Episode Ratings Grid

Every episode at a glance, color-coded by rating. Rows are episode numbers within each season, columns are seasons.

M
S1
S2
S3
S4
S5 0-29
S5 30-39
S6
S7 1-30
S7 31-37
S8 1-30
S8 31-52
S9
S10
E1
8.0
7.6
8.1
7.6
8.2
8.4
8.1
7.3
?
4.9
?
8.6
8.7
E2
8.0
7.5
7.7
8.1
7.7
8.2
8.3
8.1
?
6.3
?
8.0
8.2
E3
7.8
7.6
8.0
7.8
7.8
8.2
8.1
7.2
?
8.0
?
8.4
8.5
E4
7.8
7.3
7.8
8.2
8.6
8.3
8.2
7.2
?
7.4
?
7.6
7.2
E5
7.9
8.0
8.1
8.1
8.2
9.0
7.7
7.7
?
5.9
?
6.7
8.4
E6
7.7
7.5
7.6
7.6
7.9
8.3
8.8
7.6
?
8.1
?
?
8.2
E7
7.4
7.5
7.7
7.8
8.2
7.9
8.0
7.5
?
8.3
7.8
8.2
9.0
E8
7.7
7.7
7.7
7.7
8.5
8.1
7.2
7.8
8.9
?
?
?
E9
8.2
7.7
7.7
8.2
8.4
7.9
8.1
8.3
?
?
?
E10
7.5
8.3
7.7
8.2
8.0
8.6
8.3
8.2
?
?
8.4
E11
8.2
8.0
8.0
7.9
8.1
8.3
?
7.8
9.0
E12
8.0
8.1
7.7
8.7
8.4
8.0
?
7.7
8.8
E13
7.9
7.5
8.3
7.8
6.3
6.7
?
7.3
8.6
E14
7.8
7.4
7.3
9.2
7.7
8.3
?
?
8.8
E15
7.7
7.5
7.9
8.2
8.2
8.3
?
?
8.4
E16
7.8
7.8
7.5
8.7
7.8
7.8
?
8.6
E17
7.7
8.2
8.2
7.7
8.4
?
7.5
E18
7.8
7.7
8.8
7.2
8.0
?
8.6
E19
8.7
8.2
8.3
7.6
7.2
?
?
8.6
E20
8.5
8.0
8.0
8.4
?
?
?
7.3
E21
8.1
8.2
7.9
8.9
8.8
?
?
?
E22
8.7
7.6
8.2
8.2
?
?
?
?
E23
8.7
7.7
7.6
8.6
7.7
?
8.2
E24
8.3
7.9
?
?
?
?
E25
7.6
8.7
?
?
?
8.8
E26
7.6
7.6
?
?
?
?
E27
8.4
8.7
9.7
8.0
?
E28
8.1
7.6
?
?
?
E29
8.1
?
?
?
E30
7.1
8.1
?
?
Avg
7.8
7.6
7.9
7.9
8.0
8.2
7.9
7.7
7.8
8.4
Peak
Excellent
Great
Good
Mid
Bad
Awful
SeriesScores.com

Episode Power Rankings

The best and worst episodes at a glance. Use this to find must-watch episodes or ones you might want to skip.

🏆 Top Episodes

#1 9.7

S7E27 The Ikakalaka

Four smiths determine their fate when they have to select a forging technique ranging from easy to difficult. They must choose wisely as their selection will directly impact their next round. Ultimately, two smiths must recreate the Ikakalaka African Sword.

#2
S6E14 9.2

Branch Battle: Finals

Master bladesmiths are challenged to re-create some of history’s most iconic edged weapons, then a panel of judges tests the weaponry and decides who is the “Forged in Fire” champion.

#3
S5E34 9.0

Tournament Finals "Nodachi"

In the final round of the Invitational Tournament, the winning farrier, armorer, blacksmith and modern metal worker face off to forge a wakizashi; the two finalists must then re-create the nodachi, one of the largest Japanese swords.

  1. 4. S10E7 "Chef's Special" 9.0
  2. 5. S10E11 "Beat the Unbeaten: Conquering the Kachin Dao" 9.0
  3. 6. S7E21 "Darb Sri Gun Chai Battle Sword" 8.9
  4. 7. S8E8 "The Massive Maguro Bocho" 8.9
  5. 8. S6E6 "Barbarian Sword" 8.8
  6. 9. S6E18 "The Messer Sword" 8.8
  7. 10. S8E21 "Casino Challenge" 8.8

📉 Bottom Episodes

#202
S8E1 4.9

Veteran's Knife Special

On this special episode, Forged in Fire salutes our nation's veterans. Four bladesmiths with ties to the military are tasked with re-creating four unique blades co-designed by distinguished vets, all using different techniques, during a grueling three hour forging competition. After a round of brutal testing, two smiths return home to make the patriotic American Eagle Head Sabre. The two final weapons will be pushed to their limits, but only one smith will be worthy of the title of champion and the prize of $10,000.

  1. 201. S8E5 "The Giant Sword of William Wallace" 5.9
  2. 200. S8E2 "The Deadly Vajra-Mushti" 6.3
  3. 199. S7E13 "Frankish Throwing Axes" 6.3
  4. 198. S9E5 "Blades Gone Wild: Championship Axes" 6.7
SeriesScores.com

The Quality Arc

Each point is an episode, plotted chronologically. The colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for upward or downward trends to see if quality improved or declined over time.

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 45.26.47.68.810 Rating 27 54 81 108 135 162 189 216 243 270 Episode 10 9 8 7 6 5
SeriesScores.com

Episode Engagement

Vote count shows how many people cared enough to rate. High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.

Rating threshold:
95 Standouts
6 Infamous
86 Hidden Gems
15 Forgettable
Standouts Infamous Hidden Gems Forgettable Global: 7.5 4.95.96.87.88.79.7 Rating 5 10 20 41 84 Votes (log scale)
Top Standout: S1E1 Japanese Katana
Most Infamous: S2E4 Spiked Shield
Best Hidden Gem: S7E27 The Ikakalaka

Episodes plotted by rating vs. vote count. The vertical line marks the rating threshold (7.5). More votes = more engagement. Toggle above to compare against global or show-specific median.

SeriesScores.com

Series Trajectory

A simplified view: one point per season. This smooths out episode-to-episode noise to show the overall arc of the series.

77.47.88.28.69 Rating S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 Season 10 9 8 7 6 5
SeriesScores.com

Season Momentum

Did each season build momentum or fizzle out? Green arrows mean the finale rated higher than the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows = bigger swings.

5678910 Rating S1 8.0 7.6 -0.4 S2 7.5 7.8 +0.3 S3 7.9 7.8 -0.1 S4 8.1 8.7 +0.6 S5 8.2 8.3 +0.1 S6 8.1 8.0 -0.1 S7 7.3 8.6 +1.3 S8 6.3 7.8 +1.5 S9 8.3 7.5 -0.8 S10 8.3 8.4 +0.0
SeriesScores.com

Season Consistency

Some seasons are reliable bangers. Others are hit-or-miss. Each dot is an episode. Tightly clustered dots mean consistent quality. Scattered dots mean a mixed bag.

4568910 Rating S1 Steady avg 7.8 S2 Steady avg 7.6 S3 Steady avg 7.9 S4 Typical avg 7.9 S5 Typical avg 8.0 S6 Uneven avg 8.2 S7 Uneven avg 7.9 S8 Erratic avg 7.7 S9 Uneven avg 7.8 S10 Uneven avg 8.4 Episode Premiere/Finale

Each dot is an episode. Clustered dots = consistent quality. Scattered dots = variable season. Hover for episode details.

SeriesScores.com