Iron Fist kung fu types good but ninjas evjil WHA ?

[3dman27]

how come marvel always portrayed ninjas types as evil while kung fu practitioners like iron fist were comparatively seen as HEROES ? it seems to me the users INTENT would be the deciding factor

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Ninjas have always been devious assassins with no honor who did whatever necessary to win.

So they make the perfect bad guys.

The kung fu guy is someone who develops their skills from humble beginning making them the perfect coming of age protagonist.

 

[Mike Murdock]

Ninja isn't a martial art. Ninjas are assassins, saboteurs, and bandits. I can see why they might have a less than reputable portrayal.

 

[metaphysician]

Also, to varying degrees, Daredevil, Black Widow, Black Panther, and Nick Fury are "ninjas". Doesn't make them evil.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

What an odd thing to be preoccupied with.

 

[3dman27]

What an odd thing to be preoccupied with.

not so odd i'm a martial art/action movie buffand was wondering about that [probably using 20/20 hindsight [

 

[The Question]

The Marvel concept of Ninjas and Kung Fu are:

A) Both vague.

B) Pretty much the exact same thing in practice.

D) Bare very little resemblance to their real life counterparts.

 

[TheVileOne]

Ninja isn't a martial art. Ninjas are assassins, saboteurs, and bandits. I can see why they might have a less than reputable portrayal.

Ninjitsu!

Also, I don't think Danny Rand is solely a Kung Fu artist anyway. I think he's a master of multiple styles.

 

[Mike Murdock]

I don't think Ninjistsu is a martial art as it's commonly understood.

 

[metaphysician]

By my understanding, "ninjitsu" technically refers to the stealth techniques practiced by the ninja ( how to walk while minimizing noise, how to dress so as to blend in, ways to create distractions, etc ). The ninja did have their own particular martial arts styles, but these were named "taijitsu", and their closest modern equivalent would be the various forms of commando hth training ( heavy emphasis on rapid, brutal strikes and grapples to achieve quick victory, preferably over an unaware or surprised opponent; improvised or concealed weapons encouraged ).

 

[3dman27]

very interesting thanks

 

[marcvader]

 

[DarthSkywalker]

We all know the reason. They fear the greatest ninja of them all...

 

[Sundancer]

I don't think Ninjistsu is a martial art as it's commonly understood.

It does exits but the media has distorted what it really is. I think it was developed by ronin who became bandits/rogues. I remember seeing one documentary of a practitioner saying his/the style was based on the four elements.

Back in the 80s I loved Sho Kosugi who did ninja movies as a hero. Loved him as the bad guy in Ninja Assassin

 

[The Question]

Real life ninjas (who were actually called Shinobi) were essentially just freelance spies and assassins who hired themselves out to the various political factions during the string of civil wars during the Sengoku period. "Ninjitsu" is not a thing that existed before the 20th century, when martial arts enthusiasts created it based on the training that Shinobi went through (both historical and mythical) in order to make money off of nerds who wanted to be Ninjas.

The closest thing to Ninjitsu that actually existed during the Sengoku period is simply the collection of skills that Shinobi were trained in, which pretty much amounted to the same close quarters combat training that Samurai received, as well training in guerrilla warfare tactics, the use of poisons and explosives, and basic training in manual labor, service industry jobs, and the Shinto priesthood, so that Shinobi could pass themselves off as carpenters, cooks, priests, and other such professions while working undercover.

A few more things:

Shinobi didn't wear those black outfits. Those came from fanciful representations of Shinobi in Japanese theater. Most of the time, Shinobi would just wear whatever clothing was the least conspicuous for the situation.

Most of their kills didn't involve sword fights or fancy martial arts maneuvers. Most of them involved waiting in a bar for the target to go outside and pee and sneaking up behind him and slitting his throat, or posing as a cook and poisoning the target's food. They were hit men. If you get into a fight with the target, that means that things have gone very wrong.

Also, the word "Ninja" isn't even a Japanese word. It is the Chinese pronunciation of the Kanji for "Shinobi," which as I said earlier is what they were actually called. While I don't believe the term was ever actually used during the Sengoku period, a more accurate way of saying "ninjitsu" would be "shinobi-no-jutsu."


Really, the closest thing to a real ninja today isn't a martial arts guru, it's a Navy SEAL or a mob hit man with military training.