Games - Shinobi series

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	Games - Shinobi series

Shinobi (忍) is an umbrella term for the central character in a series of videogames developed by Sega commonly referred to as the Shinobi series. The name Shinobi literally means shadow and is used as a code-name throughout the series to hide the true identity of its bearer. It has been adopted by various characters, most prominently Joe Musashi, the protagonist of the original series of games (Shinobi -- Shinobi 3).

Along with Alex Kidd and Sonic the Hedgehog, the Shinobi ninja has long been one of Sega's flagship characters, acting as a mascot for a short time in the late 1980's when the ninja boom was in full force. Its games are a showcase of Sega's technical accomplishment. Today the games are still noted for their high quality of graphics, gameplay and music, as well as their hard difficulty.

Shinobi debuted in 1987, in the arcade classic Shinobi, and has since featured in 11 other official Shinobi titles and at least one spin-off game. Nightshade is currently the last game in line.

The character

Identity and backstory

The character of Shinobi is most commonly associated with that of Joe Musashi, the protagonist of the original arcade game and many of its sequels. His name is a combination of both an archetypical American first name and Japanese last name, Musashi most likely being derived from the legendary Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. In the manual of The Revenge of Shinobi, Musashi's backstory is told as that of a weak boy who first entered the dojo of the Oboro clan at a young age and gradually, through tireless practice and meditation, worked himself up to become the most skilled and respected ninja of his clan.

His peaceful existence in the mountains of Japan is shattered when the totalitarian crime syndicate Neo Zeed rises to power and threatens to take over the world. The Oboro clan is hunted down by Zeed's minions, his master assassinated and his girlfriend Naoko taken hostage. Musashi swears revenge, and in the ensuing battles, as chronicled in The Revenge of Shinobi, all but annihilates Neo Zeed. When Neo Zeed returns in Shinobi 3 the ninja comes out of retirement one final time and destroys the crime organization for good.

In the Shadow Dancer timeline, Musashi's title is passed down to his son Hayate, who now assumes the Shinobi identity and battle the syndicate as his father once did. However Musashi himself would make the appearance on the Sega Genesis version. The plot was essentially split depending on the version of the game.

In Shinobi Legions however, an entirely different plotline is picked up. Shinobi is now played by Sho, the youngest of two brothers raised by a lone ninja master. The elder brother becomes corrupted and abducts the master's daughter in search of the ultimate ninjitsu technique, and Sho has to prevent him from destroying the world. Neither Joe Musashi nor the Oboro clan are mentioned.

Following a seven year hiatus in the series, the character returned in Shinobi (Playstation 2) as Hotsuma, another member of the Oboro clan. In a similar theme to Shinobi Legions, the game starts with Hotsuma slaying his elder brother Moritsune during a full moon Oboro ritual. The main plot revolves around Hotsuma's battle with a powerful sorcerer called Hiruko. The game also featured Joe Musashi as a hidden character.

In a complete break with tradition, Nightshade featured a female Shinobi called Hibana.

It should be noted however that storywise there is little continuity between games, and it is debatable as to what has to be interpreted as canon to the series. It is more traditional for Shinobi games to start the plotline from scratch and introduce new characters in the ninja role.

Trademarks

Shinobi's main weapons of choice are the shuriken (or throwing knives), but over the course of the series the emphasis gradually shifted to a ninjato.The ninjato is said to be a fictional sword. One of the most important moves in the games is Shinobi's somersault, performed by tapping the jump-button a second time at the height of a jump. The somersault is used to leap onto high-places, perform trick jumps and use the hedgehog shuriken attack to wipe out several opponents at once. The ability to run was not introduced until Shinobi 3.

Another staple of the series are the four magical ninjitsu attacks Shinobi can use to kill his foes, or improve his own abilities. The four ninjitsu techniques are: Ikazuchi, Fushin, Kariu and Mijin. An in depth discussion of said techniques can be found in Shinobi 3.

Each level in Shinobi is usually divided into two or three scenes, and the final scene is always a battle against a powerful boss character. Standard Shinobi stages include bamboo forests, dojos, Hong Kong styled docksides and industrial complexes filled with biological monstrosities.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Shinobi series ]

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