Discussion Main / CatNinja

I recently added Tigress and Tai Lung from Kung Fu Panda as examples of Cat Ninjas, and the example was removed on the basis of those characters not being actual ninjas. Now, I apologize for not checking the history first, as someone had already done what I did, especially since I had a feeling at the time that someone might have an objection to it. I can certainly understand how an aficionado of Eastern fighting styles would object to ninjutsu and kung fu being conflated into a single, vague entity. However, to the uninitiated (such as myself), I don't think there would be a problem with stretching the meaning of this trope to include any martial arts.

All of the terms the trope page description uses (stereotypically stealthy, quick, graceful, acrobatic, difficult to kill, and ruthlessly efficient or sadistically deadly assassins) could easily be applied to Tigress or Tai Lung, with the exception of assassin. Also, part of the fun of this site is in discovering unconventional trope examples that follow the spirit of the trope, if not the exact literal definition. For example, the Conservation of Ninjutsu trope does not require examples to actually use ninjutsu, or even any kind of martial art. Of course, I realize that some tropes are by nature more specific than others; I'm just expressing my humble opinion.