"Games will inevitably stagnate at one point or another, no matter how much effort is put into heading off that unfortunate eventuality. Leads will get exhausted, players will get frustrated with puzzles, and nobody will come up with a good, crazy plan to save the day. There's only one thing you can possibly do in such a situation. Send in the ninjas. Seriously. Send in the ninjas."
— Spirit of the Century Rulebook
So simple in its gameplay, yet so epic in its scope! Ninja Tropes! Ninja Tropes!
Compare with Bushido Index, contrast with Pirate Tropes.
Tropes:
- Attack Animal
Pets trained to attack on command. - Cat Ninja
Cats depicted as ninjas, due to both being perceived as stealthy, sneaky, secretive and acrobatic. - Ceiling Cling
Hiding and traveling on the ceiling for the sake of stealth. - Conservation of Ninjutsu
The more ninjas you have to fight, the easier it is to defeat all of them. - Criss-Cross Attack
A very fast attack that involves multiple strikes coming from multiple sides. - Cyber Ninja
Robotic ninjas. - Diagonal Cut
A cut so clean, there is a brief delay. - Doppelgänger Attack
Clones specifically for attack and defense. - Doppelgänger Spin
Illusionary clones of the caster. - Flash Step
Moving so fast, it could be confused for teleportation. - Flung Clothing
Old clothes thrown behind after an instant costume change. - Frog Ninja
Frogs and toads depicted as ninjas, due to the influence of Jiraiya Gouketsu Monogatari. - Functional Magic
Jutsu often perceived as a form of sorcery. - Fuuma Shuriken
Giant throwing-stars as signature weapons. - Gratuitous Ninja
Instant Awesome = Just add Ninja - Hand Seals
Hand gestures for Functional Magic. - Highly-Visible Ninja
A ninja who is terrible at being stealthy. - Katanas Are Just Better
Katanas as signature weapons. - Kite Riding
Riding a giant kite for transportation. - McNinja
A ninja who isn't Japanese. - Mobile Shrubbery
Using a camoflage sheet to hide in plain sight. - Ninja Brat
Child Shinobi. - Ninja Log
Ninjas dodging attacks by replacing themselves with wooden logs. - Ninja Maid
A maid who can fight. - Ninja Run
Running that is good for defense and speed. - Ninja School
A school that teaches ninjitsu. - Pirates vs. Ninjas
Ninjas and pirates are mortal enemies for some reason. - Reed Snorkel
Hiding underwater while using a hollow reed to breathe. - Samurai in Ninja Town
If ninjas are present in the story, expect samurai to show up too. - Samurai Shinobi
Equal parts Samurai and Ninja for maximum awesome! - Schizo Tech
Weirder Ninja Fiction in the Ninpōchō vein often features clans hoarding "secret technologies", ranging from ultra-durable clothing and performance-enhancing drugs, up to things like gene-spliced Super Soldiers and karakuri
-based androids with machine guns in their chests.
- Secret Art
Ninjitsu techniques only a select few are privy in knowing. - Shadow Pin
An effective attack that goes for a non-vulnerable (borderline improbable) area. - Smoke Out
A smoke bomb used for evasion and blinding. - Spinning Piledriver
Specifically called Izuna Drop, it is a variant of the move consisting of either both fighters being in the air on one fighter knocking the other up into the air. After that the one fighter grabs onto the other and continue to drop head first (Both fighters are going down head first) while spinning. - Stock Ninja Weaponry
No ninja would be caught dead without these in a fight. - Swap Teleportation
Flash Step away with something else standing in your place. - Technicolor Ninjas
Character who wears highly visible colors but still manages to be very stealthy. - Voluntary Shapeshifting
Ninjas were believed to have shapeshifting abilities (though really it was a clever trick). - Wainscot Society
The best ninja clans live in society hiding in plain sight. - Walk on Water
Ninjas were commonly thought to run on water as a Secret Art. - Walking Armory
One reason the Stock Ninja Weaponry list is so long is because the average ninja will be carrying most of it on their person at once. - Wall Crawl
Ninja could scale any surface.
