Favourite type of sword?

[Takeru]

I'm fond of my uchigataka, or "striking sword", that I have above my desk.
Info: Here
I may post images of it if I get around to it.

[Kang Seung Jae]

Originally Posted by -MotokoAoyama-

Lol..sorry, didn't catch that, haha. I shall go search up what that movie is about, haha

I'll save you the trouble:



A clip of the scene in the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umv2yzk4mCM

[Minorou]

I'm not much of a sword connoisseur, but I've been fond of a fictional sword called the Soul Calibur from the games of the same name. Truly a work of art to behold... at least in my eyes.

Spoiler for Picture:

[Vexx]

Sooooooo what frequency does it sing at when you strike something with it?

Hmmm, it is beautiful but that wingswept hilt has me wincing for my hands.

[Deus ex Digital Boy]

I'm really more of a halberd person myself, though in the case of swords, I guess I go more for a broadsword or longsword. Honestly, I couldn't tell you the difference in appearance, but in any case, they get the chopping done. I dunno, get one of those big-ass thing like from Berserk for best effect. Can't beat ramming through three dudes at once.

[SeedFreedom]

Mines gotta be the bastard sword. Faster then a two handed but packs tons of punch. I'm all about the power.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Being a commissioned military officer and what not, I do own a sword -- it's what I was given when they commissioned me. But it's only a replica weapon, definitely not something you would use in battle. More descriptively, it's what Mithos_Y would call a smallsword.

And being fantasy RPG geek, I did have my fair share of sword fetish while growing up, but that said, I'm far from being a sword connoisseur. My "favourite" type of sword would be the classic longswords carried by the early Crusaders. They have a certain elegance of form, and practicality in function that I enjoy.

I do like rapiers and smallswords, but while they're certainly pretty to look at, I dislike the fact that for all intents and purposes, these weapons were essentially civilian weapons that you wouldn't use in field battle. Contemporary soldiers relied on "solid" weapons such as the cavalry sabre instead.

It's interesting that Kyuusai mentioned the Chinese jian. The Chinese regarded the jian as a gentleman's weapon. Apparently, it's a very hard weapon to master, and like Kyuusai said, you're more likely to find common soldiers using the practical dao instead. All-in-all, I'm not a big fan of Chinese swords -- they never did develop the same mystique that Japanese swords have.

Needless to say, I do admire the Japanese katana, but at the same time, I'm fully aware that much of its "legendary" attributes are just that -- legendary. That said, it's definitely an "ultimate" weapon of sorts, in both form and function.

In the end, it often amazes me that different cultures and civilisations have all developed their own versions of what it is arguably the most ubiquitous weapon in pre-industrial history. What's more, the sword almost invariably becomes a weapon of "prestige", with only a few rare exceptions (the ancient Greeks weren't too fond it).

But it does irritate me the way swords are designed in games, anime, manga and movies. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes that would have been horribly impractical in real-life, eg, that sword in Soul Calibur. Why can't fiction portray swords more realistically? Just because they look "plain" doesn't necessarily mean that they won't be exciting you know.

[RavenHawk]

I'm more of polearms, particularly the scythe. But if it's swords, then I'd go for the longsword, broadsword and rapier.

[[DOT].L]

Mmm, I'd go for a lightsaber if possible.

[Aoie_Emesai]

Bah! Swords are over rated. Axes are actually the best weapons because they are the easiest to create. Japanese swords are quite designed quite well, but they were mainly used for slicing and sometimes stabbing. Personally I like slicing swords, so I would choose some thing b/t a Katana and a Chinese Dao Knife. Personally I prefer lances, more like the Hasta spears/lance, which the Roman Legionnaires used.

[WanderingKnight]

But it does irritate me the way swords are designed in games, anime, manga and movies. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes that would have been horribly impractical in real-life, eg, that sword in Soul Calibur. Why can't fiction portray swords more realistically? Just because they look "plain" doesn't necessarily mean that they won't be exciting you know.

Well, it's part of the aestheticism of the Japanese art forms. Anime in itself is a quite unrealistic portrayal of reality

[Solace]

I'm not so sure you can call a sword like the Katana "overrated". Over hyped, maybe. But it's an extremely well designed weapon that can also take incredible punishment.

40 caliber machine gun vs a Katana:

Sure, we all know the machine gun obliterates it. But watch the slow motion to see how well it holds up. It even slices some of the bullets in half. That's just incredible craftsmanship.

My favorite sword to look at would probably be the Katana. I don't like using swords though. I prefer staff type weapons.

[Spectacular_Insanity]

I'd have to say the flamberge is my favorite type of blade, but I really like zweihanders, claymores, and other 2-handed sword types. However, if I were actually USE a sword, I would pick a rapier, falchion, or katana, since they are easier to handle for me (since they don't weigh nearly as much).

Spoiler for A couple pictures:

Flamberge


Falchion

I'm assuming you know what the others look like.

[Kang Seung Jae]

The only thing I don't like about regular katanas is their long handle, since I tend to use one hand while using a sword.

Also, about the strength of katanas: that's what you get when you put everything you have into the sword you're making. That's why sword-making is an art.

[Spectacular_Insanity]

Originally Posted by Kang Seung Jae

The only thing I don't like about regular katanas is their long handle, since I tend to use one hand while using a sword.

Also, about the strength of katanas: that's what you get when you put everything you have into the sword you're making. That's why sword-making is an art.

If you think a katana has a long handle, you should see a tachi. Those things are practically spears they're so long...

[Kang Seung Jae]

Originally Posted by Spectacular_Insanity

If you think a katana has a long handle, you should see a tachi. Those things are practically spears they're so long...

Tachi are just bigger version of the katana, used on horseback. It's hard to use a "small" weapon effectively while you're on a horse, so that's why it's big.

[Aoie_Emesai]

Originally Posted by WanderingKnight

Well, it's part of the aestheticism of the Japanese art forms. Anime in itself is a quite unrealistic portrayal of reality

yeah ^_^, the title might as well be renamed as favorite type of weapons. ^+^ LIGHTSABERS!!

[Thrasher187]

Just look at my sig and you can tell I love Katanas! (^_^)

Originally Posted by Aoie_Emesai

yeah ^_^, the title might as well be renamed as favorite type of weapons. ^+^ LIGHTSABERS!!

Agreed! Lightsabers can cut through anything!

[Spectacular_Insanity]

Originally Posted by Aoie_Emesai

yeah ^_^, the title might as well be renamed as favorite type of weapons. ^+^ LIGHTSABERS!!

Lol. Lightsabers DO rock. Not to mention, they last for a lifetime. I mean, charging it once and never having to do so again? I wish my cell phone did that.

[Kang Seung Jae]

Originally Posted by Spectacular_Insanity

Lol. Lightsabers DO rock. Not to mention, they last for a lifetime. I mean, charging it once and never having to do so again? I wish my cell phone did that.

I think you do have to recharge the batteries.