# When did knowledge of ninjas become general in the West?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-knowledge-of-ninjas-become-general-in-the-west/709164>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 6, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-knowledge-of-ninjas-become-general-in-the-west/709164 "2015-01-06T21:28:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-knowledge-of-ninjas-become-general-in-the-west/709164/21 "2015-01-08T02:16:26Z")

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> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> I couldn’t recall if Bond got ninja schooled in the novel, as well. It’s been too long since I read it. Neither the Wikipedia page nor the Bond Wiki say anything about ninjas in Fleming’s novel. (And my copy of the book’s at home)

First mention? Page 110, half way down.

_hard cover edition_😉

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**Author:** ![Idilia\_Dubb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c2a13f/32.png) [@Idilia\_Dubb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idilia_Dubb)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-knowledge-of-ninjas-become-general-in-the-west/709164/22 "2015-01-08T10:09:02Z")

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> [@Bill\_Door](#):
>
> The _Kung Fu_ television series had at least one episode featuring a ninja in the 1973-1974 season.

Maybe it was a ninja who hung Carradine in that closet?

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**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-knowledge-of-ninjas-become-general-in-the-west/709164/23 "2015-01-08T11:31:25Z")

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> [@Kinthalis](#):
>
> Are ninja’s well known to western audiences?
> 
> Certainly the depiction of ninjas as black pajama wearing guys jumping up walls and using ninja-to and throwing ninja stars, etc is etched into pop-culture, but these are caricatures, they aren’t really representative of actual history.

Heh…this is the observation I was going to make…apparently this thread was too stealthy for me to make it in a timely manner, though. \>\_\>

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**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-knowledge-of-ninjas-become-general-in-the-west/709164/24 "2015-01-08T11:40:30Z")

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Iron Fist’s first comic-book adventures in 1974 involved a superstealthy ninja who tagged along in black pajamas to fling a well-timed shuriken or whatever. (By 1975, he was pretty much top-billed in the _Death Is A Ninja_ issue of Marvel Premiere.)

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**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-knowledge-of-ninjas-become-general-in-the-west/709164/25 "2015-01-08T13:23:27Z")

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> [@Idilia\_Dubb](#):
>
> Maybe it was a ninja who hung Carradine in that closet?

If it was a ninja, we’d never have known it. Hey, wait a minute\>

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