The Hidden Blade (Assassin's Creed) Deserves More Credit!

In late 2014 I made a video about whether the hidden blade from the Assassin's Creed series would be practical in real life. I was skeptical of it and criticized it for several shortcomings, compared to a conventional knife or dagger. It's time to re-visit the topic... Now I have two 3D printed reproductions to get a feel for and demonstrate.

Has my opinion changed? You bet! Let's take a dive into over-thinking how realistic this iconic video game weapon is. :)

The badass hidden blades I'm showing off in this video are made by Rawice Creations:

An impressive pneumatic hidden blade design by @jairusofall:

A spring-loaded version by @JLaservideo :

*** Other relevant videos ***

Arm Blades & Spiked Shields: Better Than You Think?

The KATAR: An Iconic AND Underrated Historical Weapon

Dual Wielding Shields - Could THIS Make it Practical IRL?

Dual Axes? Spiked Shields? - Response to Game Theory

*** Music credits ***

"RPG Ambient 3" by Hitctrl
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (CC BY 3.0)

Outro:
"Highland Storm" by The Slanted Room Records
Used with artist's permission

*** Merch ***

*** Support the channel ***

Help fund future videos, get bonus content and access to an exclusive Discord server:

Other ways to support the channel by shopping through affiliate links:

Kult of Athena, my favorite online store for reproductions of historical arms and armor, fantasy swords, etc:

Where to get HEMA gear and practice swords:

Want to treat your face fluff? I highly recommend the balms and oils from Beard Sorcery:

Books about history, martial arts, swords, knives, video/audio equipment, and other stuff I recommend:

*** Social media ***

#skallagrim #assassinscreed #fantasy

[vorpalsmithandforge]

You've given me a few ideas for constructing my own, been toying with the idea for a while but had issues with design. Some of your points make alot of sense and I may have to try and design my own. if anyone can give me an idea of what kind of mechanisms I need to look for in regards to the dual spring and lock that would help immensely

[TheKayech]

The ring finger thing was a loyalty thing to prove you were dedicated to the cause. Altair redesigns the blade to what the Renaissance brotherhood used because it was a stupid idea to have a singular identifying wound on a group trying to move in secret

[mastergecko]

I think skal changed his mind on the hidden blade just because he got to play and fidget around with one by popping it in and out over and over lol

[jagylakl]

These would be worse than a pen for me. I can resist clicking a pen, but these however would overwhelm my primitive brain's willpower to not be a nuisance to everyone around me.
They look so fun!

[giggityguy]

The game design of the very first Assassin's Creed game shows off the design philosophy behind the hidden blade best, in my opinion. Altair says: "I am the blade in the crowd." So much of the game design was about remaining unobtrusive, just another face in the masses. Blending in with scholars, relaxing on a full bench, eavesdropping and pickpocketing. Most of the action of the game takes place on crowded city streets, with bystanders all around. There are lots of animations for Altair pushing his way through a crowd, or bumping into someone accidentally. I think it's no coincidence that the animation for a low profile assassination with the hidden blade looks very similar to that same animation, as if you just bumped into someone by accident.

The idea is that in a dense, crowded, loud city street, you could inconspicuously slide it into a soft spot and already be gone before they hit the ground, without having to take a swing or even break your stride.

[cynder]

The thing about wearing both of those at once... There's no way anyone is going to expect a SECOND hidden blade! xD

[ebonslayer]

This is actually how older models of hidden blades work in the novels; Ezio's blade was activated by a string tied to his ring finger, same with assassins before him. Sometime later, however, due to Altair apple shenanigans, the activation was instead switched to flexing a specific muscle in the forearm/wrist, which created a fun scene in the Black Flag novel where Edward was losing his fucking mind after being told to try out his new hidden blade.

On another note, Ezio's blades did overcome an issue you pointed out, that with the straps being the only thing stopping the blade from being pushed back. His primary blade (the one on his left arm, though in Brotherhood both blades got this enhancement) was fitted into a gauntlet that appeared either as large, metallic bracers or full hand protection including fingers. Something like that is not moving for shit.

[blackvial]

The Ring finger was removed because the founder accidentally lost his in a fight because it was his first time using the hidden blade. His disciples just thought it was how things were done and started removing their own ring fingers as a sign of commitment to the cause.

[ArifRWinandar]

I can't help but smile a little whenever you flick the blades out.

[RiderOftheNorth]

Skall: "It is difficult to hurt yourself with it" *Continiues to rest his head in the hand with elbow on the table*

[Alpha_Synergy]

As for the inconspicuous dress, in the original game they were dressed inconspicously. The Assassins in the first game dressed as scholars, who were largely thought of as harmless. It may not hold up well to closer inspection, but most of the blending in was done in a crowd anyway, where you have your attention divided. That also assumes you know to look for the Assassin in the first place.

[the_senate]

The outside hidden blade being retractable makes it a really good backup weapon. If you lose (or perhaps throw in the case of a spear or one handed axe) your main weapon, you still have something halfway decent without needing to draw a dagger. Plus if you were already wearing a gauntlet, it might not add any noticeable bulk.

[X-SPONGED]

Fun Fact: The hidden blades are almost always redesigned in each game to highlight the changing landscape. For example, the pivot blade of Connor addresses your point of "why not just bring a dagger?" by making the blade multifunction as a wrist strapped dagger. There's also the ottoman standard hookblade that Ezio adopted in his later years. There's the two pronged blade which helps with parrying enemy blades and the design is later adapted by the nerd in the modern day storyline into a functional wrist-strapped stabby tazer. There's also the trident blade worn by the master assassin of the india branch that greatly helps in parrying enemy blades. There's the foot blade worn by the chinese assassin which paired with her background as the emperor's special concubine dancer (which means she doesn't have to have her feet binded) and being a fully trained martial artist from youth proved lethal to her enemies. There are also other significant redesigns such as the hollow/poison blade made by Altair himself, the phantom blade worn by Arno, the hidden gun and bolt commissioned by Ezio to Da Vinci. The answer to "why don't the asssasins just bring a knife?" is all of these points combined. Sure, it's flashy but it's also much more practical than carrying a knife everywhere. You have a free hand and a reliable backup if you so happen to get disarmed of your primary melee. The original hidden blade was meant for a snake in the grass style killing. You bump (stab) into your target in the middle of a busy street and the moment he falls from blood loss, you're already a few meters away and can make a quick exit when all attention is paid to the body and not everyone fleeing from the scene. Much easier to do the walk-by stabbing with a wrist-strapped blade than a knife in your hands.

[StealthPants]

i think a major under-appreciated aspect of the hidden blade is that if you're wearing it, you literally always have a weapon in your hand. there's a bit in AC3 where a templar is grappling with connor, holding his arm in place, but connor is able to extend his hidden blade and use it to stab his enemy in the neck. if he had some other kind of dagger, it could be out of reach on his body or knocked out of his hand; the hidden blade is just there. the ability to go from empty-handed to wielding a bladed weapon with literally a tiny flick of the wrist is INCREDIBLY useful for surprise attacks, or for situations like grappling (imagine going from having a hand against an enemy's stomach to immediately having a blade against their stomach).

also? connor's hidden blade (with the ability to rotate into an ice pick grip or theoretically an upwards grip) is CRIMINALLY underrated in my opinion. like yes it deviates from the iconic design, but it makes it a MUCH more viable weapon; instead of suddenly having a blade sticking out of your wrist, you have a knife in your hand. like if you need to, treat it less as a traditional hidden blade and more of a knife-delivery system; empty-handed to holding a knife with the smallest movement.

[ronakrajput]

I INSTANTLY LIKED WHEN HE SAID "LET'S TAKE A STAB AT IT"

[tiaxanderson]

Honestly, that first scene of the camera getting stabbed, falling down, and live just long enough to see the assassin cloaked, and retracting a hidden blade, was quite well done.

[NoobPTFO]

I felt absolute joy from each time you extended and retracted the blade. God it looks so fun!

[rohit_parashar]

You're having a lot of fun ejecting the blade 😂

[WanderingKnightSports]

In terms of fencing, a potential benefit could be concealing the measure of the hidden blade. I'm imagining a scenario where you are in a bind or grapple with your opponent using a longsword or sidesword, and are able to use the blade to even just intimidate your opponent. It's hard to focus on the bind when sudenly there is a blade poined at your face. I'd be very interested to try it out in a HEMA duel to see how it works!

[ysmaliwr]

Wow those hidden blades and this video is cool and incredible. Fantastic job Skallagrim and Rawice Creations.