Why so many big swords?

[Yeshua-Knight]

well, i'll tell you that i actually do own a very large sword, it's full length is 56 inches (almost 6 ft) and is also quite heavy, i'm about 6'4" myself so i'm pretty much the only person in my house that could possibly think of weilding it, however i have swung it around in the open in my backyard (i gotta wonder what my neighbors thought that day) and i'd have to say that if i was to go into a battle with that weapon, i would use only if one of two circumstances were fulfilled either a) my opponent was on a horse, in which case i'd probably use the sword to knock the horse down then trash the rider, or if it was my pre-emptive strike and i had an other lighter weapon handy, in which case i'd probably take my opponent down with the first blow, but the second weapon would be just to cover my butt

but yeah, you could definitely use a large weapon like that if you knew what you were doing with it, so don't knock it if it works

[Kkun]

Anime defies the laws of physics to the utmost degree as well. Why does anime have robots that squirt blood? Why do anime have girls who can somehow change into a magical girl with a different outfit? How can can people fly around, shooting ki out there hands, and instantly get golden hair?

As well, in most cases, huge, freakins words equals all-around coolness. A person wielding a huge sword just reeks of awesomness.

Hey, come on, now, Hitokiri. If you're referring to what I think you're referring to, they weren't ACTUALLY robots. ; )

[uc pseudonym]

I didn't mean it was completely exempt, just that it didn't appear to have as many of those other cliches (or if it did, they were treated differently).

On cliché I agree with you. The day things from the mind of Eiichiro Oda become cliché is the day I leave. I just meant to address the realism part, because One Piece has next to none of that.

(Chopper as "Magical Girl"? That's an odd thought... O.o ).

There was I was just referring to the transformations that change clothing.

Most of the bullets in the series are done as Musket balls, though. It would be treated as a blunt strike instead of cutting (like Krieg's stake bullets). Saying that, though, a bullet shot with enough force probably WOULD tear through him.

In the end penetration is just force divided by area. Despite the fact that a musket ball has a larger area than the edge of a sword, its force is so high that it won't matter.

You need to see a movie like Azum to see cool sword battles with ordinary swords

I haven't seen the film and I'm not really disagreeing with you, but I want to make a comment here. For the most part, I think sword fights are much cooler with smaller swords. Big swords are typically used for weak directing (like just having a person slash at the screen instead of actually seeing their strike) and don't help coreography. Not that I wouldn't like to see coreography based on the idea of being able to fight with such a massive weapon.

[Myoti]

On cliché I agree with you. The day things from the mind of Eiichiro Oda become cliché is the day I leave. I just meant to address the realism part, because One Piece has next to none of that.

Ah, yes. Realism, no, but hey, where's the fun in realism anymore? Xp

There was I was just referring to the transformations that change clothing.

Huh? Chopper's clothes don't change when he transforms. He's typically wearing some kind of elastic pants and the rest of his clothes typcially tear, stretch, or sag when he transforms (depending on which form he was starting in).

In the end penetration is just force divided by area. Despite the fact that a musket ball has a larger area than the edge of a sword, its force is so high that it won't matter.

I had thought that the type of guns they typically use may not be quite as effective as more "modern" ones, so the bullet may not necessarily be strong enough to penetrate (as you said, OP isn't the most realistic anyways, so I doubt it matters :p ).

[Bobtheduck]

[quote="Kkun"]Hey, come on, now, Hitokiri. If you're referring to what I think you're referring to, they weren't ACTUALLY robots. ]

It's more than just "anime-that-must-not-be-named" that has bloody robots, though... Thouth that is the primary one...

[Stephen]

The Buster sword in that link is waaaaay too small. I know they would be hard-pressed to make it like Clouds..but it should be almost twice that size in length and width.

[uc pseudonym]

Huh? Chopper's clothes don't change when he transforms. He's typically wearing some kind of elastic pants and the rest of his clothes typcially tear, stretch, or sag when he transforms (depending on which form he was starting in).

I will assume you are correct given the subject matter. Still, which is more difficult... changing clothing or vastly altering the body composition of a living creature?

I had thought that the type of guns they typically use may not be quite as effective as more "modern" ones, so the bullet may not necessarily be strong enough to penetrate

A reasonable general assumption. But the main issue is speed, and all bullets are super-sonic. Not that it really matters, of course.

It's more than just "anime-that-must-not-be-named" that has bloody robots, though...

When I first saw this it did strike me as very odd. That having been said, there's nothing wrong with mentioning DND titles, so long as the context is such that it can remain at only a mention.

[Myoti]

I will assume you are correct given the subject matter. Still, which is more difficult... changing clothing or vastly altering the body composition of a living creature?

Um... depends on the clothing and the creature, perhaps? O-o

[Mr. SmartyPants]

For the most part, I think sword fights are much cooler with smaller swords. Big swords are typically used for weak directing (like just having a person slash at the screen instead of actually seeing their strike) and don't help coreography. Not that I wouldn't like to see coreography based on the idea of being able to fight with such a massive weapon.

*coughlightsaberscough*

[Maverick]

One thought on why they use larger swords in anime is that the size (and shape) of the sword represents some sort of correlation with the strength and identity of a character. Since we are all using FF7 as an example, consider just how gnarly Sephiroth's sword looks. It is his trademark. You'd see a silhouette and if the sword is there, you'd know exactly who is wielding it.

My other guess is: the bigger the better... hence why mecha anime is so popular!


It would be interesting to get an insider's perspective on this....

[Raiden no Kishi]

I would imagine the unrealistically massive swords in anime were a result of a thought-process somewhat like this:

1. We don't obey traditional laws of physics in anime.
2. Part of anime is distinctive characters.
3. Big swords are distinctive, but don't function under normal physics.
4. Let's give our hero a big sword, it looks cool and we don't have to obey physics!

Something like that, anyway. In other words, big swords look cool and draw the eye. Tell me, which would stick out more to you: Cloud Strife with a garden-variety katana or Could Strife with his Buster Sword? There you have it. Sanosuke Sagara, without his Zanbatou, appears at first glance to be nothing too distinctive on his own. But the Zanbatou gave him something to get you hooked - "Who is this guy, and why does he have that HUGE sword?". Which brings something to mind - I wonder if, in the manga or anime, we eventually learn how Sano came into possession of such an item. If the story is eventually told, don't spoil it for me, please. ^_~

.rai//

P.S. I am normally inclined towards realistic swords (if I were in feudal Japan, I'd probably have a kodachi), but unrealistically large swords have caught my fancy as of recently - I guess I'll have to draw one, then. ^_^

[Myoti]

I recall a conservation with a guy in one of my art classes.

He saw this picture I had of Cloud (I was using it for a drawing), and he started joking about it, saying he'd rip his own arms off when he tried to swing it.

You had to be there. It was hilarious. XD

[CDLviking]

My other guess is: the bigger the better... hence why mecha anime is so popular!


It would be interesting to get an insider's perspective on this....

From the 100 Rules of Anime

#5 - Law of Mechanical Mobility, Second Law of Anime Motion- The larger a
mechanical device is, the faster it moves, Armoured Mecha are the fastest objects
known to human science.

By extending this law to swords it is obvious that Cloud can out-draw Kenshin any day of the week. So much for the Amakakeru-ryu-no-hirameki.