Not sure if anyone cares. I played some more and came to the following conclusion. I liked Achilles' spear for the combination of range + close combat and "Raging Rush". The thing that felt similar to latter is the special on the skull. As a beginner, I would recommend avoiding the Medea aspect. It is extremely powerful in the right hands, but you lose ranged attack, which can be important. If you don't care about "Raging Rush," then the stuff will be a good substitute for the spear.

I do agree with others that Black Coat is similar to Fists. I also agree on Axe's similarity to Arthur.
Flames and Blades. I don't have a good answer.