One of the best ninja characters in comics, TV, film, and video games is Batman. He may not scream “I’m a ninja” but his training definitely has a background in both the martial arts and shinobi realms. Batman then is an honorable mention for this list that doesn’t quite fit the more traditional ninja formulas.
The true entries offer a wide array of experiences though. Some names are classics that most video game fans will recognize while a few are a bit more on the obscure side. Known or not, these eight male and female shinobi are deadly, so it’s best not to mess with them.
8 Kisuke
There are two playable ninjas in the Metroidvania-like action RPG, Muramasa: The Demon Blade. Kisuke is a straight-up ninja while Momohime is more like a ninja princess in training. Both are deadly in combat thanks to their assortment of mystical blades infused with magic power.
They can do everyone from creating wind spirals to launch at enemies to vanquishing everyone in sight with the quick unsheathing of a blade. Both characters are ones that most would want to stay away from but Kisuke’s more classic style makes him the better pick for this list.
7 Hattori Hanzo
Hattori Hanzo is a reoccurring playable character in the Samurai Warriors series. Both Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors get a lot of flack for being repetitive hack-and-slash action games which cannot be denied. There can be fun in repetition, especially with a friend in co-op.
Getting back to Hanzo, there is no denying the strength of him or anyone else in these games as heroes can dispatch thousands of enemies without breaking a sweat. Hanzo isn’t very ninja-like in the game though which is why he’s more toward the top.
6 Yuffie Kisaragi
The Final Fantasy series loves ninjas from the classes in games like Final Fantasy Tactics to main characters. Edge and Shadow would have been good picks to bring up from the SNES era but there’s nothing like the spunky sass of Yuffie from Final Fantasy 7.
She didn’t get to shine much in her debut, but the remake’s DLC put a spotlight on her ninja skills. Now fans are dreaming of the day when Yuffie gets her own spinoff like her comrade Vincent did on the PS2. This female ninja has plenty of ninja weapons and magic to make short work of her enemies.
5 Ryu Hayabusa
Ryu Hayabusa is the most classic ninja in all of video game history. He got his start with the brutal Ninja Gaiden trilogy on the NES. Any ninja that can make it through those trials is godlike in nature. His successive trilogy made him even more badass, adding blood to the mix. It was a mature reboot for fans that grew up with this masked ninja. He’s a strong competitor in this ninja arena match for sure, but his skills did dip in the last entry and others have surpassed him since.
4 Jin Sakai
Jin Sakai is the hero from Ghost of Tsushima which walks a fine line between a ninja game and a samurai game. That’s part of Jin’s internal conflict in the story. Should he follow the path of the samurai and honorably face his enemies in battle or should he use stealthier measures to execute them in silence?
It’s a gameplay choice that does affect the narrative in small ways but it is more impactful in the ending sequence. Whether he follows the samurai path or the ninja one, Jin is a strong wielder of the blade.
3 Raiden
Raiden started as an enemy of the fans in this series. His bait and switch with Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2 created quite a controversy on PS2. He was a bit of a lame duck in that initial entry for sure but he became a cooler cyborg ninja in Metal Gear Solid 4.
He became even better when he got his own spinoff via Metal Gear Rising wherein he could dice enemies into tiny pieces. This included taking on mechs and giant bosses too. Raiden’s powers by the end of that spinoff rival that of the more classic ninja of that series, Gray Fox.
2 Wolf
The hero in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice goes by many names but Wolf is the more common one. This ninja lived through death and was revived with a replacement limb that serves as many tools throughout the player’s journey.
There is a hookshot ability along with a flamethrower. To survive, players must sneak around with Wolf as best they can. As a typical game developed by FromSoftware, it is a challenging adventure. Besides his blade and tools, Wolf can also come back from death as a gameplay mechanic which not many ninjas on here can brag about.
1 Scorpion
Scorpion beats out Wolf ever so slightly because he too has come back from death. He’s been revived out of the underworld many times over, mutating his once-toned ninja body down to a demonic skeleton.
It’s hard to pick a favorite ninja from Mortal Kombat since the series is practically bursting with them. Sub-Zero is a close second but Scorpion is the more classic pick. This is thanks in part to his iconic “Get over here!” scream as he pulls in opponents with a grappling dart.