Weapons in Naruto!?

[Corn]

Can we all agree on that Kunai is the most used weapon in the entire series... Manga or Anime?:p


However I have been wondering. People like Zabuza and Kisume uses amazingly ccool and massive swords... And in the naruto movie there were peasents who used weapons like swords and spears too!

And ANBU has swords too.


And let us not forget tenten who seems to be weapon fanatic.... perhaps even an member of NRA or something.


Why do you think that so many shinobi in the anime has nothing but throwing weapons and not swords and all that?

[Hunter]

Lack of imagination.

[daflecta]

Erm... need I remind you that a typical modern soldier carries nothing more than a pistol, a rifle and a couple of granades at most.

[full_metal_sousuke]

yes and our naruto shinobi carry shuriken, kuni and ummmmmm......scrolls (in naruto's case ramen)

[Corn]

Lack of imagination.

I wouldnt say that myself, but it just made me wonder, if some of the central characters would get more weapons or something later...

or im wondering why anbu has them?

or a powerful person like kisume?

[Slayerx]

My guess, probably has something to do with hand seals...
With the exception of Haku, all other shinobi need both their hands to use Justus, so it's kinda hard to use jutsu's in combat when you got a weapon in hand... Everytime they want to use a jutsu they need to drop/sheath their weapon... Kunai is small, easily shethed and diposable...

It's kind of a trade off... If you don't carry a weapon, then you rely on lots of combative justu to make up for it... If you want to use a weapon, then your gonna end up cutting back on your jutsu use...

the reason ANBU carry swords is because their assasins... A sword is a much more effective assasin weapon then most jutsus... quick and silent

that's probably the best excuse i come up with...
But ya... i'd kinda figure we'd see more weapons

if some of the central characters would get more weapons or something later...
If a character doesn't have a weapon now i highly doubt they'll get a weapon later...
Weapons are something you should specialize in and have lost of training in... if a shinobi did want to start using a weapon he would probably train in it for a few years before he actually brings it with him on a mission... shouldn't use a sword if you don't know how to use it... Sometimes it's best to just go with what you know that works... characters like Rock Lee and Neji who use mostly taijutsu may think that weapons would only slow them down, or mess up the fighting style which they consider to be perfect

[ShikaShika]

Why do you think that so many shinobi in the anime has nothing but throwing weapons and not swords and all that?

Because it's based on real ninjas, and that's what they usually have? Ninjas supposedly used stealph and secrecy, walking around with a sword kind of tips you off. The weapons of choice were usually ones that were easily concealed or could be disguised as common tools. The kunai for example is in origin a gardening tool, so a ninja disguised as a gardener could wear them.

The swords in Naruto are, just like the different jutsu, there for flavour I guess. Would be pretty boring if everyone fought in the same way.

[Petbe]

I think what slayer said was a good reason. For most ninjas, unless it is directly connected to you (like puppet guy) you want to leave your hands free for seals. And like I said before, unless it is dirrectly connected to what kind of ninja you are, having something that will not get in your way, easy to get to is for the best.

Also maybe it is easier to hide if you dont have a weapon.

[Hunter]

I wouldnt say that myself, but it just made me wonder, if some of the central characters would get more weapons or something later...
When Kishimoto introduces a crown of no-name ninjas in the manga he often draws them with particular feature(s) being weapons, cloths or stuff like that.
When the anime team introduces no-name ninjas they don't, simple as that.

[Newtyped]

ninjas like being creative
shuriken and kunai can be used as backupweaons, or in several different creative ways.
also the creater made naruto to make a ninja anime, to many are samurai and a sword holding ninja all the time is to much like samurai

[DarkKnightZero]

Asuma uses those bladed knuckle thingies if it makes you feel better

[Syaoran]

Is it only me or are there also other people who would like to see Naruto or someone else fight using a katana? It's a ninja weapon as well, so I don't see why they wouldn't use some. The feudal lords' guard has them :| (could be a filler)
I don't mean anything like Bleach, but just sometimes... a katana against someone handy with kunai for instance.

[Newtyped]

Is it only me or are there also other people who would like to see Naruto or someone else fight using a katana? It's a ninja weapon as well, so I don't see why they wouldn't use some. The feudal lords' guard has them :| (could be a filler)
I don't mean anything like Bleach, but just sometimes... a katana against someone handy with kunai for instance.
incorrect
ur thinking of the ninja-to
its very different than the katana,
its shorter
it has a straight edge
its basically cheap production

Ninja were basically poor people who couldnt afford katanas (since a katana is like buying a new car back then, and a ninja-to is like buying a bike or sumthin lol), and anyways katanas represented honor and dignity etc. ninja didnt bother with that crap

[mechwar666]

Besides ninja's were assassins most of their kills where from far (hence the oh so many throwing weapons they got) or they had to play it quiet. But besides those they also had small crossbows as well, and they specialized on hand to hand combat. thats why they used things like tiger claws (3 blades on top of their hands, kinda like wolverine), knifes (short version of katana), kunai, and when their specialty was hand to hand combat they had small pieces of armor scattered on their body to use against blades. like kakashi on his hands has pieces of metal also they had metal coufs on their arms, metal coufs on their legs, and random pieces that looked a lot like medieval armor on shoulders or to defend other parts of their bodies. The metal was only intended to stop one strike so it isn't the same as medieval armor, because these guys main strength was body strength and martial arts :/. and surprise like smoke bombs, and bombs.

(yes this is off topic and i just gave a preaching abt ninja's : /)

[Newtyped]

though naruto is less focused on ninjas stealth,
its more of a ninja fighting anime
and ninja did have to fight if they were caught (though they never trained as if they were gonna fight everyday, the better the ninja the less fighting they do) thats why they have those swords and stuff. And shuriken were used as cover fire when escaping. So really ninjas used stuff like dripping poision and blow darts to kill people...

[Asphyxiate]

Historically swords are not as effective as they are portrayed in various anime and manga. That could be a factor however...

I would think the Kunai is predominate because it's just the stereotypical ninja weapon. I believe more people who have seen anime or manga tend to go Ninja ---> Kunai! rather then Ninja ---> Sword!

Edit: Swords/massive weapons would probably be harder to animate too. :p

[Newtyped]

Historically swords are not as effective as they are portrayed in various anime and manga. That could be a factor however...

I would think the Kunai is predominate because it's just the stereotypical ninja weapon. I believe more people who have seen anime or manga tend to go Ninja ---> Kunai! rather then Ninja ---> Sword!
exactly wut i ment
also swords are effective in different cases
if u were fighting sum1, a sword is a good way for 1 on 1 combat
if u were in ancient armys, swords are very limited by their length (and if its a sword of traditional size a longer length will mean imbalance) so spears would serve a better purpose
for stealth, ranged weapons are the obvious weapon of choice. You can take care of sum1 without showing urself.
so in a ninja battle (like in naruto) a sword may be hard to use as a weapon due to its bulk (may interfere with jutsus) and because its limitations. you need to be close, and therefore let ur guard down to attack with a sword, especially a fairly large one like a katana

[Demongod86]

A sword requires you to be close as hell. A kunai can be thrown from a hiding spot. You want to whack a guy and not get caught. If one hit from either kills, I don't think it's a tough choice to make. For instance, take the game starcraft...if everything had at most 500 HP and you had the choice between a 9999 damage ghost or a 9999 damage dark templar, which would you choose?

[Newtyped]

A sword requires you to be close as hell. A kunai can be thrown from a hiding spot. You want to whack a guy and not get caught. If one hit from either kills, I don't think it's a tough choice to make. For instance, take the game starcraft...if everything had at most 500 HP and you had the choice between a 9999 damage ghost or a 9999 damage dark templar, which would you choose?
exactly wut i said =/
swords are an art,
assassination is a job

[Kata]

The lack of Swords in Naruto saddens me greatly but, then again that’s not what the series is based on. Kunai are obviously the most common weapons, others include Needles (Haku and a lot of other "filler ninja") Shurikens, Windmill shurikens (which I only saw once), Break away Jo Staff/Nun-chuck thing that Ten-Ten uses (omitting the fact that she summon massive weapons with her scrolls) Surtobi Sensei uses Knuckle Knives (Widely used in WWI & WWII), Specialty Swords such as Zabuza's or Kisame's are also there. Gaara's gourd, Tamari's fan, Kankurou's puppets (these are used by a guy in Akatsuki as well), not to mention some weapons that we only saw once like the unique gear the sound trio had during the chuunin exam, or the chain claw that the mist assassins had in like episode 6. I know I'm forgetting a bunch here but it just goes to prove that the lack of ninja-to doesn't mean a lack of weapons. :)

P.S. Most of the time real ninjas dressed like common folk, such as a gardener and if their target passed they would use the gardening sheers or sickle to kill him and make their escape.

[Newtyped]

exactly
naruto is good because it introduces unique fighting styles, and therefore several different weapons.
samurai shows can get boring, caus all it is is just a sword, but different techniques used with it.

[Kata]

Yup, but what devine intervention will make the fillers stop? The manga is light years ahead of the anime. :upset:

[Newtyped]

so
when rk first was being relaesed in english, i was pissed off caus shishio was lik the best part of it, and it seemed like theyd never get to that :(
now they did i kno, but it doesnt matter anyways caus i got all my manga taken away caus the teacher copped my blood:the last vampire manga (it got sum x rated stuff in there oO, but i didnt get it caus im a perv ^^;; i got it for the violence)

but anyways the anime will catch up, just like manga catches up with itself and etc. THe episodes you are watching are probally the fansubbed ones, and therefore we arent supposed to be that far anyways >> << >> dont go ahead of sj :P

[Kata]

Naruto Episode 180 relesed today =D

I read the M rated Battle Royale, and Berserk (I think that's M too) manga for it's violence =D Schools just don't understand . . .

but anyways the anime will catch up, just like manga catches up with itself and etc. THe episodes you are watching are probally the fansubbed ones, and therefore we arent supposed to be that far anyways >> << >> dont go ahead of sj :P

[Blizzer]

(Well Kata's gotten a little off topic :p )

personally I think Naruto should be able to summon the third hokages monkey friend and then he can use the staff but havent seen anyone else able to use more than one type of summon cus if its frogs yu will always summon a frog.

[Kata]

They should have some one who uses Katars or Claw wepons. Those are pretty stealthy.

(staying on topic is hard)

[Mincemaker]

I think they also need Garrotte wires. These things kill real quick. Just sneak behind the target and strangle away. Poison darts, as mentioned before, is also good to ensure a silent kill.

I doubt Katars are ideal, mainly because it is not easy to quick-draw a katar. In case of a kunai or dagger, however, it is very easy to draw it quickly. And katars are also too large to conceal, unlike a kunai or dagger.

And yeah, ninjas don't normally use katanas. They are too expensive, and too reflective as well. And a ninja trying to pass by as a commoner will not be using a sword because it is plain screaming "I'm an assassin! Kill me!".

[Newtyped]

I think they also need Garrotte wires. These things kill real quick. Just sneak behind the target and strangle away. Poison darts, as mentioned before, is also good to ensure a silent kill.

I doubt Katars are ideal, mainly because it is not easy to quick-draw a katar. In case of a kunai or dagger, however, it is very easy to draw it quickly. And katars are also too large to conceal, unlike a kunai or dagger.

And yeah, ninjas don't normally use katanas. They are too expensive, and too reflective as well. And a ninja trying to pass by as a commoner will not be using a sword because it is plain screaming "I'm an assassin! Kill me!".
i said they were expensive =/
but we are talking about naruto here
naruto is mainly a fighting show
isnt much stealth in it, besides if ur fighting sum1 directly
knuckles are smiliar to katar =/
but katar develpoed in india,
so i doupt this show which has a japanese theme will have indian weapons in it

[Blizzer]

actually stealth is important to the ninjas in Naruto, it's because the show follows Naruto we don't get to see it a lot.

for a ninja a Kunai is ideal because its an expendable, easy to carry and concealable weapon.

[Newtyped]

yup, so whys this topic still going on =/
anyone wanna oppose ^^;;
kunai+shuriken = ninja
sword= samurai

[Blizzer]

no fine with me :heh:

[Kata]

I think they also need Garrotte wires. These things kill real quick. Just sneak behind the target and strangle away. Poison darts, as mentioned before, is also good to ensure a silent kill.

They do have garrotte wires, as seen in the episode when Sausuke leaves the village. Kakashi ties him up with it.

Also a variation dagger knucks was created in asia I love those things, more people should have them.

I'd perfer a good `ol Corehound Tooth with +15 Agi enchant. :p

[Newtyped]

wasnt garrotte wires wires u use to slice peoples necks with? (not strangle right?)

[Kata]

wasnt garrotte wires wires u use to slice peoples necks with? (not strangle right?)

Yeah but Kakashi is badass enough to use it as rope, he pretty much uses piano wire. If Sasuke moved he would have been cut.

[Newtyped]

wow lol
thats kinda mean ^^;;
but ty i wasnt sure on that

[dabigkrunch]

historically real ninjas were absolutely useless:)

There are no factual records of a succesful contract being completed by any ninja, but there are tons of journals/memoirs and gov't documents that describe the many blunders and failed assisanation attempts by ninjas.

Digression from the topic but reading about all the ninjutsu training/weaponry just made me think that it cant have been that good since they never succeeded:)

Actually I much preferred the illusion I used to have that ninjas were one many killing machines until I went reading up on the facts. Ah well ignorance is bliss.

[Newtyped]

1. this is a show
2. U got a bad source of facts (obviously mr, the only ninjas u read about are the ones that got CAUGHT meaning there are countless ones that did their job without getting caught duh ><)

[dabigkrunch]

In answer to (1), I never said anything about my comments having anything to do with the show? So I fail to see how this pedanticism is helpful

(2)
well if you consider university texts and history books as "bad sources" then you're right.

However if you do consider these texts as bad sources ur also an idiot:)

no offense

I did not elaborate fully. There is also information describing many actual assisinations in feudal japan. Each one of these assisanations (well most) have accompanying evidence as to the executor of the assisination. In each case it is not ninja.

So unless ninjas were commiting lots of imaginary assasinations.....

[Newtyped]

Edit: just deleate this post (idk how) its just spam

[dabigkrunch]

Ah...Im sorry I had actual facts and the ability to articulate what I say rather than posting mindless drivel without thinking.....

[Blizzer]

I don't think any assassins who succeeded would write about it that would be stupid.

Poison isn't used a lot in Naruto, more poison! wooo

oh btw can't remember but does poison effect Naruto? I would have thought his Kyuubi healing powers negate the effects

[Mincemaker]

historically real ninjas were absolutely useless:)

There are no factual records of a succesful contract being completed by any ninja, but there are tons of journals/memoirs and gov't documents that describe the many blunders and failed assisanation attempts by ninjas.

Digression from the topic but reading about all the ninjutsu training/weaponry just made me think that it cant have been that good since they never succeeded:)

Actually I much preferred the illusion I used to have that ninjas were one many killing machines until I went reading up on the facts. Ah well ignorance is bliss.

They are amateurs. A true professional will always be able to make assassinations look like 'unfortunate accidents'. So, can there be a record of successful assassinations?

What do you mean with 'unfortunate accidents', eh? Well, silently sneak into someone's house and kill him via strangulation, then set the house on fire. The authorities will think the fire killed the guy.

Or just hang the person and place a fake suicide note. People will think that the victim commited suicide.

Blunders always get into reports. Successful, but messy assassination also gets into records. But successful and professionally executed assassinations will never get into record.

But mind you, in the past, ninjas were more frequently employed as spies rather than assassins. And also remember, ninjas were extremely secretive and many of the stories about them were usually exeggerated, or were merely myths. There is very very limited records about ninja activities.

And of course, successful, clean assassinations, as mentioned earlier, will never get into records.

[Newtyped]

They are amateurs. A true professional will always be able to make assassinations look like 'unfortunate accidents'. So, can there be a record of successful assassinations?

What do you mean with 'unfortunate accidents', eh? Well, silently sneak into someone's house and kill him via strangulation, then set the house on fire. The authorities will think the fire killed the guy.

Or just hang the person and place a fake suicide note. People will think that the victim commited suicide.

Blunders always get into reports. Successful, but messy assassination also gets into records. But successful and professionally executed assassinations will never get into record.

But mind you, in the past, ninjas were more frequently employed as spies rather than assassins. And also remember, ninjas were extremely secretive and many of the stories about them were usually exeggerated, or were merely myths. There is very very limited records about ninja activities.

And of course, successful, clean assassinations, as mentioned earlier, will never get into records.

exactly wut i meant -.-

[dabigkrunch]

Well I obviously have hurt your feelings by going against your ill conceived illusion of what ninjas really were. The deaths of nearly all important figures can be audited to a specific case or cause.

You are claiming you know more than all the historians and academics based on fantasy and fiction who romanticise the ninja and their capabilities.

This is no better than todays conspiracy theorists who think the CIA have a hit assasination squad to take out key political figures.

In the end you are making your justifications based on hype, fiction and the childlike hope that your ninja "heroes" are really all they are made out to be in stories. This is unfortunately all fantasy.

Anyway its pointless going on if you wont see the true and historical facts, garnered from years of professional academic research, then that is truly sad and trying to show you otherwise is a lost cause.

Ignorance may be bliss, but choosing to remain ignorant when shown the truth is just sad.

[Mincemaker]

Well I obviously have hurt your feelings by going against your ill conceived illusion of what ninjas really were. The deaths of nearly all important figures can be audited to a specific case or cause.

You are claiming you know more than all the historians and academics based on fantasy and fiction who romanticise the ninja and their capabilities.

This is no better than todays conspiracy theorists who think the CIA have a hit assasination squad to take out key political figures.

In the end you are making your justifications based on hype, fiction and the childlike hope that your ninja "heroes" are really all they are made out to be in stories. This is unfortunately all fantasy.

Anyway its pointless going on if you wont see the true and historical facts, garnered from years of professional academic research, then that is truly sad and trying to show you otherwise is a lost cause.

Ignorance may be bliss, but choosing to remain ignorant when shown the truth is just sad.

Remember the prime cause of World War 1? Where some political figure got assassinated and that triggered the war? The assassin was never caught. It was professionally done, leaving just the corpse and no witnesses and evidence. All that country could do was blame Serbia.

This is one example of a successful, but rather messy, assassination (it did get into the records after all).

And mind you, with such a long history of Japan, that short list of failed assassination would actually represent all of Ninja activities? That is like saying just a little bit of notes is enough to look into the history of the Alamut Hashashin. Mind, historians know these fanatics had been terrorizing other Muslim sects and occassionally Crusaders, but nobody knew exactly how many they had killed, because there are so little records of their activities. All they knew is how it is founded and how eventually Persians destroy them and their fortress.

The case is the same with ninjas. There are very little records of their activities due to their secretive nature. All we know is that there are failed activities, and that is how we even knew they existed.

And ninjas, like all assassins, are merely tools, used to serve the interest of their master. If their master told them to shut the hell up and don't say anything about what they had been doing, they won't. It is known that some Daimyo had ninjas in his employ as spies, but that information usually stems from rumors.

[dabigkrunch]

Again all this is based on conjecture, fiction and fantasy. The ninja has been severely romanticised in modern culture into these awesomely skilled beings.

The reality is far less hype and far more mundane. Everything being said is pure conjecture. I am giving real facts. Like I said it is up to people if they want to believe myths. Why dont you also believe that nine tailed foxes existed and caused natural disasters too? Well the reason you don;t believe this is there is no proof occurences of natural disasters being triggered by nine tailed foxes.

Just as there is evidence to contradict all the misconceptions about ninjas. But people do not like their childhood heroes and figures who have been placed on pedestals exposed in the harsh light of reality. Thus no matter how much factual information I or anyone may give, I will still be pelted with "Yeh but thats cause they rocked so hard no one knew it was them" rubbish.

Ah well believe what you want. I mean some people believe far weirder things.

[Newtyped]

ur taking this way to serious dab
You shouldnt be in forums if you get worked up over how effective ninjas were
and now on topic (since no1 else is),
ninjas are assassins,
assassins weapons must be functional
ranged= easy to work with
melee= too much work

[dabigkrunch]

You're right of course. I just get frustrated by willful ignorance and stupidity.

Anyway back on topic Im guessing that too much sword fighting would detract from the style of the anime/manga. Having nimble ninjas dodging and dancing around seems more suitable than swordfights.

[Mincemaker]

You're right of course. I just get frustrated by willful ignorance and stupidity.

Anyway back on topic Im guessing that too much sword fighting would detract from the style of the anime/manga. Having nimble ninjas dodging and dancing around seems more suitable than swordfights.

And didn't I point out ninjas were more often used as spies than assassins?

[mechwar666]

You're right of course. I just get frustrated by willful ignorance and stupidity.

Anyway back on topic Im guessing that too much sword fighting would detract from the style of the anime/manga. Having nimble ninjas dodging and dancing around seems more suitable than swordfights.


BTW just in case you missed something reading about the succesfull assassinations, ninja's were also bodyguards for political figures. They would remain near a political figure dressed up as one of their advisors or such, and be actually there to protect them against anything. And there are few but are succesfull assassinations of not so important political figures by ninja's. Ninja's are romanticised on the thought that they where going to kill a shogun in his castle ... proposterous since the castle's had like what 500 soldiers and 100 samurai's : /. Kind of impossible to make it in and out alive don't you think?

But they used to kill soldiers before combat that were stationed in a village that some power hungry samurai wanted, they would kill all the stationed watch guards, and then the samurai or lord would send his troops into the village, catching the garrison or most likely whats left of the village guards off guard and taking it without any major problems. So don't read too much into the ignorance of people about killing major political figure, you have to look into the small picture to understand why ninja's survived the entire existence of the tokugawa era. They weren't effective against a whole castle, but they could catch unsuspecting soldiers that where just fucking around and butchering them, reducing numbers of their enemies in the battlefields. Do some research and you will see, that they also went into close combat when they had to kill important figures, thus making a fatal flaw. People who aren't trained for killing samurai's arent supposed to face them and take them likely. Ninja's had no armor or little armor, and they had to move fast. The soldiers had armor, didn't need the fast movement for battle since its slashing with a sword they where more concerned in taking a head and then heading out of the battle.

Ok this is off topic and my last post about this so if you don't believe what i write or you haven't read about it, research the little missions that did succeed, and that even though they might not look important, imagine a shogun that takes 7 villages only loosing mercernary ninja's, and minimum casualties of his soldiers. While the country he is taking the villages from loses soldiers and money. It might not look important like killing a shogun, but it did mean something more on the sight of military might or strategy if you like.

@ mincemaker, that is true as well as bodyguards thats why they dont need records of how many times they succesfully defended their (target or boss here), or did they?

[dabigkrunch]

mechwar666 thankyou for your educated and well elicited response. You are perfectly correct I never said that ninja were not utilised or were unsuccesful in other activities, I was merely pointing out the super-assasin misconception that is commonly held.

It is a breath of fresh air to hear a well thought out response as supposed to "Ninjas r 2 hard to be caught, r0x".

[mechwar666]

mechwar666 thankyou for your educated and well elicited response. You are perfectly correct I never said that ninja were not utilised or were unsuccesful in other activities, I was merely pointing out the super-assasin misconception that is commonly held.

It is a breath of fresh air to hear a well thought out response as supposed to "Ninjas r 2 hard to be caught, r0x".

Your welcome ^_^ I enjoy history so I kinda had to give all the details since I couldn't leave the name of the basically first covert operation squads (im talking abt ninja's here) in shame ... they weren't after the leader of countries, but performed small tactical jobs that were important ^_^.

[UberDork]

Who the hell needs a sword if he can use ''Baaka'' no Jutsu

[Mincemaker]

Who the hell needs a sword if he can use ''Baaka'' no Jutsu

An actual ninja doesn't really use Jutsu. And swords are faster and more silent than a Jutsu, good for really assassinating a person silently.

However, a dagger or some sort of non-suspicious gardening equipment eg Kunai, or a crossbow would do the job better.