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[[File:Oumi Shuri (Kunoichi).PNG|thumb|250px|[[Kouga]] kunoichi [[Oumi Shuri]] in stereotypical ninja attire.<ref name=RailgunV14/>]]
<!--A -->{{Nihongo|'''Ninja'''|忍者|Ninja}} is a term referring to a type of covert agent or mercenary that existed in feudal [[Japan]]. They are in a state of decline in the modern age, despite some ninja clans still existing in modern times with some now operating globally,<ref name=ShinyakuV4Sub9>{{Qvl|Shinyaku|L|4}} Sub.09</ref> and are trying to restore their prestige in the world.<ref name=IndexSS2Ch18/><ref name=ShinyakuV4Sub9/>

==Principles==
{{Expand|General revision and expansion, stereotypes/myths/reality - practices, weapons<!--shuriken, kunai etc-->, techniques etc}}
Ninjas were originally bandits that were hired by some powerful military leader. This humble origin allows for anyone to become a ninja.{{CiteH}} Ever pragmatic, the ninjas uses things from the clothes on their back or even the lack of it to their advantage. Moreover, ninjas always use contemporary weapons for their purposes and disguised them, such as arquebuses camouflaged as staffs and {{W|inro}},<ref name=IndexSS2Ch8>{{Qvl|Index|L|SS2}} Chapter 8</ref>{{TrackTag107}} though is apparently not adverse into using traditional weapons like the uchine. They also apparently prefer weapons that don't stand out too much like an uchine, specifically those that can be concealed or disguised. Finally, ninjas apparently prefer to kill on the first strike and if that fails quietly retreat over a protracted battle.<ref name=IndexSS2Ch18>{{Qvl|Index|L|SS2}} Chapter 18</ref>{{TrackTag107}} Ninjas don't also lay down their lives for a single goal.<ref name=IndexSS2Ch18/>

{{TempSetup|Slideshow temporary}}<gallery type="slideshow" width="220px" position="left" hideaddbutton="true">
Houjou_sibling_flashback_-_Astral_Buddy_Ch26.png|A young Houjou Arei with her older brother Seigo, practicing with shuriken and kunai.
Kouga school.jpg|Training among the Kouga.
Mikoto being chased by ninjas.png|Mikoto in Kuruwa's dream, chased by stereotypical ninjas wielding shuriken and a kusarigama.
Mistaken expectations - Railgun Ch78.png|Mikoto in Kuruwa's dream, dismayed that ninjutsu doesn't involve giant frogs and shadow clones.
</gallery>
{{TempSetup}}{{TSP|Expand/refine/reword/potential split}}The distinct techniques practiced by ninja are often referred to as {{Nihongo|'''ninjutsu'''|忍術|Ninjutsu}}<!--ninpō (忍法)--><!--W: martial art strategy/tactics, unconventional/guerrilla warfare/espionage--><!--folklore-->.<ref name=RailgunCh101/>{{CiteA|SS2, NT4, Other}}{{RLRef}} Unlike the more fantastical depictions often seen in stories, the real tools and techniques tend to be much more mundane and grounded.{{RLRef}}<ref name=RailgunCh78/><ref name=RailgunV14/><ref name=RailgunCh104>{{Qcl|Railgun|104}}</ref>{{CiteA|SS2, Jailbreaker/Astral Buddy/NT4}} Stereotypical depictions of ninjas, which in many ways differ from reality, often have them in black robes with a hood and cloth mask concealing their face apart from their eyes.<ref name=RailgunCh78/><ref name=RailgunV14/> Weapons often associated with ninja include {{Nihongo|'''{{W|kunai}}'''|苦無|Kunai}}, {{Nihongo|'''{{W|shuriken}}'''|手裏剣|Shuriken}}, {{Nihongo|'''{{W|kusarigama}}'''|鎖鎌|Kusarigama|lit. "Chain-scythe"}}, and short swords.<ref name=ShinyakuV4Sub9/><ref name=IndexSS2Ch18/><ref name=AstralCh25>{{Qcl|Astral|25}}</ref><ref name=AstralCh26>{{Qcl|Astral|26}}</ref><ref name=RailgunCh112/><ref name=RailgunCh114/>{{CiteA|NT4, Jailbreaker}}{{RLRef}} Ninjas are often trained to possess considerable athletic abilities.<ref name=RailgunCh78/><ref name=RailgunCh101/><ref name=RailgunCh112>{{Qcl|Railgun|112}}</ref><ref name=AstralCh25/><ref name=AstralCh26/>

{{UncertainPositioning}}{{TSP}}Alternative terms often used referring to ninja are {{Nihongo|'''{{W|shinobi}}'''|忍び|Shinobi}} and {{Nihongo|'''{{W|kunoichi}}'''|くノ一|Kunoichi}} (the latter referring female ninjas).{{CiteH}}

===Recent History===
According to [[Hattori Hanzou]], ninjas are supposed to be in supporting roles as they live in the hidden darkness out of protection and not be in the spotlight. However, as time went on, "pure lines" or families began to spring up like the Hattori and Iga. Hanzou argues that by the time ninjas have "pure lines" they cannot survive in the world.<ref name=IndexSS2Ch18/> It is likely why the ninja are in a state of decline.{{CiteH}}

Currently, the Kouga and other ninja clans have been operational in the shadows for a long time and have managed to continue doing so even into the 21st century to varying degrees. Recently, due to changing times, the groups have been looking into [[Academy City|Academy City's]] [[Power Curriculum Program]] and [[Gemstone]]{{TrackTag51}}s, and, as such, have been seeking to obtain the means to develop genuine supernatural powers.<ref name=ShinyakuV4Sub9/> They do not seem to have any awareness of the existence of the [[Magic]] side.{{CiteH}}

==Background==
{{Expand|General expansion, partial transfer from Principles}}
Ninjas came about in feudal [[Japan]], originally being bandits hired by powerful military leaders.<ref name=IndexSS2Ch18/> Over time, ninja clans such as the Iga and the Kouga emerged, along with "pure lines" or families like the Hattori.<ref name=IndexSS2Ch18/><ref name=ShinyakuV4Sub9/> {{TSP|Potential reword}}Over the centuries, even as their primary period of apparent activity passed,{{CiteH}}{{RLRef}} various myths, stories and stereotypes arose concerning ninjas.{{CiteH}}{{RLRef}}<!--indirect--><ref name=RailgunCh78/>{{CiteA}}

While some ninja clans are more or less extinct in the present day (either through gradual decline or extermination),<ref name=Nogi>{{TwTrack}}[https://twitter.com/nogi_yasuhito/status/1317644245482631169 Nogi Yasuhito, Twitter]</ref><ref group=Notes name=Houjou/> some clans and bloodlines, such as the Iga and Kouga, still exist in the shadows of the modern age<!--and the 21st century-->, with some operating globally, but they are in a state of decline.<ref name=IndexSS2Ch18/><ref name=ShinyakuV4Sub9/> As such, a number of them have trying to restore their prestige and place in the world,<ref name=IndexSS2Ch18/><ref name=ShinyakuV4Sub9/> and to that end they have been looking into the possibility of obtaining advanced technology, capable of producing lost or imagined ninjutsu, or the means to develop genuine supernatural powers.<ref name=IndexSS2Ch18/><ref name=ShinyakuV4Sub9/><ref name=RailgunV14>{{Qvl|Railgun|M|14}}</ref>

==Chronology==
===Toaru Majutsu no Index===
====Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS2====
{{TrackTag123}}{{TrackTag117}}{{Main|Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS2}}
On the first Friday of October, Iga ninja [[Kuruwa]] caught up with [[Hattori Hanzou]] (who had hidden his status in Academy City as a [[Skill-Out]]) after pursuing him for half a year and clashed with him over her goal to revive the Iga and Hattori lines, having also been manipulated regarding the [[Gemstone]]s.<ref name="IndexSS2Ch18"/>

===Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index===
====Baggage City Arc====
{{Main/Baggage City Arc}}
In mid-November, several Kouga ninjas led by [[Oumi Shuri]] infiltrated the [[Natural Selector]] tournament for the sake of obtaining techniques for their clan, and subsequently got caught up in the battle which engulfed [[Baggage City]].<ref name=ShinyakuV4Sub9/>

===Toaru Kagaku no Railgun===
====Dream Ranker Arc====
{{Main/Dream Ranker Arc}}
[[File:Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T E18 14m 13s.png|thumb|220px|Kinuhata Saiai in Kuruwa's dream with scrolls of secret techniques.]]
While going through a number of [[Indian Poker]] cards, [[Misaka Mikoto]] and [[Kinuhata Saiai]] experienced ninja-related dreams originating from the Iga ninja [[Kuruwa]], the former experiencing her training under Hattori Hanzou (somewhat different from what she expected of ninjas) and the latter reviewing secret seduction techniques, both to their respective dismays.<ref name=RailgunCh78>{{Qcl|Railgun|78}}</ref><ref name=RailgunCh79>{{Qcl|Railgun|79}}</ref><ref name=RailgunTEp18>{{Qal|Railgun3|E|18}}</ref>

====Jailbreaker Arc====
{{Main/Jailbreaker Arc}}
In mid-October, several [[Kouga]] members led by [[Oumi Shuri]], infiltrated [[Academy City]] with assistance from [[Tsurigane Saryou]], a Kouga ninja who had previously gone in undercover as a [[Child Error]], and participated in the [[Second Reformatory]]'s [[Jailbreak Trial]] for the purposes of observing Academy City's technology and learning what they could for the Kouga.<ref name=RailgunCh101>{{Qcl|Railgun|101}}</ref> After the trial, when Tsurigane openly betrayed them and they learned of the [[Dark May Project|apparent circumstances]] behind her change,<ref name=RailgunCh106>{{Qcl|Railgun|106}}</ref><ref name=RailgunCh114>{{Qcl|Railgun|114}}</ref> Oumi Shuri decided as a senior ninja that Academy City's technology and techniques were something they should never touch again, leaving Tsurigane to be judged as its citizen.<ref name=RailgunCh114/> Following these events, after escaping from imprisonment, Tsurigane approached Iga ninja [[Kuruwa]] for training, hoping to regain Oumi's attention in another way.<ref name=RailgunCh128>{{Qcl|Railgun|128}}</ref><ref name=RailgunCh129>{{Qcl|Railgun|129}}</ref>
{{TrackTag116}}
==Known Ninja==
{| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" class="mwCollapsibleAltered mw-collapsible mw-collapsed article-table sortable" style="width: 100%; height: 100%; float: left"
|-
! scope="col"|Name
! scope="col"|Status
! scope="col"|Affiliation
! scope="col"|Notes
|-
|'''[[Oumi Shuri]]'''
|Alive
|[[Kouga School]]
|
|-
|'''[[Asai]]'''
|Deceased
|[[Kouga School]]
|
|-
|'''[[Sakata]]'''
|Deceased
|[[Kouga School]]
|
|-
|'''[[Yasu]]'''
|Deceased
|[[Kouga School]]
|
|-
|'''[[Tsurigane Saryou]]'''
|Alive
|[[Kouga School]] (''formerly'')
|
|-
|'''[[Sugitani]]'''
|Alive
|[[Kouga School]]<br/>[[Shiokishi]]
|
|-
|'''[[Hattori Hanzou]]'''
|Alive
|[[Skill-Out]]<br/>Hattori clan<!--服部--> (''formerly'')
|
|-
|'''[[Kuruwa]]'''
|Alive
|Iga clan<!--伊賀-->
|
|-
|'''[[Houjou Arei]]'''
|Alive
|[[Yumiya Iruka]]<br/>Fuma clan<!--風魔--><ref group=Notes name=Houjou>[[Nogi Yasuhito]] says the Houjou family name is a hint. Based on her name, Houjou is a {{Nihongo|"{{W|Fūma Kotarō#The Fūma clan and Fūma Kotarō|Fuma}}"|風魔|Fūma}} ninja since they served the {{W|Later Hōjō clan|Houjou clan}} in Feudal Japan.</ref>
|
|}
{{Clr}}
==External Links==
*{{W|Ninja|Ninja (Wikipedia article)}}
==Notes==
{{RefNotes}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Navigation==
{{Ninjas|variable=1}}
[[Category:Terminology]]
[[Category:Ninjas| ]]