Let's call it a deal!

Don't know if Grandpa would approve but hey like they always say. Never bring a sword to a gunfight...unless your like a few badasses I can't recall names or try to type out names. So they are the exception the rule.

Between 70,000 J of tightly packed kinetic energy going at 2,800 FPS and a glorified sharpened steel rod, the choice is always obvious.

Heparine said:
Between 70,000 J of tightly packed kinetic energy going at 2,800 FPS and a glorified sharpened steel rod, the choice is always obvious.

And that's just the chem-burners, just wait till you see the coil/railguns!

FangPanzer said:
And that's just the chem-burners, just wait till you see the coil/railguns!

No need to go so deep into future technology. Propelled explosives are power!

And if I were given choice of various sharpened cold weapons only, I'd still probably put swords at/near the bottom of the rank.

Lick_King said:
No need to go so deep into future technology. Propelled explosives are power!

And if I were given choice of various sharpened cold weapons only, I'd still probably put swords at/near the bottom of the rank.

I wouldn't, not katanas, at least: they are what I call 'fast' weapons, that can be wielded at high speed and ely on sharpness and speed to damage. In the right hands, they are deadly.
Knives are another example of fast weapons, allowing you to correct mistakes in an attack with a bit of skill.

On the other hand, the yandere's favorite, cleavers, are slow, relying on their mass and momentum to cause damage. This also means that if you miss the first stroke and the target knows what they're doing, you won't get another chance. In this aspect, they're similar to a mace, flail, or morning star, or even an axe, all of which are 'slow' weapons.

Western swords fall somewhere in between. With skill and stamina, some (like the bastard sword, which can be wielded with one hand for speed or two hands for power) can be wielded as fast weapons, to devastating effect, while great swords, like a claymore, will always be slow, but devastating: you get one swing, if it connects, the target gets cleaved in half; if it doesn't, you won't have time to bring it around for a second attack.

ThunderBird said:
Knowledge of swords

True, but if we talk about 'the right hands' as in martial artists or soldiers with much experience and skill, then we can't really put any weapon or martial art style in the ranking because it really depends on individuals. Unless the difference is like night and day, anything can happen.

I was talking more about generic soldiers and the reason swords weren't very prominent, though popular, among actual war weapons. First reason is the lack of range, which actually makes lots of difference. A spearman can easily deal with a swordsman with small jabs and stabs, tiring and bleeding the opponent out without allowing a single slash. (But a small mistake can allow the distance to be closed rapidly, so that's the down side. Let's assume both make no significant mistakes anyway.) Also, swords are comparatively difficult to use properly. It takes time to even learn to slash properly. Many sword users, when holding actual blades for the first time, tend to be unable to make proper slashes despite their training. Slashing with the blade at the proper angle is harder than it looks. And the third reason is the lower durability. A katana is damaged very easily when it strikes a hard surface, and especially when struck against another blade. Even if it doesn't outright break, its blade is easily blunted. Spears and polearms on the other hand are more durable and can sustain more damage until it becomes unusable as a weapon.

And my ranking is largely affected my personal preferences as well, you see. I love swords too, like stylish katana and decorated but not-too-heavy western swords, but I greatly prefer eastern glaives(月刀) and axes.:)

p.s.) I didn't count cleavers and knives when talking about swords.

What Lick King said. Swords are classy, but inefficient. Their manufacture takes time, advanced technologies, equipment, skilled workers and quality materials, and it takes a lot of work to teach someone to use them properly. There's a reason spears and elastic energy based projectile weapons dominated the battlefield until the invention of combustion arms AND even some time after that. Swords were almost exclusive for nobility.

The reason projectiles dominate is that they trump CQC: why bother walking all the way over there and stab him, when you can stab him with bullets from where you stand, 20 meters away. Compared to projectiles of all but the most primitive kinds (slingshots and thrown rocks/darts), the range is a huge disadvantage. But unless you wield a ready-to-fire crossbow or a pistol, at close range you simply have no time to draw and aim a bow before I run you through with a sword.

As for the durability of katanas, that stems from the type of steel used in the outer shell: extremely hard, holds its edge almost indefinitely, but very brittle. Hence the style used to wield it: "Don't parry, void! Or at least slap the blade on its side."

Glaives: wow, I love them. Reach of a spear, edge of a sword. I had the opportunity to wield one with a heavier blade and freak out my friends when I twirled it around for a few moves. :D

Not to interrupt this discussion or anything, but you could just say that both weapons are poised to serve a specific niche.

Comparing a katana to a battle rifle is like comparing a hammer to a screwdriver in terms of what they are supposed to do.

ArvinLarn said:

Not to interrupt this discussion or anything, but you could just say that both weapons are poised to serve a specific niche.

Comparing a katana to a battle rifle is like comparing a hammer to a screwdriver in terms of what they are supposed to do.

Old comment, but very much in agreement. While guns are certainly better at range, there are many situations where range doesn't matter, such as in certain enclosed environments, or when you (like Youmu) can slice bullets in half with sufficient accuracy to send each half along a path that does not intersect your body. There is a reason that Fighting Jack Churchill (no relation) was so freakishly effective with sword and bow in WWII, and there's also a reason why giving the order to "FIX BAYONETS" can work when modern tactics don't.