The Ashura is a ninja sword in Final Fantasy XII. Its license costs 40 LP in the original and 100 LP in the Zodiac versions where it can be used by the Shikari. As it is not possible to unlock all ninja sword licenses in the same board in the Zodiac versions, the player could forgo Ninja Swords 1 that Ashura is part of.
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Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are mythological lord beings in Indian texts who compete for power with the more benevolent devas (also known as suras). Asuras are described in Indian texts as powerful superhuman demigods or demons with good or bad qualities.
Asura is known as Ashura (阿修羅, Ashura?) in Japan, mostly portrayed as a six-armed god wielding different weapons in each hand.
The weapon resembles real world depictions of katate uchi Japanese swords, which were made for one-handed use during the Sengoku warring period during the Azuchi-Momoyama Era. Along with samurai, ninja were also prevalent in this period on the battlefield. Perhaps significant as the weakest ninja sword in Final Fantasy XII, the Ashura's notch where the tip meets the body is of note. As the aforementioned katate uchi often were made with cheaper materials, the chip indicates hasty firing to induce a hard metal cutting edge, and if it reaches the hamon or undulating wave pattern indicative of the blade's health, is considered a fatal flaw. The upper portion of a katana is considered the monouchi or striking area, which is the blade's the most reliant area and is not uncommon to see damage and chipping, but is dangerous to falter in battle.