How is a Ninja programmer defined? If it is just an experienced developer, then is there really no better way to describe that? Ninja sounds like a childish marketing ploy designed to attract developers with delusions of self-grandeur. Or am I missing something? In particular I want to know what qualities of a Ninja are desired in programmers that makes the comparison valid (besides the coolness factor)?
I did find this article which makes some good comparisons between Ninja characteristics and Agile development. However, I would like to hear from people who have used the word Ninja for hiring purposes and what their motivation was behind it.
Update: There were several good points raised on both sides of the argument. I've tried to summarize these in my blog post. I've chosen JB's answer as the accepted one because it summarizes all the valid reasons for making the comparison.