The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word Ninja is not TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - heroes in a half shell), but Ninja Hattori-kun. He’s a silly Ninja boy created by a beloved Japanese cartoonist, Fujio Fujiko (A). As a child, I learned a lot about the ways of the Ninja from this cartoon and secretly practiced at becoming stealthier.
Believe it or not, the following are some superhero Hattori-kun skills that I tried to acquire:
Hattori-kun can fly around using a Froshiki, a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth, as a cape. Fortunately, I was smart enough not to jump off from the roof with just a Furoshiki. But whenever it was windy outside, I practice flying with an umbrella just like Mary Poppins did in her movie.
Hattori-kun can climb walls and walk on the ceiling. I was never able to achieve this. But I certainly enjoyed climbing up narrow hallways by pushing outward at the walls with my hands and feet.
Hattori-kun throws Shuriken (Ninja Stars). I never had an actual Shuriken made of sharp thin metal. So I made many Shurikens using Origami, but by the time I had finished folding the paper into shape, I thought they were too precious to toss around.
Finally, Hattori-kun can walk on water. I was never a good swimmer to begin with. So I liked the idea of walking on water and not worrying about holding my breath for a long period of time. Once, I tied to walk on water by using a couple of kickboards that acted as floating platforms. Turned out I didn’t have good balance either. It ended miserably.
Though I’m not a skilled Ninja myself, I certainly enjoyed my own Ninja training. For those of you aspiring to become a Ninja, the following clip might give you some good ideas.
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