Katana
The Katana is a Japanese-style sword used as a melee weapon in Grand Theft Auto. It first appeared in Vice City (2002) and also features in GTA Advance, San Andreas, Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories. It is known for its long reach and for sword duels in missions such as The Da Nang Thang.
What is the Katana in GTA?
The Katana is a long sword in the melee slot. It swaps out bats, knives and the Chainsaw, since only one melee weapon can be held at once. In the early 3D games a well-timed swing could take an enemy's head off, which made it a cult favourite. Our weapons hub explains slots in more detail.
Which GTA games have the Katana?
GTA Wiki lists it in Vice City, GTA Advance, San Andreas, Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories. It is not in GTA III. In Vice City it deals the third-highest melee damage, behind the Chainsaw and the Screwdriver, and has a long reach. In Vice City Stories it is toned down to perform like the Machete, with lower damage and no beheading. Chinatown Wars has a different blade simply called the Sword.
Where do you get the Katana?
| Game | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Vice City | Bought for $300 at Tooled Up in North Point Mall after The Chase; free in a Starfish Island garage west of the mansion |
| San Andreas | Several pickups, e.g. an alley south of the Chinatown safehouse in San Fierro, the pirate ship at Pirates In Men's Pants and near the Four Dragons Casino |
| Liberty City Stories | Alley by the Hyaku Dojo in Bedford Point, and a warehouse roof in Pike Creek |
| Vice City Stories | A nook on the west side of a Vice Point hotel |
Which GTA missions feature the Katana?
The best-known is The Da Nang Thang in San Andreas. CJ gets a sword during the mission and ends it in a duel with the gang leader known as the Snakehead, who fights with one as well. In Liberty City Stories, Toni Cipriani must cut down twenty Forelli men in Crazy '69, and later duels Kazuki Kasen on a casino roof in Cash in Kazuki's Chips. In GTA Advance, Mike uses one in Down the River.
In Vice City, the last Cuban attackers in Dirty Lickin's carry swords, and the rival taxi boss in Cabmaggedon draws one if Tommy drags him out of his cab. In Vice City Stories, Victor Vance swings one while a zombie film is being shot at the Vice Point mall.
Katana trivia
GTA Wiki records an odd San Andreas bug: if the second player in two-player mode beheads the first with a sword, CJ can stay headless in single-player until the save is reloaded, apart from cutscenes.
- ConfirmedAppears in Vice City, Advance, San Andreas, LCS and VCS; absent from GTA III. GTA Wiki
- ReportedVice City Stories version cannot behead. GTA Wiki
Sources
- GTA Wiki — Katana read 2 Nov 2026