Samurai, the Japanese warriors of medieval
and early modern Japan. Fierce sword wielders as focused on honour
as they are weaponry. Vikings, Ferocious fighters known for their
successful invasions and shameless rape and pillaging. What would happen if the two met in combat? Hello and welcome back to Life’s Biggest
Questions – the channel that brings you answers to a wide breadth of questions, from
science, politics, pop culture, history and even altered reality I am your host, Rebecca
Felgate and today I am asking – what if a samurai fought a Viking? Before we slash our way into this video – I
just want to ask you who you would put your money on? Let me know in the comments section down below. Also while you are down there why don’t
you leave a thumbs up on this video and share it with a friend who loves a good battle to
the death. Okay! Samurais were the key fighters of the East,
and Vikings were the major players of the West. What would happen if these lads met in the
battle field – would their be a clear winner? Samurais were basically born into their status. Rather than just meaning warrior, Samurai’s
were a class of people. If your parents were Samurai’s then you
would be too. Basically this would mean that you would be
trained to fight from birth. Viking era social structures were less rigid,
but the warriors also enjoyed an elevated status as hunters, invaders and explorers. Male children born to Viking warriors would
be trained in battle from a young age, with a bigger focus on training from the age of
ten. Therefore we can basically assume that, while
the Samurais and Vikings would have been trained in different battle styles, they would have
had similar years to prepare…perhaps with the Samurais just having the edge. It is a common misconception that Samurais
just had swords – they did have the famous Katana sword, a sharp, thin sword with a high
carbon steel outer casting and softer lower carbon steel core. These were great swords for slicing open an
enemy, but not great for anything else. They also had a smaller sword, the Wakizashi,
for close range stabbing. Again, not all samurai had swords. The rest would have longbows and spears – which
were not the most effective killers. Vikings had Swords, axes and spears and sometimes
maces. It seems that actually, the Viking sword may
be better in combat than the Samurai sword as it has the ability to be sharpened, whereas
sharpening would ruin the Katana. In terms of armour, wealthy Vikings had chainmail
which would protect against the Katana, as well as shields – a defensive armament that
the Japanese Samurai’s simply didn’t have. Both Samurai and Vikings had helmets, and
wealthy Samurai warriors may have Kozane – a rudimentary chain mail sometimes made out
of iron, but more often made out of leather. A samurai’s armour was weighty for them,
at around 66lbs if wearing the iron. While the body armour could be much of a much
depending on how wealthy the warriors were, the Viking shield would likely have vexed
the samurai, and perhaps could have given the norsemen the edge. Samurai mainly trained to fight against people
with their own fighting styles, which may confuse them when they met an axe wielding
Viking who was trained to fight whatever crosses his path. Vikings were notoriously big and bulky – often
around 6 foot tall and muscular, whereas Japanese Samurai were smaller and more lithe. Each of these physical attributes have their
advantages, with the samurai known for their skill, speed and precision and the Vikings
known for simply losing it in a frantic and disordered style of fighting known as Berserkergang
– which is where the term Beserk, going beserk comes from. It is also theorised that Vikings may have
taken hallucinogenic and drank copious amounts of alcohol to get them through their battles. Who would win in a battle of skill and precision
verses crazed brute strength – honestly may come down to the day… who is more focused. Focus and intention are interesting concepts
when considering the Samurai and the Viking Warriors. Samurai were generally programmed to the Zen
buddhist way of thinking and approached battles with calmness and clarity, whereas Vikings
were basically agents of bloodshed and chaos. Maybe it would come down to who wanted it
the most – Samurai’s fought for their masters and had huge pride in serving them
with the utmost fealty. If they lost a battle, they would feel a shame
and sometimes commit acts of Seppuku – suicide that allowed them to keep their honour. Vikings fought for themselves and for their
gods, and they wouldn’t be judged until they reached the afterlife. What is a better motivator – pleasing your
master or pleasing the gods Thor and Odin and reaching Valhalla? On the battlefield it seems as if the Viking
may just have the edge, but they were known for their wild parties and village raids as
much as they were known for hand to hand combat. The Samurai were perhaps more tactical and
could strike while the Viking was passed out drunk or engaging in cardinal acts with any
number of women…Samurai’s didn’t have those kinds of distractions – their women
were away from the battlefield and while they were able to take select concubines, codes
of ethics stopped them raping like the Vikings did. Interesting side note though – Vikings women
had a lot more freedom and enjoyed more equality than Samurai wives, who were considered inferior
beings. Ultimately, who is to truly say who would
win in a fight against a Samurai and a Viking without knowing the warriors and without having
an historical comparisons. Perhaps if the pair, who did share a small
slice of history between the 8th to 10th centuries, did meet – the worldwide politics that have
come from battles and invasions over time may look a little different. What would have happened, for example, if
the Norsemen invaded further east rather than west? The furthest they ever got was Russia. Well… as we broach a whole other question,
it is time to draw this one to a close! Why don’t you guys let me know who you think
would win in a fight – a Samauri or a Viking….I look forward to
reading your comments! Thumbs up. Out.
