User blog:Kingjofferyjr/Samurai vs Praetorian Guard



For my first battle I'm taking two well known warriors, considered to be the most elite of their respected armies and putting them against each other in a battle to the death.

The Samurai

The Samurai were the knights of Medieval Japan. They were famed for being loyal and honour, even if it meant facing certain death. Greatly feared on the battlefield, these warrior's reputation of skill and determination have survived even today in the form of movies and books.

Praetorian Guard

The Praetorian Guard were the elite of the Roman Army. They were the only soldiers considered skilled enough to guard the armies generals. Well known and respected around the empire, these guards were never a force to be reckoned with.

Samurai
As stated before, the Samurai were the knights of Japan. They first came to prominence in Henian Period (710 AD) During this time wealthy land owners  had begun hiring warriors to protect them after becoming independent from the government. In this time two powerful clans, the Minamoto and Taira, challenged the government. The Minamoto emerged victorious. They set up a military government led by the shogun. For the next few hundred years the samurai reined supreme. Trained since the age of 5, they were educated in local schools while they were taught to fight by the males in their wealthy family. Swordsmanship was considered an essential skill.

Weapons
Naginata- This Japaenese spear is the long range weapon of the Samurai. Although not usually used by the Samurai, it is still a deadly weapon.
 * Length-2 metres
 * Weight-Approx 2 kilograms
 * Blade Length-45 cm

Katana- The katana, the infamous mid-range weapon of the samurai. Its curved blade gives it a strong slicing ability. Its light weight makes it a manouverable weapon in a fight.
 * Length-One metre
 * Blade length-65 cm
 * Weight-Four pounds



Tanto-The Tanto was a small dagger used by the Samurai. It was light and small allowing it to be used in akimbo with a katana. While not a primary weapon, it can be hidden to use in the case of hand to hand.
 * Length-25
 * Blade Length-18 cm
 * Weight-Basically weightless.

Jujutsu-Jujutsu was a form of hand to hand used by Samurai in the 1500s. It had basic elbow and knee strikes but used mostly throws, takedowns and locks. Its descendants include judo, aikido, catch wrestling and shooto.

Praetorian Guard.
The Praetorian Guard were the elite of the Roman army. They were handpicked to defend Roman generals. It first came to prominence with the Scipio family in 275BC until it was dissolved in the 4th century AD. There numbers were kept smaller than other units for their training. While they were bodyguards, they still took part in battles to test their mettle. There training was much more intense than other legions and their armour offered more protection.

Weapons
Hasta-The Hasta is the long ranged weapon of the Praetorians. The long blade is slim and perfect for stabbing through gaps in armour and exposed parts.
 * Length-2 metres
 * Weight-1.5/1.75 kilograms
 * Blade length-30 cm


 * Blackgladius.jpegGladius-The Gladius is the mid-range weapon of the Praetorians. Although mostly used for stabbing, a good swipe can take off limbs. Like the Hasta it could penetrate armour with little effort.
 * Length-80cm
 * Weight-Light
 * Blade Length-68cm

Pugio-The Pugio is the short range weapon of the Praetorians. It was used when their ain weapons were lost or broken. It was basically a midget sword being used for cutting and slashing.
 * Length-35cm
 * Weight-Basically Weightless
 * Blade Length-27cm

Roman Wrestling-Far from the wrestling seen in the olympics today, it wasn't rare to see broken bones and dislocated joints. Although not traditionally used in training, most Roman soldiers used it as a pastime. However the Praetorians took it further and used it as a form of brutal self defense.

Edges
Strength-The Samurai takes this mainly because of his armour. It is heavy making it more difficult for the Praetorian to make him budge. The Samurai's constant training would give him an edge in strength

Speed-The Roman takes this with his lighter armour to fight against the Samurai's strength. Although he has much better manouverability with the cost of less protection.

Training-The Samurai takes this because of the nature in which he fights. Trained from the age of five, he fights not just to make a living, but because its his way of life and to defend his families honour.

Aggression-The Romans were always known for their aggression, taking every inch of land that they could. The Praetorians were no exception and when they fought, they were regarded as vicious.

Determination-The Samurai and Praetorian are evenly matched in determination. One fights because of his family and the other for his country and leader. I don't think that either are more determined than the other.

Voting
Voting is pretty straight forward. To vote you have to give the edge for both warriors weapons (all of them) with a small paragraph on why you gave either weapon the edge. Saying the gladius or katana and then going on to write 'because the weapon is cool' does not count. Voting ends next Friday. It is a one on one fight.

Thanks to Couldnotthinkofagoodname or 'The Greatest Fictional Writer in the History of Writing' for helping me to post photos and tables.

Please tell me if there are inaccuracies or if I could have used a better format