<p>Not a proper answer but I did get around to reading Soul Eater and something to note is that Mifune's &quot;box of swords&quot; is an anime thing, it isn't in the manga. In the manga he just totes around a bunch of katanas tied together by their scabbards using caution tape (without the bin).</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/1RooT.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/1RooT.png" alt="Mifune idle" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/udJGn.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/udJGn.png" alt="Mifune draws his swords" /></a></p>
<p>No idea why this was changed for the anime, if I had to hazard a guess it might just be animating a mass of scabbards jangling about or a long piece of caution tape with the words &quot;keep out&quot; repeatedly is more tedious than animating a box containing that mass of scabbards and a plain yellow band.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-03-31T02:48:13.527Z
2022-03-31T02:48:13.527Z
Gatchwar
<p>In a manga called Soul Eater, one of the characters - a fighter known as Mifune - is carrying a box of swords with himself.
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/C4SPl.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/C4SPl.png" alt="Mifune, a character from Soul Eater, holds a rectangular box with roughly 15 swords in his left hand." /></a></p>
<p>A striking visual piece.</p>
<p>In a manga called &quot;Attack on Titan&quot; a similar yet substantially different device is used: a rectangular blade holder. (The characters use sword handles with replaceable blades; if a blade gets broken, they throw it away and get another one from the box).</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/gyPCv.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/gyPCv.jpg" alt="Two character form &quot;Attack on Titan&quot; shown. Both hold a sword in each of their hand. Attached to their hips there are large rectangular boxes, each of those having around five blades that can easily be removed at will." /></a></p>
<p>While both devices are substantially different, they do appear to be similar in many ways. So I was wondering - were they inspired by something from an even earlier manga, or possibly a historical japanese device that actually existed?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-22T21:07:03.573Z
The AoT blades seem to bear resemblance to snap-off utility knives (aka box cutters) with their very flat, rectangular shape and horizontal notches running across the blades. By that token the replacement blade boxes resemble the boxes replacement blades for utility knives come in (Google images "utility knife replacement blades" plenty of products resemble the AoT spare blade boxes)
Gatchwar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-02-23T14:39:15.160Z
@Gatchwar thanks! That's a good find. Thgis implies it's just a coincidence.
VienLa
<attack-on-titan><tropes><soul-eater>
Where this "box of swords" design comes from?
# Where this "box of swords" design comes from?
Posted by: username_0 on 2022-02-17
In a manga called Soul Eater, one of the characters - a fighter known as Mifune - is carrying a box of swords with himself.
[![Mifune, a character from Soul Eater, holds a rectangular box with roughly 15 swords in his left hand.](https://i.sstatic.net/C4SPl.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/C4SPl.png)

A striking visual piece.

In a manga called "Attack on Titan" a similar yet substantially different device is used: a rectangular blade holder. (The characters use sword handles with replaceable blades; if a blade gets broken, they throw it away and get another one from the box).

[![Two character form ](https://i.sstatic.net/gyPCv.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/gyPCv.jpg)

While both devices are substantially different, they do appear to be similar in many ways. So I was wondering - were they inspired by something from an even earlier manga, or possibly a historical japanese device that actually existed?
**Tags:** attack-on-titan tropes soul-eater
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The AoT blades seem to bear resemblance to snap-off utility knives (aka box cutters) with their very flat, rectangular shape and horizontal notches running across the blades. By that token the replacement blade boxes resemble the boxes replacement blades for utility knives come in (Google images "utility knife replacement blades" plenty of products resemble the AoT spare blade boxes)  
> **username_0**: @Gatchwar thanks! That's a good find. Thgis implies it's just a coincidence.  
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## 1 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2022-03-31. Score: 1
Not a proper answer but I did get around to reading Soul Eater and something to note is that Mifune's "box of swords" is an anime thing, it isn't in the manga. In the manga he just totes around a bunch of katanas tied together by their scabbards using caution tape (without the bin).

[![Mifune idle](https://i.sstatic.net/1RooT.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/1RooT.png)

[![Mifune draws his swords](https://i.sstatic.net/udJGn.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/udJGn.png)

No idea why this was changed for the anime, if I had to hazard a guess it might just be animating a mass of scabbards jangling about or a long piece of caution tape with the words "keep out" repeatedly is more tedious than animating a box containing that mass of scabbards and a plain yellow band.
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