The following is a transcript of the video above. Enjoy the video as well as the script it was based off of!

NARRATOR

Well here we are. I knew after making the Space Opera Retrospective, that one day I'd have to give Ninja Steve the same treatment. Now that day has come and I get to give you the origin, history, and future of the character. So without further aideu I give you The Ninja Steve Retrospective!

(Beat)

I grew up watching the likes of shows like X-Men the animated series, Batman and Batman Beyond, Superman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Tick, Spider-Man, and Justice League. So my life has been inundated with superheroes.

(Beat)

So after watching many superhero shows, reading some comics, and seeing movies, I knew I wanted to make my own superhero character. The problem was, every conceivable power and personality had been shown in some form or fashion. You had your strongman, your weak man, your funny guy, your speedster, a telepath, a shapeshifter, ninjas, cowboys, pirates, robots, cyborgs, androids, magicians, martial arts experts. I could go on and on, but basically for many years, I was stuck and without any idea of what to create.

(Beat)

Finally I came up with a vague idea of a hero who would get superpowers by wearing a helmet that would absorb all kinds of energy. It would give him incredible powers, but at the same time it would lower his intelligence. So the more powerful he became, the dumber he would get. I called that hero, The Numbskull. 

NARRATOR (CONT'D)

I came up with a background story for the character, and a list of villains he would fight, but nothing else came from that idea. As you all are very much aware, I can't draw to save my life, and never practiced the skill to do so. I come up with ideas and stories, but visually executing an idea from scratch was not my area of expertise. And, of course I had no money to hire an artist. So The Numbskull drifted off into the limbo of my mind, never to be revisited. And no superhero story was made little ole me.

(Beat)

Until 2014, when I made this little animation!

- Show animation of Ninja Steve in the first anniversary video.

NARRATOR (CONT'D)

At the time that I made this animation, I had no idea who this Ninja Steve was. I just gave him a squeaky voice because I thought that would be amusing. But as I began to give the character more thought, I envisioned what his powers would be like and what kind of adventures he could have. So in January of 2015, I released the first Ninja Steve episode. Ninja Steve vs Thaddeus Kong.

- Show clip from Ninja Steve Episode 1

NARRATOR (CONT'D)

I went with the idea of a King Kong parody for this first episode because, 1, I love King Kong, and 2, I had the crazy idea that the first Ninja Steve episode would actually be the last one. And that every episode that came afterwards would tell the story of how we got to this point. Of course, this was back when I tried to make 1 episode of Ninja Steve every week, for a planned slate of 52 episodes. I quickly learned that that would not be possible.

(Beat)

I eventually managed to produce 8 episodes over the course of the year. Some episodes were better than others, but my personal favorites are the last three. Ninja Steve vs Lady Jogger. That was intended to be a fun and humorous episode about Ninja Steve becoming smitten with an attractive local jogger, and then gets his heart broken when he finds out she's not single. Poor guy. Love is hard. That story continued into Ninja Steve vs Horrible Monsters.

- Show clip from Ninja Steve vs Horrible Monsters.

NARRATOR (CONT'D)

I guess you guys can see that I have a love for kaiju aka giant monsters, and I try to put them into my projects however I can.

(Beat)

And finally there was Ninja Steve vs Punk Rock Pirate Patty. I had plans to continue the series in this format after this episode, but for now it stands as a good testament to what I was able to accomplish using GoAnimate. And I had help from my friend Sayaka Mashiro playing the villainous role of Patty to perfection.

(Show clip from Ninja Steve vs Punk Rock Pirate Patty.)

NARRATOR (CONT'D)

One thing I have to mention is the love and support that the Ninja Steve series has received over the years. Between GoAnimate's defunct comments section and YouTube, I've seen so many of you say how much you love the character. Or how much you love the humor in the show. And that means a great deal to me as the person who puts this all together. It just shows that the humor of the show, the things I've learned about comedy and comedic timing, as well as voice acting and execution, all worked well together. So thank you all for watching the series, for enjoying the characters, and supporting my efforts.

(Beat)

Now comes the moment I'm sure many of you were waiting for. What's next for Ninja Steve? Well, just like with Space Opera, I've developed a concept trailer to show you all what may be happening with the series going forward. It will be animated in 3D, and many new adventures will open up for our squeaky voiced hero. So I present to you, the new Adventures of Ninja Steve. Enjoy, and thank you all once again.