History Characters / NinjaGaiden

* KickTheDog: The first thing we see him do is ''kill the freaking Prime Minister''.

* CoolSword

--> "Failure to surrender will result in your complete destruction. You have seven days. Exactly the number of days it took God to create this world." [[hottip:*:It's six days actually…]]

* ThatOneLevel: Her chapter is infamously the hardest one in ''Sigma II'', and has plunged many a player into an abyss of despair in Master Ninja. Prepare to see the Game Over screen ''a lot'' with her.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: "You have seven days. Exactly the number it took God to create this world." [[hottip:*:It's six days actually…]]

* FashionVictimVillain: Consequence of the above.

* FashionVictimVilain: Consequence of the above.

* IGotBetter: Possibly, despite dying in the second NES game, ''Dead or Alive'' doesn't mention Joe's death, the fact that Ryu leads the Haybusa Clan by then doesn't say much because Joe was rather fond of leaving his son leading the Clan while he was training in the mountains.

* BackFromTheDead: shows up again in the same Xbox game in spirit form, and later in the DS game.

* NotSoHarmless: as seen in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]] against a hidden Ninja, Muramasa still has some tricks up his sleeve.

* PosthumousCharacter: Kureha's background is explored in the first Xbox game's sequel for NDS.
* TheObiWan: to Momiji In ''Dragon Sword''.

** BadassAbnormal: When he comes back as a Vazdah Greater Fiend.
* BackFromTheDead: Died in his third fight against Ryu, Elizébet resurrected Genshin as a Vazdah Greater Fiend.

* {{BFG}}: Howling Cannon.

* StockNinjaWeaponry: His massive arsenal includes some ninja-related weapons.

The characters in NinjaGaiden introduced during the {{NES}} trilogy and {{Xbox}} {{Prequel}} series.

!!Debuting in Ninja Gaiden NES

!!Debuting in Ninja Gaiden {{Xbox}}

!!Debuting in Ninja Gaiden {{NES}}

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{NES}})

One of the big guys at the CIA's Secret Auxiliary Unit and Irene's immediate boss, A. Foster is a corrupt CIA agent obssessed with power, demonic power in particular, his attempt to coerce Ryu forces the Ninja to fetch the Demon Statues for him in the first {{NES}} game, Foster shows his manipulative and ungrateful side when he orders Irene to kill Ryu and bring the statues back to him; not getting what he wants and with Ryu still living, Foster shows up again in the third {{NES}} game (second chronologically) plotting his "Biohazard" plan, his goal now is to create a race of super beings, being undirectly responsable for Irene's temporary death sets Ryu full force against him, also Clancy double crosses Foster and he dies in the end.

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos ({{NES}})

The main villain of the second {{NES}} game and a Warlord, Ashtar is a self-proclaimed "Emperor of Darkness" thus answering himself only by Ashtar the Emperor of Darkness. The Shogun (or Warlord) is said to be both a skilled warrior and a powerful sorcerer, Ashtar is well over six feet tall, and dressed in bulky body armor. A cape is draped over his shoulders. His face is concealed by his helmet which has three spiky horns protruding from the top and both sides of the head, also his mask itself is crying tears of blood. In parallel with Ryu's Dragon Sword, Ashtar has his Demon Sword which also was forged from the remains of a fallen being, in Ashtar's case it was from the bone of a demon.

* MalevolentMaskedMen
* Really700YearsOld: Ashtar was there when both the Dragon Sword and Dark Dragon Blade were forged, and that was at least a milenia ago.

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom ({{NES}})

Foster's young partner, H.P. Clancy along with Foster triggered many of the events during the third {{NES}} game (second chronologically), they built the Castle Rock Fortress, over the ruins of Jaquio's fallen temple as both men found a continuous supply of life energy within the ruins, it seemed that Jaquio's downfall left traces of evil surrounding the site; so Clancy and Foster built the fortress to harvest the life energy as an energy source, and used it on humans for experiments. Later Clancy double crosses Foster, pushes Ryu into killing his partner, and then merges with the warship expressing his hatred towards humanity, and their warlike tendencies. Still in the end Ryu kills Clancy.

-> Voiced by: Mariko Suzuki (JP), KariWahlgren (EN - [[NinjaGaiden NGII]]), Amanda Troop (EN - [[DeadOrAlive DOA]]), YumiTouma (JP - [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]])
-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{NES}})

The main female character of the {{NES}} trilogy and Ryu's primary LoveInterest for the whole series, Irene Lew is an agent of the CIA's Secret Auxiliary Unit, working under the codenames "Sea Swallow" and "Sonia". Despite her status as an agent, Irene is more of a support for Ryu as she often finds herself captured and is up to the Ninja to rescue her; disregarding Foster's orders to kill Ryu after Jaquio's downfall is where Irene starts to devote her life to Ryu, sometime after the [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]] she marries Ryu settling for running their Antique Shop and aiding him from time to time during the DeadOrAlive events.

* ActionGirl: in her better days.

* AdaptationDyeJob: Originaly brunette in the {{NES}} series and [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]], blonde as of the {{Xbox}} series.
* ArtShift: While Irene now uses Sonia's design, she still is quite different from her {{Xbox360}} appearance, this was due the limitation in DeadOrAlive gaming engine, so Irene had to look like most of the other girls in that game, even though Irene and Sonia should look exactly alike.
* BackFromTheDead: after being sacrificed in The Dark Sword of Chaos, the Dragon Sword uses all its power to bring Irene back.
* BareYourMidriff: Her appearance in DeadOrAlive, the only daring part of her clothing now, even in Sonia's [[HotterAndSexier shoes]], Irene remains quite modest.
* {{Chickification}}: hit her hard in the [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]], she's not even a FauxActionGirl in it, Irene is a DistressedDamsel from start to finish.
* DistressedDamsel: at least once in each game she appears in, full stop in the [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]].
* FanServicePack: pretty much each of Irene's measurements digits were "upgraded" when Team Ninja modeled her in 3D.
* FauxActionGirl: for a CIA Agent, Irene is not a dependable ally sometimes.
* TheGunslinger: proved herself with pistols, machine guns and bazookas.
* HappilyMarried: with Ryu Hayabusa as of DeadOrAlive, later games try to make it ambiguous by only going as far as to they are still together.
* HotterAndSexier: a notable victim of Team Ninja's extreme makeover.
* LoveInterest: of Ryu.
* MissionControl: for Ryu as of DeadOrAlive.

* TenMinuteRetirement: the [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]] shows that Irene cut all ties with the CIA, then comes DeadOrAlive and shows her still with at least some touch with the agency.
* YouDontLookLikeYou: a combination of FanServicePack + HotterAndSexier = Irene completly different from her {{NES}} design.

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{NES}})

The main villain of the first {{NES}} game and one in the second. Guardia de Mieux dubbed himself Jaquio (Devil King -> Jaki-Oh). He is primarily a sorcerer. While supposedly human Jaquio's appearance is that of uncanny and bizarre sorcerer with purple skin dressed in a red torn tunic with a Hexagram embroidered on the front and a purple skeleton of a demon wrapped in his body like an armor. Jaquio as the Chief of the Chaos Tribe, plans to steal the Demon Statue and break the seal on the Dark God, plunging the world into darkness.

* HijackedByGanon: [[spoiler:Once Ashtar's dies halfway through the second gaem Jaquio reclaims his title as main villian.]]

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: It's supposed to be Jaki-Oh

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{NES}})

Always have been Jô/Joe in Japan and Ken in America for the {{NES}} series, he is Ryu's father, current leader of the Dragon Ninja Clan, and previous wielder of the Dragon Sword. Much like his son, Joe is a powerful ninja and in contrast to Ryu who trains for discipline and tradition, he is always seeking to surpass his limits; another contrast to Ryu is Joe's prefered ninja attire of choice, a white shinobi shozoku (or ninja uniform) although with some armor. Joe's primary role in the story is to motivate Ryu to fight against someone who bested his father in a duel, Bloody Malth in the {{NES}} series and Genshin for the {{Xbox}} series.

* BackForTheDead: came back in the second {{NES}} game only to die in Ryu's arms.

* DoomedByCanon: if the {{Xbox}} series doesn't end up negating some future events for the {{NES}} series, Joe is already dead by the end of the {{NES}} series.
* DubNameChange: Ken for the {{NES}} series, but in the {{Xbox}} series he is Joe in both sides of the pacific.
* IGotBetter: possibily, despite dying in the second {{NES}} game, DeadOrAlive doesn't mention Joe's death, the fact that Ryu leads the Haybusa Clan by then doesn't say much because Joe was rather fond of leaving his son leading the Clan while he was training in the mountains.
* MalevolentMaskedMen: [[spoiler: As the Masked Devil]]
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Turns out he survived the duel in the first {{NES}} game, but is now brainwashed in second.]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: It can be Jô or Joe
* TakingTheBullet: Does this for Ryu in the first NES game before Jaquio is fought.

-> Voiced by: NorioWakamoto ([[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]])
-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos ({{NES}})

Also known as "Jungle Rat" Robert, he is a United States Army Special Forces operative who aids Ryu throughout the second {{NES}} game, constantly revealing information about Ashtar. While Robert is just a human, he proved himself very skillful and useful to Ryu, his feats include being a reliable informer, following Ryu closely to the Tower of Lahja, where he surrounds the Tower with US Army forces and distracts Ashtar from finishing off Ryu in a sneak attack; proceeding into follow Ryu to the Chaos World for the final battle. Robert only went as far against Ashtar, leaving Jaquio for Ryu, although it seems he dies keeping demons away from Ryu's path, the {{OVA}} reveals that he survived and quit the army, now running a detective agency to keep trace of Ryu and any assistance the Ninja might need in the future.

* {{Badass}}: Robert proved himself in the second {{NES}} from start to finish, aiding Ryu on equal grounds, planning good barricades with the US Army, holding off fiends by himself.
** BadassNormal: and of course, Robert is just a highly trained soldier.
* BloodKnight: while a peaceful guy most of the time, Robert does a long speech in the [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]] about how the battlefield for him is not much different than what most men desire, women, money, etc.
* CoolShades: never takes them off.
* FireForgedFriends: with Ryu during the events in the second {{NES}} game, and later with Jeff in [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]].
* MysteriousWatcher: introduces himself as one, and has other minor moments as well.
* OneManArmy: not to the extent of Ryu, but Robert sure knows his way within the Chaos World.
* PrivateDetective: after quitting the army.
* RetiredBadass: not for a very long time, but still long enough.
* WackyMarriageProposal: after killing dozens of mutants in a closed site with just his friend Jeff, adding a high chance of getting himself killed, when Robert lives through it, he proposes to Katherine seconds after said event in the [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]].

-> Voiced by: HideyukiHori (JP), Justin Gross (EN - [[NinjaGaiden NG]]), Josh Keaton (EN - [[NinjaGaiden NGII]]), TroyBaker (EN - [[DeadOrAlive DOA]], [[NinjaGaiden NGIII]]), KeiichiNanba (JP - [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]])

* AnimalMotifs: the Falcon, the Peregrine Falcon (Hayabusa) from his name in particular.
* {{Animorphism}}: showed once in the first {{Xbox}} game's ending, Ryu transformed in a Falcon, the Peregrine Falcon from his name.

* BackFromTheDead: quite instantly after being killed by Doku in the first {{Xbox}} game.
* {{Badass}}: one the poster boys for Ninjas in VideoGames.
** BadassAbnormal: despite his original belief, Ryu's power does not come enterily from his training.
** BadassLongHair: his ponytail is long enough to qualify.
* {{Bishonen}}: his [[NintendoDS Dragon Sword]] incarnation, full stop.

* CharlesAtlasSuperPower: Subverted, while Ryu did train intensively to reach the level of Master Ninja, his cursed fiend blood does give him power above other ninjas.
* ClearMyName: In the NES Ninja Gaiden III Game.
* DeathIsCheap: after being killed by Doku, Ryu ressurected as fast as he died.
* GreenEyes: its tint of color tends to vary from game to game.
* HappilyMarried: with Irene Lew as of DeadOrAlive, later games try to make it ambiguous by only going as far as to they are still together.
* ImprobableAge: Ryu reached Master Ninja (strongest Ninja within the Clan) rank in his 20s while other known Master Ninjas are middle-aged or elders, also he is not only strongest within his clan, the series places Ryu as the most powerful Ninja in the world, both in NinjaGaiden and DeadOrAlive.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: quite literaly, despite the vast array of weapons Ryu finds in his journey, the Dragon Sword proves itself to be just the best overall.

* {{Ninja}}: officially a Master Ninja for his Clan.
* OutOfCharacterMoment: as seen in ScrewDestiny below, Ryu in the [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]] saying he would abandon his duties as a Ninja for Irene is really strange in comparison to how he is portrayed everywhere else.
* ScrewDestiny: strangely enough in the [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]], Ryu doesn't seem to care about his role in the Dragon Ninja Clan, he would leave them if it would mean being with Irene forever.
* TheStraightAndArrowPath: Goes up against opponents who wield machineguns or rocket launchers with nothing but his trusty bow, and more often than not comes out on top. He can even take out tanks and helicopters!

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{Xbox}})

An immigrant from DeadOrAlive, Ayane made her way into NinjaGaiden in the {{Xbox}} [[{{Revival}} revival]] of the series. She is from the Hajin Mon sect of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan, which is apparently on good terms and has ties with the Dragon Ninja Clan. Ayane is the primary choice for the Mugen Tenshin when they need assistance from the Dragon Clan as she is in close ties with both Joe and Ryu Hayabusa (especially Ryu). Even though he is leagues above her in rank, they are friends; Ayane aids Ryu on his missions, either by informing and helping from the sidelines or outright fighting alongside him.

* ActionGirl: Got her chance to shine in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]].

* BabyGotBack: Her introduction cutscene in the first {{Xbox}} game spends quite some time focused on her back to make sure of this.

* FanServicePack: In the first {{Xbox}} game she wears pretty concealing clothes. In the second she gets much more {{Stripperific}}, and has noticeably bigger breasts.

* GiantWaistRibbon: known for this in her home series, sports one in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]].

* {{Jerkass}}: Ayane doesn't show much of her base personality from DeadOrAlive here since she's dealing mostly with her superiors, Ryu in special is one her few friends and also her superior, but of course she lets go at the Game Over screen.

* MysteriousWatcher: her appearance in the first {{Xbox}} from start to finish.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Mind you Ayane doesn't look her age even in her home series (she's 16 in DeadOrAlive). In NinjaGaiden she's 14 years old, then 15 in [[PS3 Sigma II]].

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{Xbox}})

One of the Five Greater Fiends of the Holy Vigoorian Empire, Doku a fiend in a heavily armored dark knight suit of armor, closely resembling a Samurai is one of the main villains in the first {{Xbox}} game, he singlehandly destroyed Ryu's village in Japan, killed many of the Dragon Clan Ninjas, stole the Dark Dragon Blade then proceeds to kill Kureha and Ryu. Doku's goal is to aid his master, the Dark God Vigoor, into converting capable people into fiends and conquering the world; Doku is Ryu's entire motivation to invade Vigoor in the first place, as the fiend stole the Dark Dragon Blade, killed his childhood friend Kureha and later captured Rachel. Ryu too almost falls in Doku's last resort by trying to convert the Ninja into his fiend heritage, still he is killed and fails; Doku comes back as a lesser villain in the [[NintendoDS DS]] sequel but dies yet again.

* BackFromTheDead: shows up again in the same {{Xbox}} game in spirit form, and later in the [[NintendoDS DS]] game.

* BlackKnight: bonus points for Doku as his black armor is his body.
* TheDragon: direct to Marbus and for the Dark God Vigoor.

* HopelessBossFight: the first fight against him, of course it is possible to defeat Doku if you're an insanely skilled player but Ryu still dies in the cutscene.

* ObviouslyEvil: as if his introduction cutscene wasn't enough, Doku reeks of evil from head to toes.
* RecurringBoss: three times in the same game.
* SpikesOfVillainy: less than normal, but still there.
* TakingYouWithMe: In his final moments in the {{Xbox}} game, Doku curses Ryu in attempt to convert him into a fiend and evetually join sides with Vigoor.

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden II ({{Xbox360}})

The Ruler of Crimson Blood and Queen of the Greater Fiends, Elizébet is the most active villain during Ninja Gaiden II for {{Xbox360}}, also one of Vazdah's Four Deadly Greater Fiend Lords, and the blood priestess of the Fiend cult, the Order of the Necromantale. Elizébet was tasked with retrieving an important ancient artifact from the ancestral Hayabusa Village. For this she aproached the Black Spider Ninja Clan to help her with the task. In return Genshin and his followers were rewarded with fiend powers to overthrow the Dragon Ninja Clan. Later Elizébet manages to trigger Ryu's anger by capturing Sonia and spitting on Genshin's pride after she resurrects him as a complete fiend. Out of all Greater Fiends she is likely to be the one who really earned Ryu's hatred by corrupting the Black Spider Ninja Clan.

* AristocratsAreEvil: one of few Greater Fiends who are actually said to be a noble, and of course Elizébet is one of the most evil among them.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: her form as a Greater Fiend is nowhere as demonic looking as the other three Vazdah's Deadly Greater Fiend Lords.

* FanService: The cutscene preceding your first boss battle with her in ''Ninja Gaiden 2''.
* FemmeFatale: so much that Elizébet is the only Greater Fiend Lord that bothers assuming a human form, she likes to look that poisonous.

* HornyDevils: both Elizébet's human and fiend forms are very sexually suggestive.
* ImpossiblyLowNeckline: justified in that what is holding her breasts sure aren't part of her clothes.
* InformedAbility: the Queen of the Greater Fiends sure doesn't look that royal, both Marbus and the Dark God Vigoor have shown that they hold much more ground and followers than Elizébet did.
* KickTheDog: literaly kicked Genshin in the head after he was killed yet again by Ryu, spitting on the fallen warrior's pride while at it.

* ManipulativeBitch: sought the Black Spider Ninja Clan to help her steal the Demon Statue from the Dragon Ninja Clan, in return she would give them demonic powers, and she did give them power, but of course Elizébet forgot to tell them she sees them as disposable objects and eventually they would fall.
* OneWingedAngel: the only Vazdah's Deadly Greater Fiend Lord who wasn't already transformed to fight against Ryu.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: the only woman among Vazdah's Deadly Greater Fiend Lords, and the only relevant female Greater Fiend in the whole series.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: in human form only her torso looks like this, as a Greater Fiend she fits better.

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{Xbox}})

The man delivering orders to the Vigoorian forces in the first {{Xbox}} game, Gamov is a bespectacled, green hat and coat wearing spy, who constantly trails Ryu through the Holy Vigoor Empire, proving himself very agile and quick in the trigger while facing Rachel, he was supposedly working together with Doku for the Dark God Vigoor, in reality Gamov really served the Dark Disciple as he managed to bring the Dark Dragon Blade to his master, but he was killed by the Dark Disciple as soon as the sword was in his hands; the sequel for the {{Xbox360}} gives more background on Gamov, especially justifying why he was so agile back then, he was Genshin's younger brother and part of the Black Spider Ninja Clan.

* TheDragon: for Murai the Dark Disciple.
* GunsAkimbo: packs two pistols in the fight against Rachel in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma]], among other things.
* TheGunslinger: Gamov proved to be quite a skilled one in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma]] against Rachel.
* TheMole: truly serves the Dark Disciple instead of the Vigoor Empire.
* MysteriousWatcher: trailing Ryu through the Vigoor Empire.

* OffWithHisHead: the way Murai showed gratitude to Gamov.

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden II ({{Xbox360}})

The Ninja Overlord, Master Ninja of the Black Spider Ninja Clan and later one of the Five Greater Fiends of Vazdah in the {{Xbox360}} game, Genshin is the best and most ruthless ninja the Spider Clan has ever created, with eternal lust for power and hatred towards the Dragon Ninja Clan, he didn't think twice when Elizébet offered him more power for his clan and an excuse to anihililate the whole dragon lineage and its followers. Genshin successfuly destroyed great part of the Dragon Ninjas' village up to fighting against Joe Hayabusa, and managed to steal the Demon Statue for Elizébet; Ryu fights against Genshin four times during the story, in the third he kills him, the fourth Genshin is ressurected by Elizébet as a Greater Fiend, but Ryu once again prevails and finished Genshin off once for all, also despite Genshin's hatred for Ryu's clan it seems both of them developed a less harmful rivalry during their fights, it is clear that when Genshin died most of his hatred was gone as well, Ryu was really infuriated when Elizébet spit on Genshin's pride.

* AnimalMotifs: the Spider, his armor has this theme.
* ArchEnemy: of the entire Dragon Lineage.

** BadassAbnormal: when he comes back as a Vazdah Greater Fiend.
* BackFromTheDead: died in his third fight against Ryu, Elizébet ressurected Genshin as a Vazdah Greater Fiend.
* BenevolentBoss: while Genshin is credited for being a ruthless and violent Overlord, many Spider Ninjas seems to adore and respect him, many Spider Clan scrolls will note how respectable Genshin is.

* DarkSkinnedBlond: a male variation.
* DrivenByEnvy: the Black Spider Ninja Clan being in the Dragon Ninja Clan's shadow for generations took its toll on Genshin, he grew to hate Dragon Lineage entirely, their downfall is Genshin's ultimate goal.

* LightningBruiser: powerful and fast, ''very'' fast; Genshin is just too damn fast, an athletic Ninja like Ryu has to keep his eyes focused against a gian like Genshin due his speed.
* {{Ninja}}: holds both Master Ninja and Clan Leader status.
* OneWingedAngel: coming back as a Vazdah Greater Fiend.

* RecurringBoss: four times in the game.
* TakeUpMySword: in his last breath Genshin passes the Blade of the Archfiend to Ryu, he uses it along with the True Dragon Sword in Ninja Gaiden II, then wields it solo in Ninja Gaiden III: Razor's Edge.

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{Xbox}})

The Dragon Shrine Maiden of the Dragon Ninja Clan, sworn to protect the Eye of the Dragon, Momiji's older sister and Ryu's childhood friend, Kureha is part of the Dragon Lineage was destined to play part in keeping the clan's tradition, being inseperable from Ryu since childhood she also wanted to be of importance, while he grew up to be a Master Ninja, she grew up to be a Shrine Maiden. Then as guardian of the Dragon Lineage Shrine, she was charged with the protection of the Eye of the Dragon, Kureha fufilled her task to death as Doku killed her in an attempt to steal the Eye of the Dragon; it was for her that Ryu went on a quest for vengeance towards Doku. Kureha briefly returns as an spirit in the sequel for the [[NintendoDS DS]], aiding Ryu and Momiji against the Dark Dragon.

* ChildhoodFriends: with Ryu Hayabusa.

* DisposableWoman: originaly Kureha only existed motivate to Ryu with her cruel death, even though she would become relevant in the [[NintendoDS NDS]] game later.
* MacGuffinGuardian: in the normal sense, Kureha is just a shrine maiden tasked with protecting the Dragon Clan's treasure Eye of the Dragon.
* {{Miko}}: for the Dragon Ninja Clan, as being part of the Dragon Lineage is a requirement to be the village's shrine maiden, Kureha was fated to be one since childhood.

* PosthumousCharacter: Kureha's background is explored in the first {{Xbox}} game's sequel for [[NintendoDS NDS]].
* TheObiWan: to Momiji in [[NintendoDS Dragon Sword]].
* WeHardlyKnewYe: isn't sad Kureha?

-> Voiced by: YukitoshiHori (JP), FredTatasciore (EN - [[NinjaGaiden NGSII]])
-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{Xbox}})

Archfiend of Hell and one of the Five Greater Fiend Lords of Vigoor in the first {{Xbox}} and returning for the PS3 [[UpdatedRerelease sequel]], Marbus is the Greater Fiend who guards the Holy Vigoor Emperor, the mastermind behind the theft of the Dark Dragon Blade; in contrast to other Greater Fiends, Marbus has legions of lesser fiends as his direct followers, often leaving the dirty work for them only acting himself when he sees fit or worthy, Ryu happened to be one these worthy as Marbus was forced to take him on directly, the result was the Greater Fiend losing and targeting Ryu for his personal revenge in the future. Marbus returns in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]] looking for Ryu to exact his revenge upon him, he finds Rachel instead and is defeated once again.

* AscendedExtra: Marbus in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]] comes back with a ''sudden character'', he is now full of hatred against Ryu, full of lines and more demoniac than ever.
* ArtShift: Marbus' design changed quite a bit when he came back in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]].
* TheDragon: to Dark God Vigoor.
** DragonWithAnAgenda: that said, Marbus doesn't seem very concerned about his master being dead, when he comes back in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]], Marbus is concerned more about his realm and himself being defeated by Ryu.
* CoolChair: fitting for the Archfiend of Hell.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Marbus in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]] seemed more upset about Ryu defeating him than killing his supposed master Dark God Vigoor.
* FlatCharacter: for someone who is said to be behind everything Doku did, Marbus got much less exposition than his surbodinate, ironicaly he gets more exposition in his small role for [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]].
* FlunkyBoss: The only boss to be that way in Normal in the first game. He actual uses minor ''bosses'' as flunkies. And in higher difficulties he hides behind Nicchae and Ishtaros... who are actually harder than he his.
* NotQuiteDead: as seen in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]], Ryu didn't kill Marbus in the first game, he just left him scarred and with one horn less.
* MeaningfulName: Marbus the same as Marbas the President of Hell from the DivineComedy Dante's Inferno, where he rules over 36 legions of demons, just like Marbus who has control over many fiends for himself.
* ItsPersonal: with Ryu, Marbus being defeated by the Ninja left more issues than his master being killed.
* ScarsAreForever: while it didn't look like that in the first game, Ryu apparently cut one of Marbus' horns off and left him with a few scars as seen in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]].

* {{Revenge}}: against Ryu, Marbus lets more off that it is about his defeat rather than his dead master.

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword ([[NintendoDS NDS]])

The last Dragon Shrine Maiden, Kureha's younger sister and Ryu's apprentice, Momiji eventually replaces her sister's place as a distinguished Dragon Lineage shrine maiden, during Doku's invasion she was undergoing her ninja training in another village thus Momoji was spared of the same fate as her sister; hearing about Kureha's death, Momiji felt powerless and made a vow to become much stronger in her sister's name and taking on the task of protecting the clan's treasure, the Eye of the Dragon. With Momiji's new resolve Ryu takes her under his direct tutoring, making Momiji his official apprentice. In the clash in the [[NintendoDS DS]] game, Momiji is captured by Nicchae, is up to Ryu to rescue her, after the Dark Dragon's defeat Momiji goes back to her training under Ryu's guidance. Momiji is seen again in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]] where she definitely became stronger and more than capable of fighting on her own.

* ActionGirl: gets to be one for a bit in Way of The Kunoichi mode for [[NintendoDS Dragon Sword]], becomes a full-fledged one in [[PS3 Sigma II]].
* TheArcher: like other popular portrayals of shrine maidens, Momiji's main projectle weapon is a bow and arrow, not shurikens despite of being only a Ninja originaly.
* BladeOnAStick: Momiji's naginata[[hottip:*:a japanese spear, initially one of the few weapons that women would be allowed to use in Japan.]] in [[PS3 Sigma II]], another weapon common for popular portrayals of shrine maidens.
* LastOfHerKind: after Kureha's death, Momiji is the only person worthy of guarding the Eye of The Dragon, much like her sister Kureha, Momiji descends from the Dragon Lineage.
* MacGuffinGuardian: in the normal sense same as Kureha, Momiji is not only a Ninja but a shrine maiden tasked with protecting the Dragon Clan's treasure Eye of the Dragon.
* {{Miko}}: replaced Kureha at being the guardian of the Eye of The Dragon, now Momiji is a Ninja ''and'' a Miko.
* {{Ninja}}: originally she was only this, a Ninja (or rather Kunoichi) in training, then Kureha dies and Momiji had no other choice but to replace her sister due their Dragon Lineage.

* ThrowTheDogABone: after some dead older sister and self-depreciating heroine arroy, Momiji gets to impress the clan's Master Ninja Ryu himself to train her personally due her determination in getting stronger for Kureha and to protect the clan's children, the results are shown in [[PS3 Sigma II]] where Momiji definitely has gotten a lot stronger.

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{Xbox}})

* {{BFS}}: the Dark Dragon Blade.
* BigBad: of the first {{Xbox}} game as the Dark Disciple.
* EvilMakesYouMonstrous: with the Dark Dragon Blade in hands, Murai became very demoniac.
* EvilUncle: of Ryu Hayabusa, mother side. Murai watched in the sidelines as his nephew struggled to save the Hayabusa Village and recover the Dark Dragon Blade; in the end Murai was behind everything.
* FaceHeelTurn: prior to the series itself, Murai once was a honorable ninja from the Dragon Ninja Clan.
* FightingWithChucks: Murai's skills with the nunchucks are to be praised, when Ryu has them his usage doesn't compare to that of Murai's, both in power ''and'' speed.
* LargeAndInCharge: from the very little we get see about the Shadow Clan, Murai seems to be the tallest and most muscular out of the bunch, and of course he is the leader.
* LightningBruiser: fast and powerful as the first boss, slower as the last but still capable of some nasty rush downs.
* ManBehindTheMan: as the Dark Disciple, Murai was eventually behind everything.

* {{Ninja}}: of Shadow Clan Ninja's leader status.

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{Xbox}})

The legendary weapon smith and shop owner who aids Ryu on his journeys, Muramasa is a fairly mysterious merchant who seems to have traveled across the entire earth, he knows everything there is to know about relics and antiques alike; Muramasa's known feats are him personally erecting all the statues sculpted in his image that Ryu comes across much of the time, his vast knowledge of antiques and his past as a very skilled swordmaster; concerning his skills with a sword, Muramasa seems to still know a few tricks despite his advanced age as seen in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]].

* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: every item in Muramasa's shop increases its price every time one unity or upgrade is bought, normal itens stop at a certain price before the limit, weapon upgrades however, the price will keep rising till the very last level, so thousands of yellow essence will be spent upgrading weapons with many levels, Wooden Sword in particular will make some players focus solely on it and leaving other weapons behind to reach the maximum level.
* BackStab: Muramasa sneaks behind one unsuspecting Ninja in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]] and backstabs him with a mantis sword.

** UltimateBlacksmith: that said, only Muramasa can handle all these legendary or downright demoniac weapons that Ryu possesses.

* MrExposition: in his introduction scenes Muramasa lets out directions about a place Ryu needs to go or about the situation the Ninja currently finds himself in.
* NonDubbedGrunts: most of Muramasa's average grunts for an elder aren't dubbed, they're straight from the japanese track, unlike other characters who got their grunts dubbed.

* TooLongDidntDub: Muramasa's greetings aren't dubbed in Ninja Gaiden II and [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]], he says ''Irasshai'' instead of ''Welcome'' to Ryu when his shop is accessed, which isn't even long anyway.
* WalkingTheEarth: prior the games, is it said that Muramasa personally erected all of his statues that Ryu eventually finds in his journey, every single one of them.

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{Xbox}})

The main girl for Ninja Gaiden {{Xbox}} and fiend hunter from the Holy Vigoor Empire, Rachel is somewhat a tragic heroine. She and her sister Alma were afflicted with a blood curse that turns humans into fiends. By the events of the game Alma has already succunbed into a complete fiend. Rachel still maintains her human form and becomes a fiend hunter; believing that her sister has no more chance to revert back, Rachel sets on a journey to put Alma out of her misery. Rachel gets caught up in Doku's plot to bait Ryu, as the Greater Fiend also has Alma under his control. Rachel pursued him only to get captured herself; Ryu manages to rescue Rachel and in return she saves him in time for the final bout against the Dark Disciple. In the end Rachel seems to have become quite enamored with Ryu but he doesn't reciprocate. She's seen again in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]] during a fiend hunt, Rachel is looking foward to reunite with Ryu again.

* AnimalMotifs: the Snake, her health bar in [[PS3 Sigma]] is shaped like a snake, and her sorcery in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]] is called Ouruborus, the thematic symbol of a snake eating her own tail.
* ActionGirl: while playable in [[PS3 Sigma]], becomes a full-fledged one in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]].

* BoobsOfSteel: Rachel's physical strenght is proportional to her voluptous bust, she can even handle heavy weapons better than Ryu at first in [[PS3 Sigma]].
* DistressedDamsel: after Doku captures her, Rachel spends the rest of the story like this.
* [[DoggedNiceGuy Dogged Nice Girl]]: in a rare female example, Rachel by the end of the first {{Xbox}} game has taken quite a liking to Ryu, but he promptly seems to refuse, and going by the series' continuity Rachel isn't going anywhere with Ryu.
* DropTheHammer: War Hammer (which looks like an axe instead) in the first game, Inferno Hammer (which looks like a hammer this time around) in [[PS3 Sigma II]].
* FauxActionGirl: in the original {{Xbox}} game Rachel wasn't playable so in story segments she falls straight into this.
* GatlingGood: Rachel sports a Gatling Gun as her projectile weapon in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]].
* HopelessSuitor: the {{Xbox}} continuity is stabilished as prequels to the {{NES}} then DeadOrAlive continuity, by then Ryu is already HappilyMarried, certainly not with Rachel.
* HotWitch: Rachel's super art is called sorcery in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]] after all.

* SomethingAboutARose: Rachel's sorcery in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]] is rose themed and petalls flown around it.

-> Voiced by: Mariko Suzuki (JP), KariWahlgren (EN - [[NinjaGaiden NGII]]), Amanda Troop (EN - [[DeadOrAlive DOA]]), YumiTouma (JP - [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]])
-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden II ({{Xbox360}}) as Sonia

The main girl for Ninja Gaiden II {{Xbox360}} and [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]], Sonia is Irene Lew under an alias during the events of the second {{Xbox}} game, again she is a CIA agent tasked with teaming up with Ryu Hayabusa to prevent the Archfiend from returning. Different from her {{NES}} counterpart, Sonia is not so harmless, she proved herself to be quite dependable and gutsy when fiends are not involved; when fiends are involved however, Ryu is up to task and ready to rescue Sonia. Notable for her small red tatoo above her breasts and beautiful body figure as a whole, Sonia's design sticks for Irene Lew during the DeadOrAlive series.

* ActionGirl: she can prove herself when fiends are not involved.
* ActionGirlfriend: teaming up with Ryu with her bazooka, she's really Irene Lew under an alias so it's official.
* AdaptationDyeJob: Sonia's hair color is what sticks for Irene Lew as seen in DeadOrAlive.
* {{BFG}}: the bazooka Sonia uses to aid Ryu.
* ContinuityNod: just the fact that Sonia was confirmed to be Irene Lew in DeadOrAlive served to really tie the {{Xbox}} as happening before the {{NES}} series, Itagaki in his last days at Tecmo was really contradicting about the series continuity.
* DistressedDamsel: when captured by Elizébet and later by Alexei.
* FanServicePack: when she was revealed to be Irene Lew in DeadOrAlive, Sonia became the embodiment of this, ''literaly''.
* FauxActionGirl: while playing the CIA Agent role better than her {{NES}} counterpart, Sonia can fall in this quickly when greater threats are involved.

* ShipTeasing: Sonia was the only girl in the {{Xbox}} series whom Ryu showed some afftection for, he was really worried about her in the Underworld and they shared a good hug in the end.
* MissionControl: for Ryu as of DeadOrAlive.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Sonia's role in the {{Xbox}} series is so similar to Irene Lew's in the {{NES}} series, that later in DeadOrAlive they just had to confirm they are the same person.

-> Debuting in: Ninja Gaiden ({{Xbox}})

Known to the Empire as the Holy Vigoorian Emperor, this is his human form to his God form, the original Evil Deity who spawned the Fiends. To the commoners of the Holy Vigoorian Empire, Vigoor is worshiped as a Supreme Holy Deity, leader of their Holy Vigoorian Order and the absolute authority in their lives. After his defeat in the first {{Xbox}} title, a plan is set into motion in the [[NintendoDS NDS]] sequel to ressurect him by the ancient goddesses Ishtaros and Nicchea, using the Dark Dragon statues to do so, but it fails as Ryu manages to destroy the statues and kill Ishtaros, then as last ditch Nicchae uses her sister's remains to ressurect Vigoor, it succeeds only for the Dark Dragon to use Vigoor's energy and ressurect himself.

* BackForTheDead: Comes back in Dragon Sword, only to die shortly after.

* {{Satan}}: Only in the first {{Xbox}} game and [[NintendoDS NDS]] sequel, the {{Xbox360}} sequel kind of [[{{Retcon}} makes ''a'' devil]].
* {{Retcon}}: In the first {{Xbox}} game Vigoor is also referred as ''Dark God Vigoor'' aside from his Holy Vigoor Emperor title, implying that he was the ''the'' Archfiend, a PhysicalGod beyond all archfiends, then comes Ninja Gaiden II ({{Xbox360}}) and reffers to him as ''Supreme Archfiend Vigoor'', the same rank as Vazdah, changing Vigoor from ''the only'' to one of a ''possible group''.

* GirlsWithGuns: proved herself with pistols, machine guns and bazookas.

The main villain of the first {{NES}} game and one in the second, Guardia de Mieux dubbed himself Jaquio (Devil King -> Jaki-Oh), he is primary a sorcerer, while supposedly human Jaquio's appearance is that of uncanny and bizarre sorcerer with purple skin dressed in a red torn tunic with a Hexagram embroidered on the front and a purple skeleton of a demon wrapped in his body like an armor. Jaquio as the Chief of the Chaos Tribe, plans to steal the Demon Statue and break the seal on the Dark God, plunging the world into darkness.

* PhysicalGod: Introduced as such, [[{{Retcon}} changed later]].
* {{Satan}}: Only in the first {{Xbox}} game and [[NintendoDS NDS]] sequel, the {{Xbox360}} sequel kind of [[{{Retcon}} demotes him]].
* {{Retcon}}: In the first {{Xbox}} game Vigoor is also referred as ''Dark God Vigoor'' aside from his Holy Vigoor Emperor title, implying that he was the ''the'' Archfiend, a PhysicalGod beyond all archfiends, then comes Ninja Gaiden II ({{Xbox360}}) and reffers to him as ''Supreme Archfiend Vigoor'' (Greater Fiend in the localization), the same rank as Elizébet, Alexei and the other Vazdah Lords, who certainly don't hold the PhysicalGod status.

* {{Retcon}}: In the first {{Xbox}} game Vigoor is also referred as ''Dark God Vigoor'' aside from his Holy Vigoor Emperor title, implying that he was the ''the'' Archfiend, a PhysicalGod beyond all archfiends, then comes Ninja Gaiden II ({{Xbox360}}) and reffers to him as ''Supreme Archfiend Vigoor'', the same rank as Elizébet, Alexei and the other Vazdah Lords, who certainly don't hold the PhysicalGod status.
** Not exactly : Ninja Gaiden II establishes that there are several Archfiends, each with a few Greater Fiends under its rule. Elizebeth et al are not Archfiends, they are Greater Fiends, the same rank as Doku and Marbus.

Known from her main series DeadOrAlive, Ayane made her way into NinjaGaiden in the {{Xbox}} [[{{Revival}} revival]] of the series, she is from the Hajin Mon sect of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan which happens to be in good terms and ties with the Dragon Ninja Clan. Ayane is the primary choice for the Mugen Tenshin when they need assistance from the Dragon Clan as she is in close ties with both Joe and Ryu Hayabusa, especially Ryu as even though he is leagues above her rank, she is in a mutual friendship with him; in return when given the opportunity Ayane serves Ryu when he goes on his missions, mostly by informing and aiding from the sidelines to outright fighting along him sometimes.

* ActionGirl: got her chance to shine in [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]].
* AnimalMotifs: the Butterfly, from her choice of clothes, to their color and her inconic Sash.
* BabyGotBack: her inroduction cutscene in the first {{Xbox}} game spends quite some time focused on her back to make sure of this.

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: almost everything related to Ayane is purple, her hair, clothes, aura, jutsu, explosive shurikens, etc.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: purple everywhere!
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Ayane is the product of a rape, Raidou a rogue Ninja from the Mugen Tenshin raped his sister-in-law and wife of the Mugen Tenshin's leader Ayame, despite the Hajin Mon leader Genra adopting her, Mugen Tenshin leader Shinden assisting her, and Ayame accepting her; the rest of the Mugen Tenshin still branded Ayane as a bastard child, daughter of the dreaded Raidou, Ayane's childhood was a reclusive and lonely one, deperately trying to prove herself as a Ninja. The results of this shows in Ayane's personality, even more in her home series.
* EasyModeMockery: Ayane tells that you suck for giving up at Normal difficulty, and mocks you with ribbons at Ninja Dog difficulty.
* FanServicePack: aside from Ayane's great proportions in the first {{Xbox}} game, she kind of looks her age (14 in this series), then comes [[UpdatedRerelease Sigma II]] and Ayane suddenly went through a growth spurt one year later, she got upgraded in all three sizes.

* YoungerThanTheyLook: mind you Ayane doesn't look her age even in her home series, she's 16 in DeadOrAlive, in NinjaGaiden she's 14 years old, then 15 in [[PS3 Sigma II]].

* RecurringBoss: Fought twice in Sigma II (once with Rachel, then with Ryu)