Animation

Animation

Although the Arashikage clan is never mentioned during the events of Sunbow Productions' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series, certain elements are noticeable, as the mention of Blind Master by his pupil Jinx in G.I. Joe: The Movie. There was also the inclusion of Ninja Force in the last season of DIC Entertainment's G.I. Joe series (Vol. 2).

It's not until the 2000s, that the clan came to be noticed as part of any cartoon continuity. The Arashikage Clan was featured most prominently in G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom and G.I. Joe: Ninja Battles, with the inclusion of exclusive characters as Iron Master, Tiger Claw, Slash and Shadow Strike, and the re-imagining of the Snake-Eyes/Storm Shadow rivalry's history.

Resolute

The most radical re-telling of the clan's history and demise, is contained in the mini-series G.I. Joe: Resolute. In flashbacks, we learn that Storm Shadow; jealous of Hard Master's plan of passing the clan's leadership and most secretive and deadly technique (called "The 7 steps to the Sun") to Snake-Eyes, agrees with Cobra to assassinate his uncle. Zartan is again the man charged to do so (this time as a sniper). At the last second, Snake-Eyes notices the sniper lens' gleam, and tries to warn Hard Master. Zartan shoots at Snake-Eyes' mouth first, and takes the second shot at Hard Master's head.

Renegades

In the two-part G.I. Joe: Renegades episode "Return of the Arashikage", we learn in a flashback that Snake-Eyes saved Storm Shadow and Jinx's lives from a treacherous attack perpetrated by Koga assassins. The Arashikage clan's leader Hard Master (here depicted more akin to a Yakuza clan), named his daughter and nephew's savior "Hebi-no-me" (Snake-Eyes), because he possessed the "steely gaze of a serpent", and he was accepted as a member of the "family". Hard Master favored Snake-Eyes over his own nephew for his strong sense of honor and justice, claiming that being his student, he had become HIS master. Therefore, he tried to convince Snake-Eyes to become the new clan's leader, and saved his life, after noticing that the tea they were drinking was poisoned by an as-yet-unknown person. Snake-Eyes tried to perform a tracheotomy to save his master's life, but Storm Shadow, believing that Snake-Eyes was killing his uncle, injured Snake-Eyes' throat with a shuriken. After a brief fight, Storm Shadow left and Jinx arrived, and Snake-Eyes evacuated her to North America.

In "Cutting Edge", it is revealed that Storm Shadow was the one who poisoned the tea that was meant for Snake-Eyes, but the cups were switched, and Hard Master was accidentally killed instead. Although Storm Shadow departs after revealing this to Jinx and Snake Eyes, Jinx departs back to Japan to lead the Arashikage down the path that the Hard Master wanted to take.