90% of the weapons in this game are bullshit. I'm sorry, I don't think I said that loudly enough. *ahem* 90% OF THE WEAPONS IN THIS GAME ARE BULLSHIT!! So yeah, keep that in mind.
This game has enemies that throw bombs, and can throw them through walls or other obstructions. Sometimes these bombs linger for a few seconds, or sometimes they explode on contact with the ground. Sometimes enemies will throw bombs for no damn reason, and you only see that they've been thrown by entering a new area where you now have 1/10 of a second to escape before dying.
The point of explaining the bomb enemies' capabilities to you is to emphasize that, slow weapons are suicide. Slow weapons require at least a half-second before you indicate that you want to attack, and your attack executing. This is mainly why 90% of the weapons in the game are bullshit, with some other reasons being that some weapons really don't do jack shit for damage.
The ONLY weapons you will need are the following:
Melee;
Frantic Sword, because every hit is critical when below 50% health, and it hits damn hard otherwise anyway.
Torch, don't let the stats fool you, this one hits damn hard. For some odd reason you'll see a very low number for damage, but apparently the lingering fire affect makes up for the low damage.
Blood Sword, only use it if you have no other option, as it does bleeding damage. It doesn't hit very hard though.
Ranged;
Ice Shards, they don't have much range, but they're a damn good setup for melee attacks as they'll slow down enemies that are hit by them.
Hokuto's Bow, make this one a top priority. It usually only has two arrows, but hitting an enemy with one of those arrows makes your melee attacks a lot more powerful. I was able to kill the end boss in under 30 seconds using this bow. The other bosses when down like little bitches.
Accessories;
Cluster Grenade, make this one a top priority as well. This bomb covers a wide area with multiple bombs, and they all pack a huge punch. One shot from Hokuto's bow, and a rain of bombs is how I would initiate boss battles.
Root Grenage, this will hold your enemies in place and hurt them over time. Enemies can still make ranged attacks, but they can't turn around. You'll have a huge advantage with this one, as it affects bosses as well.