Quiz on Ninjas

Ninjas were covert warriors that originated in which country?

• Japan ✓ (Correct answer)
• China
• Korea
• Thailand

Source: The ninja, or shinobi, emerged in feudal Japan as covert agents, while China is the home of kung fu.

What is the name of a ninja's classic metal throwing star?

• Katana
• Bo staff
• Shuriken ✓ (Correct answer)
• Nunchaku

Source: 'Shuriken' means 'hidden hand blade' and was thrown mostly to distract, not usually to kill.

The word 'ninja' can also be read in Japanese as what?

• Samurai
• Shinobi ✓ (Correct answer)
• Sensei
• Sumo

Source: 'Shinobi' and 'ninja' are the same characters read two ways, meaning 'one who sneaks or endures.'

The four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are named after what?

• Roman emperors
• Greek gods
• Jazz musicians
• Renaissance artists ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael are all named after Renaissance masters.

Which hit anime follows a young ninja with a fox spirit sealed inside him?

• Naruto ✓ (Correct answer)
• Bleach
• One Piece
• Dragon Ball

Source: Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto is one of the best-selling manga ever, centered on a hidden ninja village.

Which Mortal Kombat ninja yanks foes in with a spear and shouts 'Get over here!'?

• Sub-Zero
• Reptile
• Scorpion ✓ (Correct answer)
• Raiden

Source: Scorpion's harpoon and battle cry made him Mortal Kombat's most iconic ninja.

A ninja's smoke bomb was used mainly to do what?

• Poison enemies
• Cover an escape ✓ (Correct answer)
• Signal allies
• Start large fires

Source: Ninja smoke bombs ('metsubishi') were about vanishing and escaping, not explosions.

The silent ninja commando Snake Eyes is a hero of which franchise?

• Transformers
• Power Rangers
• He-Man
• G.I. Joe ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: Snake Eyes, the wordless ninja, became G.I. Joe's breakout fan favorite.

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, what animal is the Turtles' ninja master?

• A rat ✓ (Correct answer)
• A cat
• A turtle
• A frog

Source: Master Splinter, the Turtles' sensei, is a mutated rat who learned ninjutsu from his owner.

What were the split-toe shoes traditionally worn by ninjas called?

• Geta
• Zori
• Tabi ✓ (Correct answer)
• Waraji

Source: Tabi, the split-toe footwear, gave ninjas grip and helped them climb almost silently.

Historical ninjas were most active during which era of constant civil war?

• Heian period
• Sengoku period ✓ (Correct answer)
• Edo period
• Meiji era

Source: Ninja thrived in the chaotic Sengoku 'Warring States' era, when spies were priceless.

Which dagger-like ninja tool was also used for digging and climbing?

• Tanto
• Sai
• Ono
• Kunai ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: The kunai began as a humble masonry trowel before becoming a ninja's multi-tool.

In Naruto, the title given to the leader of the hidden village is what?

• Hokage ✓ (Correct answer)
• Shogun
• Daimyo
• Sensei

Source: Naruto's lifelong dream is to become Hokage, the strongest ninja and village leader.

Which straight-bladed sword is popularly linked to ninjas despite weak historical proof?

• Katana
• Wakizashi
• Ninjato ✓ (Correct answer)
• Tanto

Source: The straight 'ninjato' is largely a modern movie invention; real ninja likely used ordinary swords.

The art known as 'ninjutsu' most accurately refers to what?

• Sword-fighting style
• Stealth and espionage ✓ (Correct answer)
• Empty-hand striking
• Meditation practice

Source: 'Ninjutsu' is the art of stealth and spying, not a flashy hand-to-hand fighting style.

Which two regions of Japan are the legendary homelands of the ninja?

• Kyoto and Nara
• Edo and Osaka
• Nagano and Gifu
• Iga and Koga ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: The Iga and Koga provinces were Japan's legendary twin cradles of the ninja.

Which brutally difficult action game series stars the ninja Ryu Hayabusa?

• Ninja Gaiden ✓ (Correct answer)
• Tenchu
• Sekiro
• Mark of the Ninja

Source: Ryu Hayabusa's punishing Ninja Gaiden games are a benchmark for ninja action.

Historians believe throwing stars were used mainly to do what?

• Deliver fatal blows
• Cut ropes
• Slow or distract enemies ✓ (Correct answer)
• Signal allies

Source: Far from instant-kill weapons, shuriken mostly slowed pursuers and bought time to escape.

Tarantino named which film's master swordsmith after real ninja Hattori Hanzo?

• Pulp Fiction
• Kill Bill ✓ (Correct answer)
• Django Unchained
• Reservoir Dogs

Source: Kill Bill's legendary blade-maker borrows his name from the historical ninja Hattori Hanzo.

Which warlord crushed the Iga ninja clans in his 1581 invasion?

• Tokugawa Ieyasu
• Toyotomi Hideyoshi
• Takeda Shingen
• Oda Nobunaga ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: Warlord Oda Nobunaga devastated the Iga ninja in 1581's brutal Tensho Iga War.