I would say the Ninja would win becasue during the battle I would slip him a gun <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :evil --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/devil.gif ALT=":evil"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>

Ninja missions are done in stealth and utilize surprise.<br><br>More often then not, the Samurai is only armored during time of war. Guards not expecting an attack by an enemy army usually are only lightly armored at best.<br><br>Thus, the Ninja is highly unlikely to be facing a fully armored samurai.<br><br>Further, the tactics the Ninja developed (striking from unorthodox positions, weapons designed to deal with the weapons of the Samurai) were created specifically to deal with their Samurai opponents. Thus, one on one, I'd still tend to favor the Ninja (the best trained Samurai warriors would of course be much harder to overcome).<br><br>~ZL <p><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://www.lindenryuujin.34sp.com/zhugeLiang/Sigpic1.gif"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--> <br>Empires wax and wane; states cleave asunder and coalesce. <br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"Swift as the wind, silent as the forest, fierce as the fire, steady as the mountain."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> A banner used by the Takeda clan of Kai (Sengoku Jidai era). </p><i></i>

First of all, let me re-address the equipment issue of the samurai. Yes, I agree that their armor emphasized mobility as opposed to, say, a suit of plate mail. However, that doesn't detract from the fact that you're still wearing at least about fifteen to twenty pounds of lamellar armor, not to mention a rather cumbersome helmet. Granted, samurai trained in armor often to make up for that weight, but it doesn't change the fact that anyone wearing that stuff is slower than if they weren't. As the ninja combat styles emphasize superior speed, this puts the samurai at a disadvantage.<br><br>Also, the point of the kama--YES, it's a ninja weapon! You must remember that many ninja came from the ranks of peasants themselves, and adapted common tools used in agriculture to be used as weapons including the common rice sickle. Where samurai basically only had one weapon to use while unmounted, their katana (contrary to popular belief, many did NOT use their wakisashi as an off-hand or back-up weapon...but more on that later), ninja had versatility. The ninja-to, kama, kusari-gama--which I also might add, is very useful in close combat as the weighted chain was used to entangle an enemy's limb and pull them off-balance, exploiting them for an easy killing blow--poisoned shuriken, war fans...the list goes on and ON. Plus, ninja didn't often specialize in any one style--they kept abreast on everything, and always carried more than one weapon. This made them much more difficult to predict in battle compared to most samurai, who trained under "orthodox" methods. This gives the ninja another advantage in versatility.<br><br>As far as sword vs. sword combat...the most telling tale of this kind of combat I saw was a few months back, at a public demonstration of kenjutsu. Most of the katas and such were made under the same assumption--your opponent also used kenjutsu against you. This is because on a battlefield, your most troublesome enemies would be other samurai. The fault in this can be seen in the situation we have here...what if your enemy isn't restricted by the same style as you are, can fight at a longer and shorter range? So now in contrast to the versatility posessed by the ninja, many of the samurai's techniques are largely useless, and he is forced onto the defensive--which allows the ninja to pace the fight at his leisure. That is the samurai's death sentence.<br><br>Also, before it happens again, please no references to The Last Samurai. The samurai there were good guys, and therefore supposed to win. XD <p></p><i></i>

I don't deny the fact the ninja would be faster (mind you depending on how many weapons he was carrying, if he has a ninjato, 2 kara, kusari-gama, shuriken, etc etc... the weight it going it build up ^_~) but a samurai's style is made with the asumption of armour, thus it it doesn't really effect it very much.<br><br>While the samurai does really only have the katana (I can only think of one samurai off the top of my head reputed to have used his katana and wakisashi at the same time) the katana is not just a sword, it is THE sword. Also not all samurai's used the same style, eg Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu, Kashima Shinto-ryu, Kashima Shin-ryu, Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu are all different school of Kenjutsu, so each would work slightly differently.<br>While the main aim is obviously going to be defence/attack against other samurai as this is the main foe they would face it doesn't mean the techniques couldn't be used to combat other weapons, and that they wouldn't be taught how to defend again other weapons (I haven't studied any form of Kenjutsu, but Kobudo uses the katana and apart from the kata there are also techniques aimed at other weapons (the kama for example) and I assume that Kenjutsu would have similar techniques).<br><br>All in all I think we are disagreeing mainly over what a open battle is, I envisage it as a face to face fight in a confined area where the samurai has had time to prepare, thus there is no real option for the ninja to use ranged weapons, which loose most of their strength at short range, as well as their versatility. If it was a large open area then the ninja would probably just leave and come back at better time when the samurai wasnÂ’t expecting an attack.<br><br>I still do not see Ninjutsu as being designed to fight in open combat against others, it is more aimed espionage and thus stealth and avoid contact with others would be more important. <p><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END-->EzCode Parsing Error:=]<!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://www.lindenryuujin.34sp.com/Ezboard/Sigpic8.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END-->[<!--EZCODE BR START--><br /><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>~ Links ~<!--EZCODE BR START--><br /><!--EZCODE BR END-->[ <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.lindenryuujin.34sp.com/DreamsOfTwilight/index.php">Dreams of Twilight</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> | <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://pub19.ezboard.com/btenchimuyo79943">Tenchi Board</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> ]</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><br /><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><br /><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Favourite Anime:</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><br /><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>1.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> Ranma 1/2<!--EZCODE BR START--><br /><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>2.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> Fullmetal Alchemist<!--EZCODE BR START--><br /><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>3.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> Cowboy Bebop<!--EZCODE BR START--><br /><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>4.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> Kenshin OVA Trust and Betrayal<!--EZCODE BR START--><br /><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>5.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> Read or Die</p><i></i>

Oh yeah in open battle a samurai would whoop any ninja easy. That's what they're used to. But ninja are known to cheat. Using poisons, stealth, etc to take advantage of their target.<br><br>Its kinda like the Rogue vs Fighter from Dungeons and Dragons. Toe to Toe the rogue doesn't have a chance. <p><center><p><hr><p><img src=http://www.imperialpraxium.org/~neelick/Images/tyreal.gif alt="Tyreal"></center><br>"God's in his heaven and all is right with the world"<BR> - Nerv<p><a href=http://www.imperialpraxium.org/~neelick/ target="_Blank">Tenchi Muyo, No Need for a Homepage</a></p><i></i>

I would have to say Samurai. I find kind of strange connection with the way of the Samurai. I love reading about the code of the warrior and all the practices that follow it. One book I found particularly interesting is called The Sword and the Mind. It was very enlightening about the practice of the Warrior Code.

hahahahahahahahhah

It's the ninja for me! They have more combat skills than the Samurais.

I vote Ninja in a real life scenario, because a Ninja uses evasive tactics. Most of the time the wouldn't so much "fight" as they would wait for the threat to pass then go back and kill them later when they are vulnerable. In direct combat I think the samurai would win. The ninja may have speed and long range weaponry, but the samurai has armor.