Cobalt Ninja

 is a Rider that appears in the Riders of Discord DLC featured in ''Monster Hunter Stories Ultimate.

Description
The Cobalt Ninja is a young man of average height clad in dark blue-tinted Shinobi Sky Armour with azure markings. He had brown skin, blue eyes, and dark blue hair under his helmet. He wields a Bloodred Dragonsword.

Personality
The Cobalt Ninja is a quiet, studious Rider when on the job, silently studying his surroundings and not displaying much emotion when talked to, but becomes more conversable when not on duty. A mercenary by nature, he lends his services to those willing to pay for them, and holds nothing against those he's tasked with bringing down, simply viewing his actions as being just business.

Background
Prior to his arrival to the isles, the Cobalt Ninja lived in a secluded mountainous village located within the New World, and this village was home to a clan of secretive ninja warriors who served as mercenaries to those willing to pay for their services. According to the rules and customs of this village, men and women who wished to become one of the ninjas were expected to master the art of riding monsters and complete a set of trials known as the Eleven Trials that would prove their worth. These trials revolved around hunting specific monsters that could be found within the New World, and those who partook in them were permitted to claim the monsters' eggs for themselves and make themselves new equipment with the monsters' parts so they could complete them easier. Upon the completion of these trials, they would be rewarded with a set of Shinobi Armour, which was proof that they had the heart of a true ninja warrior. Seeking to become a full-fledged ninja warrior and prove his worth to the village, the man known only as the Cobalt Ninja set out to complete them with the help of his Water Gene-infused Kushala Daora, which was a gift passed down to him by his father after he retired from his duties as a ninja, and his Bone Katana "Wolf", which he purchased with money he saved up, he set out on his journey.

Upon his departure, he jotted down a list of all the monsters he was tasked with hunting in order to complete the Eleven Trials, and ventured throughout the New World to find and kill them all. The eleven monsters on his list were Kirin, Nergigante, Vaal Hazak, Chameleos, Kushala Daora, Teostra, Lunastra, Gold Rathian, Silver Rathalos, Lao-Shan Lung, and Alatreon. While on his mission to track down and kill the eleven beasts, he would wantonly cut through many a Bird Wyvern, Piscine Wyvern, and Scelidian with the help of his Kushala Daora, for he needed their parts to strengthen the Bone Katana "Wolf" into its High-Rank form, the Bone Katana "Dragon". This had the effect of attracting a Tigrex and a Zinogre to his position, as both monsters were attracted by the smell of the corpses he left behind in addition to wanting to drive this pair of new super predators that suddenly showed up and wantonly slaughtered their prey out of their territory. Knowing that he still couldn't face the eleven marks just yet, even with the power of his Kushala Daora and the improvements made to his Long Sword, he took both of the monsters on following their arrival. Although the two monsters were able to put up a strong fight, they were ultimately forced to retreat by the Rider and his Monstie, who outmaneuvered them with the help of a technique taught to said Rider by his father; a skill called Smoke Cloak that would envelop the user and their allies in thick smoke, raising their chances of avoiding attacks. After the monsters retreated to their dens to rest from the battle, he snuck into said dens and stole an egg from each of them while they were asleep, then hatched them, providing him with two new allies who would prove to be crucial in his quest for glory. To improve their strength, he and his Kushala Daora would slaughter many a Wyvern before heading out to this ominous tower reminiscent of the ones located within the Old World, for he knew that like those Old World towers, it was a haven for Elder Dragons and Elder Dragon-Level Monsters.

Feeling that he was ready to complete the Eleven Trials, he entered the cliffs before the tower, and upon his entrance, a Kirin came running towards him as if it was intending to impale him on its horn. Ready to strike, he brandished his weapon and prepared to counter the would-be assault with a Critical Juncture, but before he could do so, a Rajang came barreling down from the sky and struck down the equine Elder Dragon with a heavy blow. Irritated with the ape for ruining a perfectly good battle, but not wanting to fight it due to being more focused on completing his trials, he snuck off before it could notice him, then put down the mortally wounded Kirin with a well-placed shuriken to the skull while the Rajang was busy letting out a victory roar. Once the deed was done, he searched for monsters that inhabited the cliffs and the tower itself, and slew a Nergigante, a Kushala Daora, a Lunastra, a Chameleos, a Vaal Hazak, and a Teostra in separate, yet gruelling and intense battles, with him taking the latter three monsters' eggs for himself after finishing them off in their dens, finally completing his set of Monsties. With the Elder Dragons dead, he scaled the tower before reaching the top, where he encountered a Gold Rathian and a Silver Rathalos, who, despite putting up a strong fight together, succumbed to his assortment of Monsties and tricks. Left with only two marks remaining, but unsure of where to find them, he went back home to hatch his eggs. Here, he caught word of a Lao-Shan Lung that was stranded within the Great Ravine due to attempts to flee an Alatreon that was taking up residence in the Confluence of Fates, and deciding that this was perfect timing, he quickly hatched his eggs and fed them an assortment of Monstie foods before heading off.

Upon entering the Great Ravine, he and his Monsties encountered the Lao-Shan Lung running towards the ocean located near it in a last-ditch effort to escape its tormentor, even if it meant potentially drowning itself, and feeling pity for the giant dragon, he slew it with a combination of his Monsties' attacks, which were boosted with multiple Mega Demondrugs, and cannons found within the Ravine. When the deed was done, he carved what he needed from it, then crafted himself a weapon that would allow him to stand toe-to-toe with the Alatreon: a Bloodred Dragonsword, which is a Dragon-elemental Long Sword crafted from a mix of Lao-Shan Lung parts and highly valuable, red-hot ore. When he was finally ready, he entered the Confluence of Fates, determined to finish the job once and for all, and although he and all of his Monsties nearly died from the fight, they persevered, and ultimately brought it down with the power of teamwork. Having completed his training, he was recognized for his acts of heroism, being rewarded the Shinobi Armour he longed for, and became a mercenary on behalf of his village, as per tradition. And as a mercenary, his first official task was to venture to the Discordant Isles and take out a certain Rider with a Felyne for a companion on behalf of an enigmatic benefactor, who paid him 18,000z to do the job...

Abilities
Although the Cobalt Rider himself utilizes the Dragon element through his Long Sword, his Monsties have varying abilities. His Monsties of choice are a Water-Elemental Kushala Daora, a Zinogre, a Tigrex, a Teostra, a Vaal Hazak, and a Chameleos. He has access to shuriken that deal a flat 15 damage and have a chance to inflict Bleeding, and can temporarily cloak himself and his Monsties in smoke to raise their Evasion stats.

Tropes that Apply to Them

 * Gameplay and Story Integration: When fought at night, he gains a permanent 12% boost to Evasion, reflecting how his dark blue garb is said to be harder to spot when nightfall comes.
 * Glass Cannon: As a Long Sword user, he eschews defense in favour of offense.
 * Highly Visible Ninja: Unlike real-life ninjas, who were stealthy and took down enemies through underhanded tactics like poisoning and backstabbing, he fights the player directly and wears the notable Shinobi Sky Armour set. The player can even mention his lack of stealth in-battle, to which he responds that underhanded methods aren't as exciting as full-fledged battles. On the other hand, he makes a point of attacking the player at night, which makes it more difficult to detect his dark blue garb, and is largely silent when pursuing them, which makes it easier for him to get the drop on them.
 * Katanas Are Just Better: He utilizes a Knockout Dragonsword, which is katana-like in shape and function.
 * Nocturnal Mooks: The first time he's encountered, he only faces the player at night due to his dark blue armour blending in with the night sky. After his defeat, he's willing to fight the player either during the day or at night, but still prefers the night due to the Evasion boost it gives him.
 * Punch-Clock Villain: He doesn't have any malice towards the player despite being hired to take them down, simply viewing the act as business, and when not on the job, either through defeat at the player's hands or payment from them, he's more conversable and personable towards them.
 * Rule of Cool: His rationale for fighting the player directly instead of taking them down through underhanded tactics like poisoning and backstabbing is that the latter methods aren't as cool as the former method.
 * Skippable Boss: The first fight with him can be avoided by paying him a sum of zenny higher than what he was initially paid by his benefactor, with the minimum being 18,001z. Once this is done, any battles with him become optional and friendlier due to him having been bought out, and thus, no longer on the job he was initially hired to do.
 * Status Buff:
 * His Smoke Cloak ability, which envelops both him and his Monsties in a cloud of thick, black smoke, raises their Evasion stats for 3 turns, making it harder to land hits on them.
 * As a Long Sword user, he has access to Fighting Spirit, which raises his Attack and allows his attacks to ignore enemy Defense for 3 turns.
 * Standard Status Effects: His Shuriken have a 45% chance of inflicting Bleeding onto those they hit.

Notes and Trivia

 * The Cobalt Ninja was inspired by DracoNinja27, a user on the fanon wiki and Discord.
 * His Birthday, Aug. 28th, is the same as DracoNinja27's.
 * His blue-tinted Kushala Daora serves as a reference to Kobalt Daora, DracoNinja27's only monster on the wiki thus far.