>> Who's your favorite ninja, like ever?
Wrong, it's me.
[laughing]
Me, [bleep], me.
♪ 'Cause I'm a modern rogue ♪
>> NARRATOR: Homemade Shuriken.
>> All right, so we're making shuriken, right?
>> Sure, you can pronounce it that way if you want.
>> They're called shuriken, ninja stars, throwing stars,
Chinese stars, what is it?
>> They're certainly not Chinese stars, kind of racist.
>> Well, that's what I heard [laughing].
>> JASON: They're Japanese in origin.
>> Okay, all right.
>> They're called shuriken but that covers
a broad variety of things.
We're going to make hika shuriken, I think,
or shaken.
>> A shuriken as I understand it, is any small bladed object
that you have in your hands, right?
And oft times it would be like maybe four nails
in a cross basically, that you could jab someone with
or make caltrops out of.
>> Yeah, they didn't get these at a kiosk in the mall.
>> Oh man, well, we did when we were kids.
>> Well, yeah.
[laughing]
Yeah, they could've been anything.
They would make them out of coins or nails fused together.
They couldn't buy them at the mall
or at a machinist or anything like that.
These things were disposable weapons
that weren't meant to kill.
>> Well and that's the thing I never understood,
is movies go out of their way to act like
they're deadly weapons and you have to hit the eyes
always from a distance.
>> But yes, the blades are usually like this
and throwing a blade that small that will pierce
someone's skull or into their heart, pretty tough.
>> Probably not going to happen, yeah,
So this is a weapon of harassment.
A way during kind of guerrilla warfare,
for you to distract attention,
and the story that I heard is that when it went by
and sliced you, because there was no person there,
it was as though an invisible swordsman, whish.
>> That's the translation for shuriken,
is sword that is hidden in the hand.
>> Right on.
All right, how do we make one?
>> Okay, it's so easy.
And I know, yes, that I always say that but it really is.
>> It rarely has turned out to be easy.
>> JASON: I know.
>> Every time you say it.
>> These are grip-rite fasteners, I think you use them
in roofing.
>> You hammer a thing through and then this locks out
all the rain and stuff on there.
>> Oh, sure, yeah.
You can get these at your local hardware store.
Just little silver discs and they're really flimsy,
so these stars are going to be flimsy,
they're not going to be deadly, but they are--
>> That's okay, because I too am flimsy and not deadly.
[laughing]
What shape are we doing?
>> Okay so, you're just going to take your disc here,
don't cut all the way into the center,
did you already start cutting?
>> I, I did, give me another one.
[laughing]
>> Damn it, Brian.
So, you're going to cut it at four different places
and you're not going to cut into the center.
You still need to leave a center mass, all right?
So, just do four cuts at 90 degree angles.
>> BRIAN: Oh, got it, perpendicular cuts.
>> JASON: Yeah.
>> BRIAN: Oh, and you know what?
There's this natural grain on there too
that makes it easy to follow.
>> JASON: Now, on these four wedges,
cut another wedge into each of those,
right in the middle.
>> BRIAN: Just bisect it, basically?
>> JASON: Yeah.
>> BRIAN: Okay, where'd you find this?
>> JASON: This was an instructable, actually.
And again, these aren't going to be effective weapons.
>> Well, first of all, the shuriken itself
is not an effective weapon, right?
>> Right, super disposable and low-fi, just like these.
>> As a matter of fact, Katanas you can find nowadays
because they're well preserved, because they were valued
and handed down through generations.
Because shuriken are disposable weapons of harassment,
the ones you find are all rusted and banged up
and no good. >> Really?
>> Yeah, we're going to make one of those,
one of things that you put candles over, and it spins around.
[laughing] >> Yeah, exactly.
Hey, you know that thing about throwing stars?
We're not doing that at all. >> Forget that.
[laughing]
>> All right, what am I doing?
>> JASON: You're just taking every other tab
and folding it in. >> BRIAN: All right.
Dude, just like that and it's done?
>> JASON: You can go with that,
or cut little points into them.
>> I'm going to do a curved blade.
>> Oh, good call.
>> So, these aren't even like fancy scissors,
we're just using garbage, like paper scissors.
>> Yeah, regular ones, because these things are so flimsy.
And those points,
you can actually get them pretty sharp, right?
>> BRIAN: You know what? My curved thing is not working as well as I had hoped.
>> It's a little difficult.
>> BRIAN: Like that, look at that, look at how tight,
how sharp that is!
>> There's just--there's no heft, so maybe, our next build
should be like two stacked on top of each other.
>> Or maybe put a coin in the middle.
>> Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
>> To be honest, this feels to me like it wants to be
closest to card throwing, because there's a whole technique
to card throwing that I think would apply to
a paper thin shuriken.
>> JASON: Okay.
>> I'm going to say, I actually think...
>> I use the hammer.
>> These want to be, [laughing], it's great.
[laughing]
>> Sorry, I interrupted you.
[laughing]
[laughing] >> I often narrate my own actions.
[through laughter] >> I used the hammer.
Use the hammer to flatten down the other tabs
as you fold them in.
>> JASON: Oh, that's cool.
>> BRIAN: Is that all right? >> JASON: Yeah.
>> All right, so when you're throwing a playing card,
you want to keep it kind of loosely gripped
between your first two fingers,
and you're not actually throwing it and trying to time it,
that's a mistake that everybody makes,
instead you're going to hold it loose enough
that the very act of your motion will cause the momentum
to fling it forward, right?
>> Yeah.
>> And then you get, oh!
That bounced to it right?
That's amazing, [laughing].
>> JASON: That's cool.
>> All right, let me try again, look here,
I'll try again, here you go, here you go.
Uh okay. >> JASON: Oh, wow.
Okay, that's actually pretty fun,
I mean these things are super light and flimsy, but...
>> Yeah, and I guess this one has kind of a swirl pattern
to it so, picture this.
Nyap, nyap, nyap, nyap.
Ooh. [soft thumping]
[laughing]
So, it does get bent up pretty fast.
I'm a bad ninja.
[together] Whoa!
I'm afraid of hitting you. >> Oh, sure.
>> All right, ready?
>> Yeah, blame me, that's good.
>> There we go, I'm calling that.
That good enough, I poked an eye out.
>> That's good.
>> So these guys are super flimsy.
This one has a little more heft.
Feel the difference in the material of this stuff, right?
>> Yeah.
>> This is just sheet metal cut into the shape of a card
because I'm more familiar with throwing cards, whoops.
Ho, that's got the heft.
>> That was a pretty satisfying flack.
>> Try all of them, try all of them.
>> Okay, I'm probably not even going to hit the damn thing.
>> Your grip is right there in the middle,
you're not going to be able to get it.
You want to barely bite the edge
and then you're just going to do the side-arm thing,
you're never going to let go.
Imagine you had goo on your hands,
and you're trying to eeuw, get it off, your mucous.
>> That happens, probably twice a day.
>> Okay, you're throwing it like a frisbee,
which you don't want to do.
You're flicking off goo.
There we go.
>> It was a terrible shot, but it was a much better throw.
>> Here, try it with this one, try with the card.
Oh, oh, oh oh oh!
>> Right here, right here.
>> BRIAN: Now you're talking. >> That felt good.
>> So if we were to do a weighted one,
would we want to double these up or just put coins in them?
>> How about you just try to throw one as is?
>> Oh gees, whoa ho ho ho ho!
Dude, these are dope!
Hold on, hold on, hold on, >> That's pretty cool.
I didn't expect that.
>> All right, just as is.
Oh, oh man.
Dude, this is better.
If you just want target practice...
[soft thumping]
No.
>> Nice. >> Wow.
Wow, wow, ah. >> That's satisfying.
>> Why are we bothering to even make them sharp?
These are amazing, these are called, uh,
grip-rite fasteners, and plus like feel the weight of them
in your hand.
Put on the goggles, just hold it, let me go to town.
>> Well, let me get out of the way.
>> No, I mean, you hold it. >> Oh.
>> Physically hold it, be in the way.
>> Jesus Christ, are you serious?
[laughing]
>> In your hand, it feels like a slinky.
That's about the thickness of the metal here
and I feel like I'm holding a circular deck of cards.
I feel like I was meant for this moment.
>> JASON: Yeah, me too.
>> I don't think any of these will cut you,
but I think they're going to feel really good
to throw at you.
All right, ready?
>> Ready.
>> Ho.
Whoo.
>> Thanks for waiting.
>> Oh, oh.
>> Ow.
>> Ah, ho,
oh my god, I'm Gambit.
I was meant for this.
>> Ow!
>> Oh. >> JASON: Damn it!
>> Wow.
[laughing]
Did that hurt?
[laughing]
Sorry.
Oh this is a million times superior to even bothering
to make them sharp on the edges.
That is amazing.
>> So we're good? >> BRIAN: All right.
>> I have a challenge for you that doesn't involve
throwing stuff at me.
You want to see if you can hit some moving targets?
>> Ooh, yeah, why not?
So what do you think's going to happen on balloons?
>> I think these could still pop them.
>> Yeah, I think so too.
>> JASON: These definitely will.
>> By the way, inflate the balloons nice and big
if you want them easy to pop.
That's a trick that the old carnies would use,
is they would under-inflate the balloons,
so when you threw a dart,
they would just bounce off of them.
>> Really? >> So here's the challenge.
I am much more confident
and precise with the circular ones, right?
>> Okay.
>> But, these are definitely going to be able to pop
the balloon, >> JASON: Yeah.
>> So it will be a contest between my aim
and the pokiness, to see if I can get it.
Which one do you want to do first?
>> Let's do the pokiness. >> Okay, all right, go for it.
>> Oh, all right, [laughing]
try it again, try it again.
Damn it.
Argh.
[loud popping]
Ho, that was awesome.
>> Yes! >> That was great.
I'm really surprised, despite getting banged up a lot,
they're still effective.
>> JASON: Using a hammer, using a hammer.
[laughing]
Okay, >> Yeah!
[soft popping]
>> Ha ha!
>> That's really satisfying.
[laughing]
That's great.
>> You want to try the...
>> Yeah, we'll try the discs.
I think, I think it'll work.
[loud clanging]
[together] Oh!
>> No. >> Try another one.
[soft whacking] Oh my god.
[laughing]
It missed but it's embedded in the wall.
[laughing]
Whoopsie. >> JASON: Whoops.
>> We're not going to tell the landlord about the uh,
it's fine. >> JASON: Yeah, yeah,
no one's watching.
>> All right, here we go. [loud whooshing]
What the heck? [laughing]
It made that wicked ass sound too.
[loud whooshing]
Did not see that coming.
>> I know.
>> Okay, what if we just added the ridges,
>> Yeah.
>> like the initial cut, right?
That'll give it some points, right?
So, now I've got like a whirling pinwheel type thing
with just enough pokiness that it'll pop balloons.
[loud popping]
Yeah!
>> That did the trick.
Do you want to try something else?
>> What else do you got?
That's not a good idea.
That's, that just seems like, set up the target.
Um... [laughing]
Okay, so here's the thing,
is there actually is a trick to fling playing cards,
you just pinch it in a rubber band and then,
it flies, just like that, right?
>> Very cool.
>> So I would imagine the same thing works
with this metal card.
>> You think?
[laughing]
>> Not so much. >> Maybe not.
>> BRIAN: Works, right? >> Cool.
>> Yeah, and then, and so now I guess we should try that
with the stars.
Whoa.
[laughing]
We're all real fighting here.
[laughing]
I will just use the rubber band, pulled back like that.
[laughing]
Not so much, not so much.
[laughing]
>> Nope, is it too light? >> Not feeling it.
>> Part of it is that it's difficult to figure out
where you should line it up to.
I'm going to put a weight on the edge this time.
I'm just going to put it right in the middle.
>> Closer. >> All right,
now we're getting somewhere.
Ho! >> There it is.
>> That's what you do.
I'm pinching it right in the middle,
like I'm slingshotting a quarter
is what I'm thinking of it as.
All right, let's call it, that one.
I mean, we'll try the slingshot,
but it just feels like it's going to be so chaotic
and wild, you're not going to get that precise spin.
>> Especially since we're dealing with things
that are so light.
>> I guess we'll try the discs first.
>> JASON: A bunch of them at once?
>> Yeah, now this I do feel like has a chance of working.
A brick of them, all at once, so it's closer
to regular shot and it's the discs.
>> I feel like it's going to be a ridiculous disaster.
>> He, he, he.
[loud crashing]
[laughing]
That was pretty great.
That's pretty great.
[laughing]
[loud crashing]
>> All right. >> All right,
can you do it with the shuriken?
Try it with the pinwheel.
>> Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.
>> Like see if it's possible with just one,
to hit that balloon.
Ooh, blade it.
[loud popping]
Oh, wow, oh wow wow.
>> Now that was the bladed one.
>> Yeah. >> Yeah.
>> All right, hold on.
Let's try the target.
Ooh, okay. [laughing]
Boy, that does get a lot of force.
I'm surprised it doesn't just bang into your hand.
>> Me too.
>> Yeah, it doesn't get that spin.
Here, try another.
Did that embed itself in there?
[soft crashing]
>> JASON: What happened?
>> Oh my goodness,
[laughing]
that is so deep, feel how deeply embedded in there
that is.
Wow!
>> JASON: It's all warped.
>> Okay, let's do it with the sharpy ones.
>> Okay, do you want to try, do you want to do it?
>> Uh no, I'm scared of this.
There's plenty of brute force in this
but there's so little control, it makes me nervous.
And you're just doing it right in the middle.
>> Yip.
[laughing]
That was pathetic.
>> Now I know with the rubber band,
it is important that it not be exactly in the center.
>> This doesn't look like that's going to work at all.
>> Try it, try it.
Holy cow, you took out the lights!
You took out the lights.
[loud crashing]
Holy freaking cow.
>> Whoa.
>> Look at how deeply embedded this was.
I stand 100% corrected.
This thing utterly blasted straight in,
almost went through the entire target.
>> That was surprisingly effective.
I like it.
>> Yeah, and surprisingly sharp.
So, shuriken.
They don't seem like a toy anymore.
>> Yeah, no, I think we could actually hurt somebody
with one of those.
>> They seem like genuine weapons of harassments.
It's almost as though warriors of old
actually had a good reason for using them.
>> Now there are a billion different variations
on how to make these.
I've seen people use x-acto knives, thread cutters,
disassembling those and reassembling them.
>> Razor blades, there's a good tutorial.
>> Razor blades, all sorts of stuff.
Now these are just, like, roofing discs.
>> I'll tell you what.
The roofing discs by themselves,
if you know how to throw cards,
they're astonishingly precise.
It's really the best way to go.
But I would imagine that with a little bit of practice,
you can get the same way.
You'll want to make all of your stars exactly the same
so that you can get a rhythm
to know how to throw it just right.
>> Yeah, and you also have the actual bladed ones, here.
Which take all of 45 seconds to make.
Then we have the halfway in-between disc.
>> The pinwheel thing, this is the one I'd like to see
people experimenting with because that pokiness
is going to definitely injure
and considering that the whole purpose is to harass people,
it just seems like that's got the precision on there.
>> Then there's the sheet metal card.
>> Sheet metal card might, to me, be the most dangerous
of all of them, it's got a little more heft
and got insane penetrating power.
But I will vouch for all of these were much more dangerous
than I originally thought.
None of this is a good idea to muck around with.
>> Don't do this at home.
>> In fact, our whole show, let us do it.
That's what we do. >> JASON: Yeah.
Now it's time for the next part of the game,
the most dangerous game.
Run!
>> Oh Jesus, no, no!
[soft whooshing]