Ninjas!
Ninjas were Spies and assassins in feudal Japan. Ninjas were warriors who would use stealth techniques to kill an opponent by surprise. Peasants sometimes beleived Ninjas were demons or shadow creatures because they would find victims of the ninja had died before they even had a chance to draw thier weapons. The Ninjas weapons were cheaply made and thought of as disposable by the ninja.
They would stealthily kill thier victim and then flee the scene sometimes leaving thier sword or other weapons behind so they could escape without being detected. They would change back into thier normal attire and if they were stopped by the Samurai (the cops of feudal Japan) they wouldn't be suspected becuase they would be weaponless.
Ninja weapons were made inexpensively and for this reason it was not likely that ninjas sword fought each other as seen in movies and TV. In the real world the ninja sword was brittle and cheaply made for the sole purpose of assassinating a victim.
Movie Ninjas
In the movies Ninjas are unstoppable killing machines that often have magical powers. This is based on the beliefs of the peasants of feudal Japan who feared the ninjas stealth and killing prowess. In the same way that many legends start word of mouth and exaggeration led to ninjas being feared as mystical entities and films have taken creative license and reinforced these myths.
Movie ninjas can disappear when in trouble, they can run up walls, they have hundreds of weapons hidden in thier suits and are often super strong.
In the 1980's a slew of ninja movies came out and they were very popular. Many of the movies were ultra cheesy but some were good and most of the good ones starred a man named Sho Kosugi....
Sho Kosugi
Sho Kosugi was the undisputed king of the 1980's ninja craze. He starred in the most famous of the ninja movies including Enter the Ninja(1981), Revenge of the Ninja(1982), Ninja 3: The Domination (1983), Nine Deaths of the Ninja(1984), Pray for Death(1985), Rage of Honor (1986), Master Class(1985) and Ninja Theater(1986).
Being a smart guy he knew the ninja craze wouldnt last forever and he opened the Sho Kosugi Institute in Hollywood where actors can go to learn ninja-like skills such as Martial arts and gymnastics.
According to a 2005 article in Variety magazine Sho Kosugi will once again don the ninja suit in an upcoming ninja epic entitled RETURN OF THE NINJA.
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