In 1982, writer Aleksandar Obradović and artists Branislav Kerac (pencil) and Branko Plavšić (ink) created a ninja character named Fred Nolan, who debuted in the 40th issue of the comic magazine YU strip, published by Dečje novine.

In 1983, Dečje novine also started publishing pulp novels from the Ninja Master series, written by American writer Richard Meyers.

The Ninja comic ended when Eks almanah magazine folded with 538th issue, due to the collapse of the Yugoslav economy.

In episode "Povratak iz mrtvih" ("Back from the Dead") (written by Obradović and published in 1987 in the 490th issue of Eks almanah), it was revealed that the Ninja's birth name was actually Dick Flanders.

With a new name, he became a masked vigilante, fighting American mobsters, human traffickers and foreign warlords, but also demons, cyborgs and other ninja.