Spartans who were taken from their families at seven. Vikings who terrorized Europe from the sea. Samurai, ninja, gladiators, Mongol horse archers and the elite soldiers of today. They were the most feared fighters of their time, and almost all of them were eventually destroyed by the same enemy.

In this video, we break down sixteen legendary warriors from different eras: how they trained, how they fought, what made them deadly, their fatal weakness and how they finally disappeared. Along the way, we bust some of the biggest myths in history, from horned Viking helmets to black-clad ninja.

Warriors in this video:
The Spartan hoplite
The Roman legionary
The gladiator
The Viking
The medieval knight
The Mongol horse archer
The samurai
The English longbowman
The Aztec jaguar warrior
The Ottoman Janissary
The ninja
The pirate
The Scottish Highlander
The Zulu warrior
The Gurkha
Modern special forces

Which warrior would you want on your side? Tell us in the comments.

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