History Main / Ronin

* ''Manga/LoveHina'': Keitaro, Mutsumi and Naru. Later, when {{Kid Samurai}} Motoko starts worrying about ''her'' exams, it's commented that she could end up a [[RepetitiveName "Ronin]] [[IncrediblyLamePun Ronin"]] (she does not take this well).

** Clint Barton (better known as Comicbook/{{Hawkeye}}) and Maya Lopez have both used the name "Ronin" on occasion. It's basically a placeholder identity for heroes who can't use their normal superhero identities for whatever reason.
** Yukio from ''ComicBook/Wolverine1982'' does not use it as a name, but she is actually described as a ronin.

Until the abolition of the {{samurai}} class in Japan in 1868, a ''rōnin'' ("wave man") was a samurai without a master, generally due to the former master's death, the individual ronin's disgrace, or the destruction of his lord's clan. Without a job, an income, [[TheStateless or a home]], ronin could and would spend their days {{Walking The Earth}} looking for a master willing to take them on. It was common for ronin to take positions as ''yojimbo'' (bodyguards), mercenaries, or [[SamuraiShinobi become]] {{Ninja}}s. Others resorted to banditry, organized crime or piracy.

Although in ancient days ronin were considered a dangerous threat since it was believed they were likely to become bandits, the noble ronin is a common hero type in Japanese pop culture, typically acting as a KnightErrant. Since a samurai is defined by loyalty to his master, a samurai losing that master and struggling afterward for a purpose in life can make for a great TragicHero.

In the modern era, ronin has two additional, different meanings: either a student who failed his college/university entrance examinations but continues to study for a re-attempt instead of looking for a career elsewhere; or a {{salaryman}} who is temporarily between jobs.

* ''VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima'' uses both definitions, featuring a group of ronin mercenaries called the Straw Hats as supporting characters, while also having their leader Ryuzo be a failed samurai who never got to begin the process of becoming one and struck out on his own. They notably end up being a {{Deconstruction}} of the whole "[[KnightErrant noble ronin]]" archetype, as [[spoiler:they turn out to be more like RealLife ronin; conniving, dishonorable opportunists willing to [[TheQuisling sell out the heroes to the Mongol invaders]] in order to save their own skins.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/Epic2013'', the badass leader of the Leafmen is called Ronin, foreshadowing [[spoiler:the death of his queen]] early in the film.

* ''VideoGame/OsuTatakaeOuendan'': Tsuyoshi Hanada, your very first target in both games. Only in the first one, though.

* Both ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}'' and its direct sequel ''Film/{{Sanjuro}}'' feature Creator/ToshiroMifune playing the role of the nameless Ronin, with unmatched sword skills. Yojimbo would later be adapted into ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars'', with the nameless wandering Ronin changed to a wandering cowboy, the man with no name.

* The title character of ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}'' is a ronin.
* ''Film/{{Sanjuro}}'' features Creator/ToshiroMifune playing Ronin in the title roles.

* He's never referred to by the term, but WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack fits the description to a T, having no master and being an outlaw in a {{Dystopia}} ruled by his mortal enemy. Unlike most, he has a mission he has sworn his life to, while retaining the tradition and Code of the Samurai.

* Cypher the Fallen from ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' is a lone Space Marine as old as they come, whose entire identity is a mess of contradictions and who makes his former battle brothers the Dark Angels drop whatever they were doing to hunt him down. More importantly, it is believed that he carries an abnormally huge sword which he never uses, and could be the weapon of the Dark Angel's Primarch, which he supposedly want to take to the throne room of the Emperor. Whether he is a dangerous revolutionary who plots to kill the Master of Mankind, or a lost soul looking for redemption for past sins, his entire image fits snugly in the Ronin trope.

* The ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series has a Ronin class, which is focused around a unique StanceSystem of buffs that allows them to use different skills (or, in the case of ''Etrian Odyssey Nexus'', apply bonus effects to certain skills) depending on which stance they're currently in. However, despite their power, [[GlassCannon they are one of the physically frailest classes in the game]], with terrible HP and the lightest armor class.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons 3.5 Edition'' had a Ronin PrestigeClass. While any martial character could become one, it was intended for the Samurai class and gave additional benefits based on how many Samurai levels a character had before becoming a Ronin. It was largely seen as the only reason someone would ever bother to play the otherwise [[TierInducedScrappy badly underpowered]] class.

See also the film ''Film/{{Ronin}}'', the comic maxi-series ''{{ComicBook/Ronin}}'' by Creator/FrankMiller, or the historical novel ''[[Literature/Ronin2013 Ronin]]'' by Francisco Narla.

* Frank Miller's ''{{ComicBook/Ronin}}'' revolves around a ''ronin'' whose master was killed by a demon.
* ''Comicbook/UsagiYojimbo'' by Stan Sakai. A perfectly [[MeaningfulName named comic]] as it means "Rabbit Bodyguard", although Usagi doesn't take on that many bodyguarding jobs. While Usagi is an example of the "dead master" ronin, others encountered have different backstories such as the clan's disintegration (Gen) or turning to banditry (most of the mooks Usagi fights).

* ''Film/{{Ronin}}'' is set after the cold war, and compares former secret agents to Ronin.

Until the abolition of the {{samurai}} class in Japan in 1868, a ''rōnin'' ("wave man") was a samurai without a master, generally due to the former master's death, the individual ronin's disgrace, or the destruction of his lord's clan. Without a job, an income, [[TheStateless or a home]], ronin could and would spend their days {{Walking The Earth}} looking for a master willing to take them on. It was common for ronin to take positions as ''yojimbo'' (bodyguards), mercenaries, or become {{Ninja}}s. Others resorted to banditry, organized crime or piracy.

* He's never referred to by the term, but ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' fits the description to a T, having no master and being an outlaw in a {{Dystopia}} ruled by his mortal enemy. Unlike most, he has a mission he has sworn his life to, while retaining the tradition and Code of the Samurai.

* ''Manga/LoneWolfAndCub'': Ogami Itto.

* This is an [[UpToEleven entire class]] in the ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' series, focused around a unique [[StanceSystem Stance System]] of buffs, which allows them to use different skills (or, in the case of Etrian Odyssey Nexus, apply bonus effects to certain skills) depending on which stance they're currently in. However, despite their power, [[GlassCannon they are one of the physically frailest classes in the game]], with terrible HP and the lightest armor class.

** Kaedehara Kazuha is a samurai from [[{{Wutai}} Inazuma]] who is currently on the run after defying the Raiden Shoguns's Vision Hunt Decree, becoming a wanderer unattached to any lord in the process.

* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': Kaedehara Kazuha is a samurai from [[{{Wutai}} Inazuma]] who is currently on the run after defying the Raiden Shoguns's Vision Hunt Decree, becoming a wanderer unattached to any lord in the process.

* In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3: [[ExpansionPack Uprising]]'', Steel Ronin are a kind of battlesuit unit. Specifically, they are in the suits as a form of punishment for not following orders or related crimes and hope to regain their freedom again by doing battle against the Empire's enemies. [[DisproportionateRetribution They're apparently in constant pain too]]. Meanwhile, in the GameMod ''VideoGame/RedAlert3Paradox'', Steel Ronin have layed down their weapons instead and, among other things, became tourist guides due to being in constant pain as they figured "Why should we follow these people again?"

Until the abolition of the {{samurai}} class in Japan in 1868, a ''ronin'' ("wave man") was a samurai without a master, generally due to the former master's death, the individual ronin's disgrace, or the destruction of his lord's clan. Without a job, an income, [[TheStateless or a home]], ronin could and would spend their days {{Walking The Earth}} looking for a master willing to take them on. It was common for ronin to take positions as ''yojimbo'' (bodyguards), mercenaries, or become {{Ninja}}s. Others resorted to banditry, organized crime or piracy.

* ''Manga/{{Sekirei}}'': Minato Sahashi starts out the series having failed his college entry exam ''twice''.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}'', the badass leader of the Leafmen is called Ronin, foreshadowing [[spoiler:the death of his queen]] early in the film.

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Tony's obsessively PoliticallyCorrect friend [[http://egscomics.com/comic/2014-02-20 uses]] the OnlineAlias Ronin (followed by [[http://www.egscomics.com/comic/2013-10-31 some numbers]]). His actual name is [[NoNameGiven unknown]].