How-To Guide: Ninja

Teenage Mutant Ninja Tarus
(No, I’m not saying Tarutarus are the best Ninjas, it’s just the only thing that starts with a “T”, has two syllables, and makes sense.) Ninja is a really interesting job that’s gone through one of the biggest changes since its start. Ninja is the only job in the game that can equip single-handed Kunai (also known as Katana), and the only job that can use Shuriken throwing weapons. They also get a wide variety of Ninjutsu-type spells. However, not too long after the job was created, all of that was essentially abolished, and Ninja is now considered the game’s secondary tank; all because of its Utsusemi line of Ninjutsu. It’s actually quite sad how today’s Ninjas are forced to lose touch with its otherwise great damage-dealing, enfeebling, and pulling prowess mostly because it’s the only job other than Paladin that can ’tank’. Strangely, if people would continue to use Shurikens, it would really help with keeping enmity for tanking, and cost quite a bit less for their effect than using the Elemental Wheel. Ninja is a fun job. Play it how you like it. Though chances are very, very high you’ll be chosen for tanking. (Making your own parties is a great choice if you don’t want to tank!)  '''Please note: This is only a guide. Please add anything if it is needed, and take away anything that is either untrue or not needed.'''

Job-Race Combinations
Please note that race is the absolute last thing you should worry about when picking a job. Anything said here is seriously exaggerated. A single piece of gear can often make up for a race's negligible lack in a stat. Every race also gets "Race Specific Equipment", or "RSE", that will boost a race's stats to equal, or possibly even surpass other races.

Hume

 * Ninja is a job that requires a lot of balance between both evasion and enmity, at least for tanking. For dealing damage, strength, dexterity, and agility are all great stats to have. Hume definitely doesn’t disappoint the job-class Ninja, as it has these three stats, as well as vitality and HP for taking hits, and intelligence for its enfeebles and Elemental Wheel.

Elvaan

 * The higher-end of damage per hit for Ninja, and definitely the one to keep the most hate if nothing but direct hits are counted. Ailment and damaging Ninjutsu are hindered by low intelligence, accuracy is hindered by low dexterity, and evasion/ranged accuracy are hindered by low agility. On the other hand, Elvaan’s naturally highest strength does for the most part make up for these few low stats, as it brings home the highest enmity as I said. If low evasion bothers you, there’s a ton of stuff out there for you Ninja types.

Tarutaru

 * An all-round solid job-race combination. Tarutarus enjoy a relatively high agility, so evasion and keeping shadows up shouldn’t be a problem. However, low vitality and HP mean that if the Tarutaru loses his or her shadows, they’re out of luck. High intelligence means proper ailment-inducing Ninjutsu, and a slightly more powerful Elemental Wheel. Their higher agility as I mentioned is also good for a second thing- Shuriken accuracy if you so choose to use them to keep hate.

Mithra

 * Mithra provide Ninja with the highest both dexterity and agility in the game, allowing for accurate and precise both attacks and ranged attacks, as well as great evasion. Average HP means relatively high survivability, and average intelligence means better Ninjutsu. Mithra also possess a moderately high strength attribute for dealing damage per hit. The only true downside to a Mithra Ninja is her low vitality, meaning if her shadows go down, she’d better get them back up pronto.

Galka

 * With the highest HP and vitality in the game, and a moderate agility to boot, Galka prove great Ninja tanks to any party. They even have high strength and relatively high dexterity for dealing hits and keeping hate.

Weapon

 * Ninja is the only job in the game that can equip Katana. It also has an A- in the skill, so that will be your primary weapon for the vast majority of the game. However, by Lv.10 you will have the ability to wield two single-handed weapons at one time. Use your standard Katana until Lv.10, but when you can first Dual Wield, equip a Sword in your offhand. This will provide you with the powerful Blade: Retsu from Katana, plus all the damage of a sword. You’ll want to continue this until about Lv.25 or so, then switch to dual Katana. Since there aren’t an enormous number of Katana to choose from, look toward purchasing the ones with better stat enhancements and damage per second. Otherwise, pick the ones with higher damage per hit. Later in the game, a Ninja may choose to equip daggers or other somewhat odd weapons. That’s okay too, just make sure you have high enough skill to use them and whatnot. The best thing about Dual Wield is, no matter what, you’ll always have at least one good weapon, even if the second one’s just for stat enhancements. As for ranged weapons, most Ninjas either leave it blank, or fill it will a stat-boosting weapon. Ninja has A- in Throwing, people! Lv.15 gives you access to the Rogetsurin chakram weapon that drops from one of two notorious monsters in Konschtat Highlands. It’s quite good, with an agility buff, and never runs out. An alternative arises when you hit Lv.18 and are capable of first equipping actual shurikens. Shurikens are unbelievably powerful in both damage per hit and over time. Also, they’re not as expensive as they look. You get much more damage out of them for slightly more money than other things you could pick. If you have your blacksmithing skill relatively high, you can make your own Shurikens for cheap. The Lv.18 Shurikens overpower the most powerful Lv.50 weapons, and the Lv.28 Shurikens overpower the Excalibur! (…In terms of base damage over base delay.)

Armor

 * Ninja has the privilege to equip a wide variety of different pieces of armor in the game. Depending on how you want to play, you can choose your own combinations. Purchasing evasion and enmity-type gear is good for tanks, and attack and range-type gear for damage-dealers. You’re given access to Harness, Leather, Far-Eastern gear, and even Chainmail. What you think you need to enhance yourself as a tank or damage-dealer is solely up to you.

Advanced Job Quest

 * Ugh. This is a really long quest, and is also one of the more difficult ones. However, this job is really worth getting, whether or not you ever take it past Lv.37. First thing’s first, you go to Port Bastok and talk to Kaede at I-5 for a cutscene involving her father, Ensetsu. Go to “Warehouse 2” and talk to Kagetora, then go back to the house and talk to Ensetsu. Now you have to get a friend (Lv.50+ preferably) or a party (consisting of Lv.45+) and head through Bastok Mines into Korolloka Tunnel. Go to the right side of K-8 and click on the ??? to spawn three leeches. There are other leeches there, you might want to kill them first to both get TP and to prevent link. After you kill the leeches, click on the ??? again to get a key item. Take that key item to Ensetsu, who will tell you to go to Norg. Follow the left wall upon entering Norg to the docks, then talk to Ryoma, who will give you another key item. Return to Ensetsu with the item, and he will allow you to become a Ninja. Congratulations!

Soloing 1 to 10

 * I personally had a lot of fun in these levels. I played Mithra Ninja, and I love how Katana are single-wielded. Unfortunately, once I hit Lv.10 I was succumbed to equipping two weapons, giving me the same stance as half of the game’s population. Ninja’s weapons, or at least the Lv.1 Kunai, are really fast and are quite fun to use. Equipping high defense gear is favoured, and probably a support job like Warrior for dealing extra damage. You get your first weapon skill at Lv.3; Blade: Rin. It sucks. You generally get more damage out of normal hits.

The Sahagin’s Stash

 * If you’re going to level Ninja, whether you tank or not, you’re going to literally need the Ninjutsu spell called Utsusemi: Ichi. Here’s a walkthrough for that quest. First thing’s first, you need fame in Norg. It’s the biggest pain in the rear, I know, but it must be done. Go to the Yagudo stronghold near Windurst called Giddeus. Kill the Yagudo in there and collect their “Yagudo Bead Necklaces”. Take in a number of them at a time, take them to the Cat Burglar and trade her four at a time. You’ll end-up needing to trade approximately two hundred and twenty of them. Alternatively, either kill worms, mine or purchase Zinc Ore at Auction Houses and hand them over to Talib (Port Bastok) in Shady Business. Once you have sufficient fame in Norg, you can begin. First off, you go to Norg. Talk to Laisrean at H-7. Purchase a Silver Beastcoin (or find one), and bring some form of warp, and have some form of sneak with you. You will need a lot of sneak, trust me. Silent Oils or the spell itself-- either way. Escape may be more ideal than Warp, but either way, it’s a lot faster than going all the way back through the hard way. Next, head outside of Norg and head through the unmarked stone door in the caves ahead. Head east after you go through the door, and then follow the right wall. You will find yourself heading south and going down a number of steps. Note that you will not be able to go backwards at this point. Now, heading south, follow the left wall. You will generally be going south, but occasionally east or south-east. Once you hit the coordinate L-13 on your map, start following the right wall again. You will find a door. Examine it. It will say pretty much nothing. That is okay! Examine it about five more times until it says there are silver shavings around the engravement. Trade your Silver Beastcoin to the door. It will let you pass through. From here, hug the right wall like it was family. You do NOT want to fall down the cliff to the left. You do, however, want to fall down to the right once you hit H-8. Drop down, then continue following the right wall. Head through the door, then touch the ??? to receive both a cutscene and a key item. Now either warp, escape, or run back (to run back, head out of the door, drop down the cliff to the right, then just follow the right wall pretty much the whole way back. Talk to Laisrean again to receive your scroll. Congratulations! Now, don’t forget to bring your scroll with you, as you’re definitely going to need it once you hit Lv.12.

Valkurm 10-20

 * Your journey to Valkurm starts much unlike most jobs. You’re deemed actually quite useless until about Lv.12, and as such, you’ll probably have to make a party or two just to be able to use your scroll of Utsusemi: Ichi. Once you get that job, you’ll be immediately branded a tank. In order to tank as a Ninja, you have to have really good timing and knowledge of how the game overall works. Allow me to give you a brief overview of how it works. Before a fight starts, use Utsusemi. This will give you three shadows, or three free hits. This spell has a four second casting time and a thirty second recasting time. When your party pulls, Provoke to take hate. It won’t be too long before you lose your second of three shadows. Keep count! Once the second one goes down, pull up the spell and start casting. The enemy should take down your third and final shadow as you get Utsusemi up, giving you an additional three hits. After your second shadow is dropped again, hit a macro that lets your party’s secondary tank know that your Utsusemi is down and that he needs to use Provoke. Once you can get Utsusemi up again, re-Provoke and take hate again. This is the basic strategy for all Ninja tanks between Lv.12 and Lv.36. At Lv.15 you get the Elemental Wheel. I suggest using it right away to try and re-cap your Ninjutsu skill. I actually had one guy tell me that just using Utsusemi would cap your skill. Yeah, right. Anyway, the biggest benefit to Ninja in these levels is the fact that you have Tonko, which is a very, very cheap way to invisible yourself to pass Goblins and stuff. There’s a Lv.15 Katana called the Gassan that‘s really good. You can get it by killing sheep on Vomp Hill and getting the blood drop. Take it to Dangruf Wadi and trade it to a ??? that appears in random positions throughout the map. Kill the NM named Chocoboleech (he’s high level, be careful). Once you hit Lv.18 you can start using Shurikens. I suggest using them if you have throwing skill capped. Otherwise, try and cap it with a thrown-returns weapon some other time.

Mid-Levels 20-40

 * Assuming you don’t have your Ninjutsu skill capped by now, it’s really easy to go out to Qufim Island and spam it on the Worms. As long as you have Utsusemi up, the only way they can touch you is if they use Stonega. Stonega has a long casting time, so as long as you’re paying attention, you could easily step out of the way. Remember, their casting range is longer than your’s, so you’ll have to step back quite a bit. I neglected to mention enfeebling Ninjutsu; you actually get your first one at Lv.19, a Blind, at Lv.23, a Slow, at Lv.27, a Poison, and at Lv.30, a Paralyze. These spells are quite useful. However, with a long casting time, you may only be able to get a few off per fight. Also, since you consume tools with each use, it might be quite expensive. These spells share the element as their normal White/Black Magic counterparts, so don’t waste ones on monsters that have a high resistance to a specific element (such as Dokumori (Poison) on a Crab). Lv.34 is your second tier of Tonko (it doesn’t have any better effect, it just has a shorter cast time). But at Lv.37 is when your whole strategy will change. You get your second tier Utsusemi. It’s a fast-casting, four-shadow buff that truly makes your parties a lot better. You still can’t hold hate for beans, but you can tank without the need of someone else to help you Provoke. Still, you should always team-up with a Thief so he or she can Trick Attack a load of hate onto you. One thing to keep in mind is that Utsusemi: Ichi won’t overlap Ni. With that said, if you find yourself casting Ichi with Ni still in effect, you may very well have to turn it off. Once you get Ni (very expensive, have to beat a BCNM to get it other than AH), you’ll want to cast it at the end of fights, then save Ichi for later. When Ni goes down, cast Ichi. When that goes down, cast Ni again. Hopefully if you have enough evasion, you can out-last it and can cast Ichi again. If you have really good evasion, just use Ni. Remember at Lv.28 you can use the next level Shurikens! If you’ve used them this far, continue using them; you won’t regret it. Especially with a Ranger support job, yo.

Your AF Weapon

 * As a Ninja, you naturally get two weapons. One is fast, but weak, the other is hard-hitting, but slow. Their stat boosts complement each other so there’s one dexterity and one strength. However, they’re quite weak in general. Personally, I suggest off-handing one to the Ohaguro. Once you get one level higher and can equip Bokuto or its higher quality version, equip those in both hands. Therefore the weapons are only useful for a single level.
 * Your first step is to go to Norg and speak with Ryoma (H-8). Now, go to Port Bastok and enter Warehouse #2. Talk to Kagetora, who sends you to see Ensetsu at I-5. At this point, get a high’ish-level friend, and then head to Eastern Altepa Desert, in the little nook at H-5. Kill the spider, then prepare to fight. Touch the ??? when you're ready. You will fight two notorious monster spiders. These are both approximately Lv.42, cannot be slept, and cannot be charmed. They have a fairly large amount of HP, and have an attack effect of poison that hurts you for 20 HP per tic. Once you've defeated them both, touch the ??? again to receive a key item. Bring the item to Ryoma in Norg to complete your quest and acquire your two weapons. Congratulations!

Mid-High Levels 40-60

 * You should like Lv.40. Here’s where you can start using your second tier (Ni) Elemental Wheel. With a nice 1.5 second casting time, but 45 second recast, you don’t just spam them. They are open for 10 seconds for you to cast the next (in terms of resistance-down), so cast every 5 or so seconds. This will hopefully generate a lot more hate than before (and make up for the lack in Shurikens you’ve used at this point, unless you took my advice earlier). Lv.40 is when White Mage gets Haste, and Lv.48 is when Red Mage gets Haste. Demand this spell. Out of all jobs in the party, you are the only one who truly needs this spell. One White Mage complained about the 40 MP cost in a party I was in as Thief. The 15% Haste the spell gives reduces Ichi's recast time to 25.5 seconds (from 30), and Ni's recast time to 38 seconds (from 45). That's a very noticeable difference, and you should never party without it active at almost all times. But I digress. Anyway, at Lv.44, you get your second-tier Blind, and 48, second-tier Slow. These both stick better and have a better effect, so I suggest using them at the start of the fight. Provoke, Hojo, Kurayami, Elemental Wheel. In these levels is where you get your AF and the oh-so-sweet Scorpion Harness. It’s also where you beat the limit-breaking quests so you can go higher in levels, starting at Lv.50 and going all the way to 70.

Your Artifact Armor

 * It's amazing. All six pieces have at least a few uses. Your first pieces are acquired at Lv.52, and they're your leg pieces. They provide you with a small HP boost, and an enormous ranged accuracy boost for those of you who use Shurikens (or at the very least, Chakrams). At night time (18:00-06:00) in-game, they also provide you with a wicked +10 to evasion. Next up are your Lv.54 footwear pieces. These are also amazing. Providing you with another small HP buff, some +4 agility, and at night time, a 25% boost to movement speed. Believe me, that movement speed is noticeable, and is quite nice to have around for both pulling or just running around. Lv.56 AF head is next. It's often the least-used piece due to the Emperor Hairpin's usefulness. However, it does provide the wearer with HP, resist-versus-ice, and a small +5 boost to Ninjutsu skill. If anything, I suggest macroing your Ninja Hatsuburi in for your Elemental Wheel and enfeebles. Lv.58 is when you get your body piece. It's shadowed by the Scorpion Harness, but still has its uses. Namely the Dual Wield enhancement which gives your weapons an extra +5% attack speed to your already 25% by that level. This enhances your melee attack damage over time by a marginal amount. It also gives vitality (an un-needed stat compared to evasion and agility), plus a Blaze Spikes effect if all else fails. Blaze Spikes simply deals damage to anything that attacks you physically. Finally your above-awesome gloves for Lv.60. Last certainly is best in the case of Ninja artifact equipment. Providing the wearer with +3 dexterity, +20 (that's right, TWENTY) ranged attack, and Throwing skill +5. No, it's not at all useful to anyone lame enough to skip out on Shurikens, but for all those using the all-powerful throwing stars, these gloves are just absolutely amazing.

High Levels 60-75

 * Now that you have your full artifact armor, all your Ninjutsu spells, and all the cool stuff out of the way, you don't have much to look forward to other than merit parties at Lv.75. It's all pretty much smooth-sailing from here on in. Continue to perform the similar Utsusemi: Ichi and Ni strategies you have been. By now you can start building some Haste%+ equipment for your spells. Continue to harass Mages for Haste (I'm kidding, obviously, but if they don't give it to you, you should politely ask for it).

End-Game
There are many End-Game related items that Ninja can utilize to their full potential.

Weapons

Shiranui - It's nice, and with 37 dmg (one less than Senjuinrikio's), it's nice to offhand. The additional effect is nothing to write home about, as it only goes off at night, with a rough 40% chance to go off anyway.

Senjuinrikio - A personal favourite, and quite possibly the most widely used among all Ninjas in the game. It starts out weak, but once you hit the 500 break mark, you really notice the change in damage. In my personal experience, Kikoku is the only one that phenomenally outdamages Senjuin.

Mamushito +1 - The normal quality of this isn't even worth the stun you want, so if you're looking to add stun to your attacks, get the HQ version; it's worth it. Aside from the additional effect, the price tag is something that the poor Ninjas out there will shy away from. Don't buy this unless you're comfortable with it.

Perdu Blade - Possibly the best off hand weapon out there...

Fudo - I personally use this in off hand. The DPS is great, and it's nice if you don't have Shiranui yet, or even if you choose not to use Shiranui.

Kikoku - What can I say? This is the best katana in the game, and well worth the money, with +20 Attack, 12.00 DPS, Additional effect of Paralysis, and the "Blade: Metsu" Weapon Skill, and is a kunai class katana.

There are many other katanas out there, but these are the five that I see more than anything, aside from Kikoku.

Head

Walahra Turban - Being that Haste is a Ninja's prime stat (solely in my opinion), This is an excellent piece to utilize.

Optical Hat - With stat boost parameters to EVA, ATK, and RNG ATK, This is nice for those shuriken crazy Ninjas out there, and if you actually want the +EVA. I would suggest you use from 70 until you hit 75 for Walahra Turban. That is just what I did, but again it's opinionated advice; You don't have to. On a side note, however, if you do not have this yet, and you want the added EVA, get a HQ headband like Prism Headband (Rainbow Headband will suffice too for my poor Ninjas out there).

Ninja Hatsuburi +1 - This is actually nice to have, if you decide that headbands are overrated, and that OHat is fugly (and it is). With +8 EVA, +8 AGI, and +5 to Ninjutusu skill, it's very nice to have, but getting Sea takes a long time, and if you do not have a static, it will seem hopeless (I've gotten four characters through CoP and ZMs without statics, so I know how those of you that are in this boat feel). If you're saving your beastcoins for Boxer's Mantle or your super Ninja booties, and you have the Turban, don't bother with getting this unless you want to.

Koga Hatsuburi - I'll be honest, this piece sucks unless you've capped EVA and are an Element Wheel Ninja. The HQ isn't even worth mentioning.

Shura Zunari Kabuto - I only use this (yes, I actually wasted my gil to buy this thing) when I am in my "all-out DD" form. The only presentable thing about this piece is that it's the only head piece Ninja uses that gives +5 STR, which is really nice, if you want to waste the gil for it.

Usukane Somen - Provided those "NIN for life" people out there like myself have access to salvage and the money to utilize the Usukane set's haste boost, get it. This is actually a very nice piece to have. With +7 ACC, +7 EVA, +3 STR and AGI, and the wonderful +3% haste, this piece really out parses all other head pieces in the game. However, just like with Kikoku, this takes a while to get.

Genbu's Kabuto - For Ninjas, this is just a toy, like Suzaku's Sune-ate: it doesn't really help unless you want more HP and VIT. Otherwise let a BRD or Gaxe WAR in your LS have this.

Denali Bonnet - The first of the Denali set to be mentioned, and is really great. +4% Haste, AGI, +3 to EVA and Attack is great, but if you're a /RDM or /BLM Ninja, use Walahra instead. 1% Haste shouldn't be too noticeable, but I've heard different; Go with what you choose. If you're an all out Accuracy Ninja, opt to get the whole set with your Nyzul static, as the whole entire set gives +20 Accuracy.

Body

Kirin's Osode - The coveted Osode that so many want when they usually can't even use it. Since this gives +10 to all stats, it's nice to have and use, but is not, in my opinion, a necessity: there are far better body gears out there than this. Let a SAM have this before any other job in your LS. In the past and even today, many people give Ninjas a hard time when they wear this. If you're a Ninja and you have this, don't be afraid to whip this out in a merit PT when some imbecile mouths off to you about keeping hate. +10 to DEX and STR will definitely allow more damage (not to mention they add modifiers to your WS!).

Ninja Chainmail - Most Ninjas will be seen using this, and for good reason. the Dual Wield enhancing effect is why, with an additional 5% combined reduced delay, which is in another sense allowing you to attack faster. the HQ version is even better, with +5 DEX.

Scorpion Harness - This piece is paramount for a Ninja pre 75. It is the only piece that will give +10 EVA before 70, and is what almost all Ninjas will be using if they don't have a THF at 75 with EVA merits. If Ninja is your first 75, use this til you're 75. In most cases, this piece is even crucial to staying alive when you're farming alone and get into trouble. If you're a rich Ninja, purchase the HQ if you are comfortable with parting with the extra gil for 2 more EVA.

Arhat's Gi - I personally use this to macro in Provoke, but this is usually meant for kiting. When you can first wear this, it's okay to use for a few fights. If you have the money, get the whole entire Arhat's set; you'll thank me when your Party is /thfless and you're losing hate fast.

Shura Togi - My favourite piece for Ninja, mainly because I have EVA merits and if I need the extra EVA, I just pop Ohat on. Shura Togi is great for doing large amounts of damage (which increases enmity with each hit over time), and with the accuracy on this I hit 95% of the time when I farm with it. If you want this, make sure your Sky LS has a bank that will pay for the ridiculous price of it.

War Shinobi Gi - I actually like this piece. It's decent with +10 to Throwing Skill and the Regen effect really helps, but to be honest the amount of HP recovered every now and then isn't that much. Still, it's a great piece.

Rasetsu Samue - Nothing much to say about this, except the +50 to DEF, which isn't surpassed by many others. +2 to Attack is okay, but not great. The latent effect isn't a lifesaver, so don't count on it. As for the shock spikes, think of it as the blaze spikes effect on your AF, which is better than this, even it is NQ.

Yasha Samue - A gear with my name in it?! . An upgrade from the Provoke/Arhat's Gi macro, but stick to Arhat's if your friends or your LS need a kiting NIN. Also to note, MANY of my Japanese Ninja friends use this when /blm, farming, spamming element wheel or enfeebs in PTs. Many Ninja will shy away from NIN/BLM, but don't; it's a really good combination.

Usukane Haramaki - If you're /sam and farming or whatever, the Store TP +6 comes in handy. With 12 EVA, this surpasses the SH in EVA and rivals the HQ SH, same for the ACC. +8 to STR, DEX, and INT, even with /BLM this is great. Only gear that I believe beats this is Ninja Chainmail +1.

Koga Chainmail - I don't have this, but any seasoned Ninja can comment on it. With +12 Accuracy, +16 Attack, and +8 to Ranged accuracy and attack, this is great for shuriken Ninjas and offensive Ninjas. As one would not expect, this piece lacks any defensive capabilities, so make sure you merit EVA if you would like to use this.

Denali Jacket - This piece is really for the /RNG gun-shooting/shuriken/archery Ninjas out there. +10 AGI is nice, and so is the +9 to Attack and Ranged Attack. If it's merited, "Subtle Blow" +3 is nice too.

Hands

Seiryu's Kote - If you're not a shuriken-happy Ninja, this is just a toy. Sure is nice to have, though.

Ninja Tekko +1 - I use these on my "Traditional Ninja" form, because of the +6 to STR and DEX, it's awesome. Also, since I like to toss my shurikens, with a massive +20 to Ranged attack and accuracy, and +5 to Throwing skill, this can't be beat for my shuriken-happy Ninjas out there. Consider HQing these after you HQ your Ninja booties!

Koga Tekko - These suck... until it's night time. "Ninja Tool Expertise" is great, but merit it to effectively enhance it. At night, these beauties shine. with +12 STR and +4% haste, nothing beats these. The only thing that beats these is Koga Tekko +1, which gives +13 STR, along with +4% from dusk til dawn, just like the HQ Ninja booties.

Usukane Gote - Excellent for EVA Ninjas, but I usually see Monks with these, with most of Gote's stats for Monk. The +20 DEF and +10 accuracy is nice, but in my opinion I would rather use Ninja Tekko +1.

Arhat's Tekko - When you hit 63, you most likely use these until you are 72 (Rasetsu). This is a great tanking piece, with +3 EVA and +1 to the Enmity parameter. Affordable and quite useful.

Rasetsu Tekko - Just like with the Samue, gives +2 to attack, and gives +10 to EVA, a nice upgrade from Arhat's. As for the price, it's around 30K, and I would conclude that even if you are poor, that isn't even worth +10 EVA.

Yasha Tekko - In my opinion, this is a great piece, with +7 to Parrying skill, especially if Parrying skill is merited. The +2 Enmity is nice. The 3% spell intteruption rate isn't that great, but if that's your thing, go with it.

Ochimusha Kote - A LV 34 piece?! Yes, many Ninjas that don't tank while they're up in the monotonous sky farming routines will usually use these for the Attack bonus. Your paladins can hold their own while tanking Aura Statues. Either the rare/ex version or the normal will suffice, but most people will choose to hunt the NM with a THF friend instead of paying 600K+ for the NQ version. Completely optional, as I don't even have either of these; I've got better things to do than camp these when I can use my Togi instead.

Shura Kote - Worthless for Ninja in my opinion. My LS bank paid for these, so no loss to me. I don't even use em, unless I have Michishiba equipped for the extra Accuracy. Don't pay for these on your own unless you're rich. Nice to look at, but not worth the price tag really.

Denali Wristbands - +4 STR and MND is great for those soloing /RDM Ninjas out there that need the extra cure boost. +6 Attack and EVA is nice too.

Legs

Byakko's Haidate - Let your Ninjas in your End-Game LS have this first. Above any other job that can use these, Ninja and Samurai benefit the most. However, as this is only my opinion (one of my friends blacklisted me because she wanted them for her BST, and I got it before her), and many LSs will break up over these. Don't cause any schisms between players for these, there are other times you'll get these. As a leader of my own LS, I make sure that my Ninjas that participate 100% get these first. With +15 DEX and 5% Haste, it's easy to see why so many people want this.

Ninja Hakama - Great for tanking at night. Mine are HQed, but most won't HQ these, based upon their pocketbook and preferences. Also to note, if you like to do damage with shurikens, don't take these off. Other than that, that's all these are good for, but use what you prefer and are comfortable with.

Koga Hakama - These are great because of the "Enhance Dual-Wield" trait. Further reduces combined delay by 5%, and as with your AF1, +10 EVA at nighttime. If you don't even need these, you may opt to get them; they can come in handy.

Usukane Hizayoroi - Another Usukane piece that you can't go wrong with. Grants you +3% Haste with a decent +5 to STR and DEX.

Arhat's Hakama - Nothing special. +2 Enmity is to be expected with Arhat gear, and +3 AGI is okay. If you want to, feel free to buy them.

Rasetsu Hakama - Just like with the Tekko, these are okay, but +2 Attack isn't much in my opinion.

Yasha Hakama - +25 HP is okay if you're looking to boost your HP a bit. +2 Enmity is nice if you choose to macro these in for Provoke. +2 to INT is great for /BLM, but I am sure there are other Legs gears out there with more than +2 INT, so choose to your preference.

Shura Haidate - A very nice piece, and usually given to a Ninja if Byakko's drops as well, or even if Byakko's doesn't even drop. +5 STR is very nice, and the +7 Accuracy is nice too. The HP reduction isn't that bad, so don't fret. To be honest though, I don't use these anymore, so if you just prefer this over Byakko's, let your LS leaders know!

Denali Kecks - A decent piece of the Denali set, with +3 DEX, AGI, Accuracy, EVA, and something truly interesting, +3 to Magic Accuracy and Magic Attack Bonus. If you're NIN/RDM, and using Ninjutsu, this will come in handy. Unlike Usukane, it's free.

Feet

Suzaku's Sune-ate - As mentioned earlier, this is just a toy.

Ninja Kyahan - Your second AF and perhaps your most vital in a tight spot. If you're going to be doing Limbus, I strongly recommend you HQ these; the +25% Movement Speed from dusk til dawn is helpful if you're fighting Suzaku and your DD and PLDs wipe to Chainspell (and if it's nighttime).

Koga Kyahan - Decent, nothing more. +7 VIT is okay, but is not a prime stat, not a lifesaver, and you're not using a Gaxe. At night, +7 DEX is decent, but in my opinion, nothing more. +10 Ninjutsu is great for my Element Wheel and Enfeeble Ninjas out there, so if you're looking to boost your Ninjutsu Skill, get these.

Usukane Sune-ate - Great piece once again, with +2% Haste, +5 Enmity, and +7 Attack and Accuracy. A moderate +7 Store TP is decent.

Arhat's Sune-ate - A great tanking piece once you hit 63. If you're still keeping hate at 75, macro these in with Provoke, but you should opt to use Yasha Sune-ate instead.

Rasetsu Sune-ate - A decent piece, and if you're doing large amounts of damage, but your EVA isn't great, use this. +5 EVA and Attack is nice.

Yasha Sune-ate - +2 Enmity is nice if you choose to macro it in for Provoke. However, if you're a Ninjutsu and or Enfeeble Ninja, keep these on for the +3 INT.

Shura Sune-ate - In my opinion, this is just like the Kote; a little worthless. If you're an Accuracy Ninja, opt to get it with your HNMLS that avidly hunts HNMs (moreover Aspid). If you're not into HNM, get into an Einherjahr LS, and hope they're skilled enough to take down Odin. "Resist Gravity" is nice to see, but not much else.

Denali Gamashes - Another great piece for /RDM and /BLM Ninjas out there. The +3 STR and +5 Accuracy is nice too, adding more DoT, as well as adding +3 Magic Accuracy.

Waist

Warwolf Belt - A simple belt for those Ninjas that haven't gotten their Swift Belt, Velocious Belt, or Koga Sarashi yet. If you're still having trouble keeping hate (you shouldn't by now...), macro this in for Provoke and even Weapon Skills and use Quick Belt for TP gain. Better yet, if you don't think +2% Haste on Quick Belt won't do much, just keep this on til you can get the other Haste belts.

Swift Belt - Probably the best belt before Koga Sarashi. The +4% Haste and +3 Accuracy are what make this a staple in Ninja Endgame gears. If you're not a Haste Ninja, don't bother farming the codex (which you can farm the codex with another Ninja in the Aqueducts facing away from the Setgotaur using the Element Wheel). The -5 Attack is a small price to pay for the Haste and Accuracy bonus.

Velocious Belt - Only opt for this if you can bribe people with a lot of money to pass up this item, and if you know good people who are nice enough to help you kill King Arthro.

Koga Sarashi - With +4% Haste and +4 EVA, this is the best piece, in my opinion, for a Ninja's waist. +4 DEF is minimal, but nothing special. with +2 Magic Accuracy, your spells will do a bit more damage.

Back

Amemet Mantle - If you're going to be DDing most of the time in your PTs (usually if you don't want to tank and you make your own PTs), use this at 61 til around 70. It's decent for doing extra DMG and improving DoT, but if you're a rich Ninja, get the HQ.

Boxer's Mantle - If you have sea by the time your Ninja is 70, you either have another 75, or you're just lucky o.O.  Either way, if you want this, get the coins and keep it on when you're Pting or just in EVA mode. +10 EVA and Parrying skill is prime for Ninja regarding this piece. The others are for PLD and MNK. This definitely outparses Corse Cape, it's a staple to many experienced Ninjas.

Corse Cape - If you decide to equip gear that boosts your attack stats, or anything other than EVA, opt to use this at 71. +7 EVA is great, and you'll be able to equip other gear that boosts your DoT. I've seen the price for this rise lately... so depending on your pocketbook and your server's price list, use discretion.

Charger Mantle - I suppose you could spend the coins for this, which gives +20 ATK. In my opinion, I wouldn't.

Forager's Mantle - If you have the money for this, and you favour attack over almost anything, buy it. +15 ATK and +3 STR.

Toreador's Cape - +9 EVA and +4 Enmity is phenomenal, especially for merit PTs, but the NM for this can be very difficult to defeat, and if you see this for sale, you might wish you had a few mil to get it. I don't see this in Endgame, but it's nice to have.

Astute Cape - Obtained from Meret if you trade her the Vice of Aspersion from Ix'Aern (DRG). Only useful for the +5 Ninjutsu skill or if you prefer to /blm /rdm. Don't use this in Engame as /war... Use common sense.

Commander's Cape - This is another optional piece for Ninja. With +3 to STR, DEX, and AGI, it's a decent piece, but quite expensive if you're not that rich.

Cerberus Mantle - Many DD will opt to have this made from their HNMLS if they do Cerberus a lot, usually from the LS member who can craft these, or perhaps a friend and sign it. A very nice piece for the enmity build.

Earrings

Dodge Earring - Ah yes, the trusty Dodge Earrings you get at 29. with one on each ear, +6 EVA is decent if you're in a tight spot. Don't use these in Endgame unless you're kiting; they're quite worthless when your PLD is keeping hate and you're not doing much damage yourself; use earrings geared towards offense.

Storm Loop - If you're lucky enough to get this in assault, by all means use it. +5 ATK isn't mediocre, it's actually good.

Velocity Earring - If you're looking for an upgrade in the EVA department, opt for this, but again, just like with Dodge Earrings, don't use this if you're not tanking or kiting (On a side note, if you're smart enough to tear yourself away from Endgame and merit EVA on Ninja, you might not ever need EVA earrings).

Triumph Earring - This and the HQ are expensive because of the +2 STR; there are rarely any earrings that give +2 STR, or any for that matter. If you want to give 600k for the extra STR, by all means, do so.

Attila's Earring - Extremely mediocre for a NIN, +1 Store TP isn't that great, so don't bother with this. If you have enough Haste built up, you'll WS soon again anyways.

Suppanomimi - The pinnacle of NIN Earrings, +2 AGI, +5 attack, and "Enhances Dual Wield effect". If you do Divine Might, get this (if you're a NIN for lifer).

Ethereal Earring - The best Earring from the Apocalypse Nigh quest for NIN and PLD. +15 HP, +5 attack and EVA, and Converts 3% of Damage Taken to MP, so if you have a few MP on hand (due to Walahra Turban and or Loquacious Earring), 3% of it will be taken from your MP.

Loquacious Earring - Common sense will tell you not to keep this on all the time, but if you have a mage at 75 and you want to quicken your Utsusemi casting by 1%, macro this in; it isn't that bad, and any -% casting is great, whether you notice the change or not.

Rings

Rajas Ring - Best ring for melee hands down. If you're someone who likes to finish every quest, mission, and get everything in Endgame, get this once you beat Promathia; You'll find there aren't any rings out there that beat this.

Sniper Ring - If you choose not to do the Missions or just don't have time for them, opt for these. +5 Accuracy is great, too, as it improves your DoT. Granted, a STR ring would seem ideal, but if you can't hit, why bother with the STR?

Woodsman Ring - A cheaper version of Sniper Rings, but gives the same +5 Accuracy, but -5 EVA. Exceptionally great piece if you're a poor NIN.

Ulthalam's Ring - After you have beaten the Aht Urghan Missions, get this if you want to; mainly if you only use Melee jobs. +4 ACC and Attack is exceptionally nice to have on hand.

Bomb Queen Ring - Gives +75 HP, and -75 to Fire resistance. I suppose you would want +75 HP, but if you're high in EVA merits and AGI, don't bother unless you have a PLD at 75. If you would want to, though, feel free to use this.

Ruby Ring - If you don't want Accuracy rings, or Rajas/Ulthalam's, you may opt these if you wear Accuracy gear and want some added STR. Decent, but not phenomenal.

Spinel Ring - Just like with Ruby ring, if you want more DEX and don't want or have time for Rajas/Ulthalam's, then use this.

Warrior

 * Since Warrior has Provoke, and Ninja is deemed a tank now, it seems suiting to have this as your main support job... and that's pretty much completely correct. It also makes a decent support job choice if you decide to be a damage-dealer, providing you with more strength and dexterity, as well as a ton of awesome traits and abilities. Warrior provides you with Provoke as I said, as well as a number of other great abilities. Berserk, acquired at Lv.30, will allow you to deal more damage with its +25% attack. The -25% defense it gives you won't be any big deal, since defense isn't really a boon to Ninja anyway. Defender, on the other hand, is quite useless. Your damage taken is already getting quite mitigated, so having more defense isn't going to help much, and the attack-down just means less enmity and overall damage. Once Lv.50 rolls around, you get Double Attack, which, unlike Dual Wield, will give you normal TP and extra hits. Lv.70 means Warcry, which means further damage as well as more enmity. When you use Warcry, try to go in the middle of the party and get everyone. The more people it hits, the more the monster wants to tear your skull out and beat you to death with it... which is a good thing.

Dancer

 * The alternative to Warrior support job, and sacrificing certain elements for others. Subbing Dancer means you can use your TP for more useful things than watered-down weapon skills. It can be used to heal anyone if you lose hate (or yourself to keep hate), and to give certain buffs and whatnot. It also provides you with a weakened Provoke ability once you hit Lv.40. I certainly wouldn't suggest this sub against Colibri or other TP-destroying monsters, but for some situations, it can be better than Warrior. (I would really only suggest you sub this with a Thief in the party. Though since that should always be the case with a Ninja tank, you shouldn't worry about that too much.)

Ranger

 * The prime money-jettisoning support job, yet probably one of the best. Even if you're tanking, you won't even need Provoke with a consistent bombardment of Shurikens with high accuracy and damage. Another possible reason for this sub would be to use guns or Archery and doling out huge damage through Sidewinder or Slug Shot. I would one hundred percent suggest you sub this as a Shuriken-doling damage-dealer. Otherwise, stick with Warrior, or Dancer, or... Thief, I guess.

Thief

 * Turning Ninja into what it once was, Thief. Thief gives Sneak Attack, Trick Attack, and a busload of evasion. With this support job, you can easily stand at the sidelines, firing Shuriken after Shuriken, or hit after hit with your Katana, then SATA-weapon skill. Providing you're obviously not the tank, this can be quite good. Where this sub truly shines is in its soloing capabilities. Engage battles with Sneak Attack, then beat things to death. Steal and Mug giving you the occasional item/money, as well as Flee and Treasure Hunter. One of the best things about this sub is all of its Evasion Bonus stuff. Proving to be one of the best job-sub combos in the game for avoiding hits.

Black Mage

 * Another twist on the damage-dealer, is the one that uses its Elemental Wheel over any other form of attack. With a large boost to intelligence plus “Magic Attack Bonus” give your Ni Elemental Wheel some large damage numbers. In mid-high levels, you can even buy Elemental Staves to increase damage even more, at the complete loss of TP and physical damage. It’s not the best choice, but if you want to deal some high damage (especially as a Tarutaru), this may be a good one.

Red Mage

 * A twist on the twist job (Black Mage), providing less overall damage through spells, and giving more speed on the spells. Fast Cast reduces casting and recasting time of all spells, including Ninjutsu. Normally, it’s RDM/NIN, but the other way is workable too. Even if you choose not to use your spells, you can even use the Enspells like Enthunder to increase your damage over time. Since Ninja attacks super-fast, this just increases overall damage by quite a large amount.

Scholar

 * No, Ninja is not a mage, and no there is no Art that works with Ninjutsu. However, it does change up the whole Black Mage or Red Mage thing with Light and Dark Arts. The intelligence boost is almost as much as Black Mage itself. The sacrifice of Magic Attack Bonus is made-up by the addition of the Arts, which allows you to fire-off any spell with “B” status. Unfortunately, Scholar doesn’t get a lot of spells to call its own. It is true, though, that Scholar does have Protects, Shells, Cures, Drain, Aspir, and a large number of elemental ‘nukes’.

Ninja as a Support Job

 * Ninja is seen as the universally “ultimate” support job. Ninja actually does work quite well as a support job. Tonko is a great alternative to wasting money on Prism Powders, since you can get a stack of either for about the same price (yet Shinobi-Tabi stacks in 99, and Powders stack in 12). Also, Ninja has the spell Utsusemi which really helps for soloing, mitigating damage, and survivability as almost any job in the game. It also gives Dual Wield. However, aside from that, there truly isn’t any major point to subbing Ninja. Extra survivability is about the only real point to it. Dual Wield is quite pointless unless you’re using two incredibly awesome stat-boosting weapons, and Utsusemi is only really useful if you’re playing a job that can’t handle a lot of damage. Jobs that are completely expected to sub this are Warrior Lv.30+, Thief Lv.30+, Ranger Lv.24+, Bard Lv.39+, Dancer Lv.30+, Monk end-game, and Red Mage end-game. These are the jobs EXPECTED to sub Ninja. It doesn’t mean they’re the only jobs that ever sub it, and they’re sure not only capable of subbing Ninja, but that’s what parties generally want. Parties also seem to want Blue Mage to sub Ninja, but I personally, one hundred percent will NEVER sub Ninja to my Blue Mage unless, A, it will cost me my party otherwise, or B, I’m between levels 50 to 59. (Remember people, this is only a guide. Completely my own, 100% biased opinionated words here.)

Your Two-Hour Ability

 * Mijin Gakure is your two-hour ability. It’s actually your only job ability in the game, unless you count your meritable job ability Sange. It basically makes you self-destruct. BOOM! You sacrifice every last one of your remaining HP and fall to the ground, while dealing a significant amount of damage to the target. It’s truly a last resort ability. No, it won’t make you lose experience points, so don’t worry about it. Many Ninjas use this as a free form of warp, but generally it’s a precaution to bad party situations. However, with the change to Raises, the experience lost from dying is a lot less significant. Despite what a lot of people think, Mijin Gakure is non-elemental. It is also based on your current HP. Damage dealt is considered magical, so can never miss. However, it is subject to resists. When it’s used to finish off a monster, the Ninja won’t get experience points, as unconsciousness is determined first. One final note. When used to home point after leaving a party, make sure you disband before you use the ability. Otherwise, the party will get attacked.

Job Abilities

 * Sange is your only non-two-hour job ability, and it can only be acquired through merits. What it does is activates a sort of “Barrage” ability that fires off ammo of your ranged attacks equal to how many shadows you have remaining. Using it with Ni freshly cast, then a ranged attack, will consume all four shadows and fire off four of your Shurikens, dealing a ton of damage. The ability lasts either one minute or one ranged attack, whichever comes first. It begins on a fifteen-minute counter and can be reduced to five with full merits.

Job Traits

 * Monster Radar is a trait I neglected to discuss about the other jobs that get it. However, Ninja's Monster Radar is the biggest out of all other jobs, so here's a brief discussion on it. What Monster Radar does is... well, you know that radar thing you get at the bottom, left-hand corner of your screen, displaying you, your party members', and any NPC's current location within a general vicinity of you? Monster Radar also displays monsters on it. And since it's always there, and its slightly extended range is exclusive to Ninja, it's great for pulling, as any job even subbing Ninja.
 * Stealth is a Lv.5 job trait that lower your agro radius toward sound based monsters. Since the addition of Monomi Ninjutsu, this skill has become fairly useless.
 * Dual Wield is a Ninja-exclusive job trait that allows you to use two single-handed weapons, equipping the second weapon in the "sub" slot instead of shields. Since Ninja has no use for shields or two-handed weapons (and grips), they make by far the most use of this job trait out of any job. People use Ninja as a support job solely for Utsusemi and this trait. Using two weapons will add your delays together and attack simultaneously, one after the other. Each tier of this trait will lower the overall delay by a certain percent, and at the same time, lower TP gain per hit. So in general, you get the same TP for slightly added damage. Though subbing Ninja will only allow for the first two tiers, Ninja can get up to a fourth tier, allowing for a grand delay reduction of 30% by Lv.65. The first tier is 10% at Lv.10.
 * Resist Bind is also learned at Lv.10. It will give you the chance to resist Bind effects, but it doesn't kick in to do that very often. It does, however, always greatly lower the duration of this effect, allowing you to escape monsters, especially those pesky worms in Qufim, or the Goblin Tinkerers in Valkurm. This trait really helps for pulling. You get four tiers of this trait, each one helping resist just a little better (to counteract monster's higher INT for extended effects).
 * Subtle Blow is a very potent Ninja trait that is also shared with Monks. What it does is lowers TP gain by monsters when you connect hits with them. Since most of the TP monsters gain is by you and your allies landing blows on them, performing the same hits with a bit more finesse will lessen the TP gain monsters get from your own. Though Ninja doesn't get its first tier of this trait until Lv.15, it gets an exclusive fifth one by Lv.75, allowing for a total of 25% Subtle Blow. Meaning that if you hit the monster and give him 10% TP normally, you'd only give it 7.5%. Not a huge difference, but it will add up over time.
 * Ninja Tool Expertise is a great merit choice for Ninjas who find themselves always strapped for cash. What it does is occasionally allows you to cast a Ninjutsu spell without the use of tools! Each time this trait is merited, a 5% proc rate is added to it, up to a total of 15%. That means that out of twenty spells, about three of them won’t consume the tools. It may not seem like much right here, but it does add up. And in case you decide to merit the crap out of Sange, that would leave you with only 3-5 free merits, which isn’t actually enough to merit the entire “San” Elemental Wheel anyway. In short, if you merit Sange fully, you might as well merit this fully.

Ninjutsu Spells

 * Tonko is your first Ninjutsu earned at Lv.9. It’s a great spell, especially for its level, and it allows you to turn yourself invisible for a short period of time, completely eliminating any sight-aggressive monsters. Each use will consume one Shinobi-Tabi Ninja tool. There is a second tier of this spell acquired at Lv.34 that has a shorter casting time and a longer duration. Instead of only the 3-minute duration Ichi has, Ni has a 5-minute duration.
 * Utsusemi is your second Ninjutsu spell, and will almost guaranteed be one of your most-used ones. The first tier is acquired at Lv.12, which will give you three free single-target hits. Any area-effect attack that hits you will immediately strip all shadows. The second tier, Ni, at Lv.37, gives you four shadows, and the same rules apply. Each individual hit will consume one shadow. Meaning if a Goblin Rush hits you, you have a chance to lose anywhere between 1-3 shadows. Unlike the White Magic spell “Blink”, it will always work. If you don’t evade the hit, you will consume a shadow. This is why most Ninja use a lot of evasion gear. If a monster fires a ranged attack at you, your shadow will always block it, even if it would normally miss. Utsusemi will also block single-target spells and the majority of monster abilities.
 * Ichi Elemental Wheel is acquired at Lv.15. These spells include Katon, Hyoton, Huton, Doton, Raiton, and Suiton (Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Water respectively). They also lower a monster’s resistance to the element prior to its placement on the wheel. Meaning if you cast Doton (earth), it will lower its resistance to wind. With this notion, one can easily see where this is going: next, you would cast Huton (wind), which would lower resistance to ice, then you cast Hyoton (ice). The resistance down of all of these is a whopping 30 for 8 seconds. Mind you, these spells all take 4 seconds to cast, and their damage is quite low. The Ichi Elemental Wheel is pretty lame and should be used mostly for skilling up. These spells all consume different tools. Starting from Katon, they are Uchitake, Tsuara, Kawahori-Ogi, Makibishi, Hirashin, and Mizu-Deppo respective to the order at the start.
 * Kurayami is Lv.19 and consumes Sairui-Ran tools. It’s a single-target Blind effect. Great for any situation, but especially for the Ninja tank, who has to avoid as many hits as possible. This coupled with Hojo and Jubaku can greatly lower your Utsusemi consumption. Like Blind, it is dark-elemental, so don’t waste your Sairui-Ran on monsters like bats and Kindred. You get a second-tier Kurayami at Lv.44, having a better effect and a much shorter casting time.
 * Monomi is a Lv.25 Sneak spell, complementing Tonko to allow the Ninja to roam around undetected by any monsters except True Sound/Sight ones. Monomi only has one tier, but that doesn't matter anyway. Remember, to re-cast Sneak, you have to turn it off manually. Monomi will also remove Tonko when cast, so be careful.
 * Hojo is a single-target Slow effect earned at Lv.23, and having a second tier at Lv.48. As stated just above, Hojo works great with Kurayami and Jubaku to prevent as many hits over time as possible. This Ninjutsu consumes the Kaginawa tool.
 * Dokumori is one of only two Ninjutsu spells that has only one tier. It’s a Poison effect and generally the least useful one to use. However, Poison is always nice to have, especially if you have the time to cast it. It’s learned at Lv.27. This Ninjutsu consumes Kodoku tools to use.
 * Jubaku is the second of two Ninjutsu spells that only has one tier. This one tier is learned finally at Lv.30. What it does is Paralyzes the victim, interrupting some attacks and spells. It works great with Kurayami and Hojo to prevent a few attacks. However, if you decide to use Blade: Retsu, this spell isn’t going to be super useful. You consume Jusatsu tools to use.
 * Ni Elemental Wheel is learned at Lv.40 and is a lot better than the Ichi wheel. It has a short cast time of only 1.5 seconds (like all Ni spells) and a recast of 45 seconds. This incredibly long recast time is the only downside. However, since you have 10 seconds of elemental resistance down effect, you can wait a few seconds in between casts to ensure a consistent wheel. Using a large amount of Haste equipment can allow you to spin the wheel faster. Haste coupled with Fuma (or Sarutobi) Kyahan will lower the recast to about 37 seconds, allowing you to cast them almost one after the other.
 * San Elemental Wheel is a completely meritable set of spells. All six of them are individually merited. So if you want to have a brand-new Wheel, by all means merit all six. If you just want a couple of them to be fully-powered, only merit one or two. Remember, you can only merit ten group 2 merits, so if you want to improve any of those spells, you'll only be able to fully-upgrade one and you'd have to entirely forget about Sange or Ninja Tool Mastery altogether. The San spells have whole one-minute recast timers, meaning you really have to time it right (unless you have a nice Haste build). They take 2.5 seconds to cast, and their effects last 12 seconds.