Samurai vs Gunslinger - Mythbusters - S07 EP27 - Science Documentary

In this action-packed episode, MythBusters tackle two legendary myths. First, they dissect the age-old question: is bringing a knife to a gunfight ever a good idea? Through rigorous testing, including a Kendo showdown and a dramatic desert duel, they seek to bust this myth once and for all. Next, they resurrect the ancient fire dragon, a mythical two-stage missile supposedly capable of launching rocket arrows mid-flight. Will this ancient weapon prove its worth on the battlefield, or will it fizzle out under the desert sun? Join us as we blend history, science, and adrenaline in an unforgettable MythBusters adventure.
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Join the MythBusters in their thrilling quest to debunk myths, challenge urban legends, and test movie scenes in this action-packed TV series! With hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman leading the charge, buckle up for a wild ride as they employ rigorous scientific methods, high-octane experiments, and jaw-dropping explosions to uncover the truth. From epic car stunts to mind-blowing special effects, witness the power of scientific inquiry as myths are either confirmed or shattered. Get ready for an adrenaline-fueled adventure filled with excitement, humor, and the ultimate quest for knowledge. Tune in now and unlock the secrets behind the myths!
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[@harlyquin]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2315">38:35</a> Jamie is an absolute machine!, just look at him run

[@DiyEcoProjects]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="792">13:12</a> "... for some reason nobody else thought this was a good idea" LOL

[@92xsaabaru-]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="193">3:13</a> something cool about Jamie not having the only beret in the room

[@christianellegaard7120]

Jaime stumbling on the first "20 foot rule" test is exactly what happened in Justified.

[@azurepai5916]

That is some really good rocket tracking by the camera operator.

[@franciscofunari2343]

In a battlefield where there is 10000 people in close formation this could very well be a effective weapon

[@wingerding]

Maybe if you had a 100 000 of em! I don't see how normal archers wouldn't work better.

[@janrautenstrauch4729]

Problem is: they're bulky, not fast to produce, hard to aim, and one-use-only each. During the 1700 and the 1800, they were experimented on on the battlefield but rarely found use. Artillery-wise canons, mortars, howitzers are more efficient. And for anything else, they were to impractical. Technology just wasn'T there yet... and killing like 100 of 10000 with such a cumbersome weapon, that might go off on your own troops isn't a great feat.

[@gobboman]

I'd assume the effect would have been mostly psychological

[@SyntheticFuture]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="258">4:18</a> underrated transition :D

[@Testacabeza]

"The last couple on Earth" Kari's reaction was priceless :)

[@voornaam3191]

Kari and Grant have done lots and lots and lots of those situations. A very funny one was: you all will go back home in that bus, except for the winner of the next contest. Here is one plane ticket, and it is not the cheap kind of ticket. Good luck!

[@Shakes-Off-Fear]

“Not even then…”

[@MrMarinus18]

The fire dragon does seem like a more needlessly complicated and less effective version of the Hwacha. With the Hwacha it was also a lot safer as the individual rocket arrows don't have too much destructive force and they are only together just before launch. With the fire dragon you need massive rocket motors to get it to fly.

[@voornaam3191]

Ever seen a fire dragon? No! For good reasons.

[@MrMarinus18]

@@voornaam3191 Yeah, it feels more like something for a fireworks display.

[@MrMarinus18]

@@voornaam3191The Hwacha was also fairly accurate. The Mythbusters didn't hit anything cause the aimed it wrong. It's much easier to make something accurate that has 1 stage compared to 2 stages. Even today mutli-stage rockets often fail and is the most common cause of launch failures. A second stage is very tricky cause it needs to be secure enough not to be shook lose during the initial launch and needs to be trusted not to fire before it's supposed to. But then when it needs to release it also needs to do that reliably and it also needs to reliably fire. This is also why the Soyut rocket is still used even though it's over 60 years old. It only has 1 stage with several boosters. Everything ignites at once and the boosters just empty sooner.

[@Zorothegallade-gg7zg]

Like they concluded, it was probably more effective to disorient/demoralize enemies with the spectacle than as a weapon.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

It was probably for psychological effects. Or as diversion. The soldiers look up at the ... thing up in the sky, only to be pelted by conventional fire.

[@manuelwaschier1601]

The sword one was super flawed the myth isnt about reaction time its about countering your oponent. One of the few times im genuinely dissapointed with the testing.

[@SyntheticFuture]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="535">8:55</a> Funny statement about NASA and dragons being a weird combo. The Dragon capsule is used to fly astronauts to the ISS. This is of course years after this episode aired.

[@didgereemedia194]

The fire dragons are f*cking terrifying!!! Hit or not, I'm fleeing!

[@BassFlapper]

Absolutely they were surprisingly scary. Looked like that bomb from Iron Man.

[@Fnoffen]

Knife vs. Gun might still be plausible depending on how fast of a draw the gunman really is. As fast as Adam might practice himself to become I kinda think that he would still stand zero chance against people who actually compete in fast drawing...

[@leoarc1061]

Yes, but... they used semi-auto replicas in the tests. In the old west, they would've used SA revolvers with modified, faster triggers. The test was pointless either way. People like Bob Munden or Jerry Miculek would've shot the person as well as the knife before it got anywhere near them.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@leoarc1061 they also didn't use a kind of holster that was actually used. The low sitting holster they used is practically a movie thing. (but has seen some spread in competition shooting)

[@ylyl]

since this is about if a knife can beat a gun in a dual, whether it is a more skillful gunman or less skillful doesn't really matter, cause that is the human element. We saw 2 newbie dualists (Jamie and Adam)with similar skills, and the result was that the gun won, if the dualists' skills are about the same, the gun will have the advantage(duh) Not to mention guns can rapidly fire more shots after the first shot, they just didn't bring it up in the test, so even if the first shot misses knife dualists will still be dead. What I am trying to say is if a very skillful knife dualist beats a noob gun dualist, it is because of the skill difference and not because he is using a knife, which is not the point. real world is not a video game or movie

[@janzimnoch6045]

​@@leoarc1061 but people usually don't stop immediately after being shot(until it is headshot). Even after being shoot in the chest, they might be still going after you. That is one of the reasons why police dont shoot just once.

[@triumvir_hunt]

throwing knifes leaves you without a weapon and most likely wont kill the enemie.

[@rethjulier4913]

‘we have to touch… unfortunately…’ How did these two act like brothers but NOT get along outside of work, they had a terrific working relationship but sadly no bromance behind the scenes 😢

[@d4slaimless]

Well, it is not like they hated each other. But they really liked doing things. And when you just did something awesome and feel exhilarated you actually look for someone to share your joy with. Outside from work they had nothing to share.

[@skilletborne]

Plenty of people I enjoy sharing time with but wouldn't bring into my hobbies I can't imagine them spending time together, considering Adam is a seasick cosplayer and Jamie likes sailing and wearing the same outfit daily.

[@TorianTammas]

Jamie likes order, structure and a plan . Adam is chaotic, spontaneous and makes a mess. This makes a very combustible combination.

[@jjay2771]

I always thought personally if you combined just a few dragons with standard rocket arrows it would help break the morale of the rear of a formation better. Obviously just an idea but I honestly feel like a good number of people would pair up the less flashy but effective weapon with the dragon for a wow factor as much as actual damage.

[@OsRaunio]

Of course you could not win sword or any other fight just by imitating the attack. You would have the defensive pose and distance, where the opponent can't reach you by one simple move. Moving in opens the attacker to counter attack, so he might use faints or some other means to set up the actual attack.

[@mainaerial]

Thank you. Also, opening yourself up with a wide swing while your opponent is in weapons reach is a bad idea as seen on the first attack. You would never do that. In short: that was not a sword fight. At all. Edit: As Adam said: this was not about skill, they reduced it down to reaction time. -> first move = win. Unless you are really really fast.

[@ide1020]

yup, if the reactor could have just made a thrust instead of the same overhead swing he could have hit first and depending on the force of the thrust and reaction time could actually dodge or stop the initial attack.

[@Unknown0YT0]

Adam: "By the way, I would take careful note of Jamie's shenanigans just before he runs because I can tell psychologically he's actually trying to make me laugh & then exploit the lull in my attention just post-laughing. Oh, no no no. It's on. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jamie: *"AaAaAaHh!!"*

[@RekkGaming]

These are great but the early seasons are the best

[@krokodil191]

That Jamie fall made me cry 😂

[@TheMono25]

Could also boil down to the point when Jamie throws a knife.Maybe he should aim to the sides Trying to anticipate his opponents move 50/50 chance which direction would he move

[@davidbakker-wester113]

21 feet is the minimum safe distance. This has been a known for years. Ask any policeman.

[@JerehmiaBoaz]

Rules of thumb like these basically tell policemen they can't let anyone approach closer than 20 foot unless they already have their guns drawn and aimed at the approaching party, and are an important reason why no one in their sane mind likes approaching the police.

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

And 2 mags is using the minimum force.

[@TheLastPhoen1x]

They should've tried what guy in Yojimbo did, moving left and right to throw off the aim before throwing a knife.

[@richardelder6519]

😂😂🤣🤣When Jamie Falls! Talk about 'Bruised Pride'!😏😏😏

[@gangrenekills1281]

for the case of the "reflex" being faster: in martial arts, at a higher level of combat, your moves get much easier to read and it is mostly a mind game of feints and tricks and the one who commits to a feint first always loses. it's more of trying to get your opponent to do something that you will counter. instead of kendo this might be more interesting to see in kenjutsu.

[@TheRondog19871]

I thibk they missed a trick woth the arrow dragon eocket, the reason the shaft is depicted as the same thickness as the head, is there is an open flow through of air that helps keep it stable, the arrows dont need to be packed in next to eachother so tight.

[@alanrose4827]

Did they check difference betweem SAP and Revolver? No slide only a hammer on a revolver.

[@andisusanto-if7bf]

The one who move first lose, remove too many variable, -evasion, deflection, thrust, The first test was probably the most accurate,

[@danielmadar9938]

😂❤😂❤ Just a few remarks about gun vs knife- you can evade the knife until your gun is ready, and even wound is potentially lethal while not every knife wound is.

[@motelghost477]

From 16 feet, the gunman's first action has to be dodging and only shooting once he's clear. If he stands still he's dead.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Yeah, the test was very clinical. If the knifer comes around a corner, there is more of a surprise. If they used a proper holster, draw time would be longer. If they used a single action revolver, draw time would be longer.

[@SmugMrSmitty]

It's the "tueller" 21ft rule, is what it's called. Someone with a knife can cover 21ft, before a trained individual (with a gun) can unholster and shoot...

[@swedichboy1000]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="2752">45:52</a> Uru: Ages beyond Myst.

[@markgil8093]

in the knife vs gun imagine running at 24 ft but istead if puting the knife on the enemy point balck throw it while running thus having it extra momentum nad much faster atk rate

[@rayross997]

Many years ago there was a case where a policeman shot a knife wielding attacker but the attacker was able to stab the officer. They both died.

[@mikevoogd1619]

the fire dragon doesnt look at all like it was ment to fly straight and it made me laugh how the 4 rockets are just there for show in the animation

[@thegreenengineer7994]

many wepons are not meant to take out the enemy, they are more to spred fear. and this is asolute acomplished. and then think about the sizes of the armies and convoys hittig behind the first line is a good thing. and also the debrie if setting on fire is a dangerous thing

[@swedichboy1000]

Didnt they sort of already test that in the Ninja Special?

[@inexspectatussomnium5560]

I think bow takes a while to charge, and gun may take different amount of time to draw.

[@DrEckig]

Whoever did the script for that episode didn't knew that the mythbusters usually "hunker in the bunker" 😅

[@LuniZZs]

the dragonbomb was good enough, they weren't built to fly good but to flu straight to the targets to makes as much dmg as possible

[@skilletborne]

"We took all the skill out of kendo and boiled it down to just reaction time" One of those rare cases I can't defend em at all. The clear intention of the saying is that by attacking first, you lock yourself into a motion and give your opponent something to counter. It's entirely about skill and physics, nothing to do with reaction time.

[@PlatoonGoon]

even what adam said made no sense, if bruce lee was the opponent he'd have hit you before your hit could land, and that kind of reaction time is a skill. Reaction time can be improved, just like every other skill lol it's as much of a skill as technique honestly

[@kerozseventiel4383]

exactly! the entire concept of feint was ignored. they made the test into a quickdraw dual

[@lordtelion]

Yep they are so used to working with guns, they missed the point. If you put all your energy into one attack, you might hit your target, but they will hit you too. The point is to come out alive, and that is about parrying, its about skill. Very sad, idk if they ever restested this one.

[@Orphioux]

​@@PlatoonGoonReaction time cannot be improved very much at all actually, what can improve and the differentiating factor between say... A professional boxer and the average Joe is the ability to read the opponents body movements and anticipate what type of attack may be incoming and move before its too late (which is what relying on reflex would cause) This ironically is a large part of why Bruce Lee was such a based God because he could move incredibly fast and gave almost no tell at all what strike he was about to make, for most of us it would be like trying to dodge bullets. Also since I'm already ranting I may aswell add that Adam should actually have realized this while doing the Knife VS Gun experiment, he wasn't dodging the knife as it came toward him, he was dodging away from where he was guessing Jamie would throw, which is why he still got hit sometimes and also undermines the whole experiment because Knife probably would have won or drawn most times if Gun wasn't fully aware it was about to be thrown at them.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@Orphioux plus they used a western movie holster, which is not what people used, and what isn't used today outside of movies and certain kinds of competition. With a proper hip or cross-draw holster things might've looked even better for the knife.

[@haydenhack]

What about running AND throwing the knife?

[@Kyle1994NI]

The Knife Expert looks Like Auto from Sons of Anarchy

[@TassieDinkum90]

Will Season 6 be uploaded?

[@derGameplayDJ]

You can find season 6 on that channel: youtube.com/@Mythbusterstvshow?si=rcYPvesIM6iZeR3I

[@jonnyfatboy7563]

Sorry Mythbusters but the last one would be horrifyingly affective in a battle of thousands of pesky marauders. ✌Terrifying indeed

[@Deer-Hirsch]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1000">16:40</a> a knife is faster then the ballon. and he could use an airsoft Revolver. As in most case the Revolver in wild west was mostly filled with 5 bullets and the hammer resting on the empty space. so a good knifer thrower can be faster then a gun depens also on dinstance.

[@yamatohime2035]

With proper skills one can throw throwing knife with speed of... 10-15 meters per second. which should be around 32-48 feets per second. So knife will travel in like 0.5-0.33 seconds at 16 feet distance... Surely it is enough to dodge if you see it is coming. However, if you are taken by surprise (don't start dodging from the start) you will probably get hit because average human reaction time is 0.25-0.27 seconds.

[@mcalla113]

We train the 21ft rule for a reason

[@leolamorie-fitzgerald9216]

What if your gun had one in the chamber...that distance would be a lot shorter

[@skyeranger]

The Sword Duel one is unfortunately super flawed. Kendo isn't the swordfighting Samurai would do and in the way they did it does not represent a sword duel at all.

[@huevacho97]

thats why police uses glocks (no safety more than the trigger's) with a round in the chamber

[@generalinfo3598]

Who keeps their gun's safety on for a quick draw gunfight?

[@dunhillsupramk3]

not Alec Baldwin...

[@wingerding]

They weren't trying to test a quick draw situation at that point.

[@PlatoonGoon]

@@dunhillsupramk3 weak bait, gotta practice.

[@DeadAndAliveCat]

@@PlatoonGoon "Bait" lmao time to get off the internet buddy, the rest of us call it a "joke".

[@GaijinGamerGirl]

Jamie using friction to burn calories

[@hellboundrubber4448]

Guns are useless in close quarters. That's why hand to hand combat involves knives and bayonetes.

[@dragaodeinkomodo8340]

maybe cocking an old revolver was faster than disengaging the safety and racking the slide of a modern pistol

[@Polecat-pc5oc]

Was thinking the same, only one hand needed then.

[@leoarc1061]

But if they had brought a SA revolver, the myth would've been done and dusted in 2 minutes of screen time. By bringing a completely unrealistic semi-auto replica, they managed to fill in half of the episode!

[@PlatoonGoon]

Glocks have the safety on the trigger, the difference would be pretty negligeble

[@renandavidsoriaahumada6093]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="296">4:56</a> at least he is no Alec BaldWigs

[@Rincypoopoo]

Adam wastes so much time racking his pistol. A revolver would have been ready to go in a duel.

[@JoaoSoares-rs6ec]

the tail is wrong, it should be like a fish tail. the rockets for the historical, the angle of the four rockets was wrong, the angle would be more close to the body. trhe fire dragon was a naval weapon, not an infantry our ground weapon.

[@user-nz4iy7lo3y]

NAH, side step then fire

[@voornaam3191]

Why is the second stage in the Fire Dragons not a whole lot later? Now these stupid firework toys come out, go, yes, where do they go? It is rubbish. If you fuse ignite ten seperate chunks of C4 on the ground, these Dragons are dangerous. Now the Mythbusters cut off the BEEEEEPS. Sorry to be rude.

[@Uncle_T]

I love Mythbusters, but reducing swordsmanship to a simple case of reaction time with a mirrored attack is severely misunderstanding both swordsmanship and the quote and the result is completely meaningless in proper context.

[@mainaerial]

Thank you. In short: this was no swordfight. I read about that in a book. Can't remember if it was Miyamoto Musashi or Yagyu Munenori. It was about even provoking your opponent to make him do the frist move. And I would say that both of them knew what they where doing. Edit: As Adam said: this was not about skill, they reduced it down to reaction time. -> first move = win. Unless you are really really fast.

[@kim98677]

Honestly I'd be surprised if most duels were anything but reaction, ferocity and luck. If you look at people who do HEMA it takes significant skill and effort for there to be a trading of blows even in a closed setting.

[@chanahasnomana]

Exactly. I feel like for an average pacifist human, it boils down to fight for survival. But the myth being a reactionary action from a swordsman can be faster is possible depending on the skill level of the person handling the sword. The whole point of the myth is that there are a select few who can make this happen, not everyone can do it.

[@johankaewberg8162]

Parry and counter, that I can believe.

[@twinpinesranch]

Why are gun sales so much higher? They just work better.

[@MrKfadrat]

bullets dont drop people instantly like off switch, imho the shooter would be gutted when knife welding person would have a chance to survive. at those ranges ofc. thats why all those movies when someone comes close with a gun are damn stupid..

[@DarkInos]

Complete waste of time on that rocket.. did not follow ANY procedure O.o from a bit more aerodinamic head to.. just creating a normal rocket with arrows in it.. All drawings showed the "4 legs" to get it into air.. that should be followed as a minimum.

[@salvadorsempere1701]

"It´s practical? No" they say based in accuracy considerations. BS. First of all, they shoot at an very loose skirmish line, not at a zone ocuppied by 20.000 army, packed shoulder to shoulder. And second, they overestimate what are precision in terms of a weapon of war. The WW-2 soviet rocket launcher Katyusha have an spread of 750m radius and nobody call it impractical.

[@zaizoesclashing7103]

Even jamie knows never point a real gun at a cameraman. Too bad alex baldwin didn't know this

[@blessedbow720]

if only the armourer (and the people who where supposed to double check including baldwin) did their job

[@zaizoesclashing7103]

@@blessedbow720 agreed

[@leoarc1061]

The fact that they are not using single action revolvers completely invalidates the tests. With a SA revolver there is no slide to be pulled, thereby making it a lot faster. Competition draw records of SA revolvers are mindboggling. A trained competitor will put a round on target in less than 0.25 seconds, including reaction times. So, in practice, we are talking about a really big advantage towards the gun.

[@niknik7470]

Carie fucked up that tail on the dragon so badly damn