Talk:Mios/@comment-178.205.41.115-20151114081620/@comment-85.23.198.132-20151114150105

Damned near nobody did *actual* dual-wielding IRL, OP. Not worth the trouble. These kinds of "combination weapons" are a different story; and in the case of the kusarigama we're really talking more of a kama joined to a chain-weapon, which were used with two hands to begin with.

Aside from the obvious applications of the weighed chain or the sickle at long and short engagement ranges respectively, the major selling points of flexible chain weapons were the ability to A) "wrap" around whatever the enemy was trying to parry with and thus strike "behind" his guard B) entangle the enemy's weapon, dramatically diminishing his offensive ability and potentially allowing a quick disarm. And obviously if you had this handy little sickle in the other hand you could achieve all manner of up-close unpleasantness while pulling his entangled sword out of the way... Also, the sickle or whatever is going to be really useful if you find yourself without the necessary "elbow room" to properly employ the chain.

I've read it's also possible, if obviously rather tricky, to let go of the sickle and use the chain to swing it thus adding considerable reach to the thing. Naturally this isn't an option with the variation of the theme where the weighed chain is added to the *end* rather than the butt of the weapon.

There's also the selling point that for the sheer reach and versatility offered this setup wraps up into one really compact and easily carried package. Plus it's rather cheap to boot.