Dressed entirely in black, ninja were among the most feared and the most respected warriors in Japan's history. Their legendary areas of expertise were quite diverse: not only were they skilled swordsmen and martial arts experts, but they were also considered to be masters in acrobatics and the art of survival. Their lightning-like speed evoked the idea that they could virtually appear and disappear at will. They were spies, subversives, and when need be, assassins. Their origins were not entirely clear, but they may have descended from secret societies of Buddhist priests. Needless to say, tales attributing superhuman talents to ninja readily arose. Ninja have been popular Japanese movie topics for the last two decades. A Band of Assassins and Return of the Band of Assassins started the genre; both are quite remarkable, (ranking) among the best films ever made at Daiei. In both films, Raizo Ichikawa stars as Goemon, a young Iga ninja apprentice. The powerful warlord Nobunaga Oda sought to unify and rule Japan (by eradicating) the Imperially sanctioned Buddhist sects of the Tendai and the Shingon. Because of their origins (in the Buddhist sects), the ninja decided to fight back. Told from the ninja perspective, A Band of Assassins depicts their unsuccessful efforts to liquidate Nobunaga, culminating in a major battle. Bill Thompson