TOP TEN FAVORITE NINJAS (VIDEO GAMES: FEMALE)

TOP TEN FAVORITE NINJAS (VIDEO GAMES: FEMALE)

Welcome to the next list charting my favorite ninjas! I had an idea to do a list of my top ten favorite ninjas and I quickly realized there were too many to fit into just one list and that I needed to subdivide the list in order to do it right. So here we go with another top ten!

My top ten favorite ninjas of the female video game variety.

WHO WERE THE FEMALE NINJAS?

There's a specific term for a woman ninja: "Kunoichi"

One of the aspects of the ninja warrior societies that I find particularly fascinating is that both men and women were counted among the warriors. Gender didn't matter to ninjas as opposed to the samurai which were male only. Japanese society during the time of the ninja was still patriarchal however. This meant that a kunoichi had certain opportunities that a shinobi did not. No one suspected the lord's consort of being a covert assassin let alone a skilled warrior.

As a result kunoichi were frequently sent out on undercover missions where they often times had to be able to play the role of the traditional Japanese woman. They were placed in strategic locations to infiltrate the offices of key officials in the government and gather intelligence. Or even perform high profile assassinations. Going deeper and deeper undercover naturally meant growing closer to danger and further away from safety. Most regions of Japan it was mandated that ninja be killed on sight.

It goes without saying that life and death for the kunoichi were dependent on the kunoichi's skill. Being deep undercover they'd likely have no support. If a kunoichi's identity was discovered they'd have to battle their way out from the center of the enemy's stronghold and then fight their way out of the city. In order to perform their mission and survive potentially being discovered they had to not only be proficient in playing out their given role as a courtesan but also in their combat skills going up against a host of the lord's chief retainers.

A kunoichi's beauty was both a blessing and a curse. These women had to be as deadly as they were attractive. Obviously the more beautiful a kunoichi was the better the chances they had at getting close to the patriarchs of Japanese society. The more beautiful a kunoichi meant the more dangerous the missions they were sent on. The prettier the kunoichi the greater the fighter they had to be in order to survive.

The life of a kunoichi was often times harder than that of the shinobi.

Women Ninja In Video Games

I can't trace the very first kunoichi of video games but one of the earliest instances I've discovered comes from the 1987 arcade game THE NINJA WARRIORS, developed by Taito. The game was a side-scrolling "beat um' up" featuring two distinct characters for player one and player two. Interestingly the player one character was "Kunoichi" and player two was "Ninja," the male character. To reiterate, the female ninja was the primary character above the male! That's awesome!

 It was in 1992 however when the first fighting game kunoichi made her debut. The game was Fatal Fury 2 and the kunoichi was Mai Shiranui. Mai is perhaps the most recognizable video game kunoichi the world over and the basis for many video game kunoichi since. She was SNK's first fighting game female and their most popular female character icon. While Capcom may have started the female fighting game character with Street Fighter's Chun Li in 1991, it wouldn't be until 1997 when they'd debut their own iconic kunoichi, Ibuki.

Much like the patriarchal societies of old, the world of video games was once dominated by men, both those making the games and those playing the games. There is still an overwhelming male presence in both the makers and players of video games today, although female creators and players are fast on the rise.

As such, for a long time female characters in video games were generally targeted towards a male audience, often adolescent males. This is me trying to explain why so many of these female characters often appear as sexy as they do, often objectified and hyper-sexualized. By this list I'm not saying this depiction of women is right or that I necessarily support it or agree with it. I'm merely stating this was the state of the industry at the time many of these characters were created. Being a video game player since the 1980's I was introduced to these characters long ago and have come to be a fan of many of them.

But sex appeal is certainly an inherent trait of the kunoichi. As I stated above remember that historically many kunoichi's were known for their seductive beauty, their beauty being a weapon in their arsenal to fight against a patriarchal society. The more beautiful they were the more deadly they were... supposedly.

DISCLAIMER

Once again I have omitted certain characters like Marvel Vs Capcom's Psylocke, Karai from the TMNT video games, Scarlet and Jinx from G.I. Joe's Ninja Force, and others due to them also being comic book characters and I feel they are more befitting on a different list of favorite ninjas.

ON WITH THE LIST ALREADY!

So without any more introduction from me, my favorite female video games ninjas!

Here we go!

#13

SHEIK

Video Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

Platform: Nintendo 64

I know it's horrible to say but I never really got into the Legend of Zelda series too heavily. I had Zelda II for the NES since I was a kid and later acquired the original in high school. So I've played them and enjoyed them but the format wasn't really my type of game. Likewise I never thought much of Princess Zelda either... until they did one of the coolest things ever to the character: Sheik.

No explanation is needed for most of you but simply put, Princess Zelda uses magic to transform herself into a "male" warrior named Sheik. Changing the damsel in distress into an independent warrior badass without whom's help the hero, Link, would not succeed was a stroke of genius. Nintendo found a way to both maintain and subvert the female character trope all at once. Now, depending on what game you go by, Sheik is either a female in disguise or an actual male made through magic or some combination of the two.

Sheik's legitimacy as a ninja is also questionable given that Hyrule is a fantasy land and the parameters surrounding Earth ninjas may not necessarily apply. Whatever, man. Sheik is still one extremely cool ninja-like if not full blown fantasy ninja character. That being said the gender ambiguity and ninja questionability is why Sheik isn't higher on the list.

Feel free to argue with me on this one.

#12

KUNIMITSU

Video Game: Tekken (1994)

 Platform: Playstation

Kunimitsu is the sole kunoichi of the Tekken franchise and not the most popular character of the franchise. She definitely is a proper ninja in every sense and decidely Japanese in design with that cat/fox mask, all things I look for in a good ninja character. She is a member of the Manji ninja bandits, the same ninja clan led by the legendary Yoshimitsu.

She was a part of the original cast of Tekken and Tekken II as a time released bonus character and later made an appearance in the original Tekken Tag Tournament. But the character didn't really come into her own until years later with Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Before the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Kunimitsu borrowed a lot of her moveset from the character of Yoshimitsu and felt like a halfhearted effort from Namco in some respects. She was revamped for Tekken Tag Tournament 2, given a new moveset all her own and a more stylish redesign, yet retaining the design elements that made her standout originally. She went from being a fine character to a great character.

It only took Namco 17 years to get her right 😉







#11
KASUGA

Video Game: Sengoku Basara a.k.a. Devil Kings (2005)

Platform: Playstation 2

Kasuga is the playable kunoichi character from the Sengoku Basara franchise from Capcom. There are two styles of Sengoku Basara games, the original being a Dynasty Warriors styled game and the second being a 2D fighting game. Set in Japan's famous Sengoku historical period, many of the characters in the series are actual historical figures (highly stylized of course). Kasuga is one of the few ninja in the game and servitor of the Uesugi Clan.

Designwise Kasuga is very "flashy" and she looks nothing like a Japanese woman she's supposed to be. Even so this is in keeping with the wild anime-style of all the characters in the game. She stands out from many other video game kunoichi as a result and is quite memorable. She has a fun and exciting moveset and is a fairly fun character enhanced by the immensely epic setting of the Sengoku Period. She appears in the anime based off the game too.

It's pretty cool to play as a ninja and mow throw hundreds of troops a la Dynasty Warriors.





THE TOP TEN

#10

HIBANA

Video Game: Nightshade a.k.a. Kunoichi (2003)

Platform: Playstation 2

Probably the most wanted video game on my "Wish List" would be a direct sequel to the 2002 SHINOBI game for the PS2. We kind of got one in the 2003 game Nightshade (it's Japanese title being Kunoichi, which I guess they felt needed changing because few westerners knew what the word Kunoichi meant). The game shifted focus to a new cast of characters and, for the first time in the series' history, a female lead in the kunoichi, Hibana. Her design was a spiritual recreation of Joe Musashi's while sporting a helmet similar to Hotsuma's. Hibana's design is perhaps the strongest attribute of the character.

Where she kinda falls short for me in carrying the torch from Hotsuma is her personality. She's a smart mouthed cocky minx and to me that got annoying. I also tend to shy away from such characters at first. I like the silent badass shtick. Luckily changing the dialog from English to Japanese remedied the problem. She was still smart mouthed but the Japanese voice actress made it sound cooler. She played like Hotsuma with a few variations and tweaks to make the gameplay a little easier (2003 was a time when a hard game was considered bad as opposed to today where high difficulty is a challenge and a badge of gamer pride).

In summary, Hibana, while not the silent protagonist that Hotsuma and Joe Musashi are, was a fresh take on the franchise hero with a great design that was flashy and new while at the same time being reverential and classic. She's not my absolute favorite kunoichi, but she's one of the good ones.

#9

MAKI

Video Game: Final Fight 2 (1993)

Platform: Super Nintendo

Maki Genryusai is the pupil of Final Fight's ninja master, Guy, and she is the successor to the Bushinryu style of ninjitsu. She followed a very similar path as her master, Guy, in that she started off in one video game series and eventually made her way over to the Street Fighter series. She made her fighting game debut in Capcom VS SNK 2 and next in Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max for the PSP.

Maki has the stoic personality of Guy and a sweet moveset employing the tonfa sticks. Designwise though she looks almost like a blatant copy of Mai Shiranui's design from the early Fatal Fury games (although their personalities are miles apart). But yet her design makes sense as it possesses similar esthetics to Guy's design down to the colors and sneakers. As Mai's appearance drifted away from how she looked originally, Maki's look seemed to stand out more.

I love it when Capcom brings more Final Fight characters into the Street Fighter world and Maki is a welcomed addition. And like Guy, she is a fairly unique kunoichi among the rest.

#8

AYAME

Video Game: Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (1998)

Platform: Playstation

There were two stars of the Tenchu series, a shinobi named Rikimaru and a kunoichi by the name of Ayame. Both characters were wickedly cool but I'd have to say Ayame was a bit cooler in my opinion. With a few exceptions, most kunoichi in video games were of a flashier design. With Ayame they broke the mold, giving players a decidedly more realistic kunoichi in design. The Tenchu series as a whole offered a more realistic approach to ninjas as well gameplay focused heavily on stealth, further differentiating Ayame from the colorful kunoichi populating video games.

Ayame isn't as physically strong as her shinobi counterpart, but what she lacks in physical strength she makes up for in speed and ruthlessness. Ayame is a brutal assassin with a cold sarcastic personality. While part of her story revolves around men, there is another aspect of her character with elements of sisterhood with an orphaned princess named Kiku.

All of this adds up to create one of the most unique characters on this list and in all of video games.

#7

KASUMI

Video Game: Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge (2012)

Platform: Playstation 3

Kasumi is the central hero of the Dead Or Alive fighting game franchise which has continued for over twenty years now. For most of the DOA series she's been a piece of cheesecake and eye candy for us boys. He moveset wasn't very spectacular and her design was basically ripped off from SNK's Mai Shiranui (hint hint: you didn't play the DOA games because they were good fighting games).

But then came a game called NINJA GAIDEN 3: RAZOR'S EDGE from the same company as the DOA games. Kasumi was added to the roster of playable characters, given a new character design, completely new moveset, as well as some little tweaks in appearance. And holy cow, she went from being a bubblegum cheesecake ninja girl to a total bloodsoaked badass kunoichi. Her inclusion on this list has less to do with her Dead Or Alive game status and a whole lot more to do with her Ninja Gaiden reinterpretation.

Ninja Gaiden was a huge leap forward for Kasumi and actually transformed her into a wicked cool character beyond anything she ever was in the DOA games.

#6

SHIKI

Video Game: Samurai Shodown 64 (1997)

Platform: Hyper Neo-Geo 64

One of the best fighting games series in existence is the SAMURAI SHODOWN franchise. The series is all a period piece running from 1786 through roughly 1790, which in itself is so incredibly cool. Seriously, who doesn't want to play a fighting game set during the age of samurai and ninja? Beyond picking a wonderful setting, what really makes the games shine is the wonderful cast of characters SNK has created. Shiki, in my opinion, is the best female character of the entire series (and one of SNK's best in general). And it just so happens that she's a kunoichi too!

The Samurai Shodown games have always had strong elements of the supernatural in their plots and characters beginning with the original villain, Amakusa. In Shiki SNK merges the supernatural and the ninja. Gifted with super powers by a demon, Shiki begins as an antagonist to the hero, Haohmaru. Once the demon is defeated Shiki is freed from the demon's control. From here on out Shiki becomes a constant subject of demonic interest, on the run and hounded by demons. Eventually she finds peace in the arms of a powerful being from the Netherworld called Asura (alright, I know, this sounds weird... and it is, but it's cool too).

As illustrated above, Shiki has a very unique and horror-esque story which greatly appeals to me. Then there's her amazing character design with the tattoes, the sexy yet traditional Japanese attire, and the twin sword fighting style. She has a dark and mysterious personality which makes her all the more intriguing. Shiki has a great moveset which makes her so much fun to play as too. SNK nailed this kunoichi on all fronts!

#5

AGEHA

Video Game: Shinobi (2002)

Platform: Playstation 2

One of the few female characters in the entire Shinobi series, Ageha is a supporting character (and not even a playable character) in the PS2 Shinobi game. Despite her side-character status, Ageha is one of the most layered and emotionally complex kunoichi I've ever encountered in gaming. She puts the other two kunoichi from Nightshade (the following game in the series) to shame in design, story, and personality.

The most compelling aspect of her character is her role in the story. Ageha, Hotsuma, and Moritsune (Hotsuma's brother) trained together since they were children in the ninja arts and would become the most skilled ninjas of their generation. The three of them were inseparable growing up and an event involving the soul eating sword, Akujiki, brought them even closer. The sword was about to consume Ageha's soul when Moritsune offered a piece of his soul instead. From that point on Ageha felt she owed Moritsune her life, but later her own emotions would betray her. It is hinted that there was a romantic relationship between her and Hotsuma, a feeling she would deny herself out her obligation to Moritsune.

Moritsune and Hotsuma eventually are forced to battle each other to decide who will be the next leader of the clan. It is a nightmare for Ageha to endure as the defeated ninja must die. She is devastated when Moritsune dies and abandons the clan, her departure being another impact on Hotsuma having lost his brother and now his best friend and lover. Four years later the clan is wiped out save for Hotsuma. Hotsuma sets out to avenge his clansmen when Ageha reappears to aid him. Unbeknownst to Hotsuma, Ageha unleashed the demonic sorcerer, Hiruko, who annihilated the clan. After seeing the carnage wrought by Hiruko, Ageha begins regretting letting Hiruko loose. But Hiruko promised to resurrect Moritsune for her. When Hotsuma discovers the truth he is forced to fight Ageha.

Wow, I rattled off a lot there (sorry about that), but this story is one of reasons why I love the game and characters as much as I do. I didn't even cover Ageha's killer design and moves which only seeing in motion does them justice. I'd give anything for her to be an unlockable playable character. So to keep this from going on any longer, even though she's the only non-playable character on this list, Ageha is one of the best video game ninjas and female characters I've ever seen.








#4
AYANE

Video Game: Ninja Gaiden (2004)

Platform: X-Box

Ayane first appeared in the original Dead Or Alive fighting game and was a rather bland and uninteresting character. She had a brutal backstory being the bastard child of the villain of the first game. She has the same mother as the two heroes of DOA, Kasumi and Hayate. As a result she's got this inner struggle between her two legacies, to embrace the darkness or the light. Her moveset and design however were both lacking a little. Basically Ayane was in the same situation as Kasumi.

When Tecmo relaunched the Ninja Gaiden series on the X-Box, Ayane played a supporting role in the game. She had been redesigned completely and sort of given a new backstory and personality (it's ambiguous at best). Ayane actually seemed like a cool character for a change. Then in Ninja Gaiden 2 Sigma her role was expanded and she was made a playable character. She was given a killer moveset and new (ridiculous) costumes. By the time she appeared in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge she finally had a new costume that was worthy of her character.

Of the two kunoichi from DOA I always thought Ayane had an edge over Kasumi. Her inclusion in all three Ninja Gaiden games sets her higher above any of the DOA characters (Ryu Hayabusa being the exception). With the Ninja Gaiden games she became cooler and cooler, less an empty piece of eye-candy and more of an actual character.

#3

TAKI

Video Game: Soul Edge (1995)

Platform: Playstation

Taki, for a long time, was the sole ninja character in the Soul Calibur series. Taki is from the Fu-Ma ninja clan, a clan dedicated to demon hunting (a demon hunting ninja? Man, that's just plain cool!). Equip with two kodachi swords (short katanas) named Rekkimaru and Mekkimaru, Taki travels the world in search of the demonic sword known as Soul Edge and destroy it. She slays demons where she finds them and hones her skills against the world's greatest warriors along the way.

She's the fastest fighter in the Soul Calibur series and one of the fastest fighting game characters overall. Her fighting style is unique among the gaming world and very very ninja-esque. Taki is a great blend of fantasy elements and traditional ninja characteristics. She has a classic ninja design in the mono-color unitard but incorporates wicked cool designs in the armor. Her personality is that of the strong silent type, serious about her task and intense in her execution. In summary, Taki is a total badass and one of the coolest video game kunoichi in existence.

She's also one of the most sexualized video game characters out there too (not that I'm complaining, but they could tone it back some as it's probably a turn off towards female players). Even without Taki's overt sex appeal her story is compelling and empowering (she goes rogue and takes on both demons and her own fellow ninja all by herself), and her design is one of the best. Also her character is completely independent from male characters, no romance either, making her an example of a strong female character.

#2

MAI SHIRANUI

Video Game: Fatal Fury 2 (1992)

Platform: Super Nintendo

Mai Shiranui is the original fighting game kunoichi. As mentioned earlier her influence has been felt throughout the gaming world in terms of her costume design, character design, and personality. Needless to say Mai is likely the most influencial fighting game female in existence (whether that's good or bad depends on who you talk to) even more so than Chun Li (Chun Li arguably being the better character of the two). Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. She's a character designed by men for men... hard to argue with that. Just indulge me for a sec, alright?

Mai is a flame manipulator (that's what the word "Shiranui" refers to in Japanese). As a result her body temp is higher than normal, hence the costume choice. And as with most heroic lead characters (both male and female alike) they are idealized in physique. "But who's definition of ideal?" you ask. Hear me out, if "hotness" was all I was looking for in a character then there'd be other characters on this list that aren't, like the Mortal Kombat kunoichis. In short, it's not the costume or the killer bod that endears the character to me... although I'm not complaining about that.

Anyway, what sets her so high on the list for me is how fun she is to play as. She has a great moveset that has allowed me to tear through opponents in the video games. Her moveset in King Of Fighters XIII has made her an almost unstoppable force in my hands. If her costume was completely redesigned into something far more modest but her moveset remained unchanged I'd still like her just as much. And her personality. She's just a fun character.

Here's a redesign of Mai for a different game and you know what, I like it better

It also helps that she has been in video games for over twenty years and I have played those games for almost just as long. She's become a staple character and one I look forward to seeing appear with every new game. To be honest I haven't always liked her. She's like that character you've known for so long that you became really good friends with and you didn't even know it. KOF 2003 really nailed her character. The sequel, KOF XI kept her going on a great path eventually leading to KOF XIII where, in my opinion, she is at her finest.

#1
IBUKI

Video Game: Street Fighter III: New Generation (1997)

 Platform: Sega Dreamcast

The original kunoichi of the Street Fighter series! The original Street Fighter had a shinobi character named Geki. He disappeared after that game (like most of the SF1 roster) and was sorta replaced by Vega. Anyway, Street Fighter was without a ninja until 1995 when Guy came over to Street Fighter Alpha 1. Another shinobi. Then in Street Fighter III Capcom introduced the first ever kunoichi of the series, Ibuki. Originally I believe it was implied that Ibuki was the daughter of Geki (as in one of her SF3 stages a host of ninja appear, one of whom closely resembling Geki). I loved this idea but it has since been changed.

See the ninja in the far left? I always thought that was Geki.

Obviously there was the initial ninja attraction to the character that I liked, but it has taken a while for Ibuki to earn her top spot on this list. Her design hasn't changed much over the years, which I don't think needs changing. I love her costume, it's traditional yet feels fresh considering so few characters sport the classic ninja look. The trouble came with how difficult it was to play as her. Her moveset was hard to get a grasp on. Capcom tweaked her moveset when they brought her into Super Street Fighter IV and her play style became far more user friendly. Her moveset became as great as her design.

When she appeared in Super Street Fighter IV it was one of those rediscovery moments. Over the years I've managed to pull off some incredible feats with Ibuki both online and against my buddies. And with every year I realize just how great and timeless her ninja costume is. Her personality is that of a bubbly high school girl who loves being a ninja as much as being a teenager. I'd love to see her and the other Capcom ninjas in a game of their own, an Ibuki, Guy, Maki, and Geki team-up.

All in all, I think she's one of the few characters on this list that's both a little realistic and fantastic at the same time. Her design and character are of a kind that both men and women could enjoy and she's maintained her integrity over all these twenty years

And there you have it! My favorite female video game ninjas!

This list along with the top ten favorite male video game ninjas covers all the ninjas of video games.

More ninja lists are on the way covering the ninjas of comics, movies, anime, and any other ninjas out there that I can think of 😉

I hope you enjoyed the list, even if I went a little too long here and there.

For more on specifically kunoichi check out this post

Way of the Ninja: Kunoichi 


And for more top ten lists check out these other posts below!

TOP TEN FAVORITE NINJAS (VIDEO GAMES: MALE)
 TOP TEN FIGHTING GAME GUYS
TOP TEN FIGHTING GAME GALS

 TOP TEN MARVEL SUPER VILLAINS

TOP TEN INCREDIBLE HULK VILLAINS

 TOP TEN DOCTOR STRANGE VILLAINS

TOP TEN THOR VILLAINS

 TOP TEN DC SUPER HEROES
  TOP TEN WOMEN OF DC  
TOP TEN MARVEL COSMIC WOMEN

TOP TEN MARVEL SUPER HEROES
TOP TEN MARVEL HEROES YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF
TOP TEN MARVEL SUPER HERO TEAMS

TOP TEN MARVEL COSMIC HEROES 

TOP TEN MARVEL ROMANCES   

TOP TEN CASTLEVANIA GAMES

TOP TEN FAVORITE NES GAMES

TOP TEN ACTION MOVIE HEROES 

TOP TEN CINEMA SAMURAI
THE 100 GREATEST KAIJU
TOP TEN FAVORITE KAIJU  
TOP TEN GIANT MONSTER MOVIE CLASSICS
TOP TEN UNIVERSAL MONSTERS

TOP TEN JOHN CARPENTER FILMS

And for more posts on my obsession with ninjas check out these others as well!


Kage No Gundan ~ Shadow Warriors Season One
(a show set in feudal Japan about ninjas!)

Top Ten Cinema Samurai

(it says samurai but ninjas are included too) 

Shinobi No Mono 

(The film responsible for the status of ninjas today in pop culture.)

Way of the Ninja: Kunoichi 

(A brief examination of female ninjas and how cool and dangerous these women were.)

Viking VS Ninja 

(A survey in which I asked coworkers who they thought would win and a story based on the outcome.)

Top Ten Fighting Game Hombres

 (A list of my favorite fighting game males, some of which are ninjas!)

Top Ten Fighting Game Femme Fatales  

(A list of my favorite fighting game females, many of which are ninjas!)

Hero Worship: Hotsuma ~ The Ultimate Ninja

(my favorite video game ninja!)

You know I'm pretty proud that I found mostly tasteful photos for these characters (for some characters it was pretty hard). Then I go and put this final picture in and ruin it all. But there were so few video game kunoichi collages out there (this was the only one I found!).

The collection of characters here is great but the art style is definitely of the more objectified variety.