivors from a crashed military truck. This made him a target of the Department of Unified Protection, so Deslin decided to fight back. To that end, he wrapped a chain around his arm and used it to channel his newly acquired smoke powers. Delsin frequently uses the chain as a whip, and he can imbue it burning ash to increase its efficiency. After he learns how to manipulate neon, he’s able to harden the chain and use it in a sword-like fashion! He always had a penchant for free expression, and the chain allowed him to convey this on the battlefield.

The last of the Nephilim and a Horseman of The Apocalypse, Fury is armed with a magical hilt called Scorn that can change its shape. In its default form, the hilt takes the appearance of a bladed whip sword that’s appropriately known as the Barbs of Scorn. Fury has various ways to attack her foes. She can carve the air in wide arcs, and she has enough control to thrust the chain straight forward like a lance. Her aerial slashes and spinning attacks are as dazzling as they are deadly. She wields her weapon with the confidence of a dominatrix, and I’d expect nothing less of the only female Horseman. The Barbs of Scorn can be upgraded and augmented, but their default form is the most iconic. Fury can even use the Barbs of Scorn as a form of transportation, and she swings around the landscape like Spider-Man.

When a tyrant invaded Heliseum and attacked the royal family, the princess narrowly escaped with her life. After she was nursed back to health by a black market trade group, she adopted a new identity and resolved to rise through the ranks of the criminal underworld. As a glorified debt collector, Cadena arms herself with a chain and test her mettle against rival gangs. The chain can thrash her opponents from afar and potentially bind them in place. It can also latch onto other things, which allows the former princess to launch herself into the air. Cadena can whip fast enough to create a maelstrom, and she can throw the chain with enough intensity to tear the fabric of space and time! If that doesn’t get the job done, she can simply fling bricks at her enemies. Cadena is the Spanish word for chain, so it’s only fitting that she’d be proficient with the weapon.

Rygar is a legendary hero who rises from the grave to preserve humanity’s will to survive. The only thing that gives him a fighting chance is his trademark weapon. His diskarmor has all the benefits of a shield, but it also functions as a killer yo-yo since it’s attached to a retractable chain. It’s used as a veritable sawblade, and Rygar can attack enemies from all sides. The weapon is even more useful in the PS2 remake since Rygar has more techniques at the ready. It’s easy to chain combos together in this outing, since the diskarmor can be swung in broad arcs or used for close-range attacks. The weapon can also be upgraded in various ways, and it has a number of bonus functions. Whether Rygar’s slicing up the competition or latching on to grappling points, the retractable chain makes the diskarmor one of gaming’s most versatile weapons.

The hookshot is a fascinating device with remarkable utility. It helps Link clear pitfalls, it retrieves items from afar, and it’s used as a long-range weapon. In Hyrule Warriors, the hookshot could even be used to pull the moon down onto the battlefield like a meteorite! The hookshot has been a mainstay in the series since A Link to the Past, and Twilight Princess allowed Link to use two hookshots at once! The hookshot isn’t the only chain-based weapon in Links arsenal. Twilight Princess also featured a ball-and-chain weapon that was heavy enough to bust through walls, while Link’s Awakening featured a pet chain chomp that behaved like an attack dog. The stasis rune in Breath of the Wild let Link freeze objects in time with metaphysical chains. His versatility with respect to chain-based weapons is unparalleled on this list.

The Blades of Chaos were Kratos’ signature weapon throughout the Greek Era. Forged in the Underworld and imbued with fire, the blades were given to Kratos by Ares himself. They were literally bound to Kratos’ flesh to symbolize his pledge of allegiance to the Olympians. Whether he’s launching his enemies into the air or overwhelming them with overhead attacks, the curved blades are a perfect way for Kratos to channel his rage. The chains make it easy for the Spartan to link his moves together, and he can even use the blades as improvised harpoons. The God of War games were largely defined by stylish combat and flashy combos, and the Blades of Chaos made this all possible. The chains were eventually ripped from his arms in unceremonious fashion, so it’s fortunate that the Blades of Athena were nearly identical in their utility.

The aptly-named Vampire Killer is a holy whip with the power to vanquish evil. It appears as a standard leather whip by default, but it can usually be upgraded to a chain flail. (Its ultimate form in most games is the Morning Star – which is essentially a long metal chain with a spiked ball at the end.) Naturally, the upgraded chain variants are longer and more powerful than the garden-variety model. Due to an ancient blood pact, any member of the Belmont clan can safely use the divine whip. Simon is being singled out for several reasons, however. He was the first Belmont we were introduced to, and his skills with the whip are second to none. He can swing the whip in all directions, he demonstrates unparalleled air control, and he’s crafty enough to use the whip as a grappling hook! He has also used the whip to defeat Dracula on multiple occasions.

The Howard twins are members of a police task force that battles extradimensional invaders. The titular “astral chains” allow them to capture these malevolent creatures and establish a mental link with them. This lets them enlist their help for combat and investigations. The twins have an unusually high “sync rate” that gives them a greater level of control over the living weapons. With enough practice, they’ll be able to sync their movements with the creatures and create interesting combo attacks. The chains are surprisingly lengthy, so the captured invaders can be effectively used as both melee and ranged weapons. When they’re not being used to control otherworldly beings, the astral chains can be used as ziplines to reach higher places in a jiffy. As an added bonus, they can also be used to restrain unruly civilians!