Talk:Katana

Killer Bee
Can someone consider Killer Bee's Super Vibrating Lightning Release Sword as katanas, and that he is a user of them? If not, what about Samehada? Kisame is considered to be a katana user, and now the blade is Killer Bee's. Yatanogarasu 01:53, May 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * I left this message because User:Thomas Finlayson say the File:Super Vibrating Lightning Release Swords.png are not considered katanas, but instead short swords. Yatanogarasu 02:03, May 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * I wonder why he doesn't consider them katana... In Japan, any single-edged sword, regardless of size, shape, or origin, is considered a katana, with double-edged swords being called tsurugi. Even with this distinction, the words are often used interchangeable, with a preference for katana.
 * As an example, B's swords are literally called katana in the manga.
 * What I'm really wondering, though, is why we are using the Japanese term and not the less confusing and far more clearly-defined English term "sword". --ShounenSuki (talk 02:10, May 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * Here I am to explain. First of all I can not comment much about the interchangable part but that sounds like simple slang. Each sword has its own characteristics, length, method of use and construction, etc. A katana is a single-bladed slasher, two-handed, sword with a set length, type of curve for blade and handle, and other characteristics. If you change it too much it becomes a whole new sword with new characteristics and uses no matter how similiar it looks. Killer Bee uses short swords with two edges and shaped for thrusting and meant for one hand along with no handle (more on [talk:Killer Bee] on the sword section). Samehada is also misnamed. If we just called them swords it would be easier though, and then just make sub-sections. Though where on earth does it call his swords Katanas? --Thomas Finlayson (talk) 9:16, May 14, 2010 (UTC)
 * In everyday life, such classifications are rarely used. Not only that, but we have too little information about the swords in the manga to use such classifications ourselves and it is highly doubtful that Kishimoto-sensei himself even knowns the exact difference between each type of sword. Take, for example, Orochimaru's Kusanagi, which seems to be a wakizashi or even a kodachi, but is called both Kusanagi no Tsurugi and Kū no Tachi and has also been called katana.
 * I'd say it's far better to keep it simple and use as little scientific classification as possible when we do not have information accurate enough to support it. --ShounenSuki (talk 14:44, May 15, 2010 (UTC)
 * The Kusanagi is far too long to be a wakzashi or a kodachi. As for his knowledge, since he grew up in Japan it is reasonable to assume he has a basic idea of this stuff if for no other reason than culture. Plus, while being to specific in classification will indeed cause trouble, we do have enough information to clssify enough correctly and easily. Besides, each sword has different abilities, making the distinction for each user important. --Thomas Finlayson (talk) 10:42, May 15, 2010 (UTC)

Yes, because being born in a certain country means immediate knowledge of that country's weaponry... That's why I'm an expert on haakbusschutter and the morgenster... The sword knowledge of the average Japanese doesn't really go much beyond "they look bad-ass." The mere existence of almost impossible weapons like Zabuza's sword or the Samehada are proof that Kishimoto-sensei doesn't quite take real-life uses and design implications into account. --ShounenSuki (talk 18:40, May 15, 2010 (UTC)