An Overly Pragmatic Hands-On "Review" of Anime Swords

We all know that anime isn't exactly known for being down to earth... But it's fun to over-think whether some of those weird designs might be at least somewhat practical in the real world.
And of course it's entirely possible to come up with a sword or saber or other kind of melee weapon that is unlike anything from history but would still work reasonably well. There is one in particular that I liked a lot more than I expected. Let's take a look!
What I'm showing here (note, these are NOT "battle-ready"):
Inosuke’s serrated Nichirin katana from Demon Slayer
www.medievaldepot.com/product...
Tengen’s dual Nichirin cleavers from Demon Slayer
www.medievaldepot.com/collect...
www.medievaldepot.com/product...
www.medievaldepot.com/product...
www.medievaldepot.com/product...
www.medievaldepot.com/collect...
www.medievaldepot.com/collect...
www.medievaldepot.com/collect...
www.medievaldepot.com/collect...
The previous videos:
Conan's Atlantean and the Kurgan sword
• An Overly Pragmatic Ha...
Keyblade, Frostmourne, Halo Energy Blade, DMC Rebellion, Skyward Sword
• Over-Thinking Fantasy:...
** Music credits **
“The Black Temple” by Hitctrl
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Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (CC BY 3.0)
Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
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Used with artist's permission
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[@Skallagrim]

If you liked this and haven't seen the other recent videos: Conan's Atlantean & the Kurgan Sword: How Realistic are They? kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5jTm5aeaLdmp9k Over-Thinking Fantasy: Keyblade, Frostmourne, Dante's Rebellion, Etc kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJqVcouoqKudmKc A Fun Chat with the Owner of a Sword Shop kzbin.info/www/bejne/poHHkp5prcmDqc0 There is an over 2-1/2 hour long supercut of this entire trip, available for members and patrons in the $5 tier and above. If you'd like to support the channel and get bonus content like that, you can join here: www.patreon.com/skallagrim kzbin.info/door/3WIohkLkH4GFoMrrWVZZFAjoin Wouldn't hurt to hit the notification bell and keep an eye out for more by the way. ;)

[@MauricioOsuna-et8et]

Hey Skall 😂 Has anyone approached you for CONSULTATION SERVICES? Gotta help them mango and animu creators make weapons that are both cool AND practical, even tell them of actual historical examples of weaponry!

[@HavokmkrStudio]

what was that last sword? Kind of looks like Shinji's sword from Bleach

[@ivanshulika5359]

Hi! The first link (Conan's Atlantean and the Kurgan sword - kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYWxfq1no9-GqaM) is the same one for this video, pretty sure here there is no Conan's and Kurgan sword to be seen :D Wrong link?

[@SenorBagel2552]

In the Manga, Shanks sword has a hilt long enough to fit two hands in behind the hand guard, but he can only use the one since he only has one hand. Do you think making the hilt longer could make it less uncomfortable?

[@richardriley5074]

Logic dictates if something is heavy for you then lift it until it's not heavy for you anymore

[@MarMar-zj8tf]

"Skallagrim came back to the sword store?" "Skallagrim never left"

[@ZethisVA]

Pretty sure he pitched a tent in there and just lives in the store now.

[@ActualHumanPerson]

I'd let him live in the store

[@AngelsLance]

I don't think his mind is in mint condition anymore.

[@TheDeathMare]

@@ZethisVA after seeing so many swords in one place most people would... "pitch a tent"

[@MarMar-zj8tf]

@@AngelsLance exactly

[@andrewli6606]

Inosuke's sword might make sense as swordbreakers, except he doesn't fight people that use swords.

[@dmwanderer9454]

He uses them to saw through demons. Sawing them makes a nasty, uneven cut which takes longer to regenerate than a clean slice.

[@GloriousSwordHorse]

Inosuke's swords aren't really serrated, but just drawn that way. They're actually chipped all along the cutting edge so it rips and tears instead of clean slices.

[@dunmeroverlord]

So theyre serrated​@@GloriousSwordHorse

[@dmwanderer9454]

@@dunmeroverlord kind of? He literally takes a rock and bashes the edges, so it's more chipped than serrated

[@irrelevantfish1978]

​@dunmeroverlord Nah, dude. As impractical as they are for swords, at least serrations still form a sharp edge. Chips don't. And with an edge that messed up, a katana wouldn't be able to rip or tear, either. Chips are stress concentrators with a bunch of microfractures, so it would break if you gave it a harsh look, let alone smashed it into stuff.

[@stevedenis8292]

It was like a million Mall ninjas cried out in pain and were suddenly silenced.

[@dinninfreeman2014]

mall ninjas don't cry, they wear red headbands and shout before they sneak attack

[@wumbojet]

The fun part about bleach swords is that they're not physical, they are spiritual beings with their own mind and soul who are part of their user's own soul, so zabimaru specifically extends like a snake and contracts like one also, shredding the target. The funniest part is that that is one of the most straightforward ones.

[@LordDragox412]

He's compensating.

[@ChaplainPhantasm]

​@@LordDragox412For his horrid hair in the first arcs.

[@corruptangel6793]

One of the most brutal moments with Renji is when he gets that in Ichigo's shoulder and just...slowly...saws into the shoulder as he pulls back; each pick getting caught one after the other and having to be torn free again and again The one time in the entire seires I winced

[@TheMelnTeam]

It would be nice if the shows used their own designs more. When he's swinging it like a whip, it's reasonable. If he's in a bind with it, he should really be trying to used to spikes to screw with the enemy's control. Making an unusual aesthetic is normally the goal with such designs, but if anything about fantasy designs has a functional purpose, it's more fun if the characters actually use that purpose.

[@kato093]

Btw, I saw a video of someone using a serrated blade with really sharp serrations and... They actually cut very well still. So you can use serrations to cut no problems. Cut and also stab at the same time. Only problem is only that they might chip and break easier.

[@dreadthemadsmith]

Wait until he finds out those where sword-nunchucks.

[@nevisysbryd7450]

I like swords.

[@DieGurke_]

Stick!!!!!

[@derschattenpoet]

yeah, but the chain was a bit too long anyway

[@MauricioOsuna-et8et]

A WHAT

[@DieGurke_]

@@MauricioOsuna-et8et Stick. Use Stick

[@anoninunen]

The guard on Shanks's sword Griffon is long enough for two hands, but not long enough that the lower hand would not run into the protruding guard - luckily, Shanks does not have this problem

[@parzavaal5335]

Lmaoo

[@rac_coun]

I was waiting for him to hold it with 2 hands, only to "um, actually" him

[@marhawkman303]

@@rac_coun In fairness... Shanks used to use it with two hands.

[@davidmartin5483]

Even better the guard is position on the oposite side of the blade so that if Shank holds the guard as intended he would actually hold the edge of the blade towards himself😂😂😂😂😂

[@parzavaal5335]

@@davidmartin5483 nah if u look at Oda's art it's on the blade side.

[@Boxland_]

In Kill La Kill I was disappointed that we didn't get to watch anyone fight with a full scissors blade. I would love to see the anime acrobatics you could do, swinging oversized scissors around.

[@MajorSmurf]

Doesn't Akame ga Kill do that? With the Assassin lady? I forget her name as well she doesn't get too much screen time in the show.

[@Katvanished]

didn't ryuko finally do it?(I mean seems like a terrible idea to me)

[@seb24789]

There's a character in Gachiakuta who uses one. With her legs. Doesn't have an anime yet sadly.

[@Frag-ile]

There are scissor weapons in the soulslike platformer Salt and Sanctuary, if you want to try them out yourself.

[@jurtheorc8117]

The game The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile has a big pair of scissors by name of The Guillotine as one of the weapons for Dish. He wields it as a pair of dual blades but combines them together for scissor cutting attacks as well. The player characters in that game are also *incredibly* mobile, like a 2D Ninja Gaiden and then some. Some other weapons in that game include dual meat cleavers, a shotgun, chainsaw arm, a giant syringe and a panini maker + water gun. And more. I believe Salt & Sanctuary, another game by the same dev studio, also has some scissor weapons.

[@dlatrexswords]

Hey Skall! Great review, love some fantasy. I actually happen to recognize what’s going on with that weird smallsword: that’s a reproduction from a piece of Japanese artwork showing “nanban” southern barbarian/europeans from the 16th century visiting Japan for the first time. In the depiction of these Europeans, walking around the streets of Japan, they show them wearing Rapier and pairing dagger at their side, and attempts for Japanese to draw the European style complex hilt, end up, looking like that with this weird basket beneath the blade. I have never seen anyone reproduce it, and i didn’t know it was featured in any anime series! I’ll post a picture of it on my community page and tag you.

[@Skallagrim]

Huh, that's interesting!

[@akumaking1]

@@Skallagrimcan you review the living armor of Dungeon Meshi?

[@JustGrowingUp84]

This is so interesting! Also, thank you for the picture. I love seeing how one culture portrays another, very different one.

[@qwormuli77]

Best use for the community tab I've seen so far.

[@E1337N3SS]

Good catch! I actually really like that design now.

[@spamhonx56]

Huh, i'm early. Words of encouragement then: I like this recent batch of content, it's fun to see you get hands on with swords you'd usually be reviewing based on image alone, keep it up!

[@l0rf]

Agreed, you can tell he is so interested and invested in this topic. So great to see him happily engaged with the material.

[@Perzyn]

I remember finding Skal's fantasy sword videos all these years ago, back when channel was relatively new. And boy did the tone mellow out over the years.

[@lokuzt]

I think he's trying his hardest to not offend the people in that store, who probably invited him to make those reviews

[@samamies88]

agree with lokuzt but also Skal along with most of sword community has grown. Back then the conversations were really black&white. I highly appreciate Skal along with other people going back to their old topics giving new refreshing pov where they correct themselves for either having mistakes in their arguments or at least toning down their initial thought process. Skal especially has recently TRIED the things he was strongly against before (such as dual wielding, giant swords, katana.. yes... remember when most of hema were against katana? some still are but many have given it a more fair chance listing also pros, not just cons...). I don't see that as being "mellow". I see that as more calm and nuanced "it depends" take instead of being-against-everything-just-for-shock-value.

[@StanNotSoSaint]

​​@@samamies88yep. I can see the new approach of "okay let's think about how we actually could make it work" as more mature and healthy.

[@MechaShadowV2]

Yes I like how he approaches things now. Funnily I used to prefer Shad since he'd at least consider rule of cool while talking about practically, but Skall has gotten a lot better about and Shad has gotten.... A bit weird at times on some of the things he says, unwilling to back down when called out

[@StanNotSoSaint]

@@MechaShadowV2 yep, Skal seems as more reasonable individual compared to Shad. To me, at least.

[@dmwanderer9454]

Tengen Uzui is 7+ feet tall, so the chains would be higher off the ground away from his feet and as you guessed, he uses the chain to extend the reach of his attacks

[@agx8447]

Isn’t Tengen around 6’6? I could’ve sworn Gyomei was the only one above 7’.

[@toffee6701]

They butchered his chain. Both the anime and manga showed something closer to the length of 2 handles, maybe slightly longer. Them reaching down to his shins are criminal...

[@dmwanderer9454]

@@agx8447 He's like 2½ heads taller than all his trainees in the Hashira Training arc. If we assume an average 5ft then Tengen is close to 7ft tall. Maybe slightly more or less, but he's very tall.

[@Watermelon_Man]

@@dmwanderer9454 Height differential is never an accurate depiction of height in fictional media, especially anime. For reference, Goku is like a head taller than Vegeta, but their listed heights are 5’9 and 5’5 respectively.

[@clauro6153]

chains and ropes are never consistent in animation , they go from 30 cm to 2 meters in the same scene. Yeah, i use metric, I don't have any idea how long it is in imperial

[@mobas07]

In the source material Zabimaru is a whip sword so you'd be using it from further away.

[@RadarFinsR]

less of a whip sword and more that it has segments that have "muscle and tendon like" parts connecting the segments which is why he has such control over it as well as it's reach from extending. A whip sword is more just a generally flexable sword

[@ChaplainPhantasm]

Now, the true question is...Which is better? Zabimaru? Or the Composite Sword from Shadow Fight?

[@corruptangel6793]

I always wished they'd made a replica (using foam blades like Nerf or whatever), and the segments were held together by strong rubber bands. So if you swung hard enough, it would extend and retract like in the anime.

[@mobas07]

@@ChaplainPhantasm I think Zabimaru is the best because you have the sealed form, the release form and the bankai. So you basically get 3 weapons.

[@galadballcrusher8182]

Then again....if we talk multiform.....hozukimaru....Ikkaku Madarame's "spear"....

[@petras8385]

we love you skalla dude

[@annforster733]

facts

[@Soul_Free]

Skalla bud

[@NikozBG]

10:03 - this is half of a scissors in the anime(Kill-la-kill). That's why it doesn't make sense as a sword. Also in the anime it looks bigger and with a more oval shaped "finger-ring". Idk why they decided to recreate it like that.

[@Temperans]

Wow I had to look it up to confirm and yeah looks like its either a pretty poor attempt at making the purple blades work or its from such an obscure source that everyone tags it as "Kill La Kill" to get sales.

[@KarmasAB123]

I initially thought it was the windmill shuriken from Naruto and was wondering why he didn't open it XD

[@6n-thorus945]

i dont think its kill-la-kill one, their scisors where bigger and more square

[@HaganeNoGijutsushi]

@@6n-thorus945 one has a longer handle, the other a more rounded one, because they're two halves of tailor scissors. But definitely much bigger than this, and also red/purple.

[@ezrafaulk3076]

As a Kill la Kill fan, that scissor blade you "reviewed" at the end is only one of *two* , that one being the *thumb* blade; the one whos grip's supposed to look like the thumb loop on a pair of *scissors* . The *other* scissor blade, the *finger* blade, has a hilt you'd probably like a lot *better* ; they're actually what gave me the idea for the Warscissors. Speaking of which, I noticed you had a giant pair of scissors in the thumbnail, & I saw them hanging next to the thumb blade, but you didn't review them; you owe us. PS: As a Kill la Kill fan, that thumb blade was the wrong color; it's *purple* for as it's in Nuis hands, but when Ryūko manages to take it from her along with taking the finger blade *back* from her, the thumb blade turns *blood red* to match the finger blade.

[@jurtheorc8117]

If you're up for seeing more scissor blades in media, look up The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile and Salt & Sanctuary. The Dishwasher has one called The Guillotine and the two player characters are incredibly mobile. Salt & Sanctuary has a few as well but I don't know enough about the details.

[@ezrafaulk3076]

@@jurtheorc8117 thanks for letting me know.

[@Max-sc4yn]

Thank you! I was just about to write up a small essay just like this haha. Hard to believe the collector only had Nui’s half and not Ryuko’s

[@ezrafaulk3076]

@@Max-sc4yn you can see Ryūkos on the website, but it *was* odd to not see it in the store; also, I'm glad I saved you the trouble of typing that essay up.

[@SupermewX300]

As a Kill la Kill fan you should have also noticed that the blade was on the wrong side.

[@PhilosopicalWolf1998]

With the Shanks Sword, in the anime the images shows the gurad ends closer to the end and the bit that sticks out is shorter. Also, the Cavendish sord has a rappier blade in the anime

[@parzavaal5335]

Yeah I was kinda sad seeing the irl versions looking so different from the source material. Shameful.

[@yasup9442]

Shank's sword is also 3x bigger in the show/manga, but is sometimes inconsistent.

[@devilsmessanger]

9:24 "Those warriors from Hammerfell? They've got curved swords. Curved. Swords."

[@Veritas_Vincit]

This 😂

[@zenhydra]

Anime/fantasy weapon designs are often a real struggle to appreciate once you have immersed yourself into the practical reasons why historic weapons were designed the way they were. You just can't unsee/unlearn the anatomy/physics/kinesiology and find that naïve place that let you think a bat'leth/twinblade was cool in the first place. Damn you science, logic, and reason!!!

[@marcusreading3783]

Personally, I've had a lot of fun learning about realistic weapons for my own setting. I want to make things interesting, while still keeping the weapons...mostly reasonable. Considering I'm planning on giving the main character a sword the same size as he is, that miiiiight not be entirely accurate, but its a magic sword, so its all good.

[@abadenoughdude300]

It's the "knowing how the sausage is made" effect, you nitpick yourself out of immersion by of focusing on the "how" instead of on the "what". I really miss my childhood impressionability sometimes.

[@TytonidaeIndustries]

@@marcusreading3783 funnily enough, real Greatswords WERE about as long as the wielder was tall, but they ALSO were only about as wide as a regular Longsword, ultimately meaning that they would often be used more like a polearm than a sword =D good luck with your setting

[@code066funkinbird3]

I wish i could do the same thing with anime weapons ​@@marcusreading3783

[@greenapple9477]

I don't have those kind of feelings. I *understand* it's not realistic, but I don't care, *since that's the point.* It's supposed to be all fantasy, all for the sake of telling a story.

[@ailius1520]

1:11 - Sad story. I made an indie game without ever watching Demon Slayer. One of the bosses was Sum Ting Wong, Grandmaster of Mall Ninjas. So I deliberately gave him the dumbest mall ninja weapon I could think of, and figured: hey, I'll combine the nun-chuck and the katana to make the nun-katana and that'll be stupid! One year later I watch Demon Slayer and they had a character using it non-ironically.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

It had already been invented. Sword-chuck used by Fighter (it is his name) in now finished webcomic 8-bit Theater. He is so stupid he can do impossible things as they make sense in his mind only. Nunchaku and katana alone are real and formidable weapons though.

[@ailius1520]

@@vksasdgaming9472 Yeah, well at least I looked up the translation. "nun" is "double", "chuck" is "blunt" or given the context "club. Nun-chuck translates to double club. Thus calling it a katana-chuck is wrong. The proper terminology would be nun-katana.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

@@ailius1520 Proper name is "nunchaku" and shaku is Japanese foot, which is roughly analogous to Imperial foot. That means nunchaku is "double feet" meaning it's approximate length. Different variations of nunchaku have different names like sansetsukon (three parts) or yonsetsukon (four parts). Fighter's ludicrous weapon was sword-chuck mostly because he was an idiot capable of breaking reality with his stupidity and equally talented when swords (or anything thought as swords) were involved. No matter - without physics-breaking level of stupidity wielding such weapon would be quite stupid as it doesn't have benefits of neither.

[@hallofguns8174]

What game?

[@ailius1520]

@@hallofguns8174 "Passing Into Fantasy" on Steam. It's a free bullet hell. But according to my metrics most players aren't making it past the tutorial. I posted a "guide" to explain why the tutorial enemies are actually quite easy.

[@maccurtis730]

The Wrest stabber is making my carpal tunnel act up.

[@marhawkman303]

it's a weird side effect of trying to replicate aesthetics... since in the anime it's not that stabby on the guard. It's just a little bump in the anime.

[@StreakedSilver]

Can I just say? Both of you look so good right now. Keep up the struggle for fitness! Improving yourself is improving your mental and physical health!

[@Skallagrim]

Huh? Thanks, but I look (and feel) like garbage. All the struggle over the past years has been futile unfortunately.

[@Godzillawolf1]

Weird thing with the One Piece saber: it's Shanks' sword, Gryphon, and this one is rather odd as in the show, the little protrusion is both a good bit shorter and much further down, almost at the pummel, which would be a good bit more comfortable.

[@Sicarius_Avindar]

Yeah, unfortunately many of the things there were smaller than they should be. Renji's Zabimaru should be twice the size. Tengen's swords were also smaller than they should be, but with a longer chain. Shank's Gryphon should be at least twice the size as well, and the scissor blade too. Also noticed Shunsui Kyoraku's scimitars in the background too, looking much much smaller than they should.

[@DNeonLamp]

Also it seems to go back and forth on whether he has that kind of hand guard or one that curls into itself as it meets the pommel.

[@NamYagami]

Renjis sword is also much bigger and separates into smaller segments sort of like a whip

[@wadewilson1126]

Skal playing the "what's it take to get kicked out of the sword shop" game again. 😂

[@Filipnalepa]

What's swords equivalent of playing Stairway to Heaven in guitar shop?

[@saltyseacaptain2257]

​@Filipnalepa probably flourishing the sword too much if I had to guess. Like what Kara did lol

[@junichiroyamashita]

2:45 it is made it look like a Vajra too, a buddhist sceptre.

[@user-ng4xe5rf8n]

My initial thought was garlic

[@johannessmith1369]

Who's sword is it?

[@junichiroyamashita]

@@johannessmith1369 Cavendish Durandal

[@johannessmith1369]

@@junichiroyamashita Thanks, man

[@jurtheorc8117]

There's an upcoming game by name of Immortal: And the Death that Follows where the main character wields a Vajra as a transformative weapon. (curved sword, dagger, bow and some sort of circling double fire spout). A friend of mine described it as a Hindu Mad Max Beat-em-Up. Main character seems to have design influences from the monster Kabhandha, due to having his face in his torso. Recommend looking into it.

[@TheLordsynfel]

The chain on the tengen blades are to throw the blades back and fort and catch the neck with the open part, also the guy fights with the swords like if they were some sort of nunchucks, and shanks blade is like that because its supposed to be something like something like a "Jailbreak fix"(aka: something shabby that was added by someone else to an already made sword), also the last sword is supposed to be one half of a scissor that the protagonist is using to find the killer of their father (the murderer had the whole scissor)

[@LvK138]

Yeah the chain of self-defeating is one of those (fantastic) anime chain swords where you can align the edge perfectly in midair after release. Aka the coolest.

[@josephjagusah8668]

Add weight to the back of the sword so inertia does your edge alignment for you. Shh, don't think about it.

[@RandomL0s3r]

And if it doesn't, Tengen can also bash both blades together and cause an explosion as big as a pipebomb

[@Hiraishin247]

At least it's not Mitsuri's whip sword. That thing is considered so unwieldly in-universe it can only be used by her, even sheathing the thing looks dangerous and hard as hell.

[@BactuallyInsane]

This was fun. More of this is welcome.

[@CDKohmy]

2:41, It should be noted that the finger rings on smallswords gradually got less functional historically.

[@Skallagrim]

Yes, they eventually degraded into decorative elements. I've always found that strange. Why not keep the rings, they're useful after all.

[@CDKohmy]

Outside of fashion, there was even some debate in classical and sport fencing. The finger rings of the Italian grip are known for strength, but the French grip is more dexterous.

[@Tyrian3k]

@@CDKohmy As a layman, I'd assume that more dextrous means you have a higher chance of landing a strike, which is usually more important than having more strength in a strike.

[@dorukgolcu9191]

​@@Tyrian3kyes and no... The strength of the Italian grip makes the point more "stable", so it can make keeping the point on target easier, plus it adds to your parries and other actions that control your opponent's blade. Interesting to note that modern "orthopedic" or "pistol" grips have largely replaced the Italian grips in modern competitive fencing, as they give similar advantages but even better. Classical fencers still sometimes use them for historical accuracy. Ringless French grips are still used in both (though modern fencers sometimes use curved ones that fit the palm better than fully straight ones) as the nimbleness of the point is a desirable quality. The disadvantage tends to be that they also tend to amplify mistakes, in my experience, and easier to lose your grip on them 🤷

[@SicMetalMaggot4life]

@2:46 Smallsword collector here! To my understanding, though early smallswords of the 18th century did feature finger loops below the shell guard, most examples are usually too small to use practically anyway and are more of a remnant of the sword’s lineage from the Rapier. On those with functionally sized guard loops, you COULD feasibly put your point finger tip through them, but I don’t believe manuals of that time really emphasized it. The hand would assume more of a finger pinching hold on the handle. By the 19th century, the loops basically disappeared from smallswords due to there really not being a practical use for them. For that smallsword-saber thing, I think it’s a touch impractical more for the added weight and losing a bit of space for your hand rather than the loops being rendered non-functional. Plus, the guard sweeps BACK toward the hand, which isn’t great for catching incoming blade tips. That side of the guard, on the battlefield pieces I’ve seen, is almost always the part getting chewed up (same with the Spadroons I’ve handled). So, on that thing, I’d be a bit iffy on relying on that guard.

[@QoheletMentorship]

Just wanted to say Skall, I’ve always liked the humor in your videos. You never take yourself too seriously (except when the topic calls for it) and it adds just the right amount of fun to the content. Hope this comment makes your day. :)

[@Ms666slayer]

Man i would love they show him Shinobu's sword is just a gloryfied rapier shaped like a Katana.

[@baeber]

yeah it's a poke poke katana

[@code066funkinbird3]

While no poison added

[@mysteryman9488]

That's kind of the idea yeah, due ot historical reasons she can't have a regular rapier cause early 20th century Japan was only on the early process of westernizing the only western swords you can find there would be military sabers the police force use.

[@jurtheorc8117]

The reach for the head from behind at 6:48 was really cute. Lovely stuff, Skall and Cara.

[@CollinMcLean]

Weight aside Lostvayne actually makes a degree of sense when you remember it's basically a parrying sword for Meliodas's full counter ability.

[@jonathanvanderploeg1153]

Scrolled to find this. 100%. For those who don't know it by its name, it was that chunky green sword with the 5 holes in the blade.

[@Philistine47]

The deep notches on that first blade look like they'd be cataclysmic for structural strength, with the sharp corners focusing stresses precisely on the parts of the blade with the least material.

[@Skallagrim]

Right, that's something I should have mentioned. The way the serrations are shaped makes for a significant risk of stress fractures.

[@Velesus101]

10:27 Ok, and Zwerchcopter just got outclassed then

[@Ithirahad]

The Devancopter

[@Korj666]

5:53 If we assume that there is blood magic that can strengthen weapons, then such a spike has a logical basis) 😅

[@StanNotSoSaint]

It's funny because One Piece has all the bullshit in the world, but not magic strictly speaking? You can make your body inpentrable with sheer force of will and resolve, there are fruits that give unique abilities to the consumers but they are very specific and work as superhero powers. So, there are no rituals or incantations. The only thing that resembles magic are ninja skills - for example one ninja was able to seal huge amount of water _inside the scroll_ he was carrying on his person and release it later. We never got any explanation on that =\ Oh, and also there is just fantasy tech that can do pretty much anything. But like that's not magic too.

[@Korj666]

@@StanNotSoSaint By the way, yes. The story is very big, it’s even strange that they didn’t try to add something like that to it.

[@StanNotSoSaint]

@@Korj666 my take is that author wanted to have the scope of abilities for every single character somewhat limited. Devil Fruit can result in various techniques but they all are thematically connected, character can also have martial arts and/or weapon techniques, their innate abilities of their species or body specifics, and then they can have some kind of gadgets on them. Come to think of it, it really is close to superhero comics - although One Piece allows you to do lots of stuff by just strengthening your spirit and body - which lets even 'ordinary people' to become really badass without extraordinary stuff.

[@MechaShadowV2]

One piece doesn't have blood magic though

[@Korj666]

@@MechaShadowV2 We know that)

[@DanteYewToob]

Inosuke is just specifically trying to cause as much pain and flesh damage to demons as possible so they heal more slowly. They heal very quickly and clean cuts can be essentially put back together instantly so they can keep fighting. He wants to rip and shred flesh until he can destroy the core and take them out permanently. His swords make sense in context… against healing, fleshy, unarmored, fast and strong opponents.

[@code066funkinbird3]

Yeah

[@MikhaelHausgeist]

This is real fun... It be more fun if Skallagrim seen how it used in main source, but still it is fun.

[@tricksterjoy9740]

He’s reviewing how they would work realistically, not how they would work in their fantasy universes, so he doesn’t really need to see the source material.

[@MikhaelHausgeist]

Context are important. Understand why thing made in such in source material give wider range of misconceptions to talk about.

[@Skallagrim]

Yeah, but frankly I can't take that much anime. Don't get me wrong, some of it is good, even great... but a lot of it is cringe factory too.

[@greenapple9477]

​@@SkallagrimThat's a fair assesment.😂

[@procow2274]

7:47 the name your looking for is Zabimaru

[@yukioyamoto3494]

I am mostly in the shadows but that content is right for me when Skall looks at Anime/Videogame Swords. Ahh the memories with videogame swords scrutinized, especially the keyblade.

[@code066funkinbird3]

Kinda he did that yesterday

[@Mateus_Pereira_Silva]

I would pay to see skall reviewing Demon Slayer's fight scenes. He would either love it, or have an aneurism.

[@MatNightmare]

Speaking of fantasy weapons, I'd love to hear Skall comment on the new "light greatsword" (yes the name is extremely dumb) moveset from the Elden Ring DLC. I've seen people compare it to real longswords, and the moveset looks super flashy and flowy, but I'm curious to hear what someone who actually knows something about HEMA has to say about it.

[@jurtheorc8117]

RobinSwords did a nice short on it! Can recommend him.

[@taistelusammakko5088]

They literally are just greatswords and longsworda

[@shaderax_storm6165]

"Sword of Works" would be a great pun name for a anime/fantasy/comic weapons review channel. I was sad that they didn't have Wabisuke, Kira's sword from Bleach. I love the idea of the weapon, even though it is dumb as a fighting utensil.

[@billberg1264]

Tangentially related to Kira's hook-y sword, I've seen some khopesh designs that featured a hook on the back that looks, to my untrained eye, like it might be reasonably functional. On a less practical note, I'd kind of like to see someone do an exaggerated version of an Elmslie type 2a sword to make the blade more like the head of an Italian bill.

[@Sableagle]

Re: "Tengen's Nichirin cleavers" What's the blade behind the semi-circular cut-out for? Why not extend that cut-out all the way down, leaving only the blade between there and the tip? You'd save more weight that way.

[@StudleyDuderight]

Fantasy weapons are like the cursed guns people have been making lately. That gives me a wonderfully stupid idea. I wanna make a sword with Picatinny rails, then mount a bipod and a dozen flashlights on it. Edit: Oh God, a gunblade M4...

[@tricksterjoy9740]

I remember ages ago seeing some horrid combinations of a Katar and m16 someone sketched. The sad part was they did a really good job, with insane attention to detail.

[@WhatIsThatThingDoing]

Basket hilt that is MLOK compatible

[@codycarter7638]

Epic!

[@DaxterL]

Being a follower for a long time more than 10 years probably already, your channel has the most satisfying personality growth. A lot of channels from around 2010-2013 either grew jaded, broken by the system, or got into insane drama that is simply sad to see. But you, you are only improving, going back to previous ideas and opinions and being able to project the level of respect and true playfulness when it comes to "realism meets fantasy tropes". It might sound silly, but i really appreciate you for that.

[@KakhaPrime]

amazing video, I would like to see some more of these type of videos.

[@whyjay9959]

The first serrated sword kinda reminded me of the O97533 rapier, though that one's notches seem more robust. I guess the rings on the first One Piece sword could structurally support the disc guard when it's struck from above? Some pretty strong people there, at least going by the live action take. The second one might've bent that tip downward close to the grip for a similar look.

[@elu9780]

Shame there was no pen review from Death Note. The pen is mightier than the sword, that's for sure.

[@Drejzer]

You reminded me of the meme Elon posted recently. Good old "How I started the second World War".

[@baeber]

the potato chips too

[@umbranoctis4348]

Okay, who am I dueling today? Yeah, just... let me write that down in my duel log real quick... oh oops! Another heart attack mid fight? What are the chances???

[@dynamicworlds1]

The revolver was mightier than the pen, though.

[@deadinside9565]

Watching my favorite youtubers get old is doing my head in.

[@GreatSageSunWukong]

Well managled up swords with no handles only hand made wraps makes sense for a tarzan boy raised by wild boer in the Forrest after all where would he get a quality sword from?.

[@ddmacc]

But he did get a quality sword, He himself made it serrated on purpose

[@GreatSageSunWukong]

@@ddmacc Oh I don't remember I've not watched it past the dream train bit, I got so bored waiting for the film I read the entire manga and moved on. well he's an idiot probably wanted it jiggered like teeth

[@lairdcummings9092]

That first blade looks like it's just begging to snap at one of the serrations.

[@crazypetec-130fe7]

All those stress risers make me sad. :(

[@walterlopez5054]

to be fair, in the anime, that sword is wielded by a wildman raised in the forest by boars that know nothing about sword maintenance. they're kinda supposed to look shitty.

[@lairdcummings9092]

@@walterlopez5054 yeah, I suppose that's so, but the engineer in me cringes at the sight, none-the-less.

[@Hiraishin247]

​​@@lairdcummings9092 the man got new clean katanas and grabbed a rock to smash the poor swords to make those dents, in front of the swordsmith.

[@BowsandBlades1999]

I had just commented about this really recently on your channel,thank you for taking a look at those skall,you the man!!

[@iantheduellist]

3:17 That is actually quite close to an 18th century hanger/cutlass. They had those "spadroon" guards.

[@ABaumstumpf]

What is the last one from? it kinda reminds me of the kill-la-kill scissors

[@captiansansanvich8863]

I think that's what it is.

[@tommyfishhouse8050]

I'll repeat what I said before. Stuff like this, dissecting pop culture weapons and comparing them to real historical weapons is what originally got me into you as well as Shadiversity and Metatron. And it's nice to see someone return to this style of video.

[@vonfaustien3957]

I basically stopped watching Shad when he dropped his fantasy castle reviwes and historic Castle brakedowns in favor of a bad sword based Mythbusters format

[@GarGhuul]

Given my experience with the lawnmower cord, I would be stepping on that chain all the time.

[@lazymotions6098]

Good vid man! I'm not a fan of anime but the weapons they have here are quite interesting. Would be cool to see more of these!

[@antonakesson]

4:11 "Now you've got the opponents blade trapped and can pretty much finish him off." With what weapon? Because while yes your opponents blade is locked... so is yours. You might have greater leverage but I really doubt you can use your own blade now. Better hope you can disarm him if you want your own blade back.

[@bakawaki]

10:03 is that a scissor blade from kill la kill?

[@SmolTerribleTornado]

Yes it is

[@D00MTR33]

I wish he did Shunsui's Katen Kyokotsu. Those look awesome but I bet they're kinda heavy IRL. Great video. I'm kinda glad I don't have a shop like this close to me, because I'd go there and say, "I'll take them all."

[@LuxisAlukard]

I have never seen any of these swords. But I enjoyed the video, Skall geeking out is the best Skall :)

[@bhrigubhatra5589]

Really into the new review type videos!

[@Skallagrim]

Not new, more revived. :)

[@billdoe8965]

I just started playing elden ring, and the video feels more real because of it. Oh, the kind of monstrosities you see there...

[@lorrosdorborin4790]

But the beauty, too. Deadass don't think I've ever seen the general concept of an Estoc-style "great blade" done better than in Shadow of the Erd Tree XD

[@bobocan17]

Great video skall! Cara swinging that ringed sword around was a highlight for sure. I rewatched a bunch of your old gun videos the other day. I vaguely remember hearing the gun laws got much more draconian in Canada, but I’m American, so I didn’t look into it much. I’d love to see more range videos from you if possible though haha

[@oakbridge4268]

Always been a big fan of your content, but I have to say that these last few videos have been superb.

[@shiperobin]

Great content Skall :) keep up the good work

[@michaelcreech8957]

id argue half of these swords are viable if their handles weren't so obsurd like they're still relatively normal blades but then you've got a silly straw for a handle

[@jarnMod]

Love this kind of content. Feels relatable

[@MrKnifeguy56433]

This was a fun vid and reminds me of when you did review videos back when you worked in a shop like this one all those years ago lol

[@MiguelAngel-qi3ul]

love these videos so much

[@st0rmrider]

This series is fan-tastic!

[@kamikaze5528]

The last one is actually one half of a scissor from Kill la Kill, probably. The characters use them as weapons, though. It transforms wildly to look more like a sword with a better grip. The other half got the longer handle. But of course, it's 100% over to top anime nonsense, and I love it.

[@jurtheorc8117]

The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile also has a big scissor weapon called The Guillotine which can be separated into two big swords. The same devs made Salt & Sanctuary as well, and i believe that has some giant scissor weapons too.

[@ModernFossilOuttakes2004]

I see you’re hanging out in Sauga 👍

[@chadh3441]

One great thing about serrations, it cuts skin/meat like a laser. I've cut myself with serrated knives and there was no forgiveness! Granted, I've had the same happen with standard blades, but the serrations seem to help in cutting through various mediums. That's just my observations from using both in everyday life. Cheers

[@Myomer104]

There's a difference between the tiny serrations of a knife and the giant (often unsharpened) cutouts that some fictional swords are given.

[@grugmangaming5152]

Even then, Serrations can get caught pretty easily on things like cloth. Gambesons and similar armor around the world would be more than enough protection. Anything well padded, really.

[@Cassandra112]

swords aren't used in a sawing motion though. most sense would be a sword for sword v sword, and a second weapon for penetrating armor. spikes work better for that. warhammers, and bec's.. now, if you were a spacemarine, a chainsword would also not be best. it would be better to have a regularsword/forcesword, or hammer, with a circular angle grinder hilt/handgaurd. instead of a full length saw, instead a round saw you could push down into a target with the full power of your arm.

[@grugmangaming5152]

@@Cassandra112 Exactly

[@Myomer104]

@@Cassandra112 "swords aren't used in a sawing motion though." Actually, many sword techniques *do* use a sawing motion, called a "draw cut," to help efficiently deal damage. Additionally, these fantasy kinds of serrations make thrusts and stabs extremely difficult if not impossible, as the blade would get stuck on organs and bones.

[@lonesoul663]

Skall in a weeb armory.

[@akiltherealdeal]

I’m loving these videos at this location. More please!

[@NemXX2]

Dude... i want an overview of all of those weapons. Cool collection.

[@DustEatingMan]

Freaky swords

[@broadcastbard]

Skall is more or less the only sword-tuber I watch anymore. I was unaware so many were so... conservative.

[@ilzee_vk]

Matt Easton is fine though

[@TheFyrePhoenix]

Yeah... same...

[@sowianskizonierz2693]

You watch sword channels based on their political views instead of their ability to teach you stuff?

[@grugmangaming5152]

@@sowianskizonierz2693 Channels like shadiversity have done nothing but side tangent or make videos completely unrelated out of the blue lately. Less of a learning experience. Shad sucks anyways as a teacher.

[@mitcharcher7528]

When their political views leak into their content, then yes. Conservatives do it, too, with those they consider woke. Though if we’re talking about the ability to teach … oddly, Matt Easton is the best from a scholarly perspective, and Skall is the best from a normal enthusiast perspective.

[@austemousprime]

It is really cool to see you review fantasy weapons, as well as criticizing how you might change them to make more sense for usability.

[@popoha4380]

Fun to see Skall having fun. I would like to suggest maybe watching a few clips of the blades in action after taking a stab(?) at what they do IRL. Tengen's Sword-Chucks ironically explode on contact, so what we have here is two boom sticks shaped like swords used like nunchucks and it is THE most anime thing I have seen since RWBY and the Gun-Chucks, and the Shot-Scythe.

[@Stealth_Cat]

Wow, I am early.

[@st0rmrider]

Yeap

[@nezumi16]

Watching you play around with and "figure out" the various weapons was really fun. Cavendish's rapier would have never really stood out to me.

[@CptJakeSpearow]

I'd like to see more of these anime sword videos. Really cool!

[@jonathanalonso7909]

That my friend is a beer bottle opener at the end of that sword

[@Snarlacc]

5:30 There exist D-Guard Jian that have similar style guards where the grip continues after, but without the artery spike.

[@zombine555]

Skall reviewing mini katana stuff is great. And it's good to hear their stuff is well made.

[@maccurtis730]

It takes a brave woman to use the hylocopter of death.

[@Grimmy85]

It would be cool to see you talk about the practicality of all the main Bleach Zanpaktou's(Swords). Seeing you talk about Renji's sword peakes my interest

[@DoesntHurtYet]

Aw man, need several more videos of just this content

[@grantcox4764]

Another awesome video Skall. Thanks mate...

[@deadcard13]

....i don't like that i recognize each and every weapon on that wall....and can even name most of the characters that wield them....

[@bibigreen6533]

Cool video concept mate!

[@yasup9442]

6:24 That Shank's sword is about 3x smaller than it should be. It looks way cooler when properly proportioned.

[@captainexcabier]

Some years back, Man at Arms re-created one of Guts' swords from the Golden Age Arc of Berserk. It would be kind of interesting to see your take on that if you haven't already covered it.

[@Kyzrath]

Now that certainly was a collection of almost-swords! Good to see Cara in the video as well, they're looking like they enjoy the silliness even more than you, Skall.

[@sempi8159]

Best series of yours in years!