Oh boy. I do HEMA, and let me tell you, he is not popular among people who actually have any understanding of historical fighting. The guy preaches his own opinion based on vague vibes and what seems right to him, and I think he’s even put out some videos saying how HEMA is terrible and wrong. Meanwhile, we read actual historical texts from people who were using these weapons and techniques at a time when it was actively being used, and we regularly train and fight people to prove to ourselves just how effective they are.
And that’s without even getting in to the very clear bigotry he demonstrates on his second channel, and which occasionally makes its way subtly into the main channel.
Anyway, as far as bigotry and people interested in swords are concerned, Jill Bearup. I haven’t watched her since she did the collab with Tom Scott and as a result her history of transphobia and refusal to denounce those beliefs became more widely known, leading to Tom Scott taking down the collab, and Nebula kicking her off their platform.