[Fred Broca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shishi

As a kid, I always assumed Firefly was a ninja. This was based on the UK computer game "Saboteur!" which was about a ninja infiltrating a base, stealing a computer disc, setting a bomb and then having to escape by helicopter before the bomb destroyed the building. I always imagined that is what Firefly was like.

It was only as an adult I found out about Hama's story about the Faceless Master, which I don't particularly like.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkLordMordred

I don't like that Hama did the bait and switch with the Faceless Master. That clearly should have been Zartan, but Hama knew everyone would think that, so he made it Firefly.

I've never read these stories, but this us an example of piss poor writing on Larry's part. Though in my JOEverse a lot of characters are practitioners of ninjutsu, not everybody is a fucking ninja. Could Firefly be familiar with and extremely proficient in certain aspects of ninjutsu, yes he can, but is he a full on ninja Master, fuck no.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobra Agent 66

The ninja arts were a skillset. The most famous ninja that we know of were members of the Samurai class, the "landed gentry" so to speak. There were also thieves and warrior monks that used the ninja arts, and Samurai that used irregular methods of warfare that resembled what the ninja did.

Shuriken-jutsu, for example. We think "ninja" but it was a common martial art at the time. Katori Shinto ryu, the oldest and most famous sword school in Japan, has methods for throwing shuriken, reading the land, gathering intelligence about an enemy's fortress, etc. Basic SALUTE report stuff.

There wasn't a clear line between the two, like Jedi vs Sith or something.

The underlined is very important and I think is where most people, (especially the ninja detractors in JOE get fucked up at.) They think ninjutsu is a fighting style, (like karate, judo, or aikido.) They don't real that ninjutsu incorporates weapons training, learning to spy, (which includes a bunch of different shit,) and learning various fighting systems.

[THEDARKONE508]

your ninja facts are inaccurate. the most accurate facts about ninjas in all of the internet can be found here:

Are you ready to get pumped

[AWOL]

Ninjutsu was made-up by frauds, the likes of Count Dante.

[Wild Bill]

Ok this is my kinda thread! First of all, I think for future versions of g.i. Joe we should keep ninjas, but make them off the books contractors. That way they do not have to follow protocol or dress code. They can fight anyway they want, and making them contractors means that storm shadow can work for cobra at the end of his G.i. Joe contract.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnowCat

I like GI Joe having some ninjas in it, but not overpowering the story. I can go with Cobra having hordes of Ninja henchmen like the badguys in American Ninja, or the cool camo-clad ninjas in the Sho Kosugi film Rage of Honor.

Agreed. The cartoon's always evil, but with twisted honor, Storm Shadow is so much better than comics Storm Shadow, who's basically SE's narrator. Plus, he's got some of the funniest burns in the show.

Wild Bill - Obviously inspired by Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now.

Walsh.

I have always wondered where evil organizations get hordes of evil ninja henchmen. Does your evil plan call for hundreds of silent, skilled, loyal henchmen? Go to www.Hire-A-Ninja.com!

Personally I always found sunbow storm shadow to be a disappointment. You have great ninjas on both sides but they never fight each other? Why?! Instead storm shadow has a weird rivalry with spirit? WHY!? Storm shadow almost never uses his sword? OH THE HUMANITY!!!
as a kid cartoon storm shadow really frustrated me.

Isn't wild bill's attire based on the air cavalry uniform?

[TheOverlordCorp]

In 1977, 11 ninja were spotted breaking a rhinestone-caped figure OUT of a small mansion in Memphis TN. This man, their sunglasses-wearing, Sequined Master, then led them on an off-books CIA operation (code name: SPINOUT) to silence forever the "inventor" of aerobics, Richard Simmons, Gene's brother, on the orders of Jimmy Carter. The ORIGINAL Jimmy Carter, not the one who became President {and inspired the movie, DAVE}. Upon succeeding, the operation's 9 survivors returned to Memphis. There, the Sequined Master's bride was caught "in the arms" of some Hollywood shmoe. {Burt Russell, Kurt Reynolds, who can remember? Burt Convy? The guy from Convoy?} The SM's thunder-kick that was meant for this Tinseltown troublemaker's privates was diffused when the homeowner's platform heel slipped on a peanut butter and nanner sandwich (his fourth of the night). In the chaos, that thunder-kick went high, struck the shmoe's screenwriter "pal" and a professional spinmaster of the time who, upon recovering with a nice settlement, convinced a generation that the Sequined Master did not yell "You shmoe," but, "Yo Joe!" thus ending Joe Namath's acting career and prompting thousands upon thousands of children to taunt the football legend for over a decade. Congratulations if you made it this far. Turn to page 15 if you realize you've made the wrong decision.

[SnowCat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wild Bill

I have always wondered where evil organizations get hordes of evil ninja henchmen. Does your evil plan call for hundreds of silent, skilled, loyal henchmen? Go to www.Hire-A-Ninja.com!

I figure that Ninja hordes, all the renegade chopper crews from Airwolf and those groups of vaguely hillbilly henchmen that always turned up the A-Team all advertised in the back of a mercenary magazine. Just look under the heading "Bad Guys for Hire". It's right above garage sales.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wild Bill

Personally I always found sunbow storm shadow to be a disappointment. You have great ninjas on both sides but they never fight each other? Why?! Instead storm shadow has a weird rivalry with spirit? WHY!? Storm shadow almost never uses his sword? OH THE HUMANITY!!!
as a kid cartoon storm shadow really frustrated me.

See, I actually like that he doesn't fight another ninja on the show. Ideally, that allows he and Spirit to use different fighting styles, and different philosophies, but still be evenly matched. Too often eastern fighting techniques are treated as invincible, while western styles are just taken for granted, IMO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wild Bill

Isn't wild bill's attire based on the air cavalry uniform?

Probably. But if you watch Apocalypse Now, Duvall even has the hat. No stashe, though.

[Joe Bro]

Cobra's ninjas are still active and dangerous:

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/01/10424...-in-california