The discussion was about sword styles, not archery. So I wasn't clear enough: in a head-on confrontation between Hoplite heavy infantry and Bushido *swordsmen* on foot, I'd bet on the Greeks.
As to the Roman infantry, those shields were rectangular for a reason. I'm sure they were quite capable of fighting in loose formation but their preference was to tighten up, against incoming missiles or cavalry in particular.
And yes, they all had other types of soldiers running around, the Japanese and the later Romans especially. I should have explained that I was following the concept of "foot soldiers".
Jim
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