More people died by the spear than the sword, and if you don't like my opinion, I'll shove it up your ass with sharp stick!

It's because people want to imagine themselves as a hero, engaging in one on one combat. A knight or samurai.

They don't want to imagine themselves as a barely trained serf in a block with 30 other people holding 3m long pikes trying not to shit yourself as arrows start to rain down.

Shit, even in one on one martial combat, give me range and I'll take it. Knife < Sword < Spear < Bow
- Knife < sword < spear < bow < trebuchet
By the time of 3m pikes most infantry would be receiving pretty decent training.

It was only folded so many times because the ore on Honshu is pretty low grade and had to have the carbon worked out of it more than European steel.

Wait, you mean it's not because it gives me the ability to part steel plate in a single slash?
- You only get that when you fold it 69 times.
- Wow you must be a novice if you still need to slash. A true bushido master can cut steel without unsheathing the blade.
- Only if you don't look at it afterwards
As I understand it, it wasn't to work the carbon out of it, but instead to simply evenly spread the impurities throughout the whole sword, so there weren't any specific points of weakness
Obligatory "It wasn't folded 1000 times, it was folded 11 times giving it more than a thousand folds." Fun fact, the older traditional Japanese forges were basically assembled from mud found right there on the rivers where they found their low grade iron, and this process was kept alive by spiritualism and tradition conservatives, so it's honestly a miracle they assembled anything long and sharp at all. Most of the iron in Japan is considered low grade Pyrite at only 46% iron, while other places in the world had access to Magnetite with up to 72% iron before any refining.
- Traditional tomahogonany is still made in small quantities in mud furnaces.

Long stick > any other melee weapon

the bow and arrow is just a logical extension of mankind's desire to poke each other at ever longer range.
- The natural wish to poke but not get poked back
- rock->spear->bow and arrow->cannon->handheld cannon->auto-repeating handheld cannon->howitzer->ICBM->Predator drone
Gotta have that reach.
Aliens see us as the water balloon planet.

This just in- being able to hurt your enemy from farther away than they can hurt you conveys a large tactical advantage. More at 11.

I think a shield and sword together are better than a spear https://youtu.be/uLLv8E2pWdk?si=vXiyUTTnSbIq-vC8
- Wait until you hear about Spears with shields.
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Even for all who had swords, their primary assault weapon was usually some form of pointy murder stick, usually handheld and horse-propelled

The sword is the pistol of ancient times whereas the sprear is the assault rifle.
- That analogy bothers me more than it should because pistols are generally cheaper than assault rifles (but I get your point)

Chinese Soldiers: “What if we put a sword on a stick and call it a day?”

It isn't folded 1000 times, only about 10 times.

In fairness, this would give you 1024 layers ;)
- That's the point. The number of layers is over 1000.
Sir, your fedora is showing

But really, its a sword not noodles (which are folded when made by hand)
- Superior Japanese noodles, folded over 1000 times.
- The reason I know this is because I'm watching this channel: https://youtube.com/@LetsaskShogo

You need to arm 100 guys? 100 spears is a lot cheaper and easier to train than 100 swords.

Pointy end goes into the other man
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What about halberts?

That dude from the Office?
- Identity theft is not a joke, Jim!
The long-handled axe/spear combo? Yeah, that'll do.
Your spear can break my spear, damn.

pokes oh hey didn't see you from all the way over here.

Present in very many cultures as well. Be it called yari, ji, iklwa or sarissa they are all long pokey sticks.

Sharpening a stick regardless of length is probably one of the easiest ways to get a weapon

KANCHOOO

DONG CHIM!

Spears are way harder to make a cool spectacle in fantasy though

Kinda reminds me of that scene in Indiana Jones where the guy is doing a load of flashy movements with his sword and he just gets shot in the face