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Ayame, a kunoichi from the Tenchu video game series.

Kunoichi (くノ一) is the term for a female ninja^[1] or practitioner of Ninpo.^[2]

Kunoichi (pronounced [kunɔitʃi]) or “Dragon Lady” is a silent and mysterious female counterpart of male Ninja. (see gun moll.) During the time of the Tong wars, there was a proliferation of secret societies and “sword hunts” against Japanese ninja. Some of the traditional clans splintered, leaving ronin who were masterless samurai, many of whom had originated with the “Five Families of the Silent Way”.

The ronin, widows and orphans of the sword hunts drifted into the world of yakuza (gamblers and gangsters) or became nomadic. Many more women than men survived and began searching for a leader or a cause. Surviving women were occasionally offered the honor of wedding the new master of the house.

The daughter of one assassinated lord, shortly after the wedding to her new husband, invited all the friends and relatives of her new spouse to a feast and poisoned them. This left her with a reputation for ruthless efficiency, many friends loyal to her family, and a full-scale drug operation. She became the new head of the clan. Her real name has been lost to time, but she was known as the “Dragon Lady” (Kunoichi) and that is the name given to women of the Black Dragon Fighting Society.^[3]

In contemporary times, female ninja often fulfill the same roles as men, working in security and law enforcement^{[dubious — see talk page]}. This is the history of the kunoichi, as it has changed vastly over the ages from skilled seductive assassins, to law enforcement^{[dubious — see talk page]}.

According to Rumiko Hayes, a neo-ninja black belt from a bujinkan influenced school and the wife of Stephen K. Hayes, head female agents were sent around the country to collect young female orphans, whom they raised with care.^{[citation needed]} These orphan girls were forever indebted to their agents and would do whatever they were asked in terms of seducing men.^{[dubious — see talk page]}

Modern novels, animes, mangas, films, and video games generally portray kunoichi to be fully trained in ninjutsu, much like their male counterparts.

The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the Japanese kanji character for woman (女, onna); said in the order they are written: ku (く) - no (ノ) - ichi (一). However, this may be a modern fake etymology, as the ninja of the time wrote it as 九の一 (one of nine) or 九一 (nine one);^{[dubious — see talk page]} these transliterations supposedly come from the fact that all humans have nine openings in common, but women have one more in addition; hence a woman is "one of nine" or "nine plus one". This however could be another fake etymology. It is also worth noting that the "くノ一" writing requires the use of one character from each Japanese "alphabet". First hiragana, then katakana, then kanji. While hiragana and kanji can exist in the same word, katakana generally cannot appear in conjunction with the others, although there are exceptions to this, e.g. "ゴミ箱", "消しゴム".

Another proposed etymology, possibly as spurious as the others, would derive the term from 九 能 ("nō" : talent) 一, meaning nine talents in one person, though no creditable source lists these "nine talents".

Taki from Soul Calibur

• Akane from the game Shining the Holy Ark
• Akeginu, Princess Oboro, Ogen, Okoi, Kagerou and Hotarubi from Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls
• Akira Okuzaki (尾久崎 晶), in the anime My-HiME (舞-HiME) and My-Otome (舞-乙HiME)
• Asuka (飛鳥), in the film Red Shadow (赤影, akakage, 2001)
• Ayame (彩女) and Rin (凛), in the video game series Tenchu (天誅). There is also another Ayame in Power Stone. There is yet another Ayame in the video game Suikoden III.
• Chizu, from the comic book Usagi Yojimbo.
• Elektra from Frank Miller's run on the comics Daredevil (later a movie)
• Fuko Kirisawa from Flame of Recca
• The Girl's Army/the Vixens from Uchuu Keiji Shaider/VR Troopers
• Haruka/Yellow Mask from Hikari Sentai Maskman
• Hibana (緋花), in the video game Nightshade (Kunoichi in Japan, 2004)
• Himawari, the female-lead in Himawari!, a harem anime featuring kunoichi exclusively.
• Honey transforms into Kunoichi Honey in episode 24 in the anime Cutey Honey
• Ibuki, in the video game series Street Fighter
• Kaede, in the video game Onimusha as well as the Kaede in Mahou Sensei Negima
• Kagero (陽炎), in the anime film Ninja Scroll (獣兵衛忍風帖, jyubei ninpuchou, 1993)
• Kage-Maru's mother, Tsuki-Kage, from Virtua Fighter
• Karai, head of the Japanese branch of the ninja criminal organization "The Foot Clan" from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Kasumi and Ayane in the video game series Dead or Alive
• Kat and Ana from the video game series Wario Ware
• Kei Yamachi/Emiha from Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya
• Kinu "The Canary," a member of the Asuka Ninja clan featured in Shinobido: Way of the Ninja.
• Kitana, Mileena and Jade in the video game series Mortal Kombat
• Konatsu, a male kunoichi from the manga Ranma 1/2
• Koyuki, in the anime Sgt. Frog
• Kunimitsu, in the game series Tekken
• Kunoichi, in the video game Samurai Warriors
• Kunoichi: Lady Ninja is a Japanese film released in 1998
• Kurenai, in the video game Red Ninja. Coincidentally, there is also a kunoichi by the name of "Kurenai" in Naruto.
• Mahiro, in the anime Samurai Deeper Kyo
• Mai, in the Asian-influenced animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender.
• Mai Shiranui in the game series Fatal Fury
• Megumi Oka (岡めぐみ) from the anime Voltes V
• Maki Genryusai from Final Fight 2, Capcom vs. SNK 2, and the GBA and PlayStation Portable versions of Street Fighter Alpha 3
• Makimachi Misao, in the manga and anime Rurouni Kenshin
• Mido Miko and other female ninja are depicted in the La Blue Girl series
• Miho from Frank Miller's comics Sin City (later a movie)
• Misty from My Life as a Teenage Robot
• Mosu Ninja clan. A group of female mercenary kunoichi lead by the twin sisters Ageha and Usuba in Shinobido: Way of the Ninja.
• Nanami Nono/HurricaneBlue, Furabijou, & Windenu of Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger
• Ran Fan in the manga Fullmetal Alchemist
• Rose from American Dragon: Jake Long
• Sakura Haruno (春野サクラ), Hinata Hyuga (日向ヒナタ), Tenten, Ino Yamanaka, Temari, Kurenai Yuhi and Tsunade are the primary kunoichi in the anime and manga series Naruto, which is about ninjas. (In fact, most females encountered in the anime are kunoichi)
• Sheena Fujibayashi, in the game Tales of Symphonia
• Shinobu, the heroine of the comedy anime 2x2=Shinobuden
• Shizuka of the Wind of GoGo Sentai Boukenger
• Suzu Fujibayashi, in the game Tales of Phantasia
• Taki, in the game series Soul Calibur
• Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland features a community of kunoichi in California.
• Tsuruhime/Ninja White and the Flowery Kunoichi Team from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger
• Yae, in the video game series Ganbare Goemon
• Yamame and Hotaru from Kage Kara Mamoru!, another harem anime featuring many kunoichi and ninja.
• Yatsuha of Samurai Champloo
• Yuffie Kisaragi in Final Fantasy VII
• Yukimaru (雪丸), as well as a character class, in Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories

• ninpo
• Onna bugei-sha

• 『甲賀流忍者軍団瀧組』(kou ka ryu nin ja gun dan takigumi)

1. ^ Hayes, Stephen K. (1991). Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art. Tuttle Publishing, Page 16. ISBN 0804816565. 
2. ^ Morris, Glenn (1996). Shadow Strategies of an American Ninja Master. Frog, page 70. ISBN 1883319293. 
3. ^ Kim, Ashida (2000). Ninjitsu for Women: Ninja Secrets of Defensive Fighting. Citadel Press, Introduction. ISBN 0806521457. 

• Hatsumi, Masaaki (1981). "Kunoichi (Female Ninja)", in Daniel M. Furuya: Ninjutsu: History and Tradition. Hollywood: Unique Publications. ISBN 0-86568-027-2. “"The psychic and intuitive powers of female ninja were also relied upon when determining plans for future action based on the most likely developments in the enemy's strategy.”