Post #1899612

We don't actually know if ninjas were a real thing. First, most of what you “know” about ninjas was completely made up by TV shows and movies. Second, we have the problem of Japan being both highly literate AND isolated, so we cannot cross-check against other historical records to make sure someone wasn’t lying or changing the historical record. For all we know, “ninjas” were just a cover story for samurai who broke the samurai code in the name of the usual statecraft shenanigans. For different reasons, we do not know if shield maidens were really a thing either. I assure you that is just as disappointing to Scandinavians as telling Japanese people that ninjas may not have been real. On a related note, why hasn't anyone made a ninjas vs shield maidens movie? C’mon, possibly mythical assassins vs possibly mythical bodyguards? The script practically writes itself. PS—Hatchets were Viking shuriken.