Hope you guys like the new shirt design! I'm super excited to finally have this video done! Greninja was fascinating to research and is ...well... probably my favorite pokemon now... (Sorry Bulbasaur!!!)
Gaijin Goombah Media I’m a huge fan of your series. Every episode I learn something new, and you don’t water down the content for views. Yet, you remain very informative, and manage to keep me entertained. Thank you for all of your hard work, and research!
I'm glad you mentioned Master Hatsumi. He believed that budo needs to evolve including ninjitsu (especially in cities). He trained a lot of US military.
I expected to see the Protean ability (Greninja Hidden Ability and defining factor of him being at the top of the tiers on competitive) instead of Extrasensory; being whatever is needed to get the job done, adapting on the fly seems pretty ninja to me
You know, it's interesting that you brought up Night Slash, because while its description makes it seem like a good fit for a ninja, its Japanese name (Tsujigiri aka "Crossroad Killing") is actually a reference to the behavior of certain corrupt samurai. Supposedly, after acquiring a new sword, some samurai would lie in wait on the roadside, and when a commoner would pass by, they'd cut them down. If the blade sliced through them cleanly, then they'd know the craftsmanship of their newest weapon was up to snuff.
To be fair, most ninja post unification who lost their jobs due to being unnecessary became bandits. Not exactly 1:1, but what's not to say any former ninja who has a pilfered sword would test it on any mugging victim.
The fact the shiny variant of greninja is black is kind of a subtle way for the game creators to show which one is more ninja like sense blue allowed a ninja to blend in better, you could say that’s a good reason the black version is such a rarity.
Whoever came up with the intro song is very clever; a melody without any vocals but encourages you to sing along to the tune with lyrics that fit right with each beat. I like it. :)
How about Greninija's hidden ability protean. Not only do few Pokemon have it, but it allows Greninja to adapt to almost any situation just like a ninja can.
Finchyay He did also mention precision and accuracy as traits Ninja attacks have. Night Slash as High Crit ratio move fits the precision while Faint Attack falls under high accuracy
I just want to point out that Greninja is often used as a revenge killer in online play. Picking a target you know you can one to two hit KO seems like a ninja thing to do
Or more Rōnin, which… honestly, wouldn’t be far off, since ninja and Rōnin were primarily muscle/spies/assassins for hire back in the day (at least that’s what I recall, could be wrong).
If I may, Mat Block is more feasible then you make it out to be. In European warfare, the basest armor is made of a few layers of woven linen cloth. The weave is not unlike that of the tatami, and doesn't have a frame to strengthen it. This armor is durable enough that a sword strike with poor edge alignment would not damage the wearer. Beyond that, many tests have shown that it could stop arrows from short bows, as the weave actually makes it quite difficult to pierce. Another part of Mat Block, I think, is in reference to ninja hideouts, where they would often have hidden compartments in the walls and floor, where they could disappear if overwhelmed. In the case of the move, it could be simply flipping up the mat, taking cover in the compartment, avoiding the attack and jumping back out. The mat blocks the view of the meneuver and the opponent is none the wiser. Very ninja-like if you ask me.
I agree about the paded armour (gambeson) except that the gambeson would have eighteen layers, as supposed to a few, and it could stop most swords with good edge alignment (save the falchion), and could stop an arrow from a war bow, if it had a bodkin tip (instead of a razor head).
You're not wrong, though gambeson were more variable, depending on the wealth of the one purchasing. Yeah, I did simplify a touch because I got a bit rambly as it is.
@@The_Bird_Bird_Harder Correct, but also not. While simple men-at-arms would hand make them, gambeson is used in basically any armor set, even plate. While simple farmers might make their own, why should a knight or Lord do so? As stated previously, the quality is dependent on station.
Brian Curry Hmm, then perhaps in this case, the choice of Ground-type is used to symbolize both the metallic spikes and the water chestnut spikes. Since both are found from/of the earth, and since Spikes is a more generic use of the mechanic, then maybe that’s why they chose Ground as a catch-all representation? Idk, stretched interpretation is stretched.
Also, it's ground type to further visualize how ineffective such a hazard is on an airborne opponent. Same goes for Toxic Spikes. Although the move is poison type, it still has no effect on Flying types, Pokemon with the ability Levitate, or Pokemon holding the Air Balloon.
Spikes was introduced in Gen 2, which was programmed by only 4 people. As such, efficiency was key. It was ground type because that was the easiest way to get flying types to be immune to it
What about Greninja's hidden ability protean where it changes its type to the type of the move its moving which is really powerful ability and are ninjas meant to adapt anything given situation, thus this hidden ability define Greninja as a ninja
This was a really good episode of Which Ninja, thanks a lot. Plus, Greninja also knows Grass Knot (for the gag comedy), Toxic (to poison their targets), and U-turn (following the theme of ninjas retreating from danger) Still, I'm surprised you didn't cover Ninjask, since that one was a ninja based Pokemon before Greninja. I wonder if you'll do a video comparing the two.
I would love to see Solid Snake / Big Boss on an episode of "Which Ninja" just to see if there is any Ninja-esque philosophy in Metal Gear! (Besides the Cyborg Ninja(s))
Huh...now that you bring that up, I can kinda see some ninja-like traits modernized in Big Boss and Snake. On-site procurement, heavy emphasis on stealth, a fighting style that lets one quickly shuffle between ranged and melee combat...Then again, ninja were essentially spies and assassins.
You know, it kinda makes sense now that I think about it. When Luffy was training in the ways of Haki. More importantly, the observation haki. Which is the one most people overlook and is the one about predicting attacks or sensing something around you. I never really made that connection till now. Thanks Gaijin!
What about his ability? Torrent is nothing special, all water starters have it, but his hidden ability is very specific and shared only by the chameleon Pokemon. He changes his type to match whatever move he uses on a turn.
Goombah, I would like to point out Greninja's hidden ability, Protean. Protean switches Greninja's type to the attack it just used. This may be a nod to ninjas always adapting to the situation they are in-whether it's reconnaissance or an assassination attempt. I feel Nintendo put that in to show a ninja's versatility.
You talked about Night Slash being a priority move but it isn't. However I still think it show how good of a ninja Greninja is because it has a high chance to critical hit and and crit in Pokemon is when a Pokemon is hit in it's weak spot.
Dear gaijin, please do a video on Pokemon Conquest. It seems heavily influenced by the Shinkoku Jidai (sorry if mispelled). Many names of warlords reflect the names of actual characters in the war, and the "ninja" castle is open for critique. Please?
Never really thought about it before I saw the clip you used from My Hero Academia, but wow, Aizawa would be an interesting episode! Although he wears black instead of dark blue or brown, his outfit is somewhat ninja-y with the scarf and goggles to conceal his face, and his common clothes paint him as one of those "hide in plain sight" ninjas, like a street urchin almost. In Aizawa vs. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, he attacked in secret, used height to his advantage, and disabled his opponents before finishing them off (like many ninja did) using his quirk. He even uses caltrops for god sake! Of course, his weakness is group battles, similar to real ninja. There's a lot of significance in never really thought about! Definitely make an episode on him in the future, whether he's good or bad. Either him or edgeshot, but he's only been in the manga so far, so he wouldn't be the most recognizable.
Hell, even going into factors in his own world, his quirk is hardly overt, and doesn't work well for extended fights - meaning he needs to be quick and precise with his attacks in order to maximize what little time he has. His goggles, while goofy, hide his eyes, which are what he uses to activate his quirk - so you could consider the goggles less as concealing his 'face' and more as concealing his 'tools.' Just a thought there.
If you liked Greninja, you should check out Sgt. Frog/Keroro Gunso and make an analysis for the characters of Zeroro/Dororo(who is another frog ninja), his human friend/partner Koyuki Azumaya, his forgotten rival Zoruru and his teacher Jirara *hint,hint*
Hey Gajin, is there any reason why you chose not to look at the Pokedex Entries? Because that is an important part of Greninja as a character as we know them. There are entires like this It appears and vanishes with a ninja’s grace. It toys with its enemies using swift movements, while slicing them with throwing stars of sharpest water. which don't seem to ninja-y but IDK you are the expert
That is really not true! Watch any of Truegreen7's videos and you would learn how much information comes out of the pokedex. Origins, lore and cool/helpful facts.
I would more say, it is both. Some entries are, as you stated, really helpful. But there are many entries that seem extremely overexaggerated and illogical. (For example: If Lugia flaps its wings once, a heavy storm rages for 40 days.)
Hey, great video, Gaijin! And I'm glad to hear that one of my favorite fighters is indeed a much more well researched ninja. I'm now curious on what you think about Koga and Janine as ninja, beyond their proficiency in the Poison type. I do want to point out two things that you missed, and feel free to add these in an errata if you deem them fitting enough to fit Greninja. 1) Greninja's Dark-typing. For the longest time, what the type stands for is a misnomer, and generally not helped by most Pokemon who carry that typing. It's worse in the Japanese, since Dark-type is the "Evil-type" (Aku, specifically). However, Greninja's Dark-typing is one of the best realizations of what the type actually stands for: dirty, pragmatic, underhanded combat, as seen with moves like Beat Up, Night Slash (which is Blade Testing in Japanese, a malicious habit of more ignoble sword-wielders back in the day), and the re-typing of Bite from Normal to Dark. Pragmatism would fit right in with being a ninja. 2) I sort of understand why this next one was missed, because this next one involves the Hidden Ability, which is probably only something that a more metagame/competitive-minded player would more likely care for. Anyway, its Hidden Ability, Protean, involves changing the user's typing depending on the move it is about to use. For example, Greninja is about to use Ice Beam. Before executing the attack, Greninja changes its type from Water/Dark to Ice. If it uses Night Slash, it becomes pure Dark-type, even when it comes from being Water/Dark. The only other Pokemon that has this ability so far is Kecleon, befitting it being a chameleon. But I wonder how that change in typing fits a ninja. Also, Jack Kaiser? As in the guy who drew the official art for TFS's DnD cast? Pretty nice! I 'd like to hear your thoughts on these two points. Thanks!
Oh, some more things I forgot about: 1) Despite the prevalence in physical attacks in its moveset, Greninja has a slightly higher Special Attack stat than its Attack, though still even enough to make a Mixed attacker. In fact, Water Shuriken was original a physical attack, which was changed in Sun/Moon to be a special attack to better benefit from that higher Sp. Atk stat. But the fact that it is slightly more viable as a Special Attacker may have to do with the different jutsu that ninja use, and the seemingly supernatural impression that they inspire in their quarry. However, the fact that its offensive stats are still fairly even reference the expansive nature of a ninja's skillset, possessing proficiency in both physical skills and trickery. 2) Other attacks from its moveset that weren't brought up. First is Toxic Spikes, a variant of Spikes that inflict the Toxic version of Poison (i.e. gradually increasing Poison damage) rather than damage, though both kinds of Spikes can stack if you're feeling extra sadistic. Next is U-Turn, a physical Bug-type move (because the Japanese name contains a homonym for "tonbo" or "dragonfly"). Damages the opponent before forcibly switching with another team member. Not meant to severely damage enemies, but does soften them up while not wasting a turn switching, effectively a means to escape quickly like a ninja ought to do without directly engaging enemies too much. In fact, this is often the key move in a common competitive Greninja playstyle: scout the opponent, set up Spikes traps, then escape with U-Turn. Pretty much like a ninja, as much as Pokemon battles allow stealth-based combat anyway.
Also just by the way pokéballs work they suit Greninja perfectly giving him a place to hide until it is time to strike and a safehouse to return to afterwards.
Hey Gaijin Goomba, could you do a video that explores how similar batman is to ninjas. Considering that he uses very similar tactics such as using tools to shock his enemies, how some adaptations have him wearing dark blue, how glides with his cape like a kite, and how he uses cape as a form of genjutsu to hide the location of body so he wont get shot as easily. It would also coincide really well with the recent anouncement of the new batman anime.
well his origins do have to do with ninjas. part of his training was with master martial artists and a known ninja clan known as the guild of shadows though in the comics he learned ninjitsu from a monk.
Hello Gaijin, excellent video! I have a suggestion for a possible future video if you'll hear me. The new DLC for Destiny 2, Curse of Osiris, has references to the Ancient Egyptian mythos, EVERYWHERE.! The name of the title character being ripped from the God of the Underworld (fitting, as he is in a seemingly inescapable place beyond our reality and understanding). The most frequently used colors are blues and golds, both commonly associated with ancient Egypt. The eye symbols are ripped straight from both the Eye of Ra and Eye of Horus. Even the landscaping looks like a desert, which is a sharp contrast from what we saw of Mercury in the first game. And not to mention, pyramids and triangles are EVERYWHERE. I know it goes a lot deeper than just these similarities, and that is awesome. I think it would make an interesting video, if you did end up covering it. Keep up the amazing work! You've helped to make the UA-cam gaming community a more interesting, diverse place! Sincerely, Ghost of the Brave
You forgot to mention how its stats reinforce how it's a ninja. Grennjas base stats lean heavily towards speed, with decent attack stats. However, it's defences are both lackluster, and it's offensive stats are actually not that great, making it rely quite a bit on super effective moves and crits. Pretty accurate for a ninja, wouldn't you say?
Gamer Argus basically, ninja attacks swift and with intent to kill in one blow, but to blindly attack a strong target without preparing(items, entry hazards, stat boosts, etc.), is suicide
Love your videos gaijin keep up the good work, and also in your intro why is Genji with the questionable ninjas? I thought you said he was actually a good depiction
A tatami mat flip was actually used to hide movements by creating cover and that many feudal era manor would have weapon cashes and escape routes hidden in the floor boards.
I like the use of Sentai when talking about the 'Strange Character Technique' and I'd love to see you do some episodes of this on the 3 ninja Super Seantai teams or maybe just one episode to see which team did Ninja the best
Shame he didn’t talk about the Protean ability. I don’t know too much about the depth of Shinobi tactics and techniques but being able to adapt to your situation on the fly and using that to your advantage seems very ninja and I’d love to see GG talk about any historical accuracy a move like that might have.
Wow, i didn’t know i was watching a gaijin goomba video and it’s been like 6+ months since I’ve seen a video from you. I some how managed to remember your name through your voice lmfao
+Gaijin Goombah Media Okay, I should probably ask before I go too far. I recently decided to draw a fan-comic that's basically exploring the idea of a character being a ninja in training. Is it okay if I used these Which Ninja videos as reference material so that way I can try to be accurate in portraying that character as a ninja?
I love the range of sources you use and how you show us the kanji terms. I’d like to respectfully correct 2 of the jutsu names: Bunshin = divide the body (bun = piece/division) Kawarimi = substitute/change body
Do "Kakuranger". I know the show isn't terribly well known outside of Japan, but it's dripping with ninja lore and got an official Region 1 DVD release not too long ago. Of course, you could talk about MMPR Season 3 along with it, since it used some of the footage.
Wrong way of saying it on my part if you understood it that way. Protean allows you to hit more adaptively on the weaknesses of your opponents and sometimes put a resistance on yourself that's why you tend to have a lot of coverage moves on the pokemon. Showing the adaptability to aim for the weakness of its targets more precisely than any other pokemons (except keckleon) and making him relevant in any meta and playable in a lot of teams (surrounding including pokemons allies and ennemies not weather effects).
Most of the time, when I see a Greninja, it is a wannabe sweeper. There is no real skill to fast sweepers. It's just like all the Landorus, and Garchomp, and Mega Kengaskhan. Except a special sweeper who doesn't have as much damage output.
Hey Goomba, while reading a book I realized something, they used the term gaijin and said it means "outsider", but they used it for people from other countries
Seth Farmer I assume because the "outsiders" are outside of their country. If an American goes to Japan, they would be a gaijin because they are not native to Japan. I believe that's how it works, but I'm nowhere near as cultured as GaijinGoombah
If you think about it, Blu Spy from TF2 is kinda like a ninja. Sure, there's things like the Koniver's Kunai, but there is also the facts that 1.he doesn't show his face to anyone, not even his teammates, 2.his dark blue is the same as the ninjas wear, 3.He can take the form of anyone he chooses 4. He can be hidden for a long time 5. Excells in hidden killing and staying hidden (Dead Ringer, anyone?) And a phrase any TF2 player understands "A found Spy is a dead Spy"
I need to get on Twitter more. I would have voted for Zer0 from Borderlands. I just really enjoyed that character. But this was a fantastic episode none the less!
I highly recommend taking a look at the game "Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun". Maybe a Which Ninja on the whole game could be very interesting. The multiple characters even personify different types of ninja, like for example the "classic" Shinobi and the Kunoichi.
About the mat block move: While it may not block much, it blocks 1 thing for sure: The attacker's direct line of sight. While behind the mat, the ninja could move without the attacker seeing or anticipating the ninja's next couple of moves. By the time the mat is out of the way, the ninja could have pretty much any tool ready to either take down their opponent or make their escape.
This sires has inspired me to make a ninja character of my own for a web based cartoon I'm making, and I'm going to do my best to keep him as actuate as possible. Thank so much for this awesome sires man.
First of all, love your videos. Secondly out of curiosity are you going to be doing anything with Assassin's Creed Origins? With both Egyptian and roman influences there should be plenty for you to cover.
So just because I wanted to, I decided to go over a few more moves that you showed here ( 4:12 ) to prove even further they can be use for ninjas. I found 3 worth mentioning with the third being the most interesting. 1: Water Pulse; This move has a 20% chance of confusing targets. Would you think a ninja would at least consider this move? 2: Growl; Uses intimidation to make them think twice before attacking slowing there speed. Much like how real ninjas use stuff like masks to jump scare targets. 3: Role Play; Ninjas had to be able to act very well in order to stay hidden in plain site, even though this move doesn't do that. It instead copies the last move the opponent used and replaces Role Play with that move. You could argue that it's learning a new jutsu in some cases (Flamethrower and Camouflage just to name a few moves). If we were are to take it even further, Ninjas are always wanting to get there hands on the latest tech. And if we are treating moves like gear, learning these new moves would defiantly be something they would want to do. Imagine how useful moves like Agility(Raises speed), Aqua Jet(strikes first), Bounce(30% chance of paralyzing), even Attract and Captivate if need be! Now I'm just wondering how many Pokemon moves would be good for ninja?
11:01 Well... So, I'm no expert in Futle Japan (If that's the wrong time period, Medival Japan) so correct me if I'm wrong, but depending on how its woven, it could stop the projectile, or at least lower its power (the point of a weapon is a force multiplayer, your strength, speed, hardness of the item, and, if it has a blade/tip, sharpness). The reason I'm sceptical about what you said is actually from Roman technology. Their shields, the scutum if I remember correctly, were made of wood. Now, wood thin enough to carry is generally weak (think of a twig), so they added a second, and sometimes third, layer, but depending on the rings of the wood depends on how strong it is (if the rings are parallel to each other, its slightly harder to break but will still break easily, but if the rings are perpendicular, its significantly stronger). So, to me at least, if the person if fast enough, and the mat is made with the straw crossing over each other, it could delay (lower the force if its a sword), or even stop the weapon.
If you turn back to pokemon for inspiration at some point, I'd be interested to see your impressions on Accelgor, a fifth gen slug-thing that seems to have obvious ninja theming.
That tatami technique reminds me of Gundam Spiegel or Shadow Gundam, in game it’s a counter attack or defense in some cases... but for a gundam he didn’t pull out a giant matt more like he pull out a giant concrete wall. And btw props for that Hurricaneger clip, I love the series and, I don’t if it’s just me, Shurikenger is probably the best “live action” master ninja in Tokusatsu... there’s more of course, but he is one of my top favorites.
Had a Lucario vs Greninja fight online yesterday that took place at the Kalos League stage, and then I see one here and I thought that was it at first. I almost was like "Dude, I fought Gaijin Goombah?!" Nope.
I love how the little demonstration at the end there, the attacker intentionally swings downward far away from the guy while he's doing a back handspring. That's one of the worst types of dodges you can do for that situation, only SLIGHTLY better than just jumping straight up, which in real life, doing a back handspring or backflip is, actually, jumping mostly straight up.
Mat Block actually makes sense if you remember that it can only work on the first turn the user is in battle (similar to Fake-Out). It's not that the mat really blocks anything; it's more the surprise element. It's also not an increased-priority move, meaning it's useless if the opponent can get the drop on you.
all these ninja videos have been getting me itching to play the Ninja class in Pathfinder, gonna have to watch them all for research on proper ways to roleplay the class.
Hey Goomba! Ever heard of the game Puppeteer? It may be a game to look into cause the Generals of the game are based off the Chinese zodiacs, the main baddie fights with a battle fan thing also it takes place on the moon. I’m pretty their lots of culture references hidden in this game but, only if you interested to finding them. It just a simple suggestion. Keep making your awesome videos. 👍🏻🌙🐻👑
Flipping the mat does have one practical defense purpose : the attacker can't see you directly. You could just be standing there, or you could be ducking, or you could be running the opposite direction
Hope you guys like the new shirt design! I'm super excited to finally have this video done! Greninja was fascinating to research and is ...well... probably my favorite pokemon now... (Sorry Bulbasaur!!!)
Gaijin Goombah Media Don't forget about digimon ninja like Ravemon nad others.
What other ninjas you have in mind for more videos?
Greninja is already probably my favorite Pokemon of them all, but this video makes me love Greninja even more! =D
Gaijin Goombah Media I’m a huge fan of your series. Every episode I learn something new, and you don’t water down the content for views. Yet, you remain very informative, and manage to keep me entertained. Thank you for all of your hard work, and research!
I'm glad you mentioned Master Hatsumi. He believed that budo needs to evolve including ninjitsu (especially in cities). He trained a lot of US military.
Greninja also learns role play. The ability to imitate your opponent people around you. A nesesarry skill for ever decent spy.
Frank West C
Frank West especially of the hat wearing variety
Yep
@@nightmare2750 nice
I expected to see the Protean ability (Greninja Hidden Ability and defining factor of him being at the top of the tiers on competitive) instead of Extrasensory; being whatever is needed to get the job done, adapting on the fly seems pretty ninja to me
this vid is only to proof how much of a ninja is greninja,Protean doesn't seem to be related
still kinda fits the ideas of "true" Ninja though.
You know, it's interesting that you brought up Night Slash, because while its description makes it seem like a good fit for a ninja, its Japanese name (Tsujigiri aka "Crossroad Killing") is actually a reference to the behavior of certain corrupt samurai. Supposedly, after acquiring a new sword, some samurai would lie in wait on the roadside, and when a commoner would pass by, they'd cut them down. If the blade sliced through them cleanly, then they'd know the craftsmanship of their newest weapon was up to snuff.
That was also referenced on a Yugioh card named "Mataza the Zapper".
To be fair, most ninja post unification who lost their jobs due to being unnecessary became bandits. Not exactly 1:1, but what's not to say any former ninja who has a pilfered sword would test it on any mugging victim.
I'm really surprised he didn't mention this. I thought this was common knowledge among pokemon fans.
That's so fucked up
Imagine, minding your business, working your ass for your family only for some rich jackass to cut you in half and walk away
The fact the shiny variant of greninja is black is kind of a subtle way for the game creators to show which one is more ninja like sense blue allowed a ninja to blend in better, you could say that’s a good reason the black version is such a rarity.
The black ones are bad ninjas and died off lol
Whoever came up with the intro song is very clever; a melody without any vocals but encourages you to sing along to the tune with lyrics that fit right with each beat. I like it. :)
Phil Collins I agree
Gaijin come up with the melody while in the shower. XD
Sounds a lot like table flip
Right?
How about Greninija's hidden ability protean. Not only do few Pokemon have it, but it allows Greninja to adapt to almost any situation just like a ninja can.
Protean*
Faint Attack and Night Slash aren’t priority. Faint Attack is a never-miss and Night Slash has a high crit chance.
Finchyay He did also mention precision and accuracy as traits Ninja attacks have. Night Slash as High Crit ratio move fits the precision while Faint Attack falls under high accuracy
Jaquan I know, but before that he listed them alongside Shadow Sneak and Quick Attack as priority moves.
Big whop he wasn’t far off
The description of both those moves say they attack the moment there's an opening, despite not actually being a priority move
I just want to point out that Greninja is often used as a revenge killer in online play. Picking a target you know you can one to two hit KO seems like a ninja thing to do
RedGreen Komayto basically picking your fights, good point
Combined with the battle bond ability, that seems really strong.
Or more Rōnin, which… honestly, wouldn’t be far off, since ninja and Rōnin were primarily muscle/spies/assassins for hire back in the day (at least that’s what I recall, could be wrong).
If I may, Mat Block is more feasible then you make it out to be. In European warfare, the basest armor is made of a few layers of woven linen cloth. The weave is not unlike that of the tatami, and doesn't have a frame to strengthen it. This armor is durable enough that a sword strike with poor edge alignment would not damage the wearer. Beyond that, many tests have shown that it could stop arrows from short bows, as the weave actually makes it quite difficult to pierce.
Another part of Mat Block, I think, is in reference to ninja hideouts, where they would often have hidden compartments in the walls and floor, where they could disappear if overwhelmed. In the case of the move, it could be simply flipping up the mat, taking cover in the compartment, avoiding the attack and jumping back out. The mat blocks the view of the meneuver and the opponent is none the wiser. Very ninja-like if you ask me.
I agree about the paded armour (gambeson) except that the gambeson would have eighteen layers, as supposed to a few, and it could stop most swords with good edge alignment (save the falchion), and could stop an arrow from a war bow, if it had a bodkin tip (instead of a razor head).
You're not wrong, though gambeson were more variable, depending on the wealth of the one purchasing. Yeah, I did simplify a touch because I got a bit rambly as it is.
@@evilmandrake I know it's a year old but most gambessons were not purchased and were usually made by the men at arms who employed them.
@@The_Bird_Bird_Harder Correct, but also not. While simple men-at-arms would hand make them, gambeson is used in basically any armor set, even plate. While simple farmers might make their own, why should a knight or Lord do so? As stated previously, the quality is dependent on station.
@@evilmandrake Oh yes you are right about that! Thank you for the correction!
THATS WHY SPIKES IS GROUND-TYPE.
MIND = BLOWN
(takes 50% recoil)
50%+1 recoil.
It seems to me based on what he presented on the video, spikes should be grass type not ground.
Brian Curry
Hmm, then perhaps in this case, the choice of Ground-type is used to symbolize both the metallic spikes and the water chestnut spikes. Since both are found from/of the earth, and since Spikes is a more generic use of the mechanic, then maybe that’s why they chose Ground as a catch-all representation? Idk, stretched interpretation is stretched.
Also, it's ground type to further visualize how ineffective such a hazard is on an airborne opponent. Same goes for Toxic Spikes. Although the move is poison type, it still has no effect on Flying types, Pokemon with the ability Levitate, or Pokemon holding the Air Balloon.
Spikes was introduced in Gen 2, which was programmed by only 4 people. As such, efficiency was key. It was ground type because that was the easiest way to get flying types to be immune to it
What about Greninja's hidden ability protean where it changes its type to the type of the move its moving which is really powerful ability and are ninjas meant to adapt anything given situation, thus this hidden ability define Greninja as a ninja
Seems to suit its frog side as well, what with frogs' being known to change colour.
This was a really good episode of Which Ninja, thanks a lot.
Plus, Greninja also knows Grass Knot (for the gag comedy), Toxic (to poison their targets), and U-turn (following the theme of ninjas retreating from danger)
Still, I'm surprised you didn't cover Ninjask, since that one was a ninja based Pokemon before Greninja. I wonder if you'll do a video comparing the two.
Greninja is just too cool and badass for words. Definitely one of the best starters out there.
I would love to see Solid Snake / Big Boss on an episode of "Which Ninja" just to see if there is any Ninja-esque philosophy in Metal Gear! (Besides the Cyborg Ninja(s))
Huh...now that you bring that up, I can kinda see some ninja-like traits modernized in Big Boss and Snake. On-site procurement, heavy emphasis on stealth, a fighting style that lets one quickly shuffle between ranged and melee combat...Then again, ninja were essentially spies and assassins.
You know, it kinda makes sense now that I think about it. When Luffy was training in the ways of Haki. More importantly, the observation haki. Which is the one most people overlook and is the one about predicting attacks or sensing something around you. I never really made that connection till now. Thanks Gaijin!
Was just about to make a comment about that.
Seeing that screenshot from Hurricanger makes me wanna see a Which Ninja episode on the three ninja Super Sentai teams.
What about his ability? Torrent is nothing special, all water starters have it, but his hidden ability is very specific and shared only by the chameleon Pokemon. He changes his type to match whatever move he uses on a turn.
Goombah, I would like to point out Greninja's hidden ability, Protean. Protean switches Greninja's type to the attack it just used. This may be a nod to ninjas always adapting to the situation they are in-whether it's reconnaissance or an assassination attempt. I feel Nintendo put that in to show a ninja's versatility.
You talked about Night Slash being a priority move but it isn't. However I still think it show how good of a ninja Greninja is because it has a high chance to critical hit and and crit in Pokemon is when a Pokemon is hit in it's weak spot.
Look at _Bulbasaur_ !
Oh, no, wait, that's just a *cabbage*
My Cabbages!
Wolf Man2297 I clicked on the above comment, and I just knew I would see this XD
So would Gym Leader Koga from Pokémon Red and Blue have the same origin? I mean he is a ninja after all...
Possible video idea?
Dear gaijin, please do a video on Pokemon Conquest. It seems heavily influenced by the Shinkoku Jidai (sorry if mispelled). Many names of warlords reflect the names of actual characters in the war, and the "ninja" castle is open for critique. Please?
Man, every time I watch one of your videos I learn something, thanks man
Never really thought about it before I saw the clip you used from My Hero Academia, but wow, Aizawa would be an interesting episode! Although he wears black instead of dark blue or brown, his outfit is somewhat ninja-y with the scarf and goggles to conceal his face, and his common clothes paint him as one of those "hide in plain sight" ninjas, like a street urchin almost. In Aizawa vs. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, he attacked in secret, used height to his advantage, and disabled his opponents before finishing them off (like many ninja did) using his quirk. He even uses caltrops for god sake! Of course, his weakness is group battles, similar to real ninja. There's a lot of significance in never really thought about! Definitely make an episode on him in the future, whether he's good or bad. Either him or edgeshot, but he's only been in the manga so far, so he wouldn't be the most recognizable.
Hell, even going into factors in his own world, his quirk is hardly overt, and doesn't work well for extended fights - meaning he needs to be quick and precise with his attacks in order to maximize what little time he has. His goggles, while goofy, hide his eyes, which are what he uses to activate his quirk - so you could consider the goggles less as concealing his 'face' and more as concealing his 'tools.' Just a thought there.
If only his hair didn't stand up straight when he uses his quirk
@@wolfox7776 and his scarf/tape stands a bit too
@@fishyfishyfishy500akabs8 yeah, a few dead giveaways
@@wolfox7776 but it usually doesn't matter unless he is taking on an entire gang of villains, but to him, that's really stupid
Hey Gaijin, Do the Pokémon of ninjask and accelgor next for culture shock🎍🎋
If you liked Greninja, you should check out Sgt. Frog/Keroro Gunso and make an analysis for the characters of Zeroro/Dororo(who is another frog ninja), his human friend/partner Koyuki Azumaya, his forgotten rival Zoruru and his teacher Jirara *hint,hint*
He is one of my favs after Giroro.
Hey Gajin, is there any reason why you chose not to look at the Pokedex Entries? Because that is an important part of Greninja as a character as we know them. There are entires like this It appears and vanishes with a ninja’s grace. It toys with its enemies using swift movements, while slicing them with throwing stars of sharpest water. which don't seem to ninja-y but IDK you are the expert
Ignoring the Pokedex is for the best. That thing is made of nothing but BS.
That is really not true! Watch any of Truegreen7's videos and you would learn how much information comes out of the pokedex. Origins, lore and cool/helpful facts.
(Aiden Neally) I thought the same thing!
I would more say, it is both. Some entries are, as you stated, really helpful. But there are many entries that seem extremely overexaggerated and illogical. (For example: If Lugia flaps its wings once, a heavy storm rages for 40 days.)
Aurelio Derprimus that was a reference to the Biblical story of Noah's Arc
Hey, great video, Gaijin! And I'm glad to hear that one of my favorite fighters is indeed a much more well researched ninja. I'm now curious on what you think about Koga and Janine as ninja, beyond their proficiency in the Poison type.
I do want to point out two things that you missed, and feel free to add these in an errata if you deem them fitting enough to fit Greninja.
1) Greninja's Dark-typing. For the longest time, what the type stands for is a misnomer, and generally not helped by most Pokemon who carry that typing. It's worse in the Japanese, since Dark-type is the "Evil-type" (Aku, specifically). However, Greninja's Dark-typing is one of the best realizations of what the type actually stands for: dirty, pragmatic, underhanded combat, as seen with moves like Beat Up, Night Slash (which is Blade Testing in Japanese, a malicious habit of more ignoble sword-wielders back in the day), and the re-typing of Bite from Normal to Dark. Pragmatism would fit right in with being a ninja.
2) I sort of understand why this next one was missed, because this next one involves the Hidden Ability, which is probably only something that a more metagame/competitive-minded player would more likely care for. Anyway, its Hidden Ability, Protean, involves changing the user's typing depending on the move it is about to use. For example, Greninja is about to use Ice Beam. Before executing the attack, Greninja changes its type from Water/Dark to Ice. If it uses Night Slash, it becomes pure Dark-type, even when it comes from being Water/Dark. The only other Pokemon that has this ability so far is Kecleon, befitting it being a chameleon. But I wonder how that change in typing fits a ninja.
Also, Jack Kaiser? As in the guy who drew the official art for TFS's DnD cast? Pretty nice!
I 'd like to hear your thoughts on these two points. Thanks!
Oh, some more things I forgot about:
1) Despite the prevalence in physical attacks in its moveset, Greninja has a slightly higher Special Attack stat than its Attack, though still even enough to make a Mixed attacker. In fact, Water Shuriken was original a physical attack, which was changed in Sun/Moon to be a special attack to better benefit from that higher Sp. Atk stat. But the fact that it is slightly more viable as a Special Attacker may have to do with the different jutsu that ninja use, and the seemingly supernatural impression that they inspire in their quarry. However, the fact that its offensive stats are still fairly even reference the expansive nature of a ninja's skillset, possessing proficiency in both physical skills and trickery.
2) Other attacks from its moveset that weren't brought up. First is Toxic Spikes, a variant of Spikes that inflict the Toxic version of Poison (i.e. gradually increasing Poison damage) rather than damage, though both kinds of Spikes can stack if you're feeling extra sadistic. Next is U-Turn, a physical Bug-type move (because the Japanese name contains a homonym for "tonbo" or "dragonfly"). Damages the opponent before forcibly switching with another team member. Not meant to severely damage enemies, but does soften them up while not wasting a turn switching, effectively a means to escape quickly like a ninja ought to do without directly engaging enemies too much. In fact, this is often the key move in a common competitive Greninja playstyle: scout the opponent, set up Spikes traps, then escape with U-Turn. Pretty much like a ninja, as much as Pokemon battles allow stealth-based combat anyway.
“The French word for frog, gelluellaugh”
Also just by the way pokéballs work they suit Greninja perfectly giving him a place to hide until it is time to strike and a safehouse to return to afterwards.
Hey Gaijin, a little off-topic but, do you have an opinion on the new Batman Ninja anime? Maybe a future video?
Hey Gaijin Goomba, could you do a video that explores how similar batman is to ninjas. Considering that he uses very similar tactics such as using tools to shock his enemies, how some adaptations have him wearing dark blue, how glides with his cape like a kite, and how he uses cape as a form of genjutsu to hide the location of body so he wont get shot as easily. It would also coincide really well with the recent anouncement of the new batman anime.
well his origins do have to do with ninjas. part of his training was with master martial artists and a known ninja clan known as the guild of shadows though in the comics he learned ninjitsu from a monk.
Hello Gaijin, excellent video! I have a suggestion for a possible future video if you'll hear me.
The new DLC for Destiny 2, Curse of Osiris, has references to the Ancient Egyptian mythos, EVERYWHERE.! The name of the title character being ripped from the God of the Underworld (fitting, as he is in a seemingly inescapable place beyond our reality and understanding). The most frequently used colors are blues and golds, both commonly associated with ancient Egypt. The eye symbols are ripped straight from both the Eye of Ra and Eye of Horus. Even the landscaping looks like a desert, which is a sharp contrast from what we saw of Mercury in the first game. And not to mention, pyramids and triangles are EVERYWHERE. I know it goes a lot deeper than just these similarities, and that is awesome. I think it would make an interesting video, if you did end up covering it.
Keep up the amazing work! You've helped to make the UA-cam gaming community a more interesting, diverse place!
Sincerely,
Ghost of the Brave
You forgot to mention how its stats reinforce how it's a ninja. Grennjas base stats lean heavily towards speed, with decent attack stats. However, it's defences are both lackluster, and it's offensive stats are actually not that great, making it rely quite a bit on super effective moves and crits. Pretty accurate for a ninja, wouldn't you say?
Gamer Argus basically, ninja attacks swift and with intent to kill in one blow, but to blindly attack a strong target without preparing(items, entry hazards, stat boosts, etc.), is suicide
What about Ninjask? Don't leave the poor Pokemon behind!
Now Cobramaru from SD Gundam Force.
Thanks for using a Hurricaneger picture for the replacement technique, it made me happy :)
No greninja hidden ability mentioned?really?
Protean means you can adapt to your target, hopefully taking advantage of their elemental weaknesses or countering the target's elemental strengths.
Lord Sathien I think he now's that
This was uploaded on my 13 birthday thanks for uploading this because I love Greninja
Did I see a straw ninja dummy in the video wearing a t shirt from the power rangers?
thats from an episode of Power Rangers Ninja Force
Oh O.K thanks for clearing that up, there are just alot of ninja power rangers seasons. Mabie could be used for a which ninja episode.
The Flaming Fossil Maniac It’s Ninja Storm not Force.
well it has been a few years since i saw ninja storm
Animemus I still got what they were saying, but still a which ninja in power rangers would be cool.
12:31 makes sense. It's sort of like how even when you don't hear or see anyone behind you, you can sort of feel when you're being watched
What about Ninjask, the original ninja Pokemon?
Or maybe even Accelgor?
DragonKazooie89 or even toxicroak
He's a cicada, not exactly a shinobi.
@@blinkachu05
Ninjask is based on both.
@@LeRodz Oh yeah. But still, there's more to talk about with GRENINJA
Love your videos gaijin keep up the good work, and also in your intro why is Genji with the questionable ninjas? I thought you said he was actually a good depiction
You should do ninjask and shedninja next I think it would be interesting.
A tatami mat flip was actually used to hide movements by creating cover and that many feudal era manor would have weapon cashes and escape routes hidden in the floor boards.
Soooo, is it possible for you to do a ninjago. Including the master of the elements.
Andrew Carmichael yes please
Andrew Carmichael makes me think of the PS2 game "Godai"
*+Andrew Carmichael* Oh, Gaijin's going to have a FIELD DAY with Ninjago!
I like the use of Sentai when talking about the 'Strange Character Technique' and I'd love to see you do some episodes of this on the 3 ninja Super Seantai teams or maybe just one episode to see which team did Ninja the best
What’s the song that plays during greninja’s moveset analysis?
One of my all time fav series on youtube rn!! Always glad to see another episode!
So what do you think about the “space ninjas” from Warframe?
ok warmeme has now become popular yay
Well the most "ninja" warframe would be Ash so I could imagine that he could be good for such a video
Shame he didn’t talk about the Protean ability. I don’t know too much about the depth of Shinobi tactics and techniques but being able to adapt to your situation on the fly and using that to your advantage seems very ninja and I’d love to see GG talk about any historical accuracy a move like that might have.
Have you seen the Batman Ninja anime trailer? You should do one on batman
Wow, i didn’t know i was watching a gaijin goomba video and it’s been like 6+ months since I’ve seen a video from you. I some how managed to remember your name through your voice lmfao
+Gaijin Goombah Media
Okay, I should probably ask before I go too far. I recently decided to draw a fan-comic that's basically exploring the idea of a character being a ninja in training. Is it okay if I used these Which Ninja videos as reference material so that way I can try to be accurate in portraying that character as a ninja?
Of course I was going to give credit! Why would I not?
This episode was GREAT. I want a list of your book resources!! This got me all jazzed to write about some ninjas.
I'm starting to wonder about Samus Aran. Could she have some links to shinobi?
I love the range of sources you use and how you show us the kanji terms. I’d like to respectfully correct 2 of the jutsu names:
Bunshin = divide the body (bun = piece/division)
Kawarimi = substitute/change body
Greninja is my favorite water starter
Nice pic drop of Hurricane Yellow/Ninja Storm Yellow for the Strange Character technique.
Those shirts look awesome.
Do "Kakuranger". I know the show isn't terribly well known outside of Japan, but it's dripping with ninja lore and got an official Region 1 DVD release not too long ago. Of course, you could talk about MMPR Season 3 along with it, since it used some of the footage.
Just wondering gaijin but why did you not mention protean which gives him the ability to adapt to his surrounding?
Protean changes with your attack, not environment
Wrong way of saying it on my part if you understood it that way. Protean allows you to hit more adaptively on the weaknesses of your opponents and sometimes put a resistance on yourself that's why you tend to have a lot of coverage moves on the pokemon. Showing the adaptability to aim for the weakness of its targets more precisely than any other pokemons (except keckleon) and making him relevant in any meta and playable in a lot of teams (surrounding including pokemons allies and ennemies not weather effects).
I have been waiting for this for a long time. You did not disappoint me Goombah! Good job!
One of the best water types ever
Meh. I generally prefer tanky water types. And, Ironically, my Greninja plays support on the team.
HunterHerne but tanky water tyes are so over rated plus there are so many tanky pokemon that its good to see fast and accurate skill based pokemon
Most of the time, when I see a Greninja, it is a wannabe sweeper. There is no real skill to fast sweepers. It's just like all the Landorus, and Garchomp, and Mega Kengaskhan. Except a special sweeper who doesn't have as much damage output.
Hey Goomba, while reading a book I realized something, they used the term gaijin and said it means "outsider", but they used it for people from other countries
Seth Farmer I assume because the "outsiders" are outside of their country. If an American goes to Japan, they would be a gaijin because they are not native to Japan. I believe that's how it works, but I'm nowhere near as cultured as GaijinGoombah
I believe grenouille is pronounced "grahn-wee".
sorryfornitpickingdontkillmebro
RandysRage I learned it as grahn new wee but yeah that pained me a bit at that part
I've been waiting for this one. Oh you even said it's in the poll.
Hey gajin, can you talk about some tokusatsu ?
If you think about it, Blu Spy from TF2 is kinda like a ninja.
Sure, there's things like the Koniver's Kunai, but there is also the facts that
1.he doesn't show his face to anyone, not even his teammates,
2.his dark blue is the same as the ninjas wear,
3.He can take the form of anyone he chooses
4. He can be hidden for a long time
5. Excells in hidden killing and staying hidden (Dead Ringer, anyone?)
And a phrase any TF2 player understands "A found Spy is a dead Spy"
Why is he's channel getting demonetized?
SGTechno all gaming channels are getting demonetized due to a stunt Pewdiepie pilled recently
Can't just pin everything on PewDiePie, UA-cam has gotten way too selective on what videos should have advertisements.
APHAN TX Except videos showing a dead body. But, if you TALK about the video, DEMONITIZED
I need to get on Twitter more. I would have voted for Zer0 from Borderlands. I just really enjoyed that character. But this was a fantastic episode none the less!
I'm not sure if anyone remembers this show but why not do randy cunningham 9th grade ninja. "\_('-')_/'
I was honestly surprised you didn't talk about the move role play and how it could reference how ninja disguised as common folk monks etc
You left out more moves that Greninja knows that also have ninja references which includes Ash's Greninja from the anime
I highly recommend taking a look at the game "Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun".
Maybe a Which Ninja on the whole game could be very interesting. The multiple characters even personify different types of ninja, like for example the "classic" Shinobi and the Kunoichi.
Awesome!
Now I need to make a team around Greninja...
I know this is unlikely, but I hope you do Ninjask and Shedinja sometime. The original Poke-ninjas!
You did an awesome job analyzing greninja's abilities man 😎
About the mat block move:
While it may not block much, it blocks 1 thing for sure: The attacker's direct line of sight. While behind the mat, the ninja could move without the attacker seeing or anticipating the ninja's next couple of moves. By the time the mat is out of the way, the ninja could have pretty much any tool ready to either take down their opponent or make their escape.
This sires has inspired me to make a ninja character of my own for a web based cartoon I'm making, and I'm going to do my best to keep him as actuate as possible. Thank so much for this awesome sires man.
Imagine a fairy type pokemon that looks innocent but in reality is just a straight up ninja!
First of all, love your videos. Secondly out of curiosity are you going to be doing anything with Assassin's Creed Origins? With both Egyptian and roman influences there should be plenty for you to cover.
So just because I wanted to, I decided to go over a few more moves that you showed here ( 4:12 ) to prove even further they can be use for ninjas. I found 3 worth mentioning with the third being the most interesting.
1: Water Pulse; This move has a 20% chance of confusing targets. Would you think a ninja would at least consider this move?
2: Growl; Uses intimidation to make them think twice before attacking slowing there speed. Much like how real ninjas use stuff like masks to jump scare targets.
3: Role Play; Ninjas had to be able to act very well in order to stay hidden in plain site, even though this move doesn't do that. It instead copies the last move the opponent used and replaces Role Play with that move. You could argue that it's learning a new jutsu in some cases (Flamethrower and Camouflage just to name a few moves). If we were are to take it even further, Ninjas are always wanting to get there hands on the latest tech. And if we are treating moves like gear, learning these new moves would defiantly be something they would want to do. Imagine how useful moves like Agility(Raises speed), Aqua Jet(strikes first), Bounce(30% chance of paralyzing), even Attract and Captivate if need be!
Now I'm just wondering how many Pokemon moves would be good for ninja?
11:01
Well... So, I'm no expert in Futle Japan (If that's the wrong time period, Medival Japan) so correct me if I'm wrong, but depending on how its woven, it could stop the projectile, or at least lower its power (the point of a weapon is a force multiplayer, your strength, speed, hardness of the item, and, if it has a blade/tip, sharpness). The reason I'm sceptical about what you said is actually from Roman technology. Their shields, the scutum if I remember correctly, were made of wood. Now, wood thin enough to carry is generally weak (think of a twig), so they added a second, and sometimes third, layer, but depending on the rings of the wood depends on how strong it is (if the rings are parallel to each other, its slightly harder to break but will still break easily, but if the rings are perpendicular, its significantly stronger).
So, to me at least, if the person if fast enough, and the mat is made with the straw crossing over each other, it could delay (lower the force if its a sword), or even stop the weapon.
Love the XY&Z Opening in the background. Oh boy. This will be good!
If you turn back to pokemon for inspiration at some point, I'd be interested to see your impressions on Accelgor, a fifth gen slug-thing that seems to have obvious ninja theming.
That tatami technique reminds me of Gundam Spiegel or Shadow Gundam, in game it’s a counter attack or defense in some cases... but for a gundam he didn’t pull out a giant matt more like he pull out a giant concrete wall. And btw props for that Hurricaneger clip, I love the series and, I don’t if it’s just me, Shurikenger is probably the best “live action” master ninja in Tokusatsu... there’s more of course, but he is one of my top favorites.
Had a Lucario vs Greninja fight online yesterday that took place at the Kalos League stage, and then I see one here and I thought that was it at first. I almost was like "Dude, I fought Gaijin Goombah?!" Nope.
I love how the little demonstration at the end there, the attacker intentionally swings downward far away from the guy while he's doing a back handspring. That's one of the worst types of dodges you can do for that situation, only SLIGHTLY better than just jumping straight up, which in real life, doing a back handspring or backflip is, actually, jumping mostly straight up.
Since Soul Calibur 6 was just announced, how about doing a video on one of gaming's most famous kunoichi, Taki!
Also, U-Turn is something that seems very on point for ninja. Ninja always know when to make a hasty retreat.
You’ve covered so many characters awesome! Next can you cover Espio from Sonic next?
Mat Block actually makes sense if you remember that it can only work on the first turn the user is in battle (similar to Fake-Out). It's not that the mat really blocks anything; it's more the surprise element. It's also not an increased-priority move, meaning it's useless if the opponent can get the drop on you.
I recognized the logo on that straw dummy! Man, I used to love Ninja Storm.
just now noticing the extra n in "strange" at 10:16
Great episode as always. Might I suggest Shiftry though?
all these ninja videos have been getting me itching to play the Ninja class in Pathfinder, gonna have to watch them all for research on proper ways to roleplay the class.
Hey Goomba! Ever heard of the game Puppeteer? It may be a game to look into cause the Generals of the game are based off the Chinese zodiacs, the main baddie fights with a battle fan thing also it takes place on the moon. I’m pretty their lots of culture references hidden in this game but, only if you interested to finding them. It just a simple suggestion. Keep making your awesome videos. 👍🏻🌙🐻👑
Flipping the mat does have one practical defense purpose : the attacker can't see you directly. You could just be standing there, or you could be ducking, or you could be running the opposite direction