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Description
I felt it was time to start focusing on the individual Clans of the Shinobi World that The Batclan inhabits!
Left to right:
Red Claw, Cheshire, Catman, Catwoman, Wildcat, Tigress, and Lynx.

Gotham Ninja Folder: nightshade475.deviantart.com/g…

The Order of Shinobi has different clans to cover various types of jobs. The Noble Clans all specialize in one of these job classes specifically, and are experts at it:
Catclan Speciality: Acquisitions, infiltration, stealth, taijutsu.
Demon Beast Affiliation: Kasha, The Demon Cat

Red Claw: Amba Kadiri (Former Clan Leader; Exiled); Red Hand

A former member of the Noble shinobi Catclan, the woman known as Red Claw was banished for killing Catman's mother in order to facilitate getting close to his father and attempting to take over the clan for herself. When her deeds were discovered, she was ousted from the clan and marked for death. She was able to escape her fate, but was now a fugitive. While on the run from her former clan, she became a member of the clandestine organization, The Red Hand. She faked her death and eventually took control of the group. The former leader, the Red Queen, left the group abruptly to parts unknown, but the other members have no idea why due to the group’s inherent secrecy. During the two year period, when Robin and Nightwing had left Goth’Ahm Prefecture, one of the Red Hand’s missions puts her at odds with the current Catwoman; Shiori Kawaii. She allows the altercation to become personal and goes off mission trying to destroy her. The mission involved collecting a group of former samurai that all had a connection to the Bloodhaven Monestary, one of whom was Takaharu Akifimi, Batman's trainer and friend; in order to locate and unleash an ancient weapon known only as, Multigon. Batman gets involved after discovering Takaharu’s disappearance, and set about trying to locate him. When Batman tracks him down to Red Claw’s lair, she confronts him. She offers him an opportunity to join her by revealing that she wishes to be a catalyst for change in their world and the one beyond their borders. The release of Multigon will speed up that change she believes. When the Dark Knight rejects her offer, they engage in battle until he gets the upper hand on her, but he is stopped from delivering the knockout blow by his former pupil…Robin. Red Claw referred to his pupil as, Red Robin, and was ready to dispatch him, thinking that he’d sided with his former master, but he drew her attention to the fact that he was able to fulfill the parameters of the mission by releasing Multigon; he was able to prevent the cataclysm Red Claw was expecting by urging the demigod to reevaluate its preordained path of destruction by convincing it that to someone as powerful as he was, destiny was nothing more than slavery. Multigon was intrigued by this new potential and decided to seek out its own path in effecting global change, but would have to first explore this new world in order to determine that. Robin explained that although it was in a different way than Red Claw was planning, he had completed the mission. Frustrated, Claw acquiesced and the two left the area...vanishing into the night.

- Multigon was the name of the corporation Red Claw secretly ran in the Batman: The animated series episode that she was introduced in.
- The other episode she starred in, The Lion and the Unicorn was where Alfred was involved in her plans to acquire and release a deadly plague.
- Even though her clan marked her for death, as a member of the Red Hand, any one with sense would steer clear of her rather than try to collect her bounty. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some who’ve tried…and suffered dearly.
- Red Claw is constantly on the move, avoiding capture or worse from an organization that has been trying to neutralize their movements for years. She has been unsuccessful in her attempts to end them or discover any thing about them, other than their name…The Black Glove.

Cheshire: Jade Nguyen (Personal Assassin/Bodyguard); Secret Six, Wonderland Gang

The young Catclan orphan was part of an exchange brokered by Onishusoku to train a Catclan member in the ways of the Assassin’s Guild to repay a violation of a treaty. For years she trained with a master assassin, and eventually returned to her clan. Upon her return, Catman kept her by his side by making her his personal bodyguard, since she was able to take out the eight man entourage that preceeded her. Wearing the face mask and long sleeves that is customary of many of the high level assassin (Joker, Hush, Onishisoku, Ragdoll), she is the youngest and deadliest assassin since Red Canary…which is understandable, since they were both trained by the same person Lady Shiva; aka Jade Canary. She accompanied Catman when he was recruited by the enigmatic Mockingbird for a mission requiring the acquisition of; The Compass of The Reikon, from Enigma Clan jounin, Cluemaster. Catman and Cheshire were part of a team of assassins hired by Mockingbird, calling themselves the Secret Six, including: Deadshot, Scandal, Ragdoll, and Parademon. The Six planed to use it to force The Oracle of Hi no Tama to disclose and transport them to the location of Onishusoku; leader of the League of Shadows…in order to assassinate him. Once they had the compass, they depart the area with Parademon’s demonspawn left behind to kill Cluemaster, clearing up any loose ends. The Secret Six assassins arrive as a ragtag squad of kunoichi are conversing with The Oracle of Hi no Tama. The two teams fight, and at one point Deadshot begins to target the Reikon until the Oracle agrees to locate and transport them to Onishisoku’s floating fortress lair. The Oracle is unable to transport so large a group after the six without recharging, leaving the girls stranded. After splitting up on arrival, The Six converge on Ragdoll's position when he finds Onishusoku’s entourage and attack. The Kunoichi they’d left in Hi no Tama found a way to follow them, and they continue to fight to protect The Demon’s Head, as his assassination would plunge the shinobi world and all of Hitoshirenu into chaos. During the battle, Deadshot finally gets the killshot on thier target and the fighting stops. Just then, Ragdoll grabs Deadshot, flings him into a wall, punches him in the face reapeatedly, and dismantles his weapons with blinding speed. Catman charges and his mount, Kasha, is nerve poked in the neck, falling over and throwing Catman toward Ragdoll who grabs Scandal by the arm stabbing Catman with her Lamentation (Aikikoken) Blade. Cheshire retracts her claws and kneels. Ragdoll removes his mask, revealing himself to be…Onishusoku! The entire travelling fortress was a decoy. He tells the Secret Six that he is sparing their lives, even though they tried to take his. In return, they are indebted to him to perform six clandestine tasks without question. Any refusal or hesitation will put the violator’s entire clan at war with the entire league. One of the Secret Six missions the team undergoes has Cheshire infiltrating the Wonderland Gang. Joining the Mad Hatter, Kichigai Kasamoru; Twins Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, White Rabbit, and another are gathered to help him invade The Red Queen’s pocket dimension stronghold, Wonderland, so that the Hatter can exact his revenge. While there, they cross paths with a young girl named Malice; who fell through a portal from yet another distant land. She bonds with a creature called Jabberwock, and they along with Humpty Dumpty and Gryphon, join the Hatter and the others on their quest. Onishusoku had sent Cheshire because he had reason to believe that this Red Queen ruling Wonderland and the estranged founder of the Red Hand, are one and the same. Red Robin and Lady Blackhawk find a way to get Batman on the trail of the Red Queen without breaking their pact with the Red Hand about revealing information about their organization. Batman arrives in Wonderland to locate the Red Queen and keep the Hatter from killing her. The Shadow of the Bat and The Demon's Head want her for the same reason... she is the only person that can answer the question, "What is Checkmate?!"

- The group of Kunoichi that attempted to avert the assassination of Onishusoku would be come known as, the Birds of Prey; Batgirl, Black Canary II, Huntress, Hush, Hawkgirl, Spoiler and Lady Blackhawk.
- A young reikon volunteered its life essence to transport the girls to the Floating Fortress. After getting them there, the dying spirit thanks them for letting it experience adventure in some small part. Batgirl offers to part with some of her life essence to sustain it. The others agree to do the same and the spirit passes through each of them growing a bit larger with each pass. It then condenses into a female shape about the same age as the girls. Physically, she is an amalgam of them. This “Misfit”, as Huntress calls her, joins the girls in a final battle to prevent Onishusoku’s assassination.
- Eventually, Ruby Archer, Ryo and Emerald Archer, Ori of the Precious Archers have a falling out; and Ryo winds up deserted on the Isle of Lian Yu. However, he is not there alone...Ryo will spend his time on Lian Yu surviving threats from and then alongside Cheshire. The falling out will be related to drug use and an issue stemming from his training of Gilded Archer, Mai. He will get clean on Lian Yu, which will be part of what brings he and Cheshire together. This closeness will result in the birth of their daughter, which they name after the Island.
- I made Shiva her sensei because I liked the idea of; the cat and the canary.
- Checkmate will be an organization based on the Japanese game of Shogi rather than Chess.

Catman: Katashi Nekojin (Clan Leader); Secret Six

For generations, the Catclan has mastered the art of stealth by studying the stalking nature of felines. Through this, they have become the premier acquisition experts of the shinobi world. The males, however, tend to focus their talents more toward brawling, again using the ferocity of large game cats as a foundation for their taijutsu style. The leader of the clan (The Catman) undergoes a ritual in which 8 of his ancestors’ spirits are bound to his own, giving him the benefit of their experience, skills, and physical strength. This also allows the leader to have “nine lives”; when a Catman suffers a fatal injury, one of the attached spirits is released, rather than the clan leader dying. He loses that particular ancestor’s attributes, but survives. Katashi was an impetuous young shinobi, and that trait followed him into his early adulthood. He had to grow up in the shadow of his legendary father, the original Wildcat. There was an orphaned kunoichi that was secretly training to master the Otoshiana no Hachimitsu; Kunoichi Seduction Art. She utilized her skills at seduction to use him to get close to his family's inner circle. She took advantage of the proximity to assassinate Katashi’s mother, and then capitalize on the opportunity to seduce his father out of his greif. Realizing he was used, he resented her especially when she insisted she call him, Mother (even though she was closer to his age then her new husband)! His resentment and former passion for her turned to pure hatred, when it was discovered that she was responsible for the death of the previous Catwoman, his mother. Katashi was then made Catman, and put out a bounty on the head of his parent’s killer; Amba Kadiri aka Steel Claw. A shinobi claimed her bounty and as a result received a handsome reward and a profitable reputation for doing what many others could not. Clan law required two leaders, so Catman set out to find the strongest kunoichi in his clan to wed. He found this after a series of trials, with one victor; Shiroi Kawaii. As a result of the spirit bonding, Catman can not have a sexual encounter with his wife; Catwoman without reliving his father’s encounters with his mother, as his feelings for her trigger the memories of his father. This occurred the first and final time they mated, during the consummation of their marriage and the conception of their son, Wildcat. It is because of this that he remains so distant and avoids intimacy with his partner, Shiori; instead choosing to have recreational relations with females that mean nothing to him, to keep the disturbing images of a first person perspective of a sexual encounter with his own mother. A result of that same bonding ritual allows Katashi to have vivid flashbacks of his father’s physical intimacy with his former stepmother, Red Claw. Visually recalling the encounters of her in the throes of passion, he truly suffers from a Love/Hate connection with her. This is even more so when he discovers that she is alive.

- Catman’s helm is similar in style to Wildcat’s and color to Catwoman’s. The three claw marks that are usually on his uniform are across his face, placed there by catwoman during their premarital sparring match/ audition. His mount, Kasha, is named after the demon cat their clan is affiliated with, and is a Liger (lion/tiger hybrid)
- Catclan males are extremely possessive of their females, similar to lions in the wild. This possessive nature makes him try to keep his wife from seeking attention elsewhere…but he is not as successful as he would like to believe.
- Also similar to wild cats, the females are supposed to be responsible for childrearing. He is very hands off when it comes to his son, except when it comes to fight training which he does by having Tetsu try to attack him and then beating him down. It wont be until he can hold his own against him that he will begin to actually train him.
- Neko=Cat; jin= person, man
- Catman’s mother’s design will be based on Infinite Crisis Ame Comi Catwoman.
- Catman is seen employing the ruling family’s signature, Chi Talon Technique.
- Red Claw learned the technique from Catman’s father, Wildcat I when she married him. She has developed it to the point that her version has a red hue, unlike any other practitioner.
- Rather than give him a cape, I decided he would use a giant lion’s mane in a similar fashion.
- After the assassination attempt on Onishusoku, Catman is down to 8 of his nine lives.
- Otoshiana= trap; hachimtisu=honey; A honey trap is using the art of seduction in espionage

Catwoman: Shiori Kawaii (Clan Leader); Secret Society

The Catclan is different from many of the other clans. Like lion prides, they have most of the work done by the females, while the males only come in after the hard work is done. This by no means insinuates inability on the part of the males, for they are fearsome fighters when in the field. In order to become lady of the clan, Catwoman had to prove she could stand toe to toe with clan leader Catman. She went so far as to scar his face which only made him want her even more for his mate. She bore him a male child whom they named Wildcat. Catwoman is perhaps the greatest ninja thief. She enjoys her status, but not her relationship with Catman, who has shown her no real affection since their wedding night. Shiori began to feel like her high status was now a prison, gilded as it may be. She eventually gave up trying to garner attention from her husband, and anytime she would draw the eye of anyone else, Catman would make them pay…brutally. Eventually, no one in their clan dare look at her, or suffer the wrath of their leader, and clan’s strongest fighter. She begins sneaking out to seek attention from others outside the clan, but Katashi gets wise to that and tries everything to prevent her escapades. He even goes to the extent of placing a bell on her neck to cease her carousing, as her presence would be given away by it. However that was short lived, as the superior stealth master that she is, she learned to travel around with it just as silently. She sees Batman in action one night, and infatuated by him begins an ongoing flirtation with him. She enjoys stealing things, knowing that it'll get him to pay attention to her, since her mate ensured no one else ever does. Catman tried to take down Batman, only to realize that he can go toe to toe with the expert. The fact that batman is not afraid of Katashi and is willing to stand up to him to defend her honor makes her even more enamored with him. This makes Catman hate Batman even more and have an ongoing vendetta with him. She agrees to let her son become the pupil of the Grey Ghost, because she sees him displaying some of his tendencies and doesn’t want him turning out like his father. She will eventually grow tired of the cat and mouse game of affection she plays with Batman, as she sees that they are both developing real feelings for one another. She will leave the Hidden Regions and seek to use her skills to prove she is not just the greatest thief in Hitoshirenu, but the entire world.

- Catclan members are distinguished by their ceremonial tattoos or ritual scarring. The same way the Houndsclan wear canine face masks, Blackbird clan wear jackets or trenchcoats,
- Catclan members are taijutsu (hand to hand combat) specialists, though they do employ the use of weapons. Most times it is to emulate the claws of their revered felines. This is done by using kunai, like Catwoman is shown, or tiger claws, like Cheshire uses.
- Catwoman has tattoos of feline stripe patterns from her neck to her thigh.
- Catclan members have feline familiars that they train to help assist them on missions and in battle. Catwoman has nine; Miss Kitty, Isis, Tigris, Tyger, Felix, Leo, Hecate, Willow, and Midnight.
- Catwoman is a title, similar to Lady Blackhawk; which signifies her position as Co-leader of the clan.
- Anton Ivo, the STAR Labs scientist will recruit members for a Secret Society: The mercenary Precious Archer, Sapphire Archer; who captured the kunoichi Clan Leader, Catwoman for the organization. They will be joined by, MetaBrawler, Blockbuster;

Wildcat: Tetsu Nekojin; Ghostclan

The only product of the union of Catclan leaders, Catman and Catwoman; Tetsu is a hot tempered taijutsu specialist. He has a bad relationship with his parents. His father is controlling and his mother is absent, in mind if not body as she openly defies her husband attempts to control her by forcing her to nurture their son while he neglects them both; keeping her from being the free spirit that she is and roaming as she pleases. Tetsu is more than willing to join Grey Ghost’s team to get away from their dysfunctional relationship. His mother is amenable to the tutelage under the Ghost Arts master, as she feels any role model is better than the one he has, as he is starting to pick up some of his bad habits. He has a crush on his team member; Moriko Kurotori, aka Black Canary of the Blackbird Clan. He is very overly protective of her, as that is the example that he has always known. They train together as initially she is extremely timid and fearful of her quite considerable skills and he is in need of assistance in quelling the rage that is always boiling beneath the surface and quite often gets him into perilous situations. Wildcat grows jealous when she meets and develops a crush on apprentice Precious Archer, Jade Archer. She is oblivious to Wildcat’s feelings, as she sees him as a brother; due to that fact that her actual sibling, Black Condor wants no part of a relationship with her, as he feels she has usurped his position as Heir in their clan. After their team disbands, he reluctantly returns to his clan and continues training directly under his father. He has always had a contentious relationship with Cheshire, who is his father’s personal guard and who he treats more like his own child than he does his actual son. When the Ghostclan reforms two years after his return to his clan, he has developed new techniques; combining his high level Catclan skills with the training he has received from Grey Ghost, making him more formidable than ever. He has also gotten over his infatuation with Black Canary. Upon becoming reacquainted with her, he begins to pursue her new Birds of Prey teammate and bestfriend, Starling…which interestingly enough, makes Black Canary jealous.

- Tetsu has taken the clan name, Wildcat, after his grandfather. His look will be more representative of Ted Grant. Im thinking of giving him a panther pelt headdress to wear.
- Catman has a sister (Mauler) who has a daughter. She will be the MDCU equivalent of Wildcat II, Yolanda Montez. I’m thinking of calling her Wildkitten…
- After training with his father upon his return to the clan, Wildcat learns the Chi Talon technique. When he combines it with his Ghost Art training to create the Ghost Claw technique, it is imbued with the light blue color of the spectral energy that he channels into it.

Tigress: Tora Kokaji (exiled); Metabrawl

Surrogate daughter of Yoshio Sato, last and best of the traditional assassins of the Yakuza, was found by Yoshio and taken in. He made her his apprentice in his craft of killing, as he didn't want his only child Sonia corrupted by his work. Sonia was treated like a princess, but the young runaway, who went by the name Tigress, endured a harsh training to become good enough to take Yoshio's place as the top ranked assassin for the Yakuza. In addition to the grappling and throwing techniques of Judo, Tora was taught to utilize the more violent trapping, joint locks, holds, gouging, biting, disengagements, striking, and kicking associated with Jujutsu. She also employs the high speed taijutsu of the shinobi Catclan that she was born into in conjunction with her fighting. The two girls were jealous of each other, and spied on the other's time with their shared father figure. When Yoshio revealed that Tigress' training was complete and that he and Sonia would be leaving; meaning that she could take his place like he’d always wanted, she snapped at the idea of being abandoned again. She went to kill Sonia, and instead the blade struck Yoshio. She fled in terror at the idea that she’d made herself an orphan once again, and Sonia had a mental breakdown. Sonia wound up in a support group run by Roulette and under her hypno-therapy was able to access the martial arts skills she observed her father teaching Tigress. She began participating in Metabrawls as the Glammslammer, Judomaster. Tora crossed paths with Sonia and sought to finish what she’d started and attempted to take her out as she was leaving one of her therapy sessions. She attacked, but during the confrontation, her programming initialized, and her Judomaster persona surfaced. Tigress was shocked at how well she was defending herself, knowing she never participated in the training their father had so painstakingly made her endure. They were almost evenly matched but they were caught by surprise with tranquilizer darts. Tora was taken into the facility, where she too was placed under the hypnotic trance facilitated by Roulette’s tech engineer, Sonar. Now the Glamslammers had a true sibling rivalry to promote for the next main event.

- The gi Tigress wears belonged to her father, who she was banished with from the Goth'Ahm prefecture, located in the hidden regions of Japan. She has scars all over her body which resemble tiger stripes from her many battles, and has a tatoo over her left eye.
- I gave her the tattoo over her eye from one of the incarnations of the character in the mainstream dcu. She also has a Yakuza style tattoo of a tiger on her back.
- Tora is a compilation of Tigress (mainstream dcu’s Artemis Crock of the Injustice Gang) and Judomaster’s trainer, Tiger. I have also decided to merge in the version of Artemis Crock from Young Justice that became Tigress as well. As such, she will have a connection with another established Catclan member.
- Ren Kuruma, father of Jakku; aka Wild Dog of the Houndclan, was a boy when they escaped the hidden regions as they were being hunted by the Samurai of the shogunate and the Catclan of the Shinobi Order. Ren grew up in the US and eventually became a successful businessman. On one of his business trips to Japan, he caught the scent of an exiled Catclan member (who happened to be the father of future Glamslammer, Tora Kokaji aka Tigress). He got his gear later that evening and tracked him down to the closed down dojo he was using as a stash house for the items he'd stolen and where he was currently training his daughter in his clan's taijustsu techniques. He confronted him in front of his young daughter and they fought. it was because of her presence that her father got distracted and the Houndclan shinobi was able to grab him by both arms and tear them from their sockets. He left the girl there to suffer without a father, as he had to. When he returned to the states, he began to train Jakku more vigilantly and instill in him the same hatred for murderers, which would eventually lead him to become a vigilante hunting killers and putting them down.
- Unknown to pretty much everyone, Tora’s father survived losing both his arms to Ren Kuruma. He somehow winds up in Hitoshirenu and becomes the pupil of Yottsukonin master, Shuo-Shi Sensei. He hides his identity and gains notoriety as The Armless Shinobi.

Lynx: Ling Shē Lì (Houndhunter); Ghost Dragons

The Catclan, although hand to hand (taijutsu) specialists, have a division that is specifically trained in the use of weapons. This elite unit is known as, The Houndhunters. The exiled Hound Clan (at one time were perhaps the strongest of all the shinobi clans), were accused of assassinating their Emperor. The son of the killed emperor (who was placed under the protection of an order of warrior-witch known as, the Majo Onna-bugeisha), made his first order the complete annihilation of any members of the shinobi clan that he believed had killed his father. After secretly being called to the Royal Palace; most of the severly outnumbered male warriors of the Hound Clan were eradicated by the Royal Guard of Samurai and the Majo Onna-bugeisha, while the Catclan was commissioned to infiltrate their village and take out the women and children. The few remaining warriors went back to the village to save those whom they could, and took them with them to flee the region as their leader had ordered while he stayed behind on his own to hold them off. The Emperor's forces gave chase and the few survivors were cornered. One of the houndclan generals, Watchdog led the remnants of the clan out of the region and they eventually went their separate ways, scattering across the globe and remaining in hiding for decades. To ensure that the surviving scattered members were all tracked down and completely annihilated, the Houndhunters division was created to exit the boarders of Hitoshirenu, The Hidden Regions of Japan and track down all those who’d fled. On his first solo mission with the Red Hand as Red Robin, Tomi Komodori was sent to China to shadow a master martial artist. While there, he discovered some shady transactions involving Snakepit; the organized crime group lead by King Snake, and the local branch of the Chinese Triads. King Snake then wished to test the young shinobi’s skills himself and the two began fighting. However, Lady Shiva (who had been pursuing her former Wu Xing brother also, seeking retribution for the betrayal of their Master, O-Sensei) interrupted the fight between Red Robin and King Snake, saving the young shinobi’s life. One of the triad’s enforcers was tasked with tracking him down and taking him out after one of the high ranking Snakepit Black Adders failed to complete the task, as Red Robin was now training with Lady Shiva. The enforcer was a freelance Catclan kunoichi named, Lynx. Red Robin survived the attempt on his life and escaped. Once Shiva felt confident he was prepared to take on King Snake, they tracked down the Triads, and discovered King Snake planned to release a plague. Red Robin and Lady Shiva were led to the location by Lynx, who was secretly working undercover to take down the triads. Lynx was in China in her capacity as a Catclan Houndhunter, tracking an elusive target. Lynx will return to Hitoshirenu, as she and Robin have unfinished business.

- The hatred between the catclan and the Houndclan originated when they lost their powerbase through the affiliation with The Demon Cat, Kasha; of one of the Great Demon Beasts that used to roam the region freely, was killed by The Demon Dog, Yamainu, leaving them at a disadvantage within the Order.
- The Houndclan leader, Bloodhound, is currently their only clan member still residing in the region... as a prisoner of the Emperor. Occasionally they take advantage of his considerable tracking abilities, and that is the only time he ever sees the light of day.
- The Hound clan were renowned for their skills in tracking and hunting, as such the skills that were required to develop into the Houndhunters came from the extracted memories of their captured leader. That is why they are so efficient in hunting, carry dual blades, and wear a half face mask (only theirs is cat inspired).
- Lynx is a combination of the first two characters to use that name. Both had a connection with Robin (Tim Drake).
- Since the story where Lynx meets Red Robin for the first time takes place in China, I wanted her outfit to reflect that in some way, and I gave her a Chinese cheongsam top under her Kimono.
- I tried to have some consistency in the clan attire and have waist wraps, arm wraps, and sleeveless short kimonos as part of that. Cheshire has the distinction of the Asassin Clan with her Long Sleeves that go past her hands and the full Anbu style face mask.
- The second Lynx, who most of the character’s design is based off of, wore armored shoulder pads. I incorporated the clan’s signature tattoo usage to replace that. I tried to mimic the pattern of an actual lynx.
- Shē Lì is Chinese for Lynx. Ling was the name of one of the versions of the mainstream character.
- Other Clan Members: Catgirl, Puma, Tomcat, Civet, Steel Fang, Armless Shinobi, Catsai, Mauler, and Big Game.

Description
I felt it was time to start focusing on the individual Clans of the Shinobi World that The Batclan inhabits!
Left to right:
Red Claw, Cheshire, Catman, Catwoman, Wildcat, Tigress, and Lynx.

Gotham Ninja Folder: nightshade475.deviantart.com/g…

The Order of Shinobi has different clans to cover various types of jobs. The Noble Clans all specialize in one of these job classes specifically, and are experts at it:
Catclan Speciality: Acquisitions, infiltration, stealth, taijutsu.
Demon Beast Affiliation: Kasha, The Demon Cat

Red Claw: Amba Kadiri (Former Clan Leader; Exiled); Red Hand

A former member of the Noble shinobi Catclan, the woman known as Red Claw was banished for killing Catman's mother in order to facilitate getting close to his father and attempting to take over the clan for herself. When her deeds were discovered, she was ousted from the clan and marked for death. She was able to escape her fate, but was now a fugitive. While on the run from her former clan, she became a member of the clandestine organization, The Red Hand. She faked her death and eventually took control of the group. The former leader, the Red Queen, left the group abruptly to parts unknown, but the other members have no idea why due to the group’s inherent secrecy. During the two year period, when Robin and Nightwing had left Goth’Ahm Prefecture, one of the Red Hand’s missions puts her at odds with the current Catwoman; Shiori Kawaii. She allows the altercation to become personal and goes off mission trying to destroy her. The mission involved collecting a group of former samurai that all had a connection to the Bloodhaven Monestary, one of whom was Takaharu Akifimi, Batman's trainer and friend; in order to locate and unleash an ancient weapon known only as, Multigon. Batman gets involved after discovering Takaharu’s disappearance, and set about trying to locate him. When Batman tracks him down to Red Claw’s lair, she confronts him. She offers him an opportunity to join her by revealing that she wishes to be a catalyst for change in their world and the one beyond their borders. The release of Multigon will speed up that change she believes. When the Dark Knight rejects her offer, they engage in battle until he gets the upper hand on her, but he is stopped from delivering the knockout blow by his former pupil…Robin. Red Claw referred to his pupil as, Red Robin, and was ready to dispatch him, thinking that he’d sided with his former master, but he drew her attention to the fact that he was able to fulfill the parameters of the mission by releasing Multigon; he was able to prevent the cataclysm Red Claw was expecting by urging the demigod to reevaluate its preordained path of destruction by convincing it that to someone as powerful as he was, destiny was nothing more than slavery. Multigon was intrigued by this new potential and decided to seek out its own path in effecting global change, but would have to first explore this new world in order to determine that. Robin explained that although it was in a different way than Red Claw was planning, he had completed the mission. Frustrated, Claw acquiesced and the two left the area...vanishing into the night.

- Multigon was the name of the corporation Red Claw secretly ran in the Batman: The animated series episode that she was introduced in.
- The other episode she starred in, The Lion and the Unicorn was where Alfred was involved in her plans to acquire and release a deadly plague.
- Even though her clan marked her for death, as a member of the Red Hand, any one with sense would steer clear of her rather than try to collect her bounty. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some who’ve tried…and suffered dearly.
- Red Claw is constantly on the move, avoiding capture or worse from an organization that has been trying to neutralize their movements for years. She has been unsuccessful in her attempts to end them or discover any thing about them, other than their name…The Black Glove.

Cheshire: Jade Nguyen (Personal Assassin/Bodyguard); Secret Six, Wonderland Gang

The young Catclan orphan was part of an exchange brokered by Onishusoku to train a Catclan member in the ways of the Assassin’s Guild to repay a violation of a treaty. For years she trained with a master assassin, and eventually returned to her clan. Upon her return, Catman kept her by his side by making her his personal bodyguard, since she was able to take out the eight man entourage that preceeded her. Wearing the face mask and long sleeves that is customary of many of the high level assassin (Joker, Hush, Onishisoku, Ragdoll), she is the youngest and deadliest assassin since Red Canary…which is understandable, since they were both trained by the same person Lady Shiva; aka Jade Canary. She accompanied Catman when he was recruited by the enigmatic Mockingbird for a mission requiring the acquisition of; The Compass of The Reikon, from Enigma Clan jounin, Cluemaster. Catman and Cheshire were part of a team of assassins hired by Mockingbird, calling themselves the Secret Six, including: Deadshot, Scandal, Ragdoll, and Parademon. The Six planed to use it to force The Oracle of Hi no Tama to disclose and transport them to the location of Onishusoku; leader of the League of Shadows…in order to assassinate him. Once they had the compass, they depart the area with Parademon’s demonspawn left behind to kill Cluemaster, clearing up any loose ends. The Secret Six assassins arrive as a ragtag squad of kunoichi are conversing with The Oracle of Hi no Tama. The two teams fight, and at one point Deadshot begins to target the Reikon until the Oracle agrees to locate and transport them to Onishisoku’s floating fortress lair. The Oracle is unable to transport so large a group after the six without recharging, leaving the girls stranded. After splitting up on arrival, The Six converge on Ragdoll's position when he finds Onishusoku’s entourage and attack. The Kunoichi they’d left in Hi no Tama found a way to follow them, and they continue to fight to protect The Demon’s Head, as his assassination would plunge the shinobi world and all of Hitoshirenu into chaos. During the battle, Deadshot finally gets the killshot on thier target and the fighting stops. Just then, Ragdoll grabs Deadshot, flings him into a wall, punches him in the face reapeatedly, and dismantles his weapons with blinding speed. Catman charges and his mount, Kasha, is nerve poked in the neck, falling over and throwing Catman toward Ragdoll who grabs Scandal by the arm stabbing Catman with her Lamentation (Aikikoken) Blade. Cheshire retracts her claws and kneels. Ragdoll removes his mask, revealing himself to be…Onishusoku! The entire travelling fortress was a decoy. He tells the Secret Six that he is sparing their lives, even though they tried to take his. In return, they are indebted to him to perform six clandestine tasks without question. Any refusal or hesitation will put the violator’s entire clan at war with the entire league. One of the Secret Six missions the team undergoes has Cheshire infiltrating the Wonderland Gang. Joining the Mad Hatter, Kichigai Kasamoru; Twins Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, White Rabbit, and another are gathered to help him invade The Red Queen’s pocket dimension stronghold, Wonderland, so that the Hatter can exact his revenge. While there, they cross paths with a young girl named Malice; who fell through a portal from yet another distant land. She bonds with a creature called Jabberwock, and they along with Humpty Dumpty and Gryphon, join the Hatter and the others on their quest. Onishusoku had sent Cheshire because he had reason to believe that this Red Queen ruling Wonderland and the estranged founder of the Red Hand, are one and the same. Red Robin and Lady Blackhawk find a way to get Batman on the trail of the Red Queen without breaking their pact with the Red Hand about revealing information about their organization. Batman arrives in Wonderland to locate the Red Queen and keep the Hatter from killing her. The Shadow of the Bat and The Demon's Head want her for the same reason... she is the only person that can answer the question, "What is Checkmate?!"

- The group of Kunoichi that attempted to avert the assassination of Onishusoku would be come known as, the Birds of Prey; Batgirl, Black Canary II, Huntress, Hush, Hawkgirl, Spoiler and Lady Blackhawk.
- A young reikon volunteered its life essence to transport the girls to the Floating Fortress. After getting them there, the dying spirit thanks them for letting it experience adventure in some small part. Batgirl offers to part with some of her life essence to sustain it. The others agree to do the same and the spirit passes through each of them growing a bit larger with each pass. It then condenses into a female shape about the same age as the girls. Physically, she is an amalgam of them. This “Misfit”, as Huntress calls her, joins the girls in a final battle to prevent Onishusoku’s assassination.
- Eventually, Ruby Archer, Ryo and Emerald Archer, Ori of the Precious Archers have a falling out; and Ryo winds up deserted on the Isle of Lian Yu. However, he is not there alone...Ryo will spend his time on Lian Yu surviving threats from and then alongside Cheshire. The falling out will be related to drug use and an issue stemming from his training of Gilded Archer, Mai. He will get clean on Lian Yu, which will be part of what brings he and Cheshire together. This closeness will result in the birth of their daughter, which they name after the Island.
- I made Shiva her sensei because I liked the idea of; the cat and the canary.
- Checkmate will be an organization based on the Japanese game of Shogi rather than Chess.

Catman: Katashi Nekojin (Clan Leader); Secret Six

For generations, the Catclan has mastered the art of stealth by studying the stalking nature of felines. Through this, they have become the premier acquisition experts of the shinobi world. The males, however, tend to focus their talents more toward brawling, again using the ferocity of large game cats as a foundation for their taijutsu style. The leader of the clan (The Catman) undergoes a ritual in which 8 of his ancestors’ spirits are bound to his own, giving him the benefit of their experience, skills, and physical strength. This also allows the leader to have “nine lives”; when a Catman suffers a fatal injury, one of the attached spirits is released, rather than the clan leader dying. He loses that particular ancestor’s attributes, but survives. Katashi was an impetuous young shinobi, and that trait followed him into his early adulthood. He had to grow up in the shadow of his legendary father, the original Wildcat. There was an orphaned kunoichi that was secretly training to master the Otoshiana no Hachimitsu; Kunoichi Seduction Art. She utilized her skills at seduction to use him to get close to his family's inner circle. She took advantage of the proximity to assassinate Katashi’s mother, and then capitalize on the opportunity to seduce his father out of his greif. Realizing he was used, he resented her especially when she insisted she call him, Mother (even though she was closer to his age then her new husband)! His resentment and former passion for her turned to pure hatred, when it was discovered that she was responsible for the death of the previous Catwoman, his mother. Katashi was then made Catman, and put out a bounty on the head of his parent’s killer; Amba Kadiri aka Steel Claw. A shinobi claimed her bounty and as a result received a handsome reward and a profitable reputation for doing what many others could not. Clan law required two leaders, so Catman set out to find the strongest kunoichi in his clan to wed. He found this after a series of trials, with one victor; Shiroi Kawaii. As a result of the spirit bonding, Catman can not have a sexual encounter with his wife; Catwoman without reliving his father’s encounters with his mother, as his feelings for her trigger the memories of his father. This occurred the first and final time they mated, during the consummation of their marriage and the conception of their son, Wildcat. It is because of this that he remains so distant and avoids intimacy with his partner, Shiori; instead choosing to have recreational relations with females that mean nothing to him, to keep the disturbing images of a first person perspective of a sexual encounter with his own mother. A result of that same bonding ritual allows Katashi to have vivid flashbacks of his father’s physical intimacy with his former stepmother, Red Claw. Visually recalling the encounters of her in the throes of passion, he truly suffers from a Love/Hate connection with her. This is even more so when he discovers that she is alive.

- Catman’s helm is similar in style to Wildcat’s and color to Catwoman’s. The three claw marks that are usually on his uniform are across his face, placed there by catwoman during their premarital sparring match/ audition. His mount, Kasha, is named after the demon cat their clan is affiliated with, and is a Liger (lion/tiger hybrid)
- Catclan males are extremely possessive of their females, similar to lions in the wild. This possessive nature makes him try to keep his wife from seeking attention elsewhere…but he is not as successful as he would like to believe.
- Also similar to wild cats, the females are supposed to be responsible for childrearing. He is very hands off when it comes to his son, except when it comes to fight training which he does by having Tetsu try to attack him and then beating him down. It wont be until he can hold his own against him that he will begin to actually train him.
- Neko=Cat; jin= person, man
- Catman’s mother’s design will be based on Infinite Crisis Ame Comi Catwoman.
- Catman is seen employing the ruling family’s signature, Chi Talon Technique.
- Red Claw learned the technique from Catman’s father, Wildcat I when she married him. She has developed it to the point that her version has a red hue, unlike any other practitioner.
- Rather than give him a cape, I decided he would use a giant lion’s mane in a similar fashion.
- After the assassination attempt on Onishusoku, Catman is down to 8 of his nine lives.
- Otoshiana= trap; hachimtisu=honey; A honey trap is using the art of seduction in espionage

Catwoman: Shiori Kawaii (Clan Leader); Secret Society

The Catclan is different from many of the other clans. Like lion prides, they have most of the work done by the females, while the males only come in after the hard work is done. This by no means insinuates inability on the part of the males, for they are fearsome fighters when in the field. In order to become lady of the clan, Catwoman had to prove she could stand toe to toe with clan leader Catman. She went so far as to scar his face which only made him want her even more for his mate. She bore him a male child whom they named Wildcat. Catwoman is perhaps the greatest ninja thief. She enjoys her status, but not her relationship with Catman, who has shown her no real affection since their wedding night. Shiori began to feel like her high status was now a prison, gilded as it may be. She eventually gave up trying to garner attention from her husband, and anytime she would draw the eye of anyone else, Catman would make them pay…brutally. Eventually, no one in their clan dare look at her, or suffer the wrath of their leader, and clan’s strongest fighter. She begins sneaking out to seek attention from others outside the clan, but Katashi gets wise to that and tries everything to prevent her escapades. He even goes to the extent of placing a bell on her neck to cease her carousing, as her presence would be given away by it. However that was short lived, as the superior stealth master that she is, she learned to travel around with it just as silently. She sees Batman in action one night, and infatuated by him begins an ongoing flirtation with him. She enjoys stealing things, knowing that it'll get him to pay attention to her, since her mate ensured no one else ever does. Catman tried to take down Batman, only to realize that he can go toe to toe with the expert. The fact that batman is not afraid of Katashi and is willing to stand up to him to defend her honor makes her even more enamored with him. This makes Catman hate Batman even more and have an ongoing vendetta with him. She agrees to let her son become the pupil of the Grey Ghost, because she sees him displaying some of his tendencies and doesn’t want him turning out like his father. She will eventually grow tired of the cat and mouse game of affection she plays with Batman, as she sees that they are both developing real feelings for one another. She will leave the Hidden Regions and seek to use her skills to prove she is not just the greatest thief in Hitoshirenu, but the entire world.

- Catclan members are distinguished by their ceremonial tattoos or ritual scarring. The same way the Houndsclan wear canine face masks, Blackbird clan wear jackets or trenchcoats,
- Catclan members are taijutsu (hand to hand combat) specialists, though they do employ the use of weapons. Most times it is to emulate the claws of their revered felines. This is done by using kunai, like Catwoman is shown, or tiger claws, like Cheshire uses.
- Catwoman has tattoos of feline stripe patterns from her neck to her thigh.
- Catclan members have feline familiars that they train to help assist them on missions and in battle. Catwoman has nine; Miss Kitty, Isis, Tigris, Tyger, Felix, Leo, Hecate, Willow, and Midnight.
- Catwoman is a title, similar to Lady Blackhawk; which signifies her position as Co-leader of the clan.
- Anton Ivo, the STAR Labs scientist will recruit members for a Secret Society: The mercenary Precious Archer, Sapphire Archer; who captured the kunoichi Clan Leader, Catwoman for the organization. They will be joined by, MetaBrawler, Blockbuster;

Wildcat: Tetsu Nekojin; Ghostclan

The only product of the union of Catclan leaders, Catman and Catwoman; Tetsu is a hot tempered taijutsu specialist. He has a bad relationship with his parents. His father is controlling and his mother is absent, in mind if not body as she openly defies her husband attempts to control her by forcing her to nurture their son while he neglects them both; keeping her from being the free spirit that she is and roaming as she pleases. Tetsu is more than willing to join Grey Ghost’s team to get away from their dysfunctional relationship. His mother is amenable to the tutelage under the Ghost Arts master, as she feels any role model is better than the one he has, as he is starting to pick up some of his bad habits. He has a crush on his team member; Moriko Kurotori, aka Black Canary of the Blackbird Clan. He is very overly protective of her, as that is the example that he has always known. They train together as initially she is extremely timid and fearful of her quite considerable skills and he is in need of assistance in quelling the rage that is always boiling beneath the surface and quite often gets him into perilous situations. Wildcat grows jealous when she meets and develops a crush on apprentice Precious Archer, Jade Archer. She is oblivious to Wildcat’s feelings, as she sees him as a brother; due to that fact that her actual sibling, Black Condor wants no part of a relationship with her, as he feels she has usurped his position as Heir in their clan. After their team disbands, he reluctantly returns to his clan and continues training directly under his father. He has always had a contentious relationship with Cheshire, who is his father’s personal guard and who he treats more like his own child than he does his actual son. When the Ghostclan reforms two years after his return to his clan, he has developed new techniques; combining his high level Catclan skills with the training he has received from Grey Ghost, making him more formidable than ever. He has also gotten over his infatuation with Black Canary. Upon becoming reacquainted with her, he begins to pursue her new Birds of Prey teammate and bestfriend, Starling…which interestingly enough, makes Black Canary jealous.

- Tetsu has taken the clan name, Wildcat, after his grandfather. His look will be more representative of Ted Grant. Im thinking of giving him a panther pelt headdress to wear.
- Catman has a sister (Mauler) who has a daughter. She will be the MDCU equivalent of Wildcat II, Yolanda Montez. I’m thinking of calling her Wildkitten…
- After training with his father upon his return to the clan, Wildcat learns the Chi Talon technique. When he combines it with his Ghost Art training to create the Ghost Claw technique, it is imbued with the light blue color of the spectral energy that he channels into it.

Tigress: Tora Kokaji (exiled); Metabrawl

Surrogate daughter of Yoshio Sato, last and best of the traditional assassins of the Yakuza, was found by Yoshio and taken in. He made her his apprentice in his craft of killing, as he didn't want his only child Sonia corrupted by his work. Sonia was treated like a princess, but the young runaway, who went by the name Tigress, endured a harsh training to become good enough to take Yoshio's place as the top ranked assassin for the Yakuza. In addition to the grappling and throwing techniques of Judo, Tora was taught to utilize the more violent trapping, joint locks, holds, gouging, biting, disengagements, striking, and kicking associated with Jujutsu. She also employs the high speed taijutsu of the shinobi Catclan that she was born into in conjunction with her fighting. The two girls were jealous of each other, and spied on the other's time with their shared father figure. When Yoshio revealed that Tigress' training was complete and that he and Sonia would be leaving; meaning that she could take his place like he’d always wanted, she snapped at the idea of being abandoned again. She went to kill Sonia, and instead the blade struck Yoshio. She fled in terror at the idea that she’d made herself an orphan once again, and Sonia had a mental breakdown. Sonia wound up in a support group run by Roulette and under her hypno-therapy was able to access the martial arts skills she observed her father teaching Tigress. She began participating in Metabrawls as the Glammslammer, Judomaster. Tora crossed paths with Sonia and sought to finish what she’d started and attempted to take her out as she was leaving one of her therapy sessions. She attacked, but during the confrontation, her programming initialized, and her Judomaster persona surfaced. Tigress was shocked at how well she was defending herself, knowing she never participated in the training their father had so painstakingly made her endure. They were almost evenly matched but they were caught by surprise with tranquilizer darts. Tora was taken into the facility, where she too was placed under the hypnotic trance facilitated by Roulette’s tech engineer, Sonar. Now the Glamslammers had a true sibling rivalry to promote for the next main event.

- The gi Tigress wears belonged to her father, who she was banished with from the Goth'Ahm prefecture, located in the hidden regions of Japan. She has scars all over her body which resemble tiger stripes from her many battles, and has a tatoo over her left eye.
- I gave her the tattoo over her eye from one of the incarnations of the character in the mainstream dcu. She also has a Yakuza style tattoo of a tiger on her back.
- Tora is a compilation of Tigress (mainstream dcu’s Artemis Crock of the Injustice Gang) and Judomaster’s trainer, Tiger. I have also decided to merge in the version of Artemis Crock from Young Justice that became Tigress as well. As such, she will have a connection with another established Catclan member.
- Ren Kuruma, father of Jakku; aka Wild Dog of the Houndclan, was a boy when they escaped the hidden regions as they were being hunted by the Samurai of the shogunate and the Catclan of the Shinobi Order. Ren grew up in the US and eventually became a successful businessman. On one of his business trips to Japan, he caught the scent of an exiled Catclan member (who happened to be the father of future Glamslammer, Tora Kokaji aka Tigress). He got his gear later that evening and tracked him down to the closed down dojo he was using as a stash house for the items he'd stolen and where he was currently training his daughter in his clan's taijustsu techniques. He confronted him in front of his young daughter and they fought. it was because of her presence that her father got distracted and the Houndclan shinobi was able to grab him by both arms and tear them from their sockets. He left the girl there to suffer without a father, as he had to. When he returned to the states, he began to train Jakku more vigilantly and instill in him the same hatred for murderers, which would eventually lead him to become a vigilante hunting killers and putting them down.
- Unknown to pretty much everyone, Tora’s father survived losing both his arms to Ren Kuruma. He somehow winds up in Hitoshirenu and becomes the pupil of Yottsukonin master, Shuo-Shi Sensei. He hides his identity and gains notoriety as The Armless Shinobi.

Lynx: Ling Shē Lì (Houndhunter); Ghost Dragons

The Catclan, although hand to hand (taijutsu) specialists, have a division that is specifically trained in the use of weapons. This elite unit is known as, The Houndhunters. The exiled Hound Clan (at one time were perhaps the strongest of all the shinobi clans), were accused of assassinating their Emperor. The son of the killed emperor (who was placed under the protection of an order of warrior-witch known as, the Majo Onna-bugeisha), made his first order the complete annihilation of any members of the shinobi clan that he believed had killed his father. After secretly being called to the Royal Palace; most of the severly outnumbered male warriors of the Hound Clan were eradicated by the Royal Guard of Samurai and the Majo Onna-bugeisha, while the Catclan was commissioned to infiltrate their village and take out the women and children. The few remaining warriors went back to the village to save those whom they could, and took them with them to flee the region as their leader had ordered while he stayed behind on his own to hold them off. The Emperor's forces gave chase and the few survivors were cornered. One of the houndclan generals, Watchdog led the remnants of the clan out of the region and they eventually went their separate ways, scattering across the globe and remaining in hiding for decades. To ensure that the surviving scattered members were all tracked down and completely annihilated, the Houndhunters division was created to exit the boarders of Hitoshirenu, The Hidden Regions of Japan and track down all those who’d fled. On his first solo mission with the Red Hand as Red Robin, Tomi Komodori was sent to China to shadow a master martial artist. While there, he discovered some shady transactions involving Snakepit; the organized crime group lead by King Snake, and the local branch of the Chinese Triads. King Snake then wished to test the young shinobi’s skills himself and the two began fighting. However, Lady Shiva (who had been pursuing her former Wu Xing brother also, seeking retribution for the betrayal of their Master, O-Sensei) interrupted the fight between Red Robin and King Snake, saving the young shinobi’s life. One of the triad’s enforcers was tasked with tracking him down and taking him out after one of the high ranking Snakepit Black Adders failed to complete the task, as Red Robin was now training with Lady Shiva. The enforcer was a freelance Catclan kunoichi named, Lynx. Red Robin survived the attempt on his life and escaped. Once Shiva felt confident he was prepared to take on King Snake, they tracked down the Triads, and discovered King Snake planned to release a plague. Red Robin and Lady Shiva were led to the location by Lynx, who was secretly working undercover to take down the triads. Lynx was in China in her capacity as a Catclan Houndhunter, tracking an elusive target. Lynx will return to Hitoshirenu, as she and Robin have unfinished business.

- The hatred between the catclan and the Houndclan originated when they lost their powerbase through the affiliation with The Demon Cat, Kasha; of one of the Great Demon Beasts that used to roam the region freely, was killed by The Demon Dog, Yamainu, leaving them at a disadvantage within the Order.
- The Houndclan leader, Bloodhound, is currently their only clan member still residing in the region... as a prisoner of the Emperor. Occasionally they take advantage of his considerable tracking abilities, and that is the only time he ever sees the light of day.
- The Hound clan were renowned for their skills in tracking and hunting, as such the skills that were required to develop into the Houndhunters came from the extracted memories of their captured leader. That is why they are so efficient in hunting, carry dual blades, and wear a half face mask (only theirs is cat inspired).
- Lynx is a combination of the first two characters to use that name. Both had a connection with Robin (Tim Drake).
- Since the story where Lynx meets Red Robin for the first time takes place in China, I wanted her outfit to reflect that in some way, and I gave her a Chinese cheongsam top under her Kimono.
- I tried to have some consistency in the clan attire and have waist wraps, arm wraps, and sleeveless short kimonos as part of that. Cheshire has the distinction of the Asassin Clan with her Long Sleeves that go past her hands and the full Anbu style face mask.
- The second Lynx, who most of the character’s design is based off of, wore armored shoulder pads. I incorporated the clan’s signature tattoo usage to replace that. I tried to mimic the pattern of an actual lynx.
- Shē Lì is Chinese for Lynx. Ling was the name of one of the versions of the mainstream character.
- Other Clan Members: Catgirl, Puma, Tomcat, Civet, Steel Fang, Armless Shinobi, Catsai, Mauler, and Big Game.