Ancient Warrior Analysis Finds UK Searches for Iconic Fictional Weapons Jump Around Major Entertainment Events

UK search demand for "master sword," "lightsaber," and "witcher sword" rose between 170% and 337% around major gaming, television, and fandom events.

SCARBOROUGH, England, Aug. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Searches for recognisable fictional weapons rose sharply around three major entertainment events analysed by Ancient Warrior, with UK search demand increasing by between 170% and 337%. Searches for "master sword" climbed 258% around the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, while "lightsaber" searches increased 170% around Star Wars Day in May 2025. Following the release of The Witcher Season 2, searches for "witcher sword" rose 337%.

The Ancient Warrior analysis examined monthly UK search volumes before and after entertainment moments tied closely to each weapon. While the three examples come from different parts of popular culture, including gaming, streaming television, and an annual fan event, each shows the same broader pattern: when a franchise moves back into public attention, interest in its recognisable objects can move with it.

The figures don't establish that every additional search was directly caused by a game, television series, or fandom event. However, they show sizable and closely timed increases in search demand around three identifiable cultural moments.

Zelda release coincides with a 258% increase in Master Sword searches

UK searches for "master sword" increased from 3,172 in April 2023 to 11,360 in May 2023, according to the search-volume data analysed by Ancient Warrior. That represents a month-on-month increase of approximately 258%.

The timing closely follows the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on 12 May 2023. Nintendo reported five days later that the game had sold more than 10 million copies worldwide in its first three days, making it the fastest-selling title in the history of the Zelda series at the time.

That scale of attention provides useful context for the rise in searches. The Master Sword is one of the most recognisable objects associated with the Zelda series, so renewed interest around a major release isn't unexpected. The size of the increase is more notable. May search volume was more than three and a half times the April level.

The finding also illustrates how interest generated by a game doesn't necessarily remain confined to gameplay. Franchise objects can become search subjects in their own right, particularly when a new release puts familiar designs, characters, and symbols back in front of a large audience.

Star Wars Day coincides with a 170% jump in lightsaber searches

The pattern of increased search isn't limited to new releases. UK searches for "lightsaber" rose from 12,484 in April 2025 to 33,717 in May 2025, an increase of approximately 170%.

Unlike the Zelda example, the May increase centres on a recurring event. May the 4th has developed into an annual celebration of Star Wars, and Lucasfilm has formally embraced the fan-created tradition. StarWars.com describes the date as a worldwide Star Wars Day and regularly uses it for new content, merchandise, games, and fan activity.

Ancient Warrior reports that the May search increase isn't actually unique to 2025, with the same broad pattern appearing around Star Wars Day in other years. The 2025 figures provide the clearest supplied example, with search volume reaching roughly 2.7 times its April level.

That distinction matters because it suggests that search demand can be seasonal even when no single new film or game is responsible. A well-established fan event can bring an older franchise back into concentrated public attention and create a predictable period in which people search for objects closely associated with it, including light sabers and other collectibles.

The Witcher Season 2 is followed by a 337% rise in sword searches

Streaming television produced the largest percentage increase among the three examples. UK searches for "witcher sword" stood at 460 in November 2021. By January 2022, they had reached 2,011, representing an increase of approximately 337%. The increase spans the release of The Witcher Season 2 in December 2021.

Netflix's own viewing data shows how much attention the series attracted at the time. Season 2 debuted at number one on Netflix's English-language television chart, recording 142.43 million viewing hours during the week of 13 to 19 December 2021. Both seasons of the series appeared in Netflix's Top 10 in more than 90 countries that week. The following week, Season 2 remained the platform's top English-language television series with 168.46 million hours viewed.

The rise in "witcher sword" searches coincided with a period of exceptionally high visibility for the franchise. As with Zelda, the search behaviour extended from the entertainment itself to one of the objects most closely associated with its central character and world.

The Witcher example is also useful because it broadens the pattern beyond video games. A weapon design can move between books, games, streaming television, cosplay, display collecting, and other areas of fan culture, giving audiences several routes from watching or playing a franchise to searching for physical representations of it.

Three different events show the same search pattern

The three cases cover very different entertainment triggers, yet all produced triple-digit search increases.

A new game release coincided with a 258% increase in "master sword" searches. A recurring annual fan event coincided with a 170% increase in "lightsaber" searches. A major streaming release was followed by a 337% increase in searches for "witcher sword".

That makes the common pattern more useful than any one franchise result. Search interest appears capable of responding not only to new releases, but also to moments that reactivate an established audience.

For specialist retailers and collectors, that behaviour can blur the line between entertainment merchandise and more traditional collecting. Someone searching for replica swords after encountering a fictional weapon may begin with a specific franchise, then move towards historical reproductions, fantasy designs, martial arts pieces, or culturally distinctive blades such as kukris.

The data doesn't show that all of those searches become purchases, nor does it measure the entire UK collectibles market. What it does show is that public attention can move quickly from a screen event to a specific object. For recognisable fictional weapons, that shift can be measured within weeks.

Methodology

Ancient Warrior analysed monthly UK search-volume data for three weapon-related search terms around identifiable entertainment events between 2021 and 2025.

For The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the analysis compared searches for "master sword" in April and May 2023. For Star Wars Day, it compared "lightsaber" search volume in April and May 2025. For The Witcher Season 2, it compared "witcher sword" search volume in November 2021 with January 2022, spanning the December release period.

Percentage changes were calculated from the monthly search volumes supplied for the analysis. The findings describe changes in search demand occurring around the selected events and should not be interpreted as proof that the releases or events caused every additional search.

Frequently Asked Questions

The data raises several broader questions about the relationship between entertainment releases, fandom, and interest in collectible or replica weaponry. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions around those trends.

Do film, television, and game releases increase searches for replica weapons?

Entertainment releases can coincide with substantial increases in related searches. In Ancient Warrior's analysis, the three selected examples produced increases ranging from 170% to 337%. The strength and duration of that effect is likely to vary by franchise, the prominence of the object, and the scale of the release or event.

Why did Master Sword searches increase after Tears of the Kingdom?

Master Sword searches rose 258% between April and May 2023, the same month The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launched. Nintendo reported that the game sold more than 10 million copies worldwide in its first three days, indicating the scale of attention surrounding the release. The search data shows that interest in the franchise's recognisable weapon increased sharply during the same period.

Why do lightsaber searches increase around Star Wars Day?

Lightsaber searches increased 170% between April and May 2025 in the Ancient Warrior data. May the 4th is widely recognised as Star Wars Day and has become an annual period for franchise announcements, events, merchandise, and fan activity. That recurring concentration of attention provides a clear context for higher search interest each May.

Are fictional weapons the same market as historical collectibles?

Fictional and historical collecting overlap, but they're not identical. Some buyers focus on screen-accurate designs or fantasy objects, while others are interested in historical reproductions, craftsmanship, martial arts, or cultural history. Interest in a fictional weapon can nevertheless act as an entry point into the wider world of swords and other collectible blades.

About Ancient Warrior

Ancient Warrior is a UK-based specialist retailer founded in 2005 and based in Scarborough. Its range includes historical and cultural weaponry, replica arms, swords and sabres, kukris, martial arts equipment, antiques, curiosities, and film and gaming memorabilia.

Media Contact

Contact: Brian Doolin
Email: [email protected].uk
Location: Scarborough, UK

SOURCE Ancient Warrior