science

Supah Ninjas

Supah Ninjas is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Supah Ninjas rather than just read about it. In short: Supah Ninjas is an American action superhero teen sitcom, created by Leo Chu and Eric Garcia. The series aired on Nickelodeon from January 17, 2011 to April 27, 2013.

Key takeaways

Supah Ninjas belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Supah Ninjas to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Supah Ninjas from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Supah Ninjas is an American action superhero teen sitcom, created by Leo Chu and Eric Garcia. The series aired on Nickelodeon from January 17, 2011 to April 27, 2013. It ran for two seasons. The series follows three high school friends—Mike, Owen, and Amanda—who lead a double life as crime-fighting ninjas. The series was originally created as a starring vehicle for YouTube comedian Ryan Higa, who was slated to play the lead role of Mike. According to Higa, the producers wanted him to remove his YouTube videos, but he refused. The lead role was given to Ryan Potter instead, and Ryan Higa was given a one-time role as the titular villain of the episode "DJ Elephant Head". The first season was filmed in Los Angeles and the second season was filmed at 31st Street Studios in Pittsburgh. On March 15, 2012, it was announced that the series was renewed for a second season that premiered on February 9, 2013. On May 7, 2013, Nickelodeon cancelled the series after two seasons.

Plot The series follows Mike Fukanaga and his friends, Owen and Amanda. Following his grandfather's death, Mike receives a mysterious letter that leads him to discover that he comes from a long line of vigilante ninjas. Along with Owen, and later Amanda, they are ushered into the world of crime-fighting, forming the team "Supah Ninjas." They are trained by a hologram of Mike's grandfather, whom Owen refers to as "Hologramps", in Empire City.

Cast

Main

Michael "Mike" Fukanaga (portrayed by Ryan Potter) is a Japanese-American student, who is quiet, shy, socially awkward, and nerdy. He and his best friend Owen discover a secret underground dojo under his bed, where a hologram of his late grandfather awaits to train him in the ways of the ninja. Mike discovers that he is the latest in a long family line of ninjas, besides his father, and ultimately learns about leadership, friendship, discipline, deception, and romance while saving Empire City from villains. His weapon of choice is a pair of nunchucks and his necklace, or mon in Japanese, is a disguised shuriken. His love interest is his friend and fellow ninja Amanda. In the finale, Mike is kidnapped by Kagema. Owen Reynolds (portrayed by Carlos Knight) is Mike's best friend and fellow Supah Ninja. He is of African American descent. Owen is eccentric, has a tendency to overreact and show little discipline, and can be food-loving and lazy at times; despite this, his instincts make him a powerful and fearless warrior. He is the only character to call Grandpa Fukunaga "Hologramps". His signature weapon is a Bō staff. He is always trying to impress girls, sometimes using Amanda or Mike as a "wing-man" of sorts. Amanda McKay (portrayed by Gracie Dzienny) is a smart, stylish, talented, and popular cheerleader and scholar. In the first episode, she is kidnapped by The Rhymer before being rescued by Mike and Owen, who are still in basic training. Upon discovering who her rescuers are, she pressures them into letting her in on the action by threatening to tell everyone about the "Supah Ninjas", ultimately leading to her inclusion in the group. Her family is wealthy, as they own the chain of McKay Casinos. Later in the series, she seems to develop romantic feelings for Mike. According to Hologramps, she is distinctive from the rest of the group due to her methodical nature. Her weapons of choice are a pair of tonfa. Yamato (portrayed by Travis Wong and Jake Huang and voiced by Matthew Yang King (credited as Matt Yang King)) is a sarcastic and wise-cracking X-39-P Fighting Robot trainer, nicknamed "Yama" by The Ninjas, who serves as a practice opponent at the dojo. Hattori "Hologramps" Fukanaga (portrayed by George Takei) is the sensei of the Supah Ninjas and Mike's deceased grandfather. A hologram carrying the family ninja legacy, he guides the Supah Ninjas in an underground high-tech dojo beneath the Fukanaga home. He has Yamato guide them in combat while using other tactics, such as meditation, to round out their skill sets. He is disabled by his twin brother Kagema Fukanaga in "The Ishina Strike Back" before being brought back by Quentin/Kid Q in "The Floating Sword", telling the Supah Ninjas that it is time to start the next phase of their training.

Recurring Martin Fukanaga (portrayed by Randall Park) is Mike's widowed father, who works as a police officer. Unlike Hologramps and Mike, the "ninja trait" skipped his generation. He is gullible and somewhat clueless, but well-intentioned, seeing the ninjas as heroes even when others in law enforcement do not seem to. Cameron Vanhauser (portrayed by Jordan Nichols) is the son of the owner of Empire Condominiums. Amanda broke up with him after he told her that he felt she was too boring and straight-laced. In "Detention", Amanda tells him that he will meet the perfect girl, even if she is not the one. Kelly (portrayed by Giselle Bonilla, season 1) is Amanda's friend and fellow cheerleader. Despite disliking Owen and Mike, she remains the object of Owen's unwarranted flirting and advances. However, it is revealed in "Detention" that she has a soft and considerate side. Julie (portrayed by Victory Van Tuyl) is a kind, smart, and attractive girl. She and Mike share a love of comic books, and she becomes his love interest and eventual girlfriend. In "Flint Forster", she breaks up with Mike through a text after having moved away two weeks prior. Paloma Peru (portrayed by Marissa Cuevas) is a school reporter who is introduced in "Shadow Fly". Owen seems to have a crush on her. She is actively pursuing the ninjas. Quentin (portrayed by Matthew Gumley) is a science nerd and Owen's friend. In "Enter the Dojo", he is given the knowledge of the ninjas' secret identity and swears to secrecy as Owen gives him the moniker "Kid Q". He is the one to help fix the dojo, repair Yamato, and help re-enable Hologramps at the dojo.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Supah Ninjas

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Supah Ninjas claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Supah Ninjas before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Supah Ninjas ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Supah Ninjas

In research: Supah Ninjas appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Supah Ninjas in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Supah Ninjas is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2010s American high school television series, 2010s American single-camera sitcoms, 2010s American superhero comedy television series, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Supah Ninjas outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Supah Ninjas in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Supah Ninjas means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Supah Ninjas out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Supah Ninjas in simple terms?

Supah Ninjas is an American action superhero teen sitcom, created by Leo Chu and Eric Garcia. The series aired on Nickelodeon from January 17, 2011 to April 27, 2013.

Why does Supah Ninjas matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Supah Ninjas?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Supah Ninjas.