The Hand

The Hand is an order of evil mystical ninja who are heavily involved in organized crime and mercenary activities such as assassination plots. The Hand covets power above all other objectives. They are primarily based in Japan, but operate internationally. They were founded in 1588 as a secret society of Japanese nationalist samurai but were soon co-opted by an ancient ninja clan which serves a primordial demon.

Members of the Hand are practitioners of powerful occult magic and can murder a person and bring that person back to life as a servant of the Hand, but a few are known to have reversed this programming. The Hand's attempts to spread its dark influence over the world have led them into battle countless times through the centuries with an order known as the Chaste.

One of the Hand's greatest warriors was Elektra. She had been cast out by the Chaste when it became apparent she was still consumed by grief, hatred, and pain following her father's murder. To prove her worth to the leader of the Chaste, Elektra planned to infiltrate the Hand and destroy them from within. Instead, she was tricked by the Hand into killing her former sensei. Taking advantage of Elektra's fragile psyche, the Hand turned her to their dark ways.