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This article is about the well known Japanese sword. For the character that goes by a similiar name, see Kitana.
A katana (刀) is a Japanese single-edged sword, developed between the Heian era to the Edo era. A katana was forged by a sword smith who smelted Japanese sand iron, called Tamahagane, removing impurities by folding and re-smelting the blade over and over. Katana were known for being incredibly sharp and versatile weapons, though they have to be meticulously taken care of. Katanas were used by the samurai of ancient and feudal Japan, although they were typically used as supplmental weapons to larger equipment such as Naginata or bows and arrows.
The ancestor to the katana, the tachi, was a long cavalry sword worn edge down, accompanied by a shorter sword called the uchigatana, in a manner similar to the wearing of the daishō, the katana and the shorter wakizashi.
In Mortal Kombat[]
The blind swordsman Kenshi Takahashi wields the ancestral katana Sentō, possessed by his ancestors giving it incredible power. Although he has no formal training in Japanese swordsmanship, his ancestors guide him and give him strength to use it.
The vengeful ninja wraith Scorpion also makes use of a katana but called a "Ninja Sword" in MK: Deadly Alliance. However he changes his katana with a custom and proper Ninjato after practicing Mugai Ryu in MK: Deception and Armageddon. Scorpion also used 2 custom Ninjato swords In Mortal Kombat 9 and Mortal Kombat X, both versions have different designs to a traditional katana from serrated blades to custom unique handles. Although in Mortal Kombat 11, Scorpion would ultimately swap to using a normal katana along with a Tanto.
Suchin, Kenshi's former lover and the mother of Takeda Takahashi, made use of a Katana when the Red Dragon goes attacked her and her son due to being related to the blind swordsman. She fended them off with her hidden katana until she died.
The Masked Guards in Shaolin Monks also used katanas when not using a Naginata. However, in Mortal Kombat 9, they are lacking in katanas and only seem to carry Naginatas.
Tasia in MK: Special Forces and the MKX comics, makes use of dual katanas.
In Mortal Kombat 1, Sindel and her evil doppelganger, took up discarded katanas and briefly dueled one another. The fight ended when Dark Sindel had impaled her counterpart with her katana, leading her to eventually die.