Some of the weapons featured in The Hunger Games series.
Weapons are used many times in The Hunger Games trilogy, primarily in the actual Hunger Games. They are supplied at the Cornucopia and initially acquired during the bloodbath. Tributes who do not obtain a weapon at this stage must then acquire them from another tribute, resulting in weapons changing hands as the Games go on. Weapons are also sometimes gifts to tributes by their districts and mentors.
In the film, most weapons are made of a silvery metal, with black hilts. They often have holes in them to attain a lighter weight.
Outside of the Games, Peacekeepers and the Panem military are the only ones who may be armed to prevent the residents of the districts from rebelling, with the exception of the independent District 13. Katniss Everdeen, however, gets most of her food by trekking into the woods and hunting with a bow and arrow that her father made for her. This is technically illegal, but was, most of the time, overlooked by the Peacekeepers. During the second rebellion, the rebels are able to acquire sufficient weapons and support to wage war with the Capitol.
Axe
An axe, or ax is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has many forms and specialized uses but generally consists of an axe head with a handle, or helve.
Axes are found in some Games. It is likely to be used by the District 7 tributes like Johanna Mason as District 7's.
Johanna with her axe dug into the floor.
main industry is lumber who would use them as throwing axes. During the 50th Hunger Games, Haymitch Abernathy was on the verge of defeat at the hands of the District 1 female, who was armed with an axe. When she threw it at him as he got to an edge of a cliff, he was able to dodge it, lulling her into believing that he would die first as he had been disemboweled. However the force field surrounding the arena caused the axe to fly back and kill her, allowing Haymitch to emerge as the victor.
In The Hunger Games film, the District 9 male used an axe as his main weapon. He tried to kill Katniss with it, but was killed by Clove, who killed him by using one of her throwing knives.
In Catching Fire it is seen that Johanna Mason prefers axes. She used one to kill Cashmere.
Baton
A baton is a club of less than arm's length made of wood, plastic, or metal. A baton may be used to strike, jab, block, bludgeon, and aid in the application of armlocks.
Batons do not appear in the books, though they are used in The Hunger Games film by the Peacekeepers to suppress the uprising in District 11 after Rue's death.
In the film, Cato is also seen using a baton during the final fight of the 74th Hunger Games. He also used it to injure the District 4 female.
Blowgun
A blowgun is a simple weapon consisting of a small tube for firing light projectiles or darts.
During the 50th Hunger Games, Maysilee Donner acquired a blowgun with 24 darts from the Cornucopia. By dipping the darts in the numerous poisonous substances found in the arena, using the bowl she found in her backpack, she made them fatal. Maysilee saved Haymitch from a Career Tribute who was about to kill him and the two became allies until they were in the final five.
Bow and arrow
The bow and arrow is a projectile weapon (a bow with arrows) that predates recorded history and is common to
Katniss drawing her bow.
most cultures. Katniss learned her archery skills from her father, and she uses a bow to hunt for food. It also becomes her weapon of choice in the arena. Gale Hawthorne is also a skilled archer, which he learned from Katniss.
Katniss uses bows as weapons in both the 74th and 75th Hunger Games and after she joins the rebellion. In the 74th Hunger Games, Glimmer has archery skills aside from Katniss. In the games, it is possible it is a valuable weapon as there seems to be only one supplied though in the 75th Hunger Games there were several supplied, presumably due to all the Gamemasters supplying being weapons. Notably, Katniss uses her bow along with a wire and lightning bolt to destroy the arena by taking out the force field.
Brick
A brick is a hard, heavy rectangular prism normally made of clay used in masonry construct. In the film, a video depicting a previous Hunger Games shows a male tribute smashing a brick into another male tribute's torso, causing bleeding and death.
Dagger
Gloss, a tribute from District 1, holding daggers in his hand.
A dagger is a double-edged fighting knife with a central spine and full-length cutting edges. It differs from a regular knife in that it has a double-edged blade. A knife is a tool as well as a piece of silverware, and although it can be used as a weapon, that is not its primary function. A dagger's sharply pointed dual-edged blade allows it to be used either for slashing cuts or for thrusts to an opponent's body. The blade is similar to that of a sword, but much shorter. In the 74th Hunger Games, Marvel had several daggers in his backpack. A dagger was the weapon of choice for Gloss, the male tribute from District 1 during the 75th Hunger Games, which he used to slit Wiress' throat at the Cornucopia leading to the fight between Katniss' alliance and the Careers. He is also shown throwing them like how Clove did with throwing knives in the 74th Hunger Games. During the 74th Hunger Games, a dagger was Katniss' only weapon at first after Clove threw one at her and it got stuck in her backpack. Katniss later used it to drop a tracker jacker nest on the Careers, killing Glimmer and the District 4 female. Afterwards, she retrieved the bow and arrows from Glimmer's body and used that as her main weapon though she continued to use the dagger for other things.
Electrocution
Electrocution is a process favored by District 3 tributes. In Beetee Latier's first Games, he electrocuted a pack of kids who were hunting him down, and won by this method. Beetee also uses this tool in the 75th Hunger Games. He coils a metal wire to his knife and was instructed to stab the force field when a bolt of lightning strikes the coil at the top a tree. He was then stabbed by an unknown tribute and Katniss tied the wire around her arrow, then shot it at the force field, which blew a hole in the force field of the arena creating an escape route. Beetee was also stated to have won his Hunger Games by electrocuting the last six tributes he had to face. At the same time he prepared the shock to destroy the force field, he also prepared to electrocute the water in the arena to kill Brutus and Enobaria but this failed as they cut his wire before it could reach the beach. In Mockingjay, it also states that Johanna Mason was tortured using water and electrocution.
Fire
The Gamemakers use fireballs to force the tributes closer together in the arena. During the 74th Hunger Games, the Gamemakers injured Katniss' leg with a fireball. Her palms also suffer severe burns. The Gamemakers planned to use the fireballs to decrease the distance between Katniss and the Career Pack, or kill her if necessary. Rue's forearm was burned during the fire attack, and it also negatively affected the Careers, as Katniss notices their raspy voices.
Guns
A gun is a firearm designed to be used by an individual. Guns are never used in the Games by tributes, but are instead used by Peacekeepers and the Panem military. Guns are forbidden to be used by tributes in the arena because it would give them an unfair advantage. They are manufactured in District 2, which is also where most Peacekeepers and soldiers come from. District 13 has its own supply of guns and during the Second Rebellion, the rebels are armed with guns. Although what the individual soldier is equipped with is not specified, Commander Paylor is armed with an "automatic weapon."[1] Peeta, Gale, and Katniss were all trained in firearms use and were members of Squad 451, which was composed of skilled marksmen. The rebels also use machine guns.
An example of a non-conventional gun was some type of energy weapon used by Twill. This weapon, if necessary, could convert solar energy into deadly rays of power, providing a limitless power source.[2]
Knife
A knife is a sharp blade with a handle. The blade may be single or double sided. It can be used as a weapon, a piece of silverware, or as a tool. Although Katniss prefers a bow, she has some experience with wielding and throwing a knife in order to finish off a wounded prey animal.[3] During the 74th Hunger Games, she gained a knife when Clove tried to kill her with one by throwing it at her. Katniss was able to block this knife with her backpack, gaining her first weapon. It had a long blade and was serrated near the handle, enabling her to saw off the branch that a tracker jacker nest was attached to and dropped it onto the Careers sleeping below.
Peeta Mellark appears to favor knives in combat, as did Haymitch and Clove. Peeta uses a knife to kill a monkey muttation in the 75th Hunger Games.
In The Hunger Games film, it is briefly shown during the bloodbath that Glimmer was using a knife to kill the District 6 female and the District 5 male. Marvel is also shown using a kukri knife to kill the District 8 male. Foxface used the blade of a knife from the ruins of the Cornucopia, following it's destruction.
Land mines
A land mine is an explosive device, concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near the device. Such devices are typically detonated automatically by way of pressure from the target stepping or driving on it, though other detonation mechanisms may be possible. The device may cause damage either by a direct blast or by fragments that are thrown by the blast.
Mines are deployed in land arenas in front of the metal plates on which the tributes stand when they are delivered via the tribute tubes to prevent anyone from gaining a head start on the weapons and supplies at the Cornucopia. These mines are activated by pressure and are extremely sensitive. One year, a female tribute accidentally dropped her tribute token, a small wooden ball, resulting in her getting blown to pieces.[4] Once the minute is up, the mines are disarmed by the Gamemakers.
In the 74th Hunger Games, the unnamed male tribute from District 3 was able to dig up the mines, plant them around the Career's supply cache at the Cornucopia, and re-arm them as part of an arrangement he reached with the Careers to become part of their alliance. However, Foxface was able to determine where the mines had been planted. She was able to steal small quantities of food from the cache, though not enough to arouse suspicion. She had been doing this for some time before Katniss and Rue decided to cripple the Careers by destroying their supplies. Rue had been able to spy on the camp but could not deduce that the mines were being reused. When Katniss studied the camp, she saw Foxface make a supply run, during which she hopped over the mines. She overshot one of her jumps, but did not land on a mine. This tipped Katniss off that the mines were being reused. She targeted a burlap bag of apples and fired three arrows at it to release the apples, which landed on enough mines to set off a chain reaction, detonating almost all of them and blowing up the supplies.
In the 75th Hunger Games the tributes were launched from a saltwater lake with the Cornucopia at the center and the land mines were not deployed.
In District 13, Simulated Street Combat training involved the possibility of triggering a mine in preparation for the assault on the Capitol.[5] Mines and pods formed some of the defenses deployed in the Capitol when the rebels attacked. When Squad 451 was deployed there and in the midst of shooting a propo, Boggs stepped on a mine which blew off his legs, causing him to bleed to death. When their way out was blocked by a wave of black tar, Gale and Leeg 1 used their guns to sweep the street in an attempt to detonate any mines and enable them to escape.
Mace
A mace is a heavy wooden club with a heavy metal head, of which there can be variations. In one unidentified Hunger Games, spiked maces were the only weapons in the Cornucopia and the tributes had to bludgeon one another to death.[6] It is unknown if anyone in the 74th or 75th Hunger Games used them, but in the 75th Hunger Games numerous maces were supplied.
Machete
A machete is a type of knife which can be used to stab, bludgeon or cut a certain tribute or object. In the bloodbath of the 74th hunger games, Cato used a machete to slash open the District 10 male's chest.
Net
A net is composed of fibers woven in a grid-like structure. It blocks the passage of large items, while letting smaller items and fluids pass. It requires less material than something sheet-like, and provides a degree of transparency. Nets can be used to catch fish, birds, animals, or for ensnaring people.
Nets are mainly used by District 4 for fishing, but they were also utilized by Finnick Odair during the 65th Hunger Games. He wove a net from a kind of vine he had found in the arena to entangle his opponents with then spear them with his trident. Another person who used a net to kill someone was Marvel during 74th Hunger Games. He used the net to entangle Rue and killed her with a spear. In the 75th Hunger Games, Finnick again arms himself with a net and trident, weaving additional nets to use for fishing. Katniss fell into the coiled wire and thought she had fallen into Finnick's net, as at that point she believed Finnick and Johanna Mason were trying to kill her.
Pod
A pod is an obstacle that can range from a bomb to a group of mutts. Whatever is in the pod is designed to trap or kill. They were created by the Capitol and deployed throughout the city as traps.
Rocks
Rocks are items of nature that can be used as weapons. Thresh smashed Clove's head with a rock during the feast of the 74th Hunger Games, denting in her skull and ultimately killing her. Rue used a sharp fleck of rock as a makeshift weapon. They can also be used to start a fire.
Rue used rocks for ammunition for her slingshot, in the 74th Games. She also used a sharp rock as a knife.
Scythe
A scythe is a curved blade attached to a long piece of wood that holds it together. In the bloodbath of the 74th hunger games, Cato used a scythe to kill the District 6 male when he was about to attack Glimmer.
Sickle
A sickle is a handheld tool that can be used as a weapon instead of an agriculture tool. Sickles are silver, curved blades used for slashing and cutting. They appeared in the 74th Hunger Games as weapons among the supplies at the Cornucopia. The District 5 male used one to kill the District 3 female by slashing her forehead.
Slingshot
A slingshot is a projectile weapon that can be used to fling small objects such as stones at short distances. Skilled slingshot users, such as Rue, are highly accurate and can hit a target with each shot. After fleeing the Cornucopia, Rue fashioned a slingshot.[7]
Snare
A snare is a rope or wire that is tied to an object to trap prey and kill it. Gale Hawthorne is an expert at making and using them to trap game, creating snares which trap the prey animal but keep it out of reach of predators until the kill can be retrieved. He and Katniss first met in the woods when she was about to examine a rabbit that had been caught in one of his twitch-up snares. Prior to knowing Gale, Katniss had not had previous success with snares, although her father had used them.[8] In the Training Center just before the 74th Hunger Games, Peeta and Katniss try out the snares station and worked there for about an hour until they master the basic snares that can catch some food and leave a tribute trapped. Katniss used snares to trap game while in the arena.
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel, or bronze.
Brutus using a spear at training center.
Spears are one of the few weapons that are always supplied at the Cornucopia. In the 74th Hunger Games, Marvel used a spear to kill Rue. This spear was then taken from the arena along with Rue's body. Cato was highly accurate with a spear and presumably killed other tributes with it. The boy from District 3 was also given a spear, however it is unknown if he ever used it. Peeta was armed with a spear when he was allied with the Careers but lost it after he betrayed them to aid Katniss. In the film, the spears that Marvel is armed with are similar in appearance to pilum, but are shorter and intended for throwing. The District 7 male also used a long, pilum-like spear to attack Thresh. Peeta and the District 3 boy were armed with spears that have single-edged blade-like tips and different shafts. Also, Marvel uses a spear to skewer the District 7 female's heart, killing her.
In the 75th Hunger Games, Brutus used a spear when he attempted to kill Peeta by throwing it at him.
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. All swords consist of a blade and a hilt. The blade typically has one or two edges, which are used for cutting and striking, and tapers to a point used for
Cato with his sword.
thrusting.
Swords are often among the supplies provided in the Cornucopia during the Games and tend to be short swords. There are also machetes and crescent shaped swords. Their location at the very back of the Cornucopia in the film suggests that they are considered among the most valuable weapons. Cato, the male tribute from District 2 in the 74th Hunger Games, was a known user of the sword and used one to severely injure Peeta Mellark's leg. During the bloodbath, Cato used a machete to slash the District 10 male's chest and slash the District 4 male's throat. Thresh used a crescent sword to slash the District 7 male's throat.
Throwing axe
The throwing axe is a weapon favored by District 7 tributes. Johanna Mason in particular uses one in the 75th Hunger Games when she, Katniss, Peeta, Beetee, Wiress and Finnick journey to the Cornucopia. It is like a normal axe, but easier to throw because it is specially designed for this purpose, being lighter and better balanced. It is also used by a District 1 female tribute in the 50th Hunger Games. In the 74th Hunger Games, the District 3 male acquired one, but Marvel stole it from him. It is speculated that the District 7 female acquired one also, both phases of the training and the bloodbath.
Throwing knives
Throwing knives are one of the main weapons used during the Games. They often look similar to regular knives but usually will not have a sharp blade. Instead they have a spear like point. In the 74th Hunger Games, many tributes used them, especially Clove, who uses one to kill the boy from District 9. She carried an assortment of
Katniss' backpack with Clove's throwing knife in it.
them in her jacket and used them to attempt to kill Katniss by throwing a conventional knife, but Katniss blocked it with her backpack. At the feast, she threw two knives at Katniss. Katniss blocked the first with her bow but the second gashed her just above her left eye, throwing off her aim and allowing Clove to tackle her. In the 75th Hunger Games, Enobaria, the female tribute from District 2 used throwing knives. She is shown to be skillful, as she was able to send one into Finnick Odair's thigh. It is possible that she mentored Clove to use throwing knives.
Trident
A trident is a three-pronged spear that can be used both as a weapon and for spear fishing. Tributes from District 4 are highly skilled in using tridents and often use them as weapons during the Games. The prongs can be used to trap other weapons or for stabbing. A trident that was given to Finnick Odair during the 65th Hunger Games is described as being possibly "the most expensive gift" ever given and enabled Finnick to emerge as the victor.[9] However, it implies that tridents were not supplied to tributes before Finnick Odair's victory. During the 75th Hunger Games, numerous tridents and a net were provided at the Cornucopia, which Finnick also used. The one that Finnick picked up had 3 blades so it could slash like a sword as well as a extended point so it could be also be thrown like a spear. Later in District 13, Beetee designed a special trident for Finnick which could be retrieved after it was thrown by pressing a button on a metal cuff on his wrist. It also has a lot of special features, such as an automatic blade sharpener and more, but these are not described.[10]
Water cannon
A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over hundreds of feet. They are used in firefighting and riot control.
Water cannons do not appear in the books, but are used in The Hunger Games film by the Peacekeepers to suppress the uprising in District 11.
Whip
A whip is a weapon, mostly used for punishment but also for combat. It is used by "cracking" the whip through the air, making it hit an opponent painfully. Whips also typically feature a hard butt that can be used as a bludgeon.
Some Peacekeepers hold public floggings, which Romulus Thread did to Gale Hawthorne, for crimes such as poaching. These both punish the offending party and scare the local community into submission by setting an example. The whip used by Romulus Thread bears a strong resemblence to a Roman flagrum.