Dragon Ninja

The **Dragon Ninja** is a title given to the head of the Hayabusa Ninja Clan and wielder of the Dragon Sword. Part of the lineage known as the Dragon Lineage, they’re tasked with battling evil fiends and keeping Vazdah sealed away.

## History

In the ancient era of myths and legends, the Evil Deities had returned in the wake of the Dark Dragon's chaos and mixed their essences with the bloodlines of the entire human race, enslaving mankind and creating a new race of Fiends. Most of the ancient humans were awed by the Evil Deities and revered them as gods, but one tribe rose up against their Fiendish masters and sided with the Heavenly Dragons, against the Dark Dragon and the Evil Deities. Descendents of this rebellious tribe would later be known as the Dragon Lineage.

As the Dragons departed the mortal realm, they blessed the strongest warrior of the Dragon Lineage with one of their own fangs. This fang, imbued with the souls, essence and spiritual powers of the 12 Dragons lead to the creation of the Dragon Sword, a heavenly weapon that would be responsible for the deaths of evil beings too numerous to count. The warrior's physical strength, vigorous spirit and profieciency of technique allowed him to wield the Dragon Sword's immense divine power, upon receiving it his blood was infused with those of the Dragons, allowing only him and descendants of his bloodline to wield the Dragon Sword. With the Dragon Sword he slew the Dark Dragon, and afterwards began a legacy of warriors who would descend from his lineage known as the Dragon Lineage bloodline, each descendant would carry the Dragon Sword, vowing to carry on the duties of the departed Dragons.

Though the Dragon Lineage had managed to slay the Dark Dragon, the rest of the humans race were still slaves to their Fiendish overlords. Without an enemy to face, the tribes of Fiends had been fighting amongst themselves in a bid for domination, causing great suffering upon the human race caught in the chaos, as the destructive battles turned the earth into a hell. The Fiend Tribes were ultimately united when the most powerful of the Evil Deities known as the Archfiend, forced them all into his horde of minions. The Dragon Lineage battled this horde of Evil Deities, their Fiends and the human tribes under their rule. This conflict extended for tens of thousands of generations.

Greatly outnumbered, the remaining Dragon Lineage warriors began employing guerrilla tactics, striking from the shadows. Eventually the Dragon Lineage survivors, those who were directly descended from the great warrior who slew the Dark Dragon, became the Dragon Ninja. Unlike their future ninja counterpart, the Dragon Ninja mostly fought armies head on and out in the open; employing the occasional stealth, sabotage and assassinations of rulers upon the fiends. Eventually the great conflict ended when the Dragon Ninja sealed away the Archfiends and their spawn to eternal slumber in the underworld.

The humans now free from Fiendish rule began determining their own destinies, as generations of Dragon Ninja safeguarded the world from the shadows, forever vigilant. Possessing supernatural strength, speed, and agility, the Dragon Ninja were feared and revered throughout history.

The Dragon Ninja inhabited the Aokigahara forests of Mt. Fuji, near where their ancestors had sealed away the Archfiend to the underworld millenias ago. There they struck down the malevolent supernatural forces who occasionally haunted the forests. Overtime the Dragon Ninja settled there and aligned themselves with the Hayabusa Spirit, adopting it as their guardian animal they formed the Hayabusa Ninja Clan.

Time passed and in the late 16th century came the arrival of famed samurai lord Oda Nobunaga, who as powerful as he was feared the demonic creatures that dwelled in the Aokigahara forests. Lord Nobunaga, who had earlier decimated the Ninja of Iga province, now sought to ally himself with the Hayabusa Ninja Clan lead by the Dragon Ninja Shunden. After their meeting Nobunaga shook hands with Shunden and ordered the construction for the Castle of the Dragon. The Dragon Ninja now had a fortified base of operations, from which they could continue their struggle against malevolent supernatural beings where ever they may surface.

## Known Dragon Ninjas

* Jô Hayabusa
* Ryu Hayabusa

## References

1. ↑ *Ninja Gaiden 3: Unmasked Art Book*
2. ↑ "However, in that age of chaos all of the bloodlines of Ancient tribes were mixed and the form and nature of the Ancients has been carried on by us, the Fiends." -The Book of the Fiends
3. ↑ "Their strength drained by the evil of the Dark Dragon, the remaining dragons placed their last hope in the hands of the humans in the form of one of their own fangs." -Intro, Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
4. ↑ Muramasa: "But she bores the Dragon Sword, How? Only those with Dragon blood in their veins can wield that blade"
Ryu Hayabusa: "They took my blood, and the Dragon Sword" -Ryu Hayabusa/Muramasa cutscene Day 8, Ninja Gaiden 3
5. ↑ "Its amazingly sharp blade, carved from the fang of an ancient Dragon, is responsible for the deaths of evil beings too numerous to count. As long as the sword remains on this earth, it may only be wielded by a descendant of the Dragon Lineage bloodline." -Dragon Sword, Ninja Gaiden 2
6. ↑ "The bearer of this divine weapon must possess the physical strength, vigorous spirit, and proficiency of technique necessary to wield it properly." -True Dragon Sword, Ninja Gaiden 2
7. ↑ "Thus was born the Dragon Sword, a formidable weapon inhabited by the very essence of the powers of the dragons. It was with this sword that the humans were able to defeat the Dark Dragon." -Intro, Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
8. ↑ "Among the strongest of mankind, Dragons’ blood courses through their veins. Members of this bloodline, the Dragon Lineage, have vowed to stay vigilant and protect our world from the threat of the Archfiends." -Ninja Gaiden 2 instruction booklet"
9. ↑ "Eventually, the tension between the four Fiend Rulers turned into a fierce battle. The world was plunged into chaos, as though Hell had erupted upon Earth. This infernal conflict drew the attention of one of the Archfiends, known as Vazdah. Slowly, he arose from his deep slumber to glimpse at the commotion. Lord Vazdah's eyes opened upon a man, a lone human who plummeted into the abyss of the Archfiend's stare." -The Four Greater Fiends, Part 2, Ninja Gaiden 2
10. ↑ "The Dragon Lineage and Archfiends continued their battle for tens of thousands of generations, a struggle that finally ended when the members of the Dragon Lineage were able to seal away the Archfiends and their spawn." -The Vigoor Mythology, Ninja Gaiden 2
11. ↑ "I expected nothing less from a Dragon Ninja. Long ago your ancestors imprisoned the Archfiend deep within this mountain, now that job is up to you" -Muramasa, Ninja Gaiden 2
12. ↑ "Known as the Hayabusa Ninja Clan, these decendants of the Dragon Lineage had long lived in these woods, slaying the evil spirits that dared to show themselves in the sacred lands of Fuji. -History of the Castle of the Dragon, Ninja Gaiden 2
13. ↑ "Lord Nobunaga, he who challenged the heavens for control of the land, ordered that a stronghold be contructed at the height of the hallowed mountain. Lord Nobunaga, he who decimated the Ninja province of Iga, now sought the support of a select group of Ninja. In these times of civil war, even the most powerful feared the creatures that dwelt in the deep forests of Fuji." -History of the Castle of the Dragon, Ninja Gaiden 2
14. ↑ "Thus, the Castle of the Dragon was conceived: an impenetrable fortress to quell the threatening evil. The leader of the Hayabusa Clan, Shunden, shook hands with Lord Nobunaga and promised it's construction. The castle was built, a strong face to stare down the evil menace. Thus history recorded this event shortly before the incident at Honno-ji that cost Lord Nobunaga his life." -History of the Castle of the Dragon, Ninja Gaiden 2