Storm Shadow (G.I. Joe)
Storm Shadow is a male character who features in G.I. Joe.
Contents |
Biography
Marvel
Thomas S. Arashikage (トーマス・嵐影) was a Japanese male who was said to had been grown up among the Arashikage clan of ninjas.
It was said that he served in the U.S. Army's served in the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol special operations group in Southeast Asia along with the man that became Snake Eyes.
As the helicopter arrived, weapon fire tore through the air and seriously injured Snake Eyes. Tommy came to ignore orders to leave his friend behind and went through the crossfire to recover his comrade thus saving him from certain death.
He later came to invite Snake Eyes to train as a ninja with his family in Japan.
This saw him living a life of semi-retirement at a remote mountain hideaway but was known to take part in a few missions if requested by Snake Eyes.
For reasons unknown, he came to return to Cobra and work for Cobra Commander.
Storm Shadow later underwent a difficult test to strengthen his willpower and endurance. This involved climbing a snow-covered mountain in order to reach an Arashikage temple where he was to defeat the temple guardians as his final test.
Devil's Due
Storm Shadow is added to the team due to his expertise as a covert ops specialist and ninja. However, what proves more important to the team, is the knowledge he gained as Cobra Commander's bodyguard. While Snake Eyes and Stalker accept him as a member, fellow team member Shipwreck is the most vocal about his suspicions, considering the ninja's constantly changing loyalties. Storm Shadow is the first to learn of the Baroness being alive and being held in the basement of the new G.I. Joe command center, 'The Rock'. After Snake Eyes' death aboard Destro's sub, Storm Shadow assists the team in search of the body, and encounters Major Bludd in Australia. He finds the Red Ninja clan had raised Snake Eyes from the dead, and had used some of their ancient techniques to place Sei-Ten in the body of T'jbang. After stopping Snake Eyes by placing Scarlett's life in danger, Storm Shadow temporarily leaves the team to assist the Red Ninjas in rebuilding and reviving their leader to set things right. Storm Shadow returns to stop Cobra from liberating prisoners from the G.I. Joe prison facility 'The Coffin', assisted by a mole within Cobra. He is partially successful, but Tomax manages to free Major Bludd and several others, while killing those Cobra Commander considered "loose ends". Storm Shadow then tracks down Destro and the Baroness, so that they can help disable Cobra's M.A.R.S. tech devices. They join the rest of the main team, in defeating several Cobra cells, and disarming nuclear weapons that Cobra Commander has placed in the Amazon and Antarctica.
IDW
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Storm Shadow was shown to be a Japanese male with black hair and dark eyes.
As a youth, his worthiness was questioned when he demanded to learn the final step in the 'Seven Steps to the Sun' technique after it was denied to him. It was said that he became unhinged by the murder of his uncle and mentor. Though his life was warped by the death, it was said to had not deadened the Arashikage Code of Honor that existed in him. Ultimately, he came to find vengeance to be a poor substitute for life.
He was said to be just as devastating a warrior as Snake-Eyes. However, Storm Shadow seemed to prefer more traditional and even ancient methods of combat such as using the tools of the ninja as opposed to more modern hardware. In addition, he was noted to place a very high regard on personal honor. As a fighter, he was said to be an expert in sabotage.
Storm Shadow was noted for being extremely arrogant about his abilities but with good reason as he often succeeded where all others had failed. Such was his reputation that he was considered one of the most dangerous men on the planet. He followed the dictates of the ninja's prime directive as embodied by the ancient warrior sage Sun Tsu namely that 'all warfare is based on deception'.
It was said that he had a hunger in him to be the greatest ninja in the world. Storm Shadow could never accept that cooperation rather than conquest was the key to victory. His desperate need to be the best in his father's eyes was said to had been a flaw that could be exploited by others.
This led to him selling his arcane skills to Cobra as he pursued his twisted plan of revenge against his sword-brother Snake Eyes.
Seeking redemption, he came to be determined to make up for his time in service to Cobra.
Storm Shadow could trace his family history through thirty generations of assassins.
It was said that he used to hold a close friendship with both Sergeant Stalker and Snake Eyes that stemmed from the time they served together.
Powers and abilities
It was through his family that he came to learn secret arts of Ninjitsu where he was taught in their ways by his father. He came to had attained an 8th degree black belt in five martial arts. Storm Shadow drew from generations of secret lore and years of practical combat experience. His fighting skills were said to be known throughout the world's martial arts community from San Francisco's Chinatown to the remote villages in Tibet. As a ninja, he was a mystic warrior, spy, master swordsman, acrobat, conjurer and trickster.
He knew techniques such as the Cloak of the Chameleon and the Screaming Whirlwind. One move he knew was the powerful Whirlwind Kick. As a boy, he once demanded his uncle teach him the final step in the ancient ninja technique called the Seven Steps to the Sun that was a move of incredible power but was denied thus making his knowledge of the move incomplete.
Among his skills included the ability to scale sheer walls with bare hands and feet, move with blinding speed, and endure unspeakable hardship and pain. It was known that he had been able to dodge bullet fire with uncanny ease. His ability to move silently was only matched by G.I. Joe tracker Spirit Iron-Knife.
He was also a qualified expert in the use of a long bow, samuari sword, throwing stars, and nunchaku sticks. His primary weapon was a hand-forged steel heirloom katana sword but also made use of ninjato shortblade, quiver backpack with secret door, arrow, box, sai, hand claws, throwing daggers, and wrist darts with removable dart.
Storm Shadow came to be considered the last Grandmaster of the Arashikage Ninja Clan.
Notes
- Storm Shadow was created by Hasbro and featured in the setting of G.I. Joe.
- In 2007, the character's creator, Larry Hama, revealed an alternate name for the character, Tomisaburo Arashikage (嵐影富三郎), in the solo series Storm Shadow. His tattoo was a hexagram of the I Ching named 既濟 (jì jì), or "Already Fording".
In other media
Television
- In G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Storm Shadow appeared in the 1985 Sunbow animated television series where he was voiced by actor Keone Young. He fought G.I. Joe member Spirit for one of three fragments of the Weather Dominator. He lets Spirit keep the fragment for saving him from drowning, but later steals it from G.I. Joe headquarters after Zartan captures the third component and offers it to the highest bidder. In this series, Storm Shadow was often depicted as a counterpart to Spirit, and later on against G.I. Joe member Quick Kick. In the episode "Excalibur", he crashes into a lake during an aerial battle and finds King Arthur's sword, stealing it from the Lady of the Lake. This causes a thunderstorm that only stops when Excalibur is returned. Also in that episode, Storm Shadow encounters Quick Kick twice, breaking his leg on both occasions.
- In G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Storm Shadow appeared in the 1989 DiC animated television series where he was voiced by actor Scott McNeil. By this time, he was on the side of the Joe team and as a member of the Ninja Force. Storm Shadow claimed that he only joined Cobra to find out who had dishonored his ninja clan. The relationship between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow is best showcased in the Season 2 episode, The Sword, when it is shown that they both respect each other's ninja skills and abilities.
- In G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, Storm Shadow appeared in the setting of the anime television series where he was voiced by actor Tom Wayland and subsequently by Ted Lewis. He served as Cobra's ninja master after being brainwashed into serving as Cobra Commander's bodyguard after believing Snake Eyes was a traitor to his clan.
- In G.I. Joe: Resolute, Storm Shadow appeared in the animated mini-series where he was voiced by actor Eric Bauza.
- In G.I. Joe: Renegades, Storm Shadow appeared in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Andrew Kishino. This version was born Tomisaburo Arashikage who was the cousin of Kimi Arashikage (Jinx) and nephew of the Hard Master who headed the Arashikage clan of ninja. He once trained with Snake Eyes after he had been adopted into the clan as a child but had a bitter rivalry with him. The rivalry reached its height when Tomisaburo slipped poison in the tea cup meant for Snake Eyes as he was to talk to the Hard Master. However, without the youth's knowledge, the cups were accidentally switched and the Hard Master drank the poisoned tea instead.
Films
- In G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Storm Shadow appeared in the setting of the 2009 live-action film where the young version of him was portrayed by actor Brandon Soo Hoo and the adult by actor Lee Byung-Hun.
- In G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Storm Shadow appeared in the setting of the 2013 live-action film sequel where he was portrayed by actor Lee Byung-Hun.
- In G.I. Joe Origins: Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow appeared in the setting of the 2021 live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Andrew Koji. Tomisaburo Arashikage was a member of the Arashikage where he was the grandson of their leader Sen and the heir apparent of the clan.
Video games
- In G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Storm Shadow appeared as a mini-boss in the setting of the video game tie-in.
Appearances
- G.I. Joe:
External Links
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