It's a battle that's long set the internet ablaze-
the Viking Berserker versus the fabled Samurai. Rage and brute strength versus disciplined
skill- which ancient warrior would have really come out on top if these two near-mythical
characters had ever actually met in battle? Vikings have earned themselves a fierce reputation
thanks to the terror they sowed across Christian lands during the early middle ages, yet even
amongst the fierce Norse, there was one group of elite warriors whose exploits would become the
stuff of legend. The mere existence of Berserkers, and their abilities, have long been debated
by historians, but archaeological evidence proves that berserkers- and their deeds
in combat- were more than just fables. It's believed that berserkers practiced a form of
shamanism that worshiped great animals spirits, the most prominent of which were the
wild boar, the wolf, and the bear. The greatest of these was the bear cult, with
its devotees foregoing the traditional chain mail of a Norse warrior and instead cladding
themselves in thick bear furs. Often a bear hood was worn as well, giving the impression
that the berserker was more beast than man. And if looks weren't enough to fool an observer,
then the behavior of a berserker certainly could. These fearsome warriors were often deployed as
shock troops, and at the very front of a fighting formation because in the heat of battle they would
often not distinguish between friend and foe. This state of frenzy, known as Berserkergang, turned
the berserker into a fearless, rage-filled primal force of nature, and it was said that while
berserking these warriors were unkillable. Berserkers were almost certainly
killable while in their frenzy state, but it turns out that there may be a lot
of truth to the tales of greatly increased physical strength and resistance to
pain. Studies of modern soldiers in combat discovered some individuals
entering a berserker-like state, and some scientists believe that this
self-induced rage may have been a form of PTSD. Archaeologists have also discovered in the
graves of known berserkers the seeds of a plant known to be poisonous, which in the right
doses can inflict a psychological state on the sufferer very similar to the mindless rage
a berserker was said to have experienced. Now, historians believe that berserkers may
have reached these states of rage-fueled hysteria through a combination
of drugs, meditation, and ritual, preparing themselves for the battle to come
and becoming instinct-driven killing machines. Accounts of berserker rages are legendary,
and even the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII makes mention of norse warriors entering
these frenzied rage states and achieving feats of strength no ordinary man could
match. Scandinavian kings have left us plenty of records of their use of berserkers as
shock troops, and there is documented evidence of a single norse warrior- believed to be
a raging berserker- holding up an entire English army during the Battle of Stamford Bridge,
slaying countless soldiers until finally killed. A common attribute of berserkers that's repeated
enough time to give historians reason to suspect it was based on truth rather than mere
legend, is the berserker's near immunity to bladed weapons and fire. One account tells
of a berserker who entered a frenzy state and devoured fiery coals, rushed through
fires, and then at last turned on his own men. The swords of the warriors he faced
were said to have little effect, and it wasn't until a crushing blow landed by
a hammer that the berserker was at last slain. As the accounts of their near-immunity to bladed
weapons and fire are repeated over and over again, one has to wonder if there
isn't some truth to the tales. Eventually, berserkers would meet their end as the
Norse converted to Christianity, and berserkers- whom had long been seen as being lawless, with
no loyalty, and sex offenders- were made illegal. At around the same time that
berserkers came on the scene, on the other side of the world a warrior caste
known as Samurai began their own rise to fame. The early Samurai arose from the
private armies of wealthy landowners, and the samurai gradually evolved into a very
similar role as that of the European knight- an elite warrior who served the rich and powerful.
While modern romanticism has painted the samurai as wise and honorable warriors, the truth
is that samurai were often no more noble than their European knight counterparts,
fighting for whoever held the most coin. Eventually the Samurai would become civic
leaders of sorts under the Tokugawa Shogunate, when Japan experienced its longest stretch of
peace- 250 years without internal conflict. Samurai were encouraged to be more civil
and embrace principles of Confucianism, with its emphasis on loyalty and duty.
During the peace of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Samurais became less the power and money hungry
brutes of their past, and something closer to our modern idea of what a samurai was, with
a focus on discipline and the development of the Bushido code which called for frugality,
kindness, honesty, and care for one's family. As Japan opened its borders to the modern
world, the Samurai class at last came to an end. Used to being paid by the government for their
services as warriors, as Japan moved towards creating a modern national army and abolished
feudalism, the samurai were reduced to receiving a government stipend of greatly reduced value.
This prompted several samurai rebellions, all of which were quickly put down. No matter what Tom
Cruise's The Last Samurai wants you to believe, the truth is that the samurai rebellions were in
the end about their own best financial interests, and not about keeping some noble- and
largely fictional- lifestyle alive. Despite their checkered past though, samurai
were known to be skilled warriors. Just like their European knight counterparts, samurai were
often the most skilled of available warriors, and made a name for themselves in battle
so that they could be hired by local lords. A samurai's training focused on the spear, the
bow, the katana, and hand-to-hand combat, and their strict warrior code focused on never showing
fear in the face of an enemy. There is little doubt that amongst the ranks of ancient warriors,
the samurai were a fearsome foe for any opponent. So how do our two combatants,
a berserker and a samurai, really match up against each other,
and who would've won in combat? First let's start by comparing the two warriors
physically. Armor measurements from the 16th century show that Samurai armor was typically
sized for men around 5'3” to 5'5”- or about 1.6 meters, while Europeans of the same time period
ranged in height between 6 feet and 6' 5”, or about 1.9 meters. This already gives both a
height and weight advantage to the berserker, and with a significantly greater height
than a samurai, a berserker would've also had significantly greater weapon reach- a
critical advantage in hand to hand melee combat. Japanese samurai trained extensively in the art
of combat, and in later ages split their training between religious rituals and martial arts.
The title, and practice, of a berserker was often handed down along family lines, with entire
clans of berserkers fighting together. Caught up in their rage however, even training could be
lethal for a berserker, while samurai conducted far safer and more civilized training sessions. In
battle, a berserker and samurai of similar repute would both have been hardened combat veterans,
men whose entire lives were dedicated to warfare. In the category of training, we're
not declaring a winner, but a tie. Berserkers utilized many of the most widely
available weapons in Europe at the time, making use of swords, axes, lances, and
spears. Due to an abundance of iron in Europe, berserkers enjoyed the benefit of extremely well
made and durable weapons, however their battle rages encouraged them to get up close and personal
with an enemy, eschewing weapons such as slings and bows. A battle mad berserker may have rushed
an enemy and opened an attack with a thrown lance, then closed the distance to deliver
brutal blows utilizing a heavy axe. For defense, a Berserker made use
of the large and heavy kite shield, a triangular shield that offered great protection
from the front, though took a very strong man to wield effectively. While often being
depicted as fighting naked, a berserker was in fact often clad in thick animal skins, but
forwent the use of traditional viking chain mail. Despite being most famously known for the
katana, a samurai's sword was in fact, his last-ditch weapon. Instead, Samurai
preferred to fight with bows and spears, and were greatly skilled with either. The
Yumi greatbow was one of the greatest bows ever crafted, and offered far greater penetration
power than the European longbow at greater ranges. A samurai's katana, despite the many myths
and legends surrounding the weapons, was actually a far inferior weapon to most European
swords. Due to the scarcity of iron in Japan, katanas were not just expensive and thus rare,
but created to be much shorter than the average European longsword. At 25 inches (63.5 cm),
katanas suffered from a serious lack of reach, and unlike European weapons which were double
edged, katanas only had a single cutting edge. Their short length and curved construction also
made them very poorly designed for stabbing, and a samurai would only resort to his
katana if all other weapons had failed him. For defense the samurai wore what is without
a doubt some of the most fashionable armor ever created. To protect the chest, a Dou made
up of either an iron or leather plate was worn. Kusazuri, hanging iron or leather plates,
protected the lower body and upper legs. Sode, large rectangular plates, protected
the shoulders. Kote, or armoured sleeves, protected the hands and often extended all
the way up to the shoulder. The Kabuto, made of iron or leather plates protected the
head, with Mengu, or leather facial armor helping to keep the top-heavy Kabuto firmly attached on
the samurai's head. Lastly, Haidate and Suneate protected the thighs and shins. All in all, the
samurai was extremely well protected from attack. In terms of weapons and defense, these two
warriors come equipped with vastly different capabilities. While both men used the spear, it
would have been the primary weapon for a Samurai, who would fall back to his katana
only as a last resort. However, long before coming into spear range,
a berserker would have to face off against the powerful Yumi bow,
a daunting proposition indeed. Once in close quarters however, the samurai's
armor becomes more of a hindrance than a benefit, while the lightly armored berserker remains far
more agile and better retains their stamina. With samurai armor weighing up to a staggering 55
pounds (25 kg), if the battle doesn't end soon, the physically smaller and weaker samurai
will quickly be overwhelmed by his far larger, stronger, and lightly armored opponent. While both warriors would have use of the spear, the berserker has the advantage here thanks
to the greater reach of his larger size. Once spears are discarded, the samurai is
at an even greater disadvantage due to his exceptionally short katana, further adding to
the reach advantage enjoyed by the berserker. The katana would also fare extremely poorly
against the berserker- while katanas were indeed exceptionally sharp, that keen edge
was also extremely delicate, which is a major reason why samurais were not trained to
use their swords for parrying enemy attacks, as the repeated blows would dull the blade. Then
there's the repeated claims that berserkers were immune to bladed weapons, and only brought
down by crushing blows such as maces, hammers and the like. This is very likely
due to the thick animal skins that they wore, with thick leather doing an impressive
job of protecting from edged weapons. While the samurai could not afford to destroy
his weapon's single bladed edge by blocking the berserker's blows, the berserker would
freely be able to use his to overpower the relatively weaker katana, having a second
sharpened edge on his sword to attack with. The samurai would also have to contend with
the large kite shield a berserker would wield, a formidable barrier for such
a short weapon to get past. So which warrior would win? If the samurai could begin his attack at
range and utilize his powerful Yumi bow, there's a chance he would be able to
kill a berserker before the fight came down to hand-to-hand combat. However, the
samurai would still have to contend with the berserker's large shield- not an
easy feat for even a skilled marksman. Once in hand-to-hand combat however, all
the advantages are on the berserker's side. Their physical ability to resist pain only adds to
the advantages that the berserker already enjoys with his greater physical reach, greater
maneuverability over his heavily armored opponent, large shield that a samurai must get past, and better designed and greater
quality hand-to-hand weapons. In this case, brute strength overcomes
skill easily, though the berserker still remains critically vulnerable at range
due to his own lack of a ranged weapon. A samurai's best bet would be to simply
flee and use his bow as often as possible. Now check out US soldier versus chinese
soldier, or this other video instead!
Yeah that channel is pretty well known for having little to no sources for most if not all of their videos.
Dopey Half Brains: BeRSeRkeRs DnIT WEeR ARmoR!!!!!
The "Vikings": BERSERKERS DIDNT FUCKING EXIST
Ok, that wasn't as painfull to watch as I thought it would be - but there is still a massive amount of beautifully animated misinformation in that video.
>horny horned helmet and stereotypical "Viking" and MUH KATANA samurai...fucking end me
I swear,n if I hear one more 'history' channel talk about how not wearing any fucking armour makes you more 'agile' I'm going to chase them all naked through the woods in full plate and see how long they can dodge a halberd.
Lol this reminds me of that old spike TV show.
What a load of horse shit.
Get me my trebuchet