Kinnikuman 303

Revealing himself as a master of ninja-arts like his opponent, Satan Cross has chosen to use bizarre water mirages in order to confuse and take down The Ninja! But can the Soldier team member find a way to find the real opponent?

Chapter 303: Scramble for the Kinniku Throne (30): Life-Risking Ninpou Battle

47.
Caption: NAGOYA CASTLE—
S. Cross: Kekeke
Announcer: The Satan Cross to the rear is standing with a mad expression, but The Ninja really isn’t facing it---!!
Ninja: ………!?
Ninja: It’s as I thought: he really is a phantom created by a mirage!!

48.
Ninja: I’m certain the real Satan Cross who became the origin of this illusion is nearby!!

49.
Ninja: Now…as I’m searching for Satan Cross’ real self, I’ll be taking his hellish baptism if I move recklessly…now I can only wait for him to move first…
S. Cross: Kekeke…that Ninja, does he intend to make this a war of attrition? Alright, in that case, I’ve been thinking that too……
Announcer: Well, five minutes have passed with The Ninja and Satan Cross not seeming to make a principal move in the ring!!

50.
Caption: HIMEJI CASTLE—
Suguru: That Ninja in the ring is in pain too…
Suguru: To how he seems to us, he’s getting suffocated.
Announcer: Seven minutes have passed.
Announcer: Eight minutes have passed.

51.
Phoenix: Ten minutes have passed: soon the impatience of The Ninja will appear.
Mammoth: Fuo fuo fuo
Ninja: Where is he!! Where exactly is Satan Cross’ real body!?
Soldier: Ninja, calm down! What they want is for you to end up becoming impatient!!
Voice: Ke ke ke ke…
Ninja: That laughter is
Ninja: Over there--!!
Ninja: Satan Cross, I found you!!

52.
Announcer: The Ninja is seizing Satan Cross’s body, which was on the pillar behind him, with an Abarash Hold!!
(TN: I tried to find out information regarding what the “Avarash” or “Abarash” stands for, but couldn’t really find anything that would explain who it was. The closest I found was connected to a wrestler named “Gorilla Abarash”, but nothing further at this time)
Ninja: Teee!!
Voice: Kekeke, what you’ve caught wasn’t the real body.
S. Cross: As proof, the phantom is still floating there, isn’t it?
Ninja: Ge—the phantom hasn’t disappeared…
Ninja: Ha…it was the Cicada Jutsu again……

53.
Ninja: Where then is Satan Cross’ real body!?
Suguru: Ooh! Ninja has two shadows.
Suguru: !
S. Cross: Kekeke---!!
Announcer: Satan Cross’ real body was impersonating The Ninja’s shadow---!!

54.
Announcer: Holding up The Ninja, Satan Cross has thrown an intense Back Flip to his rear-----!!
Ninja: Geho!!
Phoenix: That’s match.
Ninja: Wh…what~~~
Ninja: A Japanese shinobi losing to a Western shinobi can’t be shown to my ancestors~~

55.
Announcer: Once again, the seating positions of Team Soldier have changed---!!
Ninja: Fufu…I understand. The L-Formation is to fight without throwing away my hopes to the end!!
S. Cross: Escape Water!! Al—right, I won’t be merciful anymore: let me show you the terror of a Western ninja—

56.
Ninja: Ooh! He’s disappearing into the fog again!!
S. Cross: Kekekeke
Ninja: Gee!!
Ninja: Sorya!!
Announcer: What’s going on: Satan Cross is appearing one after another—
Suguru: He…he’s a phantom too.

57.
S. Cross: Kekeke~~Kekeke~~
Ninja: One of these within is real……but which…
Phoenix: Ha—hahaha: The Ninja, if you call yourself a legitimate Japanese ninja, then splendidly search for the real body from within those innumerable phantom Satan Cross.
Ninja: YOU’RE A NINJA TOO…
Ninja: Right: I’m a ninja too. Satan Cross’ ninpou will be challenged by a ninpou cultivated by hundreds of years of our history.
Audience: AAH…

58.
Ninja: Ninpou: Spider-Thread Wind Chime!!
Suguru: Ooh!!
Suguru: Look: the cloth of the kimono worn by Ninja is unraveling, becoming slender threads and stretching out in every direction.
Phoenix: Wh…what is that!?

59.
Announcer: The threads that have spurted out from Ninja’s entire body stretched around the entire arena like a spider web; as expected, it is probing for Satan Cross’ real body---!!
S. Cross: Kekeke—what are you doing with these threads---!!
Announcer: Satan Cross is rushing towards Ninja.
Phoenix: Since Satan Cross innumerable phantoms don’t have his real body from the start, Ninja’s threads will slip through easily. However, if those threads touch Satan Cross’ real body…
Phoenix: No: Satan Cross, stop your movement from that place---!!

60.
Ninja: You’re a bit late, Phoenix-san: Satan Cross’ real body has touched my thread.
Ninja: The mirage bodies which weren’t real let those threads slip through easily. However, the real body which truly exists will be caught for real when it touches the thread.
S. Cross: Gumu~~~
Announcer: The Ninja’s intellectual operation has finally captured Satan Cross’ real body---!!

61.
Ninja: Ta---!!
Ninja: Rolling Back Skewering!!
(TN: A silly note: “skewering” in Japanese is “dengakuzashi”, which literally translates into “to skewer dengaku”, in reference to the dish of bean curd covered in miso and served on a stick)
S. Cross: Ugya!!
Announcer: Due to Satan Cross’ real form being caught, the phantoms are disappearing!!

62.
Ninja: ……!!
Ninja: U…Uo…
Announcer: Just like Satan Cross, The Ninja is down in the ring as well---!!
S. Cross: Kekeke: of course. Somehow the secret of The Ninja enduring until now this much of my fierce attacks is in the ninja outfit he wore.
S. Cross: His ninja outfit is an item that has been inherited from generations of ninjas, soaked with the blood and sweat of successive generations of ninjas, thread by thread, in the cloth. So to say, due to wearing that, Ninja has come to protect generations of ninjas.

63.
Suguru: Of course: therefore, since that ninja outfit, which is his guardian diety, came apart to reveal Satan Cross’ true body, the damage that he was guarded from due to that ninja outfit until now has attacked the Ninja all at once…
S. Cross: Kekeke—a reckless attack without thinking ahead disqualifies you from being a ninja.
S. Cross: Midnight Sheet!!

64.
Announcer: Satan Cross has attached a giant sheet with the night sky drawn on it onto the ceiling this time, making the arena become a completely dark world!!
Ninja: …………
S. Cross: Keke—it’s too early to be this surprised---!!
S. Cross: Midnight Ocean!!
Announcer: Now a four-cornered ocean has appeared in just the ring—
Ninja: Uwa!!

65.
S. Cross: Kekeke: how’s that, Ninja? Isn’t the ocean at the dead of night the perfect place to die for you, a ninja who lives in the world of darkness?
S. Cross: Ninpou…
S. Cross: CHOUJIN LIFE BUOY!!
Ninja: ………
Soldier: AAH…

66.
(SCRAMBLE FOR THE KINNIKU THRONE ARC)
SPECIAL VTR XXIV
THE NINJA VS. SATAN CROSS

TN: It's probably too soon to ask this question but I think now is the perfect time to do so: since when did everyone suddenly get so respectful towards The Ninja!? I mean nothing against him being a cool character and all, but seeing him as he was prior to being on Team Soldier and how he is now being respected by even Suguru's group is just starting to creep me out. Let's remind ourselves: this is the same Ninja who was a member of the Six Devil Knights under Satan who sided with Goldman to destroy the Justice Choujin. This is also the same Ninja who was one of the pieces that formed the body of Goldman's "Akuma Shogun" guise. And likewise, this is also the same Ninja who was one of the Devil Choujin who was raised by Ashuraman (back when he was still evil) as part of the Hell Canvas during the Tag Tournament and was easily squashed by Suguru and Terry as part of said canvas without standing out at all (compared to, say, The Mountain)

Alright, I get that he introduced himself in this arc as "not siding with Kinnikuman at all" compared to the other members of the Choujin Blood-Brother Brigade, but it seems like from some of the comments that have been going on in this chapter that he's simply just been a ninja-themed Choujin who feels like he's been good all this time and who has the honor and glory of his ancestors that he's fighting both with and for. And of course, since he is on Team Soldier with the likes of Buffaloman, Ashuraman and Brocken Jr., even Suguru and his team trust him essentially immediately by watching this! But all it makes me do is shrug and wonder several things. First of all is "why would Soldier choose him"...but that will actually be covered a bit later. Secondly though is this: how exactly did Ninja even escape from the Choujin Graveyard in the first place so he could meet up with Soldier to be recruited? I know Choujin seem to leave and do whatever they want a lot of times, but somehow a Devil Knight of his standard getting out of there seems awfully suspicious. Heck, I even trust the reasons how/why Black Hole got out over someone like him (he did seem honorable and my guess is he and Pentagon got "free passes" by winning a tag tourney down there to join in the one at Tournament Mountain...only to die and go back down there via one Muscle Docking) Let alone, once again, the matter of timing: the last we saw Ninja was back when he was part of the Hell Canvas, and as we know not too much time has passed between the Tag Tourney and this phase of the Throne tournament (well in their time, but they always seem to mesh it with our time so it gets even more confusing) And then there is this question: if The Ninja is a Choujin and tied to a ninja clan on Earth...then what is the story with the Ninja clan in the first place? Are all ninja essentially Choujin in this universe? Is this how they're able to have bizarre abilities and connections to the past? Could their connections to the darkness and the ways of their assassinations and ninja missions be a reason why The Ninja was associated with the Devil Choujin (and ultimately the Devil Knights who report under Satan) from the start?

Look, I have nothing against The Ninja...and this really had nothing to do with the chapter (which was another really fun one and somehow reminded me of Naruto even more...particularly the line about "not planning ahead is not ninja-like"...then again neither is orange jumpsuits...and the whole concept regarding his outfit being tied to the damage he takes was neat in it's own way though slightly contradicts his outfit being used for the "Movement Jutsu" like it was when he fought Brocken Jr.)...it's just seeing all the respect for The Ninja all of a sudden for merely just being on the right side at the right time just creeps me out. (and makes me wish we get more backstory down the line)