h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've resisted reading this article because I didn't want to experience disappointment yet again.

Did ninjas exist? Yes
Were they Robin Hoods? Definitely not
Were they in any way magical? Not hardly
Did ninjas start out as extremely skilled fighters? No

I seriously resist the statement about: The roots of this practice are often placed in the mountains of central Honshu, and attributed to a...

The origins of the ninjas were formed, as with most every other illegal trade, from a desire to raise money. The first ninjas were fishermen who were suffering economic hardship from reduced catches, conscription into service, being low on the socio-economic ladder, etc.

Needing to feed their families, strong and quick men were selected to hire themselves out as assassins, which then required that they be banished from their families because the trade was dishonorable (except for the money they could send back). They literally turned to crime because they saw no other choice open to them, given Japan's highly segregated cast system.

Ninjas were not considered much different then the outcasts who held such positions as executioners, butchers, tanners, or undertakers, and forced to live in the untouchables ghettos.

The whole thing with stylized warrior ware and training Ryu started much, much later, and never rose to the sophistication of the pop-culture mythos built around it. They may have absorbed parts of bushido and sought to raise their stature, but how do you raise your stature if you're committing acts of murder for money and can't admit to your work?

Just thought that I should clear that up.