Katana

"Grabbing the ninja sword."

The Katana is a new close combat weapon in Left 4 Dead 2. It kills Common Infected in one hit, the same as the other melee weapons. It has a wider range than any other melee weapon.

The Katana can be used on all Special Infected. It can be useful against Special Infected because it is usually a one hit kill. One slash will free a teammate from a Smoker, kill a Hunter pouncing on your ally or slay a riding Jockey. Two slashes will kill a Charger. However, it is admittedly a bad choice to chase and slash a Boomer open as this will cover you and anyone near you in bile. Against a Tank, it could be somewhat useful if his back is turned or he is throwing a rock, as this weapon does tremendous damage.

Trivia

 * The Katana was the primary weapon of Japanese Soldiers known as Samurai.
 * It is unknown why the katana appears in places like The Highway, being such an antique weapon, unless a survivor brought the katana with him/her to defend his or herself.
 * When picking up the weapon, Nick often calls it a "Ninja sword". In actuality, Ninjas wielded short blades called Wakizashi. They are similar to katanas, but shorter in length (Hollywood's typical "ninja sword" the Ninjatō is not a real historical weapon).