They were just renamed to blades swords. Look at the resemblances.

http://images.wikia.com/oblivion/images/1/1b/Akaviri_Katana.jpg

http://images.wikia.com/elderscrolls/images/4/4d/Bladessword.png

I don't know if you guys notice it, but I certainly do. Not to mention that the akaviri katana were the main swords used by the blades in oblivion.

yep - there are a couple of enchanted ones as well

No kidding?

Yeah, we noticed about 6 months ago.

Really?

You first noticed that now

cut the guy a break ... I'm sure this is news to someone who might just be picking up the game. I was thrilled to find katanas are in it.

Do the...

I think a lot of people found them ^that^ way.

I wasn't. Really they aren't that good vs. a real weapon. Vs. the garbage weapons the Japanese allowed their subjects to own, (farming implements) they are fairly cool. Knight vs. a Samuri: well do you remember the scene in the 9th episode of game of thrones? That fancy curved thing just hung up on the side of the briastplate and the knight beheaded him... Katanas do not belong in the same game as braodswords.

Nah, I actually found out about that a month or two ago, owned the game since release, just never got around to doing the main quest. And then I realised...

Dragon's bane is my favorite weapon

I found an enchanted one in a quest.

A matter of opinion.

Plus, basing your idea of how strong/sharp a katana is on a tv show is rather sad. Katanas can cut bullets. With enough force, a katana can slice through armor.

No katana ever made is going to cut any modern bullet in half. Bullets move at super-sonic speeds that katana is going to get mangled or destroyed from the impact.

so can butter knives that are mass produced. I'm not lying, there are plenty of videos. And if you actually pay attention, the sword doesn't do anything in those demonstrations, it's all the bullet. Also, katanas can't even cut through the barrel of a gun, so put the glam, hype, and propaganda away.

The katana were weapons of last resort, the techniques used to create them were centuries behind what Europe was doing, and they were not created by ancient monk blacksmiths whose knowledge of swords were spaceage and beyond. Also, the blade is actually quite fat and quite top heavy.

Swords vs Guns is a redundant argument.
The Katana were not meant for bashing against things like the angry Nordic people did with their weapons. Difference in culture, completely.

It's Skyrim. The Katana is an elegant blade symbolising balance and a specific frame of mind. It fits nicely with the blades (as they were) and the common fantasy lore attached to it makes the katana a nice addition in any fantasy RPG regardless of its setting.

As for Top heavy - Ever tried to lift a Germanic broadsword? It's the most unbalanced "thing" I've ever had to swing around.

You're just now figuring this out?



Indeed. The katana reached it's pinnacle of design several hundred years before they stopped using it. At the same time, Japanese armor design did not stop improving. The result was a sword that was used long after it had gone obsolete. As for it's forging techniques? Those are techniques used to produce finer quality blades out of inferior steel. Similar techniques were used all across Europe, but as metallurgy improved, their use became unnecessary.

And while the katana ceased to evolve even while armor design continued to improve, that was not the case in Europe. Japan was an isolated country fighting amongst themselves, so they could afford to do that. Europe, however, was comprised of many nations and cultures, making it necessary to find an edge. So while armor designs improved (reaching a point surpassing anything the Japanese produced), sword design evolved to keep up.

I watched a show where a skillfully made hand crafted katana was destroyed by a Browning machine gun. It blew the blade right in half. It's on YouTube but they're talking in Japanese. Not saying a blade can't slice a bullet because you can see that happen in the video. But a bullet can also destroy a blade. In real life those swords aren't the miraculous slicers everyone wants to believe they are. They have their limits.

That said this is a game and the laws of physics and reality as we know them really don't exist. I guess a Katana belongs just as much as a volcanic glass sword or a sword made from a demon heart.

So much nerd-rage in this thread...

And what were Akaviri Katana's mainly used for?

Nevermind, it seems you've already pointed out the obvious.

So many armchair samurai/knights in this thread...

LOL, gotta love the nerd rage.

I would rather have a cavalry Saber than a Katana, but both weapons are designed for slicing an unarmored rifleman or peasant.

TBH though I can't blame them. Too many [censored] japan [censored] that want to believe ANYTHING from Japan is the best thing ever. Love to hear those hysterical worshippings put to rest.
Personally I dunno crap about them. I'd rather hear people out that seem to know about swords and midevil history in general: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLWzH_1eZsc

As far as i remember katanas are inferior to clasical swords, the Japanese had a crap iron ore quality so they had to develop fancy smelting and blacksmithing techniques, even medievial Japanese armors where inferion to their weastern counterparts,

Katanas in RPGs are in same league as explosive barrels in shooters