Why the big swords anyway?
- Thread starter Slythernite
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i actuality for a normal human being sword this big are impractical, but waht if you spent months upon months training with it. realistically cloud is ff7 at first couldn't wield the buster sword as shown in the in of crisis core. but is 7 he could. all these people we see using large swords in real life are mostly amateurs, but if one took the time and trained with it, i bet you could find a way to practically use these large blades. i believe the key is to rely upon the weight of the sword to wield it and not so much your own strength
In a video game world a bigger sword with longer reach is always better than a realistic one, usability-wise. There's less ambiguity about what you're going to hit, and it's more satisfying to have enough reach to slice through a couple of foes at once rather than barely be able to strike one; hence the popularity of God of War.Slythernite said:
As for Cloud there, that evolved out of the limitations of the PS1 hardware, as did his spiky hair. They exaggerated the crap out of his weapon and features to make him stand out in silhouette, which turned out to be a strong character design. Same with Sephiroth, only they took it a slightly different direction, with huge bangs and a longer, thinner sword. As for later games, where there's more detail and less need to exaggerate, well, it's easier to see and make out the detail on an exaggerated weapon than it is for a realistic weapon and therefore more satisfying to look at.
Okay, I'm going to take a stab at some xenopsychology (a valid term here, since Japanese culture is alien to me) here. A lot of characters (especially main characters) in Japanese games, anime, etc. have physical power completely out of proportion to their actual physique. This is because these stories go in big for the character having some unusual quality, like "great spiritual strength", "exposed to some super-soldier process" or "training beyond the ken of ordinary people". One of the easiest ways to express this hidden strength is to have the character wield some ridiculously huge weapon- especially if the character is a slender, large-busted woman whose arms barely seem capable of holding up her hands, let alone a 60-pound chunk of sharpened metal. Seeing this svelte character swing a weapon that puts claymores and zanbatou to shame, and use it in a way that would have any Olympic fencer or kendo practicioner green with envy, shows that the character is far above his or her more mortal peers in power.
Or it could just be that Rule of Cool thing, yeah.
Or it could just be that Rule of Cool thing, yeah.
Or, like me, you know how to use a (as they call them) Buster Sword, which isn't difficult. You just need to know how to swing it WITHOUT holding it out in front of you like a tard. (Cloud)
What's so impressive about firing a big gun?
Same thing.
And why NOT guns (so much) in JRPGs? Perhaps because the sword (and other melee weapons) are more personal and involve far more risk and effort. What kind of hero blows people away at a distance? If you look at Western games (which worship the fire-arm), the ones with HEROS quite often involve personal combat. It's meaty, dangerous and personal.
Big swords represent a powerful soul. In Japanese way of thinking, it is quite possible that the sword itself has a soul of its own. Try to see Japanese culture from a Japanese point of view. So many heros were bushi (warriors) and literature and film is full of stories about them and other heros that lived and died by the sword. Western culture is for the most part, detatched from that similar part of our culture. For the Japanese, it wasn't that long ago.
Same thing.
And why NOT guns (so much) in JRPGs? Perhaps because the sword (and other melee weapons) are more personal and involve far more risk and effort. What kind of hero blows people away at a distance? If you look at Western games (which worship the fire-arm), the ones with HEROS quite often involve personal combat. It's meaty, dangerous and personal.
Big swords represent a powerful soul. In Japanese way of thinking, it is quite possible that the sword itself has a soul of its own. Try to see Japanese culture from a Japanese point of view. So many heros were bushi (warriors) and literature and film is full of stories about them and other heros that lived and died by the sword. Western culture is for the most part, detatched from that similar part of our culture. For the Japanese, it wasn't that long ago.
Japanese anime ain't got nothing on reality.
Meet the Zweihander, or Greatsword! They were used primarily as a weapon to break up pike formations with their massive reach and weight, but found other uses as well. One famous rebel soldier named Pier Gerlofs was renown for the massive sword he wielded, and was said to be capable of beheading multiple enemies in combat with one swing.
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Meet the Zweihander, or Greatsword! They were used primarily as a weapon to break up pike formations with their massive reach and weight, but found other uses as well. One famous rebel soldier named Pier Gerlofs was renown for the massive sword he wielded, and was said to be capable of beheading multiple enemies in combat with one swing.
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Interesting, because Date Masamune is a very famous warlord and Samurai who founded the city of Sendai. I went there years ago. No doubt that the sword in FF7 is a reference to that 'spirit', and by turning it on its head, so to speak, the reference becomes more potent, perhaps.mtk2a said:
Yes, so I think that large swords in Japanese fantasy is representative of inner power, be it in the wielder or in the swords itself. Everything has a soul, and over time can even become like a god, or like a devil.
Apparently, you didn't see "Blood: The Last Vampire". Whether or not a gun does as much damage as a sword would seem to be largely dependent on the kind of foe one is up against, especially in fiction. There is also the issue of ammo, which sword wielders generally don't have to worry about. And in general with guns there are more factors to consider that can greatly effect the results of using a gun. In this sense a sword would be at least somewhat more reliable. It's probably also worth noting that Obi Wan Kenobi dismissed blasters as clumsy and random.Omikron009 said:
The Madman said:Japanese anime ain't got nothing on reality.
Meet the Zweihander, or Greatsword! They were used primarily as a weapon to break up pike formations with their massive reach and weight, but found other uses as well. One famous rebel soldier named Pier Gerlofs was renown for the massive sword he wielded, and was said to be capable of beheading multiple enemies in combat with one swing.
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An interesting example. But all the same let's not get silly. I've seen weapons in anime that are a lot bigger than that.
Thought the exact same thing.zpfanatic81195 said:..............what sword?Zeithri said:Actually No.. JRPG's are not the stable of oversized swords at all.
They're just prettier made in JRPG's so they get noticed.
Also, haven't seen Kaguya Nanbu's sword now have you?
Anyway. It's a matter of taste. I like big swords but I can't at all use one because they're too heavy nor would I want to wield one. With the exception of Sephiroth's Masamune of course.
OT: Big Swords are badass.