A Ninja without Throwing...

[Greatguardian]

If the first time they give Players access to the Amnesia debuff is via a Shuriken, there will be blood. Blood.

That said, no. Steps and Finishing moves are combat elements that were built from the ground up to be independent of previously existing elements. Ranged weapons and their functions have a code base that has existed since the beginning of the game.

A random example as to why they potentially could not make Throwing WS work would have to do with the fact that there isn't a single Ranged WS that works without a Ranged equipment component. All throwing items use the Ammo slot, leaving the Ranged slot open. If, upon their original coding of the game's Ranged combat mechanics, they required a call to the Ranged equipment slot at all in the process of firing a Ranged Weaponskill, it would be extremely difficult to alter the game's base code in such a way that would allow Throwing items to have a WS and would not break something in the existing Ranged WS code (Can you imagine trying to ask the Dev team to allow you to Raging Rush with only a Grip, and no Axe? Raging Grip!). Keep in mind Ranged combat mechanics are probably at least a thousand lines of code as an absolute minimum. "Find and Replace" doesn't really work out at that sort of scale.

Steps, Angons, and Waltzes also do not behave anywhere near the way Weaponskills do. Waltzes are just Chakra with a TP requirement. Angons don't have damage ratings, WSC, pDif, or accuracy, they're just Trump Cards that you equip. You're looking at these things like classes that you can just mush together whenever you want, when in reality they're significantly more complex and independent. Leaving code open to being mushed like that is horrible practice in a game this size; you would break a dozen things every single update that way (inb4 "but they already do").

[Bulrogg]

there isn't a single Ranged WS that works without a Ranged equipment component.

Mistral Axe anyone... Would that be a Boomeraxe?

But I guess Mistal Axe would be the exception?

[Karbuncle]

Mistral Axe anyone... Would that be a Boomeraxe?

But I guess Mistal Axe would be the exception?

Gust Slash, Cyclone, and Bora Axe are also Ranged.

Everyone makes mistakes though :x, his point still stands. SE themselves said its impossible for them to make Throwing Weaponskills due to the nature of throwing Weapons (boomerangs, Darts, main/Sub, infinite/Ammo'd), etc. That the game wouldn't recognize the two as seperate. So the game couldn't tell the difference between Shuriken or a Boomerang.

Something like that, Its been a long time, Either way SE said at the least Ranged WS are out of the question, it could have been excuses but we don't know.

Really, I've even considered this, I have brainstormed, But there is no logical way to make Throwing Viable without giving NIN a supply of throwing items with the DMG of Sky-winds and about 50 Delay in mass supply that stack to 99. Even that is still stretching it in terms of being useful. I tried to think of any other way that did not involve a nerf of the job and i cannot simply think of a way to make it work. Throwing is Limited. as is ranged as a whole. Maybe
SE can just make a WS that throws the katana like a Kunai "bora axe' Style. there we go, NIN's throwing Kunai.