There's something else Gaijin Goomba said at one point. In the olden days, ninja would wear blue to blend into the night sky, as you pointed out. However, as electronic lights became more prevalent, the night sky darkened. So modern-day ninja wearing black is actually very fitting.
Fun fact: there is very good reason and possible evidence that Shinobi themselves would spread rumors about their supernatural abilities to spark paranoia in potential targets
@@kingofspade1739 the shinobi were masters of not just stealth, but infiltration and espionage, and almost as important 'counter' espionage, the art of making the other guy think your more capable then you really are (or less if your looking to bait them into a trap)
@greenscorpion64 Yeah, still fun to think about. Especially for a countdown about...oh I dunno, samurai, or something. With that subtle hint outta the way, I actually wanna recommend a game to ya while I got your ear. Unicorn Overlord. Since you love games like Fire Emblem, Octopath Traveler, and Live a Evil, I figured this would fit in nicely. It was made by Vanillaware, the same folks who did Muramasa the Demon Blade, Odin Sphere, and Dragon's Crown. This game is basically Vanillaware's Fire Emblem.
Nobody does Top 10s with this level of dedication and gravitas anymore in my book, these videos feel more like a lesson in the theme rather than simply a ranking and are highly rewatchable because of it.
The problem with ninja wear blue is it don't take into account in mordern day light saturation black blends in better. It also doesn't take accout future settings where things like cybernetics would make things like throwing stars deadly
Can I just give an honorable mention to Ninja Peach from Princess Peach Showtime? For all its roots in stage play, this ensemble does actually stack up closer to real life ninja than some of the more popular depictions. She even gets the "Real Ninja Wear Blue" because if you really look at her outfit it's a dark navy blue.
She also uses the Shadowed Self art like Oboromaru and even hides in the grass and water while "assassinating" opponents with a dashing kunai sweep. It's a perfect set of tools (although she lacks a grappling hook) for a theater shinobi.
If we're gonna count transformations, than I also would thrown in Ninja Kirby from the Kirby series. It can throw stars, does an swipe, throw enemies, use smoke for counter and many other utilities. One of Kirby's best Copy Ability.
@@jaretco6423maybe, but it’s not exactly stealthy. Kirby’s never been one for stealth (little dude it bubblegum pink and shaped like a basketball.) what with basically being a *Baby* and all.
As someone who also studied Shinobi (I even own the Ninja manual,) so I can better write a Ninja character for my fantasy series. I have to point out something. Wearing black can work when there is no moon or you're indoors where there is no light. Sure the darker blue is better overall but in Mark of the Ninja as you are traversing a cityscape wearing black to blend into the shadows cast by unnatural lights is just fine.
Note on number 1, the game actually has surprisingly minimal actual assassination if you play it purely as stealth. It's harder but each successful undetected mission without kills is automatically given essentially max scores (probably because bodies, hidden though they may be, will be evidence of your passing).
Even though its not on this list, Greninja from the Pokémon franchise has some pretty good references to ninja: • Its Japanese name Gekkouga has the word Kouga in its name, referring to the Koga-Ryu Ninja Clan • Its tongue is a reference to how in media, ninja scarves are left dangling after being tied around the face. • Its puffy legs and frog feet are a reference to the ninja garb; hakama and tabi respectively. • Its signature move, Water Shuriken, with its +1 priority and low base damage of 15 functions similarly to how actual shurikens work.(incapacitating or distraction for fleeing and dealing the killing blow) • Spikes and Toxic Spikes functioned similarly to actual caltrops called makibishi to dissuade entry. • Smokescreen to blind enemies (in this case, for infiltration) • Double Team = Bushin No Jutsu • Substitute = Kariwimi No Jutsu (Strange Character Technique) = using a strange prop (log) to fool enemy guards into attacking. • Grass Knot = the belief that ninjas can tie long blades of grass to trip enemies that are chasing. • Extrasensory = the belief that ninjas rely on a sixth sense to detect enemies so that they can react accordingly. • Its ability, Protean, makes it able to turn into any type when using any move similar to how shinobi will wear different disguises when on an innin mission. And that's not even getting into the fact that Greninja being a Ninja Frog is a reference to Jiraiya from The Tale of The Gallant Jiraiya. So while the Kalos Starter is not a "ninja" in the most traditional sense, I applaud Gamefreak for doing some research and putting all of those references into one Pokémon.
And don’t forget about it being blue-at least in its normal coloration. The Shiny version is black with a red tongue (which might be less stealthy, but DANG, does it look amazing).
Funny thing is that Impa's Oracle version is still a ninja--she's acting as a spy. I love that Shadow's theme is reminiscent of a western. It's a really neat tone to have for a ninja character, since he's effectively a desperado as well. I figured the shadow clone thing would have come from people getting a group of similar looking people and dressing them the same to create the illusion of duplication. That seems a lot more plausible than "this guy misdirected me he must be making more of himself somehow".
I feel like a ninja in modern times and beyond would actually prefer to wear black to match the darker sky and many shadows cast by modern light fixures.
One of my most favorite kunoichi in games is Kurenai from Red Ninja: End of Honor and this game actually gets what it means to be a an actual kunoichi correct as the game a good chunk of the time punishes players for going into actual combat, but rewards players for doing stealth kills, the shuriken, and kunai aren't weapons that kill but more tools that can do damage used for distraction, along with having a blow-dart with poison darts in her arsenal which is historically accurate as a actual shinobi would have a blow-dart with darts that are coated in poison usually the poison naturally found in puffer-fish for silent assassinations, and Kurenai can actually use her "assets" to lure enemies closer in order to pull off stealth kills which was a actual tactic real-life kunoichi would use basically one of the key things a kunoichi would be trained in doing is using her "sexiness" in order to not only lure enemies in for stealth kills but also for tricking them into revealing certain classified info, and 9 times out of 10 a drunk noble with sex on the brain who sees a sexy girl come towards him and asks him questions he's probably answering any and all questions.
#7 I don't blame you, that naming convention will haunt me just as badly as if people are accidently saying DKC2 as Diddy's Kong Quest or Diddy Kong's Quest.
Honorable mentions from me: Shadow Man, Mega Man 3: Hopped around like a hyperactive rabbit and chuck shurikens aggressively. Also rode a giant frog in one of the arcade spinoffs. Taki, Soul Calibur: I think we all know why. Mai Shianui, Fatal Fury/KOF: I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHY! Hanzo, Overwatch: Would have put Genji here but I prefer his brothers quiet archery more. Shadow (Cyber Shadow): Imagine Ryu Hayabusa as a cyborg. Chipp Zanuff, Guilty Gear: A flamboyant ninja turned politician? That's an interesting road to go down. Rikimaru & Ayame, Tenchu: Too bad you didn't play this series otherwise given their efficiency in stealth, espionage and assassination (and In some cases taking down demons) you would agree they are worth being on this list. Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima: ..... I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR EXCUSES OSCAR, JIN FELT HE HAD TO ABANDON EVERYTHING IN ORDER TO SEND THE MONGOLS BACK TO KOTUN KHAN IN A GUNNY SACK AND IF HE HAD TO DO IT WITH POISON, KUNAI, EXPLOSIVES, ARROWS, STEALTH TACTICS AND EVEN HIS OWN ANGER AND STRESS OF THE WHOLE SITUATION AGAINST THEM AND ENFORCE HIS JUSTICE AND THE JUSTICE OF TSUSHIMA THEN SO BE IT, HE DESERVED TO BE ON THIS LIST!! Edit: Me again, just came back cause I just remembered one more honorable mention ahem: The girls from Action Taimanin: They're supposed to be kunoichi but..... well I won't go in detail but long story short, it's a very CULTURED mobile game with a fair amount of CULTURED anime adaptations.
One thing to mention for me, for 'ninja' stories set in modern-day, it's more about what tools they would use. A bow and arrow might not as practical as a silenced sniper-rifle.
I was expecting the main character from Tenchu Stealth Assassins (ether one) because they were surprisingly realistic especially by this list’s standards
Few things #1 kinda bummed there was no mention of the Tenchu games #2 Impa's Shinobi tasks are also shown in the gameboy games. Such as being secretly charged with protecting an inportant figure by disguising herself as just another part of the group. Then inspecting Link before trusting him with information.
Yes thank you! Oracleverse Impa is still acting as a spy! And her markedly different physique is one that would ensure people would let their guard down around her. After all, what could this fat matron possibly be up to?
Great video as always and I'm not afraid to say a lot of this was new knowledge to me. But that made it even cooler. I do wanna give a shout out to Espio the Chameleon from Sonic. While he didn't start out as one and hasn't really been involved enough in the series recently, his rebooted character in Sonic Heroes turned a somewhat bland, somewhat stoic antro reptile into a pretty badass ninja with super speed and oversized shuriken. Bonus cool points for taking a chameleon's famous traits: wall climbing and camouflage, and ninjafying the hell out of them. Still one of the coolest characters in the series in my book and one I'm glad still gets some love in the comics.
I've had a lot of blokes ask me why I didn't include Tenchu. Fun fact, I never played Tenchu or even heard about it until after I made this list. Sorry! 😜
Hanzo reminds me of Ginzu, the Ninja Commando from the Captain Commando game. Wish we would've seen more of him. I also remember playing a game of a ninja in PSX back in the day
Even all these years later and Oscar still finds ways to play with April Fool's in a way that's enjoyable for everyone. And yeah I didn't expect this, the last countdown was just a week ago!
Great video. Love seeing you talk about topics so enthusiastically. I know you've talked about berserkers and martial artists, but one list I would love to see in my opinion is Top Ten Video Game Boxers/Kickboxers. They are styles of hand-to-hand combat that have very different feels and substance compared to other fighting styles. Plus, it would potentially give characters like Dudley from Street Fighter, Akihiko from Persona 3, and Little Mac from Punch-Out!! some time in the spotlight. Either way, keep up the good work, and I'll look forward to your next video.
I was not expecting Mark of the Ninja to take the top spot. I still need to beat that game. I was going for a pacifist stealth run, but past the big reveal, they forcibly swap out your clothing buff for the teleport one, and I was so used to the "always stealthy, unarmed" outfit that I just wasn't feeling good about the sudden spike in enemy competence.
Glad to see another legitimate countdown. And on another remake ish, too, with ninjas. They're pretty cool and badass in their own right, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to take down their targets. A bit scarse in the video game department, but the many we got are crafty and live up to their name.
One of my favourite ninjas in fiction is Valentine from Skullgirls, combining the nurse aesthetic with the ninja equipment incredible well, having her syringes, crosses, and scalpels as throwing weapons, using her bone saw and IV pole spear for close combat and the body bags as restraints. Also all her equipment (sans crosses, scalpels and bone saw) all came from the deceased members of her "clan" The Last Hope, keeping their memory alive through the use of their equipment. She even has a taunt where she pulls out a bar of dark chocolate and takes a bite, restoring a little health.
i argue that Agent 47 is a good accurate modern ninja. he can disguise himself into anybody he chooses, and nobody bats an eye. he uses various tools as distractions and also for assassinations. hell, one challenge that often comes up in his games is the *SILENT ASSASSIN!* and ninjas were known to be silent assassins; killing their target without anyone knowing what happened. and i guess you could argue that his trademark black suit is an iteration of the stereotypical black ninja gear that we often see portrayed in media. :)
Ok I got to try those top 2 games myself! You keep giving me awesome gaming suggestions that I would have never known about outside your channel, brutal legend, oddisy to the west, and so many more
Wow, NO1 surprised me. This game reminds me of two flash games that I loved when I was a child, Ninja Turtle: Shadow Hero, and the last ninja, from Nirtome. Although I can no longer play TMNT games due to bugs and Nike's closure of their websites, I am glad to discover this through your video
I’m usually here right when the video gets uploaded; certainly was a sneak attack worthy of a ninja! I was hoping for Mark of the Ninja, but I wasn’t expecting it to be Number 1! A fantastic list as always Oscar!
Maybe musicians? Because there are a lot of video games characters that could could sing and/or fight back with them. Edit: I take it back, he already did a Top 10 on it.
Not entirely a character but FF14’s Ninja is rather fun with adapting the tools Ninja used and the ninjutsu into attacks. I recommend checking it out. Hell even Gaijin Goombah himself went over it. He’s actually why my ninja glamour is wearing dark blue.
one of my personal favorite video game ninja is Stealth Elf from the Skylanders series an orphan who was taken in by a ninja elf clan inside an enchanted forest now equipped with daggers, a disappearing smoke technique and an outfit that let her blend into a forest she is also one of the fastest skylanders around, if there is no enemy gate, you could easily sneak passed the enemies with that smoke technique (especially if you leave a dummy behind)
I think, if anything, Koga or Janine would be more likely. The invisible walls or costumed doppelgangers, respectively, embody the whole "confusing and misdirecting foes" bit, while their preference for Poison-types allude to their more apothecarial side.
10: The OG VG Shinobi 9: Warrior, Bodyguard, Leader....this Sheikah master has done it all as Zelda's own shadow. 8: Emerging from shadow, then returning to shadow.....he lives up to his namesake. 7: A ninja's legend is determined by his actions 6: The first Kunoichi on the list, and already she proves that she doesn't need flashy moves to silence her enemies. 5: First historical ninja on the list...standing as the guardian of the heart of the castle 4: GET OVER HERE! (Need I say more?) 3: Shadows die twice....but always come back a hundred times over 2: The Messenger is sent...and is a true ninja at heart 1: A true shinobi is never seen or heard....a true mark of a ninja.
a while back I made my own historical DND Ninja. main weapons are darts for distraction/utility [sometimes a well placed dart that'll shatter upon impact to knock something down can work wonders], kodachi for when melee is needed which hasn't happened often, shortbow for his main weapon. his class? Scout Rogue for all the rogue skills and wilderness survival. Arcane Trickster is good for the more historical kind for ninja magic for historical? Scout Rogue with a lot of Tool Profs. He's honestly really fun to play and when ever possible I get height and even did a solo infiltration run into an enemy merc fort [they were messing with a power that makes the normal to many zombies Necromancy look like a good idea], and sabotaged some of the fort's defenses. I as a player made a mistake and had to bolt, but on my way away from the place I not only found a car I could drive back [after getting some unlucky rolls] but I found a freaking sniper [used the stats of one of the official rifles but I don't remember which]. Shame I never got a chance to use that, but I already had a Repeating Rifle we got for assisting the country's ruler. so I had a bow for the stealth kill, or the gun for when I just needed a target dead.
I figured that more authentic ninja would be more cutting-edge. Obviously, for their info purposes, and would likely further their stealth game by just straight-up not being there at all, depending on what they have available to them.
Chainsaw wielders I feel like would be dominated by Juliet Starling from Lollypop Chainsaw since it's her primary weapon, while most characters just have one as part of a varied arsenal. Though Edgar Roni Figaro would make the list even though his chainsaw is entirely optional. The fact that this man--who's a KING I might add--randomly dons a hockey mask for it is utterly hilarious
Honorable Mentions: *Greninja - Pokemon Series -Ninjask is technically the fastest non-legendary non-mega evolved pokemon, but Greninja hits more hallmarks. *Ninja - I-Ninja -Yes, that's seriously what he's called. *Mai Shiranui - King Of Fighters Series -All hail the queen of KOF! *Kasumi - Dead Or Alive Series -The postergirl of the DOA series. *Kaze and Saizo - Fire Emblem Fates -I couldn't choose just one. *Espio - Sonic The Hedgehog Franchise -We even see his ninja arts in Sonic Generations. *Ibuki - Street Fighter Series -For the record, I also considered Kimberly from SF6 for her zippy playstyle and urban graffiti aesthetic.
Yoshimitsu: a guy whose story is reminiscent of Goemon Ishikawa as a robin hood thief, whose leaders are a long line of identically named guys, called Yoshimitsu, who we learn in SC5 that the younger kills the older to get the name and loses the arm in the process, completing the illusion of we have no idea who is who (though it could explain the increase of skill and change of moves with each iteration), spanning multiple games and two gaming franchises, ties to Oda Nobunaga and his purge of the Iga as Yoshimitsu's clan was also massacarred by Nobunaga, skileld with unconventional weapons (his back flag in Soul Calibur) and master trickster inside the games he is in.
Shame there’s no mention of the main character of Monster Hunter Rise since they fit all the criteria of being a Shinobi: -Primary outfit is blue -Wire bugs acts as the grapple hook and the game features a lot of wall running -Medicine Box is a given because Monster Hunter -They technically do have writing utensils to draw -Some armor pieces include a bamboo hat -Finally they have a scarf Bonus: It introduces the Palamute companion: a Dog partner
A, San-jo! The top 2 choices were picks I never even expected but now I'm really interested in trying that Messenger game and the ending note on Jinichi Kawakami was certainly profound, even if it might be coincidence it still feels a bit poetic. I almost expected to see one of the Bamco ninjas on this list; Taki, the Ravens, Kunimitsu, and Yoshimitsu (yes they're not samurai) are cool ninjas but I guess they do fall short on the stealth part of ninjas like the DoA shinobi. I also thought about Chipp or Answer from the Guilty Gear series (one has a memorable backstory about becoming a ninja president and the other uses his business cards as shuriken), Greninja from Pokemon (for the Jiraiya mention), and Valentine from Skull Girls (a ninja nurse is a pretty cool idea) but there's already a lot of great ninjas to choose from in gaming. The time of the ninja may be over in our world but at least we can learn what it was like in the past and experience the shinobi way in video games, overall a great list! Also I just remembered that 2024 marks the anniversary of two popular ninja franchises: Naruto turns 25 and TMNT turns 40 in the same year. Cowabunga and believe it!
I literally searched for green scorpion top 10 ninja and couldn't find and surprised just 2 days ago. There was 5 ninjas vs 5 pirates video and picking sub-zero over the scorpion has really disappointed me, I hope this video has scorpion in it.
I'm not sure if she counts, but I think Rixia from the Trails games kinda fits the bill. Born into the eastern nation of Calvard, she was trained from a young age, and separated from her mother to become the legendary assassin by the name of Yin. Her father later was sick and ordered her to kill him, but she refused out of fear. She later found work in a contract with the crime syndicate Heiyue, which sent her to the city of Crossbell. She was discovered by Ilya Platiere and taken in as a dancer in the Arc en Ciel theater troupe as the moon princess. She played a very important role in the second chapter of Trails from Zero where the Special Support Section were asked to investigate a threat letter sent to Ilya. She even has them fight her to where she wears dark colors, and even deepens her voice to confuse them. She also fights with a big sword, and even uses Kunai with an explosive tag as a reference to pyromancy. She later develops a crush on Lloyd Bannings, the leader of the SSS, which Ilya enjoys teasing her about.
This was great list and introduced me to some characters and games that I had heard of which was really cool. When I started watching I was wondering whether the champion from mark of the ninja would make it on the list. The game itself was awesome and nailed both stealth and the feeling of playing as a Ninja but I was unsure how much the character would tick the right ninja boxes as well. He feels like the definitive ninja to me. Though not a factor in how good a ninja he is, watching as he slowly loses his mind to the tattoos was brilliant in how subtle it was. It wasn't a random acid trip, it was a gradual erosion of sanity that you learn had started from the very beginning yet right to the end he remains stoic and duty bound. The problem is that in his mind his duty is to the tradition of the clan, so when they are shown abandoning those traditions they become as much an enemy as the security company
The honorable mention for me comes from someone Gaijin Goomba himself covered, Specter Knight from Shovel Knight but more specifically his playable version from Specter of Torment. In life as Donovan, he used a short sword and held it in the way some of the ninja listed did for quick slashes and his only subweapon in life was caltrops. Come when he became an undead, he got some of the more mystical tropes of ninja; the mirror for making shadow clones, but there were also his two different sets of throwing sickles which have been confirmed to be the more easier to acquire ninja weapons and a set of claws which were also part of the tools ninja could possibly have.
DAMMIT (slaps forehead)I forgot the first cardinal rule ALWAYS EXPECT NINJAS, I just realized. It's April fools day, The day of surprises, YOU CHEEKY LITTLE
Great video, love the stealth drop, I only wish that Isekai Showdown's Mirage was somehow mentioned in the fighting game segment. I know its a bit of an obscure title but she really shows some promise. ;)
An honorable mention from me goes to Shadow from Cyber-Shadow. While yes his order did exist in modern times, it's not a case of secretly being around for centuries to influence the world. The clan largely acted more as a secret service for Mecha City, serving as peacekeepers and dispatching rogue machines. Then everything went to shit and most of the clan was wiped out save for a mere handful of them, which were captured and/or mechanized. Shadow is, as you'd expect, a cybernetic ninja. While he largely lacks the ninja toolkit, he compensates for that with his clan's gift for spiritual manipulation, in that they do play more toward the fantastical elemental manipulation through their own spirit energy. Shadow does this by channeling it to form shurikens or incendiary kunai, launching fire bursts from his sword, or triggering short-range explosions with downward thrusts. The rest of the abilities he gets are the usual exploration affair, wall jumping, dashing to get over larger gaps (which can be chained by dashing through enemies), etc. While The Messenger starts as an A to B platformer and turns into a Metroidvania, Cyber-Shadow sits somewhere in the middle. It is largely an A to B platformer, with the option to revisit past areas once you unlock more upgrades. Like with the ninjas on this list, combat needs to be done carefully especially against the bosses (or all of the time if you're gunning for the 'Born Ready' achievement, which is playing the game without picking up any health or SP upgrades), as a few bad hits or a misstep can very easily fuck your day over. Another instance where this is emphasized is when Shadow has to infiltrate Mecha City's robot factory. The enemies aren't plentiful, but you need to make sure not to trigger any trip lasers, as the factory's security system will very likely rip you a new one if you do, because it will throw a lot at you. Maybe you'll get lucky and survive long enough for tbe alert to pass, but you're also going to be down by a lot of your health. I know "Real ninja wear blue 🎶" but Mecha City is largely without any light, which means Shadow's black ninja garb won't be a hinderance, though there is a hidden area where you can change the color of his garb, yes even blue.
You forgot Saizo from Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, remember when you said that ninja often used Shuriken as close range knives, well look at his animation when he attacks an enemy at close range his skills also include Poison Strike, which references how Ninja would poison & disorientate enemies, & Lethality in which he instantly kills an enemy much like how a ninja would assassinate targets His father was even killed by a rival ninja clan
Funny thing is... HANZO ISN'T IN SENGOKU BASARA! That honor goes to Sarutobi Sasuke. And yeah. The definition of ninja has evolved since days past. Glad to see your update reflecting it.
Quick thing regarding Chipp from Guilty Gear as he was breifly mentioned. While Chipp like many fighting game ninja is obviously a bit conspicuous, he has shown himself to be very capable of stealth when he wants too. Hell in Strives story mode, he casually somehow sneakes into the heart of the Pentagon, right on top of Goldlewis and Erica, and the only reason anyone knows he's there is when he decides to reveal himself to give info.
If I had to give an honorable mention it would be Yoshimitsu. The guy whose story is reminiscent of Goemon Ishikawa as a robin hood thief, the clan is named the manji clan, its leaders are a long line of identically named guys, called Yoshimitsu, who we learn in SC5 that the younger kills the older to get the name and loses the arm in the process, completing the illusion of we have no idea who is who (though it could explain the increase of skill and change of moves with each iteration), spanning multiple games and two gaming franchises, ties to Oda Nobunaga and his purge of the Iga as Yoshimitsu's clan was also massacarred by Nobunaga, skileld with unconventional weapons (his back flag in Soul Calibur) and master trickster inside the games he is in. True there is a bit of the mysticism aspect of things, witth the cursed sword but still, I think they deserve a mention.
Great channel! DB Z introduced me into the genre. I was so close to visiting Japan one point myself. I had experience with MoCap and in late 2015 I was in contact with Capcom about the facial likeness role of Leon for the Resident Evil 2 Remake. I failed to mention I also have a voice acting background, in the end I lost the part and I can't forgive myself for wasting such an opportunity to visit the place that inspired artists like Toriyama San. R.I.P.
I have a good idea for 2 top tens: - Top 10 One-Man-Army characters: They must be capable of fighting giant armies either by themselves or in small groups. Examples: Haken Browning (Super Robot Wars), Zero (Mega Man Zero), Laharl (Disgaea), Link (any Zelda), Kirby. - Top 10 Magicians: Not wizards/witches nor mages, magicians. They must be all about the missdirection and the spectacle. Examples include: Trucy Wright (Ace Attorney), Himiko Yumeno (Dangan Ronpa). I also had a vague idea about a Top 10 about tacticians (inspired mostly on Robin from Fire Emblem Awakening) but I don't think it is feasible.
Honorable metion Ninjara -One he wears mainly blue -His Arms are literal chain and his "main" weapon are either elemental, explosive or blade/trowing weapon -when dogdeging he leaves a smoke puff -he is not the strongest fighter however is very good to strike when your oponent makes a mistake
I’d like to throw an idea, the “Top 10 video game brawlers”. Fighters who forsake the dexterity, grace, discipline, form and history of any one style in favor of the raw savagery, brutality and pragmatism of a knock-down, drag-out, knuckle-bloodying street fight. I can already think of two potential candidates for this.
There's something else Gaijin Goomba said at one point. In the olden days, ninja would wear blue to blend into the night sky, as you pointed out. However, as electronic lights became more prevalent, the night sky darkened. So modern-day ninja wearing black is actually very fitting.
Fun fact: there is very good reason and possible evidence that Shinobi themselves would spread rumors about their supernatural abilities to spark paranoia in potential targets
Really 😮
@@kingofspade1739 the shinobi were masters of not just stealth, but infiltration and espionage, and almost as important 'counter' espionage, the art of making the other guy think your more capable then you really are (or less if your looking to bait them into a trap)
@@mastermold10 awesome, god this why I love videos like these
Ah the best form of deception. Gaslighting
To add more to your Fun fact.
Ninja also are Skilled Survival Experts
The term Ninja/Shinobi means Survivor
Neat!
I'm a little surprised you two didn't collab on this. This would be right up your wheelhouse, alley, and ball field. 😅
@@metal_gear_rayquaza8914 Believe me, that would've been a dream come true, but I also understand that Gaijin is a very busy man.
Maybe some day.
@greenscorpion64 Yeah, still fun to think about. Especially for a countdown about...oh I dunno, samurai, or something.
With that subtle hint outta the way, I actually wanna recommend a game to ya while I got your ear.
Unicorn Overlord.
Since you love games like Fire Emblem, Octopath Traveler, and Live a Evil, I figured this would fit in nicely.
It was made by Vanillaware, the same folks who did Muramasa the Demon Blade, Odin Sphere, and Dragon's Crown. This game is basically Vanillaware's Fire Emblem.
@@metal_gear_rayquaza8914 I even said on his top 10 pirates video it would've been a flex if he did
What about samurai? You can have ninja without samurai. There important in 🇯🇵 Japan.
Nobody does Top 10s with this level of dedication and gravitas anymore in my book, these videos feel more like a lesson in the theme rather than simply a ranking and are highly rewatchable because of it.
Fiery Joker does this, too.
Yeah shame watch mojo has to be the biggest example of countdowns, and for all the wrong reasons.
Cassie: "Where's the ninja convention?"
Sub-Zero: "Lin Kuei are not ninjas."
Cassie: "So, why dress like one!?"
Oscar is officially the most reliable content creator to make legitimate, banger videos on April Fools day
The problem with ninja wear blue is it don't take into account in mordern day light saturation black blends in better. It also doesn't take accout future settings where things like cybernetics would make things like throwing stars deadly
Can I just give an honorable mention to Ninja Peach from Princess Peach Showtime? For all its roots in stage play, this ensemble does actually stack up closer to real life ninja than some of the more popular depictions.
She even gets the "Real Ninja Wear Blue" because if you really look at her outfit it's a dark navy blue.
She also uses the Shadowed Self art like Oboromaru and even hides in the grass and water while "assassinating" opponents with a dashing kunai sweep. It's a perfect set of tools (although she lacks a grappling hook) for a theater shinobi.
If we're gonna count transformations, than I also would thrown in Ninja Kirby from the Kirby series. It can throw stars, does an swipe, throw enemies, use smoke for counter and many other utilities. One of Kirby's best Copy Ability.
@@jaretco6423maybe, but it’s not exactly stealthy. Kirby’s never been one for stealth (little dude it bubblegum pink and shaped like a basketball.) what with basically being a *Baby* and all.
As someone who also studied Shinobi (I even own the Ninja manual,) so I can better write a Ninja character for my fantasy series. I have to point out something. Wearing black can work when there is no moon or you're indoors where there is no light. Sure the darker blue is better overall but in Mark of the Ninja as you are traversing a cityscape wearing black to blend into the shadows cast by unnatural lights is just fine.
I didn't think he was actually wearing black, I took it as him being shadowed without any light, and more as an indication of "You are now hidden."
Note on number 1, the game actually has surprisingly minimal actual assassination if you play it purely as stealth. It's harder but each successful undetected mission without kills is automatically given essentially max scores (probably because bodies, hidden though they may be, will be evidence of your passing).
Even though its not on this list, Greninja from the Pokémon franchise has some pretty good references to ninja:
• Its Japanese name Gekkouga has the word Kouga in its name, referring to the Koga-Ryu Ninja Clan
• Its tongue is a reference to how in media, ninja scarves are left dangling after being tied around the face.
• Its puffy legs and frog feet are a reference to the ninja garb; hakama and tabi respectively.
• Its signature move, Water Shuriken, with its +1 priority and low base damage of 15 functions similarly to how actual shurikens work.(incapacitating or distraction for fleeing and dealing the killing blow)
• Spikes and Toxic Spikes functioned similarly to actual caltrops called makibishi to dissuade entry.
• Smokescreen to blind enemies (in this case, for infiltration)
• Double Team = Bushin No Jutsu
• Substitute = Kariwimi No Jutsu (Strange Character Technique) = using a strange prop (log) to fool enemy guards into attacking.
• Grass Knot = the belief that ninjas can tie long blades of grass to trip enemies that are chasing.
• Extrasensory = the belief that ninjas rely on a sixth sense to detect enemies so that they can react accordingly.
• Its ability, Protean, makes it able to turn into any type when using any move similar to how shinobi will wear different disguises when on an innin mission.
And that's not even getting into the fact that Greninja being a Ninja Frog is a reference to Jiraiya from The Tale of The Gallant Jiraiya.
So while the Kalos Starter is not a "ninja" in the most traditional sense, I applaud Gamefreak for doing some research and putting all of those references into one Pokémon.
And don’t forget about it being blue-at least in its normal coloration. The Shiny version is black with a red tongue (which might be less stealthy, but DANG, does it look amazing).
Yes the Toad Sage Pokemon should have gotten a spot at least as an honorable mention
Funny thing is that Impa's Oracle version is still a ninja--she's acting as a spy.
I love that Shadow's theme is reminiscent of a western. It's a really neat tone to have for a ninja character, since he's effectively a desperado as well.
I figured the shadow clone thing would have come from people getting a group of similar looking people and dressing them the same to create the illusion of duplication. That seems a lot more plausible than "this guy misdirected me he must be making more of himself somehow".
I feel like a ninja in modern times and beyond would actually prefer to wear black to match the darker sky and many shadows cast by modern light fixures.
One of my most favorite kunoichi in games is Kurenai from Red Ninja: End of Honor and this game actually gets what it means to be a an actual kunoichi correct as the game a good chunk of the time punishes players for going into actual combat, but rewards players for doing stealth kills, the shuriken, and kunai aren't weapons that kill but more tools that can do damage used for distraction, along with having a blow-dart with poison darts in her arsenal which is historically accurate as a actual shinobi would have a blow-dart with darts that are coated in poison usually the poison naturally found in puffer-fish for silent assassinations, and Kurenai can actually use her "assets" to lure enemies closer in order to pull off stealth kills which was a actual tactic real-life kunoichi would use basically one of the key things a kunoichi would be trained in doing is using her "sexiness" in order to not only lure enemies in for stealth kills but also for tricking them into revealing certain classified info, and 9 times out of 10 a drunk noble with sex on the brain who sees a sexy girl come towards him and asks him questions he's probably answering any and all questions.
REEEEAL NINJA WEAR BLUE!
:3
Nice
Dark Navy, if you wanna be specific
@@sableyefan yeah but “REEEEAL NINJA WEAR DARK NAVY BLUE!” just doesn’t have the same ring to it you know?
YEAH SUB-ZERO FANDOM RISE UP
Don't forget, black is a good choice for shinobi in modern settings. Electric lights and light pollution casting stark black shadows everywhere.
There’s no doubt that the ninja is one of, if not THE most iconic historical warrior in history.
Definitely "one of", but for a few as there were, they absolutely had the most outsized cultural impact lol
#7 I don't blame you, that naming convention will haunt me just as badly as if people are accidently saying DKC2 as Diddy's Kong Quest or Diddy Kong's Quest.
Given the remake’s announcement, he isn’t wrong, though!
Honorable mentions from me:
Shadow Man, Mega Man 3: Hopped around like a hyperactive rabbit and chuck shurikens aggressively. Also rode a giant frog in one of the arcade spinoffs.
Taki, Soul Calibur: I think we all know why.
Mai Shianui, Fatal Fury/KOF: I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHY!
Hanzo, Overwatch: Would have put Genji here but I prefer his brothers quiet archery more.
Shadow (Cyber Shadow): Imagine Ryu Hayabusa as a cyborg.
Chipp Zanuff, Guilty Gear: A flamboyant ninja turned politician? That's an interesting road to go down.
Rikimaru & Ayame, Tenchu: Too bad you didn't play this series otherwise given their efficiency in stealth, espionage and assassination (and In some cases taking down demons) you would agree they are worth being on this list.
Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima:
..... I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR EXCUSES OSCAR, JIN FELT HE HAD TO ABANDON EVERYTHING IN ORDER TO SEND THE MONGOLS BACK TO KOTUN KHAN IN A GUNNY SACK AND IF HE HAD TO DO IT WITH POISON, KUNAI, EXPLOSIVES, ARROWS, STEALTH TACTICS AND EVEN HIS OWN ANGER AND STRESS OF THE WHOLE SITUATION AGAINST THEM AND ENFORCE HIS JUSTICE AND THE JUSTICE OF TSUSHIMA THEN SO BE IT, HE DESERVED TO BE ON THIS LIST!!
Edit: Me again, just came back cause I just remembered one more honorable mention ahem:
The girls from Action Taimanin: They're supposed to be kunoichi but..... well I won't go in detail but long story short, it's a very CULTURED mobile game with a fair amount of CULTURED anime adaptations.
A countdown about Ninja…released on April Fools Day. How serendipitous!
11:14 Heh…eyePad. Obvious…but still funny!
I can no longer see mortal kombat 1 ninja trío without thinking "¡Deja de leer el mapa Tomas!"
One thing to mention for me, for 'ninja' stories set in modern-day, it's more about what tools they would use. A bow and arrow might not as practical as a silenced sniper-rifle.
I was expecting the main character from Tenchu Stealth Assassins (ether one) because they were surprisingly realistic especially by this list’s standards
Few things
#1 kinda bummed there was no mention of the Tenchu games
#2 Impa's Shinobi tasks are also shown in the gameboy games. Such as being secretly charged with protecting an inportant figure by disguising herself as just another part of the group. Then inspecting Link before trusting him with information.
Yes thank you! Oracleverse Impa is still acting as a spy! And her markedly different physique is one that would ensure people would let their guard down around her. After all, what could this fat matron possibly be up to?
Oh, I was so convinced you weren’t gonna put in Oboromaru and tell you that he’d be hunting you down
Was not expecting a Gainjin Goombah reference
Great video as always and I'm not afraid to say a lot of this was new knowledge to me. But that made it even cooler.
I do wanna give a shout out to Espio the Chameleon from Sonic. While he didn't start out as one and hasn't really been involved enough in the series recently, his rebooted character in Sonic Heroes turned a somewhat bland, somewhat stoic antro reptile into a pretty badass ninja with super speed and oversized shuriken. Bonus cool points for taking a chameleon's famous traits: wall climbing and camouflage, and ninjafying the hell out of them. Still one of the coolest characters in the series in my book and one I'm glad still gets some love in the comics.
I've had a lot of blokes ask me why I didn't include Tenchu.
Fun fact, I never played Tenchu or even heard about it until after I made this list.
Sorry! 😜
at least your honest and yeah its not exactly a well known series either so thats fair
Knew Scorpion would be the list. I mean your name has Scorpion in it and he’s your mascot.
Hanzo reminds me of Ginzu, the Ninja Commando from the Captain Commando game. Wish we would've seen more of him. I also remember playing a game of a ninja in PSX back in the day
Tenchu
Even all these years later and Oscar still finds ways to play with April Fool's in a way that's enjoyable for everyone.
And yeah I didn't expect this, the last countdown was just a week ago!
Great video. Love seeing you talk about topics so enthusiastically. I know you've talked about berserkers and martial artists, but one list I would love to see in my opinion is Top Ten Video Game Boxers/Kickboxers. They are styles of hand-to-hand combat that have very different feels and substance compared to other fighting styles. Plus, it would potentially give characters like Dudley from Street Fighter, Akihiko from Persona 3, and Little Mac from Punch-Out!! some time in the spotlight. Either way, keep up the good work, and I'll look forward to your next video.
I was not expecting Mark of the Ninja to take the top spot.
I still need to beat that game. I was going for a pacifist stealth run, but past the big reveal, they forcibly swap out your clothing buff for the teleport one, and I was so used to the "always stealthy, unarmed" outfit that I just wasn't feeling good about the sudden spike in enemy competence.
19:21 what is it about the delivery of this line and making me smile? I don’t know what it is!
“Free Goemon- yes, THAT Goemon-“
I got no music idea so here:
Future Time: KAMEN RIDER SHINOBI! SHINOBI!
dare ja ore ja ninja shinobi kenzan!
Glad to see another legitimate countdown. And on another remake ish, too, with ninjas. They're pretty cool and badass in their own right, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to take down their targets. A bit scarse in the video game department, but the many we got are crafty and live up to their name.
"Real ninjas wear blue"
* goes to pick scorpion over sub zero 😂
Oscar, you and your crew put so much time and effort into these videos!
Keep up the good work!
Now that.. that was fun! Started out as mere basics to mastery... And then like a of smoke... Gone!
One of my favourite ninjas in fiction is Valentine from Skullgirls, combining the nurse aesthetic with the ninja equipment incredible well, having her syringes, crosses, and scalpels as throwing weapons, using her bone saw and IV pole spear for close combat and the body bags as restraints. Also all her equipment (sans crosses, scalpels and bone saw) all came from the deceased members of her "clan" The Last Hope, keeping their memory alive through the use of their equipment. She even has a taunt where she pulls out a bar of dark chocolate and takes a bite, restoring a little health.
i argue that Agent 47 is a good accurate modern ninja. he can disguise himself into anybody he chooses, and nobody bats an eye. he uses various tools as distractions and also for assassinations. hell, one challenge that often comes up in his games is the *SILENT ASSASSIN!* and ninjas were known to be silent assassins; killing their target without anyone knowing what happened. and i guess you could argue that his trademark black suit is an iteration of the stereotypical black ninja gear that we often see portrayed in media. :)
29:53 “And another franchise I’ll get to in a bit” My Mortal Kombat ass was freaking the hell (lol) out
Two countdowns in such a short timespan?! We eating good tonight!
Dare ja? Ore ja. Nin-ja.
Sorry, but I HAD to.
FUUUTURING SHINOBI! *SHINOBI!*
Oh my god this is real. About time someone actually made a video like this. And in an hour no less.
Ok I got to try those top 2 games myself! You keep giving me awesome gaming suggestions that I would have never known about outside your channel, brutal legend, oddisy to the west, and so many more
Wow, NO1 surprised me. This game reminds me of two flash games that I loved when I was a child, Ninja Turtle: Shadow Hero, and the last ninja, from Nirtome. Although I can no longer play TMNT games due to bugs and Nike's closure of their websites, I am glad to discover this through your video
I’m usually here right when the video gets uploaded; certainly was a sneak attack worthy of a ninja!
I was hoping for Mark of the Ninja, but I wasn’t expecting it to be Number 1! A fantastic list as always Oscar!
If you need something new to do you could make a countdown on knights!
SHURIKEN HENGE! SHURIKEN CHANGE! AKA JA! AO JO! KI JA! SHIRO JA! MOMO JA! STAR NINJA! WOW!
It will never beat Kakuranger or even Hurricanger
Just havin some fun
First clowns, then monkey's and now ninjas. What next?
Fools?
Maybe musicians? Because there are a lot of video games characters that could could sing and/or fight back with them.
Edit: I take it back, he already did a Top 10 on it.
SHARKS!
Doppelgangers
@@chaselatimer-prewitt5768Maybe he could still something music related like music battles
Not entirely a character but FF14’s Ninja is rather fun with adapting the tools Ninja used and the ninjutsu into attacks. I recommend checking it out. Hell even Gaijin Goombah himself went over it. He’s actually why my ninja glamour is wearing dark blue.
With Shadow you can also forgive the size of the shuriken by remembering developers would have to make them bigger so players can actually see them
one of my personal favorite video game ninja
is Stealth Elf from the Skylanders series
an orphan who was taken in by a ninja elf clan inside an enchanted forest
now equipped with daggers, a disappearing smoke technique and an outfit that let her blend into a forest
she is also one of the fastest skylanders around, if there is no enemy gate, you could easily sneak passed the enemies with that smoke technique (especially if you leave a dummy behind)
Absolutely, I didn't expect this, nobody expects the Japanese assassins.
Hot prediction: Greninja will be at least mentioned somewhere in here.
(UPDATE: That prediction didn't age very well!)
I think, if anything, Koga or Janine would be more likely. The invisible walls or costumed doppelgangers, respectively, embody the whole "confusing and misdirecting foes" bit, while their preference for Poison-types allude to their more apothecarial side.
@@battlemageazulio1019 That's a fair point.
Welcome to the club.
For me, it was that Yoshimitsu would be in the lower end of the list.
10: The OG VG Shinobi
9: Warrior, Bodyguard, Leader....this Sheikah master has done it all as Zelda's own shadow.
8: Emerging from shadow, then returning to shadow.....he lives up to his namesake.
7: A ninja's legend is determined by his actions
6: The first Kunoichi on the list, and already she proves that she doesn't need flashy moves to silence her enemies.
5: First historical ninja on the list...standing as the guardian of the heart of the castle
4: GET OVER HERE! (Need I say more?)
3: Shadows die twice....but always come back a hundred times over
2: The Messenger is sent...and is a true ninja at heart
1: A true shinobi is never seen or heard....a true mark of a ninja.
a while back I made my own historical DND Ninja. main weapons are darts for distraction/utility [sometimes a well placed dart that'll shatter upon impact to knock something down can work wonders], kodachi for when melee is needed which hasn't happened often, shortbow for his main weapon. his class? Scout Rogue for all the rogue skills and wilderness survival. Arcane Trickster is good for the more historical kind for ninja magic for historical? Scout Rogue with a lot of Tool Profs. He's honestly really fun to play and when ever possible I get height and even did a solo infiltration run into an enemy merc fort [they were messing with a power that makes the normal to many zombies Necromancy look like a good idea], and sabotaged some of the fort's defenses. I as a player made a mistake and had to bolt, but on my way away from the place I not only found a car I could drive back [after getting some unlucky rolls] but I found a freaking sniper [used the stats of one of the official rifles but I don't remember which]. Shame I never got a chance to use that, but I already had a Repeating Rifle we got for assisting the country's ruler. so I had a bow for the stealth kill, or the gun for when I just needed a target dead.
I figured that more authentic ninja would be more cutting-edge. Obviously, for their info purposes, and would likely further their stealth game by just straight-up not being there at all, depending on what they have available to them.
So while you're at it, can you try either Top 10 Bees in Video Games or Top 10 Chainsaw Wielders in Video Games?
Chainsaw wielders I feel like would be dominated by Juliet Starling from Lollypop Chainsaw since it's her primary weapon, while most characters just have one as part of a varied arsenal.
Though Edgar Roni Figaro would make the list even though his chainsaw is entirely optional. The fact that this man--who's a KING I might add--randomly dons a hockey mask for it is utterly hilarious
I feel like my brain broke from all the shinobi knowledge put into my head. Great countdown
Honorable Mentions:
*Greninja - Pokemon Series
-Ninjask is technically the fastest non-legendary non-mega evolved pokemon, but Greninja hits more hallmarks.
*Ninja - I-Ninja
-Yes, that's seriously what he's called.
*Mai Shiranui - King Of Fighters Series
-All hail the queen of KOF!
*Kasumi - Dead Or Alive Series
-The postergirl of the DOA series.
*Kaze and Saizo - Fire Emblem Fates
-I couldn't choose just one.
*Espio - Sonic The Hedgehog Franchise
-We even see his ninja arts in Sonic Generations.
*Ibuki - Street Fighter Series
-For the record, I also considered Kimberly from SF6 for her zippy playstyle and urban graffiti aesthetic.
Mine was yuffie from ff7
Yoshimitsu: a guy whose story is reminiscent of Goemon Ishikawa as a robin hood thief, whose leaders are a long line of identically named guys, called Yoshimitsu, who we learn in SC5 that the younger kills the older to get the name and loses the arm in the process, completing the illusion of we have no idea who is who (though it could explain the increase of skill and change of moves with each iteration), spanning multiple games and two gaming franchises, ties to Oda Nobunaga and his purge of the Iga as Yoshimitsu's clan was also massacarred by Nobunaga, skileld with unconventional weapons (his back flag in Soul Calibur) and master trickster inside the games he is in.
@@Huckmon365 mine was stealth elf from skylanders
@@Huckmon365 mine was stealth elf from skylanders since she's a ninja just read her bio in skylanders swap force
Kinda makes me wonder if Green Scorpion will also do a "Top heroes in For Honor"
Shame there’s no mention of the main character of Monster Hunter Rise since they fit all the criteria of being a Shinobi:
-Primary outfit is blue
-Wire bugs acts as the grapple hook and the game features a lot of wall running
-Medicine Box is a given because Monster Hunter
-They technically do have writing utensils to draw
-Some armor pieces include a bamboo hat
-Finally they have a scarf
Bonus: It introduces the Palamute companion: a Dog partner
My Favorite Ninjas in video games:
Mortal Kombat- Scorpion, Reptile, Noob Saibot, Tremor, Kitana, Skarlet, Jade
Guilty Gear:-Chip Zanoff
Overwatch- Genji
Street Fighter-Ibuki, Kimberly
Samurai Showdown- Hanzo Hatori
Blaze Blue- Bang Shishigami
A, San-jo! The top 2 choices were picks I never even expected but now I'm really interested in trying that Messenger game and the ending note on Jinichi Kawakami was certainly profound, even if it might be coincidence it still feels a bit poetic. I almost expected to see one of the Bamco ninjas on this list; Taki, the Ravens, Kunimitsu, and Yoshimitsu (yes they're not samurai) are cool ninjas but I guess they do fall short on the stealth part of ninjas like the DoA shinobi. I also thought about Chipp or Answer from the Guilty Gear series (one has a memorable backstory about becoming a ninja president and the other uses his business cards as shuriken), Greninja from Pokemon (for the Jiraiya mention), and Valentine from Skull Girls (a ninja nurse is a pretty cool idea) but there's already a lot of great ninjas to choose from in gaming. The time of the ninja may be over in our world but at least we can learn what it was like in the past and experience the shinobi way in video games, overall a great list!
Also I just remembered that 2024 marks the anniversary of two popular ninja franchises: Naruto turns 25 and TMNT turns 40 in the same year. Cowabunga and believe it!
I literally searched for green scorpion top 10 ninja and couldn't find and surprised just 2 days ago. There was 5 ninjas vs 5 pirates video and picking sub-zero over the scorpion has really disappointed me, I hope this video has scorpion in it.
I'm not sure if she counts, but I think Rixia from the Trails games kinda fits the bill. Born into the eastern nation of Calvard, she was trained from a young age, and separated from her mother to become the legendary assassin by the name of Yin. Her father later was sick and ordered her to kill him, but she refused out of fear. She later found work in a contract with the crime syndicate Heiyue, which sent her to the city of Crossbell. She was discovered by Ilya Platiere and taken in as a dancer in the Arc en Ciel theater troupe as the moon princess. She played a very important role in the second chapter of Trails from Zero where the Special Support Section were asked to investigate a threat letter sent to Ilya. She even has them fight her to where she wears dark colors, and even deepens her voice to confuse them. She also fights with a big sword, and even uses Kunai with an explosive tag as a reference to pyromancy. She later develops a crush on Lloyd Bannings, the leader of the SSS, which Ilya enjoys teasing her about.
To this day the back gate of the emperors castle in Tokyo is called "hanzo's gate"
This was great list and introduced me to some characters and games that I had heard of which was really cool. When I started watching I was wondering whether the champion from mark of the ninja would make it on the list. The game itself was awesome and nailed both stealth and the feeling of playing as a Ninja but I was unsure how much the character would tick the right ninja boxes as well. He feels like the definitive ninja to me. Though not a factor in how good a ninja he is, watching as he slowly loses his mind to the tattoos was brilliant in how subtle it was. It wasn't a random acid trip, it was a gradual erosion of sanity that you learn had started from the very beginning yet right to the end he remains stoic and duty bound. The problem is that in his mind his duty is to the tradition of the clan, so when they are shown abandoning those traditions they become as much an enemy as the security company
25:55 I believe Pantheon’s rework was also canonical, but I could be wrong.
Whether they are a one man armies or undetectable infiltrators, everyone will agree that Ninja are awesome.
41:10 Hehehe, Green Scorpions. Good one, Oscar.
The honorable mention for me comes from someone Gaijin Goomba himself covered, Specter Knight from Shovel Knight but more specifically his playable version from Specter of Torment. In life as Donovan, he used a short sword and held it in the way some of the ninja listed did for quick slashes and his only subweapon in life was caltrops. Come when he became an undead, he got some of the more mystical tropes of ninja; the mirror for making shadow clones, but there were also his two different sets of throwing sickles which have been confirmed to be the more easier to acquire ninja weapons and a set of claws which were also part of the tools ninja could possibly have.
Ninja weren't supposed to be believed in the first place, so maybe their death can lead to a rebirth
DAMMIT (slaps forehead)I forgot the first cardinal rule ALWAYS EXPECT NINJAS,
I just realized. It's April fools day, The day of surprises, YOU CHEEKY LITTLE
Great video, love the stealth drop, I only wish that Isekai Showdown's Mirage was somehow mentioned in the fighting game segment. I know its a bit of an obscure title but she really shows some promise. ;)
I'm taking bets if there's a Top 10 Video game Samurai?
I mean he did stated that it will happen some day
@@undeadprinceofchaos3731Jetstream Sam will probably be on there.
@@E-102GammaMKIIMitsurugi = Soul Calibur
Hide = Nioh 2.
Ryoma Sakamoto/Saito Hajime = Like A Dragon Ishin!
That's quite sad that the mans decided not to have an heir to teach that Ninja stuff to. To break that incredibly long streak.
An honorable mention from me goes to Shadow from Cyber-Shadow.
While yes his order did exist in modern times, it's not a case of secretly being around for centuries to influence the world. The clan largely acted more as a secret service for Mecha City, serving as peacekeepers and dispatching rogue machines.
Then everything went to shit and most of the clan was wiped out save for a mere handful of them, which were captured and/or mechanized.
Shadow is, as you'd expect, a cybernetic ninja. While he largely lacks the ninja toolkit, he compensates for that with his clan's gift for spiritual manipulation, in that they do play more toward the fantastical elemental manipulation through their own spirit energy. Shadow does this by channeling it to form shurikens or incendiary kunai, launching fire bursts from his sword, or triggering short-range explosions with downward thrusts. The rest of the abilities he gets are the usual exploration affair, wall jumping, dashing to get over larger gaps (which can be chained by dashing through enemies), etc.
While The Messenger starts as an A to B platformer and turns into a Metroidvania, Cyber-Shadow sits somewhere in the middle. It is largely an A to B platformer, with the option to revisit past areas once you unlock more upgrades.
Like with the ninjas on this list, combat needs to be done carefully especially against the bosses (or all of the time if you're gunning for the 'Born Ready' achievement, which is playing the game without picking up any health or SP upgrades), as a few bad hits or a misstep can very easily fuck your day over.
Another instance where this is emphasized is when Shadow has to infiltrate Mecha City's robot factory. The enemies aren't plentiful, but you need to make sure not to trigger any trip lasers, as the factory's security system will very likely rip you a new one if you do, because it will throw a lot at you. Maybe you'll get lucky and survive long enough for tbe alert to pass, but you're also going to be down by a lot of your health.
I know "Real ninja wear blue 🎶" but Mecha City is largely without any light, which means Shadow's black ninja garb won't be a hinderance, though there is a hidden area where you can change the color of his garb, yes even blue.
You couldn’t have picked a better time to release this video lol. Well played Oscar.
You forgot Saizo from Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, remember when you said that ninja often used Shuriken as close range knives, well look at his animation when he attacks an enemy at close range
his skills also include Poison Strike, which references how Ninja would poison & disorientate enemies, & Lethality in which he instantly kills an enemy much like how a ninja would assassinate targets
His father was even killed by a rival ninja clan
Gaijin Goomba would be proud
Fun fact, Sekiro apparently began life as part of the Tenchu series
The true way of the shinobi was not in killing those who stood in your way, but instead... simply FOOLing them.
Smooth move, Oscar.
Wait what the hell this is legit and it’s an hour??? Oscar you crazy man. 😊
Funny thing is... HANZO ISN'T IN SENGOKU BASARA! That honor goes to Sarutobi Sasuke.
And yeah. The definition of ninja has evolved since days past. Glad to see your update reflecting it.
Quick thing regarding Chipp from Guilty Gear as he was breifly mentioned.
While Chipp like many fighting game ninja is obviously a bit conspicuous, he has shown himself to be very capable of stealth when he wants too.
Hell in Strives story mode, he casually somehow sneakes into the heart of the Pentagon, right on top of Goldlewis and Erica, and the only reason anyone knows he's there is when he decides to reveal himself to give info.
If I had to give an honorable mention it would be Yoshimitsu.
The guy whose story is reminiscent of Goemon Ishikawa as a robin hood thief, the clan is named the manji clan, its leaders are a long line of identically named guys, called Yoshimitsu, who we learn in SC5 that the younger kills the older to get the name and loses the arm in the process, completing the illusion of we have no idea who is who (though it could explain the increase of skill and change of moves with each iteration), spanning multiple games and two gaming franchises, ties to Oda Nobunaga and his purge of the Iga as Yoshimitsu's clan was also massacarred by Nobunaga, skileld with unconventional weapons (his back flag in Soul Calibur) and master trickster inside the games he is in.
True there is a bit of the mysticism aspect of things, witth the cursed sword but still, I think they deserve a mention.
@Green Scorpion Honorable mentions: Ogawa Ken (Ninja Blade) and Yoshimitsu (Soul Swords series & Tekken series).
Great channel! DB Z introduced me into the genre. I was so close to visiting Japan one point myself. I had experience with MoCap and in late 2015 I was in contact with Capcom about the facial likeness role of Leon for the Resident Evil 2 Remake. I failed to mention I also have a voice acting background, in the end I lost the part and I can't forgive myself for wasting such an opportunity to visit the place that inspired artists like Toriyama San. R.I.P.
Dude, Mark of the Ninja is SUCH a fun stealth game. I replayed it like 10 times and 100% it. Its SO GOOD
The second I heard Oscar mention Gaijin Goombah, I KNEW who #1 was going to be... XD
I have a good idea for 2 top tens:
- Top 10 One-Man-Army characters: They must be capable of fighting giant armies either by themselves or in small groups. Examples: Haken Browning (Super Robot Wars), Zero (Mega Man Zero), Laharl (Disgaea), Link (any Zelda), Kirby.
- Top 10 Magicians: Not wizards/witches nor mages, magicians. They must be all about the missdirection and the spectacle. Examples include: Trucy Wright (Ace Attorney), Himiko Yumeno (Dangan Ronpa).
I also had a vague idea about a Top 10 about tacticians (inspired mostly on Robin from Fire Emblem Awakening) but I don't think it is feasible.
Pre-watching speculation: I really hope Kaze is at least an honorable mention, he’s my favorite character in all of Fire Emblem Fates
It's still a tragedy that the art of ninjutsu is going to perish.
Video games and media in general seriously need more kunoichi (girl ninjas) protagonists
Honorable metion Ninjara
-One he wears mainly blue
-His Arms are literal chain and his "main" weapon are either elemental, explosive or blade/trowing weapon
-when dogdeging he leaves a smoke puff
-he is not the strongest fighter however is very good to strike when your oponent makes a mistake
I’d like to throw an idea, the “Top 10 video game brawlers”. Fighters who forsake the dexterity, grace, discipline, form and history of any one style in favor of the raw savagery, brutality and pragmatism of a knock-down, drag-out, knuckle-bloodying street fight.
I can already think of two potential candidates for this.