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The Mysteries Of The Ninja

The Mysteries of the Ninja

Nature of the Ninja
Ninjas are mysterious. They appear in movies, videogames and comic books as superhuman killing machines. They are also portrayed as having the aid of magic, mind control, invisibility, and super strength and agility. In these portrayals, ninjas frequently fight other ninjas, they can disappear without a trace, and leap tall buildings in a single bound. These perceptions about ninjas, their origins, and art are completely fictitious.
This is an excellent example if the art of ninja, a psychological trick which, though the ninja died out in the nineteenth century, is still at work. The ninja arts were secret, and those who practiced them were devoted to keeping it that way, and this included the use of a vital psychological attack: misinformation. Ninjas used this to their advantage centuries ago, and apparently, they still do. Ninja are not superhuman. They cannot leap tall buildings in a single bound, they cannot disappear without a trace, and they do not fight other ninjas. Even in ancient Japan, many people thought they had the strength of ten men, the ability to transform into animals, the ability to turn invisible at will, walk on water, and fly. While none of these attributes are realistic or even possible, ninjas could create the illusion.
Ninjas were not so much soldiers as they were spies. Most people find this reality of ninjutsu to be boring. It's not what people want to see, it doesn't sell movies, videogames or comic books, and what was once a reality is now stretched into the realm of fiction. Even ancient Japanese stories exaggerated the abilities of the ninja. The result is widespread misinformation. Fear not, as ninjas might turn out to be cooler in reality than they are in movies.

Origins
The ninja arts are secret, and those who practiced them were devoted to keeping it that way. Ninjas themselves kept few records of their existence. The actual fighting art of the ninja was...