Shinobi
Shinobi is Japanese ranged Infantry available from the Commerce Age through Shogun Tokugawa. Its Stealth mode supports covert movement or positioning, making it a specialist rather than a standard frontline unit.
Recorded values
- Available
- Commerce Age · Shogun Tokugawa
- Training
- 30 sec · 1 population · 12 XP per train
- Durability & mobility
- 150 hit points · 20% ranged resistance · 4.8 speed · 18 line of sight
- Hand attack
- 8 damage · 1.5 attack interval
- Ranged attack
- 20 damage · 2-14 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Siege attack
- 20 damage · 6 range · 3.0 attack interval
- Ability
- Stealth mode
Role, availability & values
Shinobi has 150 hit points, moves at 4.8 speed and has 20% ranged resistance. It occupies one population, costs 30 Food and 85 Coin and takes 30 seconds to train. Its attacks deal 8 hand, 20 ranged and 20 siege damage. Its access is tied to Shogun Tokugawa.
Matchup & timing
Use Stealth to approach a useful target or gather information, then attack where the unit’s role matters. Keep a retreat path available and avoid leaving Shinobi exposed after revealing its position. Confirm access through the relevant Japanese setup before planning a standard army around it.
Recruitment and cost
The Shinobi is a Japanese ranged infantry unit from The Asian Dynasties. Its skirmish roster is unusual: Shogun Tokugawa can train Shinobi, and Japanese Isolation and Consulate interactions provide additional Shinobi variants in the modes where those systems apply. The standard unit costs 30 Food and 85 Coin, takes 30 seconds to train, uses one population, and has 150 hit points, 20 percent ranged resistance, speed 4.8, and line of sight 18. Its ranged attack deals 20 damage at a variable range of 2 to 14 with a three second interval. The unit also has a modest 8 point melee attack and a 20 point siege attack at range 6. This makes it an inexpensive one population ranged option with a special infiltration role, but its low cost should not be mistaken for broad matchup safety. Its range and attack profile are different from conventional Japanese archers, and its source of production is narrower.
Combat identity and counterplay
The Shinobi has strong base ranged damage without standard bonus multipliers. It can threaten ranged infantry and contribute useful siege damage, but it is weak when enemies reach it in melee. At range 14 it can begin attacking before many short range units, and Stealth mode can let it avoid contact or choose an approach. Its movement speed is 4.8, slower than dedicated cavalry, so stealth and positioning provide its escape plan rather than raw speed. Shinobi are tagged as siege units in the game, which changes how defensive structures and some unit bonuses interact with them. That classification can reduce damage from Outposts, Forts, and War Huts, while also making them more vulnerable to units that counter siege troops, including Militiamen or their equivalents. The tag does not mean the Shinobi is a cannon: its siege attack is useful against buildings, but its slower firing animation makes dedicated Heavy infantry more efficient for sustained structure damage.
Stealth and safe engagement
Stealth is the unit's defining tactical tool. Use it to cross a watched lane, set up a volley against an exposed ranged group, or withdraw when the opposing army has a favorable composition. Stealth does not make the Shinobi invisible to every opponent: Heroes, Town Centers, and other detection effects can reveal hidden units. Avoid walking close to a defended base just because the unit is hidden, and do not let a Shinobi group become isolated where a detector can reveal it. A good engagement begins with the target and escape route chosen in advance. Attack a vulnerable group from the edge of its formation, focus fire, and retreat before melee units surround the archers. Against a defended Outpost or War Hut, exploit the siege classification and ranged resistance carefully, but keep a counter screen nearby because Militiamen can threaten this type of unit. If the opponent has no detector near a route, stealth can preserve the Shinobi for another engagement instead of forcing a losing fight.
Automatic upgrades and variants
The standard Shinobi upgrades automatically as the Japanese advance, with its title changing at later ages. Disciplined Shinobi adds 20 percent hit points and damage, Honored Shinobi adds 30 percent, and Exalted Shinobi adds 50 percent. These increases improve both its ability to survive ranged fire and the value of its high base attack, but they do not remove the risks of melee or detection. A separate Consulate unit, Shinobi-No-Mono, has its own availability and card interactions. Good Faith Agreements specifically affects Shinobi-No-Mono rather than every Shinobi. This distinction matters when reading shipment and technology descriptions: a card that names the consulate variant does not necessarily improve the standard unit trained by Shogun Tokugawa. The Japanese can field many Shinobi in the Industrial Age onward through the Shogun's production, but the player must still support them with units that can protect the line and hold ground.
Patch history and practical role
Shinobi classification changed across Definitive Edition updates. It became tagged as Light infantry in update 13.9057, archaic infantry in update 13.58326, and Foot archer in update 23511. A later change removed negative multipliers against Heavy cavalry and Hand shock troops. Old notes may therefore list matchups that no longer describe the current profile. Use the current unit tags and technology tree when planning an army, especially because counter bonuses apply by class. In practical play, the Shinobi is a stealthy ranged specialist that can harass vulnerable units and add siege pressure while consuming only one population. It is not a substitute for a standard frontline or a unit that can safely absorb melee contact. Pair it with durable troops, use vision to avoid detection, and make the opponent spend attention on the hidden threat while the rest of the army contests the map.
Formation and retreat
A Shinobi group works best when it can fire from behind a screen and use Stealth to break contact after a volley. Keep the group together so that its ranged damage can focus a target, but leave enough room for friendly units to intercept melee attackers. When a detector approaches, retreat toward allied territory before the hidden units are revealed at close range. Their siege classification can reduce damage from some defensive structures, but it does not make a group safe under concentrated fire. Save wounded Shinobi when possible: their one population cost makes them efficient, and surviving units retain the benefit of automatic age upgrades.
Stealth reconnaissance and ranged harassment
The Japanese Shinobi is ranged infantry accessed through Shogun Tokugawa from the Commerce Age. Stealth mode gives it a way to move or position covertly under the ability’s rules, making scouting and surprise attacks part of its value. It has 150 hit points, 20% ranged resistance and 4.8 speed, with a 20-damage ranged attack at 2–14 range. Use concealment to approach a useful position, inspect an enemy route or pressure an exposed unit, then retreat before the opponent can surround it. Stealth is a tactical window, not protection after the unit has been revealed or attacked.
Roster access and safe engagement
Shinobi cost 30 Food and 85 Coin, occupy one population and take 30 seconds to train. Their access is tied to the Japanese Tokugawa route, so do not assume the unit is available in every Japanese build or release. The 20-damage siege attack is a small bonus against structures, not a dedicated siege role. Keep a retreat route available and avoid attacking a force that can detect or screen the Shinobi. Its ranged resistance helps against some volleys but does not make it durable against melee units. Use the unit when covert movement creates a real information or combat advantage, and let the rest of the army handle sustained battles.