Quote Originally Posted by War Angel
Ninja are specialised Samurai. Just like some become Shinobi (spies), emissaries, swordsmen, spearmen, etc. Ninja are Samurai of the night, assassins.

Therefore-> Ninja=Samurai
Beep. Bigfatwrongness. Ninja came from seperate, hereditary clans, who had nothing to do with the samurai clans. In fact, they were very different- Samurai fought man to man, bellowing war cries, and fighting along a set of special, pre-defined rules- the Bushido. Ninjas, on the other hand, were devious, sneaky and dishonest, which of course they had to be. But, as this directly conflicted with the bushido, samurai looked down on ninja, and ninja were oftendepicted as villanous, untrusworthy, and even demonic.
Samurai code demanded that opponents die either in battle or through seppuku, while the ninja killed secretly, and certainly not in battle.
Therefore, Samurai =/= Ninja.

Oh, and Samurai, because I played Kessen and Shogun: Total War and watched RAN until my eyes bled.