TOP TEN FAVORITE NINJAS (COMIC BOOKS)
Ninjas! Ninjas! Ninjas!
AHHHH!!!
I love ninjas! I am obsessed with ninjas! I can't get enough ninjas in my life! I also happen to love comic books too. So here is the list of my personal favorite comic book ninjas!
Comic book ninjas, much like all comic book characters, are pretty far out there and far removed from traditional depictions and or real world counterparts. Personally, I am a traditionalist when it comes to my choice in ninjas. By that I mean I prefer them to be Japanese. I do, however, go for the more fantastic and romanticized renditions of ninjas as well as more real life depictions.
When it comes to comics you really don't have a whole lot of choice but to go with wild and crazy ideas and characters. Surprisingly there aren't many Japanese ninjas in comics and most are quite wild in their abilities. Just like the show NARUTO, they're ninjas but they're not really ninjas. They're ninjas in name only. So you just have to go for it. Video games have done a better job of at least keeping most ninja characters Japanese while also incorporating the more wild and crazy esthetics.
In short, Ninjas are a cultural thing, specifically Japanese culture. There are assassins all across the world as well as stealth warriors and covert killers galore. What makes them ninjas and more than just another everyday assassin is their Japanese heritage. The word "Ninja" has been appropriated and applied to numerous characters and concepts in comic books, disregarding the Japanese connection outright at times.
All this is a long winded way of saying that some of these ninjas may not actually be ninjas. Gah! Now I'm confusing myself. Whatever, these are the characters I see as being the closest thing to ninjas in comic books and my favorites among them. There aren't a whole lot to choose from so I've included both men and women on this list.
So without making this more complicated than it already is, here are my favorite comic book ninjas!
Enjoy!
HONORARY NINJAS (THE BONUSES)
Daredevil isn't technically a ninja but he was trained by The Chaste (essentially a group of virtuous ninjas dedicated to battling a group of evil ninjas called The Hand (although the Chaste may not actually be "ninjas" either)). Daredevil has the skills of a ninja but is in fact his own entity (a super hero). During a rather dark period of his life, Daredevil even ruled over and led his sacred enemies, The Hand. I verified with a very creditable source and Daredevil expert on this. His designation is quite complicated (Is he a ninja? Is he not a ninja?) so the best way to put it is that he's an honorary ninja.
He's a great character and his place as number #14 on this list is in no way a reflection of his standing in regards to the other characters on this list. He's #14 not because I like him less than the others, just that this is a list for ninjas and Daredevil isn't actually a ninja. The same goes for the next guy!
#13
BATMAN
Like Daredevil, Batman is NOT a ninja, to be clear. But he exemplifies many premiere characteristics of ninjas. He's a vigilante that uses the shadows and operates in stealth. One of his primary weapons are "batarangs" (shurikens or "throwing stars" by any other name). He sometimes uses smoke pellets to vanish abruptly or confuse his enemies. The use of grappling hooks and rope to scale walls and bind enemies is a staple of the ninja as well. And, of course, donning skin tight black garb and black armor, part of which obscures his face, is very ninja-like. While trained in numerous styles of combat and martial arts, he did receive legit ninja training in Japan! So again, like Daredevil, Batman is a ninja... but really he's not... but really he is... he's his own entity (a super hero).
Just to be clear, he's a great character and his place as number #13 on this list is in no
way a reflection of his standing in regards to the other characters on
this list. He's #13 not because I like him less than the others, just
that this is a list for ninjas and Batman isn't actually a ninja. But you can't talk about comic book ninjas without acknowledging Batman and Daredevil, am I right?
#12
NTH MAN ~ THE ULTIMATE NINJA
A nameless orphan was taken in by an elderly Japanese man. This Japanese man trained operatives for the C.I.A. in various ninja skills. Trained from a young age in the ninja arts, the orphan became the most skilled ninja spy/assassin in the world. As the world erupts into World War III, only the Nth Man can save the world from destruction.
The Nth Man was one of those side projects from Marvel Comics in the late 80's (trying to cash in on the G.I. Joe craze). Brutal and intense, Nth Man is a unique and cool comic book ninja whose time was cut short too soon.
An
ancient sect of supernatural ninjas that worship and are empowered by a
demonic entity known as "The Beast." Battling the likes of Daredevil
and Elektra quite often, The Hand are eternally opposed by a group
called The Chaste. The Hand have even ran with other demons such as the
soul eater known as Deathwatch, and thus have come into conflict with
Ghost Rider.
I love that the Marvel Universe has their very own group of
evil ninja running around, but they need to do more with them, not as a group but as individuals. More
often than not The Hand are merely nameless masses and vehicles for other characters such as
Elektra, Daredevil, and Kingpin. The members of the Hand themselves
rarely receive any actual development. And the ones that do receive more
character than others don't stick around for long. Even so, these guys
are A-Okay in my book!
THE TOP TEN
#10
KARAI
The daughter of Shredder, Karai took on leadership of the Foot Clan ninjas after Shredder "died" supposedly. She proved more than a worthy foe for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and in many ways I thought she was superior to her father. First off, Karai is just as skilled as her father in the ninja arts but is far more level-headed than Shredder ever was. She's tactical and pragmatic, even siding with the turtles in times of necessity. And unlike Shredder, she doesn't appear to be true evil. I really enjoyed her inclusion in the 2007 film TMNT. She's a cool character and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise is richer for her.
#9
LADY SHIVA
 |
| Lady Shiva according to the Earth 0 timeline. |
Martial arts prodigy and master assassin, Lady Shiva is one wicked and badass character. Originally an antagonist of Richard Dragon, she later found her way to Gotham City. One of the top martial artists in the DC Universe, she has fought Batman and the rest of the "Bat Family" numerous times, defeating them even. She's had a long and epic history with numerous rewrites and revisions. Whether she's an actual ninja or not depends on which DC canon you're reading. Anyway, she comes very close to embodying all the characteristics and esthetics of a ninja. And she's so cool!
#8
DEATH NINJA
Comics do some pretty crazy things with ninjas or ninja parallels. Death Ninja is one of those members of the Hand that received a little more character than some others, but after a few issues he was virtually forgotten. He's a zombie ninja that fights Ghost Rider! What's not to love? More than anything it is the great artwork by Brett Blevins that endears the character to me. The character longs for death but is unable to die. His initial motivation is for Ghost Rider to kill him once and for all. But even when his body is strewn across the train tracks and obliterated under a passing train he still survives and comes back to kill more.
A Moment of Self Awareness:
If Death Ninja is on this list (and #8 at that!) than you know there's a shortage of quality ninja characters in the world of comics... or perhaps my qualifications for what a "true" ninja character is are too unrealistic. Likely it's both!
#7
NINJA
Marvel's
deadliest ninja and enigmatic shinobi, Ninja (his true identity was
never revealed) was the most skilled warrior of his time (feudal Japan).
He began as a samurai and eventually mastered the secret ninja arts to
further his abilities. Traveling the world to enhance his martial arts
prowess, he eventually encountered the ancient sorcerer, Master Khan,
and became the magician's right hand enforcer. Invading K'un Lun, Ninja
met defeat at the hands of Lei Kung ~ The Thunderer, and Ninja's spirit
was sealed away inside an ancient grimoire. Centuries later the book was
destroyed and Ninja was freed. With his new found freedom, Ninja set
his revenge upon K'un Lun's current champion, the Immortal Iron Fist!
Sorry
for the long-winded recap, but I felt it was necessary as this guy is a
fairly obscure character and, of course, one that I find quite awesome!
And, if logic dictates that Iron Fist is the best fighter in all of the
Marvel universe, then logically anyone who can defeat Iron Fist, i.e.
Ninja, must be the deadliest ninja in all of Marvel! One of Danny Rand's
earliest and deadliest enemies, not much has been done with him beyond
those early Iron Fist stories. He's a character rife with potential and
begging for a comeback!
#6
ZEN ~ INTERGALACTIC NINJA
Born on the planet Baltoon, Zen was a test tube baby for a genetics experiment. Failing to yield the desired results, the experiment was cancelled and Zen was assigned for termination. One of the scientists saved the infant Zen and packed him in a space ship. Ending up on the planet Om, there Zen was raised and trained in martial arts, eventually growing into a warrior of renown skill. Now Zen travels the galaxy as a mercenary for hire.
Zen came about in much the same way as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did, through a creator owned self-published book. Zen - Intergalactic Ninja was introduced in 1987 and has had a fairly sporadic, but enduring, publication history. I picked up on him when he was licensed by ARCHIE COMICS in 1992 and then later with his Nintendo game by KONAMI. I've always enjoyed his sleek alien/ninja design and his badass demeanor. Zen is a very cool and underappreciated character.
#5
NINJA-K
Imagine if James Bond were a ninja and you have NINJA-K or simply Ninjak. A world of British spy espionage and action, lead by a modern ninja is a recipe for awesomeness. To me this character and this story feels like a forerunner and template for ideas and esthetics explored and popularized in the METAL GEAR SOLID franchise.
Colin King is the heir to a wealthy British family. Raised in Asia, Colin eventually became a master of the secret ninja arts. Returning home, Colin has now provided his skills and services to British Intelligence, undertaking deadly missions and battling the greatest evils of the world!
On second thought, this sounds like cultural appropriation, white savior-ism, and basically all the social justice sins that killed Iron Fist. I'll be the first to say, "I want my ninjas to be Japanese." But Ninjak can be so very cool if done right and doesn't necessarily have to lean on the cultural appropriation angle much. Ninjak is so very cool and so rife for cross-media potential, I'm amazed no one has optioned the character for film.
#4
One of the reasons why the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have endured for so long and continue to endure is due to having an equally great character to oppose them: The Shredder. Blending both classic Japanese armor and 90's comic extremism into one wicked (and massively imitated) design. Shredder is both scary and fun at the same time (meaning both kids and adults can appreciate him), his character being adaptive to both children's programing or mature narratives.
There's something instantly appealing about Shredder (hint: it's all the blades and the armor). The fact that he can take on all four turtles single-handed and defeat them says volumes about his skill level. And leading a group of evil ninja shows you mean business. I've loved Shredder since I was a kid and still think he's one of the best comic book villains ever created.
Oh yeah, and he's one of the few comic book ninjas who's actually Japanese!
#3
ELEKTRA
Strong, mysterious, and deadly; Elektra, in my mind, is one of Marvel's strongest and most interesting female characters. Originally intended to be a one-off character for a single issue of Daredevil, Elektra quickly grew into a favorite of Frank Miller's (her creator) and the fans. Her original saga too became one of the defining arcs for the Man Without Fear and it wasn't long after that she became a full fledged independent character.
Is she a ninja? Well, if she isn't she's the closest you can get. Her long history with The Hand, either in opposition or in allegiance to, inclines me to give her the title of ninja. A master assassin, Elektra is one of the coolest Marvel characters, male or female, among their entire universe.
#2
PSYLOCKE
My favorite Marvel ninja is, without a doubt, the X-Woman named Psylocke. Now, Psylocke wasn't originally a ninja nor Japanese. Betsy Braddock was the mutant sister of Brian Braddock a.k.a. Captain Britain. After joining the X-Men Betsy's mind was transferred into a Japanese woman, Kwannon, a ninja assassin rival of The Hand. Psylocke gained all of Kwannon's ninja powers and Kwannon's badass personality while retaining her mutant telepathic and psionic powers.
I first came to know Psylocke during the 90's X-Men renaissance. She had an intense personality about her, stoic and badass, and wielding a frickin katana! One look at this character and you knew instantly how cool she was. Nowadays the whole "body swap" aspect of her story is seen as white appropriation and they've since placed Betsy back in her original body (sadly, no longer a ninja). I guess it's a good thing? All for the best?
No matter what, I will always think of Psylocke as the extremely awesome kunoichi (female ninja) I first came to know (just like I will always think of Ms Marvel powered Rogue first).
#1
THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
Okay, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are across all mediums just about. Comic books, television, film, and there was once a stage play production too (way back when). But the TMNT made their debut in this world through the comic book medium and there they have continued to endure. As such I've decided their best place is here.
I was just the right age when the initial TMNT action figure craze took the world by storm (35 years old... ha! Just kidding. More like 5 years olds). The Ninja Turtles have long been a part of my fandom. Truthfully I wasn't introduced to them through comics but rather through the action figures and then the original animated series. I received their comic books shortly thereafter. While my obsession with the Ninja Turtles isn't as strong as it once was when I was in single digits, they still hold a strong place in my fandom heart.
If I had to pick my favorite among the turtles it'd have to be Leonardo. He wields my favorite weapon among them, the katana. Ninjas are masters of many weapons but the sword has always held the most allure for me personally. And Leonardo is the most "ninja" of them all placing priority on stealth and concealment when his brothers throw caution to the wind and act more like super heroes than ninjas (not a bad thing, mind you). Also, Leonardo's skills are the best among his brothers (Raphael being the only one to challenge him on this). In short, Leo exemplifies almost all the characteristics I love about ninjas!
While Leo is my favorite among them, I do love all four of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and probably always will.
And there you have it! My top favorite ninjas: comic book edition!
Who are your favorite ninjas!
Leave a comment below!
