Vikings v.s. Samurai?

Oskatat said:

I voted samurai, here is why:

no, the weapons arn't comparable, nor is the armor. However, the big thing here is discipline. Even if you tell me vikings were very well disciplined and working as units etc I doubt they would have the same kind of discipline as a unit of samurai, who know that their life is to do in battle as they are told to.

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It isn't as simple as all that. What samurai craved more than anything was glory, and like Western knights, getting them to do as they were told was no easy task. Each samurai wanted to distinguish himself as an individual, as there was no glory in being an anonymous cogwheel in the machinery. Formations of samurai was unheard of until the Onin war -- but then this marks the period most people associate with the samurai, the Sengoku jidai. While they could still be impetuous, there was also discipline to be gleaned. Prior to this period the samurai had often preferred the naginata when fighting on foot, and the naginata is not a weapon for formations. In the Sengoku jidai, the naginata was by and large swapped with the yari.

A viking will probably happily perform a suicidal charge when he drank enough or is high on bloodlust, just to draw the enemy out, samurai would do so on their honor.

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The opposite was more likely the case. A samurai would not lose honour by reckless suicidal charges -- on the contrary, this was tokko, a beautiful death. Samurai who died this way were revered -- though of course most samurai did not follow suit.

Tsunetomo has a quote which illustrates this:

Among Takeda Shingen's retainers there were men of matchless courage, but when Katsuyori was killed at the battle of Tenmokuzan, they all fled. Tsuchiya Sozo, a warrior who had been out of favour for many years, came out alone, however, and said, "I wonder where all the men are who spoke so bravely every day? I shall return my master's favours to me!" And he fell alone in battle.

The vikings may have been unruly when attacking monks and petrified peasants, but in combat against warriors they knew the value of an intact shield wall.

People really need to stop citing stereotypical behavior and mentalities for both the vikings and samurai. 

I don't know if I should be happy or sad that it seems being a viking apparently made someone a blood lusting berserk by default.

Why must vikings and samurai fight?  This guy learned a lot from the vikings.

What if instead of "Deadliest Warriors", they made "Best Friends"?

Who would make the *best* *friends*.... SPARTANS AND PIRATES.... or... TALIBAN AND NAVAJO

It would be awesome.

My money goes on Viking & Ninjas, its like a legitimate version of Pirate Ninjas.

FrisianDude said:

Damn. Depends who is the better fighter. Pali Gap is, ofcourse, wrong, a skilled viking can with the right skills and luck, take down an equally skilled Asian warrior and vice versa. It's impossible to detemine unless you actually pit one of each against one of the other and even then, the results aren't representative because one viking isn't every viking and one samurai isn't every samurai. In conclusion, shut up.

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That's exactly why I think these threads are pointless and not fit for the "historic discussion" thread*. There is absolutely no way to determine who will win, as each has his own strengths and weaknesses. If the Viking were using a Dane axe, he could easily pierce the Samurai's armor. If the Samurai were able to get through the axe, he could make short work of the Viking, who would most likely be wearing a simple iron helm. Mail would have been fairly rare. There are a thousand other scenarios that could go either way, depending on the luck and skill of the individuals.

*and that's without considering the fact that an encounter like this never would have happened.

Úlfheðinn said:

People really need to stop citing stereotypical behavior and mentalities for both the vikings and samurai. 

I don't know if I should be happy or sad that it seems being a viking apparently made someone a blood lusting berserk by default.

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I agree. That analysis is based on fantasy and misconception. Vikings were, in reality, just pirates who made a living by stealing from defenseless peasants, with a few exceptions. This thread should be moved to "Fun Stuff," in my opinion.

I like the way you think.

I will decide any list some fact here to show what the viking can do

1. Viking has shield, The shield can be use attack turn it side and punching into your emery's face. In one of the saga a man skull crush

viking shield are not made a block head on attack, but to use like a buckler or targa to defect income attacks

viking would for let an emery cut into the side of their shield and then they would  quickly turn the shield twin the weapon out of their their hand

they use their shield to do a shield blind "By sweeping his shield from outside to inside across his front, a combatant can capture and trap his opponent's weapons with his shield, leaving the opponent open to an attack (right). This kind of shield bind can also be used to apply pressure to the opponent's body, allowing control of his movements" and can attack the neck, legs, back and guts

2.samurai did face Emery's with shield, however they were untrained men

vikings did have training. Here are Viking Sword and Shield Combat Technique http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/viking_sword_technique.htm

3. Samurai sword are made use slash and because of this it will not cut thought chain mill

4. Viking were also were just is good make sword as the Japanese, The Vikings were working with Pattern welded steel a full 200 years prior to the Japanese folding their blades.

Ahahahaha, Must.. revive.. must..

No but seriously a generic viking vs a generic samurai is pretty simply, one is a trained warrior the other is a raider. Its easy the warrior will win most of the time. If however we are taking a skilled viking with plenty of experience etc bringing him to too the level of the samurai in question things could go both ways. For those with a hard on for vikings and prob living in europe subconsciously thinking that making the viking big and strong does something for himself due to living in the same frickin place; go dive in the ocean, same for the other side offcource.
The average viking wasnt the cream of the varangian guard, nor was the average samurai musashi miyabota, but the average samurai was far better than the average viking, everything we know abouth them tells us that. Lalalalalala. Now ive had my say in this silly little thread too.