It’s clearly a Vibroblade.
Phantom ( or whoever made the sword ) can call it just about whatever he likes. We don’t really use swords in combat anymore, so they’re not really suited for modern battlefields. A sword made for that purpose would obviously look different from historic ones, and would need to be classified as something else entirely.
Phantom is probably just a guy who enjoys anime, and decided to call it a katana.
[quote=“GregHouseMD;37306”]It’s clearly a Vibroblade.
Phantom ( or whoever made the sword ) can call it just about whatever he likes. We don’t really use swords in combat anymore, so they’re not really suited for modern battlefields. A sword made for that purpose would obviously look different from historic ones, and would need to be classified as something else entirely.
Phantom is probably just a guy who enjoys anime, and decided to call it a katana.[/quote]
I would rather guess that he is someone who loved all those bad american ninja movies/shows as a child and decided right then that he would become a Ninja (And that he did).
And yeah katanas while fine swords are way overhyped by the media.
There is no “wrong” profile or shape for a katana. Katana came/come in different shapes, sizes, curves, materials, forging methods, etc etc etc. As far as the hilt and blade being the same piece of metal, what is your point? But yes, anything that follows the same general style of a Japanese sword can and generally is considered a katana.
[/quote]
The hilt of a katana is always a separate piece of metal and is usually oval/round/square . a katana will be widest at the back of the blade then constantly decrease to the edge, phantoms is a square box for about 75% of its height then there is a triangle like knife edge.
a katana is sharp to the hilt , phantoms isn’t, the edging technique is wrong and i personally would argue a katana has to have a curve to it although i will admit thats open to debate but a katana with a straight edge is a shinobigatana imo. and i challenge you to find a katana with a rough tooth saw on the back of the blade!
i would say that phantoms sword follows none of the general style of a Japanese katana and so simply inst one.
does any of this really matter? not much but we dont go around calling cats dogs or planes cars because its simply wrong.[/quote]
I would support you about Katanas having to have a curve. They should be much more effective when slicing like that. Obviously, a Katana with a curve, shouldn’t stab very well.
Soo… Reading the title, I was expecting more of this.
[youtube small|norel&border&privacy]W09ghiWskUk?start=19[/youtube]
There is no “wrong” profile or shape for a katana. Katana came/come in different shapes, sizes, curves, materials, forging methods, etc etc etc. As far as the hilt and blade being the same piece of metal, what is your point? But yes, anything that follows the same general style of a Japanese sword can and generally is considered a katana.
[/quote]
The hilt of a katana is always a separate piece of metal and is usually oval/round/square . a katana will be widest at the back of the blade then constantly decrease to the edge, phantoms is a square box for about 75% of its height then there is a triangle like knife edge.
a katana is sharp to the hilt , phantoms isn’t, the edging technique is wrong and i personally would argue a katana has to have a curve to it although i will admit thats open to debate but a katana with a straight edge is a shinobigatana imo. and i challenge you to find a katana with a rough tooth saw on the back of the blade!
i would say that phantoms sword follows none of the general style of a Japanese katana and so simply inst one.
does any of this really matter? not much but we dont go around calling cats dogs or planes cars because its simply wrong.[/quote]
No, the hilt of a katana is not “always” separate. Where are you getting this faulty information from? I just posted an image of various blade shapes throughout history. You’re trying to act like modern katana don’t exist and now you’re bringing up fantasy weapons like shinobigatana? Am I being trolled or something?
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41IA33UXVML.jpg
Probably the term “katana” has been chosen over the term “ken” (which translates to “sword”) because the majority of the people is familiar with the former through games, movies etc.
I wouldn’t make big of a deal over such a small difference of meaning really.
yeah, but all of those arent katana.
some of those are tachi.
and the other pics of “modern katana”…
well key features of a katana is that its moderately curved with a blade longer than 60cm…
Anyways, katana is in western world a more broad term and will be used for many “japanese looking” swords. but most of them should be called under the more generic name daito.
but dont mind the japanese over here 
[quote=“illustriousInlet;37543”]
some of those are tachi. [/quote]
And I’m very tachi about this subject
[quote=“illustriousInlet;37543”][quote=“Fuze;37477”]
No, the hilt of a katana is not “always” separate. Where are you getting this faulty information from? I just posted an image of various blade shapes throughout history.
[/quote]
yeah, but all of those arent katana.
some of those are tachi.
and the other pics of “modern katana”…
well key features of a katana is that its moderately curved with a blade longer than 60cm…
Anyways, katana is in western world a more broad term and will be used for many “japanese looking” swords. but most of them should be called under the more generic name daito.
but dont mind the japanese over here :)[/quote]
It’s a bit odd that you started off by trying to correct me, but then end by agreeing with me. Either way, we’re speaking in a western forum about a western game that depicts an American using a modern American katana, which translates to Japanese sword in western use. Katana is not the same word in the west as it is in Japan. Just as other words are used differently in different countries. Civilizations tend to take and adopt words for their own use. They shouldn’t be called daito in the west because daito isn’t a western word. The OP never tried to make a claim about it not being a katana in the Japanese sense of the word, nor did he speak of “traditional” katana. In other words, it is in fact properly labeled a katana.
the hilt is always seperate because a proper actual katana is forged with a folded composite steel method , forging the hilt at the same time simply wasnt possible.
i wouldnt call any of those last pictures katana , and neither did you , you had to differentiate them into “modern katana” and lets face it the distinction goes far deeper to, there imitation fakes made for redneck readers of American Ninja to masturbate with. i wasnt trying to pretend they dont exist i simply hadnt ever seen anything like it before.
as for shinobigatana i dont think your being trolled its the word i got from my sensei back when i was learning karate-do she had spent 12 years in japan learning various arts and studying history, i dont see why she would of trolled me, i guess the word is arcane now but its historical not fantastical.
[quote=“Fuze;37556”]
It’s a bit odd that you started off by trying to correct me, but then end by agreeing with me. Either way, we’re speaking in a western forum about a western game that depicts an American using a modern American katana, which translates to Japanese sword in western use. Katana is not the same word in the west as it is in Japan. Just as other words are used differently in different countries. Civilizations tend to take and adopt words for their own use. They shouldn’t be called daito in the west because daito isn’t a western word. The OP never tried to make a claim about it not being a katana in the Japanese sense of the word, nor did he speak of “traditional” katana. In other words, it is in fact properly labeled a katana.[/quote]
well let me clear this up for you , i the op did actually mean traditional japanese, infact i went as far as meaning the old folded steel method being the definitive factor of construction. because thats what the word means, if i had meant modern american imitation i would of said that. sure other places can adopt a word and use it , but that use is simply wrong.
for example Americans are often heard saying “i could care less” when what they actually mean is “i couldn’t care less” just because they know what they mean doesnt change the fact they are actually saying the opposite thing to what they mean in correct English.
just as Splash damage can and clearly do call that sword in phantoms hand a katana, which is fine and allowed, it doesn’t change the fact its not.
Who cares, this sword’s more awesome then some fruit slicer you guys call katana or not.
[quote=“elegantRoyalty;37749”][quote=“Fuze;37477”]
No, the hilt of a katana is not “always” separate. Where are you getting this faulty information from? I just posted an image of various blade shapes throughout history. You’re trying to act like modern katana don’t exist and now you’re bringing up fantasy weapons like shinobigatana? Am I being trolled or something?
[/quote]
the hilt is always seperate because a proper actual katana is forged with a folded composite steel method , forging the hilt at the same time simply wasnt possible.
i wouldnt call any of those last pictures katana , and neither did you , you had to differentiate them into “modern katana” and lets face it the distinction goes far deeper to, there imitation fakes made for redneck readers of American Ninja to masturbate with. i wasnt trying to pretend they dont exist i simply hadnt ever seen anything like it before.
as for shinobigatana i dont think your being trolled its the word i got from my sensei back when i was learning karate-do she had spent 12 years in japan learning various arts and studying history, i dont see why she would of trolled me, i guess the word is arcane now but its historical not fantastical.
Considering the mods just recently slapped around some posters for directing insults towards the Dutch, you should probably tone down the American “redneck” stuff for the sake of avoiding their wrath. Anywho, shinobigatana aren’t historical as there is no evidence that they existed. They are fantasy weapons given to fantasy ninjas, made popular by some recent books and movies. They are on the same level of horned vikings, every knight having full plate armor and dual wielding cowboys. These depictions are so popular that they occasionally get mixed up with history. I do not doubt that your master learned about shinobigatana being historical, but that’s just a common mistake made in modern Japanese ninja culture. With that said, shinobigatana are still used in modern ninjutsu, so maybe that’s where she got the impression that it was a historical ninja weapon. As for claiming that the use of the word is somehow wrong, are you being serious? There is an endless number of words that are used by different languages all around the globe. For example, the Portuguese use catana to mean a large knife. Phantom’s sword probably wouldn’t pass as a katana in Japan, but it is a katana in America and other western countries. It might even be labeled a catana in Portugal. But if you want to be ignorant about different languages using words in a different fashion, that’s up to you. I won’t try to change your views.
[quote=“dynamicOctagon;37771”]http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/c/c8/Astartes_Chainsword_2.jpg
Who cares, this sword’s more awesome then some fruit slicer you guys call katana or not. [/quote]
We need a merc with a chain axe B)
I suggested today on stream that there should be an arm chainsaw similar to Ash’s from the Evil Dead movies
[quote=“Fuze;37273”]I’m just surprised no one is flipping their shyte over the fact that Phantom seems to prefer thrusting instead of cutting with a sword designed to cut better than it thrusts. He might as well have a rapier, going by the trailer.
[/quote]
For seriously. His strong attack should be a double handed vertical slash that splits the enemy in twain from crown to nethers.
Also, it seems uncannily similar to Deathstroke’s sword in Arrow.
…and I say, “Give me that damn potato and quit playing with my food!”
I think Chokutō would be the most accurate term to describe his sword.
While I am more of an anorak than most on the topic of properly categorising your bladed implements, I straight up haven’t looked at Phantom’s sword in enough detail to call it anything other than a “kick-arse sword”. It definitely doesn’t pass for a katana under strict traditional definitions though.
Oh, and @LifeupOmega, folding a blade a thousand times just turns it floppy. The folding technique was a poor Japanese substitute for knowing how to make steel - it removes carbon from pig iron. If you folded it a thousand times you’d just get pure iron, which is a fairly mediocre weapons material.
