Ninja Log: Difference between revisions

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The trope comes from ninja legends and has probably originated from ninja using various objects to check the area for ambushes, pretty similar to how some western characters use a helmet on a stick to trick enemy snipers. A less pleasant version of the trope involves disguising a captured mook to look roughly like the hero and pushing him into the room where ambush is expected.

 

 

Compare: [[Disguised Hostage Gambit]], [[Flash Step]], [[Smoke Out]], [[Decoy Getaway]], [[Sleeping Dummy]]. Note that this is ''not'' [[Captain's Log|a log]] kept by a [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|ninja captain]]. Also not to be confused with a [[Ninja Editor|Ninja Post]] or [[Ninja Prop]].

 

* ''[[Ninja Scroll]] The Series'': In one of the episodes an experienced ninja uses a stray cat in this manner. In another, the geezer Dakuon uses a log that happens to be stuffed full of lit dynamite.

* ''[[Naruto]]'' is one of the more well-known examples. It overuses the "substitution jutsu" left and right, often showing a character's death in slow-mo, when it's ''painfully'' obvious they aren't going to die so easily. This could be [[Justified Trope|justified]] since most of the main characters live in what translates to "The Village Hidden In The Leaves". Trees are ''everywhere''. Most ninja travel faster leaping through trees than they do running. Although rare, characters are occasionally seen using other things as well, like mud, shadow clones, and on one occasion, a giant plush frog.

** Played with a couple episodes in, when Naruto makes a bunch of [[Me's a Crowd|Shadow Clones]] to fight Kakashi, and when one is about to attack him Kakashi substitutes ''one of the other clones'' for himself.

* ''[[Berserk]]'' of all places, even though ninja haven't shown up, Guts uses this tactic despite being one of the tallest human characters. At one point actually attaching his armor to a log and throwing it at Wyald. Wyald of course falls for it, since immediately before this he's distracted by what he believes to be Guts hiding behind a tree, it's really just a body Guts hung up there for that reason.

* Trafalgar Law in [[One Piece]] has this as one of the many uses of his switching power.

** Actually spoofed in the very first volume of the manga. When saving Yanagi from several punks, Recca immediately spreads a sheet that looks like a tree log to look like he vanished and replaced with log. [[Paper-Thin Disguise|It doesn't work, obviously]].

* Edward and Alphonse Elric in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' frequently create decoy versions of themselves, usually complete with stuck-out tongues to taunt their enemies after tricking them. The decoys are usually created with alchemical transmutation of dirt, walls, or other bits of the surrounding environment. Sometimes Ed even adds his trademark red jacket.

* In the hentai series ''[[La Blue Girl]]'', Miko uses this trick by replacing herself with random rubble. It's one of her few jutsus that aren't totally perverted.

* In an episode of ''[[Mobile Fighter G Gundam]]'', the resident [[McNinja|German Ninja]], Schwarz Bruder is pitted in a fight against Viking Gundam. Just when everyone thinks Schwarz's gundam had been pierced by a volley of oars, a double take reveals that the boat Viking Gundam had been riding in not a second before was in Schwarz's place instead.

* Slight variance of this trope in ''[[Asu no Yoichi]]''. Tsubasa uses teddy bears instead of a log, but otherwise plays this trope straight. The lady she uses this on, Angela, is always surprised when this happens.

* In episode 118 of ''[[Fairy Tail]]'', Lisanna tries to attack Kain Hikaru. Kain quickly uses a property of his [[Voodoo Doll]] to teleport away and teleport Elfman in his place, leaving Elfman to take the hit instead.

 

 

* ''[[The Punisher]]'': Frank Castle favours the least pleasant version, often spray-painting his trademark skull on the chest of the unfortunate mook.

* ''[[The Joker]]'' does this during ''[[Batman: No Man's Land|Batman No Mans Land]]'' to get rid of a rogue group of survivalist ex-cops. Send out prisoners painted to look like him and the admittedly-crazy leader shot them all.

== Fan Works ==

* In ''[[Naruto the Abridged Series|Naruto Abridged]]'', the log is an actual character, serving as Sasuke's nemesis.

* Ki Tamaida of ''[[Dark Heart High]]'' uses this a few times. Most frequently, to avoid getting in trouble for cutting class to meet someone.

* One of the funnier moments from the ''Dream Tournament'' fanfic series involved this. In a crossover between different fighting games, Andy Bogard unleashes his best move against one of the ''Samurai Shodown'' ninjas, with this as the unfortunate result. "I Choretsudan'ed a LOG?"

* The film adaptation of ''[[V for Vendetta]]'' has V dressing up a large number of employees at Evey's television station in copies of his costume. Thus, when the police burst into the room where he was broadcasting, they find a crowd of apparent Vs.

* The film adaptation of ''[[Ninja Hattori Kun]]'', a more plausible trick is used on two occasions, with a character leaving their clothes behind as a decoy.

 

 

** The ''[[Ninja Sentai Kakuranger]]'' did this [[Fleeting Demographic Rule|eight years earlier]], but it (mostly) didn't show up in ''Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers'' adaptation because Saban dropped the ninja element. The regular Earth rangers did do it fairly often in their Ninja Ranger forms, though.

** Both versions pop up in ''[[Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger]]'' when the team uses the Kakuranger and Hurricanger powers. In the Kakuranger tribute, Ninjaman pulls the trick twice against the [[Monster of the Week]], once on foot and once [[Make My Monster Grow|when enlarged]] (though he uses a straw dummy instead of a log).

 

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* ''[[Mutants and Masterminds]]'': The "Mecha and Manga" supplement offers the Substitution power to allow anime-based superheros to perform this trick.

 

 

* In ''[[Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World]]'', Sheena uses this to {{spoiler|keep Richter from killing Marta}}. It remains convincing for a surprisingly long time.

* In ''[[Tales of Phantasia]]'', one of the kinds of monsters are ninjas who are rather fond of doing that, making them quite a pain to hurt with a sword.

* In ''[[Beat Blades Haruka]]'', if Narika has to abort an infiltration attempt, she teleports out and leaves a log behind. Neither Haruka nor Subaru do this, however.

* Shadow Man can do this in ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]: The Power Fighters''. In the ''[[Mega Man Battle Network]]'' series, one of the battlechips makes a puff of smoke, an injured dummy falls to the ground, and MegaMan.exe jumps in the air and throws ninja stars at the opponent. From the third game of the series onward, MegaMan could use a Navi Customizer Program to perform this trick at any time. Like his robotic counterpart, ShadowMan.exe can also use this ability, and MegaMan can copy the trick while using [[Mega Manning|ShadowMan's DoubleSoul]].

* The opening of ''[[Sengoku Basara|Sengoku Basara Battle Heroes]]'' has Sasuke using this technique to diguise a rock as his master Shingen, which gets attacked by rival ninja Kasuga and her clones.

** Specifically, the hologram looks exactly like the player, right down to the weapon they're holding, and it possesses a motion tracker signature. Upon activation, the hologram runs in a straight line towards a spot directed by the player. Even with both the player and the hologram visible, the distraction can provide just enough time for a killing shot.

* In ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', the (Night Elf) Talrendis Scouts in Azshara have Forest Step, which is exactly this.

* One level of ''[[Ape Escape]]'' features ninja enemies that turn into these upon being defeated.

** Blackwing, V's raven familiar, also performs this [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0797.html by sacrificing a feather].

* In ''[[A Modest Destiny]]'', the "Escape Dummy", as he calls it, is Maxim's trademark trick.

 

== Western Animation ==

[[Category:Ninja Tropes]]

[[Category:Combat Tropes]]