Talk:Skana/@comment-216.134.164.232-20130913214102/@comment-166.70.79.222-20140410175237

all of you people are incorrect. katanas hold no great advantage over european swords. you know the metal that katanas are forged from? Tamahagane, i believe is what it's called. do you know what the european name for that is? Pig iron. see, that stuff is so full of carbon, that it'd be too brittle to make a sword with normally, and that's why the katana's blade is folded, to get the carbon out. also, it isnt folded thousands and thousands of times, it's folded about five, maybe eight times at most. also, testing a blade by cutting through people never happened. "five body blades" dont exist. do you know why? because cutting through people to test your swords edge is dumb. it would wreck your sword, and also it would kill the slave which could be much more useful elsewhere. also, a katana is not built for stabbing, or piercing through armor. trying to stab anything harder than whipped cream with a katana is likely to damage your blade, and metal armor would probably shatter it. katanas arent durable, either. you have to take care of them every day, polishing and cleaning the blade. it takes a long time, too. also, any time you go into battle, your sword has a chance of breaking or taking damage. you'd be much better off with a cheap blade, because then you could afford to replace it if it breaks, and also it will likely last longer than an ornamental one. the only advantages of a katana are that they are better for slicing, and usually lighter than european swords. a basic longsword is better at stabbing, is more durable, and much less expensive to make, in terms of both time and money.