Magnatek said:
To my knowledge, giant swords like that were once used to potentially break down the cavalry of enemy troops. The sheer force it took to swing those things could allegedly take down a horse. Would a small sword have a similar effect? That's not likely. Granted, in reality, it would be very hard to swing a giant sword like that, and would most likely require two hands. Either way, this is only to my current knowledge. If it helps explain things, then you're welcome.
Actually, the very large swords like the Zweihander were used to break apart pike lines, not cavalry.
The zweihander is just about as big as you're going to get. It's a two-handed sword, like the zhanmadao and claymore. Swinging something like that with one hand and actually be able to make use of it is almost physically impossible, since speed usually wins in battle.
A sword can decapitate a horse, but not at the barrel. The only plausible places would be the neck closest to the pole and the legs. I have horses and I can say that if a horse is running at you, chances are, brute strength isn't going to win unless you happen to be Lu Bu from The Ravages of Time.
In my opinion, if you're going to take down a horse, something like a wakizashi would serve you more. Cut the tendons and the horse will fall. So, yeah, in many ways, something you can use faster is often more useful then something large.
An arrow can take down a horse faster then a guy on the ground if the archer aims right.
OT: Why big swords? They just look cool, and in fantasy, do you really need a reason? I mean, look at their costumes. There's not much reason for a lot of JRPG costumes either. It's the cosmetic appeal, in my opinion.
