The day has come.
I have finally entered mortal combat worthy of my nerd rage.
One of my friends said to me;
Katanas - OH YES KATANAS
Are superior to Longswords.
Now well, no matter how much I tried telling him that both were specialized weapons that excel in what they do and suck at what they don't, he insisted (kept repeating Katanas are better over and over again), well, now time for fun.
He sourced
this as his proof for Katana's superiority.
Where to start eh? Broadswords? Claymores? Falchion swords? Greatswords? Longswords? Bastard swords?
I'm not letting this go. Needless to say, I shall be delivering my copious amounts of nerdly smack down A.S.A.P.
As for the video, I'm not perturbed.
1. Eeyup.
2. 100% HISTORICALLY ACCURATE YEESSS.
3. Definitely no motives to sensationalize things.
4. Definitely total comprehensive knowledge of the weapons and how they were used. Because Americans.
(Seriously, he said this was a plus because they were unbiased - you're doing it wrong!)
5. Shoddy replica VS Shoddy replica
6. ARGH NOT THE CABBAGES
7. Seriously who gave this guy those swords. Even though they said they had a martial arts "expert" walking on the sidelines. It's brutality seeing him wreck them like that. He doesn't know how to use them! He freaking flinches when he tries to stab the cuirass FFS!
Ok seriously. He was using a gladius as a hacking weapon, and praising it for its ability to penetrate leather. OKAAAAAAY.
EVEN THOUGH THE ROMAN CENTURIONS MOCKED EVERYONE WHO EVER USED GLADII AS SLASHING WEAPONS. THEY TOOK OUT YE ORGANS YOU STUPID TWAT. THE KATANA IS CLEARLY MEANT TO HACK LIMBS OFF, AND YOU ARE JUDGING THE LONGSWORD AGAINST THAT?! IT WILL CLEARLY BE OUTMATCHED! ANYONE WHO KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT SWORDS COULD HAVE TOLD YOU THAT WITHOUT NICKING THE DAMN THING! YOU'RE MAKING THE SWORDS AS BLUNT AS YOUR MIND!
8. This guy said the intestines lay behind the pectoral muscles. Wat.
9. Yes, it is more flexible - that is because you don't want your sword to shatter when it enters and exits through the bone and armour of your opponent. This is why samurai didn't do this - their swords would break if they used it as a stabbing weapon.
*Then he uses it as a stabbing weapon*
Tl;dr, if the longsword was meant to be used as the katana, it would've evolved to look like the bloody katana.
Basically I don't think Ermey has any fucking idea what he's talking about.
Best part? I haven't even started my argument yet. Oh yes, this bait is too juicy to pass. If I were a metaphorical fish, I'd be metaphorically climbing the line and savaging the fisherman to death with naught but my glorious fishy fins and the fishing line held in a noose above his neck.