Something I think should be more addressed is that the sickle that Death uses in the movie is more like a more curved shotel than an actual farming sickle. In the movie he point of the blade ends in alignment with the center line of the handle with the curve completely on one side. The sickle your using has the point and most of the blades curve waaaay in front of your hand. While these tests are very fun and enlightening I think that what you're using vs what's used in the movie may yield significantly different results.
Yeah i noticed that. But even then polearm ver feels. Impractical,yes you technically get longer reach but it would be akward to manuever compared to just dual weilding
@@itz_peely7233 I know it's stupid and pedantic but also the weapon is being wielded by an avatar of death a literal supernatural entity I don't think he would care if his weapon was practical in the hands of a mortal user and being his whole thing is culling those who die and bringing there souls to the afterlife (presumably) his weapon is probably rarely if ever used as a real weapon
Let me help you pozelling it. First: The Sickle, the one they're using, are corved WRONG!. because the shape supposed to be circuler, and the back side supposed to be helfe of the blad (the circule side in the back side and the pointy sid in the front sid), and the tip supposed to facing downwards. Second: Ther is a Weponed-Sickle! it's "The canaanite sword-sickle", wich was found in Jerushalaim; Israel✡ (aka The holy land), the sword was usd by the Jews pepole were known as the pepole of israel.
I suspect the sickle was an aesthetic choice to tie into the Grim Reaper iconography. A sickle being essentially the closest thing conceptually to a scythe, a tool for reaping.
Oh! Here’s a theory: Weapons like this are actually perfect for supernatural immortal beings. Any trained soldier will see the weapon should be impractical, so your supernatural skill is more obvious and intimidating. Also, if your opponent manages to take your weapon away, they’ll probably be terrible with it and maybe even maim themselves. (Totally not why they made it this way for the movie, just head-canoning *really* hard) Edit: Thanks for very specifically telling people not to try this. Immortality being a recommended prerequisite for using something… is kinda a problem. 😅
There is a german role-playing game, DSA, in other countries known as The Dark Eye. One supplement book describes all the weapons and variants you could find. Kaiser Retho, the fictivious owner of that armoury and author, described a mix of nine-tails and ball-and-chain. nine pointy steel baubles dangling from chains connected at one handle. it also proved to be deadly, as nobody ever trying to wield this curious weapon survived the experience...
Tbf the tip of Death's sickle-staff is actually almost in line with the staff itself rather than sticking out by a mile, which would make it a lot harder to injure yourself. It'd also presumably make it better at functioning like a glaive. Not to mention his staff is actually massive, taller than himself, which would also give it more reach make it less likely to hurt the wielder
Yup, Thyrant said tips of sickles were almost near hand but this is not true, they are almost in line with hand, because handles are basicly perpendicular to the blade. Those sickles are almost like more curved Kopesh.
Yeah, I almost said "wtf" out loud when Tyranth said that. Original design really does look like a proper sickle-like weapon that you could use way more efficiently rather than your sickle-tool that they used. Like, it's all about the geometry here
yeah, only times they were ever really used were in peasant rebellions or peasants defending themselves. like there are paintings where you see peasants fighting soldiers with sickles. and it wasnt so much a "YEAH, THIS IS SUPER GOOD, ILL USE THIS!!!!!!!" it was more in the lines of well........something is better than nothing, i have this garden tool, its pointy and sharp.........ill take a sword or something when i can XD but other than those VERY specific cases....yeah no XD
@@scorpionlord9175 yeah people seem to forget this the sickle and the kama ninja ises arent cosen as a effective weapon but becase its easy to conceal. like i can kill you with a dagger or a box cutter, which ones getting though security? And double so for the repaer, its even in his name, hes not there to kill you hes basically a farmer, harvesting, reaping souls
@@popularopinion1 I played the first one because someone borrowed my Xbox and downloaded it. It looked dumb as hell, but it actually leaned into the theme so hard it ended up being an amazing game. I recommend it even to people who think it looks bad, it is deceptively good. The 2nd one looks similar, but I haven't tried that one
-You are no UA-camr... You are... -Shad. And I don't mean it metaphorically or rhetorically or poetically or theoretically or in any other fancy way. I'm Shad. Blade. Up.
I mean.... It's Death wielding it. Death is not only unbeatable he tells Puss that it's all about the fear he instills. Also... they match the curvature of a wolves claws... so there is symbology. I also see the benefit of the curved blade being if you block it... well the curved blade is going to come over your guard and be a problem.
You only need a weapon against someone fighting back. But I guess making your tool able to play with fools trying is fun. Normally I wouldn't even consider fun as a thing for anthropomorphic Death, but the Puss in Boots one clearly liked it.
@@Сайтамен A sickle is the one-handed version of a sythe when you think about what it's usually used for. And the sythe is the traditional tool of Death because of his other name, the Reaper.. As for why Death wouldn't use the deadliest weapon? In the movie because he just wants to have a little fun. From the looks of it, he is also quite skilled in using them to intimidate and he loves the smell of... fear. Also, it's Death, straight up. Death doesn't need a weapon, Death is. No one escapes Death in the end.
I said it on Tyranth's first video, but I'll say it again: but if you turn a scythe around so both points are facing the same way, you have a trimmed up Klingon Bat'leth with a longer handle.
Just from looking at the movie clip, Death's sickels have a different curve to them. The tip of the blades are almost in line with the handle/staff, while the curve itself is what is sticking out, a bit like an axe blade, or a kopesh.
The major point with this is it’s the farmer who reaps the good of the crop and the Grim Reaper reap souls the other significance of it is the one of the options a peasant would have to pick up as a weapon. It wouldn’t be your first option if not for the magical abilities.
Except like, Scythe easily beats sickle in terms of adaptability to a weapon still. And this double ended contraption has no defense other than "they had extra budget so they did spinny"
Good video but I wanted to point out three small flaws in your reasoning. One- Death is not human he’s an immortal creature and on top of that he’s a bipedal canine, a species that has a much thinner shoulder and torso area than humans so FOR HIM it’s a good weapon. Two - while you all had bad range with the sickles you have to remember that the range is affected by the length of the users arms as well so again with a bipedal wolf, a species with longer limbs compared to humans this is not a flaw. And third ( this is a three for one) you kinda forgot the most important things with staffs, you clench it in the middle and sweep LOWER than the chest area ( Death notably only does this to Puss a notably shorter opponent) , move with weapon vs staying in one location since the staff moves in accordance to the user’s arms and watch your footwork. I have both worked a staff personally and have observed other staff users I noted your footwork was not accurate for your weapon. You need to use your staff more like stick fighters from Asia , Africa or the Middle East vs like European fighters to make the weapon work. Have of a good weapon is knowing the proper technique and usage of it.
I would still disagree with 1 & 2 (no clue on 3 as I don't do any kind of fighting stuff). Cause he may be less likely to hit himself cause of his form, but it is still a danger. And he may have more reach, but that means with a longer weapon you could still have even more reach, so their commentary still applies. If I have a stick that's 0.5m and one that is 1m, it doesn't matter that my own reach is already longer. Taking the 0.5m one would just be hamstringing myself when we look solely at reach.
So in short: dual blades equals user friendly but no reach while scythe staff has reach but is only slightly more user friendly than that dual ended flail staff abomination from the batwoman show
The staff still doesn't give it any real reach unless it was made much longer (which would be really unwieldy). When they hold it in the middle with both hands to avoid getting stabbed by the rear blade, it has about the reach of a short sword. Any sword longer than a machete could easily outreach this "polearm"!
@@republicjim120 I do think that using the sickles "backwards" would make it safer and avoid the stab-self issue. 'cause the Khopesh... that's a similar blade. making a weapon like a Khopesh on a stick/... could be deadly, but pole weapons that can't stab are... weird.
Shad, deaths attacks are based on spinning, yes I know you hate that idea, but he's all about that turn and grin. Thats why in combat he keeps switching betwen the linked combo and single handed.
I saw it as a visually interesting choice. It's not only an unconventional weapon, but it's a funny pick, too. Wolves can be a midevil farmer's worst enemy. Yet here we have a wolf weilding a farmers tool.
That is a very old term to refer to cheap alloys and pot metal castings. Ask anyone that works with hand tools (or knives or guns) and they will all have a story complaining about chineseium. Usually involving something breaking at the worst moment.
2 things I'd like to see tested, as mean to try to "save" this thing: a longer staff, AND, obviously, turning both sikles facing their pointy parts to the same direction.
Nah, he made wrong sickles. In movie they are more curved, biger part of the circle, but handles are basicly prependicular to the blade, so point isnt that far from the line of the staff. So weapon functions like axe/glaive hybrid.
Functional Fandom is one of Shad's most useful and idea inspiring video series to me personally. Just think of all the weapon types/classes (not just the individual weapon) future video games can take or be inspired to adapt to their combat systems and content.
Maybe for a "War-sickle," you could modify the blade for prioritizing on piercing rather than slashing. As well as making the blade longer or less curved for range and maybe the handle longer At least for individual sickles
A short sickle like that would be for close combat and would be just evil at grapple range. Something like that would cut clean to bone and potentially find it's way between joints and remove a hand or even a head. you hook it around behind your opponents neck and well they are just done. It becomes a situation that even if they managed to kill you before you could kill them you falling to the ground dead is going to take them out as well.
Yeah but like... You could also just use a knife at that range. Carrying this thing is a pain. But you could pull a big ol' Baselard mid grapple pretty well. Conveniently right there, and some quick stabbies are incredibly lethal. Not to mention less armor ineffective
2:48 other garden weppons 4:57 testing(good penetration and cutting but terrible reach, you need to slash with the sweet spot though which is a very small area so hard to aim good hits i also believe could possibly block but if useing outer tip it could snap.. or at the lower part on outer ring it could slide onto your hands... You might be able to use it has hooks to grab someone say climbing or from horse back...) 11:46 double sided sicle.. why have each sickle in different direction.. was noted you still could do combos because its double edged but it is still just a good way to hurt yourself (stabed well you thrust forward)14:10 example of this Add onto the hook feature in staff form could he used to pull someone towards you a bit better.. or say pull wonded/prisoners behind you to be arrested mabey? They said they prefer them as dual weppons 18:20 summary
As someone who mains sickles in our local fighting group, I gotta say that it *is* viable to fight swords and axes or even poleaxes. This is because the sickles I own are a bit rounder, so you can catch the blade of a sword and keep it our of your way. I’ve fought plenty of swords and I would say that it’s an about equal match with a slight advantage to the sword. Axes however are hilariously bad, because if you trap the stick of the axe with both sickles, the head can’t slip out so you got free reign.
I really want to see you guys build and test a "good" spinny weapon. Defined as one meant to be constantly twirled. Maybe even just take a lawnmower and weaponize it. Ever try a purpose-built weed-wacker as a weapon?
In theory they are actually pretty decent weapons. Good for close combat and even offer ways to defend against attacks. Though Death's sickles are noticeably thicker compared to the ones used in this video, which I can't help but feel plays a role in that.
I think I saw they were double edged not sure if it’s used when it’s folded like a chakram (those wheel blade things) but yeah if they were thicker they would be difficult to use because of the weight, although this is the most sadist weapon I saw since it doesn’t kill you quickly but tears down every inch of flesh out as you’re alive it’s really terrifying a weapon for a torturer
@@wolfman2.055honestly if the khopesh had a reverse edge yeah that’s pretty spot on. It’d surely alleviate a lot of the problems that came up in their tests, at least from what I could tell.
I think if the blades didn't have such an aggressive bend to them it be a better weapon. Like I feel a double-ended glaive or double-ended billhook would be so much better. Also I love your videos because they're so casual yet informative. Watching your videos make me feel like I'm there and we're all just hanging out with the boys
In the movie theblades curve around more away from the handles in a more circular shape with the tips lined up with the handles, theirs were completely the wrong shape
i think the design idea for them being faced opposite directions is to have the same blade alignment if you were to spin it at high speeds like in the animation and the staff needs to be long enough that the blades do not come close to the body
The off-center center of gravity of the sickle helps with the indexing & that completely goes out the window when they're reversed and on the end of a staff, because they balance each other out.
I want to see a video about fantasy scythes! These are the best polearms in games and movies, and since they are presented in worlds where there is magic and or super technology, only the skill of the user can contribute to defeat in combat, not the design of the weapon itself.
While it wasn't "Puss in Boots" and there was no staff version, Skall got some trainer sickles and did some sparring with them. You guys might be interested in watching it.
One thing I've noticed with this type of weapon is that you don't move the weapon a lot, but move yourself. don't swing your arms but the body like a dance. the forward facing side catches the enemy, but during the swing and movement the back end can block as you move.
I make this observation without having seen the film (I only saw a few clips) from what I saw in the clips, rather than being sickles they seemed to be used as a kind of short axe. The sickles you used are built to accentuate the tip (which makes sense if you use them as a pike) but maintaining the idea of "reverse" use, having the blade so advanced is a disadvantage. Using them the other way around reminds me of a sort of kukri or in any case a knife designed for use as an ax rather than with a tip. Furthermore, even in the version with the stick, using them in that way would solve the problem of having the tip towards yourself and indeed at that point having the blade reversed makes sense. On the one hand a kind of poleaxe while the backhand comes naturally from the tip which allows you to transfer much more force without having to move the grip to have more leverage. I agree that it is not an ideal weapon and that it has no real use in a real battle, but honestly I don't even find it totally worth discarding. Honestly the problem of the short blade would be solved a lot with the opposite use and making it of a more similar at the one form with the film.
For the first time, I actually understand the point of the blade folding on this weapon. They literally change into crescent moon knives (although without the deer horns). Both edges of the sickles look sharpened for this reason. Also, the complaint about the polearm being dangerous to the wielder: note that Lobo’s sickle staff doesn’t protrude as much as yours. Actually, if you line up the staff with the blade tips, they’re only about an inch off center mass. Not saying it’s a good weapon because of this, but it’s not as unwieldy as you think.
The folding in on itself (although not actually used in the movie) would allow them to also be used as crescent blades in a punching style, something that would match Wolf’s style and arm length greatly
Instead of sword and dagger maybe sword and sickle would be interesting to test. I was thinking arming sword and sickle but maybe there would be a better sword and sickle combo. Future video?
Bend the sickles so they are more straight so you are less likely to hit yourself and get most of the same benefits but the teeth on the sickle are amazing
In the movie 'Death' was useing the backside/outer edge of the sickle when in staff form when Puss parried it with the knife. Which would also flip the sickle at the other end of the staff the other way. Making it more wieldable.
To be fair, Death in the movie has thicker and Curver Sickles, making blocking with the back end and hitting with them easier and gives more power behind them. Thats why he uses the back alot, cause they are custom made for that. Plus He uses the Staff version has more of a curved Spear and it helps His arm's are long enough to hold each end, therefore the other sickle would hit him.
Part of the reason they were almost geting stabbed when in pole arm mode was because the scythes are set at a different angle than the ones used in the movie. The ones they are using sweep almost entirely forward, where as the oned used by Death hook backwards behind the handle alignment significantly more before curving back forward. This difference put the tip of the scythe closer to being in line with the handles, as well as giving the back of the blade of the scythes a better cutting angle. If they could rotate the blade backwards from the handle alignment, they would have something closer to the movie, safer, as well as more functional.
I would LOVE to see you guys remake and test the Darksiders version of Death's weapons, if you thought this was bad, the amount of crazy designs that version has!!😂😂
Basically the hook on the 21:09 sickle weapon made for hooking around Shields and chopping off the lamps basically evolved from a hedge cutting sickle a weapon evolved from a hedge cutting cycle Medford cutting thick branches from a hedge or Vines basically the weapon is supposed to like a chopping hooking a weapon
Hi guys! LOVE YOUR BOOK!!! Still waiting hopefully for 2nd. As to the topic of the sickles, you SHOULD have used it as a farm tool for an hour or two first. Then try to use it as a weapon. That’s how it was adapted in the first place. That would give you a basis for how to get the maximum effect, just like the farmers in the fields back then defending themselves from attack.
I stopped at 8:32 so I don't know if they talked about this but an advantage that the sickle has over other weapons is the hook design. Similar to using a fish hook to control a fish's movement, you can use the sickle to hook the opponent thus controlling their movement. You could could keep the enemy from retreating (especially if you're using the "Sickle Staff"), keep them within melee range which compensates for the reach especially if the other person has a longer range weapon which makes what they're wielding more or less useless or you could even throw the enemy onto the ground leaving them open for a follow-up and there's even the off chance that the sickle would tear through leaving a decent sized wound on the opponent. I can't think of many weapons take allow you to manipulate enemies in such a way which makes me love this weapon. Edit: They compared to the Hook Blade. Enough said.
8:30 On the back-end the concentration of the force is better as it is a smaller impact site for the blade. In the inner part a lot more of the edge touches the target, so the force is spread out much more :D
Reasoning for the left handed, it is probably the best way to use it for farming too. Grab the stalk and slash away, with the pointed end going away. Though using the right give heavier hits, the pull away swing is the safer way to use it.
You could try going with a much longer staff (and possibly larger blades) and treating it like a greatsword/titansword; don't try to hit a point and stop, move the weapon continuously and bring its path through the target
an interesting extra video idea perhaps for the cursed weapon rubric- make the cursed weapon and try it out as you normally do. and then try to add/change its features to make it more usable for something.....like for this one- just swap one of the sickles so both face forward alone would make this thing usable (a klingon halberd!).add a short opposing blade to catch incoming blades. fortify the blade from handle to mid to be able to push it into enemy's face (poke motion like a spear) etc
I can see several potential ways to make this work very effectively, but only as a polearm, and not double. (Kind of like the real life war scythe, but not quite)
What should we call this Pole-sickle thing?...
The Bi-Sickle
The learning curve
The sickle-ical staff?
Call it "The Pickle".😂
@@FandomChronicle This. This shit right here
Something I think should be more addressed is that the sickle that Death uses in the movie is more like a more curved shotel than an actual farming sickle. In the movie he point of the blade ends in alignment with the center line of the handle with the curve completely on one side. The sickle your using has the point and most of the blades curve waaaay in front of your hand. While these tests are very fun and enlightening I think that what you're using vs what's used in the movie may yield significantly different results.
Yeah i noticed that. But even then polearm ver feels. Impractical,yes you technically get longer reach but it would be akward to manuever compared to just dual weilding
@@itz_peely7233 I know it's stupid and pedantic but also the weapon is being wielded by an avatar of death a literal supernatural entity I don't think he would care if his weapon was practical in the hands of a mortal user and being his whole thing is culling those who die and bringing there souls to the afterlife (presumably) his weapon is probably rarely if ever used as a real weapon
Looked like the Egyptian weapon Kopash I think.
@@Grz349 That would be fitting considering the Egyptian God of Death Also being a dog-like entity
Let me help you pozelling it.
First: The Sickle, the one they're using, are corved WRONG!.
because the shape supposed to be circuler, and the back side supposed to be helfe of the blad (the circule side in the back side and the pointy sid in the front sid), and the tip supposed to facing downwards.
Second: Ther is a Weponed-Sickle!
it's "The canaanite sword-sickle", wich was found in Jerushalaim; Israel✡ (aka The holy land), the sword was usd by the Jews pepole were known as the pepole of israel.
I suspect the sickle was an aesthetic choice to tie into the Grim Reaper iconography.
A sickle being essentially the closest thing conceptually to a scythe, a tool for reaping.
Oh! Here’s a theory: Weapons like this are actually perfect for supernatural immortal beings. Any trained soldier will see the weapon should be impractical, so your supernatural skill is more obvious and intimidating. Also, if your opponent manages to take your weapon away, they’ll probably be terrible with it and maybe even maim themselves.
(Totally not why they made it this way for the movie, just head-canoning *really* hard)
Edit: Thanks for very specifically telling people not to try this. Immortality being a recommended prerequisite for using something… is kinda a problem. 😅
Actually that is probably why as oh guess what he is a immortal supernatural being
There is a german role-playing game, DSA, in other countries known as The Dark Eye. One supplement book describes all the weapons and variants you could find. Kaiser Retho, the fictivious owner of that armoury and author, described a mix of nine-tails and ball-and-chain. nine pointy steel baubles dangling from chains connected at one handle. it also proved to be deadly, as nobody ever trying to wield this curious weapon survived the experience...
Like his series on "ideal weapon for ____ fantasy race"
@@michaelsorensen7567 Which is deeply fun one. Giant+sling= dead armies
@@WillFredward7167 and the elephant stomp anklets
And the scythe 😳
"I want both facing the same direction"... did you just reinvent the Bat'leth?
Qapla'
I was thinking the same thing, and there's a long staff variant of a bat'leth in the expanded lore too!
@@JSBrown303 ...the translation to German youtube provided for this was hilarious (zudecken/to tuck someone in), does it offer an English one, too?
@@walkir2662 I got "cover up"
@walkir2662 Honestly, all I know is that it's Klingon for "success". That, and a couple of curse words are the only Klingon words I can remember. 🙂
Tbf the tip of Death's sickle-staff is actually almost in line with the staff itself rather than sticking out by a mile, which would make it a lot harder to injure yourself. It'd also presumably make it better at functioning like a glaive.
Not to mention his staff is actually massive, taller than himself, which would also give it more reach make it less likely to hurt the wielder
Yup, Thyrant said tips of sickles were almost near hand but this is not true, they are almost in line with hand, because handles are basicly perpendicular to the blade.
Those sickles are almost like more curved Kopesh.
Agreed, I know they can’t necessarily get near perfect repilcas, but these sickles are quite a bit different from what death uses.
@@Bzhydack Yeah and the cutting edge of the Khopesh is actually the OUTSIDE of the curve. You wield it almost like an axe.
Yeah, I almost said "wtf" out loud when Tyranth said that. Original design really does look like a proper sickle-like weapon that you could use way more efficiently rather than your sickle-tool that they used. Like, it's all about the geometry here
@@dustronyt4565not to mention how much thicker it is
Not gonna lie, was worried about someone getting accidently stabbed the whole video, no wonder these things weren't used in real life.
The first time I heard the clank of the back sickle point hitting Shad's pauldron, I admit I clenched a bit.
yeah, only times they were ever really used were in peasant rebellions or peasants defending themselves. like there are paintings where you see peasants fighting soldiers with sickles. and it wasnt so much a "YEAH, THIS IS SUPER GOOD, ILL USE THIS!!!!!!!" it was more in the lines of well........something is better than nothing, i have this garden tool, its pointy and sharp.........ill take a sword or something when i can XD
but other than those VERY specific cases....yeah no XD
@@scorpionlord9175 yeah people seem to forget this the sickle and the kama ninja ises arent cosen as a effective weapon but becase its easy to conceal. like i can kill you with a dagger or a box cutter, which ones getting though security? And double so for the repaer, its even in his name, hes not there to kill you hes basically a farmer, harvesting, reaping souls
Eu diria que isso é pra qualquer arma que eles estão usando.
If you’re on a scythe binge, may I recommend Darksiders 2? That Death’s way of dual wielding may be fascinating for you to analyze.
Underrated gaming series
That'd be pretty amazing. I only fear they would not get any to scale (which I understand entirely)
@@popularopinion1 I played the first one because someone borrowed my Xbox and downloaded it. It looked dumb as hell, but it actually leaned into the theme so hard it ended up being an amazing game. I recommend it even to people who think it looks bad, it is deceptively good. The 2nd one looks similar, but I haven't tried that one
@@seanmadson8524Darksiders 2 Deathinitive edition might be for you since it focuses on Death as the central protagonist.
I love the versatility of his weapons, punch daggers, sickles or a staff
More like bladed knuckles.
@@thefanwithoutaface8105, that's more accurate
-You are no UA-camr... You are...
-Shad.
And I don't mean it metaphorically or rhetorically or poetically or theoretically or in any other fancy way. I'm Shad. Blade. Up.
@@deltamico He's paraphrasing one of the most badass lines in the movie.
Straight up
@@crusadernikolai1996 Altered it a bit.
@@GuardianGrarl I might be wrong but I think he was quoting the next lines- not saying it's the actual lines
I mean.... It's Death wielding it.
Death is not only unbeatable he tells Puss that it's all about the fear he instills. Also... they match the curvature of a wolves claws... so there is symbology.
I also see the benefit of the curved blade being if you block it... well the curved blade is going to come over your guard and be a problem.
Plus I imagine puss's weapon would not be very effective defending against that at all
Wolves claws don't curve like this at all. It would be closer to felines which need to climb trees, but even the it's to curved.
You only need a weapon against someone fighting back. But I guess making your tool able to play with fools trying is fun.
Normally I wouldn't even consider fun as a thing for anthropomorphic Death, but the Puss in Boots one clearly liked it.
Why wouldn't Death use the deadliest weapons?
@@Сайтамен A sickle is the one-handed version of a sythe when you think about what it's usually used for. And the sythe is the traditional tool of Death because of his other name, the Reaper..
As for why Death wouldn't use the deadliest weapon? In the movie because he just wants to have a little fun. From the looks of it, he is also quite skilled in using them to intimidate and he loves the smell of... fear.
Also, it's Death, straight up. Death doesn't need a weapon, Death is. No one escapes Death in the end.
What's wrong? Life's flashing before your eyes?
-The Shad Reaper.
No, just one….I’m done running….FEAR ME IF YOU DARE!!!!!!!!!! -Tyranth in Boots.
@@artamussumatra6286 *angry Spanish noises*
Hey shad it’s been a rough time for me recently but one thing I can look forward to is your videos. So thank you!
praying for you sir!
I said it on Tyranth's first video, but I'll say it again: but if you turn a scythe around so both points are facing the same way, you have a trimmed up Klingon Bat'leth with a longer handle.
Isn't the point of that weapon more ceremonial though? I thought they only used it to prove their skill with a dogshit weapon
Just from looking at the movie clip, Death's sickels have a different curve to them. The tip of the blades are almost in line with the handle/staff, while the curve itself is what is sticking out, a bit like an axe blade, or a kopesh.
That scene at the end of the film was so good.
The major point with this is it’s the farmer who reaps the good of the crop and the Grim Reaper reap souls the other significance of it is the one of the options a peasant would have to pick up as a weapon. It wouldn’t be your first option if not for the magical abilities.
Except like,
Scythe easily beats sickle in terms of adaptability to a weapon still.
And this double ended contraption has no defense other than "they had extra budget so they did spinny"
@1stCallipostle it looks cool though.
The only way they could have made that worse is by making it into sickle nunchuks.
That comment right there just got me to laugh so hard I needed to fill the giant porcelain cup! Good job!
Oh, geez. Don't give them ideas. Not like that, anyway.
Ever seen the weapon Starling uses in Storm Hawks?
Sickle flail?
Someone makes this out of soft nerf plastic wears full plate mail, then uses it for 2 seconds. Still dies.
Just glad you guys watched the movie. It's so good. One of Dreamworks best.
Fantastic movie, It’s The Empire Strikes Back of Animated sequels!
Good video but I wanted to point out three small flaws in your reasoning. One- Death is not human he’s an immortal creature and on top of that he’s a bipedal canine, a species that has a much thinner shoulder and torso area than humans so FOR HIM it’s a good weapon. Two - while you all had bad range with the sickles you have to remember that the range is affected by the length of the users arms as well so again with a bipedal wolf, a species with longer limbs compared to humans this is not a flaw. And third ( this is a three for one) you kinda forgot the most important things with staffs, you clench it in the middle and sweep LOWER than the chest area ( Death notably only does this to Puss a notably shorter opponent) , move with weapon vs staying in one location since the staff moves in accordance to the user’s arms and watch your footwork. I have both worked a staff personally and have observed other staff users I noted your footwork was not accurate for your weapon. You need to use your staff more like stick fighters from Asia , Africa or the Middle East vs like European fighters to make the weapon work. Have of a good weapon is knowing the proper technique and usage of it.
I would still disagree with 1 & 2 (no clue on 3 as I don't do any kind of fighting stuff). Cause he may be less likely to hit himself cause of his form, but it is still a danger. And he may have more reach, but that means with a longer weapon you could still have even more reach, so their commentary still applies. If I have a stick that's 0.5m and one that is 1m, it doesn't matter that my own reach is already longer. Taking the 0.5m one would just be hamstringing myself when we look solely at reach.
Well yeah I was thinking about the same thing either cause it does make sense if we apply the way shaolin holds their staff
19:29
So in short: dual blades equals user friendly but no reach while scythe staff has reach but is only slightly more user friendly than that dual ended flail staff abomination from the batwoman show
The staff still doesn't give it any real reach unless it was made much longer (which would be really unwieldy). When they hold it in the middle with both hands to avoid getting stabbed by the rear blade, it has about the reach of a short sword. Any sword longer than a machete could easily outreach this "polearm"!
@@republicjim120 true, but I was saying it has longer reach than the dhal scythes
@@republicjim120 I do think that using the sickles "backwards" would make it safer and avoid the stab-self issue. 'cause the Khopesh... that's a similar blade. making a weapon like a Khopesh on a stick/... could be deadly, but pole weapons that can't stab are... weird.
isn't the Egyptian Khopesh a sickle sword?
Technically but functions more like an axe and the blade faces the other way. A falx or falcata has a closer forward curve to a sickle.
Sickle swords aren't the same.
@@freddykingofturtles oh I didn't know that. Thanks
I'd really like to see them try out more forward curved blades, like the kukri, falx and ginunting sword.
It's similar to a Shotel, but not exactly
Shad, deaths attacks are based on spinning, yes I know you hate that idea, but he's all about that turn and grin. Thats why in combat he keeps switching betwen the linked combo and single handed.
Good luck with that IRL.
@@nitwriter4804 yes well the weapon dosn't have to be good if the dud carrying it is intiminating as fuck.
I saw it as a visually interesting choice. It's not only an unconventional weapon, but it's a funny pick, too. Wolves can be a midevil farmer's worst enemy. Yet here we have a wolf weilding a farmers tool.
Shad’s new Lautrec cosplay is lit!
Ok, humanity needs that terminology implemented ASAP: "Chinessium". I'll used it if not.
i use it to describe those cheap alloy castings that turn up particularly in cheap hand tools
That is a very old term to refer to cheap alloys and pot metal castings.
Ask anyone that works with hand tools (or knives or guns) and they will all have a story complaining about chineseium.
Usually involving something breaking at the worst moment.
2 things I'd like to see tested, as mean to try to "save" this thing: a longer staff, AND, obviously, turning both sikles facing their pointy parts to the same direction.
Nah, he made wrong sickles. In movie they are more curved, biger part of the circle, but handles are basicly prependicular to the blade, so point isnt that far from the line of the staff. So weapon functions like axe/glaive hybrid.
Functional Fandom is one of Shad's most useful and idea inspiring video series to me personally. Just think of all the weapon types/classes (not just the individual weapon) future video games can take or be inspired to adapt to their combat systems and content.
I love that u 2 argue like a married couple about weapons can’t have a decent friendship without a bit of cheeky banter haha
Death's greatest weapon is the fear he instills when he pays a visit.
You want to get the tip stuck 😂.
Ok, are you trying to start an out of context quotes from shadversity
Maybe for a "War-sickle," you could modify the blade for prioritizing on piercing rather than slashing. As well as making the blade longer or less curved for range and maybe the handle longer
At least for individual sickles
A short sickle like that would be for close combat and would be just evil at grapple range. Something like that would cut clean to bone and potentially find it's way between joints and remove a hand or even a head. you hook it around behind your opponents neck and well they are just done. It becomes a situation that even if they managed to kill you before you could kill them you falling to the ground dead is going to take them out as well.
Yeah but like...
You could also just use a knife at that range.
Carrying this thing is a pain. But you could pull a big ol' Baselard mid grapple pretty well. Conveniently right there, and some quick stabbies are incredibly lethal.
Not to mention less armor ineffective
2:48 other garden weppons 4:57 testing(good penetration and cutting but terrible reach, you need to slash with the sweet spot though which is a very small area so hard to aim good hits
i also believe could possibly block but if useing outer tip it could snap.. or at the lower part on outer ring it could slide onto your hands... You might be able to use it has hooks to grab someone say climbing or from horse back...)
11:46 double sided sicle.. why have each sickle in different direction.. was noted you still could do combos because its double edged but it is still just a good way to hurt yourself (stabed well you thrust forward)14:10 example of this
Add onto the hook feature in staff form could he used to pull someone towards you a bit better.. or say pull wonded/prisoners behind you to be arrested mabey? They said they prefer them as dual weppons
18:20 summary
The best movie of that year.
Easily. Also the best movie in the Shrekverse imho.
As someone who mains sickles in our local fighting group, I gotta say that it *is* viable to fight swords and axes or even poleaxes.
This is because the sickles I own are a bit rounder, so you can catch the blade of a sword and keep it our of your way.
I’ve fought plenty of swords and I would say that it’s an about equal match with a slight advantage to the sword.
Axes however are hilariously bad, because if you trap the stick of the axe with both sickles, the head can’t slip out so you got free reign.
Any single bladed double sided polearm like this is doomed to fail. They really need to be double edged blades to make it viable in any way
I really want to see you guys build and test a "good" spinny weapon. Defined as one meant to be constantly twirled. Maybe even just take a lawnmower and weaponize it. Ever try a purpose-built weed-wacker as a weapon?
Make a long one with the blades facing the same direction, just for fun. I want to see if it is really as good as you assume :D
I have been fighting with sickles for a while now. This made the puss in boots the last wish absolutely even more amazing for me lol
In theory they are actually pretty decent weapons. Good for close combat and even offer ways to defend against attacks. Though Death's sickles are noticeably thicker compared to the ones used in this video, which I can't help but feel plays a role in that.
If they were as thick as in the movie i feel like they would be to heavy and even more awkward than here(especially for one hand).
I think I saw they were double edged not sure if it’s used when it’s folded like a chakram (those wheel blade things) but yeah if they were thicker they would be difficult to use because of the weight, although this is the most sadist weapon I saw since it doesn’t kill you quickly but tears down every inch of flesh out as you’re alive it’s really terrifying a weapon for a torturer
They are technically sickles but I think a khopesh is more accurate in terms of how they are used and in how they appear.
@@wolfman2.055honestly if the khopesh had a reverse edge yeah that’s pretty spot on. It’d surely alleviate a lot of the problems that came up in their tests, at least from what I could tell.
I think if the blades didn't have such an aggressive bend to them it be a better weapon. Like I feel a double-ended glaive or double-ended billhook would be so much better.
Also
I love your videos because they're so casual yet informative. Watching your videos make me feel like I'm there and we're all just hanging out with the boys
In the movie theblades curve around more away from the handles in a more circular shape with the tips lined up with the handles, theirs were completely the wrong shape
Please do Jet’s Cain swords from Avatar the Last Airbender!!!
i think the design idea for them being faced opposite directions is to have the same blade alignment if you were to spin it at high speeds like in the animation and the staff needs to be long enough that the blades do not come close to the body
Honestly would be good for delimbing people because medical knives back then were curved upwards to work around the bone.
My son watched it 6 time back to back and I kept getting sucked into the movie each time too
15:50 psst. No one tell him that he's turning it into a bat'leth. 😂
Maybe he needs to revisit his old "Bat'leths are dumb" video.
The off-center center of gravity of the sickle helps with the indexing & that completely goes out the window when they're reversed and on the end of a staff, because they balance each other out.
Feels like something a serial killer would use
You mean perfect for the personification of death itself then
Nah they would use a cpoon.
Cereal?
I particularly dumb serial killer, yes.
@@SA12String Also one who likes getting shot.
I want to see a video about fantasy scythes! These are the best polearms in games and movies, and since they are presented in worlds where there is magic and or super technology, only the skill of the user can contribute to defeat in combat, not the design of the weapon itself.
Sorry. Old AD&D er, here. I called em sad daggers.
Addendum... Might be good vs wasp nests.
You Australian kids got way too much time on your hands... and I love it ! Greetings from USA
While it wasn't "Puss in Boots" and there was no staff version, Skall got some trainer sickles and did some sparring with them. You guys might be interested in watching it.
One thing I've noticed with this type of weapon is that you don't move the weapon a lot, but move yourself. don't swing your arms but the body like a dance. the forward facing side catches the enemy, but during the swing and movement the back end can block as you move.
nice
I make this observation without having seen the film (I only saw a few clips) from what I saw in the clips, rather than being sickles they seemed to be used as a kind of short axe.
The sickles you used are built to accentuate the tip (which makes sense if you use them as a pike) but maintaining the idea of "reverse" use, having the blade so advanced is a disadvantage.
Using them the other way around reminds me of a sort of kukri or in any case a knife designed for use as an ax rather than with a tip.
Furthermore, even in the version with the stick, using them in that way would solve the problem of having the tip towards yourself and indeed at that point having the blade reversed makes sense. On the one hand a kind of poleaxe while the backhand comes naturally from the tip which allows you to transfer much more force without having to move the grip to have more leverage.
I agree that it is not an ideal weapon and that it has no real use in a real battle, but honestly I don't even find it totally worth discarding. Honestly the problem of the short blade would be solved a lot with the opposite use and making it of a more similar at the one form with the film.
Shad don't count them out just yet they can still be used to pick my teeth.
I pity your dental plan
@@etazeta674 I also clean my teeth with an axe.
@@RachDarastrix2 great father fucking an anthill, do they even qualify as teeth anymore?!? 😰
Fighting with the sickle was also known in the European Middle Ages, there are even documented fighting techniques and pictures of it
It's used by Death for reaping, it's not a combat weapon. His use of it as a weapon is merely incidental to it's real purpose.
Based on their discussion on what they'd prefer te staf form to be like, I'd love to see them review a Bat'leth from Star Trek.
For the first time, I actually understand the point of the blade folding on this weapon.
They literally change into crescent moon knives (although without the deer horns). Both edges of the sickles look sharpened for this reason.
Also, the complaint about the polearm being dangerous to the wielder: note that Lobo’s sickle staff doesn’t protrude as much as yours. Actually, if you line up the staff with the blade tips, they’re only about an inch off center mass. Not saying it’s a good weapon because of this, but it’s not as unwieldy as you think.
The folding in on itself (although not actually used in the movie) would allow them to also be used as crescent blades in a punching style, something that would match Wolf’s style and arm length greatly
Are you asking why Death uses something known to Harvest things?
Instead of sword and dagger maybe sword and sickle would be interesting to test. I was thinking arming sword and sickle but maybe there would be a better sword and sickle combo. Future video?
I dont know how you guys came into my feed, but im glad you did
I think some light sparring tests would have been interesting. I for example imagine that blocking those sickles with a sword could be difficult.
This is why I like the Kopesh. It’s a sickle like sword that has the point in-line with the handle so you have that sense of the blade.
Now these are the videos I subscribed to Shad for
dang, I hope Shad was wearing the real brigandine for this one..
Also! If you don't utilize the reach at all and swing it hard enough while forgetting about the second end, it can conveniently stab you in the back!
They're like a fantasy khopesh that shrunk in the wash.
It's amazing how constantly the concept of Death using a farming implements is missed by people taking it serious as a weapon....
“Chinesium” 😂 9:01
Garden grade chinesium
Bend the sickles so they are more straight so you are less likely to hit yourself and get most of the same benefits but the teeth on the sickle are amazing
In the movie 'Death' was useing the backside/outer edge of the sickle when in staff form when Puss parried it with the knife. Which would also flip the sickle at the other end of the staff the other way. Making it more wieldable.
May I just say, Shad's beard looks absolutely epic here. He looks like the commander of a Scottish army!
I'd like to see a spear/psyth hybrid with quick disconnect fittings as that'll be an interesting concept to me.
To be fair, Death in the movie has thicker and Curver Sickles, making blocking with the back end and hitting with them easier and gives more power behind them. Thats why he uses the back alot, cause they are custom made for that.
Plus He uses the Staff version has more of a curved Spear and it helps His arm's are long enough to hold each end, therefore the other sickle would hit him.
There is a reason farmers were ordered to hammer their sickles into spears when forming militias!
You guys should combine them with nunchucks for the "Ultimate" weapon...
underrated
The pole-arm reminds me of the Godskin peeler from Elden ring.
Part of the reason they were almost geting stabbed when in pole arm mode was because the scythes are set at a different angle than the ones used in the movie. The ones they are using sweep almost entirely forward, where as the oned used by Death hook backwards behind the handle alignment significantly more before curving back forward. This difference put the tip of the scythe closer to being in line with the handles, as well as giving the back of the blade of the scythes a better cutting angle. If they could rotate the blade backwards from the handle alignment, they would have something closer to the movie, safer, as well as more functional.
I have discovered something very interesting about Shadiversity as it is now: Shad + Tyranth = meme templates.
One other thing it does well is that it's intimidating! Which I feel is partly the point of it in the film too.
Do you think you can revisit Fantasy Re-armed?
I would LOVE to see you guys remake and test the Darksiders version of Death's weapons, if you thought this was bad, the amount of crazy designs that version has!!😂😂
It would be a decent weapon with only a single end with a sickle.
I love ALL Shaiversity videos!!!! ❤
Basically the hook on the 21:09 sickle weapon made for hooking around Shields and chopping off the lamps basically evolved from a hedge cutting sickle a weapon evolved from a hedge cutting cycle Medford cutting thick branches from a hedge or Vines basically the weapon is supposed to like a chopping hooking a weapon
Hi guys! LOVE YOUR BOOK!!! Still waiting hopefully for 2nd. As to the topic of the sickles, you SHOULD have used it as a farm tool for an hour or two first. Then try to use it as a weapon. That’s how it was adapted in the first place. That would give you a basis for how to get the maximum effect, just like the farmers in the fields back then defending themselves from attack.
You don't harvest grain by hacking at it, you gather it into a bundle with one hand and slice it with the sickle.
I like curvy weapons and extendy staffs so I'm going to enjoy this.
Id really love to see them try forward curved blades that are meant to be weapons, like the kukri, falx and ginunting sword.
I stopped at 8:32 so I don't know if they talked about this but an advantage that the sickle has over other weapons is the hook design. Similar to using a fish hook to control a fish's movement, you can use the sickle to hook the opponent thus controlling their movement. You could could keep the enemy from retreating (especially if you're using the "Sickle Staff"), keep them within melee range which compensates for the reach especially if the other person has a longer range weapon which makes what they're wielding more or less useless or you could even throw the enemy onto the ground leaving them open for a follow-up and there's even the off chance that the sickle would tear through leaving a decent sized wound on the opponent. I can't think of many weapons take allow you to manipulate enemies in such a way which makes me love this weapon.
Edit: They compared to the Hook Blade. Enough said.
8:30 On the back-end the concentration of the force is better as it is a smaller impact site for the blade. In the inner part a lot more of the edge touches the target, so the force is spread out much more :D
Reasoning for the left handed, it is probably the best way to use it for farming too.
Grab the stalk and slash away, with the pointed end going away.
Though using the right give heavier hits, the pull away swing is the safer way to use it.
You could try going with a much longer staff (and possibly larger blades) and treating it like a greatsword/titansword; don't try to hit a point and stop, move the weapon continuously and bring its path through the target
If you pair a sickle with a short sword you can use the sickle as a hook to grab onto and pull you opponent toward you.
an interesting extra video idea perhaps for the cursed weapon rubric- make the cursed weapon and try it out as you normally do. and then try to add/change its features to make it more usable for something.....like for this one- just swap one of the sickles so both face forward alone would make this thing usable (a klingon halberd!).add a short opposing blade to catch incoming blades. fortify the blade from handle to mid to be able to push it into enemy's face (poke motion like a spear) etc
You better not be dissing the Dusk Dude.
I can see several potential ways to make this work very effectively, but only as a polearm, and not double. (Kind of like the real life war scythe, but not quite)