Katana

"Grabbing a Ninja Sword."

"Man, if I lose my hand, I'm stitchin' this thing onto the stump."

- Ellis

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.

It can be useful against Special Infected because it is usually a one-hit-kill. However, it requires two slashes to kill a Charger, and four to kill a Witch. Against a Tank, it could be somewhat useful if his back is turned or he is throwing a rock, as melee weapons (excluding the Chainsaw) deal 10% of the Tank's total health. Unlike attacking a Boomer, it is possible to kill a Spitter and move away without adverse effects as it takes a moment for the puddle of acid to start dealing 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.
 * It is odd that a number of Katanas are found throughout the game as America is not a common country to carry many of the swords. One reason could be due to the fact they are just very well-kept antiques bought from collectors, battle-ready modern replicas, or even shin gunto from World War II.
 * The Katana is a weapon that is one of the strongest to kill Hordes quickly, most likely due to its wide range.
 * When picking up a Katana, Nick and Ellis will occasionally say, "Grabbing a ninja sword." This is false, as while ninjas do use katanas, an actual ninja sword is not a katana but a Ninjatō.
 * If found in the Tunnel of Love, this weapon will be called the "Ninja Sword of Love".