History Main / PiratesVersusNinjas

* The direct action conservationist group [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Shepherd_Conservation_Society Sea Shepherd]] have been called pirates by whalers, and they actually fly a flag with crossed trident and crook under a skull. On the other hand, Sea Shepherd has described some Japanese security guards being "dressed like ninjas" [[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-06/ninja-sea-sheperd/3761852]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pirates_vs_ninjas_2.png]]

->'''Cheetah Lee:''' [''Reading from Bruce's message in a bottle.''] "Cheetah Lee, you'll never stop me this time. I've combined two ancient enemies into one unstoppable force. XOXOXO, Bruce."
->'''Gordon:''' He couldn't possibly mean…
->'''Cheetah Lee:''' [[CatDogDichotomy Cats and Dogs]]?
->'''Gordon:''' No, Bruce tried that one years ago.
->'''Cheetah Lee:''' [[CoolVersusAwesome Dinosaurs and Laser-Penguins]]?
->'''Gordon:''' They disarmed.
->'''Cheetah Lee:''' So it must be Ninjas…
->'''Gordon:''' …and Pirates.

[[folder:Advertisment]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2EXiN26OZA This ad for Juicy Drop Pop]] had a pirate vs ninja fight it out using said product.

[[folder:Anime And Manga]]
* In the ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' episode "Bogus Booty", Mugen (who isn't a stereotypical pirate but has done some 'pirating') squares off against some ninjas.

[[folder:Fan Work]]

[[folder:Film]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''Series/DeadliestWarrior'' {{averted|Trope}} and {{defied|Trope}} this trope. While the aim was to solve rivalries like this, they didn't do this one, though both pirate and ninja were featured (Ninja vs Spartan and Pirate vs Knight: the Ninja lost, as it turns out the Spartan shield is truly something to behold--with the spear being none too shabby either--while the Pirate beat the Knight, as firearms gave a decisive advantage).

* ''Back Through Time'' by Music/{{Alestorm}} has pirates going back in time to fight vikings. They also mention having fought ninja in passing.
** ''Death Throes of the Terrorsquid'' also mentioned that pirates defeated vikings abd slain ninjas.

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* {{Defied|Trope}} by Pirates And Ninjas Are Totally Awesome, the first {{tag team}} title holders of New Zealand's Impact Pro Wrestling.

* [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0121.html This]] [[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]] comic references the Pirates Vs. Ninjas debate.
-->'''Haley:''' Ah, Ninja vs. Pirate, the age-old debate.
-->'''Belkar:''' And by "age-old" she means "showed up on the internet like two years ago, at most."
* ''WebComic/QuestionableContent'' has Pintsize (the [=AnthroPC=]--a PC/robot) [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=49 steal Faye's panties and pretend he's an Underwear Ninja]]. Faye responds by [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=50 sticking a bra 'round her head like a pirate eyepatch]], thus becoming, in Pintsize's words, "A Bra Pirate! The nemesis of all Underwear Ninja." Marten's response? To paraphrase, "WTF?"
* In ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'':

* The epic Website/AlternateHistoryDotCom timeline ''Literature/LookToTheWest'', having established much earlier that Russian adventurism in Japan has led to ''Nindzhyas'' in the Tsar's service, naturally has them fight in the Crimea. And since the Turks have conscripted Barbary pirates from the recently reconquered Algiers...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Video]]

* In the ''WebVideo/NinjaTheMissionForce'' episode "The Clones of Bruce", Bruce hires pirates (ancient enemies of the Ninja) to smuggle a piece of the map to Ninja Island. At the end of the episode, Bruce sends out one of his minions - [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Pirate Ninja]] - to kill Cheetah Lee.

* An episode of the animated TV series ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'' is named after this trope. The Mega Weapon resurrects the pirates that the flying ship "Destiny's Bounty" used to belong to, and they start attacking Ninjago City. The ninjas (along with Nya in the Samurai X mech) manage to stop them and send them to jail.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pvn_7535.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The eternal battle continues.]]

* Playing through ''[[VideoGame/Shantae Shantae: Half-Genie Hero]]'' in the Costume DLC's Ninja mode, the boss fights with Risky Boots (Who is a Pirate) kind of bring this trope out, as Shantae is dressed and equipped with the gear and abilities of a Ninja.

* Playing through ''VideoGame/ShantaeHalfGenieHero'' in the Costume DLC's Ninja mode, the boss fights with Risky Boots (Who is a Pirate) can play this trope straight as Shantae is dressed and equipped with the gear and abilities of a Ninja.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pvn_7535.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The eternal battle continues.]]

{{Pirates}} are cool, and so are {{ninjas}}, so pirates ''fighting'' ninjas must be ''awesome!''.

* ''Film/TheGamersDorknessRising'' had a short sequence in which Pirates battled [[UpToEleven pizza-delivering Ninjas]]... in the Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast offices. [[TabletopGame/NinjaBurger This game]] ''[[ThisExists actually exists.]]''

Pirates are cool, and so are ninjas, so pirates ''fighting'' ninjas must be ''awesome!''.

{{Pirate}}s' most hated enemies usually seem to be {{ninja}}s, and vice-versa, even though in real life Caribbean pirates and Japanese ninjas didn't even live in the same ''time period'', much less the same hemisphere. Apparently it's just for the RuleOfCool. (For added irony, some bands of ninja even operated as pirates on the side in RealLife. Go figure.)

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'' [[HilariousInHindSight released in 1992]] {{averted}} this trope. One of the game's classes is the Ninja Based Dread Fighter, and yet all of the default characters, and {{Mooks}} of the class in the game are stereotypical pirates complete with [[EyePatchOfPower eyepatches]].

* In ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcninja'':

* The TropeMaker is ''Website/RealUltimatePower'', which pitched the concept as a parody movie script. It soon took on a life of its own, now appearing in vastly varying media.
* Wiki/TheOtherWiki has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_versus_Ninjas a page about the phenomenon]], discussing the debate over "who would win."

** The sixth season, Skybound, uses this theme again with the SkyPirates variation. The ninjas' main opponent is Nadakhan, who is captain of "Misfortune's Keep" and a [[JerkassGenie wish-granting Djinn]].

* ''Film/TheGamersDorknessRising'' had a short sequence in which Pirates battled [[UpToEleven pizza-delivering Ninjas]]... in the WizardsOfTheCoast offices. [[TabletopGame/NinjaBurger This game]] ''[[ThisExists actually exists.]]''

* The first ''{{Tenchu}}'' game has a mission ('Destroy The Foreign Pirates' on USA and Europe version, 'Invasion Of The Southern Barbarian Pirates' on Japanese version) where your ninjas are to destroy a band of bloodthirsty pirates who sailed in from Europe.

* TheOtherWiki has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_versus_Ninjas a page about the phenomenon]], discussing the debate over "who would win."

{{Pirate}}s' most hated enemies usually seem to be {{ninja}}s, and vice-versa, even though in real life Caribbean pirates and Japanese ninjas didn't even live in the same ''time period'', much less the same hemisphere. Apparently its just for the RuleOfCool. (For added irony, some bands of ninja even operated as pirates on the side in RealLife. Go figure.)

* The first ''{{Tenchu}}'' game has a mission where your ninjas are to destroy a band of bloodthirsty pirates who sailed in from Europe.

* ''Tenchu'' has one mission named "Destroy The Foreign Pirate" with the main character (Rikimaru or Ayame) fending off pirates from one unnamed village in Feudal Japan era and eventually assassinate the pirate captain.

* ''VideoGame/Tenchu'' has one mission named "Destroy The Foreign Pirate" with the main character (Rikimaru or Ayame) fending off pirates from one unnamed village in Feudal Japan era and eventually assassinate the pirate captain.

* A Franchise/{{Neopets}} Games Master Challenge used this exact theme. The Ninjas came out on top in the end.