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12[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8a354cf0_d1ac_4648_862d_270b61de2f13.png]]
13[[caption-width-right:350:The ninja way knows neither good nor evil.]]
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15''Ninja Gaiden'', titled ''Ninja Ryūkenden'' ("Ninja Dragon Sword Story") in Japanese is an action game series produced by Creator/{{Tecmo}} (now Creator/KoeiTecmo) centering around Ryu Hayabusa, a {{ninja}} from the Dragon Clan, who gets involved with [[GovernmentConspiracy government conspiracies,]] kicks loads of ass and slaughters legions of supernatural beings along the way.
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17The series dates back to 1988 with two simultaneously developed games under the same title: an arcade version that was a side-scrolling BeatEmUp in the vein of ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'', and a more popular console version for the Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem, a [=2D=] action platformer notable for being one of the earliest action games to feature cinematic sequences between stages. The NES version would spawn two sequels, a Platform/GameBoy prequel, a couple of stand-alone versions for other platforms and an [[AnimeOfTheGame OVA]] set after the events of the NES trilogy before Tecmo discontinued the series after the release of the ''Ninja Gaiden Trilogy'' [[CompilationRerelease compilation]] for the {{Platform/Super N|intendoEntertainmentSystem}}ES in 1995.
18
19However, Ryu's presence in Tecmo's ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' fighting game series helped keep the series alive within the public's consciousness, leading to a revival in 2004 for the Platform/{{Xbox}} by ''DOA'' developer Team Ninja simply titled ''[[RecycledTitle Ninja Gaiden]]''. Since then, ''Ninja Gaiden'' has become Team Ninja's other major franchise, leading to even further sequels and spinoffs.
20
21There was also a set of licensed versions produced by Sega for their consoles in 1992. Rather than being ports of the previous Tecmo versions, Sega produced three different games that were unique to each platform. The Platform/GameGear version had the widest release of these versions, being available in North America, Europe and Japan (where it was released under the ''Ninja Gaiden'' banner instead of the usual ''Ninja Ryūkenden''), while the Platform/SegaMasterSystem version was available exclusively in Europe. The Platform/MegaDrive version, which was a beat-'em-up similar to the arcade game, was never released, but was leaked in the form of a pirated version that was still in an unfinished state.
22
23! List of games:
24[[index]]
25* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaidenArcade'' (1988)
26* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaidenNES'' (1988)
27* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaidenIITheDarkSwordOfChaos'' (1990)
28* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaidenIIITheAncientShipOfDoom'' (1991)
29* ''[[VideoGame/ShadowOfTheNinja Ninja Gaiden Shadow]]'' (1991)
30* ''VideoGame/{{Ninja Gaiden|2004}}'' (2004)
31* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaidenDragonSword'' (2008)
32* ''VideoGame/{{Ninja Gaiden II|2008}}'' (2008)
33* ''VideoGame/{{Ninja Gaiden 3|2012}}'' (2012)
34* ''VideoGame/YaibaNinjaGaidenZ'' (2014)
35[[/index]]
36
37! Other media
38[[index]]
39* Literature/WorldsOfPower novelization
40* ''Anime/NinjaGaiden'' OVA
41[[/index]]
42
43!!'''The NES Trilogy (1988-1991)'''
44
45[[quoteright:302:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nintendopower_3.jpg]]
46In the [[VideoGame/NinjaGaidenNES first game]], Ryu receives a letter from his father Joe Hayabusa (renamed Ken Hayabusa in the original localization), saying that should he not return, Ryu is to journey to America and contact a man named Walter Smith. Believing his father dead, Ryu goes to America to carry out this request. After battling a large man with an axe in a bar, he is subdued by a woman with a tranquilizer gun. He awakens in a prison cell, where the woman (Irene Lew) frees him and gives him a mysterious, grotesque statue. Ryu is puzzled by this, but presses onward. He meets with Smith, who identifies the statue as one of the Demon Statues, a pair of [[ArtifactOfDoom Artifacts of Doom]] he and Joe discovered and vowed to protect. As Ryu and Smith talk, the statue is stolen by another ninja. Ryu gives chase, and recaptures the statue, but returns to find Smith dying. Ryu vows to carry on his work, protecting the Demon Statues.
47
48However, Ryu is captured by the CIA and brought before A. Foster, the head of the agency. Foster reveals that Irene is one of their agents, and that she is tracking down a man known as Jaquio, who seeks to release [[SealedEvilInACan the powerful demon sealed in the statues]]. Foster orders Ryu to take out Jaquio; Ryu, remembering his oath to Smith, complies. Air-dropped into the jungles of Brazil, he makes his way to Jaquio's fortress, where he finds Jaquio has Irene at gunpoint. Jaquio reveals he has the second Demon Statue already, and [[HostageForMacGuffin demands Ryu's statue in exchange for Irene's life]]; Ryu, being new at the whole hero thing, complies. Jaquio's an old hand at villainy, however, and simply absconds with the statues and the girl -- but not before sending Ryu hurtling down a {{trapdoor}} to the catacombs below.
49
50Undaunted, Ryu fights his way to the top of the fortress, where he again encounters Jaquio and Irene... as well as Ryu's father, who, [[NotQuiteDead while not dead]], is under Jaquio's mind control. Ryu gets the better of Jaquio in battle, and in desperation, Jaquio launches a magic bolt at Ryu, but his father comes to his senses, [[TakingTheBullet intercepts the bolt]], and dies. The enraged Ryu proceeds to kill Jaquio... but he's too late, for [[OhCrap Jaquio has released the demon from the statues]]!
51
52Ryu bravely fights the demon, sealing it once more. After the battle, Foster radios Irene and orders her to assassinate Ryu and take the statues. Irene hesitates, and Ryu takes her radio and tells Foster the next time they meet, it will be as enemies.
53
54Quite a bit more elaborate than the SaveThePrincess plots of the day, isn't it?
55
56''[[VideoGame/NinjaGaidenIITheDarkSwordOfChaos Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/NinjaGaidenIIITheAncientShipOfDoom Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom]]'' both had similarly complex plots, centered around their titular {{MacGuffin}}s. Due to space considerations, we won't get much more into detail here; however, they offer just as many, if not more, twists and turns as the first game.
57
58As for the actual game that takes place between the {{cutscene}}s? ''Ninja Gaiden'' played a lot like ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaI'' -- only faster paced and with a more acrobatic protagonist. The games were the very epitome of NintendoHard, with enemies coming at you from every direction at once. Gamers didn't seem to mind, however -- even those who found the challenge to be too much suffered through it anyway to see the next chapter in Ryu's saga.
59
60There was also a Platform/GameBoy prequel game called ''Ninja Gaiden Shadow''. Taking place three years prior to the original trilogy, it has Ryu travelling to New York to battle Emperor Garuda, a servant of Jaquio.
61
62
63!!'''The Team Ninja series (2004-current)'''
64
65[[quoteright:306:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ninja-gaiden-xbox-cover_6902.jpg]]
66Sometime in 1999, Itagaki and Team Ninja began work on their first "action" title, aside from their on-going ''Dead or Alive'' series. Although then-Tecmo wanted a tie-in for this new revival with the NES trilogy, this Xbox version of ''Ninja Gaiden'', released in 2004, involves none of the elements. In an interview, Itagaki mentioned he "prefer not to be influenced by or base it on the original story". While Ryu's still the protagonist, none of the above elements are ''explicitly'' mentioned.
67
68The story establishes Ryu's a member of the Dragon Ninja Clan, charged with protecting the Dark Dragon Blade, a {{BFS}} imbued with some pretty extraordinary powers. After the game's tutorial level, he's informed that the Hayabusa Village has been destroyed. When Ryu investigates, a samurai pledged to the Holy Vigoor Emperor, Doku, kills him with the Dark Dragon Blade.
69
70Don't worry, [[BackFromTheDead he gets better]].
71
72Thus, the game embarks Ryu upon a [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge ferocious quest for revenge]] and the retrieval of the Dark Dragon Blade. The details of the plot are convoluted and don't add up to anything particularly extraordinary, but Ryu slices and dices his way through Vigoorian soldiers, tanks, zombies, ninjas and ghost piranhas.
73
74The Xbox version is, as the kids these days say, [[NintendoHard difficult]]... really, ''really'' difficult... as in "throw-your-controller-at-the-screen-and-scare-the-dog '''difficult'''". In contrast to other {{Hack And Slash}}ers, enemies avert MookChivalry and have no compunctions about suffocating the player at every available moment. In fact, beating this game is an achievement. Hell, there was an UpdatedRerelease called ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' which not only fixed gameplay imbalances, placed more enemies and bosses and added in "Combat Missions", it included two new modes: a "[[MercyMode super-duper-mega-easy]]" mode and an "even harder than HarderThanHard mode"! Unfortunately, it didn't help the "super-duper-mega-easy" mode was quite hard itself, difficult to the point of inducing trauma.
75
76The game was critically acclaimed by all, and considered the best 3D HackAndSlash game of its time. A title that it still keeps in the eyes of a lot of people, specially the ''Black'' version. Many praised its preserved difficulty from the NES trilogy, but without being unfair, alongside gorgeous visuals and attention to detail in combat and environments by pushing the Xbox beyond its hardware limitations. An EnhancedRemake of ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' called ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma'' for the Sony Platform/PlayStation3 was released in 2007, rounding out the last gameplay additions with a new character ([[ActionGirl Rachel]]), new weapons and enemies, while making it look more pretty with the console's high-defintion capabilities. It also removes or simplifies some puzzles that contained too much back-and-forth.
77
78In 2008, ''Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword'' was released for the Platform/NintendoDS. This GaidenGame sequel set six months after ''Ninja Gaiden'' tells of Ryu and his journey to save his apprentice, Momiji, and find the Dark Dragonstones that can resurrect an ancient Dark Dragon. In the same year, the true sequel ''Ninja Gaiden II'' was released for the Microsoft Platform/Xbox360, where another ArtifactOfDoom the Dragon Lineage were guarding, the Statue of the Archfiend, is stolen. Ryu must travel the world chasing the Four Greater Fiends as they attempt to resurrect the [[SealedEvilInACan Archfiend itself]]. Both games retain the difficulty of ''Ninja Gaiden'' (''Ninja Gaiden II'' arguably even harder) and the stories are serviceable, yet the latter's almost completely nonsensical, with EverythingTryingToKillYou more aptly applied. For example, at one point a giant armadillo with marginal fire ElementalPowers appears with [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere no apparent connection to the villains]].
79
80Following the release of ''Ninja Gaiden II'', Itagaki stepped down from Team Ninja and left the now merged Tecmo Koei. Current series director and producer Yosuke Hayashi took over and released an UpdatedRerelease of ''Ninja Gaiden II'' on the [=PS3=] as ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2''. Notably, the game partly resolves the nonsensical nature of the plot in the 360 original, but also throws in new characters ([[CanonImmigrant Ayane]] from the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series and [[TookALevelInBadass Momiji]], plus the return of Rachel) and scenarios, a co-op mission mode, a "Chapter Challenge" mode and a prologue that links ''Dragon Sword'' to current continuity (''Ninja Gaiden II'' never makes a mention of ''Dragon Sword''). It also significantly tones down the 360 game's gore and the number of enemies, making them more resilient instead.
81
82In February 2012, ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus'', an enhanced version of ''Sigma'' was released for the Vita, it featured new sets of accesories for both Ryu and Rachel, as well as utilizing the Vita's touch and motion controls.
83
84''Ninja Gaiden III'' was released in March 2012 on both [=PS3=] and 360. Contrary to his predecessor, Hayashi wanted to make the game "more accessible", and the game, while not exactly easy, is noticeably more forgiving than the first two games. For the first time in the series, ''Ninja Gaiden III'' features CompetitiveMultiplayer. Set after ''Ninja Gaiden II'', Ryu receives a request from the Japanese government, after terrorists take the British Prime Minister hostage, demanding his appearance. He travels to London and faces the mysterious foes, led by the enigmatic "Regent of the Mask", who places a curse on Ryu's right arm, making him feel the pain and hatred of the people he killed. The story also marks the return of scriptwriter [[VideoGame/ChronoTrigger Masato]] [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Kato]] to the series, bringing back the deep narrative seen in the NES trilogy. It effectively ties the modern games into overall continuity. ''III'' also has a much more cinematic and dramatic feel compared to its predecessors.
85
86Alas, while ''Ninja Gaiden III'' was successful commercially, it wasn't as much critically with players criticizing the aforementioned dumbed-down difficulty, excessively streamlined gameplay and a lack of replay value. Many fans of the earlier two titles particularly panned it: its attempt at story unwelcomed, its "cinematic and dramatic feel" was panned as needlessly boring ''and'' nonsensical (watch super-ninja Ryu Hayabusa [[GoodIsBoring ride around the desert in a jeep!]]) whereas ''II'' at least was entertaining and nonsensical and those who'd enjoyed the fast-paced, unforgiving but fair combat of the previous titles particularly blasted the decision to remove all other weapons and inject [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality poorly-done moral choices]] in their place.
87
88The game had a re-release in late 2012 on the Platform/WiiU (January 2013 in Europe) entitled ''Razor's Edge'', with Team Ninja addressing the flaws, such as re-adding back dismemberments, brutal difficulty, fleshed out gameplay, weapon acquisitions and upgrades and additional playable characters (Momiji, Ayane and the first appearance of [[CanonImmigrant Kasumi]] from ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive''). Also, some of the most disliked cutscenes were eliminated. Ports for the [=PS3=] and [=Xbox 360=] were released in April 2013. Both versions include all the downloadable content from the Wii U version already on the disc.
89
90Also in 2013, ''Sigma Plus 2'' was released on the Vita, it was widely considered superior to Sigma 2, as it restored all the gore that was cut on the [=PS3=] version.
91
92In 2014, a collaboration with Spark Unlimited and Comcept gave birth to a SpinOff called ''VideoGame/YaibaNinjaGaidenZ''. The protagonist is Yaiba, one of the many victims of Ryu Hayabusa, who is BackFromTheDead to chase the man who killed him. The tone, graphical style and gameplay differ vastly from the main series, though. [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies Also, there are zombies.]] The game unfortunately received below average scores, with critics deriding it for being vastly inferior to the main series.
93
94Due to the poor reception of ''Yaiba'', Team Ninja officially announced in early 2017 that the series was on an indefinite hiatus, and would be brought back "when the time was right". Practically nothing was heard about the series since then, until January 2019 when Team Ninja unexpectedly filed a trademark for ''Yaiba'' again, though it is unknown what will become of it.
95
96On February 17th, 2021, during a Nintendo Direct it was officially announced that the modern series is getting a collection release titled ''Ninja Gaiden Master Collection'', composed of ''Sigma 1'', ''Sigma 2'' and ''Razor's Edge''[[note]]fans lamented the absence of ''Black'' or the original ''II'' in the collection, but staff members explained that the source codes of those games were unfortunately lost.[[/note]], with most of its DLC, in one pack; released on June 10th, 2021 for Platform/NintendoSwitch, Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/XboxOne, and PC - which marked the much anticipated debut of the modern trilogy on the latter platform, and the debut of the first two games on a Nintendo platform.
97
98'''Now with a good [[Characters/NinjaGaiden Character Sheet]], thus character tropes go there.'''
99
100----
101!!The ''Ninja Gaiden'' video game series provides examples of:
102
103[[foldercontrol]]
104
105[[folder:General tropes]]
106* ActionGirl: Although this series falls for the FauxActionGirl a little bit too often, Ayane, Momiji and Rachel in ''Sigma 2'' definitely play the role straight.
107** Irene should count: those times when she isn't ''already'' captured [[spoiler: or dead]] she can definitely hold her own. She even pulls her own BigDamnHeroes [[spoiler: in ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'' when she rescues Ryu from death with the help of a submachinegun]].
108* AnachronicOrder: Some ContinuitySnarl and FlipFlopOfGod aside, the series goes like this, from a young 18 years old Ryu to a 23 years[[note]]25 as of ''[=DOA5=]''[[/note]] old Master Ninja:
109** ''Ninja Gaiden Shadow'' (Game Boy) --> ''Ninja Gaiden'' (Xbox) --> ''Dragon Sword'' --> ''Ninja Gaiden II'' --> ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' --> ''Ninja Gaiden'' (NES) --> ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'' --> ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'' --> ''Ninja Ryūkenden'' OVA --> ''Dead or Alive'' series
110* AppropriatedTitle: The original incarnation of the franchise was known as ''Ninja Ryūkenden'' (Ninja Dragon Sword Story) in Japan and ''Shadow Warriors'' in Europe. When Team Ninja rebooted the series, they chose to stick with one title worldwide instead of having a different {{market based title}} for each region. This caused a side effect which led to the Japanese versions of the game being easier to distinguish (the older series is known as ''Ninja Ryūkenden'', while the rebooted version is ''Ninja Gaiden''), a privilege not afforded to American fans.
111* ArtifactOfDoom: The Dragon Ninja clan apparently exists to look after these, keeping the lids on various [[SealedEvilInACan cans of evil]]. They aren't too good at it though, considering how [[RedshirtArmy everybody but Ryu gets killed. Twice]].
112* ArtisticLicenseGeography: The arcade game ending involves Ryu in a small boat heading back to Japan. Both Tokyo Tower and Mt. Fuji are together in the same skyline in the shot.
113* BattleCouple: Ryu the badass OneManArmy {{Ninja}} and Irene/[[spoiler:Sonia]] [[TheGunslinger the Girl With Guns]] then later ''MissionControl''; still together in the ''Dead or Alive'' series.
114* ContinuityCameo: Ayane from ''Dead or Alive'' shows up in the modern trilogy. Inverted with Irene, who makes a cameo in ''Dead or Alive: Dimensions'' as Ryu's CIA contact during the story mode. [[spoiler: The cameo doubles as confirming Sonia from ''Ninja Gaiden II'' as Irene's alias]].
115** [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Kasumi]]]] gets a [[TheFaceless faceless]] cameo in ''Sigma 2''. [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Hayate]]]] is name-dropped in ''III'' and certain characters in ''Dragon Sword'' appear on-screen in the same game.
116* ContinuityNod: With ''Dead or Alive: Dimensions'', Hayashi has tried fixing some of Itagaki's mess, with Irene making a cameo in particular, as an attempt at settling Ryu's appearance in ''Dead or Alive'' as being placed years after his solo adventures.
117** Within the franchise, ''Sigma 2'' gives many throwbacks to previous games, such as the inclusions of Rachel from ''Ninja Gaiden'' and Momiji from ''Dragon Sword'', something the original release ''Ninja Gaiden II'' for the 360 didn't trouble itself with. Similarly, a number of enemies in ''II'' were taken directly from ''Dragon Sword'' (the Rasetsu ninjas and the red dragons, among others).
118** In the New York level of ''Ninja Gaiden II'', you can see some scrolling signs reading "[[Videogame/DeadOrAlive Doatec]]".
119* ContinuitySnarl: Ryu's appearance in ''Dead or Alive'', since the first installment made clear in his character bio that the current Ryu is, {{canon}}ically, the one who already has ventured through all his solo games, reinforced by stating he's a Curio Shop owner, something that would only happen after the end of the NES trilogy with Ryu married to Irene and everything else, namely from the OVA. Itagaki then envisioned the ''new'' ''Ninja Gaiden'' series for the Xbox and kind of made continuity unstable, such as having Ryu wear his "Black Falcon" outfit as the default outfit from ''Dead or Alive 4'' and onward, while making no mention of Irene or his shop ''in-game''.
120** As of ''Dead or Alive: Dimensions'', things seemed to have been fixed, thanks to a couple of cameos here and there.
121* ConvectionSchmonvection: In ''Ninja Gaiden II'', Ryu can run on lava and swim in it, although it starts to hurt later. Possibly justified since he can set himself on fire every time he uses fire-based Ninpo (and other elemental Ninpo).
122** Back in ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'' and ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'', Ryu can easily cross a firepit or the caldera of an active volcano and won't suffer injuries unless he falls into the flames or lava.
123* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Both incarnations of the franchise involve Ryu eventually fighting giant demons.
124* DressedLikeADominatrix:
125** One of the Ancient Greater Fiends, Ishtaros, is a powerful evil goddess. She wears black thigh-high high-heeled boots, some weird leather straps on her arms, and that's pretty much it. One of her arms sports FemmeFatalons, the other one is a tentacle [[WhipOfDominance she uses like a whip]].
126** Rachel too uses this aesthetic. Her combat suit is made of black leather, and consists of thigh-high boots, gloves of varying length, and a leotard which exposes her cleavage and lower midriff.
127* DualBoss: The NES series has some of this but the modern series is fond of pitting you against two to three bosses at once, sometimes with mooks involve! ''Razor's Edge'' takes it up to eleven.
128** Curse you, Giants of the Underworld!
129** Also, the "Dragons" pro wrestling duo in the arcade version.
130** The Tengu brothers in ''Sigma 2'', although it's an odd example since you alternatively fight them alone and together several times throughout the game (see RecurringBoss below).
131** The Quetzalcoatl in ''Ninja Gaiden II''
132** In the original trilogy, it's the Kelbeross in the first two games, followed by Great Koganei in the third.
133* EldritchLocation: The Realm of Chaos, the Labyrinth of Shadows, and the eponymous Ancient Ship of Doom
134* EmpathicWeapon: The Dragon Sword
135* FanServicePack: ''Dead or Alive: Dimensions''[='=] inclusion of [[spoiler:Irene's cameo]] and revealing that [[spoiler:Sonia was her alias in ''Ninja Gaiden II'' for the Xbox 360]], pretty much "upgraded" all of [[spoiler:Irene's previously known portrayal in the classic trilogy]].
136* GameOverMan: The arcade game is infamous for it's continue screen of Ryu strapped to a table with a buzzsaw lowering down onto him.
137* GratuitousJapanese: The original Japanese version was titled ''Ninja Ryūkenden'' ("Ninja Dragon Sword Story"), so the localization's title almost makes it seem like a GaidenGame when it isn't at all.
138* GravityIsPurple: The Art of The Piercing Void, one of Ryu's most powerful ninja techniques, allows him to control gravity in order to create a black hole surrounded by purple energy.
139* HappilyMarried: Ryu and Irene after the NES trilogy, during the OVA and carried over to ''Dead or Alive'', until this fact was stopped being mentioned in the latter after Itagaki envisioned the modern trilogy, possibly in an attempt to discard the idea of his creation being a long {{prequel}} for the original NES trilogy, turning into a [[AlternateContinuity new continuity]] altogether, and leaving Ryu free for new [[LoveInterest interests]]. It took ''Dead or Alive: Dimensions'' to fix the timeline again, namely bringing Irene back to make things stable... although the game is still very vague on the romance/marriage matter.
140* HighlyVisibleNinja:
141** Who said ninja games need a stealth mechanic? Considering Ryu has the access of the Dragon Sword and he's constantly facing demons and fiends that might not be fooled by stealth easily, perhaps stealth wasn't that necessary. It's also implied in ''III'' that it's sometimes defied, as Ayane manages to get some top secret information from the government without being detected. If it's against mundane humans (and cutscenes), stealth ''is'' an option for Ninjas here; meaning that Ryu can afford to be visible because he allows it to and anyone who sees him without his permission is gonna die.
142** ''Ninja Gaiden II'' ''seemed'' like you could be stealthy for once, until it gets retracted in a few seconds. How fast can you replace a searchlight that seemingly '''exploded''' for no reason?
143** ''Ninja Gaiden III'' introduces stealth kills, although they are totally optional.
144* KeepItForeign: The series' international title of ''Ninja Gaiden'' was chosen because Tecmo thought ''Ninja Ryūkenden'' was hard to pronounce for Westerners. Interestingly, evidence seems to suggest that ''Ninja Gaiden'' was actually the original title (since the original arcade game was developed as a parody of American ninja films and their misunderstanding of Japanese culture), with ''Ninja Ryūkenden'' being something Tecmo came up later due to the original title being too nonsensical for Japanese players.
145* LargeAndInCharge: In the Arcade, NES trilogy and modern games, the bosses literally loom over Ryu Hayabusa. But just like [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro]], [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} the Doomguy]], [[VideoGame/{{Metroid}} Samus Aran]] and [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} the Belmont Clan]], size means jack shit to our resident superninja, as he can and will carve a path through his enemies.
146* MultipleChoicePast: It all comes down to Tecmo Koei simply establishing an official timeline without producers stating their own versions. Until then, it's not entirely clear which game represents Ryu's [[OriginsIssue first true adventure]]: the arcade game, the NES trilogy or the modern series.
147* NintendoHard: If there's anything that can be said to be consistent about the series, it's that all of the entries are thumb-breakingly difficult. For the newer series, the guys at Team Ninja know it. You get an achievement for continuing enough times!
148%%* RatedMForManly: Especially the modern series.
149* {{Retcon}}: Some worth of mention, as Tecmo passed the series around to just about any willing developer and producer: Natsume, Team Ninja, Itagaki, Hayashi, etc. Of course, each had their own visions for the series:
150** ''Ninja Gaiden Shadow'' is said to be set three years before the NES trilogy. Add to the fact Ryu is in his early 20s in the NES games don't match up with the modern trilogy, either.[[labelnote:Explanation]]This is the major reason why FlipFlopOfGod is heavy in regards to the post-2004 games being a {{Prequel}} to the NES trilogy: Ryu from 20 to 23[[note]]25 as of ''[=DOA5=]''[[/note]] years-old ventured through the trilogy and settled in the ''Dead or Alive'' series just as Ryu from 21 to 22 years-old gone through the present series and settled in ''Dead or Alive'' series at 23[[note]]25 as of ''[=DOA5=]''[[/note]]. The only way to reconcile this is by saying Ryu has done ''both'' sagas at around the same time.[[/labelnote]]
151** Irene became a walking {{Retcon}} herself [[spoiler:when "Sonia" was confirmed to be another one of her codenames she uses on the field ''Dead or Alive''. Now it seems Ryu actually knew Irene before the NES series in the 360 version of ''Ninja Gaiden II'', while in the first NES game he certainly doesn't find "Sea Swallow" familiar to a certain Sonia he met earlier. Irene's appearance [[SarcasmMode of course was always]] that of a blond buxomed babe with pale skin instead of a brunette with modest body proportions; maybe she was [[WildMassGuessing wearing a disguise]] in the NES series]]?
152** Ryu and Irene's marital status. The first ''Dead or Alive'' states they're HappilyMarried and Irene dutifully runs their Antique Shop while Ryu is away fighting in the tournament. In the next ''Dead or Alive'' tournament, their marriage became a mysterious subject: Ryu still is an Antique Shop owner, but Irene isn't mentioned in his bio anymore; in fact, it was doubtful that Irene ever existed from the second tournament onwards. When ''Dead or Alive: Dimensions'' was released, it recaps the first four tournaments and brought her back into the fray, but the marriage remains a mystery and suddenly Irene's a CIA agent again. The recap of ''Dimensions'' just goes as far as to imply they're romantically involved.
153* SequentialBoss: The NES trilogy, plus the Vigoorian Emperor in the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''. Most bosses in ''III'' are also like this (which may explain why they have no life-bar).
154* SingleStrokeBattle: The attract cinematic of the arcade version features a battle between the player character and a hockey mask-wearing {{mook}}. Never bring brass knuckles to a sword fight...
155* SleevesAreForWimps: Ryu's arms are the only skin he bares in both incarnations.
156* TenMinuteRetirement: While some elements of the OVA became canon for the ''Dead or Alive'' series (and by proxy the modern trilogy), the fact Irene retired from being a CIA agent to run an Antique Shop with Ryu didn't stick, at least in the {{Retool}} ''Dead or Alive: Dimensions'', where Irene acts as MissionControl for Ryu during his mission. It's unclear if she still is involved with their Antique Shop.
157* UpdatedRerelease: Every modern game had at least one.
158** For the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'', there's ''Black'', ''Sigma'' ([=PS3=]) and ''Sigma Plus'' (Platform/PlayStationVita).
159** For ''Ninja Gaiden II'' (Platform/Xbox360) there is ''Sigma 2'' ([=PS3=]) and ''Sigma 2 Plus'' (Vita)
160*** ''Sigma 2'''s case is a bit special though. Due to an exclusivity contract with Microsoft, ''II'' could not be ported onto the [=PS3=]. The only way to do it after Itagaki left was to add, remove and change so many things that ''Sigma 2'' would be considered an independent game rather than a mere port. It worked: although the levels, combat system and enemies are pretty much the same, the playing experience is quite different.
161** For ''Ninja Gaiden 3'' ([=PS3=][=/=]360) there is ''Razor's Edge'' (Platform/WiiU, and then to [=PS3=][=/=]360).
162** ''Ninja Gaiden Trilogy'' for the SNES can technically be counted as one for the NES series, though it winds up as a subversion. It uses the same 8-bit graphics, but in a couple levels in ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'' that had amazing 8-bit multiple parallax scrolling backgrounds, became single static scrolling backwards. It was actually a downgrade.
163* TheVerse: ''Ninja Gaiden'' and ''Dead or Alive'' are one in the same universe, with the modern trilogy marking the earliest events, followed by the NES trilogy, and capping off with the ''Dead or Alive'' tournaments as the lastest.
164* WallJump: The original NES trilogy lacked a wall-jump mechanic, but instead had a wall-clinging mechanic. The first game in the series with a proper wall-jump mechanic was ''Ninja Gaiden'' (1992) on the Platform/SegaMasterSystem. The wall-jump mechanic was then adopted by the later 3D ''Ninja Gaiden'' games.
165[[/folder]]
166
167[[folder:Tropes in the NES trilogy]]
168* AirJousting: Both Ryu and his old man suck at it in the Original Trilogy. And after twenty-plus years.
169* AscendedGlitch: While Ryu could always stick to walls, he could only WallCrawl on select surfaces with ladder-like patterns on them in the original. However, with a little practice, it was easy to jump away from the wall and curl back onto it at a higher spot (which made several areas with difficult platforms, particularly Stage 5-3, much easier). Starting with ''The Dark Sword Of Chaos'', he was able to crawl up any wall.
170* BigBad
171** Jaquio in the first NES game.
172** Ashtar in ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'' and [[TheChessmaster the orchestrator]] of the events of the first. [[TheManBehindTheMan His position gets hijacked]] when [[spoiler:the Demon is revived (twice!) inside Jaquio's body by the Dark Sword of Chaos]].
173** [[spoiler:Clancy]] in ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'', after doublecrossing [[TheDragon his]] [[UnwittingPawn boss]].
174* BossBonanza: One major source of the trilogy's notoriously brutal difficulty. At the end of the first game, you had to fight three bosses in a row, and you would lose all your subweapon energy after each boss, forcing you to go on with just your base sword! Death at the end hands of any of the three would result in being sent back to the start of the entire ACT (the bosses were stage 6-4, and a death during one of them sent you clear back to 6-1!). This made learning boss mechanics through trial and error extremely difficult due to the long amount of time it took to get back to them after a defeat. At least the defeated bosses stayed dead when you got back to them, or many people would have given up entirely. This glitch was discovered in playtesting, but left in on purpose.
175* CaptainErsatz: The mook with a hockey mask and [[MacheteMayhem a machete]] (named Jackson) is based on [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]].
176* CompilationRerelease: The aptly named ''Ninja Gaiden Trilogy'' for the Super NES collects all three games together, though unlike similar 16-bit compilations, it does very little to update the games for the stronger platform aside from using a few more colors and slightly redrawing the cutscenes.
177%%* CueTheSun: The {{happy ending}} of the first and third NES games.
178* {{Cutscene}}: One of the first games, if not, [[TropeMaker the first game to incorporate these]] in between levels to tell a cohesive story.[[note]]Technically, the first VideoGame/CaptainTsubasa game came first, but that game wasn't released in North America until 1992, where it was [[DolledUpInstallment dolled up]] as "Tecmo Cup Soccer" (referred to on the title screen as "Tecmo Cup Soccer Game").[[/note]]
179* DoppelgangerAttack: The Kelbeross beasts from the first two NES games, where only one of them was vulnerable but both were very, very deadly. Similarly, Ryu acquired this skill in ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'', where he could generate up to two Shadow Clones that are invulernable, would follow in his footsteps ''precisely'' (even stopping in midair if Ryu himself jumped and then stopped moving), and would slash or use Ninja Arts in perfect sync with him. A great deal of boss strategies (and speed runs) centered around proper positioning of these clones while Ryu himself ducked into a safe spot..
180* FakeDifficulty: Aside from the famed birds and pits, there's also the fact that screwing up against the bosses in Level 6 of the first game will dump you at the start of the stage for no reason. Even if it's not a Game Over, and even though this hasn't been the way things work for the entire rest of the game. The fact that once you kill a boss it stays dead even after you hike it back there doesn't fully cover for how much of a dick move this is. The hit detection in all three of the games is also pretty awful. Ryu or pretty much any enemy can be hit, damaged or killed if their only pixels away from a damaging enemy or weapon, not when they, ya know, actually get attacked by said enemy or weapon. However, there are also points when you can clearly see Ryu's knife go through an enemy, but nothing happens to the enemy. This can make trying to make quick decisions or getting into tight spots much more of a pain, therefore leading to a fair amount of cheap deaths or injuries. A good example would be trying to avoid the stars flying ninjas throw at you in stages 5-3 and 6-2 in the first game. In the third game, this hit detection problem reaches bootleg game levels of bad. For example, if your on a platform, and a spike in a platform below comes near but is still many pixels away from your feet, it counts as a hit.
181* FauxActionGirl: Irene, despite being a badass CIA agent, finds herself captured in both the first and second games. Played with both ways in ''The Ancient Ship of Doom'', which begins with Irene apparently murdered by a Ryu clone during the opening credits while spying on a secret lab. However, she later has a BigDamnHeroes moment when she rescues Ryu from the same clone with a machine gun.
182%%* FourIsDeath: The Malice Four in the first NES game.
183%%* {{Hellhound}}: The Kerbeross beasts from the NES ''Ninja Gaiden'' and ''The Dark Sword of Chaos''
184* HighlyVisibleNinja: How did the CIA and Jacquio's troops find Ryu so quickly after he came to America? Maybe it's because he's the only person in modern New York who runs around in broad daylight dressed like a Ninja.
185%%* LedgeBats: The birds.
186* TheManBehindTheMan: Jacquio --> Ashtar --> Jacquio. Trust us, ItMakesSenseInContext.
187* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The NES games were fond of this. In the first, [[spoiler: Ryu leaves the statues together too long, releasing the Demon]]; a year later in ''The Dark Sword of Chaos'', [[spoiler: he doesn't pay attention as the pool of blood from Jaquio's corpse reaches the Sword of Chaos, releasing the Demon again]].
188%%* OneWingedAngel: Jacquio in the first game, [[spoiler:Jacquio again]] in the sequel and Clancy in the final.
189* PlatformHell: The NES games. If it wasn't bad enough that Tecmo forced you to use the wall cling ability and jump across tiny platforms over pits, they decided to throw in GoddamnedBats, eagles and even the ''grunts'' on full force. Worse, the first two games allow infinite {{mook}} respawns.
190* PainfullySlowProjectile: Played straight in the NES trilogy, thank goodness. The PlatformHell aspect of the game is hard enough as is; it's almost NightmareFuel to think of what it would be like had the several enemies who shot at you or threw shuriken at you did so ''quickly''.
191* PlayingWithFire: Most of Ryu's Ninja Arts in the NES trilogy revolve around flinging fireballs or encasing himself in them with the [[InvincibilityPowerUp Invincible Fire Wheel]].
192* PrecisionGuidedBoomerang: The Windmill Throwing Star in the NES trilogy and the Windmill Shuriken in the two Xbox games.
193* RespawningEnemies: The NES trilogy has perhaps the most frustrating examples of such. After killing any mook, if their spawn point even goes ''one pixel'' offscreen and back, they're immediately back. In fact, the spawn points are so sensitive, you may find yourself at times standing in just the right spot for a spawn point to be grazing the boundary, causing them to ''infinitely respawn'' should you keep killing them without moving.
194* RuleOfThree: In the NES trilogy, each game requires Ryu to fight three bosses in succession in the final stage.
195* SceneryPorn: The NES series had a fair amount of this as well: each game had at least one cutscene that was just a grand panoramic sweep that generally showed Ryu in the foreground gazing upon his uniformly majestic destination, and many of the backgrounds and stages were more visually detailed and attractive than the player was likely to notice.
196* TeamPet: The Kelbeross are a villainous example, being Jaquio's pet dogs (well, they were before he mutated them into gargantuan monstrosities). This only gets described [[AllThereInTheManual in the manual]], though, leading people who didn't read it to consider them a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere.
197* TrapDoor: The NES trilogy is loaded with these.
198%%* VisibleSilence: Made famous by the NES titles.
199%%* WarmupBoss: Surprisingly, most of the early bosses in the NES games were this.
200* [[OhCrap What the...?!]]: In the NES trilogy, this is Ryu's version of an OhCrap Moment. He tends to draw these like a moth to a flame.
201[[/folder]]
202
203[[folder:Tropes in the Team Ninja series]]
204* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer:
205** The tenth level of the Xbox title, oddly named "the Aquaduct" (sic).
206** DownTheDrain: A sizeable chunk of the sequel's third chapter [[DownTheDrain takes place in a sewer]].
207* ActionizedSequel: The original sequel for the modern Ninja Gaiden series on Xbox, ''Ninja Gaiden II'' on the 360, heavily toned down the exploration and puzzle elements found in the previous game, the stages became very streamlined, finding a key or two to open a door became almost trivial - if that wasn't streamlining enough, ''Sigma 2'' on [=PS3=] removed any traces of exploration found in the 360 version altogether; by then modern Ninja Gaiden became just like its classic series: full blown action only, all Ryu needs to do to progress through the game is to beat enemies and push foward. ''Ninja Gaiden III'' followed on Sigma 2, being exclusively action oriented.
208* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Beating any of the difficulty levels in the modern games rewards the player with a new costume.
209* AscendedExtra: Some of the characters, bosses, and even ''mooks'' get this in the sequels and [[UpdatedRerelease Updated Rereleases]].
210%%* AutoRevive: Talisman of Rebirth in the modern trilogy
211* AwesomeButImpractical: The Falcon's Talons from ''Ninja Gaiden II'' and onwards is generally regarded as having one of the worst Ulimate Techniques to use (the talons themselves are very restrictive to close combat), but it's awesome to see Ryu go berserk on an enemy with claws attached to his hands and feet.
212* BagOfSpilling: In the modern trilogy, this is averted for Ryu's movelist. The Flying Swallow, Izuna Drop, counter and Guillotine Throw are all unlocked at the start of ''II'', all of which were acquired during the first game. Played straight for the weapons in a strange way: three of them that are found in random places (the Lunar, [[DualWielding Dragon's Claw & Tiger's Fang]] and the Vigoorian Flail) were already acquired in the first game, [[FridgeLogic of which two of them are supposed to be unique…]]
213* {{BFS}}: Aside from playable examples, cleavers are used by Fiend Nightmares and Spirit Doku has one long nodachi in the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''. Dagra Dai {{Dual Wield|ing}}s these as well.
214* BlockingStopsAllDamage: One boss explodes. The way to avoid damage is to block it. This leads to a massive arena-wide explosion stopped by a katana.
215* BloodierAndGorier: ''Ninja Gaiden II'' for the 360 ([[SerialEscalation as if the first wasn't gory enough...]]). ''III'' more or less goes back to the level of the first game by removing dismemberments and decapitations entirely, although thanks to a new graphical engine, HighPressureBlood will not only stain Ryu's weapon during fights, but also his body [[CameraAbuse and the camera]]. However, ''Razor's Edge'' brings back all the gore that made ''Ninja Gaiden II'' (in)famous.
216* BoringButPractical:
217** For the array of awesome weapons that you have stashed in {{Hammerspace}}, you'll probably end up being forced to use the Dragon Blade to beat bosses and higher-tier enemies.
218** To a lesser extent, shurikens do virtually no damage but are very useful to stun small enemies and prevent them from grabbing you or interrupting your charge for an Ultimate Techqniue.
219* BossInMookClothing: Good Lord, the Vigoorian Berserkers. They are armed with a [[{{BFS}} Dabilahro]], [[LightningBruiser are fairly fast for their build]], [[ImplacableMan have a solid guard but are also very resilient]], and on top of that have nothing but powerful close range ''and'' distance attacks. Of course if you try to use a Flying Swallow, [[KungFuProofMook you will be promptly dissuaded]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard to try again]]. Manage to deal them enough damage? To reward you, they [[TurnsRed turn red]] and become even more dangerous. Granted, there is a simple tactics to take them down (let them attack at close range and use a counter) [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard but it doesn't work so well when there are two or three of them]] (which is, 90% of the time).
220* ChainsawGood: Spriggans (zombies in ''Ninja Gaiden II''/''Sigma 2'') with chainsaws and cannons for arms
221* ChargedAttack: Hold-type, though a variation. To pull off the devasting Ultimate Techniques in the modern games, you must collect essences by holding down the heavy attack button in the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''. The sequels and remakes allowed the techniques to be performed even if essence isn't collected, but it will kick in much faster if essence is absorbed. ''Ninja Gaiden III'', however, opts out into the collect-type: you can only unleash an Ultimate Technique when Ryu's arm starts to glow red after killing {{mook}}s. In the same vein, Ninpo can only be activated if a gauge is filled up. Then ''Razor's Edge'' goes back to a mixed-system, even adding a third level of charge.
222* ChargeMeter: Ryu glows brighter and more fiercely as the charge of an Ultimate Technique increases (accompanied by an explosion).
223%%* CherryTapping: [[http://iberiansngrealm.com/Wooden_Sword.html Wooden Sword School]]
224%%* ChestMonster: [[MemeticMutation We found some ghost fish - in a chest! Instead of a box of "cash"!]]
225%%* CollapsingLair: A staple of the series once the BigBad [[LoadBearingBoss is defeated]].
226* CompetitiveBalance:
227** Weapons in the modern trilogy use some combination of [[NecessaryDrawback range, damage, combo potential and the power of the Ultimate Technique]]. The Dragon Sword is the most balanced but in the first game there are several weapons that mostly play the same way (War Hammer, Dihilabhro and the Unlabored Flawlessness are all heavy blunt weapons, as well as the Dark Dragon Blade in bonus-quests). The sequel has a bit more variety in that regard, since no two weapons play quite the same.
228** Also used for the girls in ''Sigma 2'': Rachel is the MightyGlacier, Ayane the FragileSpeedster, while Momiji's a JackOfAllStats.
229* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Ryu, a lone {{ninja}}, will slice his way through veritable armies of {{mook}}s.
230* CounterAttack: A basic technique in the modern games, although it has been progressively {{nerf}}ed. In the first game, it was overpowered (especially if used with the [[{{BFS}} Dabilahro]]), but in the sequel they mainly served to dismember weaker enemies. By ''Ninja Gaiden III'', it's just a little more damaging than a heavy attack. ''Razor's Edge'' un-nerfs it by giving it back its dismembering properties.
231* DeadlyLunge:
232** The Flying Swallow and Guillotine Throw techniques can make short work of the standard Mooks.
233** A lot of enemies like to pull these stunts too.
234* {{Doppelganger}}: The aggressive Doppelganger Fiends in the modern series. They are capable of doing nearly every single one of Ryu's moves and every single advanced techniques a player ''must'' know.
235%%* DoppelgangerAttack: The Doppelganger Fiends.
236* DualWielding: A wide assortment available for Ryu, ranging from the Dragon's Fang and Tiger's Claw, Tonfas and the [[spoiler:True Dragon Sword and Blade of the Archfiend]].
237%%* EarnYourFun: Itagaki wasn't the page quote for nothing.
238* EatenAlive: At the start of one of the boss battles, Rachel gets devoured whole and alive by a fiend right in front of Ryu.
239* ElaborateEqualsEffective: Used for every weapon in the modern trilogy, except for katanas. In a variation, [[spoiler:the True Dragon Sword and Blade of the Archfiend]] replaces a maxed-upgraded Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang in ''II''/''Sigma 2'', since it's the strongest weapon in the game.
240* EliteMooks: The Underworld versions of the Incendiary Shuriken ninja deal much more damage than their normal counterparts who were already [[FakeDifficulty cheap enemies]], but they also feature a quasi-suicidal attack where they stab you in the chest with one of their claws and then detonate an Incendiary Shuriken attached to their impaled-arm to deal massive damage.
241* EpicFlail: Nunchaku, Vigorian Flail and Kusari-Gama. The latter two crosses with SinisterScythe.
242* EssenceDrop: In the modern games, yellow essence is the currency, blue refills health and red restores Ninpo. In fact, this trope is a requirement to perform Ultimate Techniques in the first game. ''Ninja Gaiden III'' removed it completely for a better GameplayAndStoryIntegration.
243* ExcusePlot: Primarily a trait of Itagaki's games, which can both be summed up as "BigBad attacks the village, Ryu chases BigBad to his lair and kicks ass". Both [[UpdatedRerelease Sigmas]] and ''Dragon Sword'' are a tiny bit more fleshed out. ''Ninja Gaiden 3'', however, is much more plot-driven, going back the tradition of the NES games.
244* {{Expy}}: The Vigoor soldiers looks tad bit too much like the Protect Gears from the ''Franchise/KerberosSaga''.
245* FakeDifficulty: The camera issues were bad enough in the first Xbox game, but the second added some extremely cheap mooks, always in hordes, who have grabs that are way too fast to anticipate, or ones who constantly spam explosive projectiles, mostly from off-screen. Mentor and Master Ninja Modes often takes this straight into BulletHell.
246* FinishingMove: Obliteration Techniques, Fiend Sealer and variants
247* FlashStep: Several Ultimate Techniques emulate this; in the sequel, most Ultimates rely on this to continue the attack. The True Dragon Sword's Ultimate Technique upgrades this into TeleportSpam.
248* FlunkyBoss: Masakado and Marbus in the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'' and Zedonius and Dagra Dai, as well as the second fights against Rasetsu, Genshin and Volf in ''II''. In ''Black'', ''Sigma'' and ''II'', [[OhCrap every single boss turns into this in higher difficulties]].
249* FossilRevival: LOA's various activities include cloning dinosaurs to sell them as pets, or so says the Regent of the Mask; not sure many people will want a Tyrannosaurus Rex at home.
250* GettingEatenIsHarmless: Despite being messily devoured by a fiend and remaining trapped in its stomach for the entire boss fight, Rachel doesn't seem to be much worse for wear once Ryu cuts her out.
251%%* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: The ankylosaurus at the end of ''Ninja Gaiden II'' Chapter 7 would seem to fit, but it's actually seen and referred to at least once before you fight it. The two you eventually face in the Underworld, however, fit this trope. Actually, you can see them in a lake of lava a little ways before the second fight.
252%%** Really, a good portion of the minibosses fit this. The Rasetsu-class ninja show up in the oddest of places...
253%%** The most egregious example in ''II'' is the electric metallic Viking/fish/sperm… [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot thing]] at the end of Chapter 3.
254%%* HarderThanHard: Very Hard/Path of the Mentor and Master Ninja/Path of the Master Ninja.
255%%** ''Ninja Gaiden II'' was this on any difficulty...[[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard for questionable reasons]].
256%%** Players who became proficient on Path of Acolyte/Warrior would end up dying in the first chapter of Path of the Mentor. All enemies are upgraded to those you previously encountered later on and you start out with no upgrades.
257%%* {{Hellgate}}: Mt. Fuji is one, apparently.
258%%* HighPressureBlood: While ''Ninja Gaiden II'' went for LudicrousGibs, ''III'' took this route.
259%%* HyperspaceArsenal
260* ImmuneToBullets: Many higher-level {{mook}}s in the modern trilogy are immune to standard shuriken or can block them if you throw them off-the-cuff instead of as part of a combo. In the weapon description of Rachel's sidearm in ''Sigma 2'', it states high-level fiends are immune to her magic-laden ammunition, crafted specifically to give her an edge in fighting them.
261* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Averted in the modern games. Gun-toting enemies are very competent at aiming and can be a real hindrance. The only exceptions are the basic hooded {{mook}}s of ''Ninja Gaiden III'', who consistently shoot over your head, even when you're kunai-climbing a wall and you are not meters from them.
262* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: Plenty, such as the Vigoorian Flail, but in RealLife it would be more dangerous for the user than the target. It probably wouldn't swing as easily as a nunchaku, either. Then there's the Plasma Saber MK II. Most projectiles are also this, such as the Incendiary [[InsistentTerminology Kunai]], the FuumaShuriken, the Gatling Spear Gun and Howling Cannon.
263* InfiniteSupplies: Ryu has an endless supply of standard shuriken. Enemies with small arms have to periodically reload (most evident with the MSAT), but they never run out of magazines. In ''Sigma 2'', he also has an infinite amount of arrows. In the first game and ''II'', there's a limit, but there will always be a body bristling with arrows nearby when you need it.
264* InstantDeathRadius: The modern trilogy have the Gleaming Blade move and its Ultimate Technique versions, which eat {{mooks}} for breakfast.
265* JigglePhysics: Itagaki is very fond of this in his games. ''Sigma 2'' gives us the ability to control this with the Sixaxis controller.
266* JumpPhysics: Remember, kids -- you can change directions and accelerate multiple times while mid-air, and maintain yourself in the air by maiming an enemy!
267* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Fiend-Sealer from the Dragon Sword in the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''. Notched up in sequels with Oblieration Techniques.
268* LagCancel: You can throw a shuriken to cancel the recovery of normal attacks (but not heavy ones). ''Razor's Edge'' also introduces the [[NoIAmBehindYou Cicada Surge]], which can be activated any time, including in the middle of a combo, as long as you are on the ground. Both techniques require quick thinking and good reflexes to use effectively.
269%%* LargeHam: Volf, all the way. The Regent of the Mask in ''Ninja Gaiden III'' takes his share, too.
270%%* LeParkour
271* LifeDrain: A special ability of Kitetsu, Doku's demonic sword in the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''. You can do it to minor {{mook}}s the same way Doku does it to you and regain quite a bit of health. You can even do it to ''Doku himself''. However, the rest of the time you use it, the blade drains ''your own health''. In ''Sigma'', holding the sword doesn't deplete your lifebar, but the effect of this trope is considerably {{nerf}}ed. The Alchemist {{mook}}s in ''III'' also have a grapple maneveur like this.
272* LosingYourHead: Inverted with the zombies and Spriggans in the first two modern games. They continue their attacks even after being decapitated, although doing so renders them blind and they just swing randomly. The flare fiends in ''Sigma 2'' can also fight headless, and they are ''not'' blinded.
273* MagikarpPower: The Wooden Sword is pathetic until its final upgrade, where it becomes the Unlabored Flawlessness, a potential gamebreaking weapon for those skilled enough to use it.
274* MarathonLevel: Many in the first Xbox game, notably those with long puzzles. In ''Ninja Gaiden II'', nearly every single chapter is this, but Chapters 6, 8 and 11 are the most notable, especially the latter.
275* MercyMode: Ninja Dog in the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'', Hero Mode in ''III''
276* MoneyIsExperiencePoints: In many of the 3D games, yellow essence can be used to upgrade weapons as well as buying items.
277%%* MookChivalry: [[AvertedTrope Chiva-what]]?
278* MookDebutCutscene: Generally averted in the modern trilogy, with a few exceptions like the [=MSATs=], the zombies and the flare fiends in ''Ninja Gaiden''/''Sigma'', or the Van Gelfs in ''II''/''Sigma 2''. In both cases, the "rank" of the enemy introduced will actually change depending on the difficulty: a purple (immature) Van Gelf will come out of the hole in Accolyte, a green one (winged) in Warrior and a golden one (the strongest type) in Mentor.
279* MultiMookMelee: The so-called Fiend Challenges in ''Ninja Gaiden''/''Sigma'' and the Tests of Valor in ''II'' (but removed in ''Sigma 2'') and ''Razor's Edge''. ''II''/''Sigma 2'' has infamous stairway fight in Chapter 10/13, where you face a ridiculous number of enemies at the same time and take down a good hundred of them. Hell, in Master Ninja Mode for ''II'', the game is pretty much a 12-hour long MultiMookMelee!
280* NewGamePlus: Used in ''Ninja Gaiden II''. ''Sigma 2'' and ''Razor's Edge'' subvert this a bit with Chapter Challenge Mode: once you beat any difficulty, you can redo the chapters individually with all your weapons and Ninpo upgraded (not unlike ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''), and can choose your character. So while it's not ''technically'' this trope, it functions as one, except your life bar's length depends on the chapter you play. The game is also slightly more difficult in this mode.
281* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Spriggans are a more literal example: giant, armored zombies with a chainsaw in one arm and a cannon in the other.
282* NoSidepathsNoExplorationNoFreedom: Averted in the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'', as you can still explore a bit of Tairon or find a few secret paths, as well as stroll in previously visited areas; this is helped by the fact that 90% of the game takes place inside or near the city. Played straight with the sequels, being much more linear, especially ''III'', where there are no items to pick up, so any semblance of exploration has totally vanished. ''[[UpdatedRerelease Razor's Edge]]'' re-adds scarabs and secret areas, though.
283* NumericalHard: The difference between Normal and Hard was barely noticeable in the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''. There were more, slightly tougher enemies, but that was pretty much it. Like so many other things, ''Black'' and ''Sigma'' corrected this by replacing basic {{mook}}s with new, tougher ones, and turning every boss into a FlunkyBoss.
284* OncePerEpisode: In the modern series, the first three games has the Hayabusa Village attacked at the beginning − by Doku in the first and the Black Spider Clan in ''Dragon Sword'' and ''II''.
285%%* OneWingedAngel: Alma -> Awakened Alma, Doku -> Spirit Doku, and both forms of the Vigoorian Emperor in the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'' and the Archfiend in the sequel.
286%%* OnlyIdiotsMayPass: Subverted in the modern games
287* PlayingWithFire: Art of the Inferno, Fire Wheel and Phoenix.
288* PowerCopying: Weapons picked from certain bosses will allow Ryu to perform their special attacks.
289* PowerGlows: After you acquire the True Dragon Sword in the modern trilogy, it gains a purple aura. In ''Ninja Gaiden III'', Ryu's cursed arm glows red, indicating when you can unleash an Ultimate Technique.
290* PrecisionGuidedBoomerang: The Windmill Shuriken in the two Xbox games.
291%%* {{Prequel}}: The modern trilogy compared to the NES originals
292* PunchClockVillain: Arguably the Special Forces and Vigoorian Military, though the journals found in ''Ninja Gaiden II'' show the Black Spider Ninjas to be something of this, too.
293%%* RecurringBoss: Doku, Genshin, and Regent of the Mask.
294* RealTimeWeaponChange: Deliberately averted in the modern series − asked about it at the time of ''Ninja Gaiden II'', Itagaki said that such a feature would change the game too much and that he prefers player to stick to one weapon during a fight. You can open a quick menu with the d-pad to change weapons, but it pauses the game.
295* RespawningEnemies: Averted beginning with ''Ninja Gaiden II'': once you've wiped out a wave of enemies, it's for good.
296* {{Revival}}: NES trilogy -> Modern trilogy. Also counts as a VideoGame3DLeap.
297* RockBeatsLaser:
298** [[VideoGame/BaldursGate Vigoorian forces, meet Dragon Sword! Dragon Sword, meet Vigoorian forces]]! Subverted against tanks and a helicopter, which Ryu needs to use specially-tipped arrows to destroy.
299** Note a bow is simply outdated since {{mook}}s have access to firearms at that point. [[FridgeLogic What sensible military would use resources to make armor-piercing/explosive arrows for a weapon as outdated as a bow, especially since enemies gain increasingly large caliber guns as the game progresses]]?
300%%* RuleOfCool: The modern trilogy thrives on this.
301* SelfImposedChallenge: Karma runs; other popular ones include finishing the game with no upgrades or without using [[ElementalPowers Ninpo]] and [[ChargeAttack Ultimate Techniques]].
302* ShoutOut: Fully upgrading the Wooden Sword turns it into a new weapon called Unlabored Flawlessness, which takes the form of a wooden boat oar in reference to the famous story of UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi using a boat oar in a sword duel.
303* SliceAndDiceSwordsmanship: Both used and averted depending on which technique Ryu pulls off in the modern games.
304* SmokeOut: Smoke bombs are used by both Ryu and enemy ninjas in the modern trilogy.
305%%* SpamAttack: Most Ultimate Techniques
306* SpectacularSpinning: Nearly the entire weapon roster in the latter-day Gaiden games abuse the hell out of this. Of particular note is the Lunar, which Ryu mainly uses by spinning it so fast it literally grinds his enemies' limbs off.
307* SpinAttack: Ryu's movelist with the Dragon's Claw/Tiger's Fang consists of some hard cuts and a lot of spinning. Certain weapons also have access to a 360 degree input that usually turns out to be a spin attack.
308* SquishyWizard: In the modern games, mages are annoying and potentially very damaging long-distance attacks, but are the weakest human enemies in terms of health. Of course, they're only squishy compared to other ninja {{mook}}s, but still. Completely averted in ''Ninja Gaiden III'': Alchemists are among the toughest enemies in the game, especially the white-clad variant.
309* StoryDifficultySetting: "Hero Mode" in ''3'' and in both ''Sigma Plus'' games, where blocking and evading becomes automatic if your health is low, which means the player basically cannot die. WordOfGod was that this mode was made for those who just wanted to enjoy the story. The UpdatedRerelease of ''3'' ''Razor's Edge'' keeps Hero Mode but also has a NewGamePlus-ish mode that, conversely, removes the cutscenes and QuickTimeEvents to keep only the gameplay.
310* {{Stripperiffic}}: Momiji's "Ninja" outfits (her black and red-and-white ones in particular) in ''Ninja Gaiden II'' and ''Razor's Edge'', which show a bit of skin on rather interesting parts of her body (namely around her [[SideBoob chest]], [[SexyBacklessOutfit back]], and thighs).
311%%** Rachel's outfit is barely there.
312* SwordOfPlotAdvancement: Getting the Eye of the Dragon to upgrade the Dragon Sword to the True Dragon Sword in every game of the modern trilogy.
313* TeleportSpam: Some of Ryu's Ultimate Techniques gain this.
314* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: The combo system allows characters to keep mangling decapitated enemies.
315* WallCrawl: The Kunai Climb allows Ryu to climb walls made of wood, brick, stone, ice or even metal. Those kunais mst be pretty damn sharp.
316* WorldOfBuxom: Only female children are exempt from it.
317* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Guillotine Throw and Izuna Drop. Ayane in ''Sigma 2'' has a scissors lock in place of the Guillotine Throw.
318[[/folder]]
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323----
324'''[[LampshadeHanging ''HARD TO BEAT!!'']]'''

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