Randy Cunningham

Randall "Randy" Cunningham/The Ninja is the titular main protagonist of the . He is a freshman and the current Norrisville Ninja at Norrisville High. He is the best friend of Howard Weinerman and the love interest of Theresa Fowler.
He is voiced by , who also voices Skidmark in , Sonic the Hedgehog in the , Dewey Duck in , Leonardo in , Banarnar in , and Mark in .
==Appearance==
===Everyday===
Randy is very slim-built and tall in comparison to his best friend Howard. He has natural tyrian purple hair and sapphire blue eyes. Comparing his appearances without a SHIRT in "Got Stank" and "Ninja Camp", he seems to have gained some muscle, probably because of his ninja duties and training. His arms and thigh are slightly smaller than his hand and legs respectively. Randy is always (except as ninja) seen wearing a McTop with a white line that curls up to form the same SYMBOL which is found on the cover of the Ninja Nomicon and the Ninja Suit. He also has a dark slate gray McHoodie that has wavy sleeves and pockets. He wears black McSkinnies that fit very well with the rest of his OUTFIT. He is seen wearing purple zip-up McKicks.
===Ninja Suit===
 Randy wears the typical ninja SUIT in which is used generation after generation. The suit seemed to have adjusted to his physical thin-like shape, because when Mac Antfee used it, it was bigger since Antfee was fatter. The suit also has a scarf which Randy admits to really liking and is insulted whenever anyone makes fun of it. Randy is probably wearing his civilian attire, or whatever he was wearing previously, under the Ninja suit, like a second layer. The only thing that can be seen of Randy is his eyes.
==Personality==
Randy Cunningham is an average high-schooler who tries to FIT in and be cool. There are many times where he tries doing risky things that could possibly get him into trouble, like busting into Bash's party , spitting in a volcano , and using the ninja powers to fix a science project . Often he forgets that his actions have consequences, which can accidentally or purposely result in major problems for himself and the people around him. As time goes on, though, he realizes when the situation is his fault, and takes responsibility to fix it as much as possible. He always struggles to do what's right over his own desires, but he more often then not goes with the former. His sense of responsibility and sacrifice has increased throughout the series.
Though he is not very book-smart, Randy is very quick-witted and has some intelligence in DEALING with ninja situations, creating techniques, and facing normal life situations. Randy is also very good at riddles and puzzles . Randy is also very skilled at games, much better than HOWARD . He is much less emotional than Howard, and rarely holds a grudge against anyone because he usually doesn't take things personally.
He can be impatient, insensitive, and a bit bossy, like his attitude with the Nomicon, but he is a student with pure heart and courage, the perfect ideals of a ninja. Howard can be troublesome and rude, but fortunately Randy is usually forgiving with Howard's actions. He can treat Howard unfairly or uncaringly at times, like saying Howard didn't have any understanding of having a duty, but he does his best to make it up, and works hard at balancing their friendship and his job as the ninja. Despite his negative qualities, Randy proves to be very valiant and upholds high morals when he refused to fight the other STUDENTS and ran back to help a student get out of one of Mac Antfee's courses. After getting mind-wiped, Randy is shown to dislike Howard's bullying towards a robot while being a temporary ninja"" .
When Randy gained the mask and became the ninja, he THOUGHT it was butt-kicking and hitting, but discovers it is very hard fighting against robots and monsters, and soon gets used to it. He becomes quite serious with the job, which strains and sometimes nearly breaks his friendship with Howard who just wants him to hang out with him all the time and doing thing his way. Ever since he became the ninja, he becomes more mature bit by bit in each episode with the proverbs he LEARNS and understands from the Nomicon. It can take him awhile to figure out how to de-stank a monster or defeat a monster, but he claims and shows that he is doing his best to protect his school. At some point, Randy loses confidence and has doubts about being the right guy to be the ninja, but after encountering Antfee, he realizes that the Nomicon chose him because of his nobility and well-meaning heart.
 Randy is seen to taunt his enemies and make sarcastic comments toward them. It is unknown what Randy's intentions are, but on several occasions he is seen angering the enemy in some way or maybe to make them more aggressive, therefore making more MISTAKES because robots make by Viceroy have emotions. He prefers to be fair even toward his enemies, unlike Howard, who bullies them while being the temporary ninja.
Randy will save others whenever they're in danger, and even pay the cost of being the Ninja over something like popularity, sometimes much to Howard's chagrin. He willingly hits himself to hurt the Tengu that possessed Howard so that he won't be physically harming Howard's body. His bravery is also apparent when he bravely managed to fight off the McFizzle-induced-Zombies, as well as revert them back to normal.
==Capabilities==
===Fighting Abilities as the Ninja===
Not much about Randy's fighting style is known, he is certainly not traditionally-trained in ninjitsu or any other fighting discipline. Instead, Randy is assumed to be an unorthodox fighter, using almost everything around for his own advantage in battle. He COMBINES his fighting spirit, logic, and creativity well in whatever he's doing. For example, like using a shovel to hit the robot and using the force of a new robot to counter the killer potatoes in "Attack of the Killer Potatoes". He also use bells to fight Bucky Hensletter in "Got Stank". He heats a Robo-Ape using a convenient microwave option for Robo-Apes in "Gossip Boy".
It might be considered that Randy might of 'inherited' his fighting style when he wore the Ninja Suit for the first time since he had exclaimed that the Ninja Suit helped him do things he wasn't able to do before. Randy can learn any move if he puts his mind to it and balances his use of offense, defense, and counter-attack skills. He can also use the enemy's force against themselves, like forcing a Chainsaw-Werewolf to exhaustion by blocking the attack long enough. He even cleverly tricked a robot to fight head-on by holding his SWORD, but switching to cold balls instead to trip him in "The Ninja Identity".
Randy also has many Ninja weapons in his arsenal, including the Ninja Sword, smoke-bombs, chain sickles, and others. He mainly uses his sword, which got replaced by S. Ward Smith in "Sword Quest", while having different styled swords when he fights with two. His scarf has proven to be a helpful object as well, good for grabbing OBJECTS or using to SAVE himself from falling from a great height. Although ninjas are known to use stealth for their advantage, Randy doesn't seem to use this skill much, but has proven to be able to do it. He also has many different types of Ninja balls, including tripping balls, hot balls, and cold balls.
The Nomicon holds a section of "Forbidden Knowledge of the Shadow Warrior," which holds the ability of the Art of Healing, which Randy learned in "Dawn of the Driscoll", and possible future skills like the Art of Flying, the Art of Telepathy, and the Art of Invisibility. His first Ninja ability he uses was the Air Fist which allowed him to conjure a blast of compressed air and use it to strike enemies. This is arguably Randy’s signature attack since he used it more than once unlike the other ninja abilities he learned. Randy is able to use it defensively and offensively, but even though it is powerful, Randy uses it infrequently. After Randy threw the Ninja Mask in a fire to save Howard from the Tengu, he gained Ninja Rage, which he can now use fire-based powers like the Tengu Fireball. The online game Punchocalypse also has a Ninja Cold Rage, which gives him ice-based powers, so it can be assumed that Randy might earn this skill eventually. He learned the Art of Stealth to blend into his surroundings; essentially turn invisible. He also learned the Art of Disguise to change his appearance by manipulating his facial growth, and is able to use it to fight too when his body is stuck in a net during "Secret Stache". It also prevents him from revealing his identity when the mask is attempted to be taken off by McFist. In "Hip Hopocalypse Now", he learned how to use the Earth Attack by reciting a spell, creating a SAND worm and sand ninjas (which he calls sandjas). The sandjas helped him to execute the cyclone attack, destroying the sand worm into pieces. He later used the Earth Attack in "The Curse of Mudfart", to create Mudballs which were a rapid fire attack made from the muddy ground and were used against stanked Jason Myers. In "Happy Hanukkah, Howard Weinerman" Randy used the Ninja Hydro Hand to an attack/projectile-stopping palm it can immediately turn things into solid ice which Randy used to make the road slippery to escape a robot and he also used it so he could move an arcade game with ease with combination of Air Fist. Some other possible future skills he might learn is the Comet Sprint and the First Ninja's Nameless Dragon Move.
As revealed in "Ninja Camp", Randy's fighting skills are more honorable than Mac Antfee's dishonorable cheating. Also, he really doesn't want to hurt anyone who's smaller or younger than him as it wouldn't be a fair fight.
=== Willpower ===
Randy also has a very strong willpower. This was show several times as he resisted the possession of the Chaos Pearl when he held it despite it nearly taking over him when he used it to fight and almost kill Evil Julian while wearing the Ninja Suit at the time. He also resisted the Chaos Pearl he had when it literary controlled his dreams putting him in a dream-loop until he broke out of it.
===Intelligence===
Randy has shown that he can think on his feet proficiently and has displayed a well-developed common sense. Randy is intelligent and clever enough to FIGURE out what meaning lies behind the advice of the Nomicon, in part to his ability to figure out riddles, although sometimes the situation can help reveal it. Many times, though, he has proven to think of plans and actions on his own, whether he's fighting or trying to achieve something, like defeating the blob monster with lava from a volcano, stopping zombies by starting a vomit chain reaction, and even shooting a clock with a pencil eraser to change the time. Whenever he does something wrong, he usually recognizes that it was his fault and thinks of a way to fix it.
He claims to be good in solving riddles and was able to solve the puzzle leading to the doctor's notes in "The Tale of the Golden Doctor's Note".
He is shown on several occasions to be significantly smarter than Howard, often leading Randy to think up all the ideas, plans, and solutions to their problems, involving their grades and what their next move should be. However, Randy can either not think his plan through enough, or over complicate it to ridiculous heights. Not always are his choices the wisest, however, and sometimes he can cause greater problems, varying from on ACCIDENT to on purpose.
His grades in school are not very high, but it most likely is because he is lazy, as WELL as missing classes because he is shloomped in the NinjaNomicon or dealing with monsters and robots. He often displays a lack of thought in his actions, like when he writes that he's the Ninja all over his English ESSAY in "Last Stall on the Left". He even used mathematical equations to explain a situation in "Escape from Detention Island", likely meaning he does well at math, which brings more into question if he's smarter than everyone thinks, but just too unmotivated. He is also capable of being a great leader as he lead Howard and some of his classmates to battle the Halloweenjia.
===Physical Capabilities===
Although the Ninja Suit dramatically INCREASES Randy's physical attributes, he often proves he's quite physically capable. In "Night of the Living McFizzles" he proves strong enough to kick a door of its hinges, and lift Howard into the air with one hand. He's also able to carry Howard, and drag him across the floor with one leg in "Randy Cunningham and the Sorcerer's Key". In "The Tale of the Golden Doctor's Note" he shows he is very fast and agile, able to avoid the death traps in the old gym. He is also noticeably faster than Theresa, able to quickly over take her and pull her along when he started running in "Sorcerer in Love 2: The Sorceress's Revenge" Likewise he seems to have a very impressive stamina, as he was able to constantly travel to and from his HOUSE without even seeming tired upon arrival, in "Last Stall on the Left".
In "Randy Cunningham and the Sorcerer’s Key", it is revealed that despite being skinny, Randy is very strong. The same could be said for Howard in this episode, holding up one side of a monster without a Ninja Suit.
===Gaming Skills===
Randy is highly skilled at playing video games and he spends a sum amount of time at the arcade, along with HOWARD. He currently has the most high SCORES in Greg's Game Hole, only losing one title to Howard, which he purposely allowed to achieve the high score in order to save the town from a giant robot. Despite this skill, it is mentioned several times that Howard had beaten him in Grave Puncher. In "Swampy Seconds", Randy was able to drive a fan boat due to playing a Swamp Puncher game for an unspecific amount of hours.
=== Musical Skills ===
Randy can play the keytar as seen in "30 Seconds to Math". He played his keytar during a rehearsal in the closet of the school and used during the battle of the bands. It was used briefly at the end of "Hip Hopocalypse Now" It was used during a flashback in "Silent Punch, Deadly Punch"  it was seen in "Bring Me The Head of Ranginald Bagel!" It was used once more in "UnStank My Hart". Randy is also a pretty good singer, but he briefly had stage fright about rapping in the episode "Hip Hopocalypse Now".
=== Dark Magic ===
When Randy had a Chaos Pearl with him he was able to preform powerful dark magic. One of his abilities was to see another Chaos Pearl location through his, create a force-field (he created it too late), and use his power ball to control the residents of Norrisville when they drank the infected water. He was also able to fire lightning bolt-like energy blast that easily overpowered Evil Julian, cause an earthquake when they were fighting underground, levitate Evil Julian while blasting him, and almost killed Evil Julian by overloading his power ball. Despite wearing the Ninja Suit, which protects him from being stanked, it didn’t protect him from the possession of the Chaos Pearl, making his eyes glow green, and making him more reckless that endanger Howard.
==Weaknesses==
*Impulsiveness/Lack of Thought Before Action - Randy says whatever comes in his mind. This weakness is what sometime CAUSES more trouble than he is in like when he accidentally told Julian how to turn into a monster by bumness, or when  he accidentally summoned a gigantic earthworm after reciting the Earth ATTACK during a rap battle. This is especially obvious when he ignored the Ninja's warning about the Ultimate Lesson, and ended up mind-wiping himself. Usually, those mistakes were done by accident instead of being done on purpose.
*Overconfidence -Randy usually, but not always, taunts or look down on his enemies which sometimes causes him to lose a battle like when he fought against the Mexican Death Bear. This condition has improved and been toned down in more recent episodes.
*Vulnerability Against Distraction/Easily Distracted - Randy is often, though not always distracted by HOWARD and his wants allowing his enemies escape or attack more. This happened as Howard texted him,  and where he is RECEIVING a call from Howard. In some recent episodes, however, Randy is more focused, ignoring the distractions most of the TIME.
*Alektorophobia -Randy has alektorophobia, which is a fear of CHICKENS and roosters. The presence of chickens and/or roosters causes extreme uneasiness, anxiety, and fear, which paralyzes Randy enough for the opponents to get an upper hand. Even though Randy is scared of the latter, he knows a large amount of disturbing facts about them, which goes to the point that he will cry out of distress and terror. He embraces his fear and temporarily MANAGES to cooperate with a giant rooster, but he still shows sign fear of them. The origins of Randy's alektorophobia is unknown.
*Link to the Tengu: As seen in the episodes “ Evil Spirit Week” and "Randy Cunningham: 13th Century Ninja", the Tengu is connected with the Ninja, which means that they share the same strengths and weaknesses. If the Ninja should suffer an injury, the Tengu would suffer the same injury as well. The same would be the same in vice-verse. It has been theorized that if the Tengu were to be destroyed, then the Ninja Suit would lose all of its powers.
==Notable Possessions/Equipment==
* NinjaNomicon: The NinjaNomicon is Randy's guide to everything about being the ninja. When he first received it, he wasn't sure if it was important and necessary, but he quickly learned always to trust and respect it. The only disagreement Randy has with it is regarding HOWARD, because the Nomicon suggests that the ninja should not have a friend. When it glows or when Randy is in a situation, The Nomicon offers advice or proverbs which Randy does not understand and later see what it means. He usually carries it in his backpack or in his jacket, and while in the Ninja Suit, he carries it inside the suit. The Nomicon can teach Randy lessons and sometimes the knowledge has potential to SAVE his life. He sometimes hides it inside his math book to prevent unwanted attention toward it.
* Ninja Mask: The Ninja Mask is what Randy puts on to unleash the Ninja Suit, which possess all the power that Randy uses to defeat robots and stanked students, and the arsenal and gear he takes out of it. He usually puts the mask in his backpack, or the pockets on his jacket or jeans, or on one OCCASION, a speedo so that use he could use it when it is needed or there's an emergency.
* Ninja Suit: The Ninja Suit is the suit that possesses all the power that Randy uses to defeat robots and stanked students. Before Randy relieved the suit by the previous Ninja, he knew almost everything about it because he was a big fan of the ninja.
*Ninja Scarf: The Ninja Scarf is similar to a grappling hook which the Ninja can use to swing from one place to another place, or to grab his opponent.
*Ninja Sword: A SWORD that the Ninja can use. The  sword can also be dual used, using two swords at once. This is Randy's most used and, according to S. Ward Smith, the Ninja's swordsmith, his most powerful weapon if used properly. This is the first WEAPON Randy uses in the Title Sequence.
*Ninja Staff: revealed in "Shloomp! There it is!" it was used against Randy "in Howard's body" when NomiRandy took his body.
*Ninja Ukulele: It is revealed in "Ninjafan", and he seems to keep a Ukulele inside his suit.
*Ninja Eskrima: Twin-shaped weapon that used to block and counter attacks.
*Ninja Kamas: Twin, mini-scythes that are used to throw against the enemy.
*Ninja Manrikigusari: Twin-shaped weapon with a long chain.
*Ninja Nunchucks: Twin-shaped weapon that is used for attacking long or short distances.
*Ninja Ring: A disk-shaped weapon that is used as a shuriken.
*Ninja Sai: A dagger-shaped weapon with two cured prongs helps to block, stab, and pin the enemies.
*Ninja Scarf: The Ninja Scarf is similar to a grappling hook which the Ninja can use to swing from one place to another place, or to grab his opponent.
*Ninja Spikes: A retractable weapon that can be used for punching, kicking, climbing, and sneaking.
*Chain Sickle: A long chain with a sickle at the end. Randy often uses this weapon to kill multiple opponents at once or to use it against large enemies to hit them from afar. This is the second weapon Randy uses in the Title Sequence.
*Smoke-Bomb: A useful bomb for the Ninja to reappear and disappear with. Once in a while, the Ninja will have to restock them using the Stunk Pine.
*Ninja Balls: Small balls the Ninja can use to fight his enemies, like tripping balls and hot balls.
* McFist Industries Products: As Randy states, "We are McFist men from head to toe." Randy might be such a big FAN of the products either because it's just popular, or that he finds that there's something good about it. He states that as the ninja he is boycotting the merchandise but as Randy, he'll still be first in line to buy it. It doesn't mean he finds McFist any less bothersome, though.
* Grave Puncher Series: Randy is a big fan of Grave Puncher. He has posters of it covering some of the walls in his room. He and Howard completed the first three games together and were working on the fourth. They are even willing to break the rules for Grave Puncher, as shown when they try to get out of school to get the fifth, and sneak out of Howard's house to go WATCH "Grave Puncher: The Movie!" after making some dummies to fool Heidi. 
==Trivia==
*Originally, Randy was supposed to have red hair as seen on the show's Tumblr.
**Instead, his hair color ended up being used on Howard in the final concept as Howard was originally dark-haired.
*He and Howard have appeared in every episode.
*He lives in a suburban house in Norrisville.
*Very little has been revealed about Randy's family, let alone if they'll ever appear, but it's confirmed in "Stanks Like Teen Spirit" that Randy has more than one parent, although he's never mentioned his father while mentioning his mom a few times throughout the series.
*Shown in "McFear Factor", Randy has alektorophobia, the fear of chickens and roosters.
**Throughout the series, Randy is only seen crying once, which is when he stresses himself out by scaring himself by stating disturbing facts about chickens and roosters while being surrounded by them.
**In contrast, Randy was laughing at freeing the chickens while learning "Ninja Air Fist"
* A lot of the fans think Randy, Danny Phantom from Danny Phantom and Jake Long from American Dragon: Jake Long are alike and have many things in common like dark, spiky hair, only their friends and some family knowing about their alter ego, fighting evil, and usually NOT being the popular kids in school. Because of this, a lot of fans wrote fanfictions and drew fanart that included all three of them and called them the "Secret Trio".
** Some fans, in order to complete the trifecta of Disney, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network, occasionally include Juniper Lee (of The Life & Times of Juniper Lee) as a fellow secret warrior of the supernatural.
*Randy is similar to Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug from Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.
** Both main characters are in high school.
**Both wear red and black.
**Both solve their problems quickly.
**Both have a double life.
*Randy was originally voiced by James Arnold Taylor in the pilot and was set to voice him in the series but later replaced by Ben Schwartz.
== External Links ==
*
*
*
*
==Navigation==
Category:Ninjas
Category:Teenagers
Category:Male
Category:Cartoon Heroes
Category:Martial Artists
Category:The Chosen One
Category:Narrators
Category:Warriors
Category:Honorable
Category:The Messiah
Category:Legacy
Category:Keeper of Secret Identity
Category:Thrill-Seekers
Category:Brutes
Category:Protectors
Category:One-Man Army
Category:Protectors of Innocence
Category:TV Show Heroes
Category:Magic
Category:Comedy Heroes
Category:Superheroes
Category:Rescuers
Category:Vigilantes
Category:Elementals
Category:Monster Slayers
Category:Big Good
Category:Neutral Good
Category:Fantasy Heroes
Category:Selfless
Category:Famous
Category:Genius
Category:Fighters
Category:Contradictory
Category:Wise
Category:Possessed/Brainwashed
Category:In Love
Category:Possessors
Category:Heroes from the Past
Category:Dimwits
Category:Loyal
Category:Pacifists
Category:Supporters
Category:Inconclusive
Category:Healers
Category:Honest
Category:Dimension Travelers
Category:Self-Aware
Category:Optimists
Category:Chopsocky Heroes
Category:Damsels
Category:Reluctant Heroes
Category:Sophisticated
Category:Counter-Terrorists
Category:Defectors
Category:Alter-Ego
Category:Merciful
Category:Adventurers
Category:Titular
Category:Strong-Willed
Category:Localized Protection
Category:Archenemy
Category:Nemesis
Category:Charismatic
Category:Guardians
Category:Science Fantasy Heroes
Category:Hypnotists
Category:The Hero
Category:Arrogant
Category:Mischievous
Category:Tricksters
Category:Envious
Category:Control Freaks
Category:Successful
Category:Successors
Category:Passionate Learners
Category:Paranoid
Category:Sensational Six Heroes
Category:Stalkers
Category:Mythical
Category:Leaders