Of course…they were designed for two different things so its comparing apples to oranges. Ever heard the old adage ‘the point beats the blade’? Its pretty much true and the rapier was designed as a thrust weapon for dueling while the katana was a battle field weapon for slashing. Its sort of like comparing a hand gun to a rifle. On the battlefield you’d much rather have the rifle all things considered. For close in work though a pistol might be the optimal weapon.
-XT