ootachi
A type of Japanese sword. The nodachi is essentially a katana with a very long blade, often longer than the wielder's height. The best-known examples are probably Sephiroth's Masamune in Final Fantasy VII and the various long sword-class weapons featured in the Monster Hunter series.
In real life, the nodachi was used for men on foot to fight against horse cavalry, but was rare because polearms were much easier to produce and in most cases more effective for that role. Due to it being an expensive weapon that was difficult to forge, it was seen as proof of a swordsmith's skill and a status symbol for a samurai who carried it.
See also
The following tags are aliased to this tag: nodachi and oodachi (learn more).