# Anyone watching Spike's 'Deadliest Warrior'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 15, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140 "2009-04-15T03:27:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/1 "2009-04-15T03:27:06Z")
Spike has this show called [Deadliest Warrior](http://www.spike.com/show/31082?refsite=7190&cmpnid=865&pt=pr&lkdes=NET_spike) where a team of ‘scientists’ and martial arts experts from different cultures get together Mythbusters style to see which historic warrior culture would prevail in mono y mono combat. Mostly it’s dudes stabbing and hacking the shit out of sides of beef and balistics gel dummies full of presurized movie blood, interspursed with guys measuring the results with accelerameters and force guages and bloody reanactments by actors. With a little smack talk between the two teams of cultural experts. I thoroghly enjoyed Apache vs Gladiator and Samuri vs Viking. But I really am looking forward to next week when they feature Spartan vs Ninja. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/2 "2009-04-16T14:23:34Z")
Are you kidding me? No one HERE of all places is interested in a Mythbusters style show about Ninja, gladiators, spartans and whatnot? Those have to be some of the most common search terms on this board! I’m pretty sure it’s narrated by the dude from 300 too! ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/3 "2009-04-16T14:28:49Z")
First I’ve heard of it… I’ll keep my eyes open though, and watch it when I see it come on! ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/4 "2009-04-16T15:32:58Z")
I watched the Apache vs Gladiator and liked it a lot. I’ll watch the rest when I can find them. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@Mike\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Fun)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/5 "2009-04-16T16:07:54Z")
It’s “mano” and not “mono.” They’re fighting with hands, not monkeys. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/6 "2009-04-16T17:02:50Z")
> [@Mike\_Fun](#): > > It’s “mano” and not “mono.” They’re fighting with hands, not monkeys. THAT would be awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Sweetums](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Sweetums](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweetums)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/7 "2009-04-16T17:30:05Z")
Watched “Viking vs Samurai” last night. Interesting. ``` Quite a bit of comparing apples vs oranges, and in some cases it was obvious they really didn't understand the equipment. The shield is a good case in point. They talked about it's value as an offensive weapon, but mostly missed the defensive value of a good shield. I have used two handed sword against shields half that size and a good shield man can truly hide behind it. This makes it very difficult for someone who is using his blade as both offense and defense, like a Katana fighter. Don't even get me started on their use of the term "longsword." Still it was alot of fun, and as these thing often do, it will fuel discussion in both Western and Eastern martial arts communities for a long time to come. Next week's "Spartain vs Ninja" should be a major hoot! Things are always cooler with ninjas. ``` ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/8 "2009-04-16T17:45:01Z")
I’m enjoying it. They got some basic things wrong in each episode, but when you’re comparing completely different weapons and styles, I think that’s to be expected. It’s entertainment with a splash of science, rather than vice versa, and it’s doing its job of entertaining me quite well. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/9 "2009-04-16T17:48:14Z")
> [@Mike\_Fun](#): > > It’s “mano” and not “mono.” They’re fighting with hands, not monkeys. And it’s “mano a mano”, not “mano y mano” - “hand to hand”, not “hand and hand”. They’re fighters, not lovers. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/10 "2009-04-16T19:15:08Z")
I still think the gladiator would win over an Apache. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/11 "2009-04-16T19:41:00Z")
> [@Sweetums](#): > > Don’t even get me started on their use of the term “longsword.” I think that’s just the name of the Viking sword. I don’t think the implication is that it’s the longest sword ever. I’m sure you’ll see plenty of longsword action when William Wallace whips out his Scottish Claymore to fight Shaka Zulu ([I’m not even making that up](http://www.spike.com/show/31082)). I’m sure a lot of people will be disappointed they chose Pirate vs. Knight instead of Pirate vs Ninja. Maybe they will meet in the semifinals? ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/12 "2009-04-16T20:23:49Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I still think the gladiator would win over an Apache. Well, they gave the Apache a bow and arrow, and the gladiator didn’t have any chest protection, so I can see that happening. I was more confused about the samurai vs. viking. I get that the samurai has more advanced weaponry, but in their actual tests they seemed to conclude that most of the Viking’s hand-to-hand weapons were better, and then gave the edge to the samurai based on him shooting the Viking in the eyes with an arrow to circumvent his armor. It was an impressive shot and all, but the odds of pulling that off against a _moving_ target have got to be _much_ lower. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/13 "2009-04-16T21:05:39Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > Well, they gave the Apache a bow and arrow, and the gladiator didn’t have any chest protection, so I can see that happening. > > I was more confused about the samurai vs. viking. I get that the samurai has more advanced weaponry, but in their actual tests they seemed to conclude that most of the Viking’s hand-to-hand weapons were better, and then gave the edge to the samurai based on him shooting the Viking in the eyes with an arrow to circumvent his armor. It was an impressive shot and all, but the odds of pulling that off against a _moving_ target have got to be _much_ lower. It was very close, but I think ultimately it came down the the samurai’s superior speed, agility and skill giving him a slight edge in a close-in fight. (remember it’s best out of 1000 mock battles crunched by their little spreadsheet program). What I was confused by was the weapons matchup: Katana vs Ax Pike like thing vs Longsword Bow vs Spear Club vs Shield I would think that Katana vs Longsword and Pike vs Ax made more sense and that you can’t really compare a club vs a shield. Ah well. I just like to see them break shit. ---
**Author:** ![Sweetums](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Sweetums](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweetums)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/14 "2009-04-16T22:16:15Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I think that’s just the name of the Viking sword. I don’t think the implication is that it’s the longest sword ever. ``` I warned you about getting me started. :p The term longsword doesn't refer to the overall length of the sword, but rather the handle. Longsword is actually properly used to describe a sword of one handed length of a little longer with a handle long enough to be used in two hands. In practice they were used in a manner very similar to a katana. The name was used in period (the 15th and 16th centuries). The Italians called it "spada longa" and the Germans "langes swert." Both terms translate into "long sword." The waters got muddied when D&D need a term for the one handed, not a shortsword common sword. Instead of calling it an arming sword (the term often used in period) or simply a sword, they used the term longsword. While the term may have been used in period for such a sword, it was far from the most common name. ``` obligatory wiki link: > **[Longsword](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longsword)** > > blade: avg. 80–110 cm (31–43 in) > A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use (around 15 to 30 cm or 6 to 12 in), a straight double-edged blade of around 80 to 110 cm (31 to 43 in), and weighing approximately 2 to 3 kg (4 lb 7 oz to 6 lb 10 oz). > The "longsword" type exists in a morphological continuum with the medieval knightly sword and the Renaissance-era Zweihänder. It w... ``` The fact that there are any number of Western martial arts people out there studying Fiore or Liechtenauer means that to use the term for the viking one handed sword shows that perhaps a bit more research into the nomenclature of weapons is needed. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/15 "2009-04-16T23:39:05Z")
No. Watched a couple minutes of Apache vs. Gladiator and the Irish guy wanted me to stick an ice pick in my ears. To say nothing of the faux “rivaly” between the Apache guys and the Roman weapons experts. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/16 "2009-04-17T09:47:18Z")
I tivoed it but haven’t watched yet. I was expecting more of an actual fighting challenge show though, and not a weapons testing type of thing. Looking at the episode titles, it’s clear they missed out on the most obvious challenge: Astronaut vs Cavemen! ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/17 "2009-04-17T15:41:06Z")
I only saw commercials and didn’t know it aired yet. I suppose it could be fun to watch with the understanding that it’ll primarily involve a lot of fanwanking to get predetermined results (“samauri shoots viking in the eye”?). Sort of like that silly “which animal would win” show they used to have on… erm… Discover? Animal Planet? ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/18 "2009-04-17T15:59:49Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > I tivoed it but haven’t watched yet. I was expecting more of an actual fighting challenge show though, and not a weapons testing type of thing. > > Looking at the episode titles, it’s clear they missed out on the most obvious challenge: > > Astronaut vs Cavemen! The Cavemen would totally pwn teh Astro-nots!!! C@v3m3n rulz. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/19 "2009-04-17T17:02:54Z")
> [@Sweetums](#): > > I > The waters got muddied when D&D need a term for the one handed, not a shortsword common sword. Instead of calling it an arming sword (the term often used in period) or simply a sword, they used the term longsword. While the term may have been used in period for such a sword, it was far from the most common name. AD&D. The original D&D referred to it as a “normal sword”, which is as good a name as any. Incidentally, I can live with the show calling it a “longsword.” It could be worse - they could have called it a “broadsword”. > [@G0sp3l](#): > > The Cavemen would totally pwn teh Astro-nots!!! C@v3m3n rulz. It depends. Could the astronauts form some sort of rudimentary lathe? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140/20 "2009-04-17T17:38:56Z")
By season 3 we’ll have “8th century French Peasant vs. Ancient Babylonian Shepherd” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-spikes-deadliest-warrior/493140.md?page=2)