Notes on Ninja Clans and History

Ninja are often associated with different clans. Each clan has different practices and specializations, though in the modern era most of them are at least neutral with each other. This relative peace means that although some of them don't get along there are not many battles between them.

Ninja Clans often differ with what types of Ninja there are, but there are three main categories that they may reflect. Note that some reflect more than one of these three main types:

* Traditional Ninja: A Mix of stealth and combat! Often wear blue.
* New Age Ninja: New age battle ninja who focus on Magical Ninjutsu
* Theater Ninja: Performance artists, sometimes flashy sometimes stealth.

Traditional Ninja being the oldest clan before the advent of Magical Ninjutsu. Some argue when Theater Ninja came into being.

Each of these three types often have their own way about doing things. Traditional Ninja often favoring stealth work, they keep many of the old practices alive though teaching and demonstrations. Magical Ninja have will sometimes follow their stealth roots, however sometimes they also do other work. Theater Ninja will sometimes find work in many civilian settings, from stagehand work to owning full restaurants.

Differences between the different clans are often a point of contention, leading some of the clans to feud. Sometimes these can be small things, such as the traditional Ninja favoring blue gi, while the theater ninja favor black gi. Other times the differences can be bigger differences of ninja political opinion. Some of these range from opening Ninja villages to trade or even revealing themselves to the public. Most ninja clans will often stay together, with some even being nomadic.

Ninja history can be difficult to ascertain due to the rather hidden nature of many ninja clans however some things can be pieced together from what is known.

The first people to experiment with Ninja like techniques during the era before ability users. It would be during the ancient times when someone wielding traditional ninja like teachings would be found. Even then there was a divide between ninja who wished to be hidden and those that didn't. It is thought these are the early precursors to Theater Ninja. During the Era of Myth magical powers were discovered by a few ninja, until practicing Ninja monks began to discover Ninja Magic. Tales tell of those using ninja magic and traditional ninjutsu but traditional ninjutsu and techniques were more prevalent. The Dark Era marked a waring time for Ninja, where some of the clans split and became separate. It is said that during this time many Ninja discovered the secrets of magical ninjutsu and created the ninja clans that specialize in that to this day. It is unknown when the Theater Ninja became a new category, however by the Era of Light all three types existed. Though mentioned as separate, it is important to note that some ninja clans display qualities of more than one or all three. During the Era of Light Ninja were first classified officially as ability Users and they began to interact more directly with ability users. In the modern era ninja now exist as myths and real paradoxically at the same time.