Ninji

"I am the darkness!"

- Ninji

Ninjis are black and star-shaped devil-like creatures that first appeared as enemies in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, whose manual states they are said to haunt the dreams of NES players. Their appearance in the international release, Super Mario Bros. 2, marked their main series debut.

Ninjis were originally portrayed with red teeth and clawed feet in artwork, but later appearances remove their claws and replace their teeth with round buttons. Their large eyes are also made rectangular, closer resembling eyeholes in a stereotypical ninja costume. Current depictions, such as their Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam appearance, show their "pupils" blinking, implying they are now the true eyes, and the sclerae are white skin under a black costume, though this may also be a cartoon effect.

Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic / Super Mario Bros. 2
Ninjis first appear in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic and Super Mario Bros. 2. In this game, Ninjis serve Wart, a mischievous frog-like monster who had seized control of the dream world known as Subcon. There are two types of Ninji: the first type charges at the player, suddenly jumping as it approaches; the second type remains in one place and jumps up and down. Ninjis are depicted as purple instead of black in Super Mario All-Stars, BS Super Mario USA and Super Mario Advance. Big Ninjis also appear as somewhat rare enemies in Super Mario Advance. Big Ninjis only jump in place. Like most enemies in Super Mario Bros. 2 and its remakes, all variations of Ninjis can be picked up and thrown at other enemies to defeat them. Big Ninjis yield a Heart if they are thrown to the ground or defeated.

Super Mario World
Ninjis also appear in Super Mario World, where they are known as Mini-Ninjas and are said to have been driven mad by their isolation in Bowser's Castle. They only appear in the Front Door and Back Door courses, where they blend in the darkness and are difficult to see unless the searchlight is activated, which may be why they used said tricolor sprites. They jump in place and can be defeated with stomps, fireballs, or a cape attack. They are one of the few enemies not seen in the credits.

Despite using their previous 8-bit sprites, the artwork for this game reinterprets their red spots as buttons, while previously they had been depicted as parts of the creature's mouth. This interpretation is used for all further depictions, including reissues of Super Mario Bros. 2, despite not looking like the sprites in that game.

Super Mario Run
Ninjis appear as an enemy in Super Mario Run for mobile devices, acting similarly to how they did in Super Mario Bros. 2; jumping periodically in one place. Their running variants do not appear. They appear in the levels Airship Cannons...Fire!, Firing the Airship's Burners, Throwing It All Overboard, and Airship Armada. Their design in this game is similar to their Super Mario Bros. 2 or Super Mario World sprites, but with a chubbier body similar to their Super Mario Advance artwork.

Super Mario Maker 2
While Ninjis do not appear as usable enemies in Super Mario Maker 2, the Ninji Speedruns mode introduced in version 2.0 uses Ninji Ghosts to represent other players in speedrun competitions of uploaded levels. If the player representing the Ninji is riding a Yoshi, it will appear to ride a green car. Beating the levels rewards the player's Mii with Ninji-themed clothing. Additionally, during the initial playthrough of a level, a Ninji labeled Ninji Recon gives the player advice. Several Ninji Ghosts can also occasionally be seen in the background on the main Course World menu. Starting in version 3.0, Ninji Ghosts also represent other players’ progress in a Super World.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Despite appearing prominently in its opening sequence, Ninjis only appear once in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, in the episode "Karate Koopa", where they aid Karate Koopa in his plan to capture Princess Toadstool and sell her into slavery for a fortune. Somewhat parodying their namesake, they are skilled in hand-to-hand combat and speak in thick Japanese accents.

Super Mario World television series
In the Super Mario World animated series, Ninjis (here referred to as "Mini-Ninjas") appear only in the episode "The Yoshi Shuffle" as spectators to Yoshi and Mario's football game against Bully, Big Mouth and Cheatsy and several Koopa Football Players in the Neon Castle. Here, they are brown in color, have red teeth, distinct fingered hands, and stubby feet without claws.

Super Mario-Kun
Ninjis make a few appearances throughout Super Mario-Kun. Not only are they in arcs dealing with Super Mario Bros. 2, they have appeared in the first few volumes, which deal mostly with Super Mario World. Their depiction in this appearance is used in some later artwork.

Nintendo Comics System
In Nintendo Comics System, Ninjis only make minor appearances, with one appearing in the background of the story The Legend, while several, having been beaten senseless by a sleepwalking Mario who believes himself to be Dirk Drain-Head, appear in Bedtime for Drain-Head.

Nintendo Adventure Books
In Doors to Doom, a couple of Ninjis, calling themselves the 'Right & Wrong Brothers', can be found serving as the guardians to the first gates to Wart's lair, where one of them always tells the truth and one always lies. They are guarding two doors; Mario and Luigi must figure out the right question to ask them in order to find out which of the two doors is the correct one that leads to Wart. Also, there are other Ninjis mentioned when the brothers are journeying through Subcon.

In Unjust Desserts, some Ninji are shrunk by Magikoopa and eaten by Yoshi, though Mario never encounters any in the dinosaur's body, only in the palace garden.

In Brain Drain, if Luigi (who has had his mind switched with a Koopa Troopa's due to the Synapse Switcher) gets a serving of gooey rations in the cafeteria of Iggy Koopa's base, a Ninji he sits beside tells him that the gray gunk is better than the blue. Some Ninjis are also spotted loitering around the WMUSH radio station when Iggy takes it over.

Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up
A Ninji makes a small cameo in the coloring book game Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up, on the Veterinarian page.

Super Mario Adventures
In Super Mario Adventures, spear-wielding Ninjis make several appearances, first appearing in the siege of Princess Toadstool's castle. Ninjis also appear when Princess Toadstool attempts to escape her confinement in the Koopalings' tower, aiding Wendy O. Koopa and a brigade of Koopa Troopas in stopping her escape. Later, a Ninji, apparently buying a camera from Friendly Floyd, appears at Bowser's wedding to Princess Toadstool.

Hotel Mario
The Ninjis in Hotel Mario are called Mini Ninjas. They routinely look left and right before hopping in one direction.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong, a toy version of the Ninji appears, based on the second type in its debut appearance.

Mario Party Advance
In Mario Party Advance, an individual Ninji lives on the first floor of Horror Condo.

Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, several Ninjis live in Starborn Valley and act as the caretakers of the Star Kids. After Chapter 6, Mario meets a Ninji at Merlon's house who tells him to go to Starborn Valley.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
After a long absence, Ninjis appear again in Paper Mario: Sticker Star. They only appear in World 3, and are the weakest enemy that can be encountered in the forest, being only slightly stronger than Goombas. Despite this, Ninjis are still aggressive and chase Mario if they should see him. In the overworld, Ninjis tend to hide in the poisoned waters or trees of the forest levels, much like the Bzzaps! in Paper Mario.

In battle, a Ninji can either turn itself into a throwing star and hurl itself at Mario, or it can just run up to Mario and slam him. Mario must watch the positions of Ninjis, as they are one of the few enemies that can dodge Mario's attacks (the others being Paragoombas, Shiny Paragoombas and the Wiggler Segments). If they are jumping, they cannot be hammered, and if they are standing still, they cannot be jumped on. If Ninjis are hit with the 'wrong' attacks, they disappear in a cloud of smoke and leave a log (also known as a decoy) behind, causing the attack to miss; they then run back into battle while falling from the top screen. This may cause Mario to fall on his face. Ninjis can be hit with the Hurlhammer sticker even when they're jumping, but this means that the player has to have good timing for the hit to land. They can also dodge Shell sticker attacks if they are jumping. If Ninjis are sleeping, crumpled, stopped or dizzy, they are not able to dodge Mario's jump attacks. Sometimes after battle, a Ninji may occasionally drop a Throwing Star sticker when defeated.

Paper Mario: Color Splash
Ninjis return in Paper Mario: Color Splash keeping their appearance from the previous game. Unlike in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Ninjis cannot dodge jump attacks, though they still dodge hammer attacks. When approached by Mario outside of battle, they disappear briefly, and then reappear in front of him.

Ninji are primarily found in Fort Cobalt, where they are found in a corridor filled with crates that is entered if Mario fails the last fence puzzle. One Ninji can be found sleeping, and wakes up if Mario hits his hammer nearby. Ninjis make a brief appearance among the minions causing havoc at the Toad Trainworks when the Sunset Express needs repairs. The Ninjis fought in Toad Trainworks are unavoidable. A Ninji is the third-round opponent in Roshambo Temple #5, although after Larry Koopa is defeated, it will be replaced by the Rock Paper Wizard until beaten.

Paper Mario: The Origami King
Both normal paper and origami Folded Soldier versions of Ninjis appear in Paper Mario: The Origami King, predominantly in Shogun Studios. As shown in the game's announcement trailer, a group of origami Ninjis is seen holding onto the ceiling of a room above Mario.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Ninjis make their first Mario & Luigi appearance in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam as enemies in Gloomy Woods, and one is fought in Neo Bowser Castle alongside a Paper Ninji, a Spiny and a Paper Spiny as one of Bowser's last lines of defense. They now act more like how actual ninjas would, even using camouflage sheets to hide themselves in the overworld. In battle, regular Ninjis use ninjitsu-styled attacks, such as creating shadow clones of themselves to attack the trio. The fake Ninjis can be told apart from the real one by their blue-colored buttons, as opposed to the genuine one's red buttons. Jump or Hammer attacks also cannot be used consecutively against them, as they avoid taking damage via substitution with a log. If there is a Paper Ninji present, a regular Ninji can fold it into a shuriken and throw it at a bro, who must hammer it back.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
Ninjis reappear in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, as allies and enemies in the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode. They are ranged troopers, their Special Skill is Hurt or Heal, and they are strong against Tail Boos and Big Tail Goombas.

Super Mario Bros. 2

 * Ninji - 1
 * Instruction booklet bio: "He is a little devil who appears in the dreams of NES players. He moves fast and will persistently chase you."


 * Ninji - 2
 * Instruction booklet bio: "He stays in one spot and jumps repeatedly. A strange guy."

Super Mario Run

 * Notebook bio: "This enemy leaps and jumps like a ninja. Oddly, these guys are also pretty good at operating airships..."

Paper Mario: The Origami King

 * Gallery description: If they spot a hammer coming, they'll use their Ninji Vanish ability to turn things around. Stomp 'em instead!

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

 * Bowser Jr.'s Journey profile: ''They're ever ready for battle, with shuriken in hand. They supposedly like to discipline foes with a tail.