Clothing is one of the most essential weapons that the students from Kill La Kill's Honnoji Academy have at their disposal. Along with the majority of the cast, protagonist Ryuko has her own uniform made out of Life Fibers that she calls Senketsu. However, this isn't the only tool that she has in her arsenal.
She also has one half of the Scissor Blades, a weapon created by her father that was also used to kill him. The weapon is, in essence, what triggers the events of the anime, and holds a deep connection to Ryuko as she uncovers the truth behind clothing as well as the cause of her father's death.
The Origin Of The Scissor Blades
Ryuko Matoi may have entered Honnoji Academy with part of the series' infamous Scissor Blades, but she didn't create the weapon. Many months before the story starts, Ryuko's father was responsible for researching Life Fibers. Through his research, he created both a Godrobe and the Scissor Blades, an item created with material that could cut through other Life Fibers. One day, Ryuko's father was attacked by the Grand Couturier, Nui Harime. He used the Scissor Blades in an effort to fend her off but Nui overpowered him.
While he lost his life in the process, he didn't leave Nui unscathed. He stabbed her left eye with the Scissor Blade, permanently blinding that side of her face. In her rage, Nui impaled his body with the red half of the Scissor Blades, claiming the purple half for herself.
It's the death of Ryuko's father that triggers her search for his killer, bringing the red half of the Scissor Blades to Honnoji Academy when she enrolls. Later in the story, Ryuko takes Nui's half of the Scissor Blades for herself and uses them in her fight against Satsuki's mother.
The Scissor Blades Use In Kill La Kill
Throughout the course of Ryuko's time in Honnoji Academy, she uses the Scissor Blade both as something to weed out her father's killer and attack opponents with. Initially, she didn't have all of the weapon's powers unlocked. Instead, she relied on Senketsu to pull off victory after victory, while the Scissor Blade was used to both chop up the clothing of her enemies and take their Life Fibers.
Roughly halfway through Kill La Kill, Nui Harime arrives at Honnoji Academy to fight Ryuko. After quickly dismantling a Three-Star Goku Uniform, Nui is able to fight her. It's at this moment that Nui takes out the purple half of the original Scissor Blades, revealing that she is the one that killed Ryuko's father. Eventually, both halves of the Scissor Blades are recovered by Ryuko to complete the weapon once more.
The Scissor Blades' Powers
The main utility of the Scissor Blades is to take down people who wear Life Fibers. This is because, unlike traditional weaponry, the damage that is dealt with these Blades nullifies the properties of Life Fibers.
There are moments in the anime where the Scissor Blades meld with Ryuko's uniform. An example of this is when Ryuko goes berserk after first finding her father's killer. On top of her body being disfigured into a monstrous state, the Blade itself becomes part of Ryuko's arm and clothing, a transformation helps demonstrate that the weapon is itself made out of hardened Life Fibers.
Ryuko doesn't get to hold onto this weapon forever, though. In the OVA, Ryuko faces off against Rei and minions that she creates with the academy's resources. During this fight, Ryuko uses the Scissor Blades one final time, growing them in size to the point where they can slice through a giant mech. As the characters leave behind the wreckage of Honnoji Academy, they also leave behind the Scissors, which eventually sink to the bottom of the sea.
