The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

Episode Notes for
Unmasking the Ninja

ORDER the book from Amazon.com
Matt Alt & Hiroko Yoda (co-authors)
Yutaka Kondo (illustrator)

This week the hosts of MonsterTalk take on the mysterious, mystical, legendary menace of the ninja! Should ninjas be considered monsters? They come out at night, have mysterious powers and use fear and lethality to wreak havoc. But to be sure, we Ask a Ninja. Also, we interview Matt Alt, co-author (with Hiroko Yoda) of Ninja Attack: True Tales of Assassins, Samurai and Outlaws.

In this episode

• What are/were ninjas? What was their purpose?
• How did they make the transition to SuperHero?
• How were they different than samurai?
• What did real ninja look like? Where did black-suits come from?
• What were some of the super-secret ninja equipment? (shuriken, etc.)
• What are some of the myths and legends surrounding ninjas, esp. supernatural powers and abilities?
• What did it cost to hire a Ninja?
• What were “ninja spells?”
• Plus much, much more!

Music

• Monstertalk Theme: Monster by Peach Stealing Monkeys

The views expressed on this program are not necessarily the views of the Skeptics Society or Skeptic magazine.