And The Answer Is . . .

Pirate.

But that's not to downplay the ninja. In fact, I feel bad for poor ninja. He's gotten a bad rap lately, having been a victim of the "too popular to stay that way" effect. You know, where everybody loves something, then suddenly everybody hates it?

That's ninja.

I suppose ninja would be happy with that, actually. Being reviled and despised is the beginning of being overlooked, which is in itself the beginning of remaining hidden. The problem is, ninja isn't really feared anymore either. Being hated AND mocked is never a good thing.

The fact is ninjas are for the young, which isn't to disparage youth or ninjutsu. It's perfectly normal to choose ninja as a young person; lots of kids wish they could sneak about unseen, strike fear into the heart of the average adult, and have a great reputation for fighting skills. Ninjas are speedy, slick and smooth, and young folk often like to think of themselves that way.

Pirates, on the other hand, are more realistic, and are a better fit for an adult who knows a bit more about life. Pirates often aren't good at subtlety, and generally have little use for it. They get dirty. They get slow. They get old. And yet these things don't take away from their essential "pirateness", and in some cases even play into it. Old sea dogs can get away with things old ninjas never could. In fact, ninjas don't really get old; if you survive long enough to become an old man ninja you turn into a "respected master", which is a different class entirely. I'm all for respected mastery. Maybe, when I'm very old, I will have found a way to blend the two.

But in the short term, it's pirate. The pirate doesn't care what anyone else thinks about him, so long as he gets some respect. Fear is sufficient, if nothing else is available. Cleverness doesn't require all the trouble of sneakery; it's more about your reactions than your planning. And really, who has time to plan anymore? Not saying pirates can't put together a good sacking; they can. They just don't have to.

And I think that's what it gets down to: pirates don't have to do anything but remain loyal to their crew, swagger about, outwit their enemies by any means, and be generally competent with whatever they pick up to hit you with.

And that's the life for me.