Line #2 VideoGame/ShinobiIIIReturnOfTheNinjaMaster


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shinobi_iii.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Turtles]], [[Anime/NinjaScroll scrolls]], and [[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden side stories]] not included.[[note]]There is, however, [[Film/SurfNinjas a surfboard]].[[/note]]'']]
3
4	->''"[='=]Shadows[='=]''\
5	''He is stronger than steel and moves faster than a whirlwhind.''\
6	''Sometimes he hides in mud. Other times he transforms his shape like an ever changing cloud''\
7	''Although his fighting spirit burns like fire, his mind is as calm as still water.''\
8	\
9	''[='=]Violation of the commandments[='=]''\
10	''Should VideoGame/{{Shinobi}} fail before completing the mission, he will disappear before the dawn and vanish forever.''\
11	''--From the [='=][[FictionalDocument Secret Manual of Oboro Ninjitsu]][='=]"''
12	-->-- '''[[https://rq87.flyingomelette.com/RQ/SS/S3/F/intro.html Intro]]'''
13
14	The sequel to ''VideoGame/TheRevengeOfShinobi'', known as ''The Super Shinobi II'' in Japan.
15
16	Twice, Joe Musashi had seemingly destroyed the worldwide crime organization Neo Zeed, but once again, two years after the events of the second game, Neo Zeed has risen again, now led by the mysterious Shadow Master. Sensing their presence, Joe descends from his isolated mountaintop home and once again enters the battle, perhaps to finally drive his blade through the heart of the forces of darkness once and for all. [[note]]Or, by the original plot before it was reworked considerably, Shadow Master was the true boss of Neo Zeed all along, with the titular Ninja Master, the last boss of the previous game, being his puppet, and Neo Zeed has been recreated by him as "Neo Ghost". In either case, Joe has to stop them.[[/note]]
17	----
18	!!This game provides examples of:
19	* ActionizedSequel: Joe now can [[VideoGameDashing run around]] and [[DivingKick dive kick]] enemies. This makes the game much faster paced than the previous one.
20	* AirborneAircraftCarrier: In the final mission, [[https://rq87.flyingomelette.com/RQ/SS/S3/F/rou.html fittingly titled "The Final Confrontation"]], Joe boards Neo Zeed's flying fortress and has to navigate past its automated defenses in order to reach the final duel with the Shadow Master.
21	* BattleAura: The final battle with the Shadow Master starts off on equal footing as [[DuelBoss he uses shuriken and a katana against Joe]]. Then when he takes enough damage, he calls down a beam of energy to power himself up with a corona of fire -- [[TurnsRed at which point]] he starts firing energy bolts from his palms, hurls a huge EnergyBall, counters Joe's dive kick with a {{Shoryuken}} and sometimes unleashes his own Ninjitsu technique to spray the entire chamber with energy bolts.
22	* BullfightBoss: The first stage boss inverts the typical sequence of this boss type. The player first needs to approach it, then attack when it makes its opening, then it does its charge maneuver when it's hit.
23	* CompositeCharacter: In the Japanese version of ''Shinobi III'', the penultimate boss is Byakushishi ("White Lion"), who is supposed to be the Ninja Master's younger brother, while Western releases makes him the titular Ninja Master instead.
24	* ConspicuousElectricObstacle: In stage 7, "The Final Confrontation", Shinobi invades Neo Zeed's aerial fortress. Inside, he has to navigate through a set of labyrinthine passageways. Some sections create more difficulty since in some parts a solid floor is replaced by an [[https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/genesis/586455-shinobi-iii-return-of-the-ninja-master/images?pid=586455&img=148 electrified obstacle]].
25	* CrosshairAware: In the WombLevel section of Round 3, the grotesque Hydra will surface in the background and a computerized targeting reticle will slowly drift towards Joe. Let it get too close and it locks on to him before the Hydra unleashes its laser breath. Blocking the Hydra's line of sight to Joe will temporarily disable the targeting system as the Hydra submerges and waits for him to be visible again.
26	* DashAttack: Joe can perform a dashing slice mid-run. It's his most powerful standard attack ''and'' grants him a generous amount of invincibility frames if timed right.
27	* DegradedBoss: The Shadow Dancer (Boss of Stage 2 in ''[[VideoGame/TheRevengeOfShinobi Revenge]]'') returns in as Stage 2's MiniBoss.
28	* DivingKick: One of Joe's moves, which causes him to bounce off of enemies upon making contact. His CoolHorse, Idaten, can also perform this while riding him in Round 2-1.
29	* DoubleJump: Only works at the apex of a full-length jump, and not a vertical jump. It's shown by a spin, and is also required for the FlechetteStorm.
30	* EvilCounterpart: The Shadow Master is this to Joe, especially since he was cloned from the Musashi bloodline.
31	* FlechetteStorm:
32	** As in [[VideoGame/TheRevengeOfShinobi the previous game]], Joe can perform one of these mid-DoubleJump at the cost of 8 shuriken, spraying his projectiles out in a wide arc in front of him.
33	** The Ninja Master gains a flechette spray attack launched with a flick of his kabuki wig.
34	** The Shadow Master can do this in two ways, by throwing three shuriken at once several times in a row, or by jumping in midair and raining down eight shuriken in an arc the same way Joe can.
35	* GuideDangIt: There's a functioning guard mechanic that can outright NoSell many projectiles and attacks, even trivializing some sections. The manual simply lists it as a defensive pose in a corner of the page like an awkward hang-on from the last that is easy to overlook, and doesn't bother to indicate just how effective it really is. [[https://rq87.flyingomelette.com/RQ/SS/S3/F/game.html As mentioned here,]] guarding is performed simply by holding down the attack button.
36	* JapaneseRanguage: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QXDTEgzmts "Mandara"]], the theme for the bosses of Rounds 1 and 6, is likely meant to be the Sanskrit word manda'''l'''a.
37	* KiteRiding: The horse ride sequence has enemies disembark in the background, run forward, then engage.
38	* LawyerFriendlyCameo: Yep, the fifth stage boss is [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} Mechagodzilla]].
39	* MarketBasedTitle: ''Shinobi III'' is titled ''The Super Shinobi II'' in Japan, establishing its status as a sequel to ''Revenge''.
40	* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: Rounds 2 and 3 each provide a preview of the corresponding boss in the background.
41	* NintendoHard: Most of the game isn't too difficult to really push you, though make no mistake, it will kick your butt if you're not ready. Then Round 5 hits and the game stops holding its punches as more dangerous challenges ensue. Round 7 ultimately throws everything it has at you, between various threats, nasty platforming challenges, and one hell of a FinalBoss.
42	* PostDefeatExplosionChain: Some of the bosses in the game, after being defeated, vanish after a sequence of little explosions. Examples include the first stage boss (a four-armed shogun), and the fourth stage boss (an aerial shooting machine that sinks in the water).
43	* PrehensileHair: The Ninja Master, FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/TheRevengeOfShinobi'', retains the use of his kabuki hair as a weapon and, when he returns here [[spoiler:[[DemotedToDragon as the penultimate boss]]]], he takes this [[ExaggeratedTrope Up To Eleven]], now being able to shoot a FlechetteStorm from it.
44	* RecurringRiff: In addition to a reprise in Round 5-1, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFZQWCg99l4 "Idaten"]] (the theme for the horseback riding sequence in Round 2-1) is remixed into [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kCTOmizgxk "Inner Darkside"]] -- a more low-key and ambient drum and bass track -- for Round 3-1. Considering [[WombLevel what comes next]], [[DarkReprise the change in feel and instrumentation]] give players a hint as to what they'll soon be up against.
45	* RiseToTheChallenge: The elevator in Round 2-3, which is also an AutoScrollingLevel. Falling off the bottom of the screen is death, and the ninja also has to jump off the elevator in order to navigate around barriers.
46	* TheRuinsICaused: The ending, where Joe looks at the remains of Neo Zeed's aerial base from a cliff after it crashes into the ground.
47	* RuleOfCool:
48	** Riding on horseback at the beginning of Round 2. On which said horse (Idaten) can do a '''DivingKick'''... awesome.
49	** Ninjas on surfboards in Round 4-1? Yes, please.
50	* SequelNumberSnarl: Despite the "III" in the title (and ''Return of the Ninja Master'' coincidentally being the third ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}'' game released for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis), this is the ''ninth'' overall game in the series. [[note]]Eighth if one discounts ''VideoGame/AlexKidd in Shinobi World''.[[/note]] The Japanese release is a little better about this, since the game is [[MarketBasedTitle instead billed]] as a direct follow-up to ''[[VideoGame/TheRevengeOfShinobi The Super Shinobi]]'' (which in turn [[CanonDiscontinuity ignored]] ''VideoGame/ShadowDancer'').
51	* SpoilerTitle: The Ninja Master, the FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/TheRevengeOfShinobi'', indeed returns, [[spoiler:[[DemotedToDragon albeit as the penultimate boss]]]].
52	* SteppingStonesInTheSky: Round 6 is set entirely on a series of falling rocks in a chasm.
53	* ToBeContinued: We are told this after the credits, [[AbortedArc but Joe's story isn't continued at all in the other games]]. [[note]]Joe does make appearances in the [[VideoGame/Shinobi2002 2002]] and [[VideoGame/Shinobi2011 2011]] installments, but only as a non-canon SecretCharacter.[[/note]]

Context VideoGame / ShinobiIIIReturnOfTheNinjaMaster