Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-38854975-20190905144044/@comment-36926079-20191011013019

The umbrella form would be terrible for blocking anything. Not only is the targe too small and the jitte too short to make it even close to Neo's weapon, but the fact even Neo prefers not to use her weapon to block any attacks stronger than your classic one two or a shot is indicative. The postion you would block in puts a lot more strain on your shoulder and elbow than a traditional shield and makes it harder for you to perform techniques like shield bashes.

Also, it's not that flamethrowers aren't effective, but rather that they are not effective enough to justify using them and creating massive collateral damage on nearby structures over other forms of dust which have been shown to have high levels of effectiveness.