With these japanes sword you had just one or two chances to avoid the opponent because they do not or did not fight like the other nations do, so if you missed that mean the opponent got you in most cases , it was a short run not like those Turkish saber stuff you carry on for hourse if you have the energy.
The reason you couldn't cut through steel and stone is less about the katana and moreso due to your technique - you forgot to yell out the name of your attack and fuel your swings with the power of friendship.
lmao ur not wrong tho master samurai could cut through steel and stone but that's like after lifetimes of technique they couldn't cut thru smth like tanjiro did the huge bolder but yk
When Mythbusters did the Katana Vs Machine-gun Barrel, they broke every sword but one. That one was made by Angel Sword and cost over 3k US. Adam was so impressed, he bought the sword and it is on his shelf in his workshop. It was a very cool episode.
There was also an episode of Penn & Teller's Bulls**t series where they tested the myth of splitting bullets with a katana. To be fair, the katana did split the bullet in half... but so did a blunt ordinary butter knife.
I one saw a 409 year old, master crafted katana that a friend scored at a military antiques shop. The thing could cut a 3 inch rope like butter. Completely effortless and sharper than any edge I have ever seen.
@@MushroomMagpie The quality of the sword depends heavily on the steel used and the crafting method. I find hard to believe old steel and crafting is even close to modern.
The katana did actually cut through space & time, the problem is that they didn't have the highly specialized technical measuring equipment to detect lacerations is space & time. Also, Minkowski space is rapidly self-healing, so the cut would only be detectable for milliseconds before it had repaired itself. Good content & interesting video.
Space and time are actually only different directions within that one thing called spacetime. The question how to part spacetime into time and space depends on which if several bodies moving with respect to each other at constant velocity is to be the reference body which, by definition is considered at rest.
Wait what? That was just reckless, come on! Just imagine he didn't miss? The consequences would've been dire. Just the attempt scared the crap out of me. It's like pointing a fake firearm at someone as a joke. Not funny. Cheers from France! 🍻
I must fail Shadiversity on their testing standards. Everyone knows the way to optimize the cutting power of a katana is to... Wear a fedora and trench coat while using it. Time, space, and destiny itself will fall before its folded metals!
I'd go with a long white wig and a single black cardboard wing. Gives you divine powah, making you immune to everything except giant swords, while your katana can cut planets in half.
And you must remember the katana folded 1,000,000,000,000 is folded for the exact same reason a european sword was but they suck because they were only folded a few times. Really, there's only one reason to fold metal.
The myth of katanas being able to cut through swords always put me in mind of the scene in Men in Tights when Robin Hood meets Little John and their staves always break in the same way. If katanas could cut through swords, then two katanas cutting at each other would make each much shorter and it would be a fight of who could cut the other's closer to the hilt.
Actually, it is not really a myth , was swords capable of "cutting" other swords. First of all , the Damascus steel swords were famous for their durability and sharpness resistance. The same was the katana. You should inform yourself about how those were forged, a real samurai masterwork katana had over 30k layers of steel and carbon. Remember, medieval swords were mostly soft iron, sometimes only with the skirt tempered. At that time was very rare to find on battlefields realy good hardened steel, so in reality most swords was weak metal and with the rush of battles they got easily broken. Are documented history stories about smith's capable of forging the famous Damascus steel weapons and one of their weapons was payed their weight in gold (the weight of the smith not of the weapon, and realy I'm not joking). Is also important to say that are archeological documents of Damascus steel swords find in South India and are dated around 110AC to 60AC , practicaly more of 2k years ago, way first of the Damascus history of swords and classified the appearance of that tipe of steel in Asia. Remember also, the Damascus steel became famous in Europe in the medieval times. Ask yourself why.
In the ACTUAL folk-stories, Robin meets John Little as they both approach a footbridge. Robin is in disguise as a peddler, so he is carrying a staff as well as his bow. John is merely going about his day, and is unarmed except for his "hanger". They initially act with wary civility to one another, but each EXPECTS that "the better man" will be allowed to cross first. Robin explains that as he is armed with a bow, that MAKES him the better man, and John scorns him for a coward. So Robin puts aside his bow, and invites John to cut himself a staff. John steps off the track, bends and places one hand about a young growing oak that is wrist thick, grunts, and draws it from the earth roots and all, and proceeds to cut off the roots and branches. Robin begins to have doubts. 🤣🙂
I'm liking this format. Lord Shad having an initial assessment, what he wants to happen, having his chief armsmen testing the weapons for his military, getting reports along the way, some final words, a final segment.. Shad is making lemonade. BIG Like for this
@@machal9024 Well,1v1 scenarios the spear isnt that good, the spear Is much more useful for cohesive formations, but in 1v1 It isnt as good because it has some limitations and dificulties when fighting very close to your opponent, but Its still a very good weapon in general
@@machal9024 in games it depends - fe in medieval warfare games like Chivalry, or For Honour spears in hands of proficient opponent are easily one of the deadliest weapons.
I started following this channel years ago because I have a dear friend that bought into the katana myth so hard and I just wanted to prove him wrong. I stayed here because Shad is knowledgeable and fair in his analysis and is willing to admit bias and when even he is wrong. I've learned so much over the years. You guys are awesome!
That's not what they said. They said it was peoples misconception, how they felt about it is irrelevant. I mean I don't think they also felt the sword was a great way to climb walls either, know what I mean?
Can a katana cut through spacetime. - Shad swings the katana through the air - Shadiversity: "Nope, nothing happened, myth busted. The katana cannot cut through spacetime." One week later, while setting up for another video, one of the tripods is mysteriously cut in half, and the camera hits the ground.
Is it spacetime or space and time? One would result in the above, maybe slicing open portals like Virgil from DMC as well. The other might be more problematic. - Shad swings the katana at a melon, slicing it. *-Shad does not swing the katana at a melon.* ... -Shad drops the katana on accident. *-Shad does not drop the katana.* - -Shad considers dropping the katana, and then does so.- _-Shad considers dropping the katana but does not._ Shads (the plural of shad): "Damn"
@@judahboyd2107 It's definitely spacetime, the realm of events. Within NEWTONian mechanics (NM), time (i.e. the timespan between two events) is kind of invariant under change of the frame of reference but their spatial distance isn't unless they happen simultaneously at the same place or different places, due to GALILEI's (!) principle of relativity. Let's imagine I drink a glass of beer, staying "at the same place" with respect to Earth, within 6 minutes. ▪︎Using Earth as our reference body, the last swallow from the glass occurs in the same place as the first one. ▪︎Using a non-co- rotating reference frame, e.g. a plane flying westwards at 1000kmph (this is roughly the speed our latitude rotates at), my last swallow happens 100km "east" of my first one (since "west" and "east" refer to a co-rotating frame, it's a bit inaccurate). It gets even messier when we take into account that NM is only approximately true. Applying GALILEI to MAXWELL's electrodynamics leads us to EINSTEIN's Special Relativity where even the question whether two events happen simultaneously at two different places depends on the reference frame we use.
@@Dropship11 ahh but there you would be, a man with a sawed-off machine gun, and behind you a whole gaggle of angry Californian law-makers ready to take away your illegal gun and throw you in prison forever!
The katana was quite literally a backup weapon for samurai, they primarily used bows on horseback, when in melee combat they also preferred to use almost any other weapon, as is showcased in multiple Samurai bibliographies. In fact if you read a bibliography about one of them almost all Samurai say something along the lines of katanas only being back up weapons, or only being for people who couldn't shoot a bow.
I think the sharpness of a sword depends on the sharpening process. So if a sword isn't sharp, it is not on the sword, but on the person who sharpen the sword.
take this with a grain of salt since ive handled a grand total of 1 sword but I don’t think swords are supposed to be incredibly sharp because it they are razor sharp they will loose their sharpness quickly, plus against armor pretty much any sword will become a bludgeoning weapon
I've never known any katana legend that speaks on them being unbreakable or indestructible, contrary there's lots of legendary katanas that shatter in their own stories.
@@rey6708 depend on period. Btw this video are more like a joke to weebs i understand.. But, Its not really fair comparison. Katana is secondary weapon. Longsword are more close to Nodachi (japanese field sword used by Samurai). Which weight the same.
@@kingconstantinusthesadisti133 longswords have on average a similar weight so nope. its a fair comparison and yes ofc it depends on the time period but samurai never used guns as main weapons cause the same era the japanese importet guns they were abolished.
I always thought the "cuts through armour" myth was more a reflection of Japanese armour construction; it's small plates joined by silk. The myth is probably from swords cutting the binding of the plates, and into the gaps between the plates, more than cutting the plates themselves.
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This was a lot of fun to watch. As a Katana fanboy myself its good to see that even some of the naysayers will give it a fair shake. Its great for what it does and bad at what it wasn't meant to do. I feel like these sort of reviews should be done for a lot of other products as well. Too many people get so wrapped up in something they really like and think that other things are bad because it doesn't do what the want it to do. Even if it wasn't meant to do that at all. I'll still prefer Katana's over European swords because of how they look.
Don't forget Japanese castle walls use a base of unmortared stones, a thin blade could probably slide between them although it's a good way to wreck the sword you are GOING TO NEED at the top. Likewise the upper walls are usually plastered timber, so a blade would stick into that. A grappling hook and rope or a big ladder are still far better options than jabbing your sword into walls though.
I was thinking this. Now we need a Japanese Military Historian to do research if this ever happened or was attempted because that would be an incredible story.
@@Kio_Kurashi 3 swords if they were carrying their tanto seppuku blade with them, the other is the wakizashi, a slightly shorter blade for fighting indoors, the tanto would by far be the best for use as a climbing tool with its short blade, the other 2 were too long and would act like levers and be likely to bend or break since you can only hold them by the hilt since i'm pretty sure samurai had no palm protection even with their armored gloves i believe the palms were left bare so you could grip the sword hilt properly.
I love though that they weren't saying it's a bad sword. They said that they're doing stuff that you wouldn't normally do, and that it is a good weapon for its purpose
@@christianmartires729 They're only really mocking the heightened expectations though, and not the fact that the sword is indeed actually sharp and good at what it's specifically made for: hacking up unarmored foes.
All swords that did make it into the battlefield more than once are good. But each sword is as good as the materials made, the skills of the smith, and the one using it.
I would just like to point out that Tyranth really commited to the intro bit and needs an extra round of applause. Not only because they probably needed to do a duck ton of takes on that bowshot, but also because he had a fly sitting on his face. If my memories of flies in Australia are accurate in any way, this bugger of a buzzer must've been sooooo annoying trying to get moisture. So again, hats off to you good sir.
Shad fact of the day: A katana cannot normally cut through space and time, however Shad has such a perfect cut he managed to squeeze the blade in between atomic particles without disturbing them. Dividing the indivisible has resulted in a 0 divided by 0 error, effectively cutting space time.
I'm in fact: when you sharpen something it's not actually technically very different. Cutting-edge nearly focus is the strike, silly sharp attack is just a blunt force attack but on the really really small surface area, and stabbing with a point is even smaller surface area. Therefore when you cut something a hard you're basically smashing it on a really small scale, so cutting through a gun barrel is like smashing it to the point it's broken into two pieces. It doesn't matter how sharp the katana is, if it is going to cut something it is going to take a certain amount of force, it's just less Force when it's. Therefore someone that can swim really good can cut through something, Gladwin us regular people try it we would fail.
the katana might not be as good as people say but it's so beautiful that's a point it has against normal swords normal swords most of the time dont look as good as the katana does
The ironic thing is that the katana in anime isn't as celebrated as you may think. In super robot anime from tge '70s and '80s the final weapon is almost always some kind of european style longsword, just look at the swords wielded by Great Mazinger, Voltes V, Daltanias, Dancouga, God Sigma, Golion/Voltron etc.
ARX, you basically said it yourself. The robots are strong and rather slow. So a thick, powerful longsword is great. The katana doesn't fit their style, that's reserved for sleek, sexy humans/robots.
they come from the same "mith" that say longsword, or west sword in general, are bulky and heavy . the same problem with most games , they think west sword are with no style or form , just pure barbarian full strenght swings.
@@algomez8563 ....Well, I know in gundam wing, plasma swords usually the sword of cus far future space combat and lightsabers just scream more high tech. I think the katana = lightsaber comes from Ruroni Kenshin, Samurai Jack, and Zoro of One piece. Which kinda funny I know that two of those characters could do super superhuman feats with any other weapon
Katanas in anime are mostly limited to fantasy samurai anime like Demon Slayer. I mean, even Inuyasha doesn't use a katana, his sword is more a giant scimitar. And in many anime it works like it did in real life, as a ceremonial dual weapon, not a battle blade to take to war. Most samurai in wars would use oodachi and spears, never katana. Katanas were for duels between individual samurai or, most often and realistically, for mere display in court, like part of the dressing.
Radical Katana Mythos Defenders: "You never tested anything that you said was untrue!" Shad: "So today we will be testing everything I said was untrue..." Radical Katana Mythos Defenders: "NO NO NO NO NO! WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT!"
I hate katanas but there are problems with their testing like when they weighed them. You can see both hands at all times for the katana but not for the other two swords, also they didnt show the weight. Also why test everything on a single sword. Once its damaged its going to perform worse on the next test and the next.
@@Erligan ill buy them a couple super cheap ones so that they can prove just how bad katanas are. I actually dont like katanas so i would enjoy watching them just beat the to hell in these kinds of tests
@@MikeHawkaMildlyStank "hate katanas" or "hate the mythologization of katanas"? Because hating the design of a weapon model is merely personal preference, and in such a case seems really weird.
Clearly, if the Katana fails to cut through literally anything, it’s the fault of the sword-user, not the sword. Shad, it’s time to go on an anime training arc if you want to cut space and time.
@@patlauron But cutting through flesh is the goal of every sword, not only Katanas. They were testing all the myths that people claim over and over again about Katanas and how they can "cut another sword, the armour and the arm of a guy in one swing".
So If they go to cut through lets say an anvil with a katana and they fail, it's the fault of the sword-user? Swords of pretty much any type are not meant to cut through metal armor, hence why both western and Japanese sword techniques include half-swording techniques
The silk drop test reminds me of the legend of Gram, a Nordic sword. After Regin had forged it, he went to a nearby brook and held the blade in the water. Then he dropped a bit of unspun wool on the surface and let the current carry it to the edge which cut it in two. I like that visual better.
Isn’t Gram the sword of Beowulf? Edit: had an itch and double checked. It’s the sword of Sigurd! Now I need to bust out the legends of Sigurd and Gudrun
I like this format where Shad is giving information separate from the others. It feels like I'm getting twice the information and that Shad's actually getting the reduction of workload that he needed.
Katana was more of a ceremonial or last ditch weapon anyway. The metal used (Tamahagane) holds up well to age and rust and is a handy weapon against light or unarmored targets, its cutting ability is very reliable. The cons are that it's not as strong as other steels and the metal is harder and more time consuming to make. Samurai moreso focused on archery, spear work, and cavalry as their bread and butter.
The pacing and editing on this video was distinctly different from usual, and in a good way. I’m sure it’s a lot more work but it really works well, I like the cutting between Shad giving us cool facts and the actual tests.
I really like this structure! Jumping back and forth between different, smaller pairings or just one of you guys testing or explaining a detail definitely helps me keep track of it. Don't get me wrong, I love when all three of you lads get going, you can feel the excitement and passion from your conversations, but sometimes it is a bit hard for me to follow. So this mythbuster style where it's more segmented while still getting all the personality and information? This is awesome.
That was a great mythbusting guys! My only gripe is the attempt to cut through Space-Time, that was just extremely reckless and dangerous. You can't joke about that I decided. Cheers from France team! 🍻
Right off the bat, first test showed you that the Katana you received was not up to previously mentioned standards.....so you then used it as a benchmark 🤦♂️ you put a subpar blade mixed with subpar techniques to prove that you have a bias 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 good job
I really REALLY like the format of this video. I loved how it cut from Shad talking about the more technical side of things to the mythbuster-esce tests, then feeding back and forth like that. I feel like I learnt somethings, but also had lots of fun doing it. Top vid 10/10, it's nice to see Shad not running himself ragged
Pffftttt, this is a $400 mass-produced katana. If you want to slice through other swords, car doors, and stone, you need a 2000 year old katana crafted in a volcano from meteorite metal by a 7th generation Japanese swordsmith.
One little correcting there. When you block with the katana, the blade should face downwards. Japanese blades and the tsuba is not really used in the way medieval swords are. By the way, the two swords simply cannot be compared to each other as both of them were created for completely other purposes. They are two different worlds.
@@KRAT0S_son_of_zeus depends on which type of japanese sword we're talking about. Katana swords are not exactly meant for fighting. It is more of a symbol of high social status. Perfect to warn everybody around you, who you were and to demand respect. They kept those away from any kind of harm, that's we have japanese swords that are hundreds of years old, and are still in perfect shape. It's not like as if those blades were fragile or something, they simply didn't want to waste those katanas they put so much work into.
i love katanas. a lot. i even have been training kenjutsu for a while and really like videos like this that show and bust myths without directly degrading the sword. a lot of things can be easily explained as to ''why'' but to all honestly i wouldnt say katana is the best sword there is but, it is among best for what it is supposed to be good at. and just to add i personally love more weight added to the top and some to closer to the tsuba while id leave middle the lightest for some balance and still easiness in moving, but weight to tip for preference.
Seeing Tyranth being so enthusiastic about the katana I can't help but smile. It's so wholesome. I hope you'll buy the crimson one and bring it to show in some videos and streams)
I just love the overall aesthetic more than anything else. I admire their beauty and elegance, whilst recognising the ridiculous mythology that has been formed around them.
I agree. Any way you look at it, a katana is a good sword but at the end of the day it's a steel blade. There's simply no way to make a steel blade do the mythical things ascribed to katanas. That said, as someone who appreciates swords but doesn't really train with them, it may be the "best" sword for someone with little to no experience in the event of the zombie apocalypse. It's long enough to provide reasonable reach but not too long to easily carry, it's heavy enough to strike a hard blow but light enough to wield easily, it has a good compromise cut-and-thrust blade, and it can be used effectively with one or two hands. Indeed, I think a lot of people pick up a katana and immediately think, "Yeah, I could use that" more so than most other swords. Perhaps that's the secret to its popularity.
@@itsapittie While the extra heft of a katana is a considerable detriment for weaker users, I would imagine that the extra width of the blade would make for more forgiving cutting angles
@@dirtydanthesecretsauceman8519 Admittedly I'm stronger than most people but I still think most adults wouldn't find the weight of a katana problematic. The width and curve certainly help with edge alignment.
it is so hard to watch you destroy it, but also so good to see the myths being take apart and that different swords are just as good, depending on ones fighting style.
I would be pissed if they destroyed a master forged proper katana, good luck getting one though especially less than 3-5k a lesser forger with alot going 7-14k and not just a cheap cut steel knockoff like they used.
@@nichtsicher422 No it would not be, there is a distinctive difference between cheap cut steel and actual properly forged swords......................... What youy are getting at is showing you know very little think before you type.
@@nocturnal101ravenous6All the issues, which appeared are due to design of the blade and pure physics. Smash a thick blade on a thin blade and the thin blade will break/bend every time. No kind of forging will change that. A “properly forged sword” won’t get immediately lighter, because a old master has touched it and the “guard” of the Katana won’t get better for parrying as well. Still: In which test do you think a 15k or 90k Katana would have way (?) better results? Edit: Btw. the steel in this sword is most probably better than the Steel of the majority of the historical Katanas.
I love stuff like this, talking about historical weaponry and their modern day cultural impact, as well as misconceptions and such. I also like drawing stuff, and a habit of mine is to get as much detail and accuracy possible in my sketches. This is like taking notes for a test I myself made.
Fun fact did you know that the white bumpy stuff on the handle is stingray skin traditionally but normally on cheep katanas like the one in this vid it’s plastic
Glad to always see more videos about putting to practice to debunk the myths around this sword, and I love this sword but it's so painful to see so many people online believing all of the misinformation and myths surrounding it and spreading them even more, good job as always
Its a pretty good sword for cutting. saying its bad against armor when most sword are even axes its just dumb. also not worse than the Lonsword in a 1v1 duel only rapiers are superior to both of them.
@@lordenvincarit not bad against armor but there are weapons out there that way better to use against armor like axes and maces, depends on what type we are talking about a wood cutter axe is not meant for combat in mind, but if we are talking pole axes or dane axes than you get lot more armor piercing potential if you land a good hit and even if the axe don't pierce the armor it's still gonna hurt like hell and if you nail sombody hard in the head even with helmet it a big chanse that your gonna give them an concussion or know them out cold.
@@funnyjupiter4499 Even if axes/ maces/polearms are the better choice against armor you still need a lot of hits to put a knigth down. in Hema competitions with full plate armor they can use two handed axes and hit each other pretty hard whitout problems thats how bad you have it against real armor. knights were battlefield tanks.
As far as the myth of bamboo. I consider the beautiful clean slice of the Katana to be much better. It was absolutely beautiful seeing it cut through the bamboo...🎉❤️🔥😍
This is why I prefer the Tachi over the Katana, i mean edge down and the weight is heavier and the length is also longer and not to mention "Tachi" are meant for open field combat, not a sword that is used in peace time.
Now I have the most destructive and challenging question: what happens, if a Knight throws a Pommel and a Katana tries to cut it mid-air? Would that let the universe implode and repeat the creational process of the universe as it was back then and let things evolve the same way until this point just to let everything repeat itself in all eternity?
when you have good edge alignment the piece of tatami doesnt go flying to the side ... it lands on the tatami and falls at the base of the tatami ... so not really
Admittedly I don't know much about castles, but in regards to the last myth of climbing the castle wall. If used at all, I would imagine the katana would have been aimed at the sections between the stone to dig into the mortar. Would guess that would have been much easier to pierce than the stone itself.
I think I read the Japanese rock walls were not made using mortar due to the frequent earthquakes which would damage walls that could not move and resettle. They used smaller rocks in the gaps between large rocks so they wouldn’t have footholds but could allow earthquakes to pass through without destroying the walls. Perhaps there was enough space for a sword to be stabbed in between the large rocks where the small rocks did not fill every space? Basically what you were describing but I wonder if they would be willing to possibly damage their swords to use to to climb. If it was a ninja, they might use claws on brass knuckles or a couple of kunai throwing daggers which might be tougher to damage.
That would be impossible with actual Japanese castles. Go see the stone fit... it's impossible. This is bs from an older anime, the name escapes me, late 80's possibly early 90's production.
@@aserta admittedly I’m no expert on castles and probably seen more anime than real castles in Japan(can count on one hand 🤚 the number of castles I’ve visited in Japan over many trips) so won’t dispute more expert opinions. Where have you studied Japanese castle wall building?
I was listening to Musashi's book of five rings today and I wondered what you'd make of his techniques. It's generally about ending duels in 1 or 2 moves. He won over 60 duels in single combat so I guess he knew what he was doing. Although did also like spears, halberds and oars sometimes
TBF, he used an oar cause his opponent in the duel had an odachi, and they were fighting on a beach, so Musashi couldn't use the environment as an advantage.
Mushashi was the MMA of sword fighting tradition. He stuck to reality and won his duels by not being indoctrinated into artsy traditions and instead by doing what actually works. He was an intelligent individual and also a massive troll. Gotta love the guy. He was not however an award winning author. 🤣
Keep in mind, duels around the world are usually under 30 seconds, that part isnt unique to musashi at all, thats just how it goes. The impressive part is winning so consistently.
I actually really like that "bar of steel" as you call it. I think cheap but functional weapons like that are highly underrated. I'd also feel much more comfortable defending myself with that than any one of those katanas. To summarize a quote by Jeremy Clarkson, the fastest car in the world is a rental.
It reminds me of a Roman gladius - very easy to use and very powerful for stabbing. And the gladius, after all, was the sword that allowed the Roman Empire to conquer Europe.
Of someone was coming at me with a bat, I'd take that bar of steel over any sword. :P I don't much think it matter if you chop a head halfway, or clean off... dead is dead. However I'd trust a studier weapon with my life.
Everyone loves fancy cutters but true power lies in durability, simple physics and easy handling. U can quiet easy mess up a cut….my mace dont care wich flanch bites into steel or flesh. Mace/warhammer > everything else
@@SchwarzArbeit I think hema style light sparing in general does a disserve to heavier weapons. Directional parries that function going at 30% power just aren't going to have the mass to shift the momentum with a harder swing. Hell just look at things like the Kanabo.
Love the scientific approach in this video. Myths truly busted and very fairly. The climbing walls by stabbing into stone😂 I've seen them used to get up a wall but it was in the sheath (keyboard warriors get ready to attack my lack of knowledge in the naming department) and it was balanced against the wall using the shape of the cross guard to help it stay stable and then used as sort of a step, then they used the ribbon/rope bit that you sometimes see on the hilt to pull it up after; it did give the guy a decent leg up tbf Love your content and would like to say a massive thanks to everyone that supports you. I dont have the cash to give you and feel like a moocher so here's me clearing my conscience a little and saying a genuine thank you to your supporters, your sponsors and finally you guys
People who know sword play would agree with me. #1 Thier are maybe a few people in this world who know how to make an original katana who have been given the proper knowledge of making one from scratch making it bye hand. #2 A true sword maker in Ancient Japan would be given high praise in their community and the country. #3 The true method used for testing a katana in Ancient Japan was the slicing through bone, even testing it on a living person. #4 Thee myth behind the folding of the blade true master sword makers would know that making a proper blade that 10 folds, the blade will have 1024 layers. This actually makes the blade weaker, returned to the original strength. The toughness does not increase by further folding, in actuality Folded Once - folded in half Dramatically improved the toughness impact value. #5 In actuality and also possibly a proper made blade could cut through steel maybe one time given how much power and speed you could thrust the the blade. #6 The sharpness of the blade including the ege you could into could cut Silk if done correctly in ancient Japan they would use horse hair to measure the sharpness. #7 Only if you could properly combine all these abilities you would be considered a true sword maker. As well as having flexibility in the blade that was created. So I ask anyone out thier dose anyone know anybody that could combine all the nesscery abilities including your self?
I like this "Mythbusters" team format too. One quibble: Blocking with the Tsuba hand-guard can't work if you use a European cross-guard technique. Katana defense was done differently, protecting the hands mostly with the blade angle and body movement. The Katana was never designed to "catch" swords with it's guard, or to be fired like an AR-15, etc. Many sword-hilts can't "catch" blades either, like the Roman Gladius and "Viking" Swords, both designed for use behind shields.
They did address that quickly at 10:21 in case you missed it. Although I agree that they could've done a little more research, and gone into a bit more detail about how it's supposed to be used.
@@fitemeirlm8069 And you'd have had it saves more time with a proper guard. It's like a cheap pair of safety glasses. It's great at protecting your eyes, until it doesn't.
I think most of the hype of the katana is the culture it has. Like if I remember correctly the Katana was seen is the soul of the samurai warrior. Unlike like other swords that were seen as a tool, the katana had a whole culture set around it. Of course modern movies and that helped but I think the reason it’s so iconic was it’s original culture. Tho that’s what I remember, correct me if I’m wrong
It get exaggerated in media for dramatic effect just like kung-fu. Sure trained martial artists can do impressive stuff but to believe they can actually fly though the air, deflect bullets and punch through a tank is a very different thing.
It's worth noting that antique swords from the muromachi period often had narrower hamon than later swords meant to look pretty (so the section of the edge that was hardened to a high hardness was narrower) and the blade geometry was in an appleseed shape, thicker near the edge (also called "niku" or "meat", for a meaty edge...), which would have given the edges significantly more durability for sword on sword contact and, given the cutting dynamics of a katana (tip heavy with more inertia, rigid blade...) would impact its cutting ability relatively little. These cutting dynamics also allow it to be a more effective blunt force trauma weapon against armor (especially against the head and shoulders), and its rigidity allows it to deliver more force in thrusts making it more effective at bursting open mail rings (similar to how rondel daggers do it with their thick blades). Of course, this is much less effective than bypassing the mail rings entirely with a slender tip, but it's far from useless. Tsuba from this era were also larger in diameter (and generally less elaborate in design and more solid than some elaborate designs with artistic gaps) and would be both more resistant and more protective.
@@onri_ Not as much as you think, metallurgical studies done on antiques show that the traditional forging process resulted in remarkably homogeneous steel. Certainly not as homogenous as modern steels, but often homogenous enough that the blade's behavior would be similar to modern layered and differentially hardened blades under stress. Here's one such study where you can see pictures of the micro and macro structures of a modern and 600 year old katana compared, as well as some of their mechanical properties like hardness distribution: www.nihontomessageboard.com/articles/Study_of_Japanese_sword_from_a_viewpoint_of_steel_strength.pdf
Grab ‘The Katana Isn’t Magic’ T-Shirt NOW on our Merch Store!
shadiversity.creator-spring.com/listing/the-katana-isn-t-magic-tee
Gigashad.😎
you should have cut a calendar at the end
With these japanes sword you had just one or two chances to avoid the opponent because they do not or did not fight like the other nations do, so if you missed that mean the opponent got you in most cases , it was a short run not like those Turkish saber stuff you carry on for hourse if you have the energy.
That Mythbusters intro. Gods I love and miss those guys.
What if ancient katana's where crafted better and would have held up better.
The reason you couldn't cut through steel and stone is less about the katana and moreso due to your technique - you forgot to yell out the name of your attack and fuel your swings with the power of friendship.
had me in the first half ngl
Family power
And they didn't have enough of a tragic backstory to explain their motivations to the audience either
gotta have a breathing technique for that
lmao
ur not wrong tho master samurai could cut through steel and stone but that's like after lifetimes of technique
they couldn't cut thru smth like tanjiro did the huge bolder but yk
Just 100% full on embracing the Mythbusters style. I love it and love this.
Well its not like they're using it anymore!
It is a good style to embrace.
Only thing missing is the red head and the robots.
Let's call it "medieval busters".
Agreed, good format!
When Mythbusters did the Katana Vs Machine-gun Barrel, they broke every sword but one. That one was made by Angel Sword and cost over 3k US. Adam was so impressed, he bought the sword and it is on his shelf in his workshop. It was a very cool episode.
There was also an episode of Penn & Teller's Bulls**t series where they tested the myth of splitting bullets with a katana. To be fair, the katana did split the bullet in half... but so did a blunt ordinary butter knife.
I've never seen that one. Did they heat the barrel before cutting?
I one saw a 409 year old, master crafted katana that a friend scored at a military antiques shop.
The thing could cut a 3 inch rope like butter. Completely effortless and sharper than any edge I have ever seen.
@@MushroomMagpie The quality of the sword depends heavily on the steel used and the crafting method. I find hard to believe old steel and crafting is even close to modern.
Most of the myths are based on the one year to craft, $100,000, masamune blades. Hard to really test, but love the video.
The katana did actually cut through space & time, the problem is that they didn't have the highly specialized technical measuring equipment to detect lacerations is space & time. Also, Minkowski space is rapidly self-healing, so the cut would only be detectable for milliseconds before it had repaired itself.
Good content & interesting video.
That's relative.
@j.d.4697 very good! 👏🏻😄
Can't believe Shad missed both Space and Time on that swing.
He was so close too,almost got a glancing hit on Time
yah he should have got one of the two. clearly he was just not trying. :)
Space and time are actually only different directions within that one thing called spacetime.
The question how to part spacetime into time and space depends on which if several bodies moving with respect to each other at constant velocity is to be the reference body which, by definition is considered at rest.
He almost hit Time, but then he changed his name to Olivera...
Wait what?
That was just reckless, come on!
Just imagine he didn't miss? The consequences would've been dire.
Just the attempt scared the crap out of me.
It's like pointing a fake firearm at someone as a joke. Not funny.
Cheers from France! 🍻
Space is a master of the Five D's is why
I must fail Shadiversity on their testing standards. Everyone knows the way to optimize the cutting power of a katana is to... Wear a fedora and trench coat while using it. Time, space, and destiny itself will fall before its folded metals!
Bonus points if you wear a cool scarf and stand in a place with alot of wind.
@@HexagonThatReallyLikesVinegar And saying the magic phrase "I'm sorry master but I have to go all out... Just this once."
I'd go with a long white wig and a single black cardboard wing. Gives you divine powah, making you immune to everything except giant swords, while your katana can cut planets in half.
*tips hat*
M'destiny.
And you must remember the katana folded 1,000,000,000,000 is folded for the exact same reason a european sword was but they suck because they were only folded a few times. Really, there's only one reason to fold metal.
It's great that Shad is actually like a lord with his own men now. Only thing that's missing is the boys calling him m'lord
Winter is coming.
Just need someone for him to call 'mi'lady' and tip a fedora to. :)
@@masterridley8593beat me to it lol
@@masterridley8593 He's literally a white knight
The myth of katanas being able to cut through swords always put me in mind of the scene in Men in Tights when Robin Hood meets Little John and their staves always break in the same way. If katanas could cut through swords, then two katanas cutting at each other would make each much shorter and it would be a fight of who could cut the other's closer to the hilt.
maybe hit them by side, but looked the chunky blade is a bit getting cut through by katana.
Actually, it is not really a myth , was swords capable of "cutting" other swords. First of all , the Damascus steel swords were famous for their durability and sharpness resistance. The same was the katana. You should inform yourself about how those were forged, a real samurai masterwork katana had over 30k layers of steel and carbon. Remember, medieval swords were mostly soft iron, sometimes only with the skirt tempered. At that time was very rare to find on battlefields realy good hardened steel, so in reality most swords was weak metal and with the rush of battles they got easily broken. Are documented history stories about smith's capable of forging the famous Damascus steel weapons and one of their weapons was payed their weight in gold (the weight of the smith not of the weapon, and realy I'm not joking).
Is also important to say that are archeological documents of Damascus steel swords find in South India and are dated around 110AC to 60AC , practicaly more of 2k years ago, way first of the Damascus history of swords and classified the appearance of that tipe of steel in Asia. Remember also, the Damascus steel became famous in Europe in the medieval times. Ask yourself why.
@@calinmarius5344 lol, sure...
The weapon doesn't make the warrior. Better constructed weapons perform better but that is far from being a consistant advantage in conflict.
In the ACTUAL folk-stories, Robin meets John Little as they both approach a footbridge. Robin is in disguise as a peddler, so he is carrying a staff as well as his bow. John is merely going about his day, and is unarmed except for his "hanger". They initially act with wary civility to one another, but each EXPECTS that "the better man" will be allowed to cross first. Robin explains that as he is armed with a bow, that MAKES him the better man, and John scorns him for a coward.
So Robin puts aside his bow, and invites John to cut himself a staff.
John steps off the track, bends and places one hand about a young growing oak that is wrist thick, grunts, and draws it from the earth roots and all, and proceeds to cut off the roots and branches.
Robin begins to have doubts.
🤣🙂
I'm liking this format. Lord Shad having an initial assessment, what he wants to happen, having his chief armsmen testing the weapons for his military, getting reports along the way, some final words, a final segment..
Shad is making lemonade. BIG Like for this
The katana gets far more love and far more hate than it truly deserves.
Spears are on second side. In videogames or movies or novels, the spears arw uneffective weapons for siple soldiers.
@@machal9024 Well,1v1 scenarios the spear isnt that good, the spear Is much more useful for cohesive formations, but in 1v1 It isnt as good because it has some limitations and dificulties when fighting very close to your opponent, but Its still a very good weapon in general
@@machal9024 Enter God of War Ragnarok
@@DanielLopez-bu6kn even 1v1 spears are very good
ua-cam.com/video/uLLv8E2pWdk/v-deo.html
@@machal9024 in games it depends - fe in medieval warfare games like Chivalry, or For Honour spears in hands of proficient opponent are easily one of the deadliest weapons.
I started following this channel years ago because I have a dear friend that bought into the katana myth so hard and I just wanted to prove him wrong. I stayed here because Shad is knowledgeable and fair in his analysis and is willing to admit bias and when even he is wrong. I've learned so much over the years. You guys are awesome!
Tsuba is supposed to prevent your hand from sliding to the blade and cut yourself, NOT to be used as a "microshield" or crossguard
They know that many misconceptions
That's not what they said. They said it was peoples misconception, how they felt about it is irrelevant. I mean I don't think they also felt the sword was a great way to climb walls either, know what I mean?
So it is even worse
I also read that tsuba is supposed to prevent (or at least delay) the enemies' blood from slipping into your hand and makes you lose grip.
There are a many katana experts that would 100% disagree with that, I watched one earlier today that has been using em for 40 years.
They really are just full on becoming mythbusters 2 medieval boogaloo
I see this as an absolute win. :D
Can a katana cut through spacetime.
- Shad swings the katana through the air -
Shadiversity: "Nope, nothing happened, myth busted. The katana cannot cut through spacetime."
One week later, while setting up for another video, one of the tripods is mysteriously cut in half, and the camera hits the ground.
Is it spacetime or space and time? One would result in the above, maybe slicing open portals like Virgil from DMC as well. The other might be more problematic.
- Shad swings the katana at a melon, slicing it.
*-Shad does not swing the katana at a melon.*
...
-Shad drops the katana on accident.
*-Shad does not drop the katana.*
- -Shad considers dropping the katana, and then does so.-
_-Shad considers dropping the katana but does not._
Shads (the plural of shad): "Damn"
@@judahboyd2107 "Spacetime" is colloquial but either are correct these days :)
@@3nertia
"Spacetime" is the correct term because the question of what even is space and what even is time depends on the reference frame you use.
@@judahboyd2107
It's definitely spacetime, the realm of events. Within NEWTONian mechanics (NM), time (i.e. the timespan between two events) is kind of invariant under change of the frame of reference but their spatial distance isn't unless they happen simultaneously at the same place or different places, due to GALILEI's (!) principle of relativity.
Let's imagine I drink a glass of beer, staying "at the same place" with respect to Earth, within 6 minutes.
▪︎Using Earth as our reference body, the last swallow from the glass occurs in the same place as the first one.
▪︎Using a non-co- rotating reference frame, e.g. a plane flying westwards at 1000kmph (this is roughly the speed our latitude rotates at), my last swallow happens 100km "east" of my first one (since "west" and "east" refer to a co-rotating frame, it's a bit inaccurate).
It gets even messier when we take into account that NM is only approximately true. Applying GALILEI to MAXWELL's electrodynamics leads us to EINSTEIN's Special Relativity where even the question whether two events happen simultaneously at two different places depends on the reference frame we use.
@@jensphiliphohmann1876 It's "spacetime" because space and time are linked. You cannot move through space without also moving through time lol
As a bladesmith, I am questioning the heat treat of this particular katana. But on the other hand...the katana is a tool, not a magic wand.
As a gunsmith, I love the myth that it can cut through a machinegun barrel. Won't stop the machinegun from working. Just give you a shorter barrel.
@@Dropship11 But wait! It would draw the ire of the ATF, a fate worse than death!
@@Dropship11 exactly. What are you gonna do? Pull an anime and slice through the entire gun before "disarming" the person using it?
@@Dropship11 ahh but there you would be, a man with a sawed-off machine gun, and behind you a whole gaggle of angry Californian law-makers ready to take away your illegal gun and throw you in prison forever!
@@masonh9147 Nice
The katana was quite literally a backup weapon for samurai, they primarily used bows on horseback, when in melee combat they also preferred to use almost any other weapon, as is showcased in multiple Samurai bibliographies. In fact if you read a bibliography about one of them almost all Samurai say something along the lines of katanas only being back up weapons, or only being for people who couldn't shoot a bow.
Yeah mostly used medieval weapon of choice was spears
Who else is loving Tyranth’s costume design change with the studded leather epaulettes
old one better tbh
Oh yeah. He needs the costume upgrade. If only to match Shad and Nate.
Is there a katana sharp enough to cut through the weird obsession with this one blade style?
Survey says: No
Katana requires 3 sword style to be fully effective.
@@MushroomMagpie 9 sword style if youre skilled enough
@@blank-mq8ef Requiring a lifetime to master a single sword style.
I think the sharpness of a sword depends on the sharpening process. So if a sword isn't sharp, it is not on the sword, but on the person who sharpen the sword.
take this with a grain of salt since ive handled a grand total of 1 sword but I don’t think swords are supposed to be incredibly sharp because it they are razor sharp they will loose their sharpness quickly, plus against armor pretty much any sword will become a bludgeoning weapon
Beyond the Mythbusters homage, I love the constant jumps between myths and review. It means that neither section dominates the video.
The editing is indeed getting... sharp.
😎
YYYYYEEEEAAAAHHHH
Shad’s look slowly going from Arthur to Merlin is beautiful
Bro ages like fine tequila
Preach brother 🙏🙏
I've never known any katana legend that speaks on them being unbreakable or indestructible, contrary there's lots of legendary katanas that shatter in their own stories.
its mostly western people that believe that shit. fans that watched to much anime.
Katana itself are secondary weapon for samurai.
They use guns.
@@kingconstantinusthesadisti133 nope, the samurai weapon was the bow.
@@rey6708 depend on period. Btw this video are more like a joke to weebs i understand..
But, Its not really fair comparison. Katana is secondary weapon.
Longsword are more close to Nodachi (japanese field sword used by Samurai). Which weight the same.
@@kingconstantinusthesadisti133 longswords have on average a similar weight so nope. its a fair comparison and yes ofc it depends on the time period but samurai never used guns as main weapons cause the same era the japanese importet guns they were abolished.
I always thought the "cuts through armour" myth was more a reflection of Japanese armour construction; it's small plates joined by silk.
The myth is probably from swords cutting the binding of the plates, and into the gaps between the plates, more than cutting the plates themselves.
“Can a katana cut through armor or SPACE AND TIME?”
Armor? Maybe
But space and time? Only if you’re **MOTIVATED** enough.
Vergil approves
It’s all about the “chi” you put behind it.
Only if you refuse to gain power.
I AM THE STORM THAT IS *_APROOOOAAACHIIING!_*
*_PROVOOOOKING_* BLACK CLOUDS IN ISOLATION!
I AM RECLAIMER OF MY *_NAAAAAAAAME!_*
BORN IN FLAMES, I HAVE BEEN BLESSED!
MY FAMILY CREST IS A *_DEMON OF DEATH!_*
Schum
This was a lot of fun to watch. As a Katana fanboy myself its good to see that even some of the naysayers will give it a fair shake. Its great for what it does and bad at what it wasn't meant to do. I feel like these sort of reviews should be done for a lot of other products as well. Too many people get so wrapped up in something they really like and think that other things are bad because it doesn't do what the want it to do. Even if it wasn't meant to do that at all. I'll still prefer Katana's over European swords because of how they look.
Don't forget Japanese castle walls use a base of unmortared stones, a thin blade could probably slide between them although it's a good way to wreck the sword you are GOING TO NEED at the top. Likewise the upper walls are usually plastered timber, so a blade would stick into that. A grappling hook and rope or a big ladder are still far better options than jabbing your sword into walls though.
Also just considering the length of a sword blade, it's not exactly a wieldy tool for climbing anything at all.
Also remember, Samurai carried 2 swords. Can't imagine why they'd need two if one is already ripping through space and time.
I was thinking this. Now we need a Japanese Military Historian to do research if this ever happened or was attempted because that would be an incredible story.
@@Kio_Kurashi
One to climb the wall, the other to rend space and time - obviously.
@@Kio_Kurashi 3 swords if they were carrying their tanto seppuku blade with them, the other is the wakizashi, a slightly shorter blade for fighting indoors, the tanto would by far be the best for use as a climbing tool with its short blade, the other 2 were too long and would act like levers and be likely to bend or break since you can only hold them by the hilt since i'm pretty sure samurai had no palm protection even with their armored gloves i believe the palms were left bare so you could grip the sword hilt properly.
I love though that they weren't saying it's a bad sword. They said that they're doing stuff that you wouldn't normally do, and that it is a good weapon for its purpose
Its called sarcasm. They're close to calling it garbage and people should stop making them. Hell, they're making fun of weebs too LMAO
@@christianmartires729 in the same vein though, why are they still making longswords?
@@christianmartires729 They're only really mocking the heightened expectations though, and not the fact that the sword is indeed actually sharp and good at what it's specifically made for: hacking up unarmored foes.
All swords that did make it into the battlefield more than once are good. But each sword is as good as the materials made, the skills of the smith, and the one using it.
Yeah because that apply to all the human has created
That sickened look Tyranth had when he first saw the damage to the katana... Visible heart break
Education and entertainment all in one awesome video. Well done you guys!
"Even tear through the fabric of space and time itself!"
I mean that's less about the katana and more about MOTIVATION!
_happy Vergil noises_
I would just like to point out that Tyranth really commited to the intro bit and needs an extra round of applause. Not only because they probably needed to do a duck ton of takes on that bowshot, but also because he had a fly sitting on his face. If my memories of flies in Australia are accurate in any way, this bugger of a buzzer must've been sooooo annoying trying to get moisture. So again, hats off to you good sir.
I actually went back to rewatch that part. I missed it the first time. That's hilarious and also impressive.
Shad fact of the day:
A katana cannot normally cut through space and time, however Shad has such a perfect cut he managed to squeeze the blade in between atomic particles without disturbing them. Dividing the indivisible has resulted in a 0 divided by 0 error, effectively cutting space time.
Nah he just imported the Yamato from the devil may cry 5 files onto q isb drive wich he super glued into the grip of the katana
I'm in fact: when you sharpen something it's not actually technically very different. Cutting-edge nearly focus is the strike, silly sharp attack is just a blunt force attack but on the really really small surface area, and stabbing with a point is even smaller surface area. Therefore when you cut something a hard you're basically smashing it on a really small scale, so cutting through a gun barrel is like smashing it to the point it's broken into two pieces. It doesn't matter how sharp the katana is, if it is going to cut something it is going to take a certain amount of force, it's just less Force when it's. Therefore someone that can swim really good can cut through something, Gladwin us regular people try it we would fail.
Shad just isn't MOTIVATED enough
Shad==Chuck Norris
Kinda like that one scene from the OPM webcomic of atomic samurai trying to test king
the katana might not be as good as people say but it's so beautiful that's a point it has against normal swords normal swords most of the time dont look as good as the katana does
The ironic thing is that the katana in anime isn't as celebrated as you may think. In super robot anime from tge '70s and '80s the final weapon is almost always some kind of european style longsword, just look at the swords wielded by Great Mazinger, Voltes V, Daltanias, Dancouga, God Sigma, Golion/Voltron etc.
Yes you are right mechas didn't used Katanas.
ARX, you basically said it yourself. The robots are strong and rather slow. So a thick, powerful longsword is great. The katana doesn't fit their style, that's reserved for sleek, sexy humans/robots.
they come from the same "mith" that say longsword, or west sword in general, are bulky and heavy .
the same problem with most games , they think west sword are with no style or form , just pure barbarian full strenght swings.
@@algomez8563 ....Well, I know in gundam wing, plasma swords usually the sword of cus far future space combat and lightsabers just scream more high tech. I think the katana = lightsaber comes from Ruroni Kenshin, Samurai Jack, and Zoro of One piece. Which kinda funny I know that two of those characters could do super superhuman feats with any other weapon
Katanas in anime are mostly limited to fantasy samurai anime like Demon Slayer. I mean, even Inuyasha doesn't use a katana, his sword is more a giant scimitar. And in many anime it works like it did in real life, as a ceremonial dual weapon, not a battle blade to take to war. Most samurai in wars would use oodachi and spears, never katana. Katanas were for duels between individual samurai or, most often and realistically, for mere display in court, like part of the dressing.
Radical Katana Mythos Defenders: "You never tested anything that you said was untrue!"
Shad: "So today we will be testing everything I said was untrue..."
Radical Katana Mythos Defenders: "NO NO NO NO NO! WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT!"
Shad is enough of a madlad to actually do that
I hate katanas but there are problems with their testing like when they weighed them. You can see both hands at all times for the katana but not for the other two swords, also they didnt show the weight. Also why test everything on a single sword. Once its damaged its going to perform worse on the next test and the next.
@@MikeHawkaMildlyStank Buy them enough Katanas to make proper tests and they will make a video.
@@Erligan ill buy them a couple super cheap ones so that they can prove just how bad katanas are. I actually dont like katanas so i would enjoy watching them just beat the to hell in these kinds of tests
@@MikeHawkaMildlyStank "hate katanas" or "hate the mythologization of katanas"? Because hating the design of a weapon model is merely personal preference, and in such a case seems really weird.
Clearly, if the Katana fails to cut through literally anything, it’s the fault of the sword-user, not the sword.
Shad, it’s time to go on an anime training arc if you want to cut space and time.
It's made to cut through flesh. The guys should've cut a pig carcass.
@@patlauron создан для "веселой нарезки крестьян" Это самурайское дерьмо, знаешь)
@@patlauron But cutting through flesh is the goal of every sword, not only Katanas. They were testing all the myths that people claim over and over again about Katanas and how they can "cut another sword, the armour and the arm of a guy in one swing".
So If they go to cut through lets say an anvil with a katana and they fail, it's the fault of the sword-user? Swords of pretty much any type are not meant to cut through metal armor, hence why both western and Japanese sword techniques include half-swording techniques
If its just about the skill-issue of a sword user then, does it matter if the user is using a katana, a broad sword or a stick?
The silk drop test reminds me of the legend of Gram, a Nordic sword. After Regin had forged it, he went to a nearby brook and held the blade in the water. Then he dropped a bit of unspun wool on the surface and let the current carry it to the edge which cut it in two. I like that visual better.
Ancient BESS test, definitely doable, I've seen knives that can cut a strand of hair almost under its own weight.
Isn’t Gram the sword of Beowulf?
Edit: had an itch and double checked. It’s the sword of Sigurd!
Now I need to bust out the legends of Sigurd and Gudrun
I was genuinely waiting to say “it didn’t cut through space and time because the blade was damaged” you really covered all the bases 😂
Pour one out for that katana, folks. Love the full-Mythbusters thing y'all have going, can't wait to see more. =)
I like this format where Shad is giving information separate from the others. It feels like I'm getting twice the information and that Shad's actually getting the reduction of workload that he needed.
Katana was more of a ceremonial or last ditch weapon anyway. The metal used (Tamahagane) holds up well to age and rust and is a handy weapon against light or unarmored targets, its cutting ability is very reliable. The cons are that it's not as strong as other steels and the metal is harder and more time consuming to make. Samurai moreso focused on archery, spear work, and cavalry as their bread and butter.
I really did empathize with the sincere and genuine pain when you were destroying such a beautiful sword
Its trash
The pacing and editing on this video was distinctly different from usual, and in a good way. I’m sure it’s a lot more work but it really works well, I like the cutting between Shad giving us cool facts and the actual tests.
Thats because it did indeed cut through space and time
@@jurrevandenbrink2332 oh of course, why didn’t I think of that
I really like this structure! Jumping back and forth between different, smaller pairings or just one of you guys testing or explaining a detail definitely helps me keep track of it. Don't get me wrong, I love when all three of you lads get going, you can feel the excitement and passion from your conversations, but sometimes it is a bit hard for me to follow. So this mythbuster style where it's more segmented while still getting all the personality and information? This is awesome.
I’m so glad I found this channel!
That was a great mythbusting guys!
My only gripe is the attempt to cut through Space-Time, that was just extremely reckless and dangerous. You can't joke about that I decided.
Cheers from France team! 🍻
Always wanted to see something like this! This is awesome!
Right off the bat, first test showed you that the Katana you received was not up to previously mentioned standards.....so you then used it as a benchmark 🤦♂️ you put a subpar blade mixed with subpar techniques to prove that you have a bias 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 good job
I really REALLY like the format of this video. I loved how it cut from Shad talking about the more technical side of things to the mythbuster-esce tests, then feeding back and forth like that. I feel like I learnt somethings, but also had lots of fun doing it. Top vid 10/10, it's nice to see Shad not running himself ragged
Pffftttt, this is a $400 mass-produced katana. If you want to slice through other swords, car doors, and stone, you need a 2000 year old katana crafted in a volcano from meteorite metal by a 7th generation Japanese swordsmith.
the katana they used is made form the same metal as rebar lol
差別主義者が偽物の刀で遊んでる動画です
@@michaelhaslam1197 I don't think you caught the sarcasm there bruv
meteoric ore blade is real?!
There's always one.
Remember, the reason Morpheus is able to cut through the SUV with the katana, is not because he's using a katana, its because there is no SUV.
One little correcting there. When you block with the katana, the blade should face downwards. Japanese blades and the tsuba is not really used in the way medieval swords are. By the way, the two swords simply cannot be compared to each other as both of them were created for completely other purposes. They are two different worlds.
Werent both made to kill
as i commented!
Standard European sword vs standard Japanese sword. Seems fair to me
@@KRAT0S_son_of_zeus depends on which type of japanese sword we're talking about. Katana swords are not exactly meant for fighting. It is more of a symbol of high social status. Perfect to warn everybody around you, who you were and to demand respect. They kept those away from any kind of harm, that's we have japanese swords that are hundreds of years old, and are still in perfect shape. It's not like as if those blades were fragile or something, they simply didn't want to waste those katanas they put so much work into.
@@metalmachine4433 ok thanks. But if they didn't use katanas that much what would they use spears, bows and naginatas?
Shad: "Let's try testing if a katana can cut through space and time."
Shad:
America:
Shad: "See? Nothing happened."
*from arizona* hmmm...
Northern lights intensifies.
@@shastacat9632 Stay strong Arizona! You're the last bastion of sanity after my home state of Indiana betrayed me.
That test caused the whole Berenstein debacle.
As a fan of Myth busters, I approve of the borrowed elements
Holy bow draw, Tyranth! 5-seconds at full bow draw with trickshot intro?! Impressive endurance, strength, and skill.
take a look in kyudo ^^ the full draw (Kai) its more or less 7s.
i love katanas. a lot. i even have been training kenjutsu for a while and really like videos like this that show and bust myths without directly degrading the sword. a lot of things can be easily explained as to ''why'' but to all honestly i wouldnt say katana is the best sword there is but, it is among best for what it is supposed to be good at. and just to add i personally love more weight added to the top and some to closer to the tsuba while id leave middle the lightest for some balance and still easiness in moving, but weight to tip for preference.
Seeing Tyranth being so enthusiastic about the katana I can't help but smile. It's so wholesome. I hope you'll buy the crimson one and bring it to show in some videos and streams)
I just love the overall aesthetic more than anything else. I admire their beauty and elegance, whilst recognising the ridiculous mythology that has been formed around them.
I agree. Any way you look at it, a katana is a good sword but at the end of the day it's a steel blade. There's simply no way to make a steel blade do the mythical things ascribed to katanas. That said, as someone who appreciates swords but doesn't really train with them, it may be the "best" sword for someone with little to no experience in the event of the zombie apocalypse. It's long enough to provide reasonable reach but not too long to easily carry, it's heavy enough to strike a hard blow but light enough to wield easily, it has a good compromise cut-and-thrust blade, and it can be used effectively with one or two hands. Indeed, I think a lot of people pick up a katana and immediately think, "Yeah, I could use that" more so than most other swords. Perhaps that's the secret to its popularity.
@@itsapittie
While the extra heft of a katana is a considerable detriment for weaker users, I would imagine that the extra width of the blade would make for more forgiving cutting angles
@@dirtydanthesecretsauceman8519 Admittedly I'm stronger than most people but I still think most adults wouldn't find the weight of a katana problematic. The width and curve certainly help with edge alignment.
I watched every episode of mythbusters multiple times, so I love this :D
Katana/swords ⚔ or any weapon is an Tool, and the performance of it is depend on the hand by whom it is using it...
it is so hard to watch you destroy it, but also so good to see the myths being take apart and that different swords are just as good, depending on ones fighting style.
I would be pissed if they destroyed a master forged proper katana, good luck getting one though especially less than 3-5k a lesser forger with alot going 7-14k and not just a cheap cut steel knockoff like they used.
@@nocturnal101ravenous6 The result would be pretty much the same so I don't know what you are getting at.
@@nichtsicher422 No it would not be, there is a distinctive difference between cheap cut steel and actual properly forged swords......................... What youy are getting at is showing you know very little think before you type.
@@nocturnal101ravenous6shut up weeb trash
@@nocturnal101ravenous6All the issues, which appeared are due to design of the blade and pure physics. Smash a thick blade on a thin blade and the thin blade will break/bend every time. No kind of forging will change that. A “properly forged sword” won’t get immediately lighter, because a old master has touched it and the “guard” of the Katana won’t get better for parrying as well.
Still: In which test do you think a 15k or 90k Katana would have way (?) better results?
Edit: Btw. the steel in this sword is most probably better than the Steel of the majority of the historical Katanas.
I love that when the time for the most potentially dangerous test arrives, Shad takes the lead.
He must be misspelling his own name.
@@theyoungknight.3119 He is a Lord in all but name. Someone buy this man a Dukedom of Sealand!
@@pacesettenbrino2065 I was calling him a Chad but you are right.
@@theyoungknight.3119 As was I. But in different words.
I love stuff like this, talking about historical weaponry and their modern day cultural impact, as well as misconceptions and such. I also like drawing stuff, and a habit of mine is to get as much detail and accuracy possible in my sketches. This is like taking notes for a test I myself made.
Fun fact did you know that the white bumpy stuff on the handle is stingray skin traditionally but normally on cheep katanas like the one in this vid it’s plastic
They do.. they mentioned it in the video
It’s good to see the throne chair again.
This was the most thorough and entertaining sword test i ever seen.
Man watching this has had me realize how much I miss the Mythbusters. Thank you for this.
A kriegmesser is basically what an optimised Katana would have looked like.
this "cut from draw" was absolutely beautiful 17:57
Shad doing katana myth busting again and I love it
That draw+slice of the tatami mat was beautiful! Well worth this whole video in that single shot!
Rolled it's edge the second it was used, and not even used in anger, You get what you pay for... 😂
I was really expecting the crew to get Isekai'd into another world by cutting space and time, kicking off a new series for the channel .
A good way to start someone's fanfic or D&D game of the Shad team.
@@Here_is_Waldo Shadiverse: I Cut Through Space And Time Then Ended Up In Another World.
Finally, the final test for all swords. The work here is done.
Glad to always see more videos about putting to practice to debunk the myths around this sword, and I love this sword but it's so painful to see so many people online believing all of the misinformation and myths surrounding it and spreading them even more, good job as always
Its a pretty good sword for cutting. saying its bad against armor when most sword are even axes its just dumb. also not worse than the Lonsword in a 1v1 duel only rapiers are superior to both of them.
Was his sword even folded over 1000 times? If not, it isn't true nippon steel.
Perhaps it is not the katana but the wielder whose powers we have misunderstood
@@lordenvincarit not bad against armor but there are weapons out there that way better to use against armor like axes and maces, depends on what type we are talking about a wood cutter axe is not meant for combat in mind, but if we are talking pole axes or dane axes than you get lot more armor piercing potential if you land a good hit and even if the axe don't pierce the armor it's still gonna hurt like hell and if you nail sombody hard in the head even with helmet it a big chanse that your gonna give them an concussion or know them out cold.
@@funnyjupiter4499 Even if axes/ maces/polearms are the better choice against armor you still need a lot of hits to put a knigth down. in Hema competitions with full plate armor they can use two handed axes and hit each other pretty hard whitout problems thats how bad you have it against real armor. knights were battlefield tanks.
As far as the myth of bamboo. I consider the beautiful clean slice of the Katana to be much better. It was absolutely beautiful seeing it cut through the bamboo...🎉❤️🔥😍
This is why I prefer the Tachi over the Katana, i mean edge down and the weight is heavier and the length is also longer and not to mention "Tachi" are meant for open field combat, not a sword that is used in peace time.
Right, what many misunderstanding is that the katana we are used to didn’t come about naturally. It got its length due to Edo period law
Now I have the most destructive and challenging question: what happens, if a Knight throws a Pommel and a Katana tries to cut it mid-air?
Would that let the universe implode and repeat the creational process of the universe as it was back then and let things evolve the same way until this point just to let everything repeat itself in all eternity?
It would end the universe... rightly.
:D
18:30 Dude... Tyranth's edge alignment is freaking amazing!
when you have good edge alignment the piece of tatami doesnt go flying to the side ... it lands on the tatami and falls at the base of the tatami ... so not really
Dude,such a silly American expression,grow up
Admittedly I don't know much about castles, but in regards to the last myth of climbing the castle wall. If used at all, I would imagine the katana would have been aimed at the sections between the stone to dig into the mortar. Would guess that would have been much easier to pierce than the stone itself.
I think I read the Japanese rock walls were not made using mortar due to the frequent earthquakes which would damage walls that could not move and resettle. They used smaller rocks in the gaps between large rocks so they wouldn’t have footholds but could allow earthquakes to pass through without destroying the walls. Perhaps there was enough space for a sword to be stabbed in between the large rocks where the small rocks did not fill every space? Basically what you were describing but I wonder if they would be willing to possibly damage their swords to use to to climb. If it was a ninja, they might use claws on brass knuckles or a couple of kunai throwing daggers which might be tougher to damage.
agreed
@@sirlancegeo and they often did because a sword kill people and a kunai digs into walls.
That would be impossible with actual Japanese castles. Go see the stone fit... it's impossible. This is bs from an older anime, the name escapes me, late 80's possibly early 90's production.
@@aserta admittedly I’m no expert on castles and probably seen more anime than real castles in Japan(can count on one hand 🤚 the number of castles I’ve visited in Japan over many trips) so won’t dispute more expert opinions. Where have you studied Japanese castle wall building?
I was listening to Musashi's book of five rings today and I wondered what you'd make of his techniques. It's generally about ending duels in 1 or 2 moves. He won over 60 duels in single combat so I guess he knew what he was doing. Although did also like spears, halberds and oars sometimes
TBF, he used an oar cause his opponent in the duel had an odachi, and they were fighting on a beach, so Musashi couldn't use the environment as an advantage.
Yeah, actually katanas were never made for chopping and parring, just killing your adversary with one stroke (ideally).
Mushashi was the MMA of sword fighting tradition. He stuck to reality and won his duels by not being indoctrinated into artsy traditions and instead by doing what actually works. He was an intelligent individual and also a massive troll. Gotta love the guy. He was not however an award winning author. 🤣
'halburts'?
Keep in mind, duels around the world are usually under 30 seconds, that part isnt unique to musashi at all, thats just how it goes. The impressive part is winning so consistently.
I actually really like that "bar of steel" as you call it. I think cheap but functional weapons like that are highly underrated. I'd also feel much more comfortable defending myself with that than any one of those katanas. To summarize a quote by Jeremy Clarkson, the fastest car in the world is a rental.
It reminds me of a Roman gladius - very easy to use and very powerful for stabbing. And the gladius, after all, was the sword that allowed the Roman Empire to conquer Europe.
Of someone was coming at me with a bat, I'd take that bar of steel over any sword. :P I don't much think it matter if you chop a head halfway, or clean off... dead is dead. However I'd trust a studier weapon with my life.
Everyone loves fancy cutters but true power lies in durability, simple physics and easy handling. U can quiet easy mess up a cut….my mace dont care wich flanch bites into steel or flesh. Mace/warhammer > everything else
@@SchwarzArbeit I think hema style light sparing in general does a disserve to heavier weapons. Directional parries that function going at 30% power just aren't going to have the mass to shift the momentum with a harder swing. Hell just look at things like the Kanabo.
@@tomwalker8944 well, guess there will always be a major difference between hema play/showfights and reallife meele warfare 😅😅
I cannot lie, i'd have found this even more entertaining if tyrant missed the apple 😂
True, but still
that was pretty impressive
@@PlasmaCore Oh it was absolutely impressive!
No scoping goes way back.
I wonder if he has a brother named Dictator.
@@Likexner Dictathor*
Need that extra H for extra edgelord points.
A real one and proper technique...
Love the scientific approach in this video.
Myths truly busted and very fairly.
The climbing walls by stabbing into stone😂
I've seen them used to get up a wall but it was in the sheath (keyboard warriors get ready to attack my lack of knowledge in the naming department) and it was balanced against the wall using the shape of the cross guard to help it stay stable and then used as sort of a step, then they used the ribbon/rope bit that you sometimes see on the hilt to pull it up after; it did give the guy a decent leg up tbf
Love your content and would like to say a massive thanks to everyone that supports you. I dont have the cash to give you and feel like a moocher so here's me clearing my conscience a little and saying a genuine thank you to your supporters, your sponsors and finally you guys
I am not a Katana bro, but god watching such a beautiful sword get destroyed hurt my soul.
The editing on this video was just next level. Good work Shad and crew!
People who know sword play would agree with me.
#1 Thier are maybe a few people in this world who know how to make an original katana who have been given the proper knowledge of making one from scratch making it bye hand.
#2 A true sword maker in Ancient Japan would be given high praise in their community and the country.
#3 The true method used for testing a katana in Ancient Japan was the slicing through bone, even testing it on a living person.
#4 Thee myth behind the folding of the blade true master sword makers would know that making a proper blade that
10 folds, the blade will have 1024 layers. This actually makes the blade weaker, returned to the original strength. The toughness does not increase by further folding, in actuality Folded Once - folded in half Dramatically improved the toughness impact value.
#5 In actuality and also possibly a proper made blade could cut through steel maybe one time given how much power and speed you could thrust the the blade.
#6 The sharpness of the blade including the ege you could into could cut Silk if done correctly in ancient Japan they would use horse hair to measure the sharpness.
#7 Only if you could properly combine all these abilities you would be considered a true sword maker. As well as having flexibility in the blade that was created.
So I ask anyone out thier dose anyone know anybody that could combine all the nesscery abilities including your self?
I was pretty impressed with your draw cut through the tatami. That's not something even basic Batto students can do right away.
I like this "Mythbusters" team format too. One quibble: Blocking with the Tsuba hand-guard can't work if you use a European cross-guard technique. Katana defense was done differently, protecting the hands mostly with the blade angle and body movement. The Katana was never designed to "catch" swords with it's guard, or to be fired like an AR-15, etc. Many sword-hilts can't "catch" blades either, like the Roman Gladius and "Viking" Swords, both designed for use behind shields.
They did address that quickly at 10:21 in case you missed it. Although I agree that they could've done a little more research, and gone into a bit more detail about how it's supposed to be used.
My issue with that is that's also something you can do with a crossguard. The Tsuba doesn't enable anything, it only limits.
@@tomwalker8944 I've had my thumb saved by my tsuba more times than I'd like to admit, so I'm gonna have to disagree with that one.
@@fitemeirlm8069 And you'd have had it saves more time with a proper guard. It's like a cheap pair of safety glasses. It's great at protecting your eyes, until it doesn't.
@Tom Walker I've never really felt that way, having used both. They both protect the hands in very different ways.
I think most of the hype of the katana is the culture it has. Like if I remember correctly the Katana was seen is the soul of the samurai warrior. Unlike like other swords that were seen as a tool, the katana had a whole culture set around it. Of course modern movies and that helped but I think the reason it’s so iconic was it’s original culture. Tho that’s what I remember, correct me if I’m wrong
It get exaggerated in media for dramatic effect just like kung-fu. Sure trained martial artists can do impressive stuff but to believe they can actually fly though the air, deflect bullets and punch through a tank is a very different thing.
@@whome9842 no, trained martial artists can't do shit. It's not fighting, it's art, essentially dancing.
You are really going to break some fan boy hearts with this video. I love it.
Love this group! Awesome content with each member adding very valuable contribution
I love how the channel is changing and trying new things the team are a great combination great video
And here's another 10 bucks for Tyranth and his masterful Skills. I'm sure this was the first try.
I really enjoyed this episode. The damage tests were really insightful.
Oh, yeah? What about Excalibur? King Arthur's indestructible sword.
As much as I like the katanas design. I am happy to see people realistically test out these things as a fantasy writer.
Love your videos shad I am obsessed with history and medieval history especially and I love waching your videos
It's worth noting that antique swords from the muromachi period often had narrower hamon than later swords meant to look pretty (so the section of the edge that was hardened to a high hardness was narrower) and the blade geometry was in an appleseed shape, thicker near the edge (also called "niku" or "meat", for a meaty edge...), which would have given the edges significantly more durability for sword on sword contact and, given the cutting dynamics of a katana (tip heavy with more inertia, rigid blade...) would impact its cutting ability relatively little.
These cutting dynamics also allow it to be a more effective blunt force trauma weapon against armor (especially against the head and shoulders), and its rigidity allows it to deliver more force in thrusts making it more effective at bursting open mail rings (similar to how rondel daggers do it with their thick blades). Of course, this is much less effective than bypassing the mail rings entirely with a slender tip, but it's far from useless.
Tsuba from this era were also larger in diameter (and generally less elaborate in design and more solid than some elaborate designs with artistic gaps) and would be both more resistant and more protective.
The steel would also have been 10 times worse, so it has advantages and disadvantages
@@onri_ Not as much as you think, metallurgical studies done on antiques show that the traditional forging process resulted in remarkably homogeneous steel. Certainly not as homogenous as modern steels, but often homogenous enough that the blade's behavior would be similar to modern layered and differentially hardened blades under stress.
Here's one such study where you can see pictures of the micro and macro structures of a modern and 600 year old katana compared, as well as some of their mechanical properties like hardness distribution: www.nihontomessageboard.com/articles/Study_of_Japanese_sword_from_a_viewpoint_of_steel_strength.pdf