Ninja

Time and place: 15th century, Japan.

Story: specially trained spies whose services have been widely used in Japan in the era of Sengoku Jidai.

Interesting facts about the Ninja:

1. Future ninja trained from birth and raised so that all their work were for the benefit of a clan.
2. Ninja could be not only the killers but also (mostly) spies and saboteurs.
3. Across Japan, there were rumors about their superhuman abilities granted to them by the evil forces. Sometimes, Ninjas gave forth these rumors to made people scared.
4. Ninjutsu was opened to the world in 1973. Before that, only Japanese could acquire this knowledge. Same time, Ninjas became very popular in the mass culture.

Myths. misbelieves and versions about the Ninja:

1. They have not thousands of years of history of Ninjutsu. They have appeared in the 15th century and were almost completely destroyed after the unification of Japan (the Tokugawa Shogunate which came to power largely thanks to them afraid that they might topple in the same way).
2. Ninja were the most skilled warriors. It is also a myth. Basically, the ninjas were trained in espionage and in the open and honest battle were much weeker than the common samurai. Ninjutsu is not the martial arts and those skills were soon applied.
3. Ninja dressed all in black. For night operations, it was. Dressed in a white at winter and in the woodland camouflage in forest. Also, from tramp to the monk. Everything depended on the situation.
4. Ninja have killed most of rulers in Japanese history. There are no confirmed cases of the murder of the shogun or daimyo by the hands of a ninja.