The future of Thief and Ninja (minor 2.2 spoilers)

[Shurrikhan]

Arcanist was the first try at a class that gives us two jobs.
Thief could be the first try at a class still useful besides its job.

If only all the classes could be similarly useful, then. I still wish Gladiator was a viable squishier but more reactive and better arsenal-ed alternative for OT and a 'heavy' dps snap-tank position. And generally I feel like the leveling process itself would be a lot less tedious if classes themselves had more to them, which jobs then hone in on and develop a small part or certain style of at some cost to other parts, rather than just having 5 extra CDs from other classes that hardly influence your gameplay anyways.

As it stands though, I don't think there is any way at all for Thief, as a class, to have competitive usefulness with a job stemming from it. There isn't enough usefulness in the extra cross-class abilities that it has access to at cost of the 5 (almost invariably far more useful) job abilities.

Also Ninja and Thief do not fight the same and Thief has never used katana weapons in any of the series. The class that goes off to be a Ninja must use katana from level 1.

Gladiator uses longswords, shortswords, gladii, flachions, falxes, daggers, scimitars, (n)odachi, and plenty other types of bladed weapons at present. The weapons of Conjurers and Thaumaturges differ only in aesthetics and material composition (CNJs using wooden, while THM tends towards metals and bone). This game's weapon classification is not very specific. And a ninja is not likely to be foiled just because he's given a straight-edged weapon.

[Reynhart]

As it stands though, I don't think there is any way at all for Thief, as a class, to have competitive usefulness with a job stemming from it. There isn't enough usefulness in the extra cross-class abilities that it has access to at cost of the 5 (almost invariably far more useful) job abilities.

Since cross-class skills are totally arbitrary, we can see several useful skills open to a new class. Like every damage boost skills, like GLA Flight or Fight, LNC Blood for Blood and PGL internal release at the same time.

[LoLo]

Gladiator uses longswords, shortswords, gladii, flachions, falxes, daggers, scimitars, (n)odachi, and plenty other types of bladed weapons at present. The weapons of Conjurers and Thaumaturges differ only in aesthetics and material composition (CNJs using wooden, while THM tends towards metals and bone). This game's weapon classification is not very specific. And a ninja is not likely to be foiled just because he's given a straight-edged weapon.

a katana is something only used by ninja's. It is not just a straight sword because it comes in a variety of styles just like the swords you mentioned. Yes dagger is used by Gladiator, but that doesn't mean Thief will be using a katana either. For reference, In FFXI Thief could use four different types of weapons, but never a katana.