Hello Internet - and welcome back to Life’s Biggest Questions.
My name’s Jack Finch - and today, I’ll be your host as we explore a strange, historical
timeline.
Now here’s a question on the tip of everyone’s tongue - What If A Spartan
Fought A Ninja?
Before we get started - make sure to hit that subscribe button, and let us know what hypothetical
historical battles you’d like to see in the future.
Now - we’ve already covered a Samurai fighting a Viking - but let’s take things up a notch,
and compare two of the most infamous warriors in history - for completely opposite reasons.
The Ninja - a covert agent of feudal Japan - focusing on espionage, sabotage and assassination,
that waged irregular warfare against the various powers and war leaders in the Land of the
Rising Sun.
The Spartan - a warrior bred purely to orchestrate the art of war against the enemies of Sparta.
Ferocious, honorable, and devastating on the battlefield.
Who would win?
Well, we’ve got an arsenal of information and a pretty overactive imagination - so let’s
take a look.
First - let’s compare their origins.
In the 15th century, Ninja’s emerged as mercenaries from all across Japan - and were
referred to in historical texts as shinobi.
They were primarily recruited as spies, arsonists and even terrorists.
As they evolved, the ninja organised themselves into families - and then into larger guilds
that each had their own territories.
If you stepped on another ninja’s turf - stuff was about to go down.
Compared to their counterparts, the samurai - the ninja were seen as dishonorable - and
would commit acts that no one else would do.
The ninja embraced this, it allowed them to be creative with their kill count - and they’d
adopt tactics that would constantly give them the edge in battle.
The Spartan story was completely different.
By the age of 7 - Spartan boys were taken from their mothers and sent to the nearest
military boot camp.
Here - the Spartan way of life was mercilessly drilled into them.
Only the strong survived.
Until the age of 20, they were physically tested on a daily basis - fighting each other
with fists, and eventually weaponry.
They would eat, breathe and dream of war.
Already - the Spartan has the edge over the Ninja.
Their livelihood made it that battle was the only thing they desired - and their code of
honour was unmatchable.
A Spartan would rather die than retreat.
They called it “dropping the shield” - and it was the worse crime a Spartan could commit.
Where - the Ninja - they’re kind of renowned for running away when a fight doesn’t quite
go their way.
But - sometimes, honour isn’t everything.
The Ninja’s proficiency in stealth and espionage made it that they only ever picked a fight
on their terms.
Ninja’s adopted disguises and camouflage - and they’d only reveal themselves if they
were sure they had a kill.
Most often - a fight with a Ninja would be over before you even saw it coming.
So - in that sense - yeah, a Ninja would more than likely win.
But that’s no fun - the Spartan needs a fighting chance.
Because,
let’s step into the armory - and see what they’ve both got to stab each other with.
Now, both the Spartan and the Ninja wore pretty light armour.
The Ninja would sometimes wear chain mail, with small armor plates - and Spartans would
wear light tunics, which allowed them flexibility in battle for their right arm and shoulder.
But - we’re forgetting to mention one thing - which is a /pretty/ big deal.
The Spartan Shield.
Spartan’s absolutely loved their shields.
So much so, that if a warrior lost a sword or a spear in battle, it was fine - no one
really cared.
But if you lost your /shield/ - it was a sign of complete disgrace.
Not only does it protect the user - it protected the /whole Spartan formation/.
They either came back alive with their shield, or dead - carried on it.
Because of this - things are going to be /pretty damn/ difficult for our friend the ninja.
Unless they somehow find a way to penetrate past their defences - this fight is going
to be over pretty quickly.
The Spartan’s main weapon was the dory spear - that worked perfectly alongside the Spartan
shield.
For long range - they carried a javelin, capable of killing an enemy at a range of 50 feet.
For close range - the Spartan’s used a short, iron sword called a kopis - capable of being
thrust through gaps in the enemies armor.
Compared to the Ninja - who’s arsenal of weaponry is a far different story.
Their main source of pointy things - was the katana - which had several uses that stretched
beyond normal combat.
Every part of the ninja’s kit was a multi-purpose tool.
They used poison, explosives - even landmines - whatever it took to shift favour to the
Ninja.
At range - Ninja’s had an array of darts, throwing stars and knives - collectively known
as shuriken.
They were an important part of the Ninja’s arsenal, and could mortally wound an enemy
at a distance.
They even had handheld explosives and grenades - which means, the Spartan’s shield may
quickly become pretty useless.
And then we have hand-to-hand combat.
Ninja’s utilised a martial art commonly known as ninjitsu - which was part of a wider
school of physical combat.
Hand to hand, they were pretty deadly.
But the Spartan also has a trick up their sleeve.
They were brutally trained in the ancient martial art of pankration - a fighting style
that consisted of boxing and grappling.
Spartan’s were so good at pankration - that when it was inducted into the Olympic Games
- they weren’t even allowed to compete.
It was similar to a modern day UFC - and if the Spartan could get the ninja in a takedown
and joint lock - this fight is over.
And here’s where we get to the knock out - whichever way we spin it, this is going
to be a pretty impressive fight.
The Spartan’s strength lies in their ability to wage war on the battlefield - where the
Ninja’s strength lies in their ability to level the playing field, and give the Ninja
the edge.
10 Spartans versus 10 Ninjas?
Spartans win.
100 vs 100?
Spartans still win.
1000 vs 1000 - yep, Spartans.
But 1 versus 1?
The Ninja has the fight.
And it’s down to one thing - technology.
Over a thousand years separate the Spartan and the Ninja, and a lot more tools were freely
available to the Japanese assassin.
The Ninja could hit them with a single poison dart, and the fight would be over pretty quickly.
They could set the Spartan shield on fire with a hand-held explosive - and the Spartan’s
main source of defence would be useless.
There’s no doubt that the Spartan’s were the undisputed warriors of the Ancient World.
But,
Ninja’s didn’t fight fair - and honour doesn’t always win.
So there we have it - the grand answer to What If A Spartan Fought A Ninja - the ninja
would win.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this video - I certainly have.
Let us know in the comment box down below.
This has been Life’s Biggest Questions - I’ve been your host Jack Finch - and until next
time, take it easy.