# Ninja Throwing Stars **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 23, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603 "2009-11-23T03:22:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/1 "2009-11-23T03:22:51Z")
How deadly is a ninja throwing star? Apart from putting out an eye, I just can’t imagine them doing much real damage. MAYBE if you get lucky you can sever the jugular. But it seems like a weapon of annoyance rather than a real killing device. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/2 "2009-11-23T03:26:35Z")
[Shuriken](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuriken). ---
**Author:** ![Hadrian\_s\_Wall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/58956e/32.png) [@Hadrian\_s\_Wall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hadrian_s_Wall)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/3 "2009-11-23T04:18:11Z")
You know who uses throwing stars? Ninjas Because ninjas are cool, and by cool, I mean totally [sweet](http://www.realultimatepower.net/) Someone had to make the reference… ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/4 "2009-11-23T04:36:46Z")
Shuriken is a general term for small thrown weapons. Most shuriken are just throwing spikes, as indicated in the Wikipedia article linked above. Hishi gane are the closet thing to modern “ninja throwing stars” [sic] but are actually diamond shaped and about the size of an American silver dollar. They were typically thrown in quantity (3-6) at the eyes or exposed parts of the body as a distraction. Most of the crap you read about them (being poison-tipped, for example) is pure fabrication, and they’re not an effective primary weapon. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/5 "2009-11-23T04:43:51Z")
i picked some up in chinatown sf for a friend as a gag gift and naturally we tested them out. you get pretty proficient in it after a few days of just messing around with it. before we inevitably lost them all, we could get them stuck about 3/4 inch into boards from ~10 feet away. we could almost totally bury them in drywall. you could definitely mess someone up with them but definitely not enough to kill. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/6 "2009-11-23T04:46:23Z")
Another interesting thrown weapon is the [chakram](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakram). [_Weapon Masters_ video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDNw2slOK3Y) (43:49). ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/7 "2009-11-23T07:20:44Z")
A friend used to have some that were about 2-3" in diameter…if you hit the right spot from 4-5 metres I would think they would do some serious damage. ---
**Author:** ![Bisected8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a4c791/32.png) [@Bisected8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bisected8)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/8 "2009-11-23T09:17:25Z")
From what I understand they were derived from some tool or other (ninjas were historically assassins and would have avoided using a sword or other manufactured weapons, which would have been both expensive and conspicuous) and would have been used as a melee weapon and only thrown as a distraction or annoyance. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/9 "2009-11-23T11:11:21Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > How deadly is a ninja throwing star? Apart from putting out an eye, I just can’t imagine them doing much real damage. MAYBE if you get lucky you can sever the jugular. But it seems like a weapon of annoyance rather than a real killing device. Ah, the infamous Red Ryder Carbine-Action throwing star! Someone had to make the reference… ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/10 "2009-11-23T16:36:26Z")
> [@Hadrian\_s\_Wall](#): > > You know who uses throwing stars? Ninjas > Because ninjas are cool, and by cool, I mean totally [sweet](http://www.realultimatepower.net/) > > Someone had to make the reference… I don’t understand that site. It’s either a) a joke; or b) the eanest gushings of a teenage ninja fanboy. Knowing which one it is will help me enjoy it better. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/11 "2009-11-23T16:41:54Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I don’t understand that site. It’s either a) a joke; or b) the eanest gushings of a teenage ninja fanboy. Knowing which one it is will help me enjoy it better. I’m going to have to go with joke. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/12 "2009-11-23T17:14:19Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I don’t understand that site. It’s either a) a joke; or b) the eanest gushings of a teenage ninja fanboy. Knowing which one it is will help me enjoy it better. It’s a joke. The author of the website has written books and stuff as well. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/13 "2009-11-23T18:15:49Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I don’t understand that site. It’s either a) a joke; or b) the eanest gushings of a teenage ninja fanboy. Knowing which one it is will help me enjoy it better. Wikipedia entry says it’s humor, done by a guy named Robert Hamburger using the persona of a 10-year-old boy. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/14 "2009-11-23T18:29:56Z")
A ninja throwing star is 100% lethal. Since they are only used by Ninjas, and only when a Ninja wants to kill you, that means that you are 100% likely to die if a Ninja wants to kill you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Joe\_Meager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Joe_Meager)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/15 "2009-11-23T18:34:03Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > A ninja throwing star is 100% lethal. Since they are only used by Ninjas, and only when a Ninja wants to kill you, that means that you are 100% likely to die if a Ninja wants to kill you. 😃 Which also explains why there are no survivors to refute the lethality of a throwing star. They \*must \*be deadly, we don’t know of anyone who survived one! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/16 "2009-11-23T19:03:12Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > i picked some up in chinatown sf for a friend as a gag gift and naturally we tested them out. you get pretty proficient in it after a few days of just messing around with it. before we inevitably lost them all, we could get them stuck about 3/4 inch into boards from ~10 feet away. we could almost totally bury them in drywall. you could definitely mess someone up with them but definitely not enough to kill. God how long ago was that? They’re super illegal, as is everything else in California. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/17 "2009-11-23T19:10:55Z")
The really cool thing is that ninjas can make it look like it wasn’t a throwing star that killed you, like being hit by a bus or having a heart atack… ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/18 "2009-11-23T19:57:02Z")
> [@Bisected8](#): > > ninjas were historically assassins Spies and saboteurs more than assassins, and when they did engage in assassinations, they usually used conventional weapons…spears, swords, knives, guns. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/19 "2009-11-23T20:11:33Z")
… poison, hired thugs, sabotage, etc. Ninja’s weren’t black pajama wearing dudes. They were the laundry girl who peeked at correspondence, the ambassador who waited for the right time to hire a few mercenaries and get rid of a problem, or the new Samurai in town who every other samurai wanted to bed, who would slip in some poison in his master’s tea while he was getting ready for the deed. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603/20 "2009-11-23T20:28:53Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > God how long ago was that? They’re super illegal, as is everything else in California. They’re actually not that hard to find in a lot of places around the country - gun shows, truck stops, the aforementioned Chinatown souvenier and curio shops. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ninja-throwing-stars/518603.md?page=2)