The Ninja Boom of the 80's/90's! How it Happened and Why We LOVE the Lie!

Check out Ninja JajaMaru here! www.iningames.... A documentary into the ninja boom of the 80's and 90's and the 600 years of history and folklore that made it happen!
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Research Books and Media:
Bansenshukai
Naruhodo Ninja Ozukan
The Ninja Shinobitte Nanja?
Ninja Attack!: True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaws
#gaijingoombah, #ninja, #japan

[@DFloyd84]

The idea of ninjas being one-man armies is something that I bet ninjas would propagate: it would help your mission if your target is terrified of you and goes paranoid thinking that you might be hiding anywhere.

[@lechking941]

when in reality you just walked past as the merchant going to sell their cabbages and other goods from their home village and maybe that is just one of your goals, fully selling your cart of goods.

[@sarahgesell7275]

One thing I love about “You Only Live Twice” is that Bond sees the traditional style training before changing locations and the training continues with modern weaponry in a concealed location. Also, these ninja wear BLUE

[@Jack-Hands]

They even use those rocket guns. Which where a real, high-tech, new kind of firearm back in the 60s. Granted they sucked. That's why you don't see them anymore today. But still, the movie showed that those ninjas were experimenting with the most modern of weaponry.

[@kyriss12]

@@Jack-Hands ah yes the gyro jet pistol. Ian over at forgotten weapons got to test fire one. I have no clue how he managed to procure a functioning pistol and ammo, or why the owner let him fire a few of those extremely rare rounds, but it was pretty cool.

[@lechking941]

@@Jack-Handsyep even the game ,mark of the ninja shows this were late game you are now agenst the clan both as a crazy fool driven mad by old methoids but also a bastion of the old methoids. but the clan has gotten high tech current world stuff. like night vision and motion detection equipment among other things

[@Serpentking789]

The webcomic Dr. McNinja coined "the Inverse Ninja Law" partially based on how this trope seems to work; a single ninja can be a highly skilled warrior & a nigh-unstoppable assassin, but an army of ninjas are little more than disposable cannon-fodder for another warrior to cut down by the dozens (basically ninjas become less effective/competent the more of them you put into one side of a conflict). One of the major villains (who realized he had been on both sides of this trend) even tried to weaponized this narrative law by creating dozens (possibly hundreds) of clones of the comic's titular Irish-American ninja doctor in an attempt to kill said main character once & for all.

[@legomaniac213]

I've found the sweet spot for ninjas groups to be around 4 (I call it the TMNT sub-rule).

[@Serpentking789]

@@legomaniac213 yeah, 4 to 6 seems to be the most ninjas you can have fighting together as a unit before they hit critical skill failure (ex: Power Rangers, Ninjago, TMNT as you mentioned, etc.)

[@NovaSaber]

Or as TV Tropes calls it, "Conservation of Ninjutsu". Notably, in works where ninja can make actual copies of themselves, even one ninja can exemplify the rule, being more effective with between two and five clones than with a hundred.

[@cullenlatham2366]

Overly Sarcastic Productions has a trope talk on this exact subject under the more well known name of "conservation of ninjitsu". "ninjitsu" is the narrative force of a faction, so the fewer in number that force is divided by, the greater the threat of each individual member, with the reverse also true. The key distinction is that it is not exclusive to ninjas, and explains the incompetence of any faceless army of the big bad's mooks. Video games might just be the single categorical exception, as enemies have fixed AI and it is up to the player to overcome the synergy of the enemy forces, but on a design level, the trope still exists in the from of balancing (if each enemy has a challenge rating, a single encampment cant go above a challenge rating of X, where x fluctuates based off expected player strength and progression. in BotW and TotK, that means some enemies in each camp scale relative to the number of upgrade orbs you have collected and which dungeons have been completed, alongside a hidden exp system that tracks player experience.)

[@timothygooding9544]

This can also be seen in TF2 where stacking spies makes them weaker instead of stronger, the opposite of nearly every class

[@MelodicQuest]

Beverly Hills Ninja holds a special place in my heart. Chris Farley's Haru may come across as a goof, but he shows off his training in unexpected ways. Core tenents like hiding in plain sight, using your environment to your advantage, and a mastery of multiple weaponry are showcased in hilarious ways.

[@conradojavier7547]

Farley is now One with the Universe.

[@lechking941]

yep, infact i kind to think the comedic but still lethal is stright up a type of ninja you can use in media and get away with because from the first looks they not a threat. but OH GOD! when the shadow drops and the eyes are blind they are suddenly weapons of mass

[@ajdynon]

In Australia, ninja first entered our pop consciousness through “The Samurai” TV show in the 60s. Lead actor Shintaro apparently got a Beatles-like reception when he came to Australia, and my uncle told stories about kids making shuriken in metalworking class.

[@NipplesTheEnchilada2323]

I heard about that. Apparently it was more than a Beatles-like reception, as the Beatles went to Australia prior to him and didn't even get close to what Shintaro got for a reception.

[@JamesDavy2009]

@@NipplesTheEnchilada2323 I'd hazard a guess that proximity was a factor.

[@Ninj4Fox2020]

As a 90s kid, the ninja trope was in a huge abundance,man that was a hell of a time.

[@solidskullz5736]

The whole one man army thing about ninjas may be false, but it is pretty cool. Ninjas were masters of stealth so I imagine that some of them were able to take out a good number of enemies using it

[@Plokman040]

Ninja were never infallible, I loved TMNT as a kid but to me the ethical version that 3 Ninjas gave us was how I saw them, "Mind, body and spirit are one. Never attack those who need protection, use your environment, and never fight if you know you could lose." That was a Ninja to me, and yeah I know it is contradictory by default on some points. But it painted Ninja in a light that could be a force of good or evil, even if Ninja historically were without a code of Honor akin to the Samurai they still were people and to dehumanize them is ignoring the main nature of why they did what they did. But that is my hot take. It is for sure not accurate, but it is how I viewed Ninja and any Ninja inspired character I ever design will incorporate that mind set, most importantly they will always wear blue. Not because it is trademark true Ninja alone, blue is my favorite color and oddly my favorite number is 4 which is like 13 to the Japanese. Reason it is my favorite number in certain computers of the 80s/90s used it as the monitor output signal for blue.

[@C._Bradford]

Sure, but if they were in a fair fight they were basically screwed. Smaller weapons that were easier to hide and a complete lack of armor made combat rough. The strength of the ninja is in never needing to fight fair. Or more often than not, never needing to fight at all (they were spies and saboteurs first, combatants second)

[@Alicia_Tomoko_5x]

Most people dont believe Hollywood movies are a representation of real life. Its just KZbinrs that make extreme titles and thumbnails. "Do you like spies? Your childhood was a lie." Most people dont believe Austin Powers or James Bond accurately portrays spies or government agents. But KZbinrs would make a clickbait title around that

[@Alicia_Tomoko_5x]

Hardly anyone actually believe in One Man Army things. People watch movies or TV to have fun. Heroes are traditionally a one man army as its easy to give attention to just one star. But today's KZbinr's need to explain "you like Rambo? Your childhood was a lie." Its a damn movie. But thats how Modern KZbinrs are

[@Chef_Alpo]

​@@Alicia_Tomoko_5x you may be surprised by the crazy things people believe based on the influence of cinematic entertainment. Take the Bruce Lee fan base for instance, there is no proof for 99.999% of the claims they make about him, there is no record of him actually fighting to prove he was a formidable martial artist, yet based on his movies, his charisma mixed with him talking up a good game, his fans will swear to you that he was the greatest martial artist ever and would dominate any weight class in today's MMA. There are also claims about his strength and speed that defy physics and should be intellectually insulting to anyone, yet they hang on with less points to argue than flat earthers. I have had many conversations with people about historical events (recent and distant past) only to realize they were arguing from or informing me with points taken from a fictional Hollywood portrayal. A few years back I was discussing the OJ trial and it wasn't long before it was obvious to me that I was being told a tinted narrative based on the Netflux feature starring Cuba Gooding jr and David Schwimmer. Entertainment is highly overvalued in western culture, and is also a source of "education" for far too many!

[@Polymathically]

I was a kid in the mid 80s through the 90s, so seeing stuff like TMNT, 3 Ninjas, and even Surf Ninjas here was a serious dose of nostalgia. Thank you for this educational video!

[@jomesias]

Ninja Gaiden to me was and still is, one of the best stories, games and gameplay of all time !! I mean climbing to Mount Fuji for a final showdown in Ninja Gaiden 2 is so bad azz and incredibly well executed. Tomonobu Itagaki is a genius

[@LucLightWolf121]

The NINJA GAIDEN video game series on the NES and Sega Mega System home video game consoles epitomize the "Ninja Craze" of the 1980's and 1990's. And I miss that time. A lot.

[@aliastheabnormal]

Bruce Lee put a home invader in the hospital with a single kick. I don't think he needs weapons.

[@DetectiveLance]

Bruce Lee was the Chosen One of some legend.

[@Maswartz226]

Congrats on six years of ninja!

[@zEr-ne5ri]

of witch ninja

[@greenhollyknight4846]

Has it really been that long.

[@blairdurward4324]

I’ve had huge changes in how I view ninjas because of this show, they’ve become one of my favourite inspirations for rpgs, art, writing, and have completely changed how I play survival games like Conan exiles.

[@MasakanSolaris]

As embellished as it is i'd say yeah ninjas have earned their myth and legends

[@insufferableanarchist]

Ight so. Now that ive finished the video. I want to thank you for these videos. Between these and the shinobi handbooks, youve helped me write amazing shinobi characters for my short stories and tabletop campaigns that are effective but dont use over-the-top powers. I have a whole laundry list of tools, gadgets, and techniques at my disposal to make it realistic but still badass.

[@nathanryu6227]

Hi, could help me out? I am also writing some short stories about ninjas. Can you share an idea what a real or cool ninja should wear on the head? I mean, some headband or not, or something like Ryu from ninja gaiden wears...

[@Masamune84]

See this is why I am sub to this channel. I love history, and hearing the backstory of ninjas on real life battles and skirmishes in this amount of detail is a highlight of my day

[@vinnythewebsurfer]

Surprised mortal kombat wasn’t thrown in with the listing of videogames that helped popularized the image of the Nina’s with their rainbow lineup.

[@AkuTenshiiZero]

I actually wonder what GG would think of the PS2 hidden gem "Red Ninja." You play as a female ninja and it is fairly realistic in how you go about things. For one, she can't really hold up in a fight against armored guards, so stealth is critical. One of her most important tools is literally just seducing a guard to come over into a secluded corner and shank him in the ribs before he knows what's going on. And I was amazed to see one of the techniques at her disposal is to dislocate her own shoulder to squeeze into a tight spot, something that ninja allegedly were known to do.

[@nicodalusong149]

I remember reading about that game in a gaming magazine.

[@ShinKyuubi]

I remember renting and playing this game back in the days of Blockbuster video....REALLY good concept and interesting idea for a weapon....horribly marred by bad camera controls and control in general. Seriously I'd love to see a redo of this game with better camera controls and updated graphics....but with how things are in the west? Yeah this game would be BUTCHERED by a western dev. Forget the main mechanic of drawing in single guards with sex appeal. Hell if a remastered version just came out with better controls and camera controls I'd take it as I did enjoy the idea behind it and the fact that it was a kunoichi focused game....the last one we had for that was Tenchu Kurenai/Tenchu Fatal Shadows which came out a year before in 2004 to Red Ninja's 2005.

[@DarknessGuard]

Then Patreon votes need to call for this game as a "Which Ninja". The attention might help.

[@glenngriffon8032]

Red Ninja is a great game and i recently started playing another ps2 ninja game Shinobido. It's very much like Tenchu, another excellent ninja series, where you play as a ninja who takes up missions from different lords in a power struggle and the story seems to change depending on who you help. I like it mostly cause it's like Tenchu, my favorite ninja series of games. I just really prefer games that play very low key with the supernatural/magic stuff and depict ninja as just very well trained, acrobatic fighters that mostly rely on stealth instead of magical shadow warriors that can teleport and become invisible or run at super speed

[@ShinKyuubi]

@@glenngriffon8032 Tenchu did start to lean into the supernatural more towards the end there...hell series left off on a cliffhanger with one of the two main characters being possessed by one of the recurring villains. Though on the whole it does play the ninja more straight when it comes to abilities. I do love the Tenchu series, it's my all time favorite ninja themed series and honestly I'm surprised GG hasn't had anything for it up on his polls for the patreon crew to vote on. He may have but I'm not a patreon guy I wouldn't know...I think I remember an older vid where he showed the poll and Rikimaru did show up but I may be remembering wrong since it's late at night right now. Really hope one day he covers Tenchu as a series and the characters in it.

[@Raymond13557]

2:56 "Ah! my one weakness! any sharp object!" Other henchmen "What a coincidence! that's my EXACT SAME weakness!! AAARRGGH!"

[@Kraleck]

The ninja way involves distraction, deception, diversion, denial, defiance, and deathblows. When an opponent with superior forces loses to a lie of epic proportions, the best face-save for their own future is to perpetuate that lie. A leader that loses to a 1000-to-1 longshot saves his own face by putting his opponent on a pedestal, stating that they won through pseudo-supernatural means, and daring anyone badass enough to knock them off the aforementioned pedestal.

[@vashdesperado1232]

Yeah, no matter powerful or skilled you are, you can still be assassinated by some simple form of deception. A real life ninja doesn't have to be exceptional in anyway. Just smart enough to know their enemy and committed enough to make their sole purpose to kill their enemy by any means neccessary.

[@loren_darkwing4980]

Great video! I think that this was also where the trope "Conservation of Ninjutsu' came about. Where one ninja was terrifying, but a whole squad of them was seen as easy pickings. One ninja or a small group can be really cool to see, a larger group can be seen as being too much. I like seeing how ninja can be able to work together to complete a goal, but I also like seeing them being portrayed to the best of the times, or how they modified to their new environments. It's fun to see and interesting to learn about. I love this series and look forward to more videos!

[@lexsamreeth8724]

I think this also speaks of their competency. If you see that many ninja at once, they're likely incompetent.

[@loren_darkwing4980]

@@lexsamreeth8724 True. Sometimes dividing large numbers into smaller groups can help complete a mission. Send a squad, not the organization, so to speak.

[@Mnemoniforma9.00]

Don't have to tell me twice. Getting flung into the air like a wedding bouquet with a cry of "Why me?!" as Yuffie in Intergrade for the past three days all but dispels the sense of invincibility.

[@Maswartz226]

11:58 Funny, in the current IDW TMNT comics there are six turtles, Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, Jennika and Venus.

[@aliastheabnormal]

I can't beleive Jennika is a thing and Venus came back. Considering that Eastman and Laird hated the concept. And how Next Mutation bombed.

[@Aztyph]

@@aliastheabnormal Correction: *Laird* never liked Venus de Milo; Eastman actually kinda liked her, and hoped that she could return someday. Guess which one decided to keep his share of the series, and start a new comic series.

[@Plokman040]

Only thing I see even remotely wrong is Jennika breaks the "Painter" theme of naming. Even Venus is a reference to art both sculpted and painted. But if done right I see no reason not to include a female ninja in their team.

[@Aztyph]

I always figured is that it was because that's the name that she was born as when she was a human, and she felt no reason to change it. With Venus, she _was_ known as Bonnie originally, but changed her name to Venus (after the project that gave her her new body) because in her mind, she had changed so much that she *wasn't* Bonnie anymore. Jennika's change was not nearly as mentally and spiritually transformative, as far as I'm aware.

[@aliastheabnormal]

@@Plokman040 That's because if i recall Jennika is based of one of Raphael's wives from the original comic book.

[@AtamiskxIx]

I could watch videos of historical ninja stories all day. Thank you for this gem!

[@Fuzzycat16]

Love how you're adding TF2 sound effects after you've been enjoying the game.

[@Ardabor-GrimoriosyBestiarios]

Thank you very much for another entertaining and educational video! It's great to have someone talk about ninja in a more realistic way, but also not wanting to take all the fun out of the topic. I love your channel, it inspires me a lot. Gracias por tu arduo trabajo

[@signor_zuzzu]

Agreed, ninjas both one of my favorite historical and fictional characters. Another reason that I've found for this invincibility trope is historical shinobi spreading this lie, and the so called ninja schools keep doing it for profits

[@TheAdventGamer]

Misinformation is one of the Shinobi's strongest tools.

[@reillycurran8508]

It'd actually be pretty interesting to see a vid about how modern military theory might draw from the same well of concepts as ninjitsu. The current state of arms and camouflage tech seem to have created, at least the image, of a real time combat pattern where there may be an extended front, but actual fighting and maneuvering is carried out by small flexible squads, and the US' ambitions of "Mosaic Warfare" seem to want to lean way into this tactic of a front of 1,000 independent small groups all working towards shared goals that contribute to the overall objective.

[@insufferableanarchist]

Okay, i remember playing jajamaru as a kid and holy crap this just blasted me to the past

[@warrenbradford2597]

Ninjas maybe a myth, but it is a classic archetype that we can never get enough of. There will never be an archetype like, and we will love it for it.

[@Jasonwolf1495]

Its also just a pretty immutable human dream to overcome odds by skill and will. Ninja very much operate in that realm. The soldier is a fantasy of power, but the ninja is a fantasy of mastery. Also cant wait for that nobunaga video. I always found them fascinating and the whole evil demon depiction of him always seemed odd to me. Like yeah totally a military conqueror who had some pretty drastic plans, but also I feel that's really par for the course of other leaders and others around the world.

[@MicBain]

The ninja craze kicked off in the 60s in Australia because of a ridiculously popular TV show called "The Samurai". Even though the ninja in the show were mostly bad guys (Koga ninjas) kids were obsessed with them. The popularity of the show lead the Japanese company that produced the show to send the main actor Koichi Ose to Australia for some promo appearances. When they arrived at the airport there were more people waiting to meet him than there was when the BEATLES visited the country! My parents loved The Samurai when they were children.

[@desrochessimon3044]

Speaking of Shuriken School, I bet you would be surprised by how accurate the ninjas are in this show. I suggest the episode in which one of the teachers pretends to be a student, or the one about the school picture.

[@reyonXIII]

The analogy of ninja being folkloric superheroes...it makes me think of Japan's first Sentai in concept, which were explicitly called "ninja", the Gatchamen. And oh they were so obviously superheroes. So, in a way, even ninja were the blueprint of 1/3 of Japan's category of superheroes. Incidentally, that's honestly why, if you haven't checked it out yet, Kamen Rider Shinobi would be up your alley. Even features all six ninja-based Kamen Riders.

[@SeanHiruki]

Interesting note the Ieyasu castle story echoes a similar story during china’s Three Kingdoms era. Strategist Zhuge Liang had such a reputation for tricks and strategies that his enemy Sima Yi wouldn’t enter an empty open castle where he was playing a zither. The Empty Fort Strategy was born

[@darkwolfoflight6753]

Six Years of Ninja to represent the Six Turtle Strategy? Anyway, stories of neigh-invincible warriors/heroes seem to have been a concept for most of humanity's existence, so I think it makes sense a group like the ninjas would have stories of that type with how little regular people would know of them, not even including the manipulative information given out to break the morale of enemies that any smart group would do to deter attacks from others. Also, is it just me, of do a lot of stories like those Gaijin mentioned seem to pop up and get popular around eras where there's a lot of problems and uncertainty?

[@giovannihama818]

I thought this too! Goombah says how much psychological tactics were part of the shinobi's arsenal so it makes sense guerilla tactics like he talked about on these 3 wars outnumbered ninjas managed to win. Hit 'n run in places easy to hide to make your army bigger and peel out the enemy. Also tightly keep your secrets and let the rumors and legends of undefeatable one-man-army people with mystical powers to intimidate your enemies. If anything the ninja legends are a result of a centuries old successful military prowess. Even when you demystify ninjas they still are respectable and formidable.

[@CuidightheachODuinn]

Pirates vs. Ninjas will always be something that lives in the back of my head. The 90s were a weird time.

[@Thollis1987]

It was pretty cool to be honest.

[@dracone4370]

Last year I found a retro-style game called Ghost 1.0; in it, you play as a female operative with the ability to inhabit robotic bodies, but without a physical body to hold her form for an extended period of time, she starts running into problems. And playing through the game, I started thinking shinobi-like the main character was, being sent in for a covert operation and relying more on stealth to get through her encounters, also fun sci-fi weapons and the like lean more into the shinobi with a gun style of operation than the traditional shinobi using medieval arsenals we usually see. It could make for an interesting Which Ninja? breakdown And I still am curious about the breakdown of The Phantom as a shinobi, primarily because of how many elements about The Phantom line up surprisingly well with shinobi aspects and characteristics that have been covered in this series.

[@WesternEchidna]

This trope is why i absolutely love Musou games. I love the feeling of being one guy completely destroying armies upon armies

[@MythicMachina]

Ninjas in media might not always be the most realistic, but I feel that the fantasy and the reality to coexist. Similar to swordfighting, real life sword fighting and fantasy are two very different beasts, but are both cool in their own rights. It can be awesome when the two cross over, but it's not always a necessity.

[@mattlinkous4356]

It seems like what ninja brought to the martial arts in pop culture table was costume, weapons and mystique. For a lot of us our first encounter with the concept of the ninja was Snake Eyes from GI Joe. Which himself was kinda mind blowing to kids for the simple idea of “..it’s a ninja with swords AND a gun! 😮”

[@isaacyeon6334]

Congratulations of six years of Which Ninja, it’s the reason why they got me into your channel allowing me to discover more of your content and learn more about Japanese culture. Thank you for what you go Goomba, never stop

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

Historical accuracy is useful for education. But when it comes to fiction, rule of cool takes over.

[@evanlindsey1100]

One theory that I've heard about the origins of ninja was that a group of Taoists left China, and settled in the mountainous areas of Japan, where they came to be known as 'Yamabushi' (mountain warriors). It was said to be these yamabushi were asked to train and assist various groups in fending off invaders.

[@endlesspath250]

I am so glad this video exists. Seeing the ninja’s rise in pop culture and how the modern myths came to be was so refreshing.

[@spadeofpain24]

Ninja were essentially the premodern Special Forces. professional Soldiers educated to kill using concepts that are pretty arcane to even the modern civilians. In eras filled with peasant conscripts/levies, garrison troops with limited training, and nobles that were administrators/politicians who did martial arts for fitness. Europe never really developed something that directly parallels the organized nature of the program as far as I'm aware.

[@arielquelme]

In essence actually if I read, they are more resembling modern day terrorists

[@ghostkaiser1716]

Congratulations on 6 years of Which Ninja. Here’s an idea for a video: Jackie Chan Adventures. Looking at the Oni/ demon sorcerers/the Shadowkhan for a video.

[@OtakuJuanma2]

Awesome new G.G. video, it's the first in months!! *checks the channel* Oh... nevermind, KZbin notifications are a jerk. Also hooooly cow Shuriken School has been acknowledged! Thay show wasn't a fever dream I had as a kid!!

[@GaijinGoombah]

Like I always say, I upload every other week!

[@LordBloodySoul]

They might not be one man armies, but they left a mark on the world, which barely anyone can reach. Stories like these are what interest me. People overcoming the odds and gaining victory, where others have given in. Like the battle of He Fei (or was it Hebei? - my Chinese is lacking...) in Chinese history, where Zhang Liao did an equally daring stunt like Hanzo Hattori. I absolutely respect each and every one who took part in these. Those men and women are absolute units! :D

[@JamesDavy2009]

Considering a lot of what they do have ties in Buddhism (kuji-kiri, anyone?), as fake as they try to make themselves out to be these people inspired a lot more media than they thought they'd do.

[@riildiilcomments891]

I've always been fascinated by ninjas, ever since I was a kid (I think it started with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). And I strongly believe that they will fascinate people for a long time forward.

[@Glockenspheal]

Awesome video! I personally love all forms of ninja, I think they are so cool, both real and fictional. One name that stood out this video was Hattori Hanzo, there's a game called Battle Cats I play a lot, and among that one name, there are several others like Oda Nobunaga, Kenshin, Keiji, I don't remember all of them, but I've always wondered what they were based on, there are also some others like Kaza Jizo, Sarukani, that always make me think back on this channel. I wonder if it would be interesting to one day see that game in this channel and all the references it has to Japanese culture and history.

[@RomLoneWolf23]

I'd love to see more exploration of those old 80s Ninja movies and how they fed into the Invincible Ninja imagery. Especially since I grew up on those myself.

[@I0NE007]

Can't wait for the episode on Agent 47: -one man taking on heavily fortified locations -using everyday clothing, and items, to complete the mission -blending in plain view -removal of high value targets, acquisition of key information -improvisation when plans go awry -(trying to) never hurt those that aren't the real target Hits on basically everything, as far as I can tell. Truly the best ninjas do hide in plain sight. (P.S. Master Chief from the Halo novel(s).)

[@FrostDrake92]

Hi Gaijin! 👋 I've been a fan of your work for quite some time now. Thank you for everything that you do to help spread Japanese culture to the masses! I was curious about something though: have you ever looked into modern budo, and compared it to the techniques described in the history books? I ask as I'm approaching two years as a practioner of Bujinkan, which brings together nine shinobi and samurai schools, under one martial art. Whilst I could never claim to be a real samurai or ninja, we do certainly cover a lot of techniques in regards to hand-to-hand combat, as well as training with a variety of weapons (katana, shuriken, hanbo, bo, jutte etc.) I'd be happy to share my experiences with you, if you were ever interested to look into it further! :)

[@brucenatelee]

I'd love to see a ninja film that actually uses parkour as part of their martial arts and makeshift gadget use, alongside tricking martial arts. Fighting games made fake-ninjutsu look like tricking to a degree, but ninja movies are so rare that there are barely any with these three elements. Taylor Lautner would have been a decent choice as he is an XMA practitioner, along with Martial Club (Chinese wushu, but still) with members featured in Shang-Chi and Everything Everywhere All At Once. Lorena Abreu (often featured on CinePals) does martial arts and parkour.

[@vashdesperado1232]

It's kinda interesting how the ninja archetype, while being mostly unrealistic, is just a natural archetype in video games and other media.

[@Shadowman9348]

You'd be fascinated by the Chinese roots of the Ninja. The Ye Bou Sho are the Chinese precursors that practiced these arts. The art of stealth in China was called "Yin Fa" (the art of concealment)

[@boxhead6177]

And the story of Chinese General Zhuge Liang (181 to 234) infamous for guerilla tactics he onced scared an army of 150k to retreat from his hidden 100 soldiers... by opening the gates of his fort, removing his armor and started playing a lute to invite them in... they ran.

[@Shadowman9348]

@@boxhead6177 Yes indeed! You have good history, much respect! 🥷

[@HibiscusMedley]

Thank you for making this video. I loved it!

[@FrankenXANA]

Nice one, Goombah. An idea for analyzing one of my favorite fictional ninjas popped into my head. If it's not too much to ask, may I suggest an in depth look at Prowl from Transformers Animated?

[@starmaker75]

As munch as cool to see the one man army ninja. there is something impressive and cool to see more accurate ninja using sealth, there macgvyier tools, and mind games against stronger foes.

[@louisvictor3473]

I think the popularization and creation of this trope in its western revitalized present form emerged as the combination of media trope trends about 3 things that ninja sort of embodied the real life version, as well as some other media trends that just made the ninja fit like a glove at the right time, and then after that a legend was reborn and there was no putting that djinn back in the bottle. It does go back to that james bond movie, which already represents the super duper secret agent spy/assassin genre and trend. That genre is directly related to politco-military thrillers, and you also start seeing a trend of narratives about special forces being some sort of super elite and ultra competent compared to other military units. It is early cold war, these are no surprises here. Then you also had a surge of interest in the "far east", of which martial arts with their invincible martial artist trope is a part of. In this renewed interest in the east, particularly japan, it was only a matter of time until someone saw the ninja, and japanese classic (and very ficticious) narratives about them, and figured the ninja just happened to hit all those genre and thematic trends. And to add to it, the west was already had some love for the concept even before it knew its name. The Scarlet Pimpernel, Zorro, Batman, Robin Hood, The Phantom, The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet, etc. We have always loved those tropes, we have always loved their blends, and now when the west had developed a Japan interest you say there is a version of that with a Japanese visual and thematic flair to it? Gold was struck. And once media that sell world wide popularized it, well, wordwide, it was a multidimensional positive feedback loop going back and forth between the Japanese source and the international audiences and markets.

[@illidaris1693]

You made me fall in love with ninja all over again! Just amazing!

[@shellknight1323]

Gaijin you have to cover "Gabimaru from Hell's Paradise Anime/Manga"

[@adhambarbour]

Oh I loved the TF2 reference GimGam. Also can't believe this has been going on for six years. This video really surprised me how much this made sense, another excellent video.😄

[@neoshadowdukeofgames8223]

Your videos have impressed me over all the years

[@UltravioletNomad]

I've realized that cinema ninjas and martial artist exaggerate their abilities in very similar ways, ranging from masters of close combat to borderline magic. The thing that always seems to escalate ninjas above that is what they're up against. Martial Arts stories, even at their wackiest, are always a story of evening the odds, the protagonist meets the mettle of their aggressors. But ninjas are always up against entire armies, or up against more modern weaponry. The bringing a katana to a gun fight is somewhat of an ironic trope considering ninja very much implemented all forms of munitions and pyrotechnics.

[@basilnottheherb]

Six amazing years hehe. I have enjoyed this for so long

[@NachtKaiser666]

Oh man, the raid at Mikatagahara! While it's not the main focus by a long shot, Kurosawa Akira's Kagemusha briefly shows Takeda Shingen dying almost instantly from a stray bullet during the night raid and has his body double take over for him. I think I'll rewatch this movie this weekend, it's been a while.

[@Morgil27]

I had heard about the James Bond movie being the first western pop culture appearance of ninja. Glad to see you finally talk about it.

[@Strunmahmah]

"Venus and Slash don't count." Fight Me! Yeah The Next Mutation was a hot mess, but IDW has been doing a great job of redeeming the character recently. Though Slash isn't really a ninja. Which means the sixth turtle for this senario would be Jennika. She's pretty great

[@360entertainment2]

This is just me but anytime I hear or read Ninja I imagine “the one man Army”/stealth master assassin” but when I hear or read “Ninjas” I imagine an army of inept martial artist that may or may not have had a karate lesson in the last five years!

[@monkeyking9863]

read a book series about a super hero training school. it had three branches front line, support, and subtly. during practical exam they had to take down a warehouse full of robots, but the subtly students where given a second task before the test where they had to track down hidden codes. on the day of the test, one subtly student was able to type in all the which deactivated all but the boss robot. the other students complained that it was unfair but the teach gave a speech about how if the subtly heros do their job correctly this is the outcome, a great foe is cut down at their knees before the fighting even starts. to me this book summarized the greatness of Ninjas better than any action film could

[@gregorymills7677]

My New Favorite Chanel. Thank You For Existing.

[@v.emiltheii-nd.8094]

Ah, Shuriken School. The memories...

[@mega._.swella3698]

ITS BEEN 6 YEARS!!!

[@marcusfinley8744]

I'm so happy to hear you talk about ninjago

[@aliastheabnormal]

Slash was never part of the Ninja turtles. He has always been part of the Mighty Mutanimals. Another group of mutant superheroes that were parts of the TMNT universe.

[@keyoteamendelbar8742]

I believe one of the psychology techniques that ninja use is the backfire effect. I am slowly becoming aware of ninja tactics to prove that I am not a ninja but, the more I prove that I am not a ninja, the more they think I am.

[@DavidRichardson153]

So glad to see GG mention Beverly Hills Ninja, because I hope to see him actually analyze it. Obviously, there is plenty in it that's made up, but I still want to hear what he would say about it.

[@BigRedKane97]

Wow it's really been 6 years thats wild. Keep it up my dude 💪🏾😎

[@JcgLounge]

Basically, Ninjas are more than a myth. Ninjas, are simply amazing.

[@AndrewTraver]

Hella, been waiting for this topic when you made a post about it XD

[@adventurejedi2490]

Great video, Gaijin. Here's some other characters you could cover: Gray Fox (Metal Gear) Daredevil (Marvel) Vega (Street Fighter) Storm Shadow (GI Joe) Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Assassins/Shadows (DC) Corvo (Dishonored) Raizo (Ninja Assassin) The Onmitsukidō Stealth Force (Bleach) Hanzo (Hunter x Hunter)Great video, Gaijin. Here's some other characters you could cover: Gray Fox (Metal Gear) Daredevil (Marvel) Vega (Street Fighter) Storm Shadow (GI Joe) Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Assassins/Shadows (DC) Corvo (Dishonored) Raizo (Ninja Assassin) The Onmitsukidō Stealth Force (Bleach) Hanzo (Hunter x Hunter)

[@Thollis1987]

Might I add The Lin Kuei from Sub Zero Mortal Kombat And the Shirai Ryu Scorpion from Mortal Kombat

[@adventurejedi2490]

@@Thollis1987 He actually already covered both in previous videos 👍

[@Sawtooth44]

its funny that the Inverse Ninja Law applies IRL the more outnumbered the ninja (thus meaning less of them) are, the stronger the ninja become

[@MichaelBerthelsen]

I'd argue the biggest lie is the black clothes. But this one's also a great one.😊👍

[@MetalSonicMkIV]

All I can say is.. GO NINJA, GO NINJA, GO NINJA, GO!

[@elpizo1789]

The legend of the shinobi growing to the point of making them basically demigods is perhaps the most ninja thing ever.

[@lonelotis]

Love the big humage to the legendary stealth King Tenchu. Big up dog💯

[@CT-yc4gd]

Legend of Kage. Damn. I remember playing that for the NES and its remake for the DS. Solid game and sound track.

[@biohazard724]

Donnie Yen covered both bases in Iron Monkey, a Hong Kong produced Ninja movie from 1993

[@PedroPaes2862]

Good video as always. I have a big appreciation for Ninjas and i consider then the best archetype for vídeo game mídia. Great for skill based action games and for stealth ones. Some of the greatest games of all time have ninja or ninja like caracters on it. Still, there aren't enough ninja games out there.

[@CalciumChief]

1:20 Hey, while we're here, talk about how ninja is Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon. Literally 50th anniversary of the movie (and Lee's death) this month.

[@harrymorris2361]

I know it’s technically not Ninja, but I’d love to see you look at the Tenrai Armour from Halo infinite, see how accurate 343 got with Samurai looks and customs.

[@Machiavelrous]

Just like how Gaijin hunters have their expectations of foreign white people warped by Hollywood, so were Western audiences with their view of the ninja. As you said before, the term "ninja" was not used by the Japanese in those days, they used "Shinobi" instead. In real life, when confronted, ninjas usually did not take down dozens or hundreds of men. Ninjas were realistic pragmatists, not the exaggerated invincible warriors like on screen. They were more likely to flee and drop smoke bombs and caltrops instead. Combat was more of a last-ditch resort.

[@saphiriathebluedragonknight375]

Gaijin Hunter? Are you talking about Goomba, or the Monster Hunter KZbinr?

[@GCJACK83]

Ah, the TF2 critical hit marker, sound effect, and domination theme. Music to my ears.

[@animeheroful]

Without Which Ninja, I wouldn't have enough research on the history of the ninja itself while making my own ninja OCs along with my alternate main OC taking the ninja route

[@deepseastonecore3017]

Is Barbie a undercover agent for GI Joe?

[@gabrielryan-leon832]

Hey Gaijin, I couldn’t help but think about how it’s nearing Halloween and I have a theory that ghost face from scream is a ninja. Always wearing a mask, having more than one accomplice like the clone technique, masters of gaining info and manipulation, and trying to take down their opponents as fast as possible

[@SKy_the_Thunder]

Also propaganda. That's the first rule of warfare after all: "The best battle is one you win without having to fight." So if ninja get to push their own hype to a point where the opponent will cower in fear at the thought of having to go up against them, that's an advantage they'd hardly pass up. Plus, it also worked as "advertisement" for independent clans: If you need things to get done reliably, you hire ninja - and since they are so very skilled (citation needed) they pretty much get to dictate the price.

[@Dustrauma]

I’m stunned that Ninja Gaiden and all of these referenced action games are mentioned without Tenchu even existing. 😢

[@tn1881]

During the Asuka period (592-710), Shoutoku Taishi (574-627) hired Otomono Sabito, a descendant of Ominomikoto, as an agent and assassin. Shoutoku Taishi called him shinobi (one who seeks to obtain good information). Otomono was from the Iga region. C7th, the Hattori clan of the Iga region wore black at the rituals of the Aekuni shrine. They were called Kurondo (black party). The Shinto rituals at Aekuni Shrine are still present today. In 1180, the Hattori clan fought as samurai in the Genpei War. They were good at guerrilla warfare. In the C12th, the Hattori clan joined forces with the jizamurai, peasant-born samurai, to become lords of the Iga region and gain independence from the shogunate. They became mercenaries all over Japan. They later came to be called Iga-ryu. In the latter half of the C13th century, people who acted rebelliously against manor lords such as temples and nobles were called akuto (rogue party). The Hattori clan was akuto. Ninjas at that time were called by various names depending on the region, such as rappa, suppa, and kusa. C14th, the literary book Taiheiki has a record of Sinobi. In the C15th, Sinobi became a mercenary and intelligence agent for a Sengoku daimyo. In 1578, a war began between Nobunaga's forces and the Iga clan in the Tenshō Iga War. In the 1600s, it was written as Xinobi in the dictionary compiled by the Society of Jesus. In 1655, Hattori Minobe Shinzo of the Hattori clan wrote the ninjutsu book Ninpiden. In 1676 Fujibayashi Nagatonokami of the Hattori clan wrote the ninjutsu book Mansenshuukai. In 1679, the first ninja researcher Kikuoka Nyogen compiled Iranki. In 1681, military scientist Natori Masazumi wrote the ninjutsu book Shoninki. C17th, the fictional Sinobi appeared in the popular culture novel Otogibouko. Sinobi of creation such as Kabuki, Joruri, Kyogen and Sinobi's Goemon Jiraiya appeared and they became popular. In 1911, the novel Sarutobi Sasuke was published. Since then, Sinobi has appeared in many novels. In 1916, Kougaumon, the first ninja movie, became popular. Around 1920 they were called ninsha. In 1958, the novel Kouga ninpocho was published. In this novel, many ninjya who use techniques like psychic powers appeared. This novel influenced manga and anime. In 1957, the novel Yagyu bugeicho was made into a movie. Since then, ninjya has appeared in many movies. In 1959, manga's Ninja bugeichou, Sasuke was published. Since then, ninjya has appeared in many mangas. In the 1960s, the television series Onmitu Kenshi, featuring ninjya, was broadcast. This TV series was broadcast in Australia and the Philippines and ninjya became popular with young viewers. In 1967, the anime series Kamen no ninjya Akakage was broadcast. In 1967, ninjya appeared in the movie 007.

[@KingNerdius]

we sometimes like to make fun of the fact that most people don't understand Ninja weren't overpowered as media depicts but in reality that's what Ninja would want