Storm Shadow

Storm Shadow's real name is Thomas S. Arashikage (トーマス・嵐影) (Arashi = "Storm" and kage = "shadow" in Japanese).

When out of his ninja uniform, he is shown to be Japanese-American, with black hair and dark eyes. 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.

Tommy Arsashikage was called the Young Master by the Arashkage clan leaders Hard Master and Soft Master.  The Arashikage Clan, had actually been a fierce ninja clan but for many centuries had remained clandestine.

He was sent to fight in the Vietnam conflict. For him, it was a rite of passage; only in war could he become a true warrior. While in southeast Asia, Tommy served in Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) where he met Snake Eyes and they became close friends.

Their LRRP unit was attacked by North Vietnamese soldiers, and the patrol of six became a patrol of three. Tommy, Stalker, and Snake Eyes were the only members of the team to escape, Ramon Escobedo, Dickie Saperstein and Wade Collins were Killed in Action (KIA).  As they were getting extracted by helicopter, they were ambushed. Snake-Eyes was wounded. Tommy went back and carried Snake-Eyes to the helicopter amid heavy Viet Cong fire. As Tommy was pulling Snake-Eyes on board the chopper, that is when Stalker said he first saw the tattoo on Tommy's arm. Afterward, Stalker called the Records Division and found that Tommy's unpronounceable last name translated directly into English as Storm Shadow.

After Vietnam, Tommy returned to his family in Japan to continue to learn the ways of the ninja under the tutelage of his estranged uncle, the Hard Master.

Snake Eyes arrived in Japan following the death of his entire family in a horrific automobile crash to take Tommy up on his offer to join the "family business". This "business" turned out to be a ninja clan. He was invited to study with the Arashikage Ninja Clan.

Snake Eyes and the Young Master became sword brothers, and unintentional rivals for the attention and favor of the Hard Master, who liked pitting them against one another to test their considerable skills. Snake Eyes quickly began to surpass the Young Master's abilities. Snake Eyes often attempted to throw matches in order that his friend should save face in front of his family, however the Hard Master was aware of Snake Eyes’ ruse, and knew him to be the true victor and became the Hard Master's choice to succeed him as the head of the clan.

This caused a rift between the two friends, and Snake Eyes decided that he would leave the clan. However, before he could, an assassin (who later would be revealed as Zartan) killed Tommy's uncle while he was demonstrating a ninja technique. It was revealed that the Hard Master had actually been imitating Snake-Eyes' heartbeat and breathing in a process called "Donning the Chameleon's Mantle".

Tommy, seeing the assassin fleeing in a COBRA helicopter, left the clan to follow the assassin. Due to his abrupt disappearance, and the fact that the killer appeared to use a technique that Tommy was a master of, Snake Eyes, the Soft Master and the remaining clan members blamed Tommy for the murder. Tommy blamed Snake Eyes for the murder, as the Hard Master was using a ninja technique to imitate Snake Eyes, thus fooling Zartan into shooting the wrong target.

With the death of the Hard Master and the departure of the Young Master, the clan was in ruins. Most of the ninjas scattered and the clan was no more.

Tommy eventually was led to the international terrorist organization called COBRA, nemesis of the G.I. Joe team. He joined Cobra, vowing to rise through the ranks of the organization and discover who had killed the Hard Master. He called himself "Storm Shadow," a rough translation of "Arashikage." He was quickly made Cobra Commander's bodyguard .

Later on Storm Shadow  encountered his old friends Stalker and Snake Eyes as members of G.I. Joe, the American strike team designed to destroy COBRA.  After several battles with the Joes, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes would work together to bring down the men responsible for the death of the Hard Master (Zartan, Cobra Commander and Firefly).

Storm Shadow vowed to avenge his uncle's death, but Zartan escaped him. Shortly afterward, Zartan contacted many of the scattered Arashikage ninjas. He hired them to protect him against Storm Shadow's threat.

These "Red Ninjas" blamed Storm Shadow for destroying the clan by inviting an outsider, Snake Eyes, to join. They began to work for Zartan and Cobra, and fought Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes, and their allies on many occasions. The Red Ninjas were later summoned by Firefly, who posed as an Arashikage master. When they found out Firefly had lied to them, they abandoned him. The Red Ninjas' current whereabouts are unknown.

During their first attempt, while trying to flee Cobra Island, Storm Shadow was shot by the Baroness, and believed dead. He was revived during Dr. Mindbender's creation of Serpentor.  He was frequently given continuous sessions of brainwashing into thinking the G.I. Joe team and Snake Eyes were his enemies and to ensure his loyalty to COBRA. It took him a few years to finally shake off the programming and rejoin his sword brother, Snake Eyes.

When the G.I. Joe team was rebuilt in G.I. Joe: America's Elite, Storm Shadow was added to the team due to his background. His expertise as a covert ops specialist and ninja have proven useful. However, what has proven more important to the team is the knowledge he gained as Cobra Commander's bodyguard. While Snake Eyes and Stalker have accepted him as a member, fellow team member Shipwreck is the most vocal about his suspicions considering the ninja's constantly changing loyalties. He 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 went with the team in search of his body. He found 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 left the team to assist the Red Ninjas in rebuilding, and reviving their leader to set things right.

Some of the Arashikage clan still survives today. The G.I. Joe Ninja Force was comprised of Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes and other students of the Hard Master, Soft Master and Blind Master. Some former members of the Ninja Force have recently opened a martial arts school in New York City. Undoubtedly, some of their students will choose to follow the path of the ninjas, and the Arashikage clan may one day rise again.

The latest incarnation of Storm Shadow is as the Ninja-Ku Leader

Movie Media

In the 2009 film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Storm Shadow is played as a youth by Brandon Soo Hoo, and as an adult by Lee Byung-hun.

Similar to his continuity counterparts in background and attire, Storm Shadow serves as McCullen's assassin and as both bodyguard and mentor to the Baroness. He also has a history with Snake Eyes, seeing him as a disgrace despite the favor his father showed towards him. This, along with the Hard Master's death, turned their rivalry into bitter hatred as they find themselves on opposing sides.