The Official Ninja Webpage: Real Ultimate Power is a

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

website A website (also written as a web site) is any web page whose content is identified by a common domain name and is published on at least one web server. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, educatio ...

created in 2002 by the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

ous Robert Hamburger. Written using the persona of a 13-year-old boy, the site is a parody of adolescent fascination with

Ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...

s. Warren St. John, columnist for ''The New York Times'' described it as "a satirical ode to the masculine prowess of ninjas". In 2004, it was chosen by

Kensington Books Kensington Publishing Corp. is an American, New Yorkbased publishing house founded in 1974 by Walter Zacharius (1923–2011)Grimes, William''New York Times'' (MARCH 7, 2011). and Roberta Bender Grossman (1946–1992). Kensington is known as "Am ...

for their inaugural book release in the new

fratire Fratire is a type of 21st-century fiction literature written for and marketed to young men in a political correctness, politically incorrect and overtly masculinity, masculine fashion. The term was coined following the popularity of works by Geor ...

genre—non-fiction literature marketed to young men in a

politically incorrect "Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...

and overtly

masculine Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some beh ...

fashion. Due to the website's fan base, the ''Real Ultimate Power, The Official Ninja Book'' became a cult hit, selling 35,000 copies in two years.Warren St. John
"Dude, Here's My Book "
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', April 16, 2006, pt2 The success of the book prompted Kensington's release of other fratire books by

Tucker Max Tucker Max (born September 27, 1975) is an American author and public speaker. He chronicles his drinking and sexual encounters in the form of short story, short stories on his website ''TuckerMax.com'', which has received millions of visitors ...

and Maddox. The Real Ultimate Power concept developed an

internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

with the creation of dozens of imitation parody websites.

Website

The Real Ultimate Power website is written under the pseudonym "Robert Hamburger," who was described in 2006 as a

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

writer in his 20s. The author has declined to be identified, stating that it would diminish the satirical concept of the fictional pre-adolescent boy. The homepage describes ninjas through three "facts": Number one, Ninjas are

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s; Number two, Ninjas fight all the time; and Number three, the purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people. The three facts became an internet meme which spawned numerous imitation Real Ultimate Power websites dedicated, for example, to

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, actor, and producer. He is best known for having hosted Late-night talk show, late-night talk shows, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'B ...

, liquor store clerks, wizards, and sorority girls. Other content on the website includes "pump-up" movie scripts and short stories about ninjas. One frequent theme titled " Ninjas versus Pirates" is commonly referenced in video games and other mainstream media. There is a

photograph A photograph (also known as a photo, or more generically referred to as an ''image'' or ''picture'') is an image created by light falling on a photosensitivity, photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor. Th ...

gallery with fan-submitted images, links to other Ninja-related sites, and a forum. A popular feature is the Hate Mail section. For example, one letter disputed the site's claim to have seen a real ninja on the grounds that "there are less than 50 real ones left, and only 5 live in the US". Regarding the authenticity of the hate mail, the author said that some of the hate email is written by him, while others, such as the ones from an apparent real ninja signed Soke D. Fujita, were authentic.Carp, Alex
''The Art of Fighting: The Indy talks to Robert, webmaster of "The Official Ninja Webpage."''
The College Hill Independent,

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

, Spring 2003

Book

''Real Ultimate Power, The Official Ninja Book'' () was published on July 1, 2004, by

Citadel A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. ...

."Real Ultimate Power: The Official Ninja Book"
Book Review, '' Fortean Times'', November 2005 The book was rejected by 11 publishers before being chosen by Kensington Books, the parent company of Citadel. According to Nielsen BookScan, 35,000 copies were sold by 2006. In 2008 a sequel was released, titled '' Ghosts/Aliens''.

References

{{reflist

External links

* Al Creed
"The Real Ultimate Power"
OMG Internet!, TCR Comix, April 28, 2008 American comedy websites Internet memes Ninja parodies Fratire books Internet properties established in 2002 Japan in non-Japanese culture

Website

Book

See also

References

External links