| abstract
| - Fiction has interesting parallel tropes to the laws of thermodynamics. For example, a given group of Ninjas is subject to Conservation of Ninjutsu, so the more there are the weaker each is. Groups are likewise subject to Conservation of Competence, if one person is very competent their supporters will be very incompetent, and vice-versa. Sometimes, both of these combine in the form of Distribution of Ninjutsu. When a group, cast, or faction is subject to Distribution of Ninjutsu, the total amount of fighting ability is more or less constant but unevenly distributed, establishing a ranking of who's stronger than who. These ranks tend to stay constant even after characters get stronger. Why is this done? To avoid having everyone be so awesomely powerful no one stands out. It's much like limiting a character type or trait to avoid over saturating the setting. This can be distributed a few ways. Usually, much like Authority Equals Asskicking, the leader of the group will be the strongest, and all down the chain of command the Ninjutsu gets smaller and smaller until ground level Mooks or Red Shirts are pushovers. If the group is evil, this is much like an in-season Sorting Algorithm of Evil and Sliding Scale of Villain Threat. Heroes will usually have an analogous ranking to the villains, so each member of the Five-Bad Band will be as badass in their own group as their respective opposite in the Five-Man Band. However, since the heroes tend to be just five, and tend to have no mooks, they will concentrate their combined Ninjutsu such that they are usually slightly stronger than their opposite. This is usually not the case with The Hero and The Lancer when they face the Evil Overlord and The Dragon, as they tend to "hoard" some ninjutsu from their underlings to make them stronger than their analogue. Another possibility is that the Five-Man Band may sometimes have a near equal distribution of Ninjutsu among its members, with the leader being a well balanced Jack of All Stats while the rest have a specialty. This explains why the Monster of the Week usually has more raw oomph than any 2 or 3 heroes, but falls when they make a Combined Energy Attack or use The Power of Friendship, or form a giant robot. (I'm looking at you, Power Rangers.) It's also worth noting that each side does not necessarily have the same total Ninjutsu to distribute, no one said fiction was fair after all. In the rare case the leader of the heroes/baddies is the weakest of the bunch, everyone else will be massively more powerful, like a huge bubble becoming lots of medium sized ones. These leaders often compensate this by being The Hero with What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?, which sidesteps Conservation of Ninjitsu. Examples of Distribution of Ninjutsu include:
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![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)