Hydra asked me to post my idea in here... I didn't think a copy/paste would do... but its pretty much the same thing I said in the discussion.
My idea is for a ghost fencer type pokemon, because so far there are no pokemon who actually use a sword. (beedrill's arms are lances, and sneasel are kama or claws... hard to tell. Gallade is a tonfa user). If the discussion strays away from an offensive type pokemon, a samurai can be a "balanced" type, while a Knight with sheild + sword would easily work for defensive. Actually, a design focused on a shield would work a lot better for defensive (Tinbe-rochin (which is a shield + spear, but still cool), Sword and Buckler, or even just plain old shield)
My primary idea is again, a ghost fencer. I particularly am interested in a single blade wielded with a single hand, like a rapier or saber. I have a feeling that the dual weapon style of rapier+dagger would be more popular however, and would also recommend that style. I've got a little drawing of pretty much Casper the friendly ghost wearing a Top Hat weilding a Rapier (Right hand) and a dagger (left hand) and a bow-tie, with his face replaced with a Jack-o-Lanturn. It actually looks like a bit like a pokemon :-p But its still a bit too "human". Sorry I can't scan it online... I don't have access to a scanner.
Sources of innovation:
A
Fencing helmet makes an excellent base for a ghost pokemon. There is a ghostly feeling whenever someone wears those helmets because you can't see their face at all.
For interesting positions, one of the best sources is from the book "
The Cane as a Weapon". The poses tend to be based on fencing, and they are clearer shots than you'll get from watching youtube vids of a fencer. (The sword is pointed towards the face, but the cane is pointed down so that the opponent cannot grab it. Aside from that, the positions look rather similar)
Rapier + Dagger has plenty of hits on Google.
For other swords that may serve as a source of innovation... Claymores, Viking Swords, Short Sword, Longsword, Broadsword, Katana and Wakizashi (the two swords a samurai always carry). Other fencing swords/styles are Foil, Saber and Epee (which are the 3 modern fencing styles in the Olympics).
And while the Naginata isn't a sword, it is sword-like and probably a good source of innovation. The Zan bato is apparently a fictional weapon, and there really isn't a "real" example you can get... but its still awesome, even if it is impossible to actually weild. Shinai are the practice swords that Kendo guys use.