Ninja Name Generator

Real ninja, or shinobi, were spies and saboteurs of Sengoku-era Japan, and their names followed ordinary Japanese conventions: family name first, given name second. Hattori Hanzo, Fuma Kotaro, Momochi Sandayu and Mochizuki Chiyome (leader of a network of female agents) are historical figures, while Sarutobi Sasuke and Kirigakure Saizo belong to the semi-legendary Sanada Ten Braves. Many shinobi took warrior-style given names ending in -maru, -suke, -zo or -bei, and the two great ninja regions, Iga and Koga, are often attached as a locative (Iga no Kagemaru, "Kagemaru of Iga").

Code names are the second layer. Japanese words for shadow (kage), darkness (yami), black (kuro), wind (kaze), mist (kiri) and moon (tsuki) combine naturally with animals or weapons: Kurokaze means Black Wind, Kirikage means Mist Shadow, Hebihime means Serpent Princess. These compounds are how manga, anime and games from Naruto to Ninja Gaiden build names that sound instantly ninja-like without being cheesy in translation.

For a kunoichi, historical fashion offers plain, elegant given names such as Chiyo, Shizuka, Ayame or the Edo-period O- prefix names (Okiku, Oyuki). For an elite or legendary operative, add an epithet in the style of the era: Hanzo the Demon, Kotaro of the Wind Demons, Sandayu the Three-Faced. Keep the name short and sharp; the best ninja names sound like they can be whispered.