i think even in naruto they point out that the tripple scythe was nonsensical because it would never deal a proper cut. Instead it was designed simply to deal just SOME damage, any damage at all, because hidan could then curse you.
@@bobowon5450 I get that But there's more efficient ways to mount 3 blades to make it easier to hit rather than focus on any kind of damage. Mounting them flayed out umbrella style or in a claw pattern would work better and probably still be cool
@@typhoon1575 at that point, a spiked flail makes the most sense to get any blood for his jutsu. This is the same series with a Buster Sword sized sword and a sentient spiky shark club are used as weapons . It’s regarded as impractical in-universe. Kishimoto just wanted something that visually distinct and themed.
Really excited for the agricultural scythe combat video. A friend and I actually discussed this awhile back and we struggled to see a way it could be viable, especially when compared modified to become a war scythe, however, we aren't experienced in combat recreation like yourself so since then I've always wanted your opinion on the matter. I also found your insights on the kama's limited useful blade to be interesting as it reinforces the notion that they were most commonly used as a concealed weapon (plausible deniability if caught) or a weapon of last resort by peasants. Great video as always!
An other well known 3 pointed weapon would be the trident, not exactly a scythe/war pike, but still. I don't know if it has ever been used as a warfare weapon, but at least it was used for spectacles, so the rule of cool might already be a thing back then 😅
I am also thinking that if you swing the triple scythe, and "miss" a limb, the limb in question could get "stuck" between two blades, with the edge dealing damage to the flesh if it's exposed enough since the space between two edges gets narrower the closer you are to the pole.
I think the Triple scythe would be ,ore practical if the blades were off set from eachother so they give you a wider hit area but with them bing inline witheachother it just adds unecesery weight
Now i want to see this extreme version of a swordbreaker. It'd be tricky to make it light enough to actually catch a blade, but i like the idea of aggressive pacifism.
Hidan's triple scythe is so dumb, but I love it anyway. Though it does get some points for not actually being intended to kill - it's just a means to acquire a target's blood so Hidan can do his curse nonsense.
I have no idea if this was stated yet... But as I understand it, in the anime this triple bladed scythe is just meant to draw blood. The user of this weapon had a power that required the enemies blood. It's totally impractical imo. But good at its purpose, i guess.
if you have weird fencing on your crops that such a thing would be fit to use in, maybe its practical, or maybe you want to store spare scythe blades on a scythe.
Hidan avoids counter attacks by spin throwing it, when it misses it anchors to the ground allowing him to pull himself away from an attack in an unexpected direction.
To play Devil's Expertise-lacking Ostensible Advocate, you mentioned how the scythe/pick has absurd depth of penetration - that the triple scythe's three points of contact spread the impact out - and that three scythes have a higher risk of getting stuck. Consider this: The spread-out impact causes less depth, causing a reduced chance of getting stuck compared to a deep-penetrating single scythe/pick that might get caught up in deeper bones. Now consider the above to be false - that in all cases the triple scythe will have a high chance of getting stuck. In the spirit of Bethesda, this is not a bug; this is a feature. You see, by getting your unwieldy, heavy, 45-lb triple scythe to be "triple-stuck" in your opponent, you've effectively transferred all those burdens onto the foe. Now they have to deal with this monstrosity weighing them down - or to expend effort into removing it themselves - all while you switch to your far more practical and efficient side-arm-of-choice to finish the job.
A few things i think were overlooked the first of which is the penetration. In test custs the spike overperforms massively that is true but these are usually massive telegraphed full power strikes and thats not what we usually land in combat. Is it still a scythe if your just using it as a spike? wouldn't that be a 3 spiked pick? I think the real point is there are other weapons that do the same but better.
In context a lot of the reasons a weapon like that would be trash are negates by the special ability of the user. Note that the user only needs to get a small amount of blood to win the battle so while I could easily imagine a more effective weapon for his ability I think it is forgivable.
People are mentioning Hidan’s blood-drawing curse to explain why he has three blades on his scythe, but you also mention the Native American three-blade club maybe having ceremonial purposes. That reminded me that Hidan is also an occultist priest, so there might be ceremonial origins with his scythe as well.
Regarding the ancient Chinese triple headed halberd, I read one hypothesis is that it was used by armored soldiers riding on top of heavy chariots. The momentum from the chariot can add a lot of damage even though the force might be spaced out among multiple blades if multiple blades connect. Another possibility is that it could be used as a specialized tool in a pike and halberd formation to help hit enemies easier and/or keep them/trap them away from the user or friendly soldiers. Other soldiers could have a regular pike or halberd while this soldier with this unique weapon had a unique job...almost similar to the much later Ming Dynasty wolf's brush used in some smaller specialized Ming pike formations to trap enemies.
@Skallagrim The weapon, its function, some deadly cuts or strikes and later version which are a fusion of two weapons as well hypothesis is here explained too. (ruclips.net/video/RKDD_EIw7kU/видео.html start by minute Weapon number 8 pls) I hope I could help out? 🙏
@@Weigazod I think a bladed slashing weapon (like a falchion or glaive) would work better against poorly equipped people who have little to no armor. These ancient Chinese halberds (Ji and Daggeraxes) and multi-bladed halberds are shaped like the spikey end of a medieval European warhammer spike...so it seems more designed to penetrate armor.
@@Intranetusa Heavy slashing polearms has yet to appear in China at the time due to requirements for forging a sturdy and wide chopping blade, which is hard for the metallurgy at the time.
In Hidan case I think the dude didn't made it deadly in combat, he made it that way to maximize his chance to get just a single drop of blood out of his enemy
Then wouldn't he have spikes all over them instead? Or just throw a bunch of glass at the enemy. Like there are way easier ways to make another guy bleed a tiny bit. Obviously rule of cool, but still.
@@NurseValentineSG Hidan's goal is to lick a drop of blood from his opponent any way possible. That's his bullshit win condition. He becomes immortal and all future injuries are transferred to his opponent. Then he just stabs himself repeatedly which transfers to his opponent with no way to avoid it. It's pretty high up there on the bullshit powers list.
Hidan's triple-bladed scythe is one of those cases where you can actually say that it's "for ceremonial purposes" because it's more of a symbol of the cult of Yashin which Hidan belongs to, and Hidan only uses it to inflict any wound for his blood ritual which apparently only works with the scythe... Hidan is noted to be rather slow in combat, in fact his style relies heavily on his immortality which he gained from the blood rituals...
I really appreciate how this channel doesn't just outright dismiss fantasy weapons as absurd, but rather actually weighs the pros/cons. A lot of fantasy weapons are still impractical at best, but it's always more interesting to at least explore what, if any, benefits they could have.
@@kuru-yami9416 One: its a series themed around Ninjas and ninjas arent exactly associated with using Maces. Two: Its to fit with Hidans grim reaper aesthetic, he uses the scythe to gather blood which he then uses for a ritual that then kills you
Fun fact time! The character who owns this weapon is Hidan, from the anime Naruto. It is actually pointed out by the characters in the show that his weapon of choice is kinda strange. They learn by fighting him his weapon is NOT supposed to kill his opponent. It's not even meant to really INJURE his opponent. The ONLY purpose of his triple scythe is to get even the smallest cut, just to draw even a DROP of blood. That is because Hidan's power works by ingesting his enemy's blood, and then he can do a sort of voodoo ritual. He can injure himself, and that injury appears on his enemy. Which sounds moronic, but Hidan, is IMMORTAL. You can stab him, set him on fire, even blow him up and he will not die. Cut off his head and he'll just keep screaming at you. So due to this he can stab himself in the heart and instantly kill his enemy when really all he had to do was draw a bit of blood. The cable, which is a steel cable, allows him to attack from a range and when he gets that blood he can quickly pull it back and ingest it. He even admits himself he's the slowest attacker in his organization, which is called the Akatsuki. Yes he can survive any normal attack cause he can't die, but he doesn't just always charge his enemy because force is still a thing. He can be disabled, like by beheading, and he can still be pushed back, so he does still need to use tactics to get the blood. That being said, his scythe is REALLY good at getting blood, its construction makes it pretty damn hard to block, one guy he battles using the scythe blocks an attack, but the point of one blade cuts him. Then he can throw it and reel it back in quickly, so you aren't safe at a distance either. Lastly it's not common for the people he fights to know his ability, so they're going to be defending against what they presume to be deadly strikes from this blade. We all know, it's better to get a shallow wound than a deep wound. Like duh. In Hidan's case, ANY wound is tantamount to death. When you understand Hidan's actual goal in combat, his weapon construction is actually genius. It LOOKS really dangerous and deadly, but it's actually NOT. Because the deadly part, happens after you think you've just fended off his assault. Another fun fact. This scythe actually delivers a fatal blow exactly ONCE in the entire series, and it's to Hidan himself. Yeah his own scythe impales him. 3 times, cause you know, 3 blades. But of course, immortal, so he's fine.
Very well put. The real danger is Hidan's ability to hurt his opponent. The weapon is just designed to optimize the chance of procuring the blood sample. Very articulate and detailed comment. Very glad someone took the time to share.
@@marocat4749 His sidearm is actually just a big ass spike. It's actually part of his religion to NOT kill people in ways other than his ritual curse. He has to pray for extended periods of time whenever he isn't allowed to kill his opponent, and he gets extremely angry whenever he gets injured, but if he's using his power to hurt someone else he LOVES the pain. There's a scene where he has another character CLEARLY cornered, like helpless before his superior strength. He doesn't have his scythe on hand, so he pulls out this big retractable spike and instead of just stabbing the guy to death he AIMS to just scratch his cheek. That's all he ATTEMPTS with this long dangerous spike, just a scratch. He licks the blood, then stabs HIMSELF so he can perform his ritual, which requires his own blood to draw a diagram. Then he uses the ritual to stab himself in the heart to kill this guy. He COULD have just started stabbing the guy who was too exhausted to defend himself, but he performs this whole ritual instead, cause his religion demands it. Hidan is a REALLY well made character. His abilities are very unique, and his weapon of choice reflects that, while also being very well designed for the specific purpose Hidan needs from it. Then when he has to use an objectively more lethal weapon, he insists on using it non-lethally because his ideology demands he kill in specific ways. THAT IDEOLOGY can then be taken advantage of by luring him into this particular position to give his enemy a chance to defeat him WHILE ALSO assisting allies in another battlefield. Anyone who hasn't seen like the whole arc with Hidan and Kakuzu, go watch it.
Remember that things that also qualify as "swords" in Naruto include: a rolled-up scroll, a giant paddle, and a SPINY SHARK. This is one of Naruto's saner weapons.
Shikamaru himself said it was more used for drawing blood. I can also assume hidan has enhanced stamina because of his immortality so he should be able to handle it longer, even disregarding chakra and enhanced strength and all that. But imo, almost any bladed weapon could be used for that purpose of drawing blood. I'd even say a knife on a chain would work better for the whole ninja/cultist theme. If hidans goal is to kill with his ritual and not the weapon itself, I think throwing 45 points of steel is a bad idea. He can be cut and beheaded as well so maybe he should keep that large spike for defense in melee.
knives and javelins would give him ranged options too, if he has to remain in that circle for his spell. A long flail or chain would be ideal for controlling the entire area around him, while still being pretty weeb in asthetic.
I believe someone mentioned that Hidan's religion prohibits killing outside his ritual sacrifice. So he definitely doesn't want a lethal or effective weapon. Just a long ass blade that's sure to nick a cut but won't be lethal. Knives and spears may be better at drawing blood but they can kill the enemy before the ritual so maybe it's not what he's looking for.
@@humourlessjester3584 "just a long blade that's sure to get a nick, but won't be lethal" That's not how cuts work: longer blades = deeper wounds. Duh.
@@Jacky_boy001 Let me reiterate since we're being pedantic: A long enough blade to reach and get a good nick on em is good enough. Fact is Hidan's weapon could not give deep wounds in combat that could be lethal and that's the point. Even in a direct hit the force will be so distributed among the blades it won't penetrate deep without superhuman force, which Hidan did not have, even a direct hit to the bottom blades would just roll the blade around the flesh and the deepest wound it could make is however steep that curve is.
@@viveillyvi hidan had also monstrous strength. Your talking about a literal immortal freak of nature. In the anime it states that it wasn't made to kill , but to cut and reach. In practicality, it's not meant for anyone but hidan. Its a completely useless weapon in Real life, but so is many other naruto weapons. Like samehada
that does not make the design less silly. In fact, it makes it even more silly. Draw 1st blood with a nimble, quick blade, spear, rapier, etc. This tripple joke is slightly better than Sauron's giga flail, but that's it.
Hidans weapon Was more for wounding rather than killing. When he got blood on his weapon, he usually used it to activate a curse. When he gets that thing going it's basically game over. You can't hurt him because any wound he receives also opens on the one he drew blood from, you. And he once used this to stab himself, oneshotting one of his enemies. I love how even in the Series they mention how this weapon looks suboptimal, i think that's how one of the characters figured out that something was wrong with hidan (the weapon user).
A curse that was wildly impractical anyway since it required him remaining within a circle he drew on the ground; shove him out of the circle and the curse is broken.
@@matthewmuir8884 Yeah, that was the part where i thought "huh, not as broken as it seems". The immortality Part was genuinly busted tho. Even decapitated, he lived for months after the Events of the Arc. I think he died only because he didn't make any sacrifices in that timeframe and was stripped of his immortality. If he had other techniques other than his curse in his Arsenal he could've been busted.
@@matthewmuir8884 to be fair for him. The circle he draw were mainly with his feet. If he had the brains for it. He could just set up hidden circles anywhere. Places like walls, floors, dirt. Even the ceiling. He was a cultist made more for assassinations than actual combat. The ability was the most ninja on paper. And they never gave a size limit to the circle so if he was bold he could make a whole field be size up to be the ritual circle.
@@yamato9753 Not just months after that arc; Kishimoto confirmed in an interview that Hidan's body parts will *_rot_* before Hidan's immortality runs out. I never really liked Hidan; him and Kakazu were my least favourite of the Akatsuki, with Hidan being by far the worst of the two of them. And I say this as someone who watched Naruto for the first time only three years ago.
even if Hidans scythe was silly looking it worked VERY well with his ability, aiming to draw blood rather than actually land a direct hit or kill, when you factor it in, it's a very good weapon for him
@@Skallagrim But he needs to retrieve it to drink the blood of the enemy for the curse, so something more like this or a whip would be good. Or as you said, but it would need a little more chakra magic to get it back. But I don't think he ever showed any abilities other than his voodoo curse and immortality.
@@Skallagrim true, but since his ability was that he needs to lick the blood to then get the power to trigger a melee weapon like this is betetr for it, hell that actually might be what the rope was for, to pull it back to him after he made a cut
Kind of reminds me of a weapon from Starfinder called a Doshko, which is basically a two handed axe with 3 spikes perpendicular to the haft at one end instead of a single axe head.
Worth remembering that Hidan's most common combat partner specializes in indiscriminate mass destruction, and the partnership works because Hidan's okay with being among the targets. You've got a lot more room for creativity in a weapon when you don't have to consider defending yourself - in fact, when you want people wounding you. Obvious impracticality is a plus because it encourages opponents to close in with Hidan. The triple blade has the added benefit of being able to trap an opponent's weapon or limb and help hold them within his partner's blast radius. There are a lot of better specialized weapons for all of these purposes, but all of them have the drawback of looking like they're meant for those purposes. Hidan's powerset isn't really all that hard to counter if you start knowing what it is and have enough power yourself (if you aren't powerful enough, no amount of knowledge or preparation is likely to help you - the chaka system was actually designed in-universe with that in mind). For all that the Akatsuki are powerful fighters, most of them specialize in ambush tactics - the show just consistently fails to show us ninja functioning with things are going smoothly.
I'm guessing they didn't do this much in history because it's generally too much effort and expense (it's kinda complex to build) for something that mostly does the same thing as a bearded axe or a single bladed war pick. That and they didn't think of it.
Regarding the ancient Chinese triple headed halberd, I read one hypothesis is that it was used by armored soldiers riding on top of heavy chariots. The momentum from the chariot can add a lot of damage even though the force might be spaced out among multiple blades if multiple blades connect. Another possibility is that it could be used as a specialized tool in a pike and halberd formation to help hit enemies easier and/or keep them/trap them away from the user or friendly soldiers. Other soldiers could have a regular pike or halberd while this soldier with this unique weapon had a unique job...almost similar to the much later Ming Dynasty wolf's brush used in some smaller specialized Ming pike formations to trap enemies.
Which, in a sense, makes hidan's weaponry (and other Naruto ninja) justified by default, as the ninja are largely either part of a professional soldier/mercenary class with a heavy emphasis on individual combat (similar to champion fighters in doctrine) or outcasts of that subset of society trained in that same fashion. Even historically, champions' weapons could get rather ridiculous and niche, and the ninja villages add another entire political entity that can leverage power to individualize training and equipment, without considering any of the fantastical elements in the setting
Regarding the ancient Chinese triple headed halberd, I read one hypothesis is that it was used by armored soldiers riding on top of heavy chariots. The momentum from the chariot can add a lot of damage even though the force might be spaced out among multiple blades if multiple blades connect. Another possibility is that it could be used as a specialized tool in a pike and halberd formation to help hit enemies easier and/or keep them/trap them away from the user or friendly soldiers. Other soldiers could have a regular pike or halberd while this soldier with this unique weapon had a unique job...almost similar to the much later Ming Dynasty wolf's brush used in some smaller specialized Ming pike formations to trap enemies.
Maybe they would be better if each was shorter than the one above it, it would reduce weight and mean you'd probably still get a single point of first contact, the extra hits eating moment may even reduce over penetration, all the while still letting you keep the advantage of hitting even if you over swing.
@@samfish2550 well, if you look at the thumbnail, the tips looks like they're the same length but if you look at the base you can see the position is diagonal so they're supposed to be different lengths. But then again, it's drawn so it might not be consistent.
9:45 After all of that, it can also apply tension between the blades pushing outward or i guess even inward in some cases that will cause additional friction when attempting to remove it from the target. Probably wouldn't be a whole lot but when comb teeth get spread or draw in its a similar issue.
as many have stated hidan wanted to get blood so he can then use his ability to kill his enemies and intern pleasing lord jashin so no matter how little damage it did as long as he got some blood it was basically game over (spoiler warning if you plan on watching naruto shippuden) and in naruto shippuden in his fight with asuma even though hidan cut asumas cheek only by a bit he still got blood and killed asuma using his jutsu/ability so his syth is not meant to kill just a little insight
I wouldn't compare them to scythes, but since you brought up the triple bladed Native American gunstock clubs, there are similarly triple bladed or spiked clubs found in Mesoamerica, mostly by the Maya: There are a few Maya ceramics showing soldiers or Death gods wielding clubs or even pole length weapons that have long protruding stone blades or spikes sticking out the side similar to those gunstock clubs. Some have just one blade/spike, but others have 2, 3, or even 5 blades/spikes: See vases k1646 and 6990 in the Kerr Database for two examples, a private auction also had a Jaina Island figure with one. In general, Mesoamerica has WAY more weapon and armor variety then most people realize, but there's like zero centralized typologies or catalogs of it all aside from what Hassig has in "Aztec Warfare" (which is very focused on the Mexica of the Aztec capital and therefore excludes a lot, even some applicable stuff) so there's a lot of weird obscure weapon and armor varieties that you won't know about unless you spend a lot of time looking at ceramic figures, vases, murals, and manuscripts.
Hidan really really should’ve had a a scythe with 3 blades set up like a grappling hook so no matter how the weapon rotates when swung atleast 1 blade should still be able to draw the blood for his techniques while being more effective as a weapon in general
considering that the character is depicted as a blood thirsty immortal religious psychopath who uses his enemy's blood to perform self-harm rituals that he enjoys in order to kill his opponent, the weapon fits for him. It is noted in the series also that the weapon is impractical and it's only made to be flinged at the enemy to draw blood that the guy can then use to perform his psychotic ritual. It's the impractical weapon of a psychopath, part of story-telling. It does not make it less unpractical by any means, but it makes it fit the very specific context in which it's used. Regarding the weight of the thing, of course it's going to weigh a ton, but this is a non factor at this point when we take into consideration that we're talking about super-human people who can lift mountains, spit fire, walk on water and walls, punch entire canyons in the ground and so on.
Scythes are farming/lawn mowing tools, they have the blade angled so its paralel to the grownd. that means the shaft is held with to hands pointing downward (the taller you are the greater the angle from the shaft needs to be to cut grass well). The blade of a Scythe is very thin and usually hammerd(on a small iron anvil bench) regularly on the edge for maintenance( somtimes even sharpend with stones or carbon stell wedges). The Scythe is and has been optimized to be "in moddern terms" a lawn mower, and verymuch not for war. ps. I did go through a 3 day course on how to use and maintain a scythe
When I was a young man I used a Scythe daily. Never mind 3 blades I can’t imagine how a ‘normal’ Scythe could work as a practical weapon. The handle isn’t designed in a way that it could be used as a weapon. However, if the opponent was laying down or very short then yes it possibly could work, better still if the handle was straight then it would work fine even with 3 blades.
Great video. In Hidan's defense he's not very bright😂. He probably chose it to fit his flamboyant style. The weight probably isn't that big an issue in Naruto since even a 12 year old can rip out large tree roots with their bare hands. I'm guessing the size would still make it easy to read its swings and evade though but I don't know. I wonder what would be easier to fight with between Hidan's scythe and a long sword of the same size.
Something of note, the character in Naruto, Hidan carries the triple scythe largely as an intimidation tactic. His fighting style relies on his damage mirroring curse ability (and immortality) simply needing to _nick_ an opponent to make it take effect. Hidan intentionally chose the clunkiest weapon ever because his particular abilities were so OP.
So others pointed out it's made to wound not kill, but here's 2 other facts that make it a little better. First it actually has a detachable cord so he can throw it or use it as an anchor, at one point he stabs it into a tree to stand on it. It's meant for some utility. Second he does actually have this expandable knife/spike thing for when the scythe doesn't work so he does have backups.
The weight is potentially also a pro and a con situation. More weight makes the weapon more unwieldy, but it also adds power to the strike. Esentially making this sort of a weirdly shaped battle axe. Of course the point of an axe is to be top heavy.
One thing I will point out with that triple bladed Ji is that the spacing looks almost like those are a head-width apart. With a spacing like that, you guarantee that you can only hit someone's head with one blade at a time, eliminating the disadvantage of the lowered penetration pressure. This then lets you go after a target and have three separate killzones, rather than a single wide one that has lower effectiveness. This is different if it goes across the body, rather than from above, but going for the body is what stabbing with the top point is for.
it would just distribute the impact between 3 points & it would make it penetrate more obviously, because thats totally how physics work. I'm being sarcastic btw.
Really nice video. I wonder what would need to be done to make it more efficiente as a weapon. My thoughts would, to shorten and straighten the blades somewhat to save a bit more weight. Maybe adding a slight curve to the shaft and sharpen the tips but I am not sure that would change much. I also always wondered what the rope was for other then retrieving the weapon after a throw, maybe it was also used as a grappling hook?
@@Mytelefe True but as others mentioned, then he would not have his death god motive. Although now i think of a Naruto/Castlevania crossover with Hidan cosplaying one of the Belmonts with Vampire Killer.
Hidan is an Immortal Superhuman Cultist of a Death God with a Sadomasocistic, Psychopathic, and Twisted view on combat. He relishes pain in an actual sexual manner while the Scythe is his Iconic weapon it is not his main tool his Scythe is mainly for intimidation and getting a drop of blood his main tool is actually is an Spike his keeps in his cloak
Kishimoto didn't get everything right, but he did have the right idea giving the most ridiculous, impractical weapon to a character who doesn't have to worry about defense because he's immortal, and doesn't have to worry about accuracy because he only has to draw one drop of blood to kill.
It could be REALY devestating if only one of the blades got even a slight misalignment. The next try to penetrate armor could then bend the blades into different directions, rendering the weapon mostly useless
ahh the memories. I liked that fight but it is more about the characters rather then the fight itself why i liked it. Good memories. Also if it is heavy would it be possible to make overhead swing hard enough to blow through a overhead parry and into a helmet that has does not have round/circular top. (i'm not english speaker)
I read quite a few comments saying "the scythe was to harm, not kill". But if we follow that line of thinking, then a bunch of bits of glass would suffice. It only takes a little blood for curses
Sickles and scythes usually get a perk to bypass shields in some games (like Dark Souls), wonder if that has any basis in reality, basically the blade of the sickle or scythe can hit the top of the shield and due to its shape it basically arcs over it and hits the arm of the shield user .. at least in theory, hope you cover that in your upcoming Scythe techniques video.
@E-Hamel Indeed if the curve is quite extreme, would be interesting to see that in a mock practice if it's effective at all against an opponent who is expecting it (as the defense against would be to raise the shield up to try and trap the sickle/scythe then use the opening to strike with your own weapon).
What's worse: A triple bladed scythe with all the blades on the same end or a double bladed scythe with the blades at opposite ends (Both in the U configuration so both blades point out at the same side or the S configuration so they point out on opposite sides)?
Honestly, little surprised it has any merit to it, I do love the comical design of the triple scythe, to know it even has a moderate chance to be viable is kind of neat
Raises a potentially interesting follow-up though, if you'll forgive a smidgen of Naruto lore. Hidan is immortal (but not indestructible) and his method of fighting is to recklessly attempt to inflict any kind of wound on his target. He would then ingest (as I recall) some of that blood to link their bodies so that any wound he sustains affects his opponent - effectively an instant kill as he'd just stab himself with a stake and that's game. My question would be, what would be a more practical weapon design in real life, without the crazy anime strength and skill? It doesn't need to kill, just maximise the chance of drawing blood, doesn't necessarily need to be particularly defensive, but it does need to be moderately easy to carry around and, importantly, easy to lick blood off. Bonus points for consideration for armour.
Very interesting analysis of Hidans weapon being used by a regular person. Since Hidan just needs a single drop of blood and Hidan himself is immortal (so getting hit is inconsequential) the usefulness of the weapon in combat isn't really important. What's really important is the capability of self harm because thats how he kills his sacrifices. Ironically, show shows its not even good for that since he uses a seperate weapon to stab himself in the heart. You can afford to have a flashy cumbersome weapon when your enemy literally cannot kill you though. That's one if the benefits of being fucking immortal. I always assumed it was part of his religion since almost everything he does is in the name of Jashin. When we first meet him it's even propped up ritualistically after one of his sacrifices.
What about the sword that Escaflowne uses. Its basically a great sword that can mechanically be shortened or be full length. Its my favorite anime sword. It looks beautiful and it might be able to be functional
Initial thoughts: Might not be able to puncture as well. Heftier/ more awkward. May get tangled up in clothes etc more easily? Slashing has become far more difficult. Pro: You’ve made a scythe that can catch and maybe even break a sword? (Unlikely)
Too bad that naruto made weapons obsolite, because there could be so luch potential for absurd weapons. And yeah i love the fan,hidans and shark sword, but there could be more. Maybe boruto does do it, so far i have seen a light saber.
Even within Naruto, it was pointed out by characters in the show that it was ridiculously impractical. The explanation that's given is that the character who used it: Hidan had an ability where, if they get a drop of their enemy's blood, their enemy is cursed to receive any damage that Hidan receives, and since Hidan can't be killed, he'd survive while his opponent died. So, the bizarre triple-bladed scythe was meant for maximizing the chance of drawing blood. If you're wondering, Hidan is ultimately being beaten by being blown to pieces and having those pieces left in a hole in the ground to rot.
One thing you didn't think of is in the unlikely (but obviously still possible) case of a blade breaking off. Then you still have 2 more to work with. Also, I believe that "hook and slice from the back" is an actual technique. In a book of mine (the Jomsvikings) a tactic was discussed about someone sticking their seax through the shield wall in case of a shieldwall-against-shieldwall situation. The seax, even though not a hooked blade, would be thrusted between the shields (preferably at leg-height) and when that person would move back (in a reflex cuz something sharp is sticking out near you leg) or forth they could sustain a crippling cut which causes a hole to form in the wall (which as explicitely mentioned during training is how you lose)
Also something you didn't go over I think when you were talking about the overpenetration of pick-style armaments and the force being divided by three: it may not actually be divided that much. As you mentioned shortly after, 2 extra heads isn't just creating more points of contact, it's creating more weight. However much weight that blade at the top adds to the weapon is being tripled as well, pushing the point of balance further up and creating a much more devastating hit overall. The end result may still just be extreme overpenetration with all the points.
Just to add to what the others said about the context in Naruto, I guess there could have been better and more precise/efficient weapons that could have worked with Hidan's ritual that takes just one drop of the enemy's blood. Maybe a polearm or a spear? Those would be lighter and easier to maneuver and wouldn't get stuck so easily, were he to accidentally hit a wall or tree behind the enemy. But what really compliments his technique is the chain in my opinion. Real-life practicality and physics aside, it allows him to launch his weapon forward, get a quick slash and pull it right back, giving him enough time and distance to get started with his ritual. But the scythe is stylistically a pretty nice choice anyway, since it goes perfectly with his grim reaper look 💀
6:00 I've been told there are some soldiers who will carry a tomahawk over a combat knife because they can penatrate Kevlar armor. How common this actually is, I'm not sure. But my uncle told me a guy in his unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom carried one, so there's some truth to it.
Hidans scythe was ment for range and damage depends on the range the middle and lower are more painful and combined with the grabbel feature with it it was really designed for defense and offense I would also assume it’s light weight as how fast it can be swung but his scythe isn’t useless it’s still meant for a range increase
What about an extendable sword? say a shortsword that you can extend into a longsword? Durability might be impeded and there would be another point of failure, but it would be a bit more versatile. Say indoor combat would benefit from a bit of a shorter range, but if you are in a larger area, you can extend it into a longsword. I would love to see a video about this or similar concepts!
I think if you made the blades lighter to reduce mass you might end up with your blades bending fairly quickly, so then you're wielding a wonky weapon with bad center of gravity and no edge alignment.
Normal Scythes already require HEAVY modification to be a remotely good weapon for combat while still being a Scythe in essence. I absolutely love the idea of wielding a Scythe practically and like them as a weapon so much that I often buy games just on the fact of them having a cool to use one in them ALONE. Thus, my feelings about the design of a scythe weapon hold a little bit more weight than most since I really do care about it. *So that being said:* *This weapon multiplies the problems with the base scythe design, is considerably worse than just using a normal unmodified scythe AND PRESENTS ENTIRELY NEW PROBLEMS WITH HOW ITS DESIGNED OUTSIDE OF THE SPECIFIC LORE REASONS THIS CHARACTER USES IT.* It dosnt even look cool, *IT LOOKS LIKE MALL NINJA WEAPON*
i think even in naruto they point out that the tripple scythe was nonsensical because it would never deal a proper cut. Instead it was designed simply to deal just SOME damage, any damage at all, because hidan could then curse you.
Then why not spread then out like a tri hook instead of all in one line?
@@typhoon1575 aesthetic theming. Hidan had a very death god vibe, Scythes are usually associated with the grim reaper
@@bobowon5450 I get that
But there's more efficient ways to mount 3 blades to make it easier to hit rather than focus on any kind of damage.
Mounting them flayed out umbrella style or in a claw pattern would work better and probably still be cool
@@typhoon1575 It's as much a religious symbol as a weapon.
@@typhoon1575 at that point, a spiked flail makes the most sense to get any blood for his jutsu. This is the same series with a Buster Sword sized sword and a sentient spiky shark club are used as weapons . It’s regarded as impractical in-universe. Kishimoto just wanted something that visually distinct and themed.
Really excited for the agricultural scythe combat video. A friend and I actually discussed this awhile back and we struggled to see a way it could be viable, especially when compared modified to become a war scythe, however, we aren't experienced in combat recreation like yourself so since then I've always wanted your opinion on the matter.
I also found your insights on the kama's limited useful blade to be interesting as it reinforces the notion that they were most commonly used as a concealed weapon (plausible deniability if caught) or a weapon of last resort by peasants.
Great video as always!
An other well known 3 pointed weapon would be the trident, not exactly a scythe/war pike, but still. I don't know if it has ever been used as a warfare weapon, but at least it was used for spectacles, so the rule of cool might already be a thing back then 😅
Therecould be weapon trients,maybe. Andnotjustbecause its hella symbolic strong. Maybe, or did they just use spears instead
I am also thinking that if you swing the triple scythe, and "miss" a limb, the limb in question could get "stuck" between two blades, with the edge dealing damage to the flesh if it's exposed enough since the space between two edges gets narrower the closer you are to the pole.
Hidans scythe was meant to have a bunch of other functions to it like the three blades being able to separate and give it a whip like affect.
I think the Triple scythe would be ,ore practical if the blades were off set from eachother so they give you a wider hit area but with them bing inline witheachother it just adds unecesery weight
Nice editing skill Skall.
Glad it was a snow plough and not some nasty critter waiting to pounce upon you!
Now i want to see this extreme version of a swordbreaker. It'd be tricky to make it light enough to actually catch a blade, but i like the idea of aggressive pacifism.
Hidan's triple scythe is so dumb, but I love it anyway. Though it does get some points for not actually being intended to kill - it's just a means to acquire a target's blood so Hidan can do his curse nonsense.
I have no idea if this was stated yet... But as I understand it, in the anime this triple bladed scythe is just meant to draw blood. The user of this weapon had a power that required the enemies blood. It's totally impractical imo. But good at its purpose, i guess.
if you have weird fencing on your crops that such a thing would be fit to use in, maybe its practical,
or maybe you want to store spare scythe blades on a scythe.
Hidan avoids counter attacks by spin throwing it, when it misses it anchors to the ground allowing him to pull himself away from an attack in an unexpected direction.
The Game "Path of Exile" has a triple bladed dagger axe. Checkmate Skall
To play Devil's Expertise-lacking Ostensible Advocate, you mentioned how the scythe/pick has absurd depth of penetration - that the triple scythe's three points of contact spread the impact out - and that three scythes have a higher risk of getting stuck. Consider this: The spread-out impact causes less depth, causing a reduced chance of getting stuck compared to a deep-penetrating single scythe/pick that might get caught up in deeper bones.
Now consider the above to be false - that in all cases the triple scythe will have a high chance of getting stuck. In the spirit of Bethesda, this is not a bug; this is a feature. You see, by getting your unwieldy, heavy, 45-lb triple scythe to be "triple-stuck" in your opponent, you've effectively transferred all those burdens onto the foe. Now they have to deal with this monstrosity weighing them down - or to expend effort into removing it themselves - all while you switch to your far more practical and efficient side-arm-of-choice to finish the job.
A few things i think were overlooked the first of which is the penetration. In test custs the spike overperforms massively that is true but these are usually massive telegraphed full power strikes and thats not what we usually land in combat. Is it still a scythe if your just using it as a spike? wouldn't that be a 3 spiked pick? I think the real point is there are other weapons that do the same but better.
In context a lot of the reasons a weapon like that would be trash are negates by the special ability of the user. Note that the user only needs to get a small amount of blood to win the battle so while I could easily imagine a more effective weapon for his ability I think it is forgivable.
The top isnt sharpened, the bottom/inside of the scythe is, it just looks like its sharpened on top cause there's some sort of decoration on top.
People are mentioning Hidan’s blood-drawing curse to explain why he has three blades on his scythe, but you also mention the Native American three-blade club maybe having ceremonial purposes. That reminded me that Hidan is also an occultist priest, so there might be ceremonial origins with his scythe as well.
He uses it to inflict self injury for his ritual. 3 blades means 3 wounds, so yes it is absolutely ceremonial
Yeah, the cult might be circled around the number 3.... that's an unintentional pun.
(FYI : Because the symbol of Jashin is triangle inside a circle)
Regarding the ancient Chinese triple headed halberd, I read one hypothesis is that it was used by armored soldiers riding on top of heavy chariots. The momentum from the chariot can add a lot of damage even though the force might be spaced out among multiple blades if multiple blades connect. Another possibility is that it could be used as a specialized tool in a pike and halberd formation to help hit enemies easier and/or keep them/trap them away from the user or friendly soldiers. Other soldiers could have a regular pike or halberd while this soldier with this unique weapon had a unique job...almost similar to the much later Ming Dynasty wolf's brush used in some smaller specialized Ming pike formations to trap enemies.
@Skallagrim The weapon, its function, some deadly cuts or strikes and later version which are a fusion of two weapons as well hypothesis is here explained too. (ruclips.net/video/RKDD_EIw7kU/видео.html start by minute Weapon number 8 pls) I hope I could help out? 🙏
I was expecting it to be used mostly against peasant rebellion since it looks intimidating and works quite well against poorly equipped peasants.
@@Weigazod I think a bladed slashing weapon (like a falchion or glaive) would work better against poorly equipped people who have little to no armor. These ancient Chinese halberds (Ji and Daggeraxes) and multi-bladed halberds are shaped like the spikey end of a medieval European warhammer spike...so it seems more designed to penetrate armor.
@@Intranetusa
Well, I didn't really know. I just speculate that was how it was used, intimidation. :D
@@Intranetusa Heavy slashing polearms has yet to appear in China at the time due to requirements for forging a sturdy and wide chopping blade, which is hard for the metallurgy at the time.
In Hidan case I think the dude didn't made it deadly in combat, he made it that way to maximize his chance to get just a single drop of blood out of his enemy
Then wouldn't he have spikes all over them instead? Or just throw a bunch of glass at the enemy. Like there are way easier ways to make another guy bleed a tiny bit.
Obviously rule of cool, but still.
Yeah pretty sure there are better way consider how he barely be able to get anyone with decent skill blood in the manga
@@NurseValentineSG Hidan's goal is to lick a drop of blood from his opponent any way possible. That's his bullshit win condition. He becomes immortal and all future injuries are transferred to his opponent. Then he just stabs himself repeatedly which transfers to his opponent with no way to avoid it. It's pretty high up there on the bullshit powers list.
He could have just added a bunch more blades, but make them all quite small.
@@Skallagrim There's a dark souls enemy who wears armor covered in tiny spikes that do damage if he rolls into you. Really annoying.
Hidan's triple-bladed scythe is one of those cases where you can actually say that it's "for ceremonial purposes" because it's more of a symbol of the cult of Yashin which Hidan belongs to, and Hidan only uses it to inflict any wound for his blood ritual which apparently only works with the scythe...
Hidan is noted to be rather slow in combat, in fact his style relies heavily on his immortality which he gained from the blood rituals...
I really appreciate how this channel doesn't just outright dismiss fantasy weapons as absurd, but rather actually weighs the pros/cons. A lot of fantasy weapons are still impractical at best, but it's always more interesting to at least explore what, if any, benefits they could have.
They actually do note that the weapon sucks in Naruto. The reason Hidan uses it is because it lets him collect blood for his abilities
Why not just make it a morning star or spiked mace
Also the three blades there are not the same length, the more far away the blade, the longer it is 🤔
@@kuru-yami9416 because thats fken boring, why would you make super powered magic ninjas and give them a stupid mace
@@kuru-yami9416 One: its a series themed around Ninjas and ninjas arent exactly associated with using Maces.
Two: Its to fit with Hidans grim reaper aesthetic, he uses the scythe to gather blood which he then uses for a ritual that then kills you
@@kuru-yami9416 Hidan is a death cultist. The scythe is a religious tool for him. Plus he is immortal
The real question is, could we make the triple scythe even more impractical somehow? The absurdity of the weapon pleases Lord Jashin.
Would a chainsaw count? Yes... a chainsaw halberld
Of course we can make it more impractical. Mirror the blades onto the opposide side of the haft too. **Insert Shad rant about double axes**
@@alejandrolievano5573 Triple Chainsaw Gun Halberd,
The " [Self] Arm-bliterator "
@@NieR042 with shark teeth as the teeth on the saw
@@thelordz33 And instead of a spike on the back, it's a goat skull on the back for bonking people
Fun fact time!
The character who owns this weapon is Hidan, from the anime Naruto.
It is actually pointed out by the characters in the show that his weapon of choice is kinda strange. They learn by fighting him his weapon is NOT supposed to kill his opponent. It's not even meant to really INJURE his opponent. The ONLY purpose of his triple scythe is to get even the smallest cut, just to draw even a DROP of blood. That is because Hidan's power works by ingesting his enemy's blood, and then he can do a sort of voodoo ritual. He can injure himself, and that injury appears on his enemy. Which sounds moronic, but Hidan, is IMMORTAL. You can stab him, set him on fire, even blow him up and he will not die. Cut off his head and he'll just keep screaming at you. So due to this he can stab himself in the heart and instantly kill his enemy when really all he had to do was draw a bit of blood.
The cable, which is a steel cable, allows him to attack from a range and when he gets that blood he can quickly pull it back and ingest it. He even admits himself he's the slowest attacker in his organization, which is called the Akatsuki. Yes he can survive any normal attack cause he can't die, but he doesn't just always charge his enemy because force is still a thing. He can be disabled, like by beheading, and he can still be pushed back, so he does still need to use tactics to get the blood. That being said, his scythe is REALLY good at getting blood, its construction makes it pretty damn hard to block, one guy he battles using the scythe blocks an attack, but the point of one blade cuts him. Then he can throw it and reel it back in quickly, so you aren't safe at a distance either. Lastly it's not common for the people he fights to know his ability, so they're going to be defending against what they presume to be deadly strikes from this blade. We all know, it's better to get a shallow wound than a deep wound. Like duh. In Hidan's case, ANY wound is tantamount to death.
When you understand Hidan's actual goal in combat, his weapon construction is actually genius. It LOOKS really dangerous and deadly, but it's actually NOT. Because the deadly part, happens after you think you've just fended off his assault.
Another fun fact. This scythe actually delivers a fatal blow exactly ONCE in the entire series, and it's to Hidan himself.
Yeah his own scythe impales him. 3 times, cause you know, 3 blades. But of course, immortal, so he's fine.
I swear hidan should have as sidearm that masochist weapon from the worstweapon series, and coud make it work.
Very well put.
The real danger is Hidan's ability to hurt his opponent. The weapon is just designed to optimize the chance of procuring the blood sample.
Very articulate and detailed comment. Very glad someone took the time to share.
@@marocat4749 His sidearm is actually just a big ass spike.
It's actually part of his religion to NOT kill people in ways other than his ritual curse. He has to pray for extended periods of time whenever he isn't allowed to kill his opponent, and he gets extremely angry whenever he gets injured, but if he's using his power to hurt someone else he LOVES the pain.
There's a scene where he has another character CLEARLY cornered, like helpless before his superior strength. He doesn't have his scythe on hand, so he pulls out this big retractable spike and instead of just stabbing the guy to death he AIMS to just scratch his cheek. That's all he ATTEMPTS with this long dangerous spike, just a scratch. He licks the blood, then stabs HIMSELF so he can perform his ritual, which requires his own blood to draw a diagram. Then he uses the ritual to stab himself in the heart to kill this guy.
He COULD have just started stabbing the guy who was too exhausted to defend himself, but he performs this whole ritual instead, cause his religion demands it.
Hidan is a REALLY well made character. His abilities are very unique, and his weapon of choice reflects that, while also being very well designed for the specific purpose Hidan needs from it. Then when he has to use an objectively more lethal weapon, he insists on using it non-lethally because his ideology demands he kill in specific ways.
THAT IDEOLOGY can then be taken advantage of by luring him into this particular position to give his enemy a chance to defeat him WHILE ALSO assisting allies in another battlefield.
Anyone who hasn't seen like the whole arc with Hidan and Kakuzu, go watch it.
Was it ever said why he was immortal?
@@aspen9102 isnt it because of yasshin?
Remember that things that also qualify as "swords" in Naruto include: a rolled-up scroll, a giant paddle, and a SPINY SHARK. This is one of Naruto's saner weapons.
Spiny shark "Samehada" is bad ass.
Shikamaru himself said it was more used for drawing blood. I can also assume hidan has enhanced stamina because of his immortality so he should be able to handle it longer, even disregarding chakra and enhanced strength and all that.
But imo, almost any bladed weapon could be used for that purpose of drawing blood. I'd even say a knife on a chain would work better for the whole ninja/cultist theme. If hidans goal is to kill with his ritual and not the weapon itself, I think throwing 45 points of steel is a bad idea. He can be cut and beheaded as well so maybe he should keep that large spike for defense in melee.
knives and javelins would give him ranged options too, if he has to remain in that circle for his spell. A long flail or chain would be ideal for controlling the entire area around him, while still being pretty weeb in asthetic.
I believe someone mentioned that Hidan's religion prohibits killing outside his ritual sacrifice. So he definitely doesn't want a lethal or effective weapon. Just a long ass blade that's sure to nick a cut but won't be lethal. Knives and spears may be better at drawing blood but they can kill the enemy before the ritual so maybe it's not what he's looking for.
@@humourlessjester3584 "just a long blade that's sure to get a nick, but won't be lethal"
That's not how cuts work: longer blades = deeper wounds. Duh.
@@Jacky_boy001 Let me reiterate since we're being pedantic: A long enough blade to reach and get a good nick on em is good enough. Fact is Hidan's weapon could not give deep wounds in combat that could be lethal and that's the point. Even in a direct hit the force will be so distributed among the blades it won't penetrate deep without superhuman force, which Hidan did not have, even a direct hit to the bottom blades would just roll the blade around the flesh and the deepest wound it could make is however steep that curve is.
Saw this literally one minute after upload. I’m gonna say a 3 bladed sickle is bad, then watch to see if I’m right.
The triple scythe from naruto was made more for wounding, rather than killing
It was effective as a a way to cut. If hidan got your blood, it was game over
Was made for rule of cool and edge. Because Hidan was pure edge.
@@zackdewey6474 then you would use a less clumsy and slow weapon
Thus scythe looks heavy as fuck, probably more than 10 kilograms
@@viveillyvi hidan had also monstrous strength. Your talking about a literal immortal freak of nature. In the anime it states that it wasn't made to kill , but to cut and reach. In practicality, it's not meant for anyone but hidan. Its a completely useless weapon in Real life, but so is many other naruto weapons. Like samehada
that does not make the design less silly. In fact, it makes it even more silly. Draw 1st blood with a nimble, quick blade, spear, rapier, etc. This tripple joke is slightly better than Sauron's giga flail, but that's it.
Hidans weapon Was more for wounding rather than killing.
When he got blood on his weapon, he usually used it to activate a curse.
When he gets that thing going it's basically game over. You can't hurt him because any wound he receives also opens on the one he drew blood from, you.
And he once used this to stab himself, oneshotting one of his enemies.
I love how even in the Series they mention how this weapon looks suboptimal, i think that's how one of the characters figured out that something was wrong with hidan (the weapon user).
A curse that was wildly impractical anyway since it required him remaining within a circle he drew on the ground; shove him out of the circle and the curse is broken.
@@matthewmuir8884 Yeah, that was the part where i thought "huh, not as broken as it seems".
The immortality Part was genuinly busted tho. Even decapitated, he lived for months after the Events of the Arc.
I think he died only because he didn't make any sacrifices in that timeframe and was stripped of his immortality.
If he had other techniques other than his curse in his Arsenal he could've been busted.
@@yamato9753 I though he still alive? like wayyyy into the story cuz when the Akatsuki get res he isnt show up
@@matthewmuir8884 to be fair for him. The circle he draw were mainly with his feet. If he had the brains for it. He could just set up hidden circles anywhere.
Places like walls, floors, dirt. Even the ceiling. He was a cultist made more for assassinations than actual combat.
The ability was the most ninja on paper.
And they never gave a size limit to the circle so if he was bold he could make a whole field be size up to be the ritual circle.
@@yamato9753 Not just months after that arc; Kishimoto confirmed in an interview that Hidan's body parts will *_rot_* before Hidan's immortality runs out.
I never really liked Hidan; him and Kakazu were my least favourite of the Akatsuki, with Hidan being by far the worst of the two of them. And I say this as someone who watched Naruto for the first time only three years ago.
even if Hidans scythe was silly looking it worked VERY well with his ability, aiming to draw blood rather than actually land a direct hit or kill, when you factor it in, it's a very good weapon for him
I think a large throwing star or chakram would have more sense... more sharp edges, and he throws it anyway.
@@Skallagrim But he needs to retrieve it to drink the blood of the enemy for the curse, so something more like this or a whip would be good. Or as you said, but it would need a little more chakra magic to get it back. But I don't think he ever showed any abilities other than his voodoo curse and immortality.
@@Skallagrim true, but since his ability was that he needs to lick the blood to then get the power to trigger a melee weapon like this is betetr for it, hell that actually might be what the rope was for, to pull it back to him after he made a cut
@@evodolka That's exactly what the rope is for. You can see him use it that way when he fights.
@@MrWilson812 see, even more reason to use it over a shuriken then
Kind of reminds me of a weapon from Starfinder called a Doshko, which is basically a two handed axe with 3 spikes perpendicular to the haft at one end instead of a single axe head.
Worth remembering that Hidan's most common combat partner specializes in indiscriminate mass destruction, and the partnership works because Hidan's okay with being among the targets. You've got a lot more room for creativity in a weapon when you don't have to consider defending yourself - in fact, when you want people wounding you. Obvious impracticality is a plus because it encourages opponents to close in with Hidan. The triple blade has the added benefit of being able to trap an opponent's weapon or limb and help hold them within his partner's blast radius.
There are a lot of better specialized weapons for all of these purposes, but all of them have the drawback of looking like they're meant for those purposes. Hidan's powerset isn't really all that hard to counter if you start knowing what it is and have enough power yourself (if you aren't powerful enough, no amount of knowledge or preparation is likely to help you - the chaka system was actually designed in-universe with that in mind). For all that the Akatsuki are powerful fighters, most of them specialize in ambush tactics - the show just consistently fails to show us ninja functioning with things are going smoothly.
I'm guessing they didn't do this much in history because it's generally too much effort and expense (it's kinda complex to build) for something that mostly does the same thing as a bearded axe or a single bladed war pick. That and they didn't think of it.
Regarding the ancient Chinese triple headed halberd, I read one hypothesis is that it was used by armored soldiers riding on top of heavy chariots. The momentum from the chariot can add a lot of damage even though the force might be spaced out among multiple blades if multiple blades connect. Another possibility is that it could be used as a specialized tool in a pike and halberd formation to help hit enemies easier and/or keep them/trap them away from the user or friendly soldiers. Other soldiers could have a regular pike or halberd while this soldier with this unique weapon had a unique job...almost similar to the much later Ming Dynasty wolf's brush used in some smaller specialized Ming pike formations to trap enemies.
Which, in a sense, makes hidan's weaponry (and other Naruto ninja) justified by default, as the ninja are largely either part of a professional soldier/mercenary class with a heavy emphasis on individual combat (similar to champion fighters in doctrine) or outcasts of that subset of society trained in that same fashion. Even historically, champions' weapons could get rather ridiculous and niche, and the ninja villages add another entire political entity that can leverage power to individualize training and equipment, without considering any of the fantastical elements in the setting
Would be interesting to hear about Assuma’s hand daggers as well. Great content btw!
Just started the video. Hope you included the real life chinese polearm, triple dagger halberd
I did.
Regarding the ancient Chinese triple headed halberd, I read one hypothesis is that it was used by armored soldiers riding on top of heavy chariots. The momentum from the chariot can add a lot of damage even though the force might be spaced out among multiple blades if multiple blades connect. Another possibility is that it could be used as a specialized tool in a pike and halberd formation to help hit enemies easier and/or keep them/trap them away from the user or friendly soldiers. Other soldiers could have a regular pike or halberd while this soldier with this unique weapon had a unique job...almost similar to the much later Ming Dynasty wolf's brush used in some smaller specialized Ming pike formations to trap enemies.
@@Skallagrim I saw.
You should make an episode about the Roman pilum. And why the Romans stopped using such effective weapon.
Maybe they would be better if each was shorter than the one above it, it would reduce weight and mean you'd probably still get a single point of first contact, the extra hits eating moment may even reduce over penetration, all the while still letting you keep the advantage of hitting even if you over swing.
I thought they are different lengths though?
@@skye387 are they, they looked mono length to me, either way I'd make it more extreme.
@@samfish2550 well, if you look at the thumbnail, the tips looks like they're the same length but if you look at the base you can see the position is diagonal so they're supposed to be different lengths.
But then again, it's drawn so it might not be consistent.
Ah, either way I was talking like full on half the length of the blade above.
9:45 After all of that, it can also apply tension between the blades pushing outward or i guess even inward in some cases that will cause additional friction when attempting to remove it from the target. Probably wouldn't be a whole lot but when comb teeth get spread or draw in its a similar issue.
as many have stated hidan wanted to get blood so he can then use his ability to kill his enemies and intern pleasing lord jashin so no matter how little damage it did as long as he got some blood it was basically game over (spoiler warning if you plan on watching naruto shippuden) and in naruto shippuden in his fight with asuma even though hidan cut asumas cheek only by a bit he still got blood and killed asuma using his jutsu/ability so his syth is not meant to kill just a little insight
I wouldn't compare them to scythes, but since you brought up the triple bladed Native American gunstock clubs, there are similarly triple bladed or spiked clubs found in Mesoamerica, mostly by the Maya: There are a few Maya ceramics showing soldiers or Death gods wielding clubs or even pole length weapons that have long protruding stone blades or spikes sticking out the side similar to those gunstock clubs. Some have just one blade/spike, but others have 2, 3, or even 5 blades/spikes: See vases k1646 and 6990 in the Kerr Database for two examples, a private auction also had a Jaina Island figure with one. In general, Mesoamerica has WAY more weapon and armor variety then most people realize, but there's like zero centralized typologies or catalogs of it all aside from what Hassig has in "Aztec Warfare" (which is very focused on the Mexica of the Aztec capital and therefore excludes a lot, even some applicable stuff) so there's a lot of weird obscure weapon and armor varieties that you won't know about unless you spend a lot of time looking at ceramic figures, vases, murals, and manuscripts.
Hidan really really should’ve had a a scythe with 3 blades set up like a grappling hook so no matter how the weapon rotates when swung atleast 1 blade should still be able to draw the blood for his techniques while being more effective as a weapon in general
If you wanna see some wild ass scythe designs check out Nezerec's weapon from the new raid in destiny 2, you might get a kick out of it lol
considering that the character is depicted as a blood thirsty immortal religious psychopath who uses his enemy's blood to perform self-harm rituals that he enjoys in order to kill his opponent, the weapon fits for him. It is noted in the series also that the weapon is impractical and it's only made to be flinged at the enemy to draw blood that the guy can then use to perform his psychotic ritual. It's the impractical weapon of a psychopath, part of story-telling. It does not make it less unpractical by any means, but it makes it fit the very specific context in which it's used. Regarding the weight of the thing, of course it's going to weigh a ton, but this is a non factor at this point when we take into consideration that we're talking about super-human people who can lift mountains, spit fire, walk on water and walls, punch entire canyons in the ground and so on.
Scythes are farming/lawn mowing tools, they have the blade angled so its paralel to the grownd. that means the shaft is held with to hands pointing downward (the taller you are the greater the angle from the shaft needs to be to cut grass well). The blade of a Scythe is very thin and usually hammerd(on a small iron anvil bench) regularly on the edge for maintenance( somtimes even sharpend with stones or carbon stell wedges). The Scythe is and has been optimized to be "in moddern terms" a lawn mower, and verymuch not for war.
ps. I did go through a 3 day course on how to use and maintain a scythe
Dual sickle wielder in Puss in Boots. I thought it was a neat representation.
Thing to remember about characters with powers, they make weapons that benefit those powers. Hidan just needs blood, not a massive pierce.
When I was a young man I used a Scythe daily. Never mind 3 blades I can’t imagine how a ‘normal’ Scythe could work as a practical weapon. The handle isn’t designed in a way that it could be used as a weapon. However, if the opponent was laying down or very short then yes it possibly could work, better still if the handle was straight then it would work fine even with 3 blades.
I want to point out that there are rl example that closely resembles the triple bladed scythe, its Wuvulu Island Warclub
Great video. In Hidan's defense he's not very bright😂. He probably chose it to fit his flamboyant style. The weight probably isn't that big an issue in Naruto since even a 12 year old can rip out large tree roots with their bare hands.
I'm guessing the size would still make it easy to read its swings and evade though but I don't know.
I wonder what would be easier to fight with between Hidan's scythe and a long sword of the same size.
Also hidan is bat shit insane lol so it's not like he's super concerned about practical
Something of note, the character in Naruto, Hidan carries the triple scythe largely as an intimidation tactic. His fighting style relies on his damage mirroring curse ability (and immortality) simply needing to _nick_ an opponent to make it take effect. Hidan intentionally chose the clunkiest weapon ever because his particular abilities were so OP.
So others pointed out it's made to wound not kill, but here's 2 other facts that make it a little better.
First it actually has a detachable cord so he can throw it or use it as an anchor, at one point he stabs it into a tree to stand on it. It's meant for some utility.
Second he does actually have this expandable knife/spike thing for when the scythe doesn't work so he does have backups.
The weight is potentially also a pro and a con situation. More weight makes the weapon more unwieldy, but it also adds power to the strike. Esentially making this sort of a weirdly shaped battle axe. Of course the point of an axe is to be top heavy.
0:06 - wooow smooth pratical effects right here haha
But yeah, pretty weird idea to do a triple bladed Scythe
Penetration is related to contact surface area. Tripling the contact surface area diminishes penetration (per unit of strength/inertia).
You are correct. This triple blade thing is worthless and would weigh you down. Plus the first blade blocks the other blades from doing anything.
One thing I will point out with that triple bladed Ji is that the spacing looks almost like those are a head-width apart. With a spacing like that, you guarantee that you can only hit someone's head with one blade at a time, eliminating the disadvantage of the lowered penetration pressure. This then lets you go after a target and have three separate killzones, rather than a single wide one that has lower effectiveness. This is different if it goes across the body, rather than from above, but going for the body is what stabbing with the top point is for.
3 blades might be better at gaining purchase and not deflecting kinda like a beak type hammer/mace head
it would just distribute the impact between 3 points & it would make it penetrate more obviously, because thats totally how physics work. I'm being sarcastic btw.
Really nice video.
I wonder what would need to be done to make it more efficiente as a weapon.
My thoughts would, to shorten and straighten the blades somewhat to save a bit more weight.
Maybe adding a slight curve to the shaft and sharpen the tips but I am not sure that would change much.
I also always wondered what the rope was for other then retrieving the weapon after a throw, maybe it was also used as a grappling hook?
If he wanted to be more practical he should have been using a whip of some sorts to begin with since he only needed to draw some blood.
@@Mytelefe True but as others mentioned, then he would not have his death god motive.
Although now i think of a Naruto/Castlevania crossover with Hidan cosplaying one of the Belmonts with Vampire Killer.
Hidan's weapon was actually specifically created NOT to kill, because due to his religion, he has to specifically kill with his Curse
Maybe double edged scythes work better and slightly tilted.
Hidan is an Immortal Superhuman Cultist of a Death God with a Sadomasocistic, Psychopathic, and Twisted view on combat. He relishes pain in an actual sexual manner while the Scythe is his Iconic weapon it is not his main tool his Scythe is mainly for intimidation and getting a drop of blood his main tool is actually is an Spike his keeps in his cloak
Kishimoto didn't get everything right, but he did have the right idea giving the most ridiculous, impractical weapon to a character who doesn't have to worry about defense because he's immortal, and doesn't have to worry about accuracy because he only has to draw one drop of blood to kill.
It could be REALY devestating if only one of the blades got even a slight misalignment. The next try to penetrate armor could then bend the blades into different directions, rendering the weapon mostly useless
ahh the memories. I liked that fight but it is more about the characters rather then the fight itself why i liked it. Good memories. Also if it is heavy would it be possible to
make overhead swing hard enough to blow through a overhead parry and into a helmet that has does not have round/circular top. (i'm not english speaker)
I read quite a few comments saying "the scythe was to harm, not kill". But if we follow that line of thinking, then a bunch of bits of glass would suffice. It only takes a little blood for curses
Sickles and scythes usually get a perk to bypass shields in some games (like Dark Souls), wonder if that has any basis in reality, basically the blade of the sickle or scythe can hit the top of the shield and due to its shape it basically arcs over it and hits the arm of the shield user .. at least in theory, hope you cover that in your upcoming Scythe techniques video.
@E-Hamel Indeed if the curve is quite extreme, would be interesting to see that in a mock practice if it's effective at all against an opponent who is expecting it (as the defense against would be to raise the shield up to try and trap the sickle/scythe then use the opening to strike with your own weapon).
Hidan wasn't really smart, even in combat, he probably thought this was cool and just rolled with it
What's worse: A triple bladed scythe with all the blades on the same end or a double bladed scythe with the blades at opposite ends (Both in the U configuration so both blades point out at the same side or the S configuration so they point out on opposite sides)?
I humbly accept full credit for suggesting Hidan for this video. Hue hue hue
Sounds like an axe with extra steps
Honestly, little surprised it has any merit to it, I do love the comical design of the triple scythe, to know it even has a moderate chance to be viable is kind of neat
"The more holes shall thou make in opponent, the more clearly thou shall see the next enemy through the dead one."
Sun Tzy
Has anyone here actually used a scythe? I have worked with one and it makes a terrible weapon.
It is impractical in the Naruto universe it isn't meant to kill but to wound
Hidan's scythe is pretty much an axe with the way the blades are sharpened, impractical but cool lol.
Good battle axes are practical
what about the blades of chaos or the weapon death uses in puss in boots 2
Raises a potentially interesting follow-up though, if you'll forgive a smidgen of Naruto lore. Hidan is immortal (but not indestructible) and his method of fighting is to recklessly attempt to inflict any kind of wound on his target. He would then ingest (as I recall) some of that blood to link their bodies so that any wound he sustains affects his opponent - effectively an instant kill as he'd just stab himself with a stake and that's game.
My question would be, what would be a more practical weapon design in real life, without the crazy anime strength and skill? It doesn't need to kill, just maximise the chance of drawing blood, doesn't necessarily need to be particularly defensive, but it does need to be moderately easy to carry around and, importantly, easy to lick blood off. Bonus points for consideration for armour.
Tootpicks attached to a stick
Very interesting analysis of Hidans weapon being used by a regular person.
Since Hidan just needs a single drop of blood and Hidan himself is immortal (so getting hit is inconsequential) the usefulness of the weapon in combat isn't really important. What's really important is the capability of self harm because thats how he kills his sacrifices. Ironically, show shows its not even good for that since he uses a seperate weapon to stab himself in the heart. You can afford to have a flashy cumbersome weapon when your enemy literally cannot kill you though. That's one if the benefits of being fucking immortal.
I always assumed it was part of his religion since almost everything he does is in the name of Jashin. When we first meet him it's even propped up ritualistically after one of his sacrifices.
I think triple is a good middle ground where it's not too difficult to carry and the added blades will still cut grass.
What about the sword that Escaflowne uses. Its basically a great sword that can mechanically be shortened or be full length. Its my favorite anime sword. It looks beautiful and it might be able to be functional
Initial thoughts: Might not be able to puncture as well. Heftier/ more awkward. May get tangled up in clothes etc more easily? Slashing has become far more difficult.
Pro: You’ve made a scythe that can catch and maybe even break a sword? (Unlikely)
The only use of this weapon is to make the opponent bleed.
Of course this comes out right when I'm getting nostalgic for Naruto and binging videos about it. 🤣
Too bad that naruto made weapons obsolite, because there could be so luch potential for absurd weapons. And yeah i love the fan,hidans and shark sword, but there could be more.
Maybe boruto does do it, so far i have seen a light saber.
Imagine, if you will, the war rake.
How did I guess that this bizarre-ass weapon was from friggin' Naruto?
Even within Naruto, it was pointed out by characters in the show that it was ridiculously impractical.
The explanation that's given is that the character who used it: Hidan had an ability where, if they get a drop of their enemy's blood, their enemy is cursed to receive any damage that Hidan receives, and since Hidan can't be killed, he'd survive while his opponent died. So, the bizarre triple-bladed scythe was meant for maximizing the chance of drawing blood.
If you're wondering, Hidan is ultimately being beaten by being blown to pieces and having those pieces left in a hole in the ground to rot.
One thing you didn't think of is in the unlikely (but obviously still possible) case of a blade breaking off. Then you still have 2 more to work with.
Also, I believe that "hook and slice from the back" is an actual technique. In a book of mine (the Jomsvikings) a tactic was discussed about someone sticking their seax through the shield wall in case of a shieldwall-against-shieldwall situation. The seax, even though not a hooked blade, would be thrusted between the shields (preferably at leg-height) and when that person would move back (in a reflex cuz something sharp is sticking out near you leg) or forth they could sustain a crippling cut which causes a hole to form in the wall (which as explicitely mentioned during training is how you lose)
what about a double scythe(one on each side)
Also something you didn't go over I think when you were talking about the overpenetration of pick-style armaments and the force being divided by three: it may not actually be divided that much. As you mentioned shortly after, 2 extra heads isn't just creating more points of contact, it's creating more weight. However much weight that blade at the top adds to the weapon is being tripled as well, pushing the point of balance further up and creating a much more devastating hit overall. The end result may still just be extreme overpenetration with all the points.
A very logical assessment, thanks
Just to add to what the others said about the context in Naruto, I guess there could have been better and more precise/efficient weapons that could have worked with Hidan's ritual that takes just one drop of the enemy's blood. Maybe a polearm or a spear? Those would be lighter and easier to maneuver and wouldn't get stuck so easily, were he to accidentally hit a wall or tree behind the enemy. But what really compliments his technique is the chain in my opinion. Real-life practicality and physics aside, it allows him to launch his weapon forward, get a quick slash and pull it right back, giving him enough time and distance to get started with his ritual. But the scythe is stylistically a pretty nice choice anyway, since it goes perfectly with his grim reaper look 💀
6:00 I've been told there are some soldiers who will carry a tomahawk over a combat knife because they can penatrate Kevlar armor.
How common this actually is, I'm not sure. But my uncle told me a guy in his unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom carried one, so there's some truth to it.
Hidans scythe was ment for range and damage depends on the range the middle and lower are more painful and combined with the grabbel feature with it it was really designed for defense and offense I would also assume it’s light weight as how fast it can be swung but his scythe isn’t useless it’s still meant for a range increase
What about an extendable sword? say a shortsword that you can extend into a longsword? Durability might be impeded and there would be another point of failure, but it would be a bit more versatile. Say indoor combat would benefit from a bit of a shorter range, but if you are in a larger area, you can extend it into a longsword.
I would love to see a video about this or similar concepts!
Well... That's what half swording is for.
Instead of extending a shortsword, you half sword and "Shrink" a longsword.
Sounds like you get to pick between a too-heavy shortsword or a more fragile longsword.
As a Dragon-Riding Grim Reaper who cleaved all of Little Caesar's army, i can confirm i used a Triple Scythe.
I think if you made the blades lighter to reduce mass you might end up with your blades bending fairly quickly, so then you're wielding a wonky weapon with bad center of gravity and no edge alignment.
Super interesting video skall. Really enjoyed this one
Thanks!
Normal Scythes already require HEAVY modification to be a remotely good weapon for combat while still being a Scythe in essence.
I absolutely love the idea of wielding a Scythe practically and like them as a weapon so much that I often buy games just on the fact of them having a cool to use one in them ALONE.
Thus, my feelings about the design of a scythe weapon hold a little bit more weight than most since I really do care about it.
*So that being said:*
*This weapon multiplies the problems with the base scythe design, is considerably worse than just using a normal unmodified scythe AND PRESENTS ENTIRELY NEW PROBLEMS WITH HOW ITS DESIGNED OUTSIDE OF THE SPECIFIC LORE REASONS THIS CHARACTER USES IT.*
It dosnt even look cool, *IT LOOKS LIKE MALL NINJA WEAPON*