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Ninja

忍者 · Ninja — A Japanese espionage warrior who fights through darkness and deception

The ninja (忍者) was a specialized warrior group of espionage, assassination, and reconnaissance active during 14-17th century Japan's Sengoku (Warring States) and early Edo period. While samurai were a profession of honor and direct combat, ninja were the opposite — using all unconventional means: disguise, infiltration, poison, traps, gunpowder weapons, and information manipulation. The most famous ninja clans were the two villages of Iga and Kōga, communities isolated in mountains transmitting ninja techniques (ninjutsu) hereditarily. Hattori Hanzō, who helped Tokugawa Ieyasu escape during the Honnō-ji Incident (1582), is the most renowned ninja. During the Tokugawa shogunate they were officially employed as the shogun's intelligence organization 'oniwaban.' Disappearing as a profession with the Meiji Restoration, they have become Japan's most powerful global cultural icon today.

Origin

Developed from specialized espionage groups originating in the Iga and Kōka regions during Japan's Sengoku period. They possessed a distinct combat philosophy separate from the samurai class.

Features

Ninjutsu: shadow clones, sleep techniques, fire escape, and illusion arts — all fantasy-interpreted skills
Unique ninja-exclusive weapons: shuriken, kunai, and more
Extreme physical abilities — wall-running, water-walking, and long-distance leaping
Organizational loyalty: affiliated with ninja villages and clans, fulfilling contracted missions

Usage

Information warfare, infiltration, assassination, and sabotage operations. The most visually spectacular stealth combat class in Eastern fantasy.