Rapiers. Katana. Broadswords.
Bah. Pahtooie!
I submit the gladius hispaniensis, the standard sidearm of the Roman Legions for nearly 500 years. The sword that conquered the known world! 19 to 24 inches of nasty pointy death. Many a long sword wielding barbarian found his downward swing blocked on a legionaries shield (scutum), and then painfully found 2+ inches of Spanish steel shoved into his guts.
Nothing fancy. Just nasty pointy death.
'nuff said!
Do you know why the Roman system beat the Macedonian phalanx? Because the gladius was longer than the dinky little daggers the Macedonians carried as sidearms for close-quarters combat once an enemy was inside their spears.
The gladius was also quickly displaced by the spatha, first among the cavalry and then the infantry, after it was introduced.
