The first time I saw a Kingdom Hearts game, I was surprised to see the hero use an enormous key as a weapon. I mean, where were the swords and axes? What the heck was going on?

The keyblade is actually a pretty cool weapon. In combat, it’s something between a pole-axe and a two-handed sword. The keyblade also plays an important role in the (admittedly incomprehensible) plot of Kingdom Hearts. Its significance to the story and unique design make the keyblade one of the most interesting video game weapons I’ve ever seen.

Then this blacksmith decided to make a real-life keyblade. Which is amazing.

This video takes me back to That Time I Was a Blacksmith: the summer I wore noise-reducing earmuffs and dirty shirts, used machines like band saws and belt grinders, beat the daylights out of red-hot metal and wished I could grow an epic beard.

What video game weapon would I most like to see forged by a blacksmith? Cloud Strife’s buster sword, without question. The fact that it would be impossible to use is unimportant. What matters is that it would be awesome.