Top 10 Most Deadly Ninja Weapons
Have you ever asked yourself: what weapons did ninjas use? There have been many brutally effective ninja tools used throughout history, from the blowgun referred to as the Fukiya, the Bo staff, battle rings called Kakute or the weighted chain referred to as the Kusari-fundo. Each of these brutally effective ninja weapons was used for espionage, sabotage, assassination and guerrilla warfare in feudal Japan. WatchMojo counts down ten of the most iconic ninja weapons.
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A ninja must use whatever tool is at his or her disposal and turn it into a deadly weapon. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Iconic Ninja Weapons. For this list, we’ll be looking at weapons that ninjas actually used and that have become popular in movies, anime, and pop culture.
#10: Tekko-Kagi
We’ve all seen how much damage an angry Canadian mutant can do with metal claws. Now imagine them – or something similar anyhow - in the hands of a highly trained, and highly skilled ninja. Originally, they were harvesting tools used by farmers, but ninjas saw their devastating potential. Tekko-kagi were good defensively and could easily block incoming attacks, and were used to ensnare an opponent’s sword to disarm them. They also allowed for natural hand movements, which meant a ninja could move faster and easily deal damage. Anyone who came across a ninja armed with these bad boys were in for a world of trouble!
#9: Kusari-Fundo
This weighted chain may be simple, but it was a wholly effective weapon. It was mainly used in defensive maneuvers by entangling opponents in a variety of ways, and disarming an opponent. It was also good at causing a great deal of pain as being whipped or strangled by a chain doesn't exactly tickle, and the weight was used to hit pressure points. The kusari-fundo was easily concealed so they were essential for ninjas who didn’t want to attract too much attention. They were especially popular in Japan during the times when people weren’t allowed to carry swords, so ninjas used kusari-fundo to help level the playing field.
#8: Bō
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Here's one of the first weapons a ninja learns to yield, and one that has been used since written history began. The bo staff may look innocent, but the six foot tall staff was a great defensive tool and was especially deadly in the hands of a ninja. When not being used in combat, it could even be used as a walking stick. The ninja weren’t the only ones to yield the bo staff; it was also very common for monks and pilgrims to carry it too. It became popular in the 1600s when commoners were banned from owning weapons. They improvised and turned farm tools into a version of the bo staff that would become part of Japanese martial arts.
#7: Kakute
More than just a fashion statement, these battle rings were primarily designed to grab and hold onto an opponent and to hit his or her pressure points. The rings were usually worn on the middle finger or thumb with the blades pointed towards the palm. They were easy to hide and were favored by Kunoichi or female ninjas that relied on hidden weapons and focused on hand-to-hand combat. A kunoichi could use a kakute on an opponent’s neck in a stealth attack and the point could be laced with poison to ensure it was deadly. Ninjas sometimes wear multiple kakute so that their punches will do more damage, in a manner that’s similar to brass knuckles but even more painful.
#6: Kama
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The kama can be described as the sinister curved blade of the Grim Reaper meeting the efficiency of the ninja, which makes it truly a weapon forged in nightmares. Kamas were originally used to cut grass and reap crops. But when commoners were banned from owning weapons, they had to improvise, just like they did with the bo staff. The kama was good defensively, but if a ninja wanted to go on an all-out offensive attack, two kamas were better than one. Basically a ninja would arc and slash with his kamas while running toward his opponent - scary, deadly, and efficient. You might recognize the kama from “Battle Royale,” since it was assigned to Mitsuko, one of the more enthusiastic killers in the film.
#5: Fukiya
Imagine this - you are innocently walking through a forest and suddenly you feel a sharp pinch in your neck, and then nothing. You wake up a few hours later wondering, “what the hell was that?” Well, you have been hit by a dart shot from a fukiya, the blowgun favored by the ninja. The fukiya of that past was a very simple bamboo tube that could also be used as a snorkel so a ninja could hide and breathe underwater. It was a perfect stealth weapon since it was small, easy to conceal, and quiet. If not being used to distract, the dart tips were covered in a strong poison so a ninja could quickly take out an enemy before he or she had the chance to raise the alarm.
#4: Kusarigama
Remember the kama – and the kusari-fundo? Well, ninjas decided to take each one of these a step further… by putting them together! There were different tactics available to the wielder of a kusarigama. The ninja could use the chain to ensnare the opponent and then use the sickle as a follow-up move. The ninja could also swing the sickle by the chain like a deadly lasso, effectively keeping distance between themselves and their opponents. The kusarigama definitely gets style points for being an efficient deadly weapon. You definitely wouldn’t want to face off against someone with one.
#3: Kunai
The kunai started out as an innocent gardening tool, but since they could be cheaply made and were found all over, ninjas turned them into a useful weapon. Kunai had many uses for a ninja on the prowl; they could be thrown for long-range combat, used in short-range combat, and could be used as a climbing tool. Kunai take a lot of skill to wield. Ninja would have to train tirelessly to master the art, and even though Lee Christmas makes it look easy, we would not recommend kunai throwing at home.
#2: Metsubushi
No, this isn’t the car dealership, but the pepper spray of the shinobi world. Metsubushi was a powder that was used to blind an opponent, giving the ninja time to flee or even kill. The powder could be composed of flour, ashes, pepper, sand, dust and/or other things you wouldn’t want in your eyes. There were a few ways of delivering metsubushi. A popular method was storing the powder in a hollowed egg that was wrapped in paper. The egg would then be crushed and the powder dispersed. Another method included a box with a blowing hole and outlet. Alternately, ninjas could also keep the powder in the sheath of their swords so that they would be ready for any surprise attacks that might come their way.
#1: Shuriken
No ninja arsenal is complete without a shuriken. The term shuriken refers to a variety of throwing weapons. The word shuriken literally translates to “sword hidden in user's hand.” The shuriken that has become most associated with the ninja is the hira-shuriken, which resembles a star and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Shuriken were used as a distraction tool, forcing an enemy to dodge, while giving the ninja an opportunity to strike. That being said, a fully trained ninja could do some serious damage with a well-aimed shuriken and had the potential to be deadly. Did you agree with our list? Which ninja tool would be your weapon of choice? For more deadly top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
