Hattori Hanzō in his ninja attire
A ninja (忍者) or shinobi (忍び) was a covert agent in feudal Japan. The skills of a ninja included espionage, deception, and surprise attacks. Ninja originated from the Iga and Koga provinces. They used the covert methods of irregular warfare to accomplish tasks, much to the disgust of the samurai. Despite this, some ninja were samurai that undertook special missions for their vassals. The ninja proper made their appearance in the 15th century as specially trained spies or mercenaries.[1] Female ninja were also known as kunoichi.[2]
History[]
During the Sengoku period, the ninja were caught up in the ancient conflict between the Assassins and the Templars when they arrived in Japan through Portuguese traders amidst the turmoil. While some, such as Hattori Hanzō, aligned themselves with the Brotherhood, others chose the Templars, most notably Mochizuki Chiyome.[3]
In 1725, ninja were employed by the Shimazu clan to serve under the Japanese Templar Shimazu Saito in Macau, China. Under her orders, they hunted the British Assassin Edward Kenway in pursuit of a sea log containing information on the lost Khmer city of Angkor, believed to be an Isu site.[4] In addition to Japanese ninja, Saito also employed mixed-blood ninja not native to the mainland, but this infuriated the Japanese, who were already displeased with having to obey Saito due to her mixed heritage, and they ultimately deserted, forming their own faction.[5]
The two factions of Shimazu ninja in Macau
The conflict between the Japanese ninja, led by Fuma Sukuna, and Saito's faction soon escalated into a civil war, with members from both groups frequently clashing with each other in Macau.[6] The Shimazu civil war eventually culminated in the deaths of all of Saito's ninja followers,[7] and the Templar forming a truce with Edward Kenway and joining his organization, the Zhang Wei Union, to seek revenge on Sukuna and find Angkor.[8]
The shinobi arts remained integral to the Japanese Brotherhood into the 19th century. For instance, the noblewoman Shiba Atsuko was trained as a shinobi by the Japanese Assassins. During the Boshin War, the ninja Assassin Issa was assigned a mission to assassinate the British Consul Harry Parkes, but he was killed by the British Templar William Lloyd.[9]
By the 21st century, ninja had entered into the imagination of popular culture. In 2020, the Assassin Layla Hassan modified her Animus while reliving the Viking Eivor Varinsdottir's genetic memories to include a digital model of an armor pack stylized after ninja attire and weaponry.[10]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (first mentioned)
- Assassin's Creed: Memories (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (Helix Armor Pack)
- Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game
- Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple
- Assassin's Creed: Visionaries (non-canon)
- Assassin's Creed: Shadows
References[]
- ↑
Ninja on Wikipedia
- ↑ Kunoichi on Wikipedia
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Memories
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 20
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 30
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 37
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 39
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu – [citation needed]
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
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