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Knight vs Samurai

    • 74 posts
    February 18, 2014 7:44 PM EST
    First let me clear up a few things...

    The fight is in a level, open field with plenty of room to move around. It is clear weather, during the day, if that makes a difference

    The knight is in German Gothic articulated plate, wielding a typical one- handed blade of that time period and a kite shield. He also has a lance.

    While I don't know as much about samurai as I do about knights I know enough to say his armor was made of interlocking leather plates and he is armed with a katana, bow and arrow and a thrusting spear (name?).

    Both combatants have the amount of training respective to their cultures and excel at the skills they need to fight. The knight practices chivalry and the samurai: bushido.

    I have a gut feeling the majority are going to say samurai because katanas I must mention that the katana was not the main weapon of the samurai, instead it was the bow and arrow. Even so, the katana would have a hard time cutting through plate. Also, knights in plate did not move like robots, at least in the articulated plate our knight is in. Instead gothic knights were able to bend and stretch while in articulated plate, even into unnatural positions.

    The fight begins with each combatant on foot with enough space for the samurai to get at least one or two shots in with his bow and arrow.

    Also I explain your answer with fact, not opinion and sorry about the wall of text, but I did my research, the least you can do is skim. Feel free to correct me in any mistakes or inconsistencies I have made.

    EDIT: The knight now has a heater shield, in place of the kite and the Samurai has a kanabo (assume he is able to carry all of his weaponry)
    • 661 posts
    February 18, 2014 7:46 PM EST
    Samurai!
    And Shor before you say anything, just dont say anything. :p

    Because you know the Knight would get pawned if he fought a Samurai.
  • February 18, 2014 7:48 PM EST

    Knight. Better armor. Better weapons. 

  • February 18, 2014 7:51 PM EST

    Fanboy detected. Knights are better equipped. Their swords actually are useful.

    • 74 posts
    February 18, 2014 7:52 PM EST
    This is what I was thinking, although it would be more like 6 or 7/10 times, only because samurai were used to fighting one on one and might be able to find a few holes or openings in the plate.
    • 75 posts
    February 18, 2014 7:54 PM EST

    How would he? I can't seem to see the katana get through plate, due to the fact katanas aren't designed for stabbing. Even if they got through the knight's plate you'd most likely meet a mail shirt underneath and katanas can't cut through mail at all, It just makes a scratch. So knight would win very easily.

    • 966 posts
    February 18, 2014 7:54 PM EST

    Knight. A knight would know how to deal with archers and spearmen. And a Katana would be utterly useless against plate armour. Samurai stands very little chance.

  • February 18, 2014 7:56 PM EST

    The Knight's swords don't just cut, they smash. You don't need holes in armor when you can break bones. 

    • 74 posts
    February 18, 2014 7:57 PM EST
    I'd like to add that the samurai's bow is called a yumi and the spear is a yari, if that helps give a better image.
    • 661 posts
    February 18, 2014 7:57 PM EST
    As if, just cause they have better armor, and better weapons doesn't mean he'd win. It gives him a better chance, and if this Samurai does indeed practice, and understand Bushido to the fullest extent, then he would dominate the Knight in sword-play. As for the heavy weapons Id say they stand at equal grounds. Because wielding a big weapon requires a great deal of finesse. The Distance Game is a shoddy one, where the Samurai have bows, the Knight has a crossbow. If the Knight does land that intial shot, it'll change the game, however if he doesn't then he better run fast.

    By the way OP, you'll never get a straight answer on this one. Because there is no factual evidence that knights or samurai ever clashed.
    • 966 posts
    February 18, 2014 7:59 PM EST

    Only things like Zweihanders would smash, they were used to break Pike formations.

    Anyway, knights used stabs or maces/warhammers to get past armour.

    • 966 posts
    February 18, 2014 8:00 PM EST

    Swordsmanship is barely relevent for Samurai. A medium sized rock would be more effective than his Katana in that situation.

    • 75 posts
    February 18, 2014 8:00 PM EST

    Could a Yumi pierce a knight's armour? I know that a longbow was very devastating to knights, according to my Socials Textbook a longbow's arrow could pierce a knights armour and the horse and come out the other side.

  • February 18, 2014 8:01 PM EST

    A regular broadsword can crush and smash. Where have you been?

    • 75 posts
    February 18, 2014 8:01 PM EST

    Yeah, a blunt weapon would be a lot more effective.

    • 966 posts
    February 18, 2014 8:02 PM EST

    A European knight would be trained extensively to defeat archers and spearman. A spear would be the Samurai's best chance.

    • 74 posts
    February 18, 2014 8:02 PM EST
    I was thinking that the samurai would make more daring moves, since he follows bushido, also I'd like to add that the knight doesn't have a crossbow, but does have a kite shield to hide behind.
    • 661 posts
    February 18, 2014 8:02 PM EST
    Funny, you guys dont consider the open areas around the neck, the thighs, and the armpits. With a single flick of the wrist any of these vital area maybe wounded.
    And Shor, its fan man, you know that. :p
  • February 18, 2014 8:03 PM EST

    You think a European Knight doesn't have a warrior code? You think a European knight doesn't practice his craft? 

    You only say we'll never know because you already know. Samurai gets his butt handed to him. 

    • 966 posts
    February 18, 2014 8:03 PM EST

    Broadsword was never used as a real term, so please define what you mean with that.

    And you don't use swords to crush, you could, but why would you if you had acces to maces and warhammers?

    • 966 posts
    February 18, 2014 8:05 PM EST

    Those are not always there. And usually covered in chain, and the katana can't get past chainmail.

    Also, the knight would still block, Samurai's don't move as fast as light, this ain't Hollywood.

  • February 18, 2014 8:05 PM EST

    Lol, those places are guarded beyong belief. 

    • 74 posts
    February 18, 2014 8:07 PM EST
    I did mention chivalry in the post and I am well aware that knights were trained since boyhood and had experience as squires before knighthood.
  • February 18, 2014 8:08 PM EST

    I mean a regular long sword. European knight swords were broad. They had more force behind them, not to mention the body size difference between knight and samurai. Big man swings harder. 

    And the op says swords.

    • 74 posts
    February 18, 2014 8:08 PM EST
    I think the yumi would work better than the longbow. I watched a show or documentary proving that the yumi was actually superior to the longbow.