Ninja vs Samurai: WHO WOULD WIN?

[A Black Falcon]

On the contrary, during the later Edo period (Meiji Restoration especially) when the daimyo were being charged for corruption and being replaced, thousands of Samurai were left masterless and either commited suicide or became Ronin. It was during this time that Japan mirrored the Wild West of the U.S. (which is why most Samurai films take place during the Meiji Restoration period and why they have so much in common with the Western) with corrupt officials taking over whatever land they could get their hands on and Samurai becoming the only weapon for either side. The Yojimbo, as it were. So if anything this lower, more everyday situation that they now fought in made them become even more dangerous, especially since many of them dropped their code of honor.

OB1, that's the Meiji Restoration. A totally different period from the Tokugawa Shogunate, for sure... as I said, the Meiji Restoration period was different. Civil war, samurai revolts, the position of the Emperor getting power again, Western contact, etc...

The Last Samurai wasn't a horrible movie. Oh, it wasn't perfect, and it greatly simplified everything, but it wasn't AWFUL or something... (And no, I'm not getting all my knowledge from that movie. I took a course on Japanese history, Meiji Restoration to now.)