The Ninja stars were kept by almost every Ninja. All of us know them as Ninja stars but the actual term for them is the Shurikens. Shuriken is the Japanese word for a dart or a throwing star and we are well familiar with darts and throwing stars. Aren’t we? We have seen the art of throwing weapons being practiced in our local fairs, circuses, and festivals where people play around with different types of throwing knives, throwing axes and darts. So, one thing is clear that although Ninja stars may have a Japanese name or may have been invented a thousand of years ago they are still practiced by people today by a different name, different shape yet performing the same function. And if you want the same shape too, then be glad to know that Ninja stars for sale are still widely available in stores for you to get your hands on to keep them as a piece of history in your collection or to simply get your Ninja gears on.  

But hey, these smarties were not meant to perform the actual kill instead they were actually used by the Ninjas to slow down or evade their enemies - to save the actual kill for those awesome straight bladed Ninja swords, people! The Shurikens were very popular among the Ninjas and helped them carry out their stealthy missions and tricks. They were also used to distract the enemies, however, if these Ninja stars were properly sharpened around the edges, then they would act like missiles and would take down a person instantly by injuring him severely or by killing him. So yeah, beware of them. 

Now, if you still have some confusion related to Ninja stars, then take a walk down the memory lane and remember the frisbees with which you used to play in your childhood. A Ninja star is just like that frisbee except that it has the design of a star generally but it also comes in various other forms. Let us have a brief overview of the types of a Shuriken. 

A Hira shuriken is the most common and widely used type of a shuriken. It is flat in shape and has a wheel-shaped design. A Hira shuriken is constructed of pure metal whose points or edges are sharpened to spiky points to incur the maximum amount of damage possible. The thickness of a Hira shuriken is known to be around 3mm and it is of almost 12cm when it comes to its width. As the Hira shuriken is flat, that is why it is mostly thrown from above the head or in a horizontal manner with a fast snap of the wrist. A Hira Shuriken is also known as a traditional Japanese star and it was shaped back then from coins mostly. 

The Manji shuriken has a hooked design and its design resembles that of a Swastika. A Swastika symbol is widely known as a symbol of peace and is known to be associated with the Far East. The Manji Shuriken has generally four edges or blades that are hooked in the outward direction. This particular design has a lot of benefits, the most important one being the fact that it could easily stick to the enemy because of its hooked blades. Other than this, it is easy and more convenient to grip a Manji shuriken and it is capable of inflicting severe injuries to the enemy if its blades are properly sharpened or spiked. 

Bo Shuriken is another famous type of shuriken. A Bo shuriken is actually named so because these shurikens are not designed in the shape of a star, disc or such, rather they are shaped like straight spikes just like darts. They usually have four sides or are sometimes octagonal or round as well. The approximate weight of a Bo shuriken is 50 grams and it goes up to almost 15 cm in length. Bo shurikens generally are single pointed but some of them are double pointed too. These are shaped like projectiles and can be concealed and carried easily. You can throw them in whatever way you want, from where ever you want, let it be from above the head, below the head, from the side or even when you are lying or seated somewhere. It is thrown like an arrow with the shaft of the shuriken placed in between the forefinger and the middle finger. 

A Jujigata shuriken, most commonly known as Juji shuriken is designed in the shape of a cross. It is also known as a Shihogata shuriken or simply Shiho shuriken because it has four blades. This shuriken has arrow-shaped spikes on all of its four ends and sticks and penetrates deeply into the enemy that it becomes really painful to pull it out of the body. The cross shape of the Jugi shuriken is said to be a sacred symbol which keeps the evil or bad things away. 

The Harigata shuriken looks very much like a Bo shuriken. It is safe to say that both of them look exactly the same except that a Harigata shuriken looks more like a needle and a Bo shuriken looks more like an arrow. These shurikens exhibit long lengths and are sleek and slender with spikes on their ends. This design improves the balance of Harigata shurikens and thus they are stricken with more precision and accuracy into the target than any other type of shuriken. Therefore, they are capable of producing more severe damages to the enemy as well and have an additional benefit of convenient and concealed weapon carry as well. 

Ninja stars are one of the smartest inventions of the Ninjas and they are even used and kept by people today. And now that you know about the different types of a Shuriken, then which one are you getting for yourself?