Seraph blades, steles, daggers, bows and arrows, whips, staffs – when it comes to weaponry, the Shadowhunter arsenal has no shortage of options. It takes a variety of offensive and defensive tools to fight back against the endless onslaught of demons that threaten mundane existence. Much can be inferred about a Shadowhunter from the weapons they wield. Their choice of weapon is a personal one. Here we’ll be taking a look at the chosen weapons of our four main Nephilim.
Alec Lightwood: Bow and Arrow
The bow is a weapon of accuracy, which in turn, requires patience. Patience is not only a strong leadership trait but also a difficult one to master. Great dexterity and precision are needed to wield it efficiently, and Alec Lightwood appears to have been born with these qualities. Being that it is a long-range weapon, someone using a bow and arrow must also be able to discern the weakness of their opponent from a distance.
Alec is by nature an observer. He prefers to analyze things in order to see the bigger picture. In battle, while his companions may prefer being in the heart of the action, Alec remains in the background.
However, archery and its associated strategies are not without disadvantage. It requires constant monitoring and calculation to ensure the user does not run out of ammo, and it’s virtually useless in a close-range attack. Alec used to apply this distance-keeping mindset to everything in his life – and that included distancing himself from his emotions – something that left him vulnerable to years of shame and the suppression of something as simple as loving someone he believed he shouldn’t. There is something to be said about the fact that when Alec did finally open up (thanks to a very special warlock), his skills with a bow became all the more deadly, such as when he shot an arrow through the skulls of two Forsaken at once in 2×19 “Hail and Farewell.”
When in battle, Alec and his bow are a streamlined killing machine. And there’s no doubt in our minds that as he continues to grow individually and as a leader, he will become all the more lethal as a skilled archer.
Jace Herondale: Seraph Blade
Unlike the practical and technical nature of his Parabatai, Jace belongs in the thick of the action. His fighting style is an odd lovechild of brute strength and technique – making the seraph blade his ideal weapon.
Aside from the fact that he’s never seemed inclined to use any other weapon (except maybe his looks and the odd found object or two), the blade is a strong representation of what Valentine raised Jace to be: swift and cutting. Meant to win, not to fight.
Underneath that confident bravado hides an extremely intelligent and quick-witted mind that would actually much rather get the job done than mess around. The seraph blade can be used in much the same manner – deliberately complex and drawn out – or simply and efficiently. The blade also helps create an intimidating demeanor due to its closeness in combat.
The fact that the seraph blade is also a strictly angelic weapon matches even more strongly with his character. The seraph blade and its connection to the angelic blood of the Shadowhunter who wields it is something Jace understands deeply, as was made evident when teaching Clary how to utilize said connection. He hands his trust over to the sword, allowing for much deadlier attacks.
Isabelle Lightwood: Whip and Staff
Isabelle has perhaps the most interesting weapon combination out of our main Shadowhunters. At first glance, it is just a shiny serpentine bracelet. Relatively harmless, right? Wrong. One quick move and said bracelet is now a whip crackling with demon-killing potency. Another move and it becomes a staff. Much like Izzy as an individual, her weapon cannot only prove lethal within a matter of seconds but also has the element of surprise.
The bracelet represents Isabelle’s physical beauty and glamour, something she utilizes as a weapon to get what she wants. The whip and staff represent how her fighting stance changes depending on the nature of her enemy. If fighting from a distance, the whip is effective, and she often uses it to pull the enemy closer. When in close range, the staff is useful in that it can be used to trip up her target and then wielded like a blade once they are on the ground, thanks to its pointed tip.
Isabelle and her weapon of choice are what you would call a triple threat. You never truly know what to expect, making her a genuinely formidable foe and major badass. And with the title of Weapons Master somewhere in her future, we’re sure she’ll have even more tricks up her sleeve come Season 3.
Clary Fairchild: Stele
While our redheaded heroine has shown a certain fondness for the seraph blade (likely fostered by Jace’s teachings), the stele seems like a weapon with a stronger connection to Clary as a person.
Clary’s been a natural artist since she was a child, so the fact that her strongest weapon is the stele is far from unexpected. This newborn Shadowhunter’s preference of the “pen” over the “sword” is evident from the beginning of the series – from the moment her mother gifted her a stele for her birthday and she mistook it for a pen to becoming “the girl who can shoot sunlight out of her hand and make portals out of thin air.”
The stele is an obvious representation of Clary’s strongest asset: her artistic ability and creative personality – the only difference being the stele can create deadly weapons. The same can be said for Clary as a person. Her strongest personality trait (and also arguably the one that is most overlooked) may very well be charisma, something she utilizes often (deliberately or not) to get what she wants. The stele plays to these assets, allowing her to project her thoughts and needs into material things, much like when drawing.
Clary’s skills with a stele are something that shows a massive amount of potential, and if she continues to grow these skills in Season 3, she could offer many more new runes for future generations of Shadowhunters to learn.
Bow and arrow, seraph blade, multi-purpose jewelry, and a stele full of lethal potential. Weapon choices can say a lot about each of the characters’ personalities and their fighting styles. But what about our main characters from the Downworld? For that, you’ll need to keep an eye out for the tooth, claw, and magic-filled second part of this series coming soon.
Shadowhunters is available for streaming via Freeform for U.S. residents and internationally on Netflix. Shadowhunters returns with Season 3 on March 20th, 2018.
