Ninjutsu - Tumblr Posts
Ninja, Samurai, and Bushido are subject to a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings due to popular culture, both native and abroad of Japan.
Samurai is a noble military rank which carries with it obligations to lord, emperor, and society at large. These rules must be adhered to outwardly, at least, by a ranking Samurai to show loyalty to their lord, and not be a target of reprisals or investigation by their superiors.
Ninja are those who practice ninjutsu, which are the 'special skills' unique to certain clans. Such skills comprise military knowledge that special forces soldiers today would probably find very familiar. Ninja is more of a professional designation rather than a rank of sorts. A specialist, in a way, and that does not clash with the noble rank of Samurai that they may achieve in their life.
Bushido are the idealized values all warriors of Japan strive to achieve in their lives. Some scholars, if I'm not wrong, think that Bushido is a modern invention of popular culture trying to romanticize a brutal part of Japan's warring histories. I think that Bushido has always been present, but only codified through modern day popular thinking. Bushido is a way of life that any warrior should abide by. But as is often the case, life tends to make mock of Men's dreams.
Ninja, Samurai, and Bushido are different yet linked. A ninja could have the rank of samurai, but may or may not follow bushido.
Leonardo isn't a bad ninja. He is a practitioner of Ninjutsu (his profession), who adheres to Bushido (warrior values), and can only be a Samurai if he is born into a Samurai family (depending on Splinter's background), or bestowed the rank by a lord (hasn't happened yet in TMNT).
If Leo is a bad ninja, it just means he needs more training, rather than because of any samurai code he adheres to.
Leonardo (TMNT) is a bad ninja, and here’s why…
Wait, wait, wait, please hear me out!
Growing up I absolutely loved the turtles, but there was always something off about them as ninja, Leonardo in the TV shows and movies in particular, and I think it comes down to the writers not knowing the difference (or not knowing there IS a difference) between samurai and ninja.
They always have Leonardo spouting off about bushido and honor, facing their enemies head on in an honorable battle, things that only concern samurai. A ninja’s job is to sneak around gathering intelligence, to assassinate rather than fight, and to engage largely in sabotage and guerrilla warfare. None of these tasks align with bushido, nor are they considered honorable. Because of this, Leonardo’s beliefs could actually be putting his family of ninjas, who are at odds with a rival ninja clan, at risk.
As an example, in the 2003 series, Leonardo gives Karai numerous chances to end their feud, believing her to value bushido and honor as he does. It could be argued that these chances he gave Karai caused his family more pain in the long run, as she continued to seek revenge throughout most of the series. I just think if Leonardo truly were a ninja, he would have disposed of her as soon as she became a threat to him and his family.
If anyone is interested in learning more about the difference between samurai and ninja, Shogo from Let’s ask Shogo does a pretty good introduction video about them:
TL;DR: Leo is more of a samurai at heart, than a ninja. And if you have a samurai lead a ninja clan against another ninja clan, you’re going to have a bad time.
Curious to know what others in the fandom think?
motivation hits different when its from guy sensei 🐢
