ninja
Feudal Japanese assassin
A ninja is a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan, trained in espionage, sabotage, and assassination.
The historical figure has become a pop-culture archetype—black-clad, acrobatic, wielding throwing stars and swords.
In casual use, ninja describes anyone with exceptional stealth or skill: She's a ninja at parallel parking.
He ninja'd past security without anyone noticing.
Japanese thrown weapon
- katanaCurved Japanese fighting blade
- nunchakuPaired sticks on cord
- kunaiJapanese multipurpose blade
- blowgunBreath-propelled dart tube
tanto · sai · caltrops · combat · hand-to-hand · acrobatics · agility · training
Japanese covert operative
- feudalOf tiered landownership
- daimyoJapanese feudal landowner
- shogunJapan's military supreme commander
- clanRelated group sharing ancestry
warlord · castle · japan · kunoichi · espionage · mercenary · peasant · disguise
Light blocked by object
- silentProducing no sound
- sneakMove with stealth
- infiltrateEnter secretly to observe
- undetectedNot discovered yet
camouflage · hide · evasion · covert · furtive · prowl · creep · ghost
Covert information gatherer
- infiltrationCovert entry into organization
- intelligenceMental ability, cognitive capacity
- reconnaissanceInformation-gathering before action
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
sabotage · informant · undercover · operative · gathering · intercept · deception · eavesdrop
Abbreviated cartoon reptile quartet
shuriken
Japanese thrown weapon
blowgun · tanto · sai · caltrops · combat · hand-to-hand · acrobatics · agility · training · discipline
shinobi
Japanese covert operative
- feudalOf tiered landownership
- daimyoJapanese feudal landowner
- shogunJapan's military supreme commander
clan · warlord · castle · japan · kunoichi · espionage · mercenary · peasant · disguise · informant
shadow
Light blocked by object
- silentProducing no sound
- sneakMove with stealth
- infiltrateEnter secretly to observe
undetected · camouflage · hide · evasion · covert · furtive · prowl · creep · ghost · unseen
spy
Covert information gatherer
- infiltrationCovert entry into organization
- intelligenceMental ability, cognitive capacity
- reconnaissanceInformation-gathering before action
surveillance · sabotage · informant · undercover · operative · gathering · intercept · deception · eavesdrop · counterintelligence
TMNT
Abbreviated cartoon reptile quartet
assassination
Murder of a prominent figure
- contractEnforceable written agreement
- poisonHarmful ingested substance
- eliminationAct of removing entirely
deadly · lethal · target · mercenary · hired · execution · dispatch · swift · precise
sakura
Japanese flowering tree
- East AsiaChina, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Korea
- JapanTokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Mount Fuji, Hokkaido
- Japanese culturesamurai, kabuki, sumo, origami, tea ceremony
- Japanese wordsanime, bento, bonsai, futon, geisha
- action genresmartial arts, kung fu, spy, western, war films
- Asian loanwordsanime, sushi, karate, tsunami, emoji
ninjaklutz
Awkward, graceless person
showoff · exhibitionist · loudmouth · attention-seeker · bull in a china shop
- ninja swordStealthy combatant's blade
- ninja starsThrown bladed projectiles
- Ninja TurtlesMutant reptile martial artists
- Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesHumanoid reptile crimefighters
- ninja warriorAthletic obstacle course competitor
- ninja costumeDress-up as Japanese spy