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** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch successor to the Dopplegangers of ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' / ''Sigma'' with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as ''Ninja Gaiden II'' weapons of the Falcon's Talons and Eclipse Scythe; ''Razor's Edge'' only alleviates this somewhat by giving you those weapons too, in exchange for cranking up the challenge. The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], all of the health you lost in the first half is now sorely missed here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs'', on top of exclusive moves that hurt like hell. And in ''both'' phases, he has a boss health bar that can be hard to break down even with Izuna Drops or Steel-on-Bone counters, whereas even on Normal he can kill Ryu in only a handful of combos or really strong hits. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos in his ''Razor's Edge'' version is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise.
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** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch successor to the Dopplegangers Doppelgangers of ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' / ''Sigma'' with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as ''Ninja Gaiden II'' weapons of the Falcon's Talons and Eclipse Scythe; ''Razor's Edge'' only alleviates this somewhat by giving you those weapons too, in exchange for cranking up the challenge. The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], all of the health you lost in the first half is now sorely missed here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs'', on top of exclusive moves that hurt like hell. And in ''both'' phases, he has a boss health bar that can be hard to break down even with Izuna Drops or Steel-on-Bone counters, whereas even on Normal he can kill Ryu in only a handful of combos or really strong hits. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos in his ''Razor's Edge'' version is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise.
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Changed line(s) 35 (click to see context) from:
** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as ''Ninja Gaiden II'' weapons of the Falcon's Talons and Eclipse Scythe; ''Razor's Edge'' only alleviates this somewhat by giving you those weapons too, in exchange for cranking up the challenge. The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], all of the health you lost in the first half is now sorely missed here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs'', on top of exclusive moves that hurt like hell. And in ''both'' phases, he has a boss health bar that can be hard to break down even with Izuna Drops or Steel-on-Bone counters, whereas even on Normal he can kill Ryu in only a handful of combos or really strong hits. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos in his ''Razor's Edge'' version is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise.
to:
** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch successor to the Dopplegangers of ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' / ''Sigma'' with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as ''Ninja Gaiden II'' weapons of the Falcon's Talons and Eclipse Scythe; ''Razor's Edge'' only alleviates this somewhat by giving you those weapons too, in exchange for cranking up the challenge. The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], all of the health you lost in the first half is now sorely missed here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs'', on top of exclusive moves that hurt like hell. And in ''both'' phases, he has a boss health bar that can be hard to break down even with Izuna Drops or Steel-on-Bone counters, whereas even on Normal he can kill Ryu in only a handful of combos or really strong hits. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos in his ''Razor's Edge'' version is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise.
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* NintendoHard: Notable here by the series' standards because the original release was considered painfully lacking in this besides a handful of exceptions, generally being a much easier game than virtually any other Team Ninja title to date. One primary reason for this was enemy AI that was often lackadaisical and passive, practically sapping the fun out of encounters. In trying to fix many of the criticisms with ''Razor's Edge'', the enemy AI was completely revamped to be like prior games when entire encounters weren't redone from the ground up; the result is a game that becomes ''insanely hard'' thanks to endless waves of aggression, and even small-time encounters can brutally murder Ryu in seconds.
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* NintendoHard: Notable here by the series' standards because the original release was considered painfully lacking in this besides a handful of exceptions, generally being a much easier game than virtually any other Team Ninja title to date. One primary reason for this was enemy AI that was often lackadaisical and passive, practically sapping the fun out of encounters. encounters until fiend-type enemies take center stage in the late game. In trying to fix many of the criticisms with ''Razor's Edge'', the enemy AI was completely revamped to be like prior games when games, and many entire encounters weren't redone from the ground up; were heavily reworked; the result is a game that becomes ''insanely hard'' thanks to endless waves of aggression, and even small-time encounters can brutally murder Ryu in seconds.
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* NintendoHard: Notable here by the series' standards because the original release was considered painfully lacking in this besides a handful of exceptions, generally being a much easier game than virtually any other Team Ninja title to date. One primary reason for this was enemy AI that was often lackadaisical and passive, practically sapping the fun out of encounters. In trying to fix many of the criticisms with ''Razor's Edge'', the enemy AI was completely revamped to be like prior games when entire encounters weren't redone from the ground up; the result is a game that becomes ''insanely hard'' thanks to endless waves of aggression, and even small-time encounters can brutally murder Ryu in seconds.
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** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as ''Ninja Gaiden II'' weapons of the Falcon's Talons and Eclipse Scythe; ''Razor's Edge'' only alleviates this somewhat by giving you those weapons too, in exchange for cranking up the challenge. The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], all of the health you lost in the first half is now sorely missed here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs'', on top of exclusive moves that hurt like hell. And in ''both'' phases, he has a boss health bar that can be hard to break down even with Izuna Drops or Steel-on-Bone counters, whereas even on Normal he can kill Ryu in only a handful of combos or really strong hits. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise, and ''Razor's Edge'' ascends it to SNKBoss territory if you tackle it on harder difficulties.
to:
** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as ''Ninja Gaiden II'' weapons of the Falcon's Talons and Eclipse Scythe; ''Razor's Edge'' only alleviates this somewhat by giving you those weapons too, in exchange for cranking up the challenge. The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], all of the health you lost in the first half is now sorely missed here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs'', on top of exclusive moves that hurt like hell. And in ''both'' phases, he has a boss health bar that can be hard to break down even with Izuna Drops or Steel-on-Bone counters, whereas even on Normal he can kill Ryu in only a handful of combos or really strong hits. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos in his ''Razor's Edge'' version is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise, and ''Razor's Edge'' ascends it to SNKBoss territory if you tackle it on harder difficulties.franchise.
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** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as ''Ninja Gaiden II'' weapons of the Falcon's Talons and Eclipse Scythe; ''Razor's Edge'' only alleviates this somewhat by giving you those weapons too, in exchange for cranking up the challenge. The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], all of the health you lost in the first half is now sorely missed here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs'', on top of exclusive moves that hurt like hell. And in ''both'' phases, he has a boss health bar that can be hard to break down even with Izuna Drops or Steel-on-Bone counters, whereas even on Normal he can kill Ryu in only a handful of combos or really strong hits. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise.
to:
** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as ''Ninja Gaiden II'' weapons of the Falcon's Talons and Eclipse Scythe; ''Razor's Edge'' only alleviates this somewhat by giving you those weapons too, in exchange for cranking up the challenge. The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], all of the health you lost in the first half is now sorely missed here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs'', on top of exclusive moves that hurt like hell. And in ''both'' phases, he has a boss health bar that can be hard to break down even with Izuna Drops or Steel-on-Bone counters, whereas even on Normal he can kill Ryu in only a handful of combos or really strong hits. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise.franchise, and ''Razor's Edge'' ascends it to SNKBoss territory if you tackle it on harder difficulties.
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** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as ''Ninja Gaiden II'' weapons of the Falcon's Talons and Eclipse Scythe; ''Razor's Edge'' only alleviates this somewhat by giving you those weapons too, in exchange for cranking up the challenge. The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], and all of the health you lost in the first half is now a kneecapping crutch here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs''. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise.
to:
** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as ''Ninja Gaiden II'' weapons of the Falcon's Talons and Eclipse Scythe; ''Razor's Edge'' only alleviates this somewhat by giving you those weapons too, in exchange for cranking up the challenge. The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], and all of the health you lost in the first half is now a kneecapping crutch sorely missed here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs''.grabs'', on top of exclusive moves that hurt like hell. And in ''both'' phases, he has a boss health bar that can be hard to break down even with Izuna Drops or Steel-on-Bone counters, whereas even on Normal he can kill Ryu in only a handful of combos or really strong hits. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise.
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* {{Padding}}: Day 5 comes off as this. The premise: Ryu goes to the Hayabusa Village to go talk with his father for an idea of how to overcome the Grip of Murder's curse, and some major ''Dragon Sword'' [[CallBack call backs]] ensue. The outcome: [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Obaba comes out of nowhere]] (''yet again'' if you played Sigma 2 prior), the Black Spider Clan are bad guys solely for this chapter without much context even in ''Razor's Edge'', and Joe's advice boils down to using HeroicWillpower to survive the curse because he has no actual advice otherwise. Day 6 onwards effectively acts like Day 5 didn't happen, meaning the entire chapter feels like it existed to homage prior ''Ninja Gaiden'' games without actually using them for any purpose but throwing a bone to long-time fans.
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* {{Padding}}: Day 5 comes off as this. The premise: Ryu goes to the Hayabusa Village to go talk with his father for an idea of how to overcome the Grip of Murder's curse, and some major ''Dragon Sword'' [[CallBack call backs]] ensue. The outcome: [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Obaba comes out of nowhere]] (''yet again'' if you played Sigma 2 prior), the Black Spider Ninja Clan are bad guys solely for this chapter without much context even in ''Razor's Edge'', introduced as enemies but have no actual plot relevance, and Joe's advice boils down to using HeroicWillpower to survive the curse because he has no actual advice otherwise. Day 6 onwards effectively acts like Day 5 didn't happen, meaning the entire chapter feels like it existed to homage prior ''Ninja Gaiden'' games without actually using them for any purpose but throwing a bone to long-time fans.
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** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as his weapons in ''Razor's Edge'' (except for the dual swords for plot reasons). The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], and all of the health you lost in the first half is now a kneecapping crutch here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs''. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise.
to:
** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as his ''Ninja Gaiden II'' weapons in of the Falcon's Talons and Eclipse Scythe; ''Razor's Edge'' (except only alleviates this somewhat by giving you those weapons too, in exchange for cranking up the dual swords for plot reasons).challenge. The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], and all of the health you lost in the first half is now a kneecapping crutch here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs''. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise.
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** Epigonos, or the "Fiend Ryu", which is a MirrorMatch with a foe that uses ''all'' of Ryu's moveset, as well as his weapons in ''Razor's Edge'' (except for the dual swords for plot reasons). The fight seems brutally hard at first, as he is aggressive as hell and has to be fought with as much ferocity as he engages you with. But then it turns out there's a [[TurnsRed second phase]], and all of the health you lost in the first half is now a kneecapping crutch here, and he starts abusing Ultimate Techniques ''and faking you out with them into grabs''. It's not uncommon for people to estimate that Epigonos is one of ''the'' nastiest bosses in the franchise.
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* Padding: Day 5 comes off as this. The premise: Ryu goes to the Hayabusa Village to go talk with his father for an idea of how to overcome the Grip of Murder's curse, and some major ''Dragon Sword'' [[CallBack call backs]] ensue. The outcome: [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Obaba comes out of nowhere]] (''yet again'' if you played Sigma 2 prior), the Black Spider Clan are bad guys solely for this chapter without much context even in ''Razor's Edge'', and Joe's advice boils down to using HeroicWillpower to survive the curse because he has no actual advice otherwise. Day 6 onwards effectively acts like Day 5 didn't happen, meaning the entire chapter feels like it existed to homage prior ''Ninja Gaiden'' games without actually using them for any purpose but throwing a bone to long-time fans.
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* Padding: {{Padding}}: Day 5 comes off as this. The premise: Ryu goes to the Hayabusa Village to go talk with his father for an idea of how to overcome the Grip of Murder's curse, and some major ''Dragon Sword'' [[CallBack call backs]] ensue. The outcome: [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Obaba comes out of nowhere]] (''yet again'' if you played Sigma 2 prior), the Black Spider Clan are bad guys solely for this chapter without much context even in ''Razor's Edge'', and Joe's advice boils down to using HeroicWillpower to survive the curse because he has no actual advice otherwise. Day 6 onwards effectively acts like Day 5 didn't happen, meaning the entire chapter feels like it existed to homage prior ''Ninja Gaiden'' games without actually using them for any purpose but throwing a bone to long-time fans.
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* Padding: Day 5 comes off as this. The premise: Ryu goes to the Hayabusa Village to go talk with his father for an idea of how to overcome the Grip of Murder's curse, and some major ''Dragon Sword'' [[CallBack call backs]] ensue. The outcome: [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Obaba comes out of nowhere]] (''yet again'' if you played Sigma 2 prior), the Black Spider Clan are bad guys solely for this chapter without much context even in ''Razor's Edge'', and Joe's advice boils down to using HeroicWillpower to survive the curse because he has no actual advice otherwise. Day 6 onwards effectively acts like Day 5 didn't happen, meaning the entire chapter feels like it existed to homage prior ''Ninja Gaiden'' games without actually using them for any purpose but throwing a bone to long-time fans.
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** In ''Razor's Edge'', Kasumi has a version of the "Cicada Surge" technique called "Sakura Madoi", allowing her to evade not only melee attacks like Ryu, but also bullets and missiles, meaning it's possible to use Sakura Madoi to teleport into areas normally inaccessible, and in extreme cases, ''out of the map''. This was fixed when the re-release was ported to the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and Microsoft UsefulNotes/Xbox360.
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** In ''Razor's Edge'', Kasumi has a version of the "Cicada Surge" technique called "Sakura Madoi", allowing her to evade not only melee attacks like Ryu, but also bullets and missiles, meaning it's possible to use Sakura Madoi to teleport into areas normally inaccessible, and in extreme cases, ''out of the map''. This was fixed when the re-release was ported to the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 Platform/PlayStation3 and Microsoft UsefulNotes/Xbox360.Platform/Xbox360.
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* PolishedPort: The [=PlayStation=] 3/Xbox 360 ports corrects the frame-rate drops from the Creator/{{Nintendo}} UsefulNotes/WiiU version of ''Razor's Edge''.
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* PolishedPort: The [=PlayStation=] 3/Xbox 360 ports corrects the frame-rate drops from the Creator/{{Nintendo}} UsefulNotes/WiiU Platform/WiiU version of ''Razor's Edge''.
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* GoodBadBugs: In ''Razor's Edge'', Kasumi has a version of the "Cicada Surge" technique called "Sakura Madoi", allowing her to evade not only melee attacks like Ryu, but also bullets and missiles, meaning it's possible to use Sakura Madoi to teleport into areas normally inaccessible, and in extreme cases, ''out of the map''. This was fixed when the re-release was ported to the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and Microsoft UsefulNotes/Xbox360.
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* GoodBadBugs: GoodBadBugs:
** In ''Razor's Edge'', Kasumi has a version of the "Cicada Surge" technique called "Sakura Madoi", allowing her to evade not only melee attacks like Ryu, but also bullets and missiles, meaning it's possible to use Sakura Madoi to teleport into areas normally inaccessible, and in extreme cases, ''out of the map''. This was fixed when the re-release was ported to the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and MicrosoftUsefulNotes/Xbox360.UsefulNotes/Xbox360.
** ''Razor's Edge'' has the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=430r4wx2ldg infinite karma]]" bug, which lets you access Ninja Skills much quickly and is considered useful for those not too fond of the game's balancing problems.
** In ''Razor's Edge'', Kasumi has a version of the "Cicada Surge" technique called "Sakura Madoi", allowing her to evade not only melee attacks like Ryu, but also bullets and missiles, meaning it's possible to use Sakura Madoi to teleport into areas normally inaccessible, and in extreme cases, ''out of the map''. This was fixed when the re-release was ported to the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and Microsoft
** ''Razor's Edge'' has the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=430r4wx2ldg infinite karma]]" bug, which lets you access Ninja Skills much quickly and is considered useful for those not too fond of the game's balancing problems.
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* ImprovedByTheRecut: The reception to ''Razor's Edge'' is much more positive than the original version of ''3'', thanks to its staggering amount of game-play changes, difficulty re-balancing and removing the worst aspects from the narrative of the original game.
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* ImprovedByTheRecut: The reception to ''Razor's Edge'' is much more positive than the original version of ''3'', thanks to its staggering amount of game-play changes, difficulty re-balancing and removing the worst aspects from the narrative of the original game. Apart from the addition of several weapons, upgrades, collectible items and playable characters, nearly every aspect of the ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' game-play has been improved, from {{Combo}} speed to weapon responsiveness, to enemy AI, to the use of the ki bar and the revamped Steel-on-Bone mechanic, making the game much more technical.
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* PolishedPort: {{Zigzagged}} for ''Razor's Edge'' - apart from the addition of several weapons, upgrades, collectible items and playable characters, nearly every aspect of the ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' game-play has been improved, from {{Combo}} speed to weapon responsiveness, to enemy AI, to the use of the ki bar and the revamped Steel-on-Bone mechanic, making the game much more technical; the [=PlayStation=] 3/Xbox 360 ports also corrects the frame-rate drops from the Creator/{{Nintendo}} UsefulNotes/WiiU version. Thus, while ''Razor's Edge'' seems to play this straight, it's {{Subverted}} when it still contains unusual bugs and glitches, such as the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=430r4wx2ldg infinite karma]]" glitch.
to:
* PolishedPort: {{Zigzagged}} for ''Razor's Edge'' - apart from the addition of several weapons, upgrades, collectible items and playable characters, nearly every aspect of the ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' game-play has been improved, from {{Combo}} speed to weapon responsiveness, to enemy AI, to the use of the ki bar and the revamped Steel-on-Bone mechanic, making the game much more technical; the The [=PlayStation=] 3/Xbox 360 ports also corrects the frame-rate drops from the Creator/{{Nintendo}} UsefulNotes/WiiU version. Thus, while version of ''Razor's Edge'' seems to play this straight, it's {{Subverted}} when it still contains unusual bugs and glitches, such as the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=430r4wx2ldg infinite karma]]" glitch.Edge''.
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* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: At the end of Day 5 in ''3'', a [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever colossal Obaba]] interrupts Ryu and Momiji who are on the way to see Joe Hayabusa via a boss fight. Not only is she and the Black Spider Ninja Clan not connected to the rest of the plot, they're never mentioned after the end of Day 5. ''Razor's Edge'' rectifies this by briefly noting the Black Spider are in cahoots with the "Lords of Alchemy" (LOA), yet the reason remains vague. Dialogue early on in that version does indicate that due to the death of Genshin in the prior game they became mercs for hire.
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* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: At the end of Day 5 in ''3'', a [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever colossal Obaba]] interrupts Ryu and Momiji who are on the way to see Joe Hayabusa via a boss fight. Not only is she and the Black Spider Ninja Clan not connected to the rest of the plot, they're never mentioned after the end of Day 5. ''Razor's Edge'' rectifies this by briefly noting the Black Spider are in cahoots with the "Lords of Alchemy" (LOA), yet the reason remains vague. Dialogue Though dialogue early on in that version does indicate reveal that due to the death of Genshin in the prior game they became mercs for hire.
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* AngstWhatAngst: In ''Ninja Gaiden 3'', upon being freed from the mask's control of his mind, Theodore Higgins doesn't seem to be fazed at all by all of the horrible things he was forced to do as the "Regent of the Mask", or the fact his brother and grandfather were the ones who forced him to do it, OR the fact his daughter is serving as the core for a giant monster ravaging Tokyo. {{Subverted}} in his last duel against Ryu Hayabusa as Theodore implies he was aware of everything that was going on while he was the Regent. He sacrifices himself not only to allow Ryu to free his daughter, but to receive his "[[MercyKill atonement]]" for his crimes as well.
* AntiClimaxBoss: The FinalBoss in ''Ninja Gaiden 3'': not that the fight isn't visually impressive, but 30% of it is fighting {{Mook}}s [[FlunkyBoss the boss sends at players]], 30% are [[PressXToNotDie quick-time events]] with the remaining 40% the ''actual'' fight. Furthermore, the latter is fundamentally the same boss fight as the Art/StatueOfLiberty boss in ''Sigma II'', which veteran ''Ninja Gaiden'' players have no problem against, making this FinalBoss arguably the easiest one in the modern trilogy. Averted in ''Razor's Edge'' when it becomes part of ThatOneBoss for the game.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: At the end of Day 5 in ''3'', a [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever colossal Obaba]] interrupts Ryu and Momiji who are on the way to see Joe Hayabusa via a boss fight. Not only is she and the Black Spider Ninja Clan not connected to the rest of the plot, they're never mentioned after the end of Day 5. ''Razor's Edge'' rectifies this by briefly noting the Black Spider are in cahoots with the "Lords of Alchemy" (LOA), yet the reason remains vague. Dialogue early on in that version does indicate that due to the death of Genshin in the prior game they became mercs for hire.
* CompleteMonster: [[MadScientist Clifford "Cliff" Higgins]] at first seems like a helpful scientist working for the Japanese Defense Force. However, Cliff is really working for the [[EvilutionaryBiologist Lords of Alchemy]], a group that wants to [[KillAllHumans destroy the human race]] and replace it with new "perfect" god-like beings; he is also the grandson of the head of the LOA. When Cliff's brother Theodore opposed Cliff's plans, Cliff had him killed in an [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident accident]]. Cliff later decides to bring his brother back to life, [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashes]] him and turns him into a terrorist. While under Cliff's control, Theodore launches a terrorist attack on London and murders the British Prime Minister. Cliff's plans come to a head when he uses his technology and hero Ryu Hayabusa's Dragon Sword, to turn Canna, [[EvilUncle his own niece]], into an EldritchAbomination called the Goddess. The Goddess then proceeds to go on a rampage across Tokyo, and will eventually destroy the entire human race. Later, after a fight with Ryu and a fatal injury at the hands of his brother, Cliff admits he did all this because he was [[DrivenByEnvy jealous of his brother]] and wanted to step out from under his shadow, any way he could.
* ContestedSequel: Yosuke Hayashi's drastically different vision for ''3'' left many fans skeptical. While some players believe it's still a fun ActionGame in its own right, if not, on par with the first two games, [[FanonDiscontinuity others prefer to pretend it never existed]] (interestingly, Hayashi was already involved in [[VideoGame/MetroidOtherM another]] ContestedSequel). ''Razor's Edge'' is unanimously considered an AuthorsSavingThrow, yet it also remains this in its own right, since some feel that while it rectified the shortcomings of ''3'', others feel ''Razor's Edge'' is still a bad game regardless of the improvements. A third group says that most aspects of ''Razor's Edge'' are still poor, due to it being built off of a bad game, but say that the combat mechanics are the best in the series.
* DemonicSpiders:
** Alchemists in ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' has a GroundPound-like maneuver that, while blockable, breaks guard and is hard to dodge most of the time. Furthermore, they're fast, agile, hurl homing "alchemy projectiles", block and evade often and frequently erect an "alchemy armor" that requires breaking it first before actual damage can be dealt, which light attacks from Ryu's weapons won't usually do; they also have a GrappleMove that not only slowly drains {{Hit Point}}s, but the ki gauge as well. Finally, in ''Razor's Edge'', the timing to perform a "Steel-on-Bone" CounterAttack is so exceptionally narrow compared to other humanoid enemies in the game that players will often opt out for dismemberment instead, allowing an "Obliteration Technique" to finish them off; unfortunately, Alchemists are the most resilient enemies in the game to be dismembered.
** Chimera in the later parts of ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' are essentially faster, more evasive Incendiary Kunai Black Spider Ninja, with the only saving grace is they don't have projectiles. Like Alchemists, they too block occasionally and might get a bead on escaping out of players' attack combos more often than not. The problem with these Chimera comes if they're dismembered: doing so, and they initiate an unblockable SuicideAttack, homing straight for Ryu, forcing players to prioritize on dismembered Chimera for an Obliteration Technique lest they risk a chunk of {{Hit Point}}s getting taken away. Fortunately, it's easy to note if a suicide-Chimera will begin its strike as they start sparking bright colors; additionally, if they don't reach Ryu in time, the suicide-Chimera will wind up exploding - their effects don't have what an ActionBomb {{Mook}} usually does in this series.
* FanonDiscontinuity: The original ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' is usually ignored, and ''Razor's Edge'' is seen by most players as the "real" version of the third game; however, that's without considering those who didn't even like ''Razor's Edge'' regardless.
* FashionVictimVillain: The Regent of the Mask - having an outfit consisting of a red BadassLongcoat, a CoolMask, a [[InTheHood mysterious hood]] and a gold-plated GlovedFistOfDoom can only make him one. To compliment this trope, he's armed with a RoyalRapier.
* GoddamnedBats: Dogs, the blue bugs and the human-like homunculi (pre-transformation into its "gorilla" or "snake" forms) often act as this in ''Razor's Edge'': while they aren't necessarily hard to defeat, the former two are just as agile as humanoid {{Mook}}s, while the latter have more {{Hit Point}}s than they appear.
* GoodBadBugs: In ''Razor's Edge'', Kasumi has a version of the "Cicada Surge" technique called "Sakura Madoi", allowing her to evade not only melee attacks like Ryu, but also bullets and missiles, meaning it's possible to use Sakura Madoi to teleport into areas normally inaccessible, and in extreme cases, ''out of the map''. This was fixed when the re-release was ported to the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and Microsoft UsefulNotes/Xbox360.
* HamAndCheese: The plot and dialogue of ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' are nothing to write home about but James Brinkley is very obviously having a blast as the Regent of the Mask. He's arguably the most memorable villain of the franchise just for how gloriously over the top he is.
* ImprovedByTheRecut: The reception to ''Razor's Edge'' is much more positive than the original version of ''3'', thanks to its staggering amount of game-play changes, difficulty re-balancing and removing the worst aspects from the narrative of the original game.
* ItsEasySoItSucks: ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' is such a far cry from its punishing predecessors that it would take ''Razor's Edge'' to ratchet the difficulty back up to normal, yet it keeps the easier "Hero" mode as a play-style that can be selected at any time.
* MemeticMutation
** [[LargeHam Why? BUSINESS OF COURSE!]][[note]]When asked by Ryu about the cloned dinosaurs in the Day 3 level of ''Ninja Gaiden 3'', the Regent of the Mask over-exaggerates his answer with these words[[/note]]
** Lovelace Gaga[[note]]An obvious reference to the character Lovelace's uncanny resemblance to Music/LadyGaga in ''Ninja Gaiden 3''[[/note]]
* {{Narm}}:
** The "don't kill me mate" scene at the beginning of the Day 1 level in ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' is so overdone and theatrical it winds up being hilarious instead of an intended PlayerPunch. Team Ninja must have taken notes as the scene is removed in ''Razor's Edge''.
** ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' as a whole is so {{Main/Anvilicious}} about its “Feel their pain/killing is bad” message that it crosses the line straight into unintentional hilarity.
* PlayerPunch: ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' goes to great length to make players feel the pain of the enemies they kill, be it the brutal Steel-on-Bone mechanic or the moaning of enemies if they aren't finished off as they crawl helplessly on the ground, bleeding to death.
-->'''Crawling and bleeding {{Mook|s}}''': "''I don't wanna die...I don't wanna die!''"
* PolishedPort: {{Zigzagged}} for ''Razor's Edge'' - apart from the addition of several weapons, upgrades, collectible items and playable characters, nearly every aspect of the ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' game-play has been improved, from {{Combo}} speed to weapon responsiveness, to enemy AI, to the use of the ki bar and the revamped Steel-on-Bone mechanic, making the game much more technical; the [=PlayStation=] 3/Xbox 360 ports also corrects the frame-rate drops from the Creator/{{Nintendo}} UsefulNotes/WiiU version. Thus, while ''Razor's Edge'' seems to play this straight, it's {{Subverted}} when it still contains unusual bugs and glitches, such as the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=430r4wx2ldg infinite karma]]" glitch.
* ScrappyMechanic: The Steel-on-Bone mechanic in ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' was largely unnecessary due to it randomly activating in the middle of striking enemies and can interrupt {{Combo}}s. Rectified in ''Razor's Edge'' where Steel-on-Bone is used as a form of CounterAttack to prevent enemy {{Grapple Move}}s.
** Golden Scarab Beetle Collectibles are tied to unlocking some weapons such as the Lunar Staff and Kusari-Gama. While getting collectibles are mostly not too hard, it is annoying when some other weapons are just given to you at certain points. Worst of all, collectibles are tied to your rank and overall karam score. If you're playing for rank and want the best, you have to get all of the collectibles. The only saving grace is once you find the collectibles, they stay with you permanently, and any you missed you can replay either the campaign again once it beaten. Or by playing Chapter Challenge.
* SequelDifficultyDrop: A good part of the bashing ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' received is [[ItsEasySoItSucks due to this]]. The thing is, Hard Mode is still just as brutal as ever, so the jump between Normal and Hard is pretty steep.
* ThatOneBoss:
** The Regent of the Mask in ''3'' and ''Razor's Edge'', another WakeUpCallBoss akin to Murai, except he's also an SNKBoss who blocks almost every attack players do, is less exploitable than other bosses in the game, and can NoSell attacks. Without careful thinking on when to strike, expect to be brutally punished for it if players don't have the patience to time their attacks correctly.
** Provided players wish to tackle "Ninja Trials" in ''3'' and "Test of Valor" in ''Razor's Edge'', Marbus, but for a different reason: due to the lack of a controllable boss camera angle (introduced in ''Sigma II'', but strangely absent in ''3''), players face him 50% of the time off-screen. Thankfully, ''Razor's Edge'' brought the feature back, but that doesn't mean Marbus still isn't as tough as he was in previous installments. Furthermore, he's riddled with glitches, which is noticeable when doing online Ninja Trials with a partner (human or AI).
** The FinalBoss of ''Razor's Edge'', in sharp contrast to its vanilla version in ''3'': the first phase of it is notorious for being extremely cheap and unfair (never-ending homing projectiles, infinite {{Mook}} respawns of [[DemonicSpiders Chimera]]), locks out all other ninpo spells other than "True Inferno" and forces players to grind the ki gauge in order to build it up to unleash True Inferno on the boss, as it's the ''only'' attack that will damage it to allow the next phase of the fight to occur. The first phase more or less forces players to resort to overusing the cheapest techniques available in order to pass it.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: What some fans think of ''Ninja Gaiden 3'', from [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks the game-play not changing much since its predecessors]], to [[ItsEasySoItSucks its tone-downed difficulty]] to [[ItsShortSoItSucks overall game length]] compared to the others. It stands to reason ''Razor's Edge'' was made to correct every criticism inflicted upon ''3''.
* AntiClimaxBoss: The FinalBoss in ''Ninja Gaiden 3'': not that the fight isn't visually impressive, but 30% of it is fighting {{Mook}}s [[FlunkyBoss the boss sends at players]], 30% are [[PressXToNotDie quick-time events]] with the remaining 40% the ''actual'' fight. Furthermore, the latter is fundamentally the same boss fight as the Art/StatueOfLiberty boss in ''Sigma II'', which veteran ''Ninja Gaiden'' players have no problem against, making this FinalBoss arguably the easiest one in the modern trilogy. Averted in ''Razor's Edge'' when it becomes part of ThatOneBoss for the game.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: At the end of Day 5 in ''3'', a [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever colossal Obaba]] interrupts Ryu and Momiji who are on the way to see Joe Hayabusa via a boss fight. Not only is she and the Black Spider Ninja Clan not connected to the rest of the plot, they're never mentioned after the end of Day 5. ''Razor's Edge'' rectifies this by briefly noting the Black Spider are in cahoots with the "Lords of Alchemy" (LOA), yet the reason remains vague. Dialogue early on in that version does indicate that due to the death of Genshin in the prior game they became mercs for hire.
* CompleteMonster: [[MadScientist Clifford "Cliff" Higgins]] at first seems like a helpful scientist working for the Japanese Defense Force. However, Cliff is really working for the [[EvilutionaryBiologist Lords of Alchemy]], a group that wants to [[KillAllHumans destroy the human race]] and replace it with new "perfect" god-like beings; he is also the grandson of the head of the LOA. When Cliff's brother Theodore opposed Cliff's plans, Cliff had him killed in an [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident accident]]. Cliff later decides to bring his brother back to life, [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashes]] him and turns him into a terrorist. While under Cliff's control, Theodore launches a terrorist attack on London and murders the British Prime Minister. Cliff's plans come to a head when he uses his technology and hero Ryu Hayabusa's Dragon Sword, to turn Canna, [[EvilUncle his own niece]], into an EldritchAbomination called the Goddess. The Goddess then proceeds to go on a rampage across Tokyo, and will eventually destroy the entire human race. Later, after a fight with Ryu and a fatal injury at the hands of his brother, Cliff admits he did all this because he was [[DrivenByEnvy jealous of his brother]] and wanted to step out from under his shadow, any way he could.
* ContestedSequel: Yosuke Hayashi's drastically different vision for ''3'' left many fans skeptical. While some players believe it's still a fun ActionGame in its own right, if not, on par with the first two games, [[FanonDiscontinuity others prefer to pretend it never existed]] (interestingly, Hayashi was already involved in [[VideoGame/MetroidOtherM another]] ContestedSequel). ''Razor's Edge'' is unanimously considered an AuthorsSavingThrow, yet it also remains this in its own right, since some feel that while it rectified the shortcomings of ''3'', others feel ''Razor's Edge'' is still a bad game regardless of the improvements. A third group says that most aspects of ''Razor's Edge'' are still poor, due to it being built off of a bad game, but say that the combat mechanics are the best in the series.
* DemonicSpiders:
** Alchemists in ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' has a GroundPound-like maneuver that, while blockable, breaks guard and is hard to dodge most of the time. Furthermore, they're fast, agile, hurl homing "alchemy projectiles", block and evade often and frequently erect an "alchemy armor" that requires breaking it first before actual damage can be dealt, which light attacks from Ryu's weapons won't usually do; they also have a GrappleMove that not only slowly drains {{Hit Point}}s, but the ki gauge as well. Finally, in ''Razor's Edge'', the timing to perform a "Steel-on-Bone" CounterAttack is so exceptionally narrow compared to other humanoid enemies in the game that players will often opt out for dismemberment instead, allowing an "Obliteration Technique" to finish them off; unfortunately, Alchemists are the most resilient enemies in the game to be dismembered.
** Chimera in the later parts of ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' are essentially faster, more evasive Incendiary Kunai Black Spider Ninja, with the only saving grace is they don't have projectiles. Like Alchemists, they too block occasionally and might get a bead on escaping out of players' attack combos more often than not. The problem with these Chimera comes if they're dismembered: doing so, and they initiate an unblockable SuicideAttack, homing straight for Ryu, forcing players to prioritize on dismembered Chimera for an Obliteration Technique lest they risk a chunk of {{Hit Point}}s getting taken away. Fortunately, it's easy to note if a suicide-Chimera will begin its strike as they start sparking bright colors; additionally, if they don't reach Ryu in time, the suicide-Chimera will wind up exploding - their effects don't have what an ActionBomb {{Mook}} usually does in this series.
* FanonDiscontinuity: The original ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' is usually ignored, and ''Razor's Edge'' is seen by most players as the "real" version of the third game; however, that's without considering those who didn't even like ''Razor's Edge'' regardless.
* FashionVictimVillain: The Regent of the Mask - having an outfit consisting of a red BadassLongcoat, a CoolMask, a [[InTheHood mysterious hood]] and a gold-plated GlovedFistOfDoom can only make him one. To compliment this trope, he's armed with a RoyalRapier.
* GoddamnedBats: Dogs, the blue bugs and the human-like homunculi (pre-transformation into its "gorilla" or "snake" forms) often act as this in ''Razor's Edge'': while they aren't necessarily hard to defeat, the former two are just as agile as humanoid {{Mook}}s, while the latter have more {{Hit Point}}s than they appear.
* GoodBadBugs: In ''Razor's Edge'', Kasumi has a version of the "Cicada Surge" technique called "Sakura Madoi", allowing her to evade not only melee attacks like Ryu, but also bullets and missiles, meaning it's possible to use Sakura Madoi to teleport into areas normally inaccessible, and in extreme cases, ''out of the map''. This was fixed when the re-release was ported to the Sony UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and Microsoft UsefulNotes/Xbox360.
* HamAndCheese: The plot and dialogue of ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' are nothing to write home about but James Brinkley is very obviously having a blast as the Regent of the Mask. He's arguably the most memorable villain of the franchise just for how gloriously over the top he is.
* ImprovedByTheRecut: The reception to ''Razor's Edge'' is much more positive than the original version of ''3'', thanks to its staggering amount of game-play changes, difficulty re-balancing and removing the worst aspects from the narrative of the original game.
* ItsEasySoItSucks: ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' is such a far cry from its punishing predecessors that it would take ''Razor's Edge'' to ratchet the difficulty back up to normal, yet it keeps the easier "Hero" mode as a play-style that can be selected at any time.
* MemeticMutation
** [[LargeHam Why? BUSINESS OF COURSE!]][[note]]When asked by Ryu about the cloned dinosaurs in the Day 3 level of ''Ninja Gaiden 3'', the Regent of the Mask over-exaggerates his answer with these words[[/note]]
** Lovelace Gaga[[note]]An obvious reference to the character Lovelace's uncanny resemblance to Music/LadyGaga in ''Ninja Gaiden 3''[[/note]]
* {{Narm}}:
** The "don't kill me mate" scene at the beginning of the Day 1 level in ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' is so overdone and theatrical it winds up being hilarious instead of an intended PlayerPunch. Team Ninja must have taken notes as the scene is removed in ''Razor's Edge''.
** ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' as a whole is so {{Main/Anvilicious}} about its “Feel their pain/killing is bad” message that it crosses the line straight into unintentional hilarity.
* PlayerPunch: ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' goes to great length to make players feel the pain of the enemies they kill, be it the brutal Steel-on-Bone mechanic or the moaning of enemies if they aren't finished off as they crawl helplessly on the ground, bleeding to death.
-->'''Crawling and bleeding {{Mook|s}}''': "''I don't wanna die...I don't wanna die!''"
* PolishedPort: {{Zigzagged}} for ''Razor's Edge'' - apart from the addition of several weapons, upgrades, collectible items and playable characters, nearly every aspect of the ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' game-play has been improved, from {{Combo}} speed to weapon responsiveness, to enemy AI, to the use of the ki bar and the revamped Steel-on-Bone mechanic, making the game much more technical; the [=PlayStation=] 3/Xbox 360 ports also corrects the frame-rate drops from the Creator/{{Nintendo}} UsefulNotes/WiiU version. Thus, while ''Razor's Edge'' seems to play this straight, it's {{Subverted}} when it still contains unusual bugs and glitches, such as the "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=430r4wx2ldg infinite karma]]" glitch.
* ScrappyMechanic: The Steel-on-Bone mechanic in ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' was largely unnecessary due to it randomly activating in the middle of striking enemies and can interrupt {{Combo}}s. Rectified in ''Razor's Edge'' where Steel-on-Bone is used as a form of CounterAttack to prevent enemy {{Grapple Move}}s.
** Golden Scarab Beetle Collectibles are tied to unlocking some weapons such as the Lunar Staff and Kusari-Gama. While getting collectibles are mostly not too hard, it is annoying when some other weapons are just given to you at certain points. Worst of all, collectibles are tied to your rank and overall karam score. If you're playing for rank and want the best, you have to get all of the collectibles. The only saving grace is once you find the collectibles, they stay with you permanently, and any you missed you can replay either the campaign again once it beaten. Or by playing Chapter Challenge.
* SequelDifficultyDrop: A good part of the bashing ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' received is [[ItsEasySoItSucks due to this]]. The thing is, Hard Mode is still just as brutal as ever, so the jump between Normal and Hard is pretty steep.
* ThatOneBoss:
** The Regent of the Mask in ''3'' and ''Razor's Edge'', another WakeUpCallBoss akin to Murai, except he's also an SNKBoss who blocks almost every attack players do, is less exploitable than other bosses in the game, and can NoSell attacks. Without careful thinking on when to strike, expect to be brutally punished for it if players don't have the patience to time their attacks correctly.
** Provided players wish to tackle "Ninja Trials" in ''3'' and "Test of Valor" in ''Razor's Edge'', Marbus, but for a different reason: due to the lack of a controllable boss camera angle (introduced in ''Sigma II'', but strangely absent in ''3''), players face him 50% of the time off-screen. Thankfully, ''Razor's Edge'' brought the feature back, but that doesn't mean Marbus still isn't as tough as he was in previous installments. Furthermore, he's riddled with glitches, which is noticeable when doing online Ninja Trials with a partner (human or AI).
** The FinalBoss of ''Razor's Edge'', in sharp contrast to its vanilla version in ''3'': the first phase of it is notorious for being extremely cheap and unfair (never-ending homing projectiles, infinite {{Mook}} respawns of [[DemonicSpiders Chimera]]), locks out all other ninpo spells other than "True Inferno" and forces players to grind the ki gauge in order to build it up to unleash True Inferno on the boss, as it's the ''only'' attack that will damage it to allow the next phase of the fight to occur. The first phase more or less forces players to resort to overusing the cheapest techniques available in order to pass it.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: What some fans think of ''Ninja Gaiden 3'', from [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks the game-play not changing much since its predecessors]], to [[ItsEasySoItSucks its tone-downed difficulty]] to [[ItsShortSoItSucks overall game length]] compared to the others. It stands to reason ''Razor's Edge'' was made to correct every criticism inflicted upon ''3''.
