Which animals could a human kill with swords?

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

I’m pretty sure if you were hopping along some small icebergs with a sword an orca could come along and absolutely wreck your shit.

 

[Iron Nick]

Not sure if I would put cheetahs in the same category as leopards or jaguars. I think the swordsman would have a significantly better chance than 50% against a cheetah.

They're rather light, but they're bigger than most people realize and obviously they're absurdly fast.
A leopard is sturdier and a jaguar is even more sturdier, which is why i put a "maybe" in a bracket besides the jaguar.

Note that i'm talking about a trained swordsman fighting one of these in an open area. In a jungle, you'd rarely notice the jaguar until it's too late.

 

[eternaldarkness]

Not surprised tbh.

In order to kill a tiger or lion aggressively charging at you, you'd have to kill it with the first strike, because once it's got its paws on you, it's over.

that's about the size of it. i have seen a dead lion kill a hunter. it was shot dead in midair, but still managed to strike the hunter on the neck with it's claws, delivering a fatal blow.
i highly recommend anybody that's favours a humans chances, to go and watch animals attacking people. a lion will fuck you up, sword or not.

 

[eternaldarkness]

If you land on most animals, they would run away before either one of you would be killed. The most dangerous part is if the sword is knocked out of your hands and then you get killed. But if you make a solid hit on even some of the most dangerous predators, their flight instincts would kick in. They want to survive more than they want to kill. I doubt it would work on a hippo or a rhino or an elephant, though. And like another poster said, a spear is much more effective than a sword. Sword is more effective on humans.

lions and stallions regularly fight to the death.

 

[Iron Nick]

that's about the size of it. i have seen a dead lion kill a hunter. it was shot dead in midair, but still managed to strike the hunter on the neck with it's claws, delivering a fatal blow.

Damn, that does indeed sound scary...
I have an insane amount of respect for these animals, they must be treated very cautiously and under no circumstances should they be underestimated.

i highly recommend anybody that's favours a humans chances, to go and watch animals attacking people. a lion will fuck you up, sword or not.

Yeah, agreed.

It's easy to forget how strong animals actually are; if you've ever had a german shepherd dog (the adult males are up to and around 35kg/77lbs heavy) go nuts on the leash, you'd realize how strong and ferocious animals are compared to humans, it's crazy.

Also, it's "easy" to stay relatively calm against the kind of opponent you're used to deal with, but there's no sparring with a lion, if - for whatever reason - you'd have to fight one with a sword, you'd be happy not to freeze completely or to (try) to run away.

 

[eternaldarkness]

also what kind of sword. because i would want a claymore.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

I'd say anything but a Hippo, Rhino, or Elephant.

A moose, bear, or big cat might get lucky.

If you could forge a particular sword based on the prey your fighting the odds would increase.

I'd take a spear any day though.

I would not take a spear against a bull. The reason the toreadors survive is because the can lure the bull to the cape and thrust with extreme precision on the bulls spine using that sword.

 

[TheNinja]

I could kill a game pitbull.

 

[Felis]

They're rather light, but they're bigger than most people realize and obviously they're absurdly fast.

Of course they can run extremely fast, but I don't think they're exceptionally fast in regards to "close combat speed". They also seem to have less of the typical cat-like agility.

Not that i'm talking about a trained swordsman fighting one of these in an open area. In a jungle, you'd rarely notice the jaguar until it's too late.

I think that's exactly what the OP was talking about tho.
A fight that the human with the sword had time to prepare for. Not an ambush or a prey chase.

 

[Iron Nick]

Of course they can run extremely fast, but I don't think they're exceptionally fast in regards to "close combat speed". They also seem to have less of the typical cat-like agility.

You think?
I'm not sure, they seem very agile in those documentaries, although not as agile as gazelles.

I think that's exactly what the OP was talking about tho.
A fight that the human with the sword had time to prepare for. Not an ambush or a prey chase.

Whoops, i meant to say "note" instead of "not".

Gotta correct this now!

 

[Hollywood Jack]

lions and stallions regularly fight to the death.

Not really the same thing. I once saw a guy scare a lion off with a roll of toilet paper. I can probably find the video of it...



Wild animals are wary of people because they instinctively know we're dangerous.

 

[Felis]

You think?
I'm not sure, they seem very agile in those documentaries, although not as agile as gazelles.

Well, I wasn't suggesting they're the klutzes of the savanna.. But compared to other cats they seem to lack that ninja-quality (and I apparantly lack vocabulary...can't find the right words ), they are more kinda doglike.

 

[eternaldarkness]

Not really the same thing. I once saw a guy scare a lion off with a roll of toilet paper. I can probably find the video of it...



Wild animals are wary of people because they instinctively know we're dangerous.

only to a degree. they are rapidly getting desensitised, just ask the dingos in australia.

 

[ssBaldy]

What makes you think a man could score an effective blow before getting the sword knocked out of his hand by the animal who is twice as strong and three times as fast?

Probably the fact that there is documented evidence of people killing healthy adult bears with only a knife? Or maybe the fact that people successfully hunt animals with spears till this day?
A trained swordsman with a suitable blade would be able to kill any animal weighing less than a metric ton. I doubt one can successfully cut or stab through hippo's or rhino's hide, and one may very well prefer a spear for some animals, though.

 

[Hollywood Jack]

only to a degree. they are rapidly getting desensitised, just ask the dingos in australia.

Dingoes are feral. They were domesticated and then became feral at some point before Europeans colonized Australia. And there are varying levels of admixture with other dogs as well. So not a true wild animal.

 

[Iron Nick]

Well, I wasn't suggesting they're the klutzes of the savanna.. But compared to other cats they seem to lack that ninja-quality (and I apparantly lack vocabulary...can't find the right words ), they are more kinda doglike.

I know what you mean, don't worry about vocabulary.

You might just be right, i just am not 100% sure, but considering that they're mainly built for speed in a straight line, it makes sense for them to not be able to be as movable in other ways.

 

[pv3Hpv3p]

I'm talking about something along the lines of a bull fighter. They kill a bull with nothing but swords and a cape.

Now of course they study the bull's movements and attack patterns and practice for years first, so it got me thinking, what other large animals could you do this with?

A tiger has more weapons than a bull and can change direction faster, so I think it would be much harder than a bull. But then who knows? Humans are smart and if someone dedicated their life to studying a tiger's attack tendencies perhaps he could pull it off.

What about bears? Lions? Crocs? Hippos? Elephants?

Disclaimer: I think bull fighting is disgusting and I do not support it. This is purely a hypothetical discussion on what might be possible.

Most of those bulls have been speared multiple times and are bleeding thoroughly before the matador even sees them.

I don't think it would be that simple if it was just a fresh bull going against a little 75K Spaniard

 

[eternaldarkness]

Probably the fact that there is documented evidence of people killing healthy adult bears with only a knife? Or maybe the fact that people successfully hunt animals with spears till this day?
A trained swordsman with a suitable blade would be able to kill any animal weighing less than a metric ton. I doubt one can successfully cut or stab through hippo's or rhino's hide, and one may very well prefer a spear for some animals, though.

there is also evidence of animals killing people armed with guns, after being shot...

 

[Hollywood Jack]

there is also evidence of animals killing people armed with guns, after being shot...

All guns are not equal in that situation. Handgun can easily stop a dog, probably a wolf as well, but almost useless against a bear (unless you can scare it off). You need a shotgun or a rifle to deal with larger predators like bears and big cats.

 

[badascan]

Is it hanzo steel? Then every animal...