[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Shinobi_cover_1_6236.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Joe Musashi, the original Shinobi.]]

->''He is stronger than steel and moves faster than a whirlwind.\\
Sometimes he hides in mud. Other times he transforms his shape like an ever-changing cloud.\\
Although his fighting spirit burns like fire, his mind is as calm as still water.''
-->-- "Shadows" (quoted from the Secret Manual of Oboro Ninjutsu), intro to ''VideoGame/ShinobiIIIReturnOfTheNinjaMaster''

''Shinobi'' is a series of side-scrolling action games that were released by Creator/{{Sega}} during the late [[TheEighties 1980s]] and early-to-mid [[TheNineties 1990s]]. The games has the player controlling a ninja (usually Joe Musashi, a nod to ninja actor Sho Kosugi) who battles the forces of evil in each title.

The original ''Shinobi'' was originally released in 1987 for the arcades. The player controls a ninja named Joe Musashi, who fights a criminal syndicate known as "Zeed" in order to rescue his kidnapped students. The original game featured a floor jumping system similar to Namco's ''VideoGame/RollingThunder''. Musashi is armed with his punches and kicks, as well as an unlimited supply of shurikens (which can be upgraded into a sword and gun), as well as different kinds of ninja arts which could be used to kill all on-screen enemies. Sega also made a [[Platform/SegaMasterSystem Master System]] rendition which changed the game mechanics by adding more weapons, as well as a health gauge system and the ability to carry multiple ninja arts. There were also licensed versions for the Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem and Platform/PCEngine.

A single arcade sequel was released in 1989 titled ''Shadow Dancer'', which retained the format of the original arcade game, giving the player a CanineCompanion who helps the player fend off enemies. A severely stripped-down version was released for the Platform/SegaMasterSystem, while the Platform/SegaGenesis got ''Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi'', which had similar gameplay but with completely redesigned level layouts and different enemies.

''Shinobi'' had further sequels for home consoles, the most prominent being the two ''Super Shinobi'' games for the Genesis, which consisted of ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' and ''Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master''. ''The Super Shinobi'' series completely revamps the game mechanics from the arcade games, ditching the one-hit-kill rule from the arcade game, while adding selectable ninja arts and abilities in the process. The series went into a hiatus after the release of ''Shinobi Legions'' for the Platform/SegaSaturn, which eschews the hand-drawn graphics from previous installments in favor of ''Franchise/MortalKombat''-style digitized graphics.

Sega revived the series in the early [[TurnOfTheMillennium 2000s]] with a new 3D game simply titled ''Shinobi'' for the Platform/PlayStation2 in 2002, which had the player controlling a new ninja named Hotsuma, who wields the life-draining blade known as Akujiki (Eater of Evil). Joe Musashi also appeared in the new game as well as a hidden character. It was followed by a pseudo-sequel titled ''VideoGame/Nightshade2003'' in 2003, also for [=PS2=], which featured a female ninja named Hibana. Many of the older titles (namely the three Genesis games and the original arcade game) had been re-released for the Wii Virtual Console.

A new ''Shinobi'' game was developed by Griptonite Studios for the [[Platform/Nintendo3DS 3DS]], and released in September 2011.

''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed]]'' features Joe Musashi as an unlockable racer as well as a track based around Shinobi called Seasonal Shrines. Hotsuma and Hibana are also present in the sequel to ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'', with the latter notably fighting alongside [[VideoGame/{{Strider}} Strider Hiryu.]]

At The Game Awards 2023, another new game in the series was announced along with several other classic Sega series getting new titles. Little is known about it so far other than it appearing to be 2D with hand-drawn graphics and Joe seemingly returning as the protagonist.

[[quoteright:350: [[VideoGame/Shinobi2002 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images1_2.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[HighlyVisibleNinja You're not even trying, Hotsuma.]]]]

[[index]]
A list of ''Shinobi'' games by order of release:
* ''VideoGame/Shinobi1987'' - 1987 (Arcade, Mark III/Master System, NES, PC Engine)
* ''VideoGame/ShadowDancer'' - 1989 (Arcade, Master System)
* ''VideoGame/TheRevengeOfShinobi'' - 1989 (Mega Drive/Genesis, known in Japan as ''The Super Shinobi'')
* ''VideoGame/AlexKidd in Shinobi World'' - 1990 (Master System)
* ''The Cyber Shinobi'' - 1990 (Master System)
* ''VideoGame/ShadowDancer: The Secret of Shinobi'' - 1990 (Mega Drive/Genesis)
* ''The G.G. Shinobi'' - 1991 (Game Gear)
* ''The G.G. Shinobi Part II: The Silent Fury'' - 1992 (Game Gear)
* ''VideoGame/ShinobiIIIReturnOfTheNinjaMaster'' - 1993 (Mega Drive/Genesis, known in Japan as ''The Super Shinobi II'')
* ''VideoGame/ShinobiLegions'' - 1995 (Sega Saturn, known as ''Shin Shinobi Den'' in Japan and ''Shinobi X'' in Europe)
* ''VideoGame/Shinobi2002'' - 2002 ([=PS2=])
* ''VideoGame/{{The Revenge of Shinobi|2002}}'' - 2002 (Game Boy Advance, [[InNameOnly unrelated to the Genesis version]])
* ''VideoGame/Nightshade2003'' - 2003 ([=PS2=], ''Kunoichi'' in Japan)
* ''VideoGame/Shinobi2011'' - 2011 ([=3DS=])
[[/index]]

If you're looking for the trope about shinobi, see {{Ninja}}.
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!!The Shinobi games provide examples of::

* AttackItsWeakPoint: Both Lobster samurais had their heads as their weak point. Some bosses have this as well.
* CherryTapping: the essence of most of the older games, as getting close enough to use your blade is suicidal lest you're quite skilled... you spend most of your time at a distance, chucking shurikens like it's going out of style. Lampshaded by Joe's unique ability when he's unlocked in the [=PS2=] game...see BonusFeatureFailure above.
* CollisionDamage: Subverted in some of the games, such as ''Revenge'', where merely touching an enemy causes the protagonist to be knocked back but doesn't actually hurt him.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The Game Gear games had multiple playable ninjas each dressed in a different color with their own weapons and techniques.
* ComicBookAdaptation: In ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic''. Shinobi was the first Sega game outside the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series to get a comic adaptation, and it was both faithful to the games' stories and suitably serious in tone.
%%* CyberNinja: The Shadow Master.
* DamselInDistress: Naoko in ''Revenge of Shinobi'', Aya in ''Shinobi Legions'', and Kagari in the [=PS2=] game.
* DefeatEqualsExplosion: Enemies tend to explode when they die.
* DegradedBoss: The Shadow Dancer (Boss of Stage 2 in ''Revenge'') returns in ''Shinobi III'' as Stage 2's MiniBoss.
* DiagonalCut: Whenever you manage to pull a Tate attack. Extremely satisfying if you manage to wipe out all enemies onscreen.
* DirectionallySolidPlatforms: In 2D games.
* EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: Present in some of the games as enemies. Most prominent examples are the large Lobster Samurai that serve as a BossBattle in the arcade game, ''Revenge'', and ''Shinobi III''.
* FlechetteStorm
** The Punishing Rain technique, from ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' onwards.
** The Ninja Master in ''Shinobi III'' gained a flechette spray attack launched with a flick of his kabuki wig.
** Also, the Shadow Master's Ninjitsu technique.
* HighlyVisibleNinja:
** Hotsuma's scarf is designed to make him this so the player doesn't lose track of him during the action.
** Lest we forget... Joe Musashi...a master ninja, fearsome shadow, all around badass... clad in WHITE. It's been stated by WordOfGod that this color scheme was devised to make him look [[LightIsGood more heroic]] than if he retained his original dark outfit.
** Hibana doesn't do anything to be very stealthy either for the most part... as she too wears mostly white and has a scarf that trails ghostly ''pink''.
* InNameOnly: The Platform/GameBoyAdvance version of ''The Revenge of the Shinobi'' is a completely different game from the original Genesis game.
* LawyerFriendlyCameo: In the prototype of ''Alex Kidd in Shinobi World'', titled ''Kid Shinobi'', one of the bosses was named Mari-oh, who looked like [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros the mascot]] of a [[Creator/{{Nintendo}} certain rival company]] dressed like a samurai. Said company wasn't amused by the joke Sega made at their expense, so Mari-oh was renamed Kabuto and his face was altered. However, he still attacks by throwing fireballs and shrinks after taking a few hits.
%%** Here's a dialogue in a youtube comment section for an LP of Revenge of Shinobi:
%%--->'''sandwichoftruthiness''': So you're a ninja and so far you've fought Rambo clones, Terminator-Hulk, Spider-Man, Batman and Godzilla. %%Did Sega's CEO just write some fan-fiction and tell them to make it into a game?\\
%%'''LetsPlay/{{slowbeef}}''': Does the "Tropes vs. Ninjas" title make sense now?
* MarketBasedTitle
** The Game Gear installments, ''The G.G. Shinobi'' and ''The G.G. Shinobi II'' are borderline examples, since the in-game titles remained the same (only the titles on the cover artworks were changed).
* MasterSwordsman: Kizane, who's blind but with keen senses and slices things using RazorWind.
* NebulousEvilOrganisation: Zeed and its successor Neo Zeed.
* {{Ninja}}: In addition to normal ninjas, there are ninja dogs with swords in their mouths! Before you ask: No, [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons when they bark they don't shoot swords at you]].
* NintendoHard: More like SEGA Hard, but the Shinobi series has challenge practically written into its very DNA. The original arcade game and ''Shadow Dancer'' make you a OneHitPointWonder and inevitably get hectic from all angles, while ''Revenge of Shinobi'', ''Return of the Ninja Master'' and ''3D'' are plenty challenging and fully expecting you to master their mechanics or get annihilated. The [=PS2=] entry is probably the hardest game in the entire franchise, between juggling a life-draining sword that forces you to play aggressively to survive, BottomlessPit galore with even having to combo enemies over them from wall to wall, and straight up ''hard'' boss fights that require you to use all the tools and abilities as well as have reflexes to survive; death means an [[CheckpointStarvation entire stage restart]] unless you reached the boss and if you run out of continues altogether, not even a boss checkpoint will spare you from a stage do-over.
* OneHitPointWonder: The player dies in one hit in the original arcade versions of ''Shinobi'' and ''Shadow Dancer''. This can be quite jarring to players more accustomed to the console versions, since even the Master System version of ''Shinobi'' gave the player a life gauge. The only console game in the series to retain the one hit rule was the Genesis version of ''Shadow Dancer''.
* PressXToDie: A self-destruct ninjitsu is featured, which kills or greatly damages everything on the screen and reduces a life from your total stock, while also giving you another use for a ninjitsu. [[PressStartToGameOver There's nothing to stop you from using it while on your very last life.]]
%%* RazorWind: Kamaitachi no Jutsu.
* RecycledTitle
** The name ''Shinobi'' alone could apply to the original 1987 arcade game and its console variants, the first Game Gear title, the [[VideoGame/Shinobi2002 PlayStation 2]] game starring Hotsuma, and the 2011 [=3DS=] game by Griptonite (aka ''[[MarketBasedTitle Shinobi 3D]]'').
** ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' could apply to the 1989 Sega Genesis game (aka ''The Super Shinobi'') or the 2002 Game Boy Advance game by [=3D6 games=].
* RecycledInSpace: The arcade version of ''VideoGame/ESwat'' is pretty much ''Shinobi'' with a ''Franchise/RoboCop''-esque setting. The Genesis version is more different, though.
* SchrodingersCanon: ''Shinobi III'' takes place after ''Revenge of Shinobi'', but never indicates [[CuttingOffTheBranches which of the two endings of the latter game is canon]] to the former. ''Shinobi III could'' have Joe Musuashi avenging the death of his beloved from the previous game, or simply have him fight against Neo Zeed in a standalone ExcusePlot.
* SequelNumberSnarl: The Genesis games go from ''Revenge of Shinobi'' to ''Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi'' to ''Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master''. ''Shinobi III'' is the true sequel to ''Revenge of Shinobi'' and features the same gameplay system, while ''Secret of Shinobi'' is actually a loose remake of the arcade's ''Shadow Dancer'' which kept the arcade version's one-hit-point-per-life system.
* ShoutOut:
** In the Game Gear games, you have a FiveManBand of heroes colored in red, blue, green, yellow, and pink. Just like a ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' team.
* SuicideAttack: The Art of ''Mijin'' sets off an explosion fuelled by Joe's lifeforce (i.e. one life) that'll wipe out {{Mooks}} and inflict heavy damage on Bosses. Also, for the longer stretches, it's a great way to avoid having to do a level from closer to the starting point - if you're going to die, might as well do it without having to do everything over again, no? But if you try to do it when you don't have any lives left, this can fall right into ExplosiveStupidity.
* TakeThat:
-->'''Loading Screen:''' Everyone knows real ninjas eat chicken, not [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles pizza]].
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