History Main / HighlyVisibleNinja

* ''VideoGame/BlueArchive'': Izuna's... not good at staying concealed, especially when acting as Sensei's personal bodyguard. Her bright floral outfit doesn't help matters.

** In his days as an assassin, Kenshin fought a man dressed like a stereotypical Kabuki puppeteer, whose costume seemed to more serve the purpose of anonymity than stealth (and his methods seemed to center around ''killing all potential witnesses'' after he'd disposed of a target, rendering the need for true stealth redundant). He's succeeded by a man who looks and dresses like Comicbook/{{Venom}}.

* Creator/FrankMiller likes this trope.
** Characters/{{Elektra}}, Characters/{{Daredevil|MattMurdock}} and their ([[MentorOccupationalHazard now dead]]) teachers prefer bright red (or bright white) costumes. It can depend on the colorist how "bright" the actual costumes are, with Daredevil's grittier series portraying it as almost oxblood at times. This would make more sense for his crime-fighting largely including night missions (since he's got the lawyer day job and all), as it's much harder for the human eye to see.
** Miho from ''ComicBook/SinCity'' wears a pretty standard kimono which stands out quite a bit in an urban setting. According to the coloration on the covers, she wears red, usually.
* Creator/MarvelComics:
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheHand The Hand]]. A secretive cult of ninjas into all sorts of evil stuff. They run the gamut of ninja cliches but in one instance, they subvert this trope by walking around in broad daylight as accountants. Which, considering The Hand, they probably are.
** ''ComicBook/GhostRider'' villain Deathwatch had an army of red-clad ninjas. Though they were actually just street thugs who he'd picked up and had trained.
** Night Thrasher and related ninja in his oh-so-weird life tend to wear black armor plating... with -red- highlights. In-canon the armor (and colors) are based on those worn by a group of ceremonial temple guardians from Vietnam. Thrash's colors are actually a more subdued version.
** ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} is an assasin who carries two swords and wears a bright red costume, which makes him highly visible. He's highly ''audible'' too, mainly because [[MotorMouth he never shuts the hell up.]]
*** Deadpool once implied that he had actual ninja training when teaming up with Characters/IronFist.
* Ninjette from ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}''. Girlfriend, if the shuriken-themed headband, necklace, earrings, and navel-ring were not bad enough, wearing [[{{Stripperiffic}} short-shorts]] with "'''[=NINJETTE=]'''" printed across the seat is a bit of a red flag. She noted that her look was at least in part to [[FreudianExcuse tick off her father]] and the squad that eventually tried to haul her back to her [[McNinja New Jersey]] clan were rather more subtle.

* Many of the ninja in the ''ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel'' comic book series (and related media) wear bright, primary or even ''neon'' colors (like most of the trained fighters). The most famous ninja, Snake-Eyes, is all in black (some of his costumes even give him drab grays and greens). Weirdly, during the late-series ReTool of the comics where it was retailed as ''GI Joe Starring Snake-Eyes With Ninja Force'', his suit started off with a bright blue vest over the charcoal-gray suit underneath (this was eventually changed).

* Anna Feeple from ''Comicbook/NinjaHighSchool'' is one of the top five ranked ninjas in the world, kicks ass on a regular basis, and does housework in her gi.

* As shown in the picture above, parodied to the point of ludicrousness in the original comic of ''ComicBook/TheTick''. They were TheThemeParkVersion of ninjas (as in, they were based in a ninja franchise that developed a theme park). The thing is, ''it '''worked''''' - everyone who walks by says things like "Oh, what a lovely hedge", and walks on. There's a scene with the people inside the mansion in the background, with one of them saying to the other, "I don't remember us having a decorative hedge around the house." The gag is that these guys are so incredibly skilled in the arts of disguise that with nothing but a twig and a [[JediMindTrick Jedi hand-wave]], they can convince anyone that they really are a hedge. On the other hand, they were shown to be generally incompetent and not possessing the powers or temperament associated with serious fictional ninja. Believing their own hype about their invincibility, several of them leaped to their deaths pursuing the Tick who actually is [[NighInvulnerability Nigh-Invulnerable]]. One of them was shocked when he actually stabbed someone with his blade.
* One-issue comic titled ''Canadian Ninja'' has the main character's costume patterned after the red-white Canadian flag.

** A great deal of ''Naruto'' fanfics have a habit of characters in-story - Naruto himself sometimes included - giving a speech about how Naruto's "kill-me-orange" outfit is like painting a bulls-eye on oneself... often without noting that he's ''not'' the only person who dresses like this, and some of said others are noted for their competence and skill. This makes ''FanFic/DreamingOfSunshine'' a refreshing bend from the usual in how it plays with this trope: Shikako notes that wearing clothes that are good for stealth is less important than [[LostInACrowd blending in with a civilian population]].
*** The [[RecursiveFanfiction recursive fanfiction]] to ''FanFic/DreamingOfSunshine'', ''FanFic/SugarPlums'' makes an argument that both support ninja and front line fighters wear bright colors for different reason. Support ninjas so that their allies can find them easily on the field and frontline fighters because they're supposed to be the ones who draw the enemies' attention.

* ''Naruto'' fanfics are all over this:

** A great deal of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fanfics have a habit of characters in-story - Naruto himself sometimes included - giving a speech about how Naruto's "kill-me-orange" outfit is like painting a bulls-eye on oneself... often without noting that he's ''not'' the only person who dresses like this, and some of said others are noted for their competence and skill. This makes ''FanFic/DreamingOfSunshine'' a refreshing bend from the usual in how it plays with this trope: Shikako notes that wearing clothes that are good for stealth is less important than [[LostInACrowd blending in with a civilian population]].

** In ''FanFic/{{Time MixUp}}'' Kakashi notes Naruto's skill in stealth: he wears bright orange and ''no'' one is able catch him unless he allows it. That's another very common trait of the ''Naruto'' fic-verse: a good ninja is only visible when he or she wants to be seen, eye-catching getup or not. It's a frequent explanation in stories for Naruto to be an ''exceptional'' StealthExpert who can give even ANBU the slip, and only gets caught by Iruka (and that is only because Naruto lets him). ''FanFic/BetterLeftUnsaid'' has Naruto explain that he had the orange jumpsuit on to paint the monument because [[AwesomenessByAnalysis he noticed that at dawn, the monument is painted in bright orange sunlight, and so whoever wasn't in a position to be dazzled by it would only see orange]].

--> '''Robin''': And to answer your next question, twenty guys in florescent green ninja costumes seemed to think it was a good idea to rob the bank at five in the morning. One of them managed to get a lucky shot in.

-->'''Splinter:''' Were you seen?
-->'''Leonardo:''' Of course not, Master Splinter.
-->'''Donatello:''' We practiced ninja.
-->'''Michaelangelo:''' The art of invisibility.
-->'''Splinter:''' (holds up newspaper with a picture of the Turtles on the front page) Practice harder. [[PhysicalFitnessPunishment Ten flips now]]!
** Earlier in the movie, they absolutely panic when April's apartment is visited by Keno the pizza boy, who had not only already figured out they lived there, but also had no trouble finding their "hiding" places. This is even more embarrassing [[LighterAndSofter when compared to the first movie]], when April's boss and his son visit her apartment, and the Turtles reveal that they're skilled at vanishing at a moment's notice.
--->'''April:''' Can you guys-- (turns around, finding that the Turtles who were just waking up and standing next to her are already gone) --hide?

** In the comics, they tended to actually act like ninja. In the arc when they infiltrate TCRI, they sneak into the building, spoofing cameras and using card spoofers and suchlike. When they're in a lounge and two employees walk through, they don't notice anything. Then we see the reverse angle with turtles hiding behind couches, plants, etc. After the employees leave and the turtles come out, one asks the other where Raph is. "On the light, where else?" Raph then bounces off a chair to the ground, on his way down from the lightshade which could not possibly support a 150 lb turtle.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ZigZagged in ''Series/{{See}}''. Shadows are women trained to be the ultimate stealth operatives, but that stealth doesn't involve hiding in any way because almost everyone in the world is blind. They can move completely silently, to the point of making no sound when they breathe and masking their heartbeat; and also cover their scent, making them undetectable to the average person. But if you're one of the small number of people in the world who can see, they're incredibly obvious.

* ''Manga/TimeStopBrave'': Kuzuno Sekai criticises Mikage for being this. She wears a skimpy kunoichi outfit that partially exposes her huge breasts and her red {{Fundoshi}}, causing Sekai to ask how she expects to conceal herself. To Mikage's credit, she is fast and skilled enough to FlashStep, disappear with [[SmokeOut a smoke bomb]], or instantly replace herself with a NinjaLog.

Back at the dojo, didn't their sensei explain that the whole point is to be stealthy, secretive, even ''invisible''? Why do they suddenly feel the need to appear in broad daylight, dressed in stereotyped kabuki-theater stagehand costumes, [[WithCatlikeTread yell]] "{{Kiai}}!" as loudly as possible, and [[ArtisticLicenseMartialArts perform gymnastics and twirl their weapons like they're putting on a show?]] Even worse, they feel the need to do these things from a distance of about fifty meters, even when they know the enemy have guns ([[GunsAreWorthless though this isn't]] [[ShortRangeLongRangeWeapon always a problem]]).

** The Tyranids' Norn Emissary, introduced in 10th Edition, is described as a stealthy hunter purpose-bred for the infiltration of enemy strongholds in order to assassinate or abduct specific high-value targets within. The Norn Emissary is also one of the largest models you can field in a regular game of ''Warhammer 40,000'', almost capable of looking an [[HumongousMecha Imperial Knight]] in the eye.

->'''Aya''': Born in darkness, living in darkness... such is the fate of a ninja! I am Aya, ninja warrior!\\
'''Misty''': But don't you think that color's a little bright for a ninja?\\
'''Aya''': I don't need your fashion report!
-->-- ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', "[[Recap/PokemonS1E32TheNinjaPokeShowdown The Ninja Poke-Showdown]]"

* Bang Shishigami from ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' is one of the most highly visible ninjas of all time, sporting a bare midriff (on a male character), a flowing red scarf, a 5-foot long NAIL on his back, and prone to frequent [[HotBlooded hot-blooded]] yelling (thus making him also a Highly ''Audible'' Ninja. Stealthy). He also subverts typical ninja characters in fighting games by being more of a [[JackOfAllStats well-balanced brawler]] than a FragileSpeedster, having the 3rd highest HP in the game.
** In fact, if you fight him with Arakune in one of the single-player modes, Bang Shishigami's wardrobe is one of the first things he notices with the line "Very...loud. Oddly...red."

** The Tyranids' Norn Emissary, introduced in 10th Edition, is described as a stealthy hunter purpose-bred for the infiltration of enemy strongholds in order to assassinate or abduct specific high-value targets within. The Norn Emissary is also one of the largest models you can field in a regular game of ''Warhammer 40,000'', capable of looking an [[HumongousMecha Imperial Knight]] in the eye.

** Ryu Hayabusa is more likely a reconstruction, however. He can afford to be highly visible because he has the possession of what could quite possibly the greatest swords in his verse, the Dragon Sword, so if he meets his enemies, they probably won't live to tell the tale. In addition, stealth works well against humans... but not so much on demons and fiends, which Ryu constantly faced.

* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear's'' Chipp Zanuff can actually turn (partly) invisible with a special move. Hilariously, as he does so he yells, "Find me!" Other than that, though, he sticks to the trope... but then he's [[McNinja an American who just really wants to be a ninja]]. The quote at the top of the page is directed at him, and follows a ClusterFBomb Chipp gives when Bridget reads off a ''very'' unflattering description of his "ninja skills".

** In the comics, they tended to actually act like ninja. In the arc when they infiltrate TCRI, they sneak into the building, spoofing cameras and using card spoofers and suchlike. When they're in a lounge and two employees walk through, they don't notice anything. Then we see the reverse angle with turtles hiding behind couches, plants, etc. After the employees leave and the turtles come out, one asks the other where Mike is. "On the light, where else?" Mike then bounces off a chair to the ground, on his way down from the lightshade which could not possibly support a 150 lb turtle.
--->'''Pretty sweet, huh?'''

** The Iron Bull in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' is a spy for the qunari. He tells everyone he meets this. If you ask him about this, he says that as an 8 foot tall bull-man, it's pretty much impossible to blend in, so if he tried to be sneaky nobody would trust him. Instead, they see a one-eyed mercenary who spends all his free time drinking and screwing [[AnythingThatMoves anyone willing to say yes]] and [[RefugeInAudacity think he's just taken one too many warhammers to the skull]].

* In ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', the Chinese Stealth Suit returns, but loses its stealth field, leaving just an incredibly obvious latex suit with a modest boost to the Stealth skill. ''Old World Blues'' adds the American-counterpart Stealth Suit Mk II, which has ''reflective white'' strips running all over the body, and an annoying onboard voice, to boot.

* ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts: From the New World'': Frank the Polish-American Brazilian Ninja is about as stealthy as a clown (and kind of looks like one too). In his introduction scene he attempts to hide himself by using the classic ninja trick of holding a piece of wall-patterned cloth in front of himself (the "Art of Hiding" he calls it) -- but uses a ''brightly-coloured flag.'' Obviously it doesn't work. His new teammates immediately call him out on how much he sucks at it. His clanmate Britney is almost as bad, being a blonde who wears a bright pink gi. In the ending, Johnny notes that Frank's appeared on TV a few times... then muses, "Aren't ninjas supposed to be ''invisible''?"

* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d and {{justified|Trope}} in ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' with the side-character Shuri Oumi, who wears ''a lot'' of pink in her outfit. According to her, she does it because her preferred tactic is ''getting'' her enemies' attention, which means they're less likely to notice her allies sneaking up behind them. She also has no shortage of tools for hampering her foes' sight anyways, such as [[BlindedByTheLight flashlights]] or [[AHandfulForAnEye hot sauce]].

* The Maniwa Corps from ''LightNovel/{{Katanagatari}}'', who all wear highly colourful and decorative animal-themed outfits, makeup and hairstyles.

* EVERYONE in ''LightNovel/NinjaSlayer''. For starters, there's the titular protagonist whose uniform consists of a bright, distorted red fabric... and that's just the ''tamest''. It doesn't help that the InUniverse rule book states that you ''have'' to openly (and loudly) greet other ninjas first before attempting to kill them.

* ''LightNovel/InfiniteDendrogram'': The [[{{Wutai}} Tenchi]]-exclusive ninja [[CharacterClassSystem class]] group includes both Ninja, which is described as having [[TheThemeParkVersion "the kind of flashy abilities foreigners think ninjas have"]], and Onmitsu, which specializes in disguise and infiltration techniques more similar to historical ninja.

* In ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'', the vampire hunters' idea of sneakily staking out two clubs they know to be owned by vampires is to show up in full vampire hunting gear (complete with katana) and just kind of stand around, looking incredibly out of place and menacing. The one hunter who does go undercover, by posing as a sex worker, decides for some reason to keep her katana in her locker. Small wonder that ''both'' vampires are onto them.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManXCommandMission'' got party member Marino, a Highly Visible Thief. Her armour's ''PINK'', along with other eye-catching [[{{Gainaxing}} features]]. Also, Zero is the commander of the 0th Unit of the Maverick Hunters, generally known as the ''Shinobi'' Unit. He is bright red and has a blond ponytail almost as big as he is.