May I present to the argument: Barbed Wire
Notice the dual-directional spikes. Downward and outward facing spikes do make more sense for a slashing object such as a sword from a mechanical perspective, but simply put, it doesn’t necessarily have to be.
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The barbs catch on these because they’re not projectiles or stabbing weapons. They’re designed that way to maximize effectiveness.
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…for the sake of being pedantic, the thing you are describing is razor wire on top not barbwire.
There is barbwire underneath though, with just the spikes, but the top one is razor wire.
But the barbs function different on this because it is on a wire, not a blade. Its so once they hook into you, you do not continue to push into that direction or else it will cause more tearing into the flesh, because it is designed to keep things in
Razor-wire=slicing
Barb-wire=snagging
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I understand where you’re getting at. Yeah, maybe not the best picture of barbed wire, it was just the first one I found that wasn’t a diagram or an old and bent up example. But I believe you can see the point in it, no?
Well you weren’t describing the barb-wire… so no.
I don’t necessarily agree with the “because there are things that don’t make as much sense as they should we shouldn’t try to make sense either” point.
Especially when one of the main gripes with the contest is not getting a detail as correct as it could be when we’ve been given a description of how it ‘should be’
It may be worth checking though… are there any weapons that exist in canon as of present that have ‘barbs’ or ‘barbed’ in the description?
If so and they are a more loose interpretation of what a barb is, then I think it’d be okay to play off of that
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Every time I hear the reversed barbs argument, all that comes to mind is this:
Seven-Branched Sword Seven-Branched Sword - Wikipedia
If you think Tuyet wields a cactus/upwards barbs shaped blade then that’s your choice. But honestly this is getting really pedantic. Greg said Barbed Broadsword, mods say it’s a certain way, end of story. We don’t need a college essay on why you think it’s the other way around when we have our answer. Unless you have proof they go the other way, you’re probably not gonna win this battle. That’s what I’ve learned from trying to make sense of design elements or colors in this discussion board.
Also the Metis thing always felt like it was based on a prototype where he used an axe. Since it’s pretty easy to tell that thing he’s holding is a sword, as Hewkii used the same one less than 2 years prior.
Edit: Responded to post properly
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I looked up if any other things in canon were described as having ‘barbs’ being ‘barbed’ or a ‘barb’
I have found Nokama’s hordika weapons
These have clear downward facing barbs, as that is what a barb is.
And then this. The Nui-Kopen.
The Nui-Kopen’s tail is described as being barbed. This is definitely a looser interpretation of a barb, but can also be attributed to parts limitation of the time.
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Hey that’s a pretty cool idea: Have the pointed hilt facing upwards so it deals more damage when stabbed. That way both stabbing and removing deal more damage
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If you combined the barbs on those with the stingray stinger arrangement, I think it would look like a pretty convincing in universe weapon.
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I prefer facing down barbs
but…just I think many people don’t like it if they lose what has been well received by many people in the community over the past few years.
As a result, I am worried that negative public opinion against the contest itself will grow.
I think it’s best to set the rules to the extent that it prevents trolling.
By the way, if I was able to do 3D modeling, I want to improve this more.
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Mmph thats good stuff
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The entire point is that terminology and logic clearly don’t apply in Bionicle, and the standard for the application of terminology seems to be that there is no real standard.
We have been told that the sword has “barbs,” whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean in Greg-speak, and we have been told that the weapon is supposed to do a certain thing that, given historical precedent, probably wouldn’t work out on a real sword. This rule is based on assumptions. That’s why I’m beefing with it.
I do not. I’m saying that the inverse should not be mandatory and the artists should have the choice to do something else if they think they can make it work.
“I recognize the council has made a decision, but given that it is a contemptible decision, I’ve elected to contest it.”
-Nick “Don’t Paraphrase Me for a Forum Argument About Lego” Fury
My entire point is that the proof that they don’t is nonexistent at worst, dodgy at best, and not worth a mandate, and it’s splitting hairs on engineering and definitions regarding weapons when that level of specificity and clarity pretty much never applies to actual Toa tools.
According to BS01, that weapon is called…a "fin “barb.” As in…the entire thing is somehow a barb. The entire weapon. Is a barb. It does not simply have barbs. It is one. Somehow, that’s more infuriating than anything else in the entire discussion so far. I ■■■■■■■ hate Bionicle, man.
The idea of Tuyet using a bunch of these glued onto a sword is rather captivating, come to think of it…
I would also note this–regardless of part limitations of the day, this is the Nui-Kopen’s tail in the only form we’ve ever seen it. The “barbs” are just horizontal axles.
That’s a pretty nice part designer mash-up! That’s basically how the Bionicle designers made new parts anyways (except with physical pieces). I like it!
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I agree with your overall point about Bionicle canon, but I’m going to nitpick this part of your statement, because it seems to be missing the point of this discussion in multiple ways.
First off, Greg hasn’t said that. Not explicitly, at least. If he had, this discussion wouldn’t be happening.
Second, you say this as if people are trying to override Greg’s statement that the barbs are facing downwards because it doesn’t make sense, but the opposite is true: people are (mostly) arguing for a more-specific interpretation of downwards-facing barbs because they make more sense.
As for my personal thoughts on the matter, since this whole thing seems to have started with my post here:
At the time, I was legitimately surprised that people were using the quote to mandate a specific barb direction, simply because I had never read it that way, and never thought about it past that. However, after thinking more about the specific wording of the quote, I can see why it would make sense for a specific direction to be mandated.
I can still understand why it might be preferable to leave the interpretation open, but, at the same time, I don’t think a direction mandate would be overstepping in any way I’ve expressed concern about before.
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Because if it is facing upwards by definition it isn’t a barb anymore 
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I’ll admit this is my bad for being unclear I was being hyperbolic to make a point
but I think you are missing my point here as well. I’m not arguing against the people who says the barb should be pointing downwards nor upwards. I’m just pointing out the fact that sirkeksalot claim that barbs pointing downward doesn’t make sense irl, is irrelevant because of the very nature of Bionicle canon and because Greg only said it had curved barbs to make more damage.
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From Merriam-Webster. Oblique, to be clear, simply means “not parallel or perpendicular.” Based on this definition, the barbs can still point upwards and count as a barb. And then there’s the perpendicular barbs on the Nui-Kopen’s tail, setting a precedent for that in the context of Bionicle.
'Course, idek why we’re still clinging to definitions when, again…this is Bionicle…definitions are basically meaningless…we already agreed that the Hagah spears didn’t have to be spears so there’s not much point to throwing the book at anyone or anything in that manner…
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I would also say looking at the definition directly above that would probably be what Greg had in mind… the obvious one.
But yeah I think with precedent of the Nui-Kopen’s tail that perpendicular would also be fine for Bionicle
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And this is the problem. You keep arguing that this weapon that doesn’t exist IRL wouldn’t work IRL. This isn’t IRL, it’s a universe of superpowered heroes who can lift over a ton on average.
Hold on there. No one said it was designed to mangle flesh. Greg just said it was designed to “do more damage”.
And besides: even if it wouldn’t work for it’s supposed purpose, that’s how Greg described it.
On this, I will actually agree with you. I have not tried to argue the definition of a “barb”, and I think the other people doing so are silly. We don’t know if they look like literal barbs, and many designs for the sword, such as the KhingK design that started this debacle, have big spikes that really stretch the definition of barb. All we do know is that they’re curved to do more damage when it’s pulled out.
Correction on that.
I just checked to be sure: the only reference to a barbed tail on this thing is in Legends 8, where a Nui-Kopen falls into the mutagenic water and its tail mutates into a barbed stinger. Which kinda implies it isn’t barbed by default.
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