"THE HISTORY OF THE ARASHIKAGE CLAN"
by Alden R. Davis
Disclaimer: This fan-made story tells the origin and history of the Arashikage ninja clan. The name is derived from the Japanese words from storm and shadow. It is central to the back-story of several prominent characters, including Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow. The characters of "Snake-Eyes," "Storm Shadow," and "the Arashikage Clan" of G.I. Joe is owned by Hasbro.
Members of the Arashikage Clan
Hard Master - The leader of the Arashikage clan and Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow's master. He was assassinated by Zartan when the latter was trying to kill Snake-Eyes.
Soft Master - Hard Master's youngest brother and Dojo master. Murdered by Scrap-Iron while traveling with Billy Kessler.
Young Master (Storm Shadow) - Hard Master and Soft Master's nephew. He was wrongfully blamed for his uncle's murder and the clan's ultimate demise.
Silent Master (Snake-Eyes) - An American war veteran who joined the clan after Storm Shadow saved his life during the Vietnam War. He is Hard Master's most talented student and appointed heir of the clan's leadership.
Blind Master - Sensei Moore is an honorary member of the clan who was taken in and trained by the Hard Master. He later opened a dojo in Denver, Colorado. Jinx, Billy Kessler, Nunchuk and a orphan called Tyrone were his proteges. He was murdered by Zartan once he realized that he had been used by Cobra, a penitent Zartan took his place.
Middle Master - Older brother of Hard Master and Soft Master who worked as a secret agent during World War II, and passed the Arashikage secrets to his disciples. After he died, his son continued his work in Brooklyn where Storm Shadow, Snake-Eyes and Billy found him, after hearing about an unknown Arashikage dojo.
Onihashi - The Arashikage's mystic swordsmith who trained T'Jbang and Zartan and fathered the Vypra Twins. He commited a ritual suicide after finding out about Zartan's true intentions.
Iron Master - Another mystic swordsmith. He appeared only in G.I. Joe: Ninja Battles as the narrator. Tiger Claw was originally his protege.
Anibal Alcazar - Former student of the Hard Master. Alcazar later hired Storm Shadow to kill him when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Storm Shadow refused, and Alcazar retreated to Japan for meditation before he died.
Jinx - Storm Shadow's cousin. Trained originally by the Blind Master and later by Snake-Eyes.
Billy Kessler - The son of Cobra Commander. He was trained as a ninja by Storm Shadow.
T'Jbang - Storm Shadow's second cousin and Onihashi's pupil.
Dojo - "The talkative one" as he refers to himself. He wields a Kusarigama (a chain-sickle weapon) and is Soft Master's pupil.
Nunchuk - Student of Storm Shadow who considers him his most talented pupil.
Kamakura - Sean Collins, a G.I. Joe recruit and the Snake-Eyes' and Storm Shadow's Vietnam mate Wade Collins. Snake-Eyes' most prominent apprentice.
Tiger Claw - A young recruit obsessed with martial arts flicks. Trained originally by Iron Master and later by Snake-Eyes.
Obake-Obaason - The wife of the Hard Master.
Junko Akita - Storm Shadow's apprentice and lover. She was tortured by Sei Tin and Slice & Dice, which resulted in her death.
Ophelia - Snake-Eyes' pupil. She died during the events of the Master & Apprentice saga.
Enemies of the Arashikage Clan
The Red Ninjas - Renegade members of the Arashikage clan. At one point led by Master Sato, then by Sei Tin, and later by T'Jbang.
The Blue Ninjas - A group of cybernetically-enhanced ninjas with a vendetta against the Arashikage. They were responsible for the murder of Billy Kessler in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #172.
Faceless Master (Firefly) - Originally member of the Koga clan, he infiltrated the Arashikage clan in order to kill Snake-Eyes, but later refused to do so and referred the job to Zartan.
Night Creepers - A syndicate of high-tech ninja/corportate mercernaries hired by Cobra as spies and assassins.
Black Dragon - The Black Dragon group was originally a cabal of spies before the Cold War and destroyed by the original G.I. Joe Team led by General Joseph Colton over 30 years ago. The "Black Dragon Leader" survived to rebuild the organization, which now serves as Cobra Commander's personal guard, providing him with advanced weapons and tactical data. Each Black Dragon ninja is known to carry non-traditional bladed or custom-designed weaponry.
Cobra Ninja Vipers - Often called "Cobra Ninja Troopers", recruited from the highest Cobra Viper corps' ranks for their cunnin and ruthlessness. Extremely obedient and always carry out their orders to the letter. At one point hand-picked and trained by Storm Shadow.
Sei Tin (Satan) - Red Ninjas' Leader. He was the Red Ninja's ultimate Grand Master with special mental abilities. Disabled by Snake-Eyes.
Slice - A British Cobra Command agent described as "brutally efficent" who based his skills on the scorpions' attack patterns. Never officially confirmed, but he is suspected to be a former Arashikage member, Storm Shadow's pupil.
Dice - A sadistic ninja forsaken by the Night Creepers for his brutality. Slice's partner.
Slash - Renegade ninja recruited for Cobra and trained by Storm Shadow. A graceful fighter who based his technique on the moves of the praying mantises.
Shadow Strike - Another Storm Shadow's pupil, A Cobra infilitrated agent with the mission to "corrupt" the clan from within. Exclusive character from the "Ninja Battles" saga.
Master Sato - Once one of the most respected ninja masters amongest the Arashikage's ranks. He got embittered of Hard Master's attentions toward Snake-Eyes. He planned the first attempt to assassinate Hard Master and later Storm Shadow, blaming the latter for the clan's corruption and ultimate disbanding.
The Vypra Twins - Daughters of the sacred swordsmith Onihashi, the Vypra Twin became mercenaries in the employ of Cobra.
Dark Master - Rogue ninja master exiled to cave beneath Arashikage Mountain for betraying the ninja clans. They were introduced as "Dark Ninja Masters."
Rivals of the Arashikage clan include the Koga, Omikana, Nichira and Bakufu ninja clans.
History of the Arashikage Clan
Centuries ago, the Emperor of Japan asked his general to protect the Jewel of Amaterasu, a gem said to allow the wielder to control their chi. The gem was so well concealed, that its location was with the ascendancy of emperors, and the general's family was eventually reduced to simple farmers, who would later become the Arashikage. For generations, the Arashikage worked as shadowly assassins, by using deception to earn their keeps as ninjas, as well as developing a reputation for being to perform impossible tasks.
Later, the Arashikage would continue the deception, financing the front businesses to hide their true work as bounty hunters, contract killers, covert operatives and thieves. Their remote compound was hidden in the mountains of Japan. Only those who truly prove their worth, and commitment to the Arashikage katas and discipline, were allowed full membership into the clan. This was denoted by the tattooing of the clan symbol on the forearm, the 63rd hexagram of the I Ching.
The Arashikage Clan first appeared in issue #21 of "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero,"where it was revealed that Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow have the same tattoo. Later stories described on how Thomas Arashikage, after receiving his initial training in order to become a member of the clan, participates in the Vietnam War. During the war he meets an American nicknamed Snake-Eyes, whom he brings back to Japan after the war for training in the ways of the ninja. Cobra Commander learns of this and, angry with Snake-Eyes because of a car accident in which Snake-Eyes' family and Cobra Commander's brother were killed, he sends Firefly to kill Snake-Eyes.
Firefly decides that he is no match for Snake-Eyes, so Cobra Commander sends another mercenary, Zartan, to finish the job. Zartan accidentally kills the clan's leader, the Hard Master, instead of Snake-Eyes. Thomas is wrongfully blamed for the Hard Master's death, and after taking on the name 'Storm Shadow,' he joins Cobra Command in order to find the Hard Master's killer and exact revenge on him.
In the later years, a group of ninjas affiliated with the Arashikage clan forms the Ninja Force as part of the G.I. Joe Team, in order to combat Cobra. Its inaugural members are Nunchuk, T'Jbang, and Dojo, led by Storm Shadow. Ninja Force goes to Beirut to answer a call for help from Snake-Eyes. They become involved in helping a Joe/Cobra force against the Night Creepers, with further assistance comes from the Joe "Sky Commandos." The Ninja Force is later seen in New York City, undergoing intensive training. The Ninja Force's roster is later expanded to include Snake-Eyes (as their new leader), Jinx, and Scarlett.
During the events of 'Master & Apprentice' saga, Ophelia is under Snake-Eyes' wing, who is also about to get married with Scarlett, Ophelia dies during her last training mission. At the same time, Sean Collins, member of the same mission's team joins Snake-Eyes, who takes him in as his new student. Jinx, Budo, Snake-Eyes and Collins, who is now known as "Kamakura" takes a new assignment to capture Firefly (Ophelia's murderer). Suddenly, Storm Shadow go forth and during his fight against Firefly, Snake-Eyes' team is left uncommunicative and injured, so Kamakura, Storm Shadow, Duke and Chuckles try to capture Firefly.
In 2005's Vol. 2, Billy Kessler is told about how Storm Shadow and his pupil/lover Junkp Akita came to met and how he is successful after years of fighting Cobra's brainwashing. After a full scale fight against the Night Creepers, Junko is captured and tortured by Slice and Dice. Jinx, Billy and Budo helped Storm Shadow to take her back while T'Jbang finds Sei Tin injured and captured. Junko is found in a Red Ninja's retreat in Tibet brainwashed and convinced that Storm Shadow is a "pain-bringer" to her life. Jinx and Budo are captured, T'Jbang and Billy fought against Slice and Dice while Snake-Eyes and Kamakura fight against the rest of the Red Ninjas' clan. Junko felt from a cliff's edge apparently to her demise while Snake-Eyes retakes full control over the Red Ninjas.
In 'Arashikage Showdown,' the Arashikage clan was founded many centuries ago by the Emperor of Japan to protect the Jewel of Amaterasu. The jewel allows its owner to control their chi. The "map" to the jewel is a kata, only members of the Arashikage ninja clan went to the temple housing the jewel and performing tha kata in order to access it. Soga, of the rival Nichira clan stole the jewel before the Arashikage could claim it. The Arashikage attacked Soga at his headquarters, inciting a clan war, killing Soga in the process. Storm Shadow, of the Arashikage clan, took the jewel to a location on Mt. Fuji and hid it.
Japan's military class, the Bakufu clan, began destroying all ninja clans in Japan. War ensued and the Arashikage clan became farmers. Many years later, Storm Shadow sought to learn the clan's teachings and the clan was reinstated. Besides Storm Shadow, Snake-Eyes, Jinx and Kamakura, were all members of the clan.