Looks very much like what a Kuva guardian might use as a side weapon, great design looks exactly how DE might make a Kuva style weapon. However with the oversized guard this weapon has and its overall blade and tip style, it is far closer to European and other western style sabres than the eastern styled Katana, besides maybe handle length.

Technically speaking they are both sabre type weapons, however the eastern styled Katana is used very differently than the western styled sabre. Now you wouldn't use Iai techniques with a western sabre, now would you ? In other words the current weapon stances for the "Nikana" in Warframe are a complete mismatch in comparison to a sabre like fighting style like this weapon is closer to.

Now I understand the combos and movesets in Warframe for melee weapons are almost, if not entirely fictional and impractical, but that doesn't mean you can't try and match a weapon's design, to its use case scenario in the game. For example wouldn't it be weird for a two handed hammer to have a one handed sword stance or a polearm to have a dual sword stance ? These are more exaggerated examples, but that was the point, to try get what I mean across.

Now before anyone jumps down my throat, with their strawman arguments, I am not asking for realism here, but authenticity, while in the same vein are two different things. I am the type of person that is of the belief, that you can still try to be logical and authentic within fantasy and other fictional settings.

While, this may be deemed as a little thing or a nitpick by others, doesn't mean it isn't a relevant point or that changes in design will not go a long ways into the believability of something. People don't realise how many of these "tiny" details go into making a fictional setting more immersive.

Even something good, can be improved upon.

A lot of them have oversized guards and/or blade designs that make them look like sabres or another weapon type entirely. I understand there is no sabre weapon stance, hence the title, but the least that could be done is reducing guard size and other steps to make these weapons actually look more like Katana or rather "Nikana" in Warframe.

This is just a rambling of my thoughts of fan made Nikana designs I have seen for Warframe. I don't expect this post to change or impact anyone's mind , since even the slightest mention of improving a melee weapon's designs or improving upon a weapon's proportions makes the normies butthurt for some reason.

If even 1 person takes what I said to heart, or understands where I am coming from that alone is enough for me.

Either way I did enjoy writing this post, TLDR, there is none lol.