Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-111.68.32.71-20131007122233/@comment-209421-20140425025313

Wow. I stop helping here for a few days and we get some WEIRD ideas. A katana that turns into chains isn't all that practical compared to a Soul Caliber-esque Sword-whip. Reason being - it loses it's cutting edge to gain range.

Now, a katana capable of splitting into sections joined together by wire, manipulated from the hilt, is more effective. It retains cutting edges to slice with, but it gains the range at the same time. Wire was chosen over chain because it's typically thinner and stronger because it is woven fibers instead of linked hoops.

As for a folding fan-blade that is also a gun, the only thing I could think of for that was the Marvel super-hero Falcon in his original comic book form - the white suit with red wings. He could shoot "feathers" from his wings, which would regenerate through comic logic. The issue with this idea is the ammunition. A folding fan already has a logical ranged form - carry two, join them together back-to-back with a hole in the middle for a casting string. Bingo, you now have a large chakram/shuriken.