abstract
| - The result of Mook Chivalry when applied to Ninja. While suffering from the law of Conservation of Ninjutsu, Ninja Mooks not only forget how to fight properly and how to take advantage of their superior numbers, they also forget what a ninja is. Back at the dojo, didn't their sensei explain that the whole point is to be stealthy, secretive, even invisible? Why do they suddenly feel the need to appear in stereotyped kabuki-theater stagehand costumes in broad daylight, yell "Kiai!" as loudly as possible, and perform gymnastics and twirl their weapons like they're putting on a show? Even worse, they feel the need to do these things from a distance of about fifty meters, even when they know the enemy have guns (though this isn't always a problem). The real reason is the works need to make sure the audience sees the ninja. There's also this funny paradox: ninja are assassins. Assassins traditionally killed people through underhanded methods -- stabbing In the Back, poisoning, etc. -- not direct battle. Not only is this not honorable, it's not as exciting as a full fledged fight. Heroic ninja don't resort to this, while villainous ones still need to entertain the viewers. Typically the justification for visible assassins are that if you can actually see the ninja, then you're either going to die soon, or you are a Worthy Opponent. There is also Truth in Television at work here, since, historically, ninja rarely ever wore black garb when looking like a commoner or somebody else more uninteresting would be easier. After all, if you're caught doing something suspicious as a commoner, you can probably pull a satisfactory explanation out of your ass or blend into a crowd if a chase starts. If you're caught wearing stereotypical ninja garb while doing something suspicious, the enemy isn't going to wait for an explanation. The Theme Park Version of ninja. Often seen in McNinja. See Highly-Conspicuous Uniform for the military version of this trope. Contrast with Technicolor Ninjas, who are stealthy despite their brightly-colored outfits (and whom any surviving Highly-Visible Ninja may eventually become). Examples of Highly-Visible Ninja include:
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