Shinobigami is a "Modern Ninja Battle RPG" created by Tochiro Kawashima and published in English by Kotodama Heavy Industries.
Ninja fight for supremacy in the shadows of contemporary society, steering the world in the interests of their clans. Their clans fight without mercy to find and control the Shinobigami ("God of the Shinobi"), which is said to have the power to grant any desire. Shadow fights shadow; enemies become allies; firm allegiances are broken and forgotten; dangerous secrets are traded and revealed; and it all ends in a battle of blood and steel, trust and betrayal...
The curtain is raised: A contemporary ninja battle opera begins.
The clans featured in Shinobigami are:
Hasuba Ninja Army
- Expertise: Technology
- Enemy: Kurama Shin Clan
- Goal: Collect Ohgi from members of other clans
- Originally descendants of the legendary Saika Ikki Army, they focus on researching and developing new ninja equipment. Their mission is to research and reverse-engineer all of the various ninja arts, so as to replicate them as tools and gear that anyone can use. Their ultimate goal is to unite all the clans under their banner.
Kurama Shin Clan - Expertise: Martial Arts
- Enemy: Bloodline of Oni
- ''Goal: Prevent the rise of the Shinobigami
- A clan of warriors, they were founded by the ancient Kyoto Eight warrior monks. The Kurama Shin Clan are masters of incredible and powerful martial arts. They use these arts not only to strenthen their bodies and spirits, but to ensure that monsters and ninja remain hidden, undiscovered, in the shadow of society. They are proud and honorable shinobi.
Lost Ones - Expertise: Stealth
- Enemy: Hasuba Ninja Army
- Goal: Fight for your own reasons, without being controlled by others
- In truth, the Lost Ones are not a true clan, but nevertheless they have power and influence that cannot be ignored. The Lost Ones are ninja that are raised free from clan influence, brought up in small villages or taught in secret by their relatives. There are also fugitives from other clans within their ranks. They sometimes band together to help and suppourt each other, but they don't really share any common goal beyond that.
Hirasaka Agency - Expertise: Scheming
- Enemy: Otogi Private Academy
- Goal: Protect Japan's national interests
- They are a Japanese secret intelligence agency with strong ties to the ancient Hirasaka Shinto order. Well-connected deep within the government, their highest priority is the safety and raison d'etat (national interest) of Japan. Their primary tools are political and economic power gained through subterfuge and espionage. They manupulate from the shadows to protect Japan from the shadowy world of demons and magic which constantly threatens to overflow into everyday life.
Otogi Private Academy - Expertise: Strategy
- Enemy: Lost Ones
- Goal: Discover the secrets of others
- On the surface, Otogi Private Academy is a boarding school for the elite and gifted, covering elementary through high school and beyond. In reality, it is a secret training academy for boys and girls with unique and special powers they cannot control by themselves without guidance and training. Otogi Academy has an extensive network of worldwide funding and research grants, as well as backing from several global secret agencies. As a result, they often recruit international exchange students.
Bloodline of Oni - Expertise: Sorcery
- Enemy: Hirasaka Agency
- ''Goal: Collect information related to the rise of the Shinobigami
- They are descendants of the beings that were called Oni or Tsuchigumo in ancient times. In addition to human sorcerors and people with unusual powers, there are many nonhumans like vampires and lycanthropes called "nightgaunts" in the ranks of the Oni-blooded. Having a long history of being persecuted by those in power, they have a deep hatred for figures and institutions of authority.
Shinobigami contains examples of the following tropes:
- Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting: All player characters are ninjas, and the "Close Combat Attack" ninpo is the only one that all characters possess.
- Improbable Age: Especially if you're from Otogi Private Academy, you can be a primary school student and still match any of the adult characters in combat.
- Killed to Uphold the Masquerade: The lore section suggests that the upper echelons of the police and government are aware of the "world of shadows", and keep it secret due to being under the thumb of the Hirasaka Agency. This is implied to be the fate of anyone lower on the totem pole who gets it into their head to expose it.
- The Masquerade: The general public, naturally, has no idea about the war between ninja factions. In fact, among English-speaking fans, a common way of describing the game is "Vampire: The Masquerade with ninjas".
- Ninja: All player characters are ninja, and the entire game revolves entirely around them - read the opening paragraphs of this article for more information.
- Ninja Brat: Otogi Private Academy characters can be as young as primary schoolers.
- Wainscot Society: No less than six ninja factions hiding their existence from the general public.
- Yakuza: The lore suggests that Lost Ones sometimes work for the yakuza. For their part, all the yakuza know about the World of Shadows is "There are some really scary guys out there".
