Mystic Warriors: Wrath of the Ninjas is a side-scrolling Run-and-Gun by Konami released exclusively for the arcades in 1993. It's a Spiritual Successor to Sunset Riders, except with ninjas.
In a futuristic Dystopia, an evil corporation by the name of Skull Enterprises has taken over Japan and is about to Take Over the World. All that stands between them are a Five-ninja Team who are targeted by Skull forces: Spyros, an American Ninja; kabuki warrior Keima; Kojiro, a Samurai; street smart African American Buddhist monk Brad; and Yuri, a kunoichinote . However, the game can only support up to four players. This is because one of the cast members is captured at the beginning of the game and most of it is spent rescuing him or her from certain death.
Has no relation to Mystic Warriors Battleground.
TV Tropes captured these examples:
- Acrofatic: The big guy from the Wolfpack Boss in stage 7 is very agile.
- Action Girl: Yuri, if she's not the Damsel in Distress.
- Attack Its Weak Point: Some of the bosses are defeated this way.
- Almost Dead Guy: The 4th stage boss.Player: "Where is our friend?"Boss: "(Evil Laugh) Poor guy...your comrade...is now... *Dies*"
- Badass in Distress: Whichever ninja gets captured. If it's a four player game, it's whoever is unlucky enough to not get picked. Otherwise, it's randomly chosen.
- Bald of Evil: The first boss and the train pilot of stage 6, as well as the final boss before boarding his mecha suit.
- Barefisted Monk: Brad.
- Big "NO!": The boss of Stage 7 bellows one once he gets knocked off the plane.
- Bittersweet Ending: Skull is destroyed, but the kidnapped ally sacrificed his/her life to help. The remaining ninjas stand and mourn their now dead friend (with Brad and Yuri openly crying), and then they leave.
- Black Dude Dies First: Brad falls into this in a Heroic Sacrifice by the end of the game if he is not chosen.
- "Blind Idiot" Translation: The intro during attract mode.''Beware of 'SKULL' enterprise on! The enornous 'SKULL' enterprise is overwhelming the world!
- Blow You Away: Keima surrounds himself in a wind barrier for picking up a blue orb.
- Bound and Gagged: The captured Ninja is this when he/she is taken to a helicopter at the beginning of the game.
- Calling Your Attacks: Whenever you pick up a yellow orb, your character does this. For instance:Spyros: "Ninpou Jigoku Okugi!" (Ninja Power Hell Secret)
- The Cameo: A drive-in theater in the first level is playing part of the intro to Sunset Riders on the big screen with Steve shooting an enemy. Not surprising as they're made by the same team.
- Clothing Damage: The ladies in the red bikini armor who throw grenades. If you kill them by throwing the grenades back, their armor explodes and leaves them in them in their underwear.
- Color-Coded Multiplayer:
- Spyros - Blue
- Keima - White
- Kojiro - Yellow
- Brad - Black
- Yuri - Pink
- Conservation of Ninjutsu: Made more blatant in later levels where the ninjas replace skull soliders.
- Cool Shades: Brad.
- Cores-and-Turrets Boss: The Skull Tank in level 5 and Skull Train in level 6.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: The final boss is the leader of Skull Enterprises.
- Damsel in Distress: Yuri, if taken as the captive at the beginning of the game.
- Darker and Edgier: Compared to Sunset Riders, which had some comical moments.
- Disney Villain Death: The final boss, after being defeated, falls into the moat of the castle and then explodes.
- Distressed Dude: Any playable character, if the captured Ninja is not Yuri.
- Dual Wielding: Kojiro uses twin swords.
- Executive Suite Fight: Subverted. You find the last boss inside his office struggling to call for backup. Cornered, he gets in a Mini-Mecha and it becomes a Rooftop Confrontation instead.
- Expy: The Stage 1 boss is a futuristic incarnation of Paco Loco of Sunset Riders while the final boss resembles a smaller version of Big Fuzz (aka Robo-Corpse, the Stage 3 boss from Contra III).
- Eyepatch of Power: The Skull Train conductor.
- Failure Is the Only Option: You won't be able to save your kidnapped friend.
- Flash of Pain: Like most other Konami games, bosses and mini-bosses flash white when hit and turn red when near death. Also, there are mooks and destructible objects with multiple hit points, which will also flash red when near death. This is a "seizure boss game", in which it could be dangerous to play if you're epileptic.
- Flunky Boss: Stages 3 and 5.
- Fuuma Shuriken: The first Mini-Boss of Stage 9 throws one at the player(s) and can only be damaged when he's not holding it.
- Gatling Good: Some of the enemies use them against you.
- Gratuitous Japanese: Everything's usually spoken in English. But during the scene that features a certain Heroic Sacrifice, the captured ninja will say "Sayonara!" There's also the end credits that are written only in kanji.
- Goggles Do Nothing: The first three bosses just seem to wear them because they look cool.
- Gory Discretion Shot: Your character killing the 8th boss.
- High-Altitude Battle: Stage 7 has you jumping from plane to plane while trying to board the enemy airship.
- Graceful Loser: The 8th bossnote who kidnapped the ally asks whoever did the most damage to him to finish him off.Boss: "I'm a good loser. Please finish it for me!"
- Heroic Sacrifice: Two thirds of the way into the game, the captured Ninja who was saved in the previous level sacrifices his/her life to save the other ninjas from a trap by the sixth stage boss. And if it was a certain ninja like Spyros, you'll notice that they're smiling, knowing that they'll not make it out alive, but their friends will finish the job.
- Hyperactive Metabolism: The pickups restore a block of health, save for the Sukiyaki which fully heals you.
- Kill It with Fire: Latter levels include ninjas that shot arrows on fire, which when hit the ground will leave a scorching fire. If you can lure any ground ninjas to that fire, they instantly die while burning.
- Last Disrespects: After your comrade sacrifices themselves, the boss of the train that caused their death will taunt the ninjas about their death.
- Life Meter: The default setting being three hits.note
- Macross Missile Massacre: The Skull Tank and the final boss.
- Manly Tears: At the end.
- McNinja: Spyros (actually blonde haired, signifying that he's white, between British or American) and Brad (as stated, he's African-American with darker skin tone).
- MegaCorp: Skull Enterprises, about as evil as they come in this genre.
- Mini-Mecha: The final boss faces you in one.
- Mooks: The Skull soldiers. Later throughout the game, the Skull ninjas come into play.
- Minecart Madness: Stage 6.
- Ms. Fanservice: Yuri is basically wearing a kimono that has a prominent cleavage and she has quite the ample pair to show. And for the lower half of her outfit is basically either Modesty Shorts, a one-piece thong or a bikini bottom.
- Naginatas Are Feminine: Yuri's main weapon and to signify that she's the Ms. Fanservice.
- NOT!: In tune with the slightly cheesy 90's environment, the second boss boasts that his rocket is the best, and then your character responds with "NOT!".
- Playing with Fire: In case Yuri picks up a blue orb, she will be surrounded in a ball of fire... as a shield!
- The first boss has a flamethrower.
- Some of the skull ninjas shoot flaming arrows.
- The fifth boss has a flame turret.
- Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: Similar to Sunset Riders, bosses start with one of these.
- Precision-Guided Boomerang: The first sub boss of Stage 9 attacks you with a giant windmill shuriken.
- Prehensile Hair: Keima attacks with his hair as his melee attack.
- Random Number God: Between the five playable characters in the game, any among the remaining that weren't chosen by the player(s) is captured at the beginning randomly. The only way to know exactly who will get captured is to start a four-player game, leaving the remaining fifth character with the kidnapped role.
- Recycled In Space: Sunset Riders with ninjas.
- Rise to the Challenge: Most of Stage 9. The first half combines this with Elevator Action Sequence and Outrun the Fireball.
- Roaring Rampage of Rescue: The main quest is to rescue the team's buddy from the evil Skull Enterprises by killing every damned Skull soldier and ninja in your way. But when said sacrifices his/her life to save the team/the player character at the end of Stage 6, the rest of the game becomes a Roaring Rampage of Revenge, as the player character/s set out to make Skull pay.
- Rocket Punch: Used in the first phase of the final boss, except it tries to grab you.
- Say My Name: The characters will spend their time A LOT to say the name of the kidnapped ally.
- Sequential Boss: The last boss has three phases.
- Shock and Awe: The fourth boss attacks with electricity.
- Spyros, Kojiro, and Brad had electric-themed round barriers upon picking up the blue orb.
- Shows Damage: Some bosses fit this, usually overlapping with their seizure times at critical health.
- Slipknot Ponytail: Yuri.
- Spread Shot: Spyros, Keima, and Kojiro have this in their second power level. Brad has one in his third. Only Yuri doesn't have one.
- Flechette Storm: Alongside spread shots, getting a power level that comes with rapid-firenote also helps.
- Storming the Castle: Levels 8 and 9.
- The Smurfette Principle: Yuri's the only playable female character.
- Stripperiffic: Yuri has a more or less normal top... but the lower half of her outfit is basically either Modesty Shorts, a one-piece thong or a bikini bottom. Somewhat oddly, the female grenade-tossing enemies don't share Yuri's sprite, but do share her fondness for thongs under a normal top.
- Sunglasses at Night: Brad and the final boss when not in his Mini-Mecha.
- Super Not-Drowning Skills: Stage 3, especially during the boss battle.
- This Is a Drill: Stage 3's submarine boss has this as an attack if you keep climbing the walls.
- This Is Unforgivable!: After your ally's Heroic Sacrifice, the enemy boss taunts you that your ally died miserably. Your character says "You'll pay for this!"; cue Roaring Rampage of Revenge, on that boss and the whole Skull.
- Token Minority: Most of the playable cast are Japanese, which includes Kojiro, Yuri, and Keima. Besides Yuri, who is the only playable female character, Brad is the only black Warrior Monk. Spyros appears to be the only white member of the group, due to his blond hair and blue eyes.
- Totally Radical: The exchange between the second boss:Boss: "My Rocket is the best!"Hero: "NOT!"
- Under the Sea: Half of Stage 3 is in a flooded cave. The boss is even fought underwater.
- Vocal Dissonance: The Dragon of the Skull forces frequently switches between a deep voice and a higher pitched voice.
- Warm-Up Boss: The first one's only attack is a flamethrower, and it's really easy to dodge. The second boss is even easier, just jump over the spiked balls he drops.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: The one in stage 3. It drops tons of bombs and frequently has enemies swimming in firing harpoons. Can also be
That One Boss. - Welcome to Corneria: The playable characters will still ask the enemies to "Let him go!" even if Yuri was kidnapped.
- Wolfpack Boss: Stage 7 has you facing three bosses. You face the two smaller ones in a Dual Boss style before facing the third one, though. However, he can still be hit at anytime, but he'll stay out of the way until the other two are gone.
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