Ninja

A ninja (忍者, literal meaning: "stealth person") is a warrior and assassin, trained in the Japanese art of Ninjutsu (roughly art of stealth). Ninja, like Bushido and Samurai, followed their own special code of conduct called Ninpo. According to some modern practitioners of Ninjutsu, the Ninja's specialty was not assassination but rather espionage.

The Ninja was probably demonized by the dominant Samurai-culture because of some of the Ninjas less then honorable methods and spared no effort in making them seem evil and without honor.

There are many myths and legends concerning ninjas, who were most prevalent during Japan's feudal era and often served daimyos, or feudal lords, for secret missions. Their special abilities are also often exaggerated, such as becoming invisible, turning into animals, jumping over buildings, and the ability to fly and foresee the future. These myths were proliferated by people witnessing the "Ninja's" feats; the "Ninja" they witnessed were usually Yamabushi that would visit towns performing tricks for money.

In western popular culture, ninjas often depicted as simply supremely well trained martial artists who use many kinds of exotic equipment and skills to accomplish their missions. This, combined with the popular image of the legendary costume of an all black suit and hood which leaves only the eye area of the face exposed, often makes up the western take on the ninja as a popular foe of fictional spies (especially on missions in Pacific Asia), superheroes and supervillains.

The ninjas used several special weapons against their enemies, the shuriken, nanchyaku and handclaws (shuko/tekagi) probably being the most famous. Weapons could also be used cleverly as tools such as using the cord of their sword scabbard to construct a hammock between tree branches.

For references to Ninja in popular western culture see Ninja in Western Fiction

Ninja have become a popular target for satirization and parody on the Internet in recent years, a movement spurred along by websites such as Ninja burger and Real Ultimate Power http://www.realultimatepower.net.