History of Video Game Weapons Part III: Ninja Gear

Since man first realized that swinging a stick or throwing a rock could inflict bodily harm, there has been fighting. As these fights became more and more important, so too did the sticks and rocks. I have decided to start a several part post on the history and myth behind legendary weapons in some of our favorite video games to get a better appreciation for the thought that goes into weapon design.

Part III – Ninja Gear

I am afraid I may make some enemies with this post, as I may be dissolving much of the mysticism surrounding Ninja-lore that the Ninja themselves worked hard to establish. The role of the Ninja was generally to infiltrate an enemy castle/fife and then gather information, i.e. espionage. In feudal Japan, espionage meant blending in with the faceless masses, therefore running around in a black outfit with a sword hurling shuriken would not have been the best idea. True Ninja tactics were much more subtle.

Shuriken

Yuffie from Final Fantasy VII wielding a giant shaken

In the Final Fantasy series, as well as many video games, characters portraying Ninja generally throw shuriken. These shuriken are flat, sharp, star-shaped discs thrown with a quick flick of the wrist. This style of shuriken is actually called a shaken, and historically were rarely used in combat by actual Ninja. Such a weapon, if captured, would immediately give away one’s intentions of causing harm.

It is possible that Ninja may have used some type of throwing weapon, but most likely, it would have been bo-shuriken. The definition of a bo-shuriken is anything metal, sharp and around 6-10 inches long. They could have been nails, or other objects one could find in a hurry. They would not be thrown unless absolutely necessary, since, as we will learn, the Ninja’s primary skill was hand to hand combat. A bo-shuriken had the versatility of being thrown or being used as a dagger, but they were also subtle. If captured, a Ninja could quickly come up with a story about being a wandering carpenter for hire or etc. This subtlety and versatility would make a bo-shuriken a much more ideal weapon to a Ninja than a shaken.

Sword

Hotsuma wielding the legendary Akujiki on the cover of Shinobi for PS2

The game Shinobi features a Ninja with a cursed blade that drains his life. A sword to a Ninja would probably be the dumbest thing to carry around. In Feudal Japan, only those in the Samurai class (and in some cases Merchant class) were allowed to carry swords. When attempting to invade an enemy territory, illegally wearing a sword would attract much unwanted attention. There is some evidence to suggest that Ninja may have carried short, straight swords, but most likely it was not during infiltration.

Kunai

An Assassin in the MMORPG Maple Story throwing “steelies”, a weapon modeled after the pop-culture notion of a Kunai.

Many video games and anime feature characters throwing kunai with great accuracy as weapons. Actual kunai were designed as blunt, crude tools used for digging, and possibly masonry. Their metal was very low quality, and they were heavy and unbalanced so throwing them would have been clumsy. I can not entirely discount the use of kunai as a weapon by Ninja for the same reasons I mentioned earlier. They were versatile since they could be used as a stabbing tool, and could be sharpened easily since their blades were made with poor quality metal. Also, they were subtle since they were a popular tool of the sixteenth century. This made them easy to find in a pinch, and offered a valid alibi if captured. Since they were used in a number of professions, such as masonry and jobs involving horticulture (like medicine making, a job that often required travel) it wasn’t hard to come up with an excuse for having a kunai.

Magic

Sheena Fujibayashi performing ninja summoning magic in Tales of Symphonia

Many games such as Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden have characters that can use Ninja abilities such as elemental attack. The Ninja themselves enjoyed spreading the belief that they had supernatural abilities. One common belief was that Ninja could transform into animals. Some Ninja would dress animals up to perpetuate this very notion.

The Ninja’s true strength came from their unconventional method of getting things done. During the era that the ninja thrived, fighting was very structured. There was always a winner and a loser, and the loser always died. It was an accepted fact, but costly in terms of lives. Since Ninja often had to relay important information, their death would mean their mission was a failure. To prevent this, they began utilizing a variety of techniques that emphasized survival. To the average Japanese warrior of this era, their tactics seemed cowardly.

If threatened with capture or death, a Ninja’s primary goal would be escape. This meant hiding, or employing misdirection. Misdirection could be something as simple as throwing something to create a sound down an adjacent alleyway or etc.

If that wasn’t enough, Ninja-style martial arts had many debilitating blows. This meant attacking tendons, muscles and pressure points which would leave an enemy nearly paralyzed.

If captured, a Ninja’s next goal would be to create an alibi to inflict doubt among his captors. This could often be more psychological than one could imagine.

Since these tactics were never seen in feudal Japan, it is understandable that they may be seen as supernatural or magical. Being skilled at hiding creates the myth of invisibility, creating doubt in captors becomes mind control etc. As stories are passed on by word of mouth, they become more grandiose and eventually become legend.

Previous articles:
- Part 1: Lances and Spears
- Part 2: Katana

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