The stealthy Ninja in popular culture are known for their mastery of the shadows, often using darkness and mobility to outpace their opponents and strike before getting caught. This penchant for mobility and stealth may have been the reason for their migration beyond the realm of action games and into roleplaying games, most of the time as a playable class that characters can transition into for a more enjoyable experience.

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However, beyond modern MMOs that made the Ninja into a staple fast-paced combatant, are traditional RPGs that bank on the character's stealth to get the jump on enemies. Certain RPGs also have a memorable take on the Ninja Class that sets them apart from modern iterations of the famed profession.

8 Tales Of The World: Radiant Mythology 3

GameFAQs: 4.24/5

The resident Ad Libitum guild once again becomes the world’s first line of defense against ancient threats, with Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 exploring mysterious red smoke from the World Tree that alters the forms of creatures. Players remain capable of acquiring the Ninja Class for their characters, maintaining its stats as an Advanced Class. Thanks to the game’s Flex Range Linear Motion Battle System, players playing as Ninjas can enjoy high-speed gameplay with a penchant for fast but sneaky attacks.

Capable of wielding swords and daggers, the Ninja’s Artes in Radiant Mythology 3 take cues from its thematic inspiration. On top of fast-paced combos and head-on burst attacks, the Ninja can teleport to create distance as well as integrate teleports and jumps to add mobility to multi-directional Artes.

7 Shining Force: The Legacy Of Great Intention

Metascore: 84

Classic RPGs like Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention focus less on dynamic classes and instead attach them to characters with personalities, as is the case with its Ninja Hanzou. Being a hidden character, players need to follow certain steps for protagonist Max to recruit Hanzou into the Shining Force in their fight to stop the Dark Dragon’s resurrection. While the game lacks a compelling narrative with its straightforward story, Hanzou represents the dynamic nature of Shining Force.

Unlike Ninjas in other games that excel in the speed department, Hanzou is more of a jack-of-all-trades. Hanzou possesses the lowest Attack among melee fighters, making him less than ideal for the frontlines. However, the Ninja possesses enough MP to offer enough spells to make him a sub-support mage. Players who find the game’s spellcasters too spongy may see Hanzou as a decent substitute, especially with his Attack and Defense making him a more combat-worthy mage.

6 Disgaea 7: Vows Of The Virtueless

Metascore: 84

While the Disgaea title maintains the signature comedic fantasy appeal of the franchise, the Ninja’s depiction in Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless may be its most flexible version due to the game’s numerous mechanics, such as giant modes via Jumbification, innate Evility passives, and hereditary Ninja Arts. Unlike its other versions where the Ninja is an Advanced Class unlocked through progress in other Classes, the Disgaea 7 Ninja is unlocked through a quest.

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Moreover, its male Ninja and female Kunoichi counterparts have various specializations surrounding mobility. Whereas the Kunoichi excels in raising her SPD to such an extent that she can “tank” by dodging attacks, the Ninja’s mobility enables them to burst-attack foes. As with their older counterparts, both the Ninja and Kunoichi can “evolve” into stronger Advanced Classes, eventually becoming the Shadow Master (Ninja) and the Master Kunoichi (Kuunoichi).

5 Suikoden 3

Metascore: 86

Unlike other Suikoden titles, the Trinity Sight System of Suikoden 3 tells its story from the perspective of three protagonists who can recruit Ayame during the War of the Champions. Assigned as the Chikou Star, Ayame is affiliated with the Kage Ninjas, who participated in the Higheast Rebellion against the Highland Kingdom.

While players can have both Ninjas in their party, Ayame and Watari boast similar long-distance movesets. Due to the game’s focus on recruiting multiple characters to build a team’s overall strength, players can tailor-fit the Ninjas to suit various needs. Equipping both with the Hunter Rune and maxing out Accuracy and Swing should allow them to farm for more powerful weapons quickly, while using the Shrike Rune on Ayame can empower her Double-Strike to dish out more damage.

4 Fire Emblem Fates

Metascore: 87

In Fire Emblem Fates where the kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr wage war in a world populated by dragons, the Japan-inspired Hoshido can field Ninjas as part of its war effort. Unlike other games where Ninjas are often specialized classes, the Ninja in Fire Emblem Fates is a reinterpretation of the classic Thief in the Fire Emblem franchise. Moreover, as the Hoshido’s version of the Cavalier Class, the Ninja is characterized by relatively low Strength, Defense, and Health, but more than makes up for it with immense Speed.

Due to the tactics-heavy nature of the Fire Emblem franchise, players who support the Ninja properly can reap tremendous benefits. Their high Speed can trigger double attacks and easier application of debuffs. Moreover, their high Resistance allows them to tank magical attacks, allowing them to kill magic users much faster. When in tandem with the tanky Oni Savage, the Ninja may be able to debilitate enemy forces.

3 Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

Metascore: 88

Set in a turbulent civil war in the archipelago of Valeria, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together allows characters in the player’s faction to become the Ninja and eliminate foes quickly and behind enemy lines. Such mobility is thanks in part to their high Move rating even in elevation, as well as decent Recovery Time that usually allows them to move much earlier in the game’s Non-Alternate Turn System.

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Unique to the Ninja is the Ninjutsu skillset, consisting of thematic abilities that fit the Class’s stealthy nature. While its slate of damaging abilities isn’t as potent as the game’s usual magic spells, its buffs and debuffs transform the Ninja into a sub-support unit. Should they unlock their Steelstance, which reduces damage by half, the Ninja can easily become the game’s strongest melee class.

2 Final Fantasy Tactics: The War Of The Lions

Metascore: 88

While the Ninja has been a staple Job throughout the Final Fantasy series, one of its most versatile iterations would be in Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. In this retelling of one of Ivalice’s historic events, the Ninja is the game’s fastest Job, boasting the highest C-EV (Character Evasion) stat alongside the ability to equip two weapons at the same time. Their specialization as mobile burst attackers makes them extremely weak, requiring support to aid their survivability.

With their Throw Skill, Ninjas can make more effective use of disposal items in the inventory for long-distance attacks. Not only that, using the right Cloak can make them nigh-impossible to hit. Moreover, their flexibility gives them a lot of room to accommodate other Jobs with their extra commands, such as the Chemist’s Item now letting Ninjas heal at a distance with Throws, or the Thief’s Steal for near-perfect item acquisition.

1 Golden Sun

Metascore: 91

In a bid to stop the release of Alchemy to the plane world of Weyard, the Psynergy Adepts of Golden Sun use their natural elemental connections and pure elemental Djinn to unleash powerful abilities. However, attuning to a specific combination of Djinn can set characters to a Class Series, adding a new layer to gameplay with stat enhancements and ability sets. One such Class Series is the Ninja, with its Master stage capable of achieving the highest AGI of any Class and the second-highest ATK among its counterparts.

As with other Ninja in different RPGs, the Golden Sun Ninja is a reliably quick character that usually hits first. However, the addition of element prerequisites also gives the Ninja access to some of the game’s most offensive toolkits, allowing it to dish out heavy damage to multiple targets at once. Its lack of any defensive support means other party members need to secure the Ninja’s overall survivability.

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