The ninja grasshoppers, art by Mike Corker
Ninjas are ancient warriors shrouded in mystery. Most are trained assassins hired or bred to kill specific targets. Their traits are to blend in with crowds or shadows and strike, preferably so that nobody knew they were there. Although they often fight with a sword or blade, they also specialise in other weapons such as shurikens, sais and, some say, magic.
Several ninjas have appeared in the pages of Sonic the Comic, most of them in the Sega Superstars entries:
- The whole premise of the Shinobi (another word for ninja) series is ninjas, with protagonist Joe Musashi being one. Trained in the ways of bushido by his sensei, Musashi spent many years training to retrieve his girlfriend, Naoko, who was kidnapped by evil ninja organisation, the Neo Zeed. The whole corporation is littered with trained ninjas, from the lowly footsoldiers to the highly-ranked Four Elements and The Void.
- Ninjas were once under the employ of Hawk, villain of the first Streets of Rage story. Four of them were first sent to the apartment of Max Hatchet, but fared poorly at first. Two of them fired crossbows into each other while a third was knocked out by dummbells. The final ninja managed to act stealthily enough, putting Max to sleep with a dart from around a corner. Two more ninjas were sent to decapitate Axel Stone while at City Hospital, but a badly-injured Axel fought them off, later declaring that "ninjas are wimps".
- Shadow Yamoto of the Eternal Champions is a ninja who specialises in fading into the shadows where no enemy can hurt her, then strike back.
Sonic the Comic Online[]
Although not many non-Sonic comics have appeared in Sonic the Comic Online, ninjas have found their way into the online continuation through the main series:
- The Family trains its own divisions of grasshopper ninjas. They were utilised once by Harvestman, who was hired to kill the troublesome Big the Cat in Kill Big. Despite their high skill, they proved to be inept against the bumbling Big and it was down to Herne to end the battle. Another ninja helped in the defence of the Casino Night Zone during The Battle For Mobius.
- Due to his development in the Sonic series of video games, Espio the Chameleon has possibly become a ninja. His trip to the Mad Matrix Zone within The Internet saw him leap from wall to wall and become visible, much like his Sonic Heroes counterpart.