In one corner, we have the United State's amphibious warriors, proudly proclaiming themselves
the first to fight, American marines have a rich history of fighting, and winning, some
of the bloodiest battles in history.
In the other corner is the ancient saboteur, spy, and assassin, the Japanese Ninja.
Hello and welcome to another episode of The Infographic Show's Who Would Win, today we're
pitting a US Marine up against an ancient Ninja, comparing training, weapons, and techniques
to decide a victor.
The US Marine Corps was founded on the 10th of November, 1775 by Captain Samuel Nicholas
who was tasked with raising two battalions of combatants who would fight shipboard actions
against the vastly superior British Fleet.
From their infancy, the Corps has been an amphibious and expeditionary force, who's
job is to quickly respond to hostile forces and secure a beachhead for the rest of the
US military to break through.
Sometimes this is quite literal, as the Marines are the primary amphibious force of the US
military, with the Army having some, but not many, amphibious capabilities.
This means that Marine units have to be capable of taking hostile beaches and then holding
them against typically superior numbers, long enough for the Army to land and establish
a true foothold.
To accomplish this job the Marines are equipped with everything from landing craft to their
own attack helicopters and even their own air force, all meant to support these dangerous
and very aggressive operations.
Marines undergo 13 weeks of initial training at boot camp, where they learn everything
from land navigation to marksmanship, and the fundamentals of the Marine Corps Martial
Arts Program.
This aggressive martial arts technique has its foundations in bayonet and close quarters
combat techniques taught all the way back to the days of boarding parties aboard wooden
sailing ships.
During World War I those basic techniques were supplemented with unarmed combat techniques
such as boxing, giving American Marines an edge in close quarters trench warfare.
Between the two world wars, Colonel Anthony J. Biddle pulled together the various training
programs under one umbrella and standardized techniques to be taught across the entirety
of the Corps, with the fundamentals based on boxing, wrestling, savate, and fencing.
During this transitional period, Chinese American Marines brought their knowledge of Kung Fu
into the Corps, which was quickly integrated into the existing training program.
In 1956 Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Hayward instructed Gunnery Sergeant Bill Miller to develop a
new curriculum that could be used by a Marine to quickly kill an enemy while unarmed, whether
the Marine weighed 110 or 210 pounds.
Miller created a new training program by pulling together various martial arts styles such
as Okinawan karate, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Wushu, Boxing, and Jujutsu.
This program would go on to evolve into the LINE System in the early 1980s, as current
training was found to be too inflexible in situations that did not require lethal force
such as the peacekeeping operations Marines increasingly found themselves carrying out.
This resulted in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, still in use today, which teaches
both lethal and nonlethal self-defense techniques from a wide variety of combat styles from
around the world.
The MCMAP system focuses on the development of mental, character, and physical discipline,
and all Marines are required to achieve a tan belt qualification- or entry-level qualification-
and infantry Marines must attain at minimum a green belt qualification, or a third step
qualification.
Other combat arms of the Corps must attain a gray belt qualification, or second step
qualification.
Training is ongoing throughout a Marine's enlistment, and supplements their continued
marksmanship, leadership, and tactics training.
The Japanese Ninja have their origin in feudal Japan, when competing warlords often hired
out Ninjas to spy on their enemies or assassinate rivals.
Pulling from various martial arts and unifying various techniques into a single discipline-
ninjutsu- training differed from clan to clan, and each clan's training techniques and styles
were very closely guarded secrets.
Typically ninjas were trained from childhood, with children singled out to continue the
clan's tradition based off their physical and mental acuity.
Often the role of ninja would be passed on from father to son, or even daughter, and
trained at secret camps deep in the mountains.
Because a ninja could find him or herself facing off against a ninja from a rival tribe,
the specific techniques and training styles of each clan were kept secret, so that a ninja
could always pull off a trick a rival might never expect.
While samurai of the time were overglorified brutes for the most part, much like european
knights, ninjas were true specialists with a lifelong dedication to perfecting their
minds and bodies for the purpose of sabotage, spying, and killing.
Ninja training focused on improving speed and agility, with ninjas forced to walk with
their bodies leaning forward or to a side so that they would naturally walk quickly
in order to maintain their balance.
Ninjas also trained to walk with wooden sandals over fresh ice in order to achieve perfect
balance and learn how to tread silently.
Because of their need to often break into secure fortresses or simply evade foes, great
emphasis was placed on learning how to climb quickly and silently, with ninjas learning
how to climb both freestyle and with the aid of climbing tools.
To improve their jumping prowess, Ninjas would often load themselves down with heavy rocks
and repeatedly jump up and down, developing the leg muscles to incredible degrees.
It was rumored that a trained ninja could leap seven feet into the air vertically- though
that might have been more than a fair bit of exaggeration.
Ninjas also placed a strong emphasis on mental training and preparedness.
In order to lessen fear and boost self-confidence, Ninjas learned a technique called kuji-kiri,
or the creation of magical signs with the fingers which was meant to assist them with
self-control in moments of danger.
Not believing the signs to hold any actual magical power, they were merely a mental exercise
that helped a ninja calm down and handle stress while in a life or death situation.
Ninjas also chanted Buddhist sutras in order to remain in control of their emotions, a
handy thing for a deadly assassin.
Lastly, Ninjas trained extensively in the use of various weapons, not just hand-to-hand
combat techniques.
As such Ninjas were trained to be master swordsmen, bowmen, proficient in a variety of throwing
weapons, and expert horsemen.
All in all, the Ninja was a career professional specializing mind body and soul for only one
thing: killing and spying.
So who would win in a matchup between the two?
Starting off at range, the American Marine is going to bring his trusty M-4 Carbine to
the battle.
With the M-16 proving to be a bit too unwieldy in close quarters urban combat, the M-4 was
quickly adopted as a replacement for the venerable rifle, though it sports many of the same features.
The rifle fires a 5.56 caliber round at 2,900 feet per second, with a max effective range-
or range where it can deliver accurate fire- of 600 meters.
For ranged combat, the ninja brings the venerable yumi- or japanese longbow- to the fight.
Made of bamboo, the yumi was a powerful bow for its time that could deliver an arrow with
enough power to penetrate a samurai's armor up to thirty meters, and could deliver accurate
fire out to a max distance of 140 meters.
It's clear that at range, the Marine is the clear winner and the ninja has practically
zero chance of survival.
But what about in hand to hand combat?
At close quarters the Marine can wield either a traditional Ka-Bar knife or his trusty E-tool,
or entrenching tool.
The Ka-Bar is a knife first adopted as a combat knife by the Corps in 1942, and quickly became
one of the most iconic pieces of military hardware in the world.
The knife typically features a seven inch carbon steel clip point blade with a leather-wrapped
handle in order to preserve grip even when bloody.
The E-tool on the other hand is primarily used for the hasty construction of fighting
positions, and can be used as a shovel or locked into place as a pick.
It is also however a terrifyingly effective close quarters weapon, featuring sharpened
edges that can easily split a human skull.
The E-tool may not be specifically designed to be a hand-to-hand weapon, but like the
Marines themselves, is flexible enough to be very deadly when need be.
A ninja brings his trusty sword to the fight, which can come in a variety of styles but
is typically a 500 millimeter blade that is much shorter than those used by traditional
samurai.
The reason for the difference in blade length becomes apparent when you consider that ninjas
typically expected to fight in very close quarters and inside rooms and hallways, where
the shorter blade would be much easier to wield.
It was also designed to stab, rather than try to cut through several layers of armor,
seeking out vital points in the body and bringing very quick death.
In close quarters, the ninja has the clear advantage.
His sword is not only vastly superior to the Ka-Bar combat knife, but much more wieldly
than the Marine's E-tool.
While a single blow from the E-tool might split a ninja's skull in half, the superior
speed and focused training a ninja has behind the use of her sword would dictate a clear
winner.
Without weapons, the result would be much the same.
The average Marine is better trained in hand-to-hand combat than most members of any other military
force, yet in the end the Ninja is a professional assassin, trained from childhood to master
their body as a combat tool.
Marines are professional soldiers, but even their training is simply no match for a lifelong
dedication to the martial arts.
While individual encounters would vary, and there are certainly some American Marines
who are world-renowned martial arts experts, on average a close quarters fight will always
go to the ninja's superior, and lifelong training.
Plus, as masters of psychology and manipulation, a ninja would simply call a Marine a “soldier”
and kill the Marine while he spent a half hour complaining loudly about how Marines
aren't soldiers.
Who do you think would really win in this epic matchup?
Want to see more bad ass matchups in our Who Would Win series?
Let us know in the comments!
Also, be sure to check out our other video, Godzilla vs F-35 - Who would in!
Thanks for watching, and as always, don’t forget to like, share and subscribe.
See you next time.