Real Ultimate Power
Encyclopedia
The Official Ninja Webpage: Real Ultimate Power is a satire
website
created in 2002 by the pseudonym
ous Robert Hamburger. Written using the persona of a 13-year-old boy, the site is a parody of adolescent fascination with Ninja
s. Warren St. John, columnist for the New York Times described it as a "a satirical ode to the masculine prowess of ninjas".
In 2004, it was chosen by Kensington Books
for their inaugural book release in the new fratire
genre -- non-fiction literature marketed to young men in a politically incorrect
and overtly masculine
fashion. Due to the website's fan base, the Real Ultimate Power, The Official Ninja Book became a cult hit, selling 35,000 copies in two years. The success of the book prompted Kensington's release of other fratire books by Tucker Max
and Maddox
.
The Real Ultimate Power concept developed an internet meme
with the creation of dozens of imitation parody websites.
writer in his 20s. The author has declined to be identified, stating that it would diminish the satirical concept of the fictional pre-adolescent boy.
The homepage describes ninjas through three "facts": Number one, Ninjas are mammal
s; Number two, Ninjas fight all the time; and Number three, the purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people. The three facts became an internet meme which spawned numerous imitation Real Ultimate Power websites dedicated, for example, to Conan O'Brien
, liquor store clerks, wizards, and sorority girls.
Other content on the website includes "pump-up" movie scripts and short stories about ninjas. One frequent theme titled "Ninjas versus Pirates" is commonly referenced in video games and other mainstream media. There is a photograph
gallery
with fan-submitted images, links to other Ninja-related sites, and a forum.
A popular feature is the Hate Mail section. For example, one letter disputed the site's claim to have seen a real ninja on the grounds that "there are less than 50 real ones left, and only 5 live in the US". Regarding the authenticity of the hate mail, the author said that some of the hate email is written by him, while others, such as the ones from an apparent real ninja signed Soke D. Fujita, were authentic.
.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
created in 2002 by the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
ous Robert Hamburger. Written using the persona of a 13-year-old boy, the site is a parody of adolescent fascination with Ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
s. Warren St. John, columnist for the New York Times described it as a "a satirical ode to the masculine prowess of ninjas".
In 2004, it was chosen by Kensington Books
Kensington Books
Kensington Publishing Corp. is an American book publisher.- Overview :Kensington was founded in 1974 by Walter Zacharius, formerly of Lancer Books. Steven Zacharius became president and CEO in 2005. Vice president Michael Rosamilia has been the CFO since 1989. Laurie Parkin is the vice president...
for their inaugural book release in the new fratire
Fratire
"Fratire" is a term used to denote a type of 21st century non-fiction literature written for and marketed to young men in a politically incorrect and overtly masculine fashion. The term was coined following the popularity of works by George Ouzounian and Tucker Max...
genre -- non-fiction literature marketed to young men in a politically incorrect
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
and overtly masculine
Masculinity
Masculinity is possessing qualities or characteristics considered typical of or appropriate to a man. The term can be used to describe any human, animal or object that has the quality of being masculine...
fashion. Due to the website's fan base, the Real Ultimate Power, The Official Ninja Book became a cult hit, selling 35,000 copies in two years. The success of the book prompted Kensington's release of other fratire books by Tucker Max
Tucker Max
Tucker Max is an American author and public speaker. He chronicles his drunken and sexual encounters in the form of short stories on his website TuckerMax.com, which has received millions of visitors since Max launched it for a bet in 2002, making him an Internet celebrity.Max's book I Hope They...
and Maddox
Maddox (writer)
Maddox is the pen name of George Ouzounian, an American humorist, satirist, Internet personality, and author. He gained fame on the Internet in the early 2000s for his opinion-oriented website, The Best Page in the Universe, which he still maintains. His first book, The Alphabet of Manliness ,...
.
The Real Ultimate Power concept developed an internet meme
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
with the creation of dozens of imitation parody websites.
Website
The Real Ultimate Power website is written under the pseudonym of Robert Hamburger, who was described in 2006 as a MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
writer in his 20s. The author has declined to be identified, stating that it would diminish the satirical concept of the fictional pre-adolescent boy.
The homepage describes ninjas through three "facts": Number one, Ninjas are mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s; Number two, Ninjas fight all the time; and Number three, the purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people. The three facts became an internet meme which spawned numerous imitation Real Ultimate Power websites dedicated, for example, to Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
, liquor store clerks, wizards, and sorority girls.
Other content on the website includes "pump-up" movie scripts and short stories about ninjas. One frequent theme titled "Ninjas versus Pirates" is commonly referenced in video games and other mainstream media. There is a photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
gallery
Photo sharing
Photo sharing is the publishing or transfer of a user's digital photos online, thus enabling the user to share them with others . This function is provided through both websites and applications that facilitate the upload and display of images...
with fan-submitted images, links to other Ninja-related sites, and a forum.
A popular feature is the Hate Mail section. For example, one letter disputed the site's claim to have seen a real ninja on the grounds that "there are less than 50 real ones left, and only 5 live in the US". Regarding the authenticity of the hate mail, the author said that some of the hate email is written by him, while others, such as the ones from an apparent real ninja signed Soke D. Fujita, were authentic.
Book
Real Ultimate Power, The Official Ninja Book (ISBN 0-8065-2569-X) was published on July 1, 2004, by Citadel. The book was rejected by 11 publishers before being chosen by Kensington Books, the parent company of Citadel. According to Nielsen BookScan, 35,000 copies were sold by 2006. The 2008 sequel is Ghosts/AliensGhosts/Aliens
GHOSTS/ALIENS is a humor book written by the pseudonymous Trey Hamburger. The book chronicles the research of two amateur scientists, Trey Hamburger and Mike Stevens, who investigate the possible teleportation of a hot pocket...
.
External links
- Real Ultimate Power website
- Al Creed, "The Real Ultimate Power", OMG Internet!, TCR Comix, April 28 2008