Nickelodeon live-action
ninja-
themed show. Mike Fukanaga's grandfather (
George Takei) trains Mike and two friends as ninjas in a secret dojo under his bed. Did we mention that Grandpa's dead and appears as a
hologram?
This series provides examples of:
- Alpha Bitch: Amanda subverts this. You'd think she would be one, given that she comes from a wealthy family, is a cheerleader, is the most popular girl in school, and has her own Girl Posse. However, she's also a straight-A student and doesn't have a mean bone in her body.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Mike's dad.
- Asian and Nerdy: Mike.
- Affectionate Parody: of action comedies, supervillains, and teenage superheroes
- The B Grade: Amanda is seen going nuts on her training in "Checkmate" because she got an A- on a biology test.
- Bluff The Impostor: Mike tries to do this to Jellyface when the latter is in the guise of his dad, but it fails because the impostor has done his homework. However, Mike already knows he's a fake, with or without the bluff. The thing that tips him off? The impostor said that Mike "would make a great cop someday." Mike's father doesn't think Mike can be a cop.
- Bumbling Dad
- Cannot Dream: Owen mentions it in "DJ Elephant Head", that is until DJ Elephant Head put him to sleep.
- The Chessmaster: Checkmate
- City of Adventure: Empire City
- Clip Show: Ninja Intervention.
- Criminal Mind Games: Checkmate plays them.
- Deadpan Snarker: Most of the cast, but props to Hologramps for putting the emphasis on 'Dead.'
- Extracurricular Enthusiast: Amanda, demonstrated in "Checkmate". When fretting about her A-, she says that her parents will make her drop cheerleading, which will only leave her with Tennis, Debate Team, and a number of others. Mike's response: "What will you do with all of that free time?"
- Fake-Out Make-Out: Between Mike and Amanda in the second episode.
- Fatal Flaw:
- Amanda's is that she has trouble accepting anything less than perfection for herself. She gets over this in "Checkmate", following Hologramps' advice that "The perfect ninja knows there is no such thing as perfection"
- Checkmate has one similar to the above, in that he never learned how to accept when he was beaten.
- Getting Crap Past the Radar:
Owen: (to a disguised
Katara) Have a boyfriend,
partner?
Mike and Mr. Fukanaga give him a strange look. Owen: It's
2011! - Mike also threatens to self-harm to get his father cancel a date with Katara.
- Graceful Loser: Amanda in "Checkmate"
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Every episode is named after its main antagonist(s) with the exception of "Detention", which features the return of a villain from a previous episode.
- Jive Turkey: Owen. Not only does he speak in a lot of slang, he's also makes the most jokes, takes things the least serious, and is the main source of comic relief. Uncle Tomfoolery too.
- Knife Nut: Katara
- McNinja: Mike's an interesting borderline case, given that he's Japanese-American and presented as being from a long line of ninja. Owen and Amanda are textbook-straight examples.
- Ninja Brats
- Ordinary High School Student
- Police Are Useless
- Screwed by the Network: It's hard to watch this show when new episodes are never advertised and reruns are scarce.
- Secret Keeper: Quentin
- Shout Out:
- One of the villains is named Katara.
- Kickbutt
- In "Checkmate", after Amanda concedes the chess match against Checkmate:
- Spirit Advisor
- Stage Magician: Owen
- Talking Is a Free Action
- Token Trio
- Uncle Tomfoolery: Owen spends WAY too much time being laughed AT, as opposed to laughed WITH.
- Wake Up, Go to School, Save the World: Comes to a head in "Grounded Ninja" when even Martin Fukanaga: World's Least Observant Cop notices something's up.
- Weapon of Choice
- Writing Around Trademarks: Arkham-sorry, Eternum Asylum.
- Working Through The Cold: Mike had to do this during "Morningstar Academy."
- Virtual Ghost: Hologramps.
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