Katana

For the Gamma Company team, see Team Katana.

The Katana is a melee weapon made by humans. It is commonly seen employed on the back of the HAYABUSA armor.

Halo 3
The Katana armor permutation is a special unlock in Halo 3. The Katana armor permutation consists of a normal Hayabusa body with a katana sword affixed to the back with a white attachment, possibly magnetized. The sheath (or saya) of the katana is grey and the handle (or tsuka) is a reddish brown color. The katana does not affect the gameplay when equipped.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection
In the launch version of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, the Katana could only used as part of the full HAYABUSA set due to the restricted armor customization seen in the Halo 3 component of the game. As of the release of Halo 3 for PC in 2020 and the start of Season 2: Spark, this restriction is no longer in place, and the Katana chest can be used alongside any choice of helmet and shoulders. The Katana, like all Halo 3 armor, is unlocked immediately upon launching The Master Chief Collection.

With the introduction of back accessories in Season 6: Raven, the Katana was made useable alongside any chestpiece and is no longer limited being used with the Hayabusa chest. As such, the sword can be employed alongside any of the chest armors including those of vanilla Halo 3, those from Halo Online and those of Halo: Fireteam Raven's ODSTs. If the Katana is used in conjunction with any non-Hayabusa chest, the two will simply display as default Mark VI if the "New Skins in Halo 3" option is enabled; if used alongside the Hayabusa chest, the two will show up as normal.

With the change to back accessory, the Katana was updated with a new description, though is still unlocked by default as with the original chest permutation.

A red HAYABUSA-clad Spartan employing the Katana is available as an unlockable Avatar in The Master Chief Collection. The avatar can be unlocked by winning 10 multiplayer games and earning the achievement Tempered Blade.

Trivia

 * The hilt of the Katana will poke out through the cockpit of the Hornet or Banshee.
 * The Katana can no longer be unlocked by just earning 1000G in Halo 3. One of the only ways to unlock the Katana after the 1.2 update and 1.3 is to unlock 49 out of the 79 achievements. Because unlocking only 40 of the 79 achievements is worth 1000G, the conclusion is that players must have 49 achievements to unlock the Katana. The Katana, as well as the Security permutations, are fabled "armor" glitches, in which they appear and disappear randomly. With the Security, a 1000 gamerscore locks it in, and for Katana, 1750 guarantees it. Since the release of the Mythic Map Pack, the Katana seems to unlock for those who download early (without the need for 1000 gamerscore OR 49 achievements).
 * McFarlane Toys produces a set titled Hayabusa Katana and Scabbard, containing an Action Figure-sized Katana and its sheath. It was available through the Halo Points promotion.

List of appearances

 * Halo 3