Top 10 Video Game Ninjas

Ninjas and video games go together like milk and cereal, like rap music and jail time, like Xbox 360's and red rings (ok, maybe now that well.) Ninjas were video game zombies before developers realized the walking dead made for an endless supply of bad guys. In celebration of everything ninjas have done for video games throughout the years, I've complied a top 10 list of the very best the ninja arts have to offer. Follow me into the shadows to see more...

10. The Bad Dudes Ninjas

Long before the war on terror, before our country had different levels of security based on different colors, and before we had satellites that could find a tick on a donkeys rear from far beyond the reaches of outer space, we had a ninja group that actually managed to kidnap the U.S. President. This was no easy task but the ninja clan from Data East's 1988 release Bad Dudes pulled it off... and it took them almost every kind of ninja to pull it off too. Multicolored ninja? Check. Ninja stars? Check. Teleportation? Check. An endless supply of ninjas? Check. Thank god the 80's had action hero cliches to spare, or we might never had gotten our commander in chief back. 

9. Guy

Keeping with the old-skool 80's theme we have Guy. Many of you might not realize that Guy from the Final Fight/Street Fighter series helped to save Cody's girlfriend, helped Hagar clean up the street against the Mad Gear Gang (twice mind you) and even bested M. Bison in a one on one knucklefest. However, Guy's most astounding accomplishment has been the way he's always managed to save the day while rocking a pair of sweet kicks. 

8. Mai Shiranui

Sexy female ninja is category all in itself, we all know this. That being said, Ayame from the Tenchu series, Nightshade from the Shinobi dojo, and even Ayane from the house of Dead or Alive all owe a great debt to Mai Shiranui. While Mai has never saved the universe from impending doom, she single handedly paved the way for all voluptuous, scantily dressed female ninjas. You can even go as far as to call her a pioneer. If SNK designers hadn't made Mai "jiggle" in all the right places, we wouldn't have the female bounce you see in games like Dead or Alive, Rumble Roses, or half the fighting games in the genre. So Mai Shiranui, we salute you.

7. Yuffie Kisaragi

It would be a crime to compile a ninja list without mentioning Yuffie Kisaragi.  She's been revered as "The Great Ninja Yuffie" and as "The single white rose of the Wutai" but unfortunately like the "King of Pop," these titles where self appointed. Being the young princess of the Wutai clan, she's constantly at odds with their old traditions (just ask the emperor). However, no matter how brash and pompous she may be, one cannot argue her cunning ability to hold her own in a fight. Need more proof, you say? How about the fact that she was a secret character in Final Fantasy 7. You remember that game right? The one where that Sephiroth guy destroyed an entire solar system to flex his muscles. Yeah, she was on the team that took him down. Thats right, all hail "The Great Ninja Yuffie!"

6. Rikimaru

Traditionalists will find everything they need in the Tenchu series: smoke bombs, disguises, grappling hooks, and feudal Japan. All of these things are no stranger to Rikimaru. If you've ever watched an old-skool ninja movie then you know what Rikimaru is all about. This is most likely why Tenchu series he presides over has maintained a distinguished yet loyal fan base for many years. His tactics are based on stealth not magic, his motives are that of honor not personal gain, and although he resides in a digital universe, his gameplay is very much based on reality. Silence is key to achieving his goals. Whether it's taking out a rival ninja clan or assassinating a corrupt government official who is dealing in illegal flintlocks one thing is certain... Rikimaru will succeed and you will never hear him coming.  

5. Sub Zero

The Lin Kuei have had their ups and downs throughout the Mortal Kombat timeline but Sub Zero has made himself a force to be reckoned with among every iteration of the game. Whatever Sub Zero you choose to acknowledge, you cannot deny that he's a BAMF. When he first exploded onto the arcade scene in 1992, no one had ever seen anything like him. Freezing enemies in their tracks and gliding across the floor at break-neck speed was no longer just a legend of "ninja magic." Able to wield the power of ice due to the fact that he and (keep up with me here) his younger brother are descendants of an ancient godlike race. Both versions of Sub Zero fight to defend Earthrealm from Shang Tsung and the emperor of Outworld. While the original Sub Zero was finally captured by Shang Tsung and turned into the cyberninja, his younger brother Noob Saibot continues to seek vengeance for what the Lin Kuei have become and for his older brother.

4. Scorpion

The Mortal Kombat franchise is never short on color-swapped ninjas, but one of them stands out among all of them...Scorpion. His trademark "Get Over Here" makes the ninja spectre recognizable without having to lay eyes on him. The name Scorpion was actually given to the highest ranked warriors of the Shirai Ryu clan, a clan that was slaughtered at the hand of the Lin Kuei. For this, Scorpion has vowed even in death to hunt down and avenge those responsable for the death of his clan and familly. I don't know about you, but having an angry, vengeful, undead ninja spectre hunting me down from dimension to dimension doesn't sound like a weekend retreat. I mean seriously, this guy actually spits fire?!

3. Shinobi

Number three on the list is none other than the great Shinobi himself. Now to be clear, most of the time Shinobi is actually the hero identity used by Joe Musashi, however, the codename Shinobi has also been used by many other ninja in an effort to hide their identities. In 1987, Shinobi took the arcade world by storm  by both traditional and nontraditional means. A ninja who's primary offenses were ninja stars and a gun? A ninja who only used a sword for close combat and didn't wear a mask half the time? Who was this guy?  His ninja feats didn't end there, spanning across 11 titles and some serious disguise changes, Shinobi has always found deceptive ways to reinvent himself. Whether single handedly destroying helicopters, taking out ninjas on horseback, or using nimpo to defeat devil ninjas, Shinobi is unquestionably an unstoppable force. 

2. Cyborg Ninja (Gray Fox)

Metal Gear is never short on absurd plot twits and our number two ninja is no exception to this rule. The Cyborg ninja known as the former Gray Fox (no, not Olga pulling off her cross dressing bit) is equally parts lethal and insane. Ok, lets see if I can get this right, Frank Jaeger, who was part of FOXHOUND, and the only person worthy of the title "Fox," was a highly decorated ninja that went by the name "Null." After almost three decades of battle/teaming up with Solid Snake he was finally blown to bits during the infamous Shadow Moses incident. After being literally pieced back together, he was then fitted with a powerful exoskeleton and given intense gene therapy. This is pretty much what made him go mad. He then would seek out Solid Snake to end his suffering, as he felt that Snake was the only worthy adversary he had ever done battle with. During a battle of epic proportions, Gray Fox managed to get his arm shot of by a giant amphibious moving nuclear weapon called Metal Gear REX. During this battle he sustained massive injuries but not before he did a number on that giant missile mech. As a matter of fact, even after Gray Fox lost his arm, it still took Metal Gear Rex two solid tries to eventually crush him. If that doesn't scream Bad Ass, then I don't know what does. 

1. Ryu hayabusa

The epitome of ninja royalty can be summed up in two simple words...Ryu Hayabusa. The last known member and now leader of the Dragon clan, Ryu has seen his fair share of ups and downs. Spanning over 6 of the hardest ninja titles ever released on any console, the Ninja Gaiden series are at their very core not for the faint of heart. As a matter of fact, in all my years in the gaming community no single other franchise has been abandoned more by would be heroes than Ninja Gaiden. Ryu Hayabusa has been through it all. His clan was slaughtered, his father and mentor was turned against him by an evil world devouring demon, he's been spiritually poisoned and forced to fight to save both our world and himself simultaneously. He's been plagued by animals, mercenaries, demons, demigods, and even the ruthless Spider clan almost his entire life. All of this due to the fact that he is the sole heir to the dragon sword, a katana made from the fang of the last dragon. A master in over a dozen (playable) weapons and able to execute amazing lightning quick combinations, Ryu is no stranger to battle. While the universe he occupies demands lightning quick reflexes to survive, the boss battles require the utmost patience. During all of these horrid circumstances, Ryu has managed to perceiver against insurmountable odds while always managing to keep his ninja "cool" in the face of danger. This alone demonstrates his unyielding mastery of the ninja arts.