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Ninjas: A Celebration

Jonathan Gordon 10:54, Thursday 9th April 2009

NowGamer salutes the sultans of shadow, the kings of kill and the masters of the mysterious...

Silence pervades. The soft and comforting fragrance of sandalwood fills the room where a dignitary and his guard reside late on a summer’s evening. A soft breeze blows in through the window causing the candles to flutter and the shadows of the room to swirl. A swish and a thud, and two bodies lie on the floor, pools of blood flowing away from their bodies. A dark figure now stands in the middle of the room, swiftly and silently moves towards the window, leaps out and is never seen again. The candles finally stop fluttering.

Such is a typical image of the ninja, a brand of Japanese warrior that has become one of the great staples of the videogame industry. Shrouded in mystery and romance, ninjas are perfect videogame protagonists. Traditionally silent and faceless, ninjas are the empty vessel given flesh, ready to have your character and motivations poured into them. They are ruthless, meticulous, precise and unrelenting – all great traits for a videogame character. The lack of firm knowledge about them has also led to a shroud of mysticism to form around them and that has afforded game designers a huge amount of leeway when coming up with ways to use ninjas and with things those ninjas can do. The image of the developer who explains away his new character’s ability to fly, throw fire and disappear because ‘he’s a ninja’ has some merit. Ninjas are unknown and virtually unknowable with any certainty, but what little we do know has given us an archetype of the lone wanderer and soldier of fortune. A great deal of the early years of popularity, nay, supremacy of the ninja on home game consoles must be given to the late-Eighties ninja boom that accompanied the rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle comics and TV show.

“The Mystical Ninja bears a striking resemblance to our own tales of Robin Hood”

Like the men and women upon whom the ninja myths are built, the earliest example of a ninja game is hard to pin down. 1983’s Ninja Warrior on Dragon 32/64 and TRS-80 CoCo (Color Computer) could well be that game, but hitting a full four years before the Ninja Turtles meant it has slipped into obscurity. By comparison, Sega’s Shinobi and System 3’s The Last Ninja (both launched in 1987) were ready to take full advantage of the new craze. Launched on the Commadore 64, The Last Ninja and its lead character Armakuni must be considered the pioneers of the ninja on consoles, but Shinobi was the bigger success story. With his esteemed position near the top of the most wanted and recognised characters on the Sega Master System from 1988 when Shinobi was released on the home system, Joe Musashi was the one that established the ninja as street fighter and action hero. His double-jump and shuriken attacks have been repeated over and over in ninja games ever since.

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Nine Ninjas

1. Ryu Hayabusa
Hayabusa has been slaying foes a great deal longer than most other ninjas on our list, but that’s not the only reason he’s here. His appearances in Ninja Gaiden and Dead Or Alive continue to set the bar for hardcore gaming. He’s not only one of the most graceful and deadly ninjas around, but also one of the best characters in the industry.

2. Joe Musashi
One of the older guard of the gaming ninja fraternity and one forever associated with that golden age of the industry when Sega made consoles and we had a lot less to worry about in our daily lives. Musashi was one of the great action heroes of this day and Shinobi still holds up as a great series. Just check out the Sega Mega Drive Collection.

3. Armakuni
The fate of The Last Ninja is unknown. He has gone missing, presumed alive and well, because he couldn’t possibly be dead. Armakuni was a groundbreaking ninja who managed to mix the legendary mysticism and fighting prowess of his kind with great exploration gameplay. Should he ever return, he’ll be welcomed.

4. Kasumi
Dead Or Alive’s other great ninja, Kasumi is actually often referred to as the primary character of the beat-’em-up series. This Kunoichi (female ninja) has proved far more popular than her Ninja Gaiden starring half-sister Ayane, and while we’d like to say it has something to do with her warmer personality, her dress is probably the main reason.

5. Kage-Maru
When you’ve got a name that means ‘Perfect Shadow’ you were basically born to be a ninja. Virtua Fighter’s Kage-Maru is one of the tougher customers in the franchise, renowned for his awesome air throw that can ring-out an opponent even in a walled arena. That is some serious throwing power right there, people.

6. Taki
Of all the characters in Soul Calibur, Taki is one of the underestimated. Her speed and agility mark her out as another in a long line of stereotypical female characters, but she has much hidden depth. Get to know her combos and that speed becomes an unstoppable force in the arena that few others can match.

7. Ibuki
As one of the more eccentric characters from Street Fighter III, Ibuki hasn’t made the leap in the next-gen just yet, but don’t count her out. For our money, any ninja who can still find the time for an ice-cream obsession and a love of Tanuki is fine by us. Her seeming dissatisfaction with her ninja upbringing is a concern, though.

8. Rikimaru
Possibly the most traditional ninja to ever grace a games machine, Tenchu’s Rikimaru is a master of the quick kill and concealment. Moreover, Rikimaru is an imperfect character, who has made and continues to make mistakes, but learns from them. This trait makes him much more interesting than supposedly more perfect gaming ninjas.

9. Gray Fox (Cyborg Ninja)
Prior to Metal Gear Solid, Gray Fox had been one of the highest-ranked members of Foxhound and later a hugely useful informant as part of Big Boss’s gang. However, his appearance in MGS is his most famous, reappearing having been presumed dead as Cyborg Ninja, haunting Solid Snake in the early parts of the game to harrowing effect.