History YMMV / Shinobi

* YMMV/NightshadeKunoichi

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
** The [[VideoGame/Shinobi2002 [=PS2=] ''Shinobi'']] has "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwVbIk1TdLw&fmt=18 Call]]," one of the best final boss themes ever written.
** ''Revenge'' has "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le-RUVHnc5o Terrible Beat]]."
** ''3'' has quite a few, especially ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nSTeI3sO8w Mandara]]'' and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsCnVkxA3Xg The Shadow Master's theme]].
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROMjwTo-0O4 "Sakura"]] has to be mentioned; it practically makes the ending cutscene.
** Any of the stage music in the [=PS2=] ''Shinobi'' could qualify for this, especially "Transfiguration" and "Cool Shrine".
** Let's just cap it off and say that since Mr. Creator/YuzoKoshiro (Of ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' and ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' fame) was behind the music for most of the franchise, this trope is everywhere in this series.
** The PAL version of ''Shinobi X/Legions'' has some pretty awesome new music composed by Richard Jacques, who also did the music for the Saturn port of ''VideoGame/Sonic3DBlast''. This version is considered by many to be superior since it sticks truer to Koshiro's style. Compare [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2AOFMRg9r0 the original]] version of stage 1 to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH3fSDiup00 Jacques' version]].
* BreatherBoss: Lobster is this in Master System Shinobi. Squeezed in-between the infamous [[GuideDangIt Mandara]] and the brutal four-phase long final boss against the Masked Ninja is by far the easiest boss in the game, who does nothing but slowly walk towards you and raise his sword up and down. When his sword is raised up he blocks your attacks, but all you really have to do is get one hit in and you've already won as he's also vulnerable immediately after being knocked back, making it laughably easy to take him out in seconds. Lobster could also be considered a breather in between the ''PlatformHell'' that was just before his fight and [[EverythingTryingToKillYou the hectic Masked Ninja stages immediately after.]]
* EndingFatigue: Shinobi X seems to suffer from this... especially with [[ThatOneLevel the lift...]]
* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments: In the Genesis port of ''Shadow Dancer'', the boss of Stage 3 will back up a bit if you get to close. You can trick her into doing this continously by [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything crouch-walking in front of her]]. The moment she steps past the edge of the platform, [[GravityIsAHarshMistress she will fall and be defeated instantly]]!

* GoddamnBats: Many of the "minienemies" that appears in the [=PS2=] game have shades of this. Also, in earlier games, the ninja who were airborne had a rather nasty ability to wreck your jumps with very well placed shuriken.
* GoodBadBugs: In the Master System version of ''Shinobi,'' the Mongol at the beginning of level 3-1 on the second floor can be killed with your nun-chaku-- by striking the ''left side of the screen.''
* HilariousInHindsight: One of the Terminator/Hulk boss' attacks is charging forward with a crescent-like energy covering him. That would look a lot like Hulk's [[VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes Gamma Charge]] attack.
* IAmNotShazam:
** ''Shinobi'' is a synonym for a "ninja" (specifically of its first kanji) and not the name of a particular character.
** Both the Ninja Master and the Shadow Master are frequently called "Neo Zeed," which is the name of the criminal organization they are in charge of.
* IronWoobie: Hotsuma in the [[VideoGame/Shinobi2002 PS2 game]] has it pretty rough. At the beginning of the story, he forced to take the role of the Oboro clan leader and Akujiki's new wielder after killing his brother, Moritsune. As the story progresses, his clan members have been killed and brought back to life as Hellspawn for him to kill and feed Akujiki. By the end of the game, [[spoiler:his only option to seal away Akujiki is by killing Hiruko with it before allowing himself to die as the Golden Palace collapses.]]
* MisattributedSong: Despite having worked on the soundtracks of previous entries, Creator/YuzoKoshiro did not compose for ''Shinobi III''. While that game's soundtrack lacks the experimental flair of Koshiro's work, it's [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic awesome]] enough in its own right that the mistake is easy to make.
* NightmareFuel:
** Stage 3-2 of ''Shinobi III'' takes you through an area full of brown substance that looks too much like human waste for comfort.
** [[http://i.imgur.com/zqZL5Th.gif And then there's the boss at the end of said level]] which is a giant, mutant, human-like beast thing who slowly turns pale every time you hit its eye. At least [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp9iqBW0_TI the music that plays during the boss]] [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic is cool]].
** The GameOver screen from ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' can be startling at first, due to the BigBad laughing out of nowhere, and somehow, laughing ''just once'' makes the GameOver screen much more haunting than when he spammed his EvilLaugh during the time you actually fight him.
* SignatureSong:
** ''Revenge'' — "Terrible Beat" and "Chinatown"
** ''Shinobi III'' — "Whirlwind"
%%* SoBadItsGood: The cutscenes in ''Shinobi X/Legions''.
* ThatOneBoss: In the [[VideoGame/Shinobi2002 PS2 ''Shinobi'']], chances are it's [[FinalBoss Hiruko]]. Using "TATE" attack is essential to killing him because your normal attacks barely scratch him. You have a very short window to attack him because you can't hurt him when he attacks and he teleports around the arena and any missed "TATE" combos when hitting him are lost with no chances for anything other than normal hits. On top of this the only enemies you can get a "TATE" on are these talismans he that don't have features to differentiated the front or back from making it hard to tell which side you should even attack to set up the "TATE", and they fire projectiles at you which can interrupt it, and when he summons large numbers of them you can get pummeled with projectiles on top of Hiruko teleporting in close to attack you with his fans. Most of his attacks aren't very hard to dodge if you are focused on him, if you are trying to build up a combo you can easily get hit from attack coming from off-screen.
* TooCoolToLive: [[spoiler:Hotsuma, as he perished when the Golden Palace collapsed.]]
* WhatAnIdiot: [[spoiler: Ageha is quite a sore loser. Ok, her love interest Moritsune was killed by Hotsuma in a duel in order to keep Akujiki sealed, but then she suddenly decides to resurrect him...by freeing the archenemy of the Oboro clan who eventually proceed to kill everyone, turn Moritsune into a living puppet and eventually disposing of her.]]

* SoBadItsGood: The cutscenes in ''Shinobi X/Legions''.

* IAmNotShazam: ''Shinobi'' is a synonym for a "ninja" (specifically of its first kanji) and not the name of a particular character.

** The GameOver screen from ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' can be startling at first, due to the BigBad laughing out of nowhere.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Hiruko]] from the [=PS2=] remake is an EvilSorcerer awakened from [[SealedEvilInACan a long slumber in Tokyo]] and sets about trying to TakeOverTheWorld. He wipes out the Oboro ninja clan, and revives them into twisted, undead parodies of themselves to force their surviving leader Hotsuma to fight them while also unleashing hellspawn onto Tokyo to turn it into an inferno. He [[TheStarscream betrays his ostensible master]] to allow Hotsuma to defeat all in his way so Hiruko can absorb their power and restore his youth while gaining ultimate power. It is revealed that the one who broke Hiruko's seal was the Oboro ninja Ageha, in return for Hiruko reviving Moritsune, her dead lover and Hotsuma's elder brother. Hiruko keeps his end, but makes Moritsune a host for the demon lord Aomizuchi and has him kill Ageha while gloating her reward is to die at the hands of the man she loves. He reveals his true plan was to force Hotsuma to kill everyone in his way, his [[SoulEating cursed sword Akujiki devouring their souls]]. Hiruko plans to force the combined souls to himself, giving him a "pure, perfect soul" so he may become [[AGodAmI the most powerful being alive]].

** The [=PS2=] ''Shinobi'' has "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwVbIk1TdLw&fmt=18 Call]]," one of the best final boss themes ever written.

* IronWoobie: Hotsuma in the [=PS2=] game has it pretty rough. At the beginning of the story, he forced to take the role of the Oboro clan leader and Akujiki's new wielder after killing his brother, Moritsune. As the story progresses, his clan members have been killed and brought back to life as Hellspawn for him to kill and feed Akujiki. By the end of the game, [[spoiler:his only option to seal away Akujiki is by killing Hiruko with it before allowing himself to die as the Golden Palace collapses.]]

* NightmareFuel / NauseaFuel: Stage 3-2 of ''Shinobi III'' takes you through an area full of brown substance that looks too much like human waste for comfort.

* ThatOneBoss: In the [=PS2=] ''Shinobi'', chances are it's [[FinalBoss Hiruko]]. Using "TATE" attack is essential to killing him because your normal attacks barely scratch him. You have a very short window to attack him because you can't hurt him when he attacks and he teleports around the arena and any missed "TATE" combos when hitting him are lost with no chances for anything other than normal hits. On top of this the only enemies you can get a "TATE" on are these talismans he that don't have features to differentiated the front or back from making it hard to tell which side you should even attack to set up the "TATE", and they fire projectiles at you which can interrupt it, and when he summons large numbers of them you can get pummeled with projectiles on top of Hiruko teleporting in close to attack you with his fans. Most of his attacks aren't very hard to dodge if you are focused on him, if you are trying to build up a combo you can easily get hit from attack coming from off-screen.