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Message: <blockquote data-quote="El Mahdi" data-source="post: 5347171" data-attributes="member: 59506">Comparing a Katana or Longsword to other weapons (like the aforementioned Maul), is like comparing a Saw to a Hammer. Or comparing a Hacksaw to a Crosscut saw. Which is better? None and All! In combat, just as with anything else - one should always use the right tool for the job (unless the tool isn't available - then the rule is adapt and overcome). Katana's, Longswords, and Mauls (along with every other weapon) were all different tools for different jobs. Each one the absolute best at what they were designed for.  And as some have said here: Longswords and Katanas could not penetrate plate armor. And Katanas are not inherently constructed better than Longswords. (There were just as many poorly constructed Katanas as poorly constructed Longswords, and just as many "Masterwork" Katanas as "Masterwork" Longswords. European pattern welded blades were just as complexly constructed, and equally as strong and effective as any folded, differentially heat hardened Katana!) Also, Asian (and specifically Japanese) Martial Arts, were not inherently superior to European Martial Arts. It's only that much of the European Martial Arts have been lost to time (and are only now being reconstructed), whereas Asian Martial Arts have survived in to more modern times because of specific facets of Asian culture.  Taking any weapon, armor, or Martial Art out of context is simply foolish. They were all designed with specific uses and situations of their time in mind. Quite literally, there was just as much of an "arms race" then, as what we have today. Weapons, armor, and Martial Arts evolved throughout the years and centuries in response to changes in eachother. Comparing such things in an out of context or anachronistic manner, is as silly as comparing an American Civil War musket to an M4 carbine.  Katana's are "Cool" in today's popular culture because they are more recently in our collective consciousness (WWII), they are more foreign to us (and therefore more "exotic") due to our generally predominant Euro-centric knowledge-base and history, and they are more commonly depicted in media (quite likely because of the first two, and also because of Asian movies). Really no mystery at all.   Of course though, where would the fun be in an internet void of baseless conjecture, uninformed declarations, and popular culture fueled hype? So, carry on... <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/blush.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":blush:" title="Blush    :blush:" data-shortname=":blush:" /><img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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