I’ve used some of the weapons mentioned in the excerpt, practice martial arts, and studied Japanese history. Even been to Okinawa for a while! What they, and many other people have done, is impressive. I’ll still take a powerful hand cannon, a shotgun, or better yet (for me) a precision rifle, anyday.

The undead nature and the infectious nature of Z’s, depending on which kind of Zach (which story, film, or game) you’re talking about, makes it a totally different ballgame I think.

Close combat is REALLY a last resort. If you can reach Z, Z can reach you, and even a minor physical injury can be as bad as death if you turn undead. We also won’t have the relative “luxury” of occupation by Z’s. The Satsuma Clan didn’t try to exterminate the native Okinawans by eating them! We wouldn’t have time to train people to fight until establishing a defensive live and secure zone.

We would all of course use whatever the hell weapon we could when the crap hits the fan, but I’d suggest everyone better start training now.