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''Ninja Gaiden'' is a 2004 HackAndSlash game developed by Team Ninja and published by Creator/{{Tecmo}} (now Creator/KoeiTecmo). It was released in March, for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}.

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''Ninja Gaiden'' is a 2004 HackAndSlash game developed by Team Ninja and published by Creator/{{Tecmo}} (now Creator/KoeiTecmo). It was released in March, for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}.Platform/{{Xbox}}.



It is a revival of Tecmo's ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' series, and is set in the same continuity as Team Ninja's ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' fighting games. It received a series of {{Updated Rerelease}}s: In 2005, ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' came out for the [=Xbox=], with additional difficulty settings (including the infamous [[EasyModeMockery "Ninja Dog" setting]]), enemies, costumes and the missions from the downloadable "Hurricane Packs". In 2006 ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma'' came out for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, with additional weapons, gameplay modes, and the inclusion of Rachel as a playable character. In 2012, ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus'' was released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.

''Ninja Gaiden Sigma'' also is included in the ''Ninja Gaiden Master Collection'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and PC.

to:

It is a revival of Tecmo's ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' series, and is set in the same continuity as Team Ninja's ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' fighting games. It received a series of {{Updated Rerelease}}s: In 2005, ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' came out for the [=Xbox=], with additional difficulty settings (including the infamous [[EasyModeMockery "Ninja Dog" setting]]), enemies, costumes and the missions from the downloadable "Hurricane Packs". In 2006 ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma'' came out for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, Platform/PlayStation3, with additional weapons, gameplay modes, and the inclusion of Rachel as a playable character. In 2012, ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus'' was released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.

Platform/PlayStationVita.

''Ninja Gaiden Sigma'' also is included in the ''Ninja Gaiden Master Collection'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/XboxOne, Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS, Platform/NintendoSwitch, and PC.



* SpyCatsuit: The UsefulNotes/XBox ''Ninja Gaiden'' gave one sleeve-less ninja version to Ryu (coupled with a ScarfOfAsskicking and a CoolMask to boot), and it's been his default costume both in his own series and the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series ever since.

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* SpyCatsuit: The UsefulNotes/XBox Platform/XBox ''Ninja Gaiden'' gave one sleeve-less ninja version to Ryu (coupled with a ScarfOfAsskicking and a CoolMask to boot), and it's been his default costume both in his own series and the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series ever since.
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! Spoilers from the ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' games up to ''Dead or Alive 3'' will be left unmarked. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!
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* EasyModeMockery: In ''Black'', dying continuously in the first level results in Ayane giving players the option of turning the difficulty down to "Ninja Dog". This results in her [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall telling players off for giving up at "Normal" difficulty]]; to further the mockery, she gives players ribbons to boost stats for the rest of the play-through.
-->'''Ayane''': Master Ryu - or, should I say, [[DemotedToExtra Young Ninja Ryu Hayabusa]] - it seems I have greatly overestimated you. [[WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou Oh, well. We have no choice but to proceed]]. I will support you in every way I can. Don't be overconfident; just do what I say and perform your duties as competently as you can. You must complete your task without fail.
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spelling correction at the part with the Xbox


It is a revival of Tecmo's ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' series, and is set in the same continuity as Team Ninja's ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' fighting games. It received a series of {{Updated Rerelease}}s: In 2005, ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' came out for the [=XBox=], with addditional difficulty settings (including the infamous [[EasyModeMockery "Ninja Dog" setting]]), enemies, costumes and the missions from the downloadable "Hurricane Packs". In 2006 ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma'' came out for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, with additional weapons, gameplay modes, and the inclusion of Rachel as a playable character. In 2012, ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus'' was released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.

to:

It is a revival of Tecmo's ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' series, and is set in the same continuity as Team Ninja's ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' fighting games. It received a series of {{Updated Rerelease}}s: In 2005, ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' came out for the [=XBox=], [=Xbox=], with addditional additional difficulty settings (including the infamous [[EasyModeMockery "Ninja Dog" setting]]), enemies, costumes and the missions from the downloadable "Hurricane Packs". In 2006 ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma'' came out for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, with additional weapons, gameplay modes, and the inclusion of Rachel as a playable character. In 2012, ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus'' was released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.
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* HardModeMook: ''Black'', and by extension ''[[UpdatedRerelease Sigma]]'', has the Ryu clones, mini-bosses who appear unexpectedly where you fought common enemies in Normal mode. Then in Very Hard, you meet a new type of Black Spider ninjas throwing {{Fuuma Shuriken}}s at you. And then in Master Ninja mode, you meet yet another type with swords that literally burn you when they hit you. Hard mode and above also put you against tougher versions of the cops and soldiers, specially immune to some of your techniques.
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It is a revival of Tecmo's ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' series, and is set in the same continuity as Team Ninja's ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' fighting games. It received a series of {{Updated Rerelease}}s: In 2005, ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' came out for the [=XBox=], with addditional difficulty settings (including the infamous [[EasyModeMockery "Ninja Dog" setting]], enemies, costumes and the missions from the downloadable "Hurricane Packs". In 2006 ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma'' came out for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, with additional weapons, gameplay modes, and the inclusion of Rachel as a playable character. In 2012, ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus'' was released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.

to:

It is a revival of Tecmo's ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' series, and is set in the same continuity as Team Ninja's ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' fighting games. It received a series of {{Updated Rerelease}}s: In 2005, ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' came out for the [=XBox=], with addditional difficulty settings (including the infamous [[EasyModeMockery "Ninja Dog" setting]], setting]]), enemies, costumes and the missions from the downloadable "Hurricane Packs". In 2006 ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma'' came out for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, with additional weapons, gameplay modes, and the inclusion of Rachel as a playable character. In 2012, ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus'' was released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.
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''Ninja Gaiden'' is a 2004 HackAndSlash game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo. It was released in March, originally for the Xbox.

to:

''Ninja Gaiden'' is a 2004 HackAndSlash game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo. Creator/{{Tecmo}} (now Creator/KoeiTecmo). It was released in March, originally for the Xbox.UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}.



It is a revival of Tecmo's ''Ninja Gaiden'' series, and is set in the same continuity as Team Ninja's ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' fighting games.

to:

It is a revival of Tecmo's ''Ninja Gaiden'' ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' series, and is set in the same continuity as Team Ninja's ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' fighting games.
games. It received a series of {{Updated Rerelease}}s: In 2005, ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' came out for the [=XBox=], with addditional difficulty settings (including the infamous [[EasyModeMockery "Ninja Dog" setting]], enemies, costumes and the missions from the downloadable "Hurricane Packs". In 2006 ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma'' came out for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, with additional weapons, gameplay modes, and the inclusion of Rachel as a playable character. In 2012, ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus'' was released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita.

''Ninja Gaiden Sigma'' also is included in the ''Ninja Gaiden Master Collection'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, and PC.


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* EmbeddedPrecursor: The original ''VideoGame/NinjaGaidenNES'' trilogy is an unlockable in the original Xbox version. The ''Black'' version, meanwhile, instead has the [[VideoGame/NinjaGaidenArcade arcade version]].
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** The Unlabored Flawlessness in the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''. It's the wooden sword upgraded some 7 times (other weapons peak at 3 or 4) with no discernable change until it becomes a giant wooden paddle. It's a surprisingly powerful weapon, able to wreak havoc at about the same power as the upgraded War Hammer, but its high upgrade cost and very restrictive secret to its power ([[CriticalStatusBuff when you're low on health]] [[DesperationAttack it becomes exceptionally vicious]]) makes it difficult to use.

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** The Unlabored Flawlessness in the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''. It's the wooden sword upgraded some 7 times (other weapons peak at 3 or 4) with no discernable discernible change until it becomes a giant wooden paddle. It's a surprisingly powerful weapon, able to wreak havoc at about the same power as the upgraded War Hammer, but its high upgrade cost and very restrictive secret to its power ([[CriticalStatusBuff when you're low on health]] [[DesperationAttack it becomes exceptionally vicious]]) makes it difficult to use.



* GrenadeLauncher: Certain MSAT {{mook}}s in the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'' carry these, and ''Black'' gave the tanks these to counter an easy means of defeating them, which was to get so close that it could only circle without being able to fire its cannon, only a mounted machine gun with a suppressable gunner.

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* GrenadeLauncher: Certain MSAT {{mook}}s in the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'' carry these, and ''Black'' gave the tanks these to counter an easy means of defeating them, which was to get so close that it could only circle without being able to fire its cannon, only a mounted machine gun with a suppressable suppressible gunner.
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* CannotKillTheirLovedOnes: Both Rachel and her twin sister Alma were afflicted with a blood curse that made them part fiend. While Rachel retained her humanity, the curse consumed Alma entirely. Rachel became a [[DemonSlaying fiend hunter]] with the ultimate goal of killing her sister to free her soul. She finally finds Alma at the Dworku Monastery where she has been defeated by Ryu. However, despite this having been her motivation for being a fiend hunter, Rachel finds that she cannot bring herself to kill her own sister.
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It was inspired by Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden series, and is set in the same continuity as Team Ninja's Dead or Alive fighting games.

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It was inspired by is a revival of Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden ''Ninja Gaiden'' series, and is set in the same continuity as Team Ninja's Dead or Alive ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' fighting games.
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* WakeUpCallBoss: Murai, the first boss of Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'', is a classic example of this. For basically the entire level, you're mostly fighting enemies that can be dispatched relatively easily. Murai, on the other hand, is vulnerable far less often and heavily punishes players who go in at the wrong times or get caught by his attacks, dealing large amounts of damage that can kill a player quickly if they aren't careful.

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* WakeUpCallBoss: Murai, the very first boss of Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'', the game, is a classic example of this. For basically the entire level, you're mostly fighting enemies that can be dispatched relatively easily. Murai, on the other hand, is vulnerable far less often and heavily punishes players who go in at the wrong times or get caught by his attacks, dealing large amounts of damage that can kill a player quickly if they aren't careful.
Willbyr MOD

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[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ninja_gaiden_2004.png]]

''Ninja Gaiden'' is a 2004 hack and slash game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo. It was released in March, originally for the Xbox.

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[[quoteright:220:https://static.[[quoteright:256:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ninja_gaiden_2004.png]]

org/pmwiki/pub/images/ninja_gaiden_2004_video_game.png]]
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''Ninja Gaiden'' is a 2004 hack and slash HackAndSlash game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo. It was released in March, originally for the Xbox.



!This game contains examples of:

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!This !!This game contains examples of:of:



* WakeUpCallBoss: Murai, the first boss of Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'', is a classic example of this. For basically the entire level, you're mostly fighting enemies that can be dispatched relatively easily. Murai, on the other hand, is vulnerable far less often and heavily punishes players who go in at the wrong times or get caught by his attacks, dealing large amounts of damage that can kill a player quickly if they aren't careful.

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* WakeUpCallBoss: Murai, the first boss of Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'', is a classic example of this. For basically the entire level, you're mostly fighting enemies that can be dispatched relatively easily. Murai, on the other hand, is vulnerable far less often and heavily punishes players who go in at the wrong times or get caught by his attacks, dealing large amounts of damage that can kill a player quickly if they aren't careful.careful.

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* WakeUpCallBoss: Murai, the first boss of Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'', is a classic example of this. Still, almost every subsequent boss serves as this, popping up if only to hammer you for thinking the rest of the game would be smooth sailing (Alma's first encounter, for example).

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* WakeUpCallBoss: Murai, the first boss of Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'', is a classic example of this. Still, almost every subsequent boss serves as this, popping up if only to hammer you for thinking For basically the rest of entire level, you're mostly fighting enemies that can be dispatched relatively easily. Murai, on the game would be smooth sailing (Alma's first encounter, for example).other hand, is vulnerable far less often and heavily punishes players who go in at the wrong times or get caught by his attacks, dealing large amounts of damage that can kill a player quickly if they aren't careful.
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!This game contains examples of:
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[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ninja_gaiden_2004.png]]

''Ninja Gaiden'' is a 2004 hack and slash game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo. It was released in March, originally for the Xbox.

Players control Ryu Hayabusa, a master ninja, in his quest to recover a stolen sword and avenge the slaughter of his clan.

It was inspired by Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden series, and is set in the same continuity as Team Ninja's Dead or Alive fighting games.

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* AdvertisedExtra: Ryu's childhood friend Kureha gets her own short profile in the manual of the first game, indicating she'll have some important role. In truth, she only briefly shows up in one cutscene early on before dying alongside the rest of Ryu's village.
* ArtifactMook: In the first level, Murai sends his own, novice mooks at you in normal mode. From hard mode on, though, the same level makes you fight Black Spider Ninja... which are supposed to be enemies of Murai and have no reason to obey him whatsoever. Similarly, in hard mode you will often fight fiends and Black Spider Ninja altogether, even though these fiends are supposed to fight the Ninja, not help them.
* AwesomeButImpractical:
** The Unlabored Flawlessness in the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''. It's the wooden sword upgraded some 7 times (other weapons peak at 3 or 4) with no discernable change until it becomes a giant wooden paddle. It's a surprisingly powerful weapon, able to wreak havoc at about the same power as the upgraded War Hammer, but its high upgrade cost and very restrictive secret to its power ([[CriticalStatusBuff when you're low on health]] [[DesperationAttack it becomes exceptionally vicious]]) makes it difficult to use.
** Projectile weapons in the first Xbox game start bouncing off enemies when you get near the end (so much for your giant shuriken and stocks of gunpowder laced kunai). The bow is an exception, but standing around for Ryu to take it out and fire gets you killed pretty quickly at higher difficulties, though it's made more useful in "Sigma Plus" as you can now shoot arrows while jumping.
* BackFromTheDead: Ryu after being killed by Doku in the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''.
* BossRush: Sort of at the end of the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''. You first fight two previously beaten bosses, then Marbus, two forms of Vigoor and finally the BigBad. At higher difficulties, [[OhCrap the two fairly easy bosses are replaced by the]] ''[[OhCrap much]]'' [[OhCrap more challenging ancient fiends Nicchae and Ishtaros]], making this a BossRush with only new bosses.
* BraggingRightsReward:
** In ''Ninja Gaiden (Sigma)'' for the Xbox/[=PS3=], the Plasma Saber MK II (on Normal) or the Dark Dragon Blade (Hard and above), sort of. You get them by gathering all 50 gold scarabs, but the latter is so close to the end of the game that they won't be of much use. Add to this that you have to bring the scarabs to Muramasa, and since there's no shop at the top of the Emperor's tower (where you get the last scarab), that means you have to go backtrack through tough enemies and swarms of [[DemonicSpiders ghost piranhas]] just to find a shop where you can get the damn sword. You then discover the Plasma Saber is every bit identical to the True Dragon Sword and that you can't use the Dark Dragon Blade against the FinalBoss ([[spoiler:since he's the one using it]]). With the exception of some fiend challenges like the ones with many {{B|ossInMookClothing}}erserkers, it's not really worth the trouble. This trope is averted with the highest difficulty Master Ninja Mode, which rewards you with...nothing!
** The Unlabored Flawlessness can be viewed this way. Its most notable feature is that its attack power goes way up when your health is in the red zone, but if your defense is skilled enough to survive like that, you probably don't need it.
* BrutalBonusLevel: The final mission in the first game, Eternal Legend, is a mini-scenario with 5 phases, during which you face waves of all the enemies met in story mode, and several bosses in-between. You have access to most of your semi-upgraded weapons and unlimited projectiles. You can save and go shopping between phases, but you will have ''very'' limited resources, and will have to take as little damage as possible to beat the mission.
%%* CatsAreMean: And those of the first Xbox game are DemonicSpiders!
* EnergyWeapon : Paz Zuu from the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'' uses EyeBeams which, oddly enough, doesn't damage you directly; instead, it traces a path, which ignites shortly afterwards. Unfortunately, the black pincer fiends in the same game aren't so kind-hearted with their own EyeBeams, [[DemonicSpiders infuriating more than one player]].
* FauxActionGirl: In the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'', Rachel, who kills a random fiend when she's introduced, spends the rest of the game getting captured, thrown around Vigoor and being strung up for a sacrifice. Lovely outfit, however. This gets fixed in ''Sigma'', where she's promoted to playable character, thus promoted to full-on ActionGirl. Who still gets constantly captured and thrown around in the {{cutscene|Incompetence}}s. Aside from the promotion, her role in the story didn't change.
* FetchQuest: The golden scarabs in the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'' and the crystal skulls in the sequel, though the latter's especially bad: when you collect the 30 skulls, the reward is...a giant crystal skull that has no use whatsoever. It ''might'' have some sort of effect, but the description of the object is too crytpic to determine what.
* GrenadeLauncher: Certain MSAT {{mook}}s in the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'' carry these, and ''Black'' gave the tanks these to counter an easy means of defeating them, which was to get so close that it could only circle without being able to fire its cannon, only a mounted machine gun with a suppressable gunner.
%%* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Awakened Alma saving Rachel]]
%%* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Awakened Alma saving Rachel]]
* HopelessBossFight: Two of them in ''Ninja Gaiden Sigma''. In Chapter 2 against [[spoiler:Doku]], when you have only a level one Dragon Sword and a rachitic lifebar, and in Chapter 14 with Rachel when you fight [[spoiler:Nicchae and Ishtaros]]. In both cases, a normal player will likely get their ass handed before understanding what's going on. It ''is'' technically possible to win, but that requires insane skill, and even if you do [[GameplayStorySegregation your character gets beaten in the cutscene anyway.]]
* MaskPower: Inverted with the Ogres from ''Ninja Gaiden Black'', who grow stronger after Ryu breaks their masks.
* MightyGlacier: Combined with StoneWall, The purple zombies of the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''. They carry enormous bayonet guns, their attacks are pretty damaging, but are so slow you have to be really careless to get killed. It takes three full Ultimate Techniques of the Unlabored Flawlessness to make them bite the dust, meaning they have more health than some ''bosses''.
* MookBouncer: The black laser fiends in the first Xbox game are already [[DemonicSpiders annoying]], but in the tower section of the second-to-last chapter, they can use a really nasty grapple that drags you underground and sends you back to the level below, forcing you to go through the previous wave of enemies again ''and'' through a wave of ghost fish. Even more infuriating if you're doing a [[SelfImposedChallenge Karma run]], since it prevents you from getting any more points in that fight (it's counted as if you had fled the fight).
* MostDefinitelyNotAVillain: Murai starts off the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''/''Sigma'' by sending dozens of his men at you to be killed. Throughout the game, he sends you letters encouraging you kill as many people as you can, including civilians, because their blood will make the Dark Dragon Blade stronger. Yeah, good luck guessing who the "surprise" FinalBoss will be.
%%* MysteriousWatcher: Ayane and Gamov from the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''
* {{Nerf}}: The Flying Swallow in the Xbox game was toned down in ''Black'' because you could spam it on pretty much everything with 100% success. ''Black'' featured {{mook}}s that were specifically designed to punish you for overabusing it, i.e. block the attack entirely and counter it. You definitely didn't want to be caught using that on the Advanced MSAT soldiers.
* NonStandardGameOver: In the first game, after you get the bow, you can use it to shoot a wounded Ayane dead; the game will promptly end as a result.
* OneTimeDungeon: In the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'', you can't go back to the Ninja Fortress from Chapter 1 nor enter the airship in Chapter 3 since it crashes.
%%* SmashMook: Ogres from ''Ninja Gaiden Black''
* SpyCatsuit: The UsefulNotes/XBox ''Ninja Gaiden'' gave one sleeve-less ninja version to Ryu (coupled with a ScarfOfAsskicking and a CoolMask to boot), and it's been his default costume both in his own series and the ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' series ever since.
* ThrivingGhostTown: Tairon, capital of the Vigoor Empire, doesn't seem to have anyone other than a lone shopkeeper, a busty dominatrix, and a bunch of military personnel. Subverted when there are people in the nightclub, but they all run screaming when a giant dinosaur-fiend shows up. That, and the Vigoorian military imposes a curfew more or less as soon as Ryu shows up.
* TemporaryOnlineContent: The [[DownloadableContent Hurricane Packs]] for the original Xbox game, following the discontinuation of the original Xbox Live service. While ''Ninja Gaiden Black'' carries over most of the content from the Hurricane Packs (extra game modes and costumes), it also removes the famed Intercept move, which was deemed [[GameBreaker too powerful]] by the developers.
* UnexpectedGameplayChange: The Emperor in the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'' is fought on a floating platform that you must move back and forth (default) or up and down (by holding the guard button) to avoid its BeamSpam. It's painfully unintuitive and tedious.
* UnexplainedRecovery: Earlier, at the end of the second chapter of the first game, Ryu is ''clearly'' killed, but the next scene has him gearing up for battle as if it never happened, and it's never mentioned again.
* VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The Imperial Palace in the Xbox game. It's an enormous tower hanging [[GravityScrew upside down]] and covered in giant skulls. It's so very definitely final, that even the item chests are evil and spiky.
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: In the first Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden''; decide to shoot a wounded Ayane with your newly-acquired bow, and the game immediately ends in failure.
* WakeUpCallBoss: Murai, the first boss of Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'', is a classic example of this. Still, almost every subsequent boss serves as this, popping up if only to hammer you for thinking the rest of the game would be smooth sailing (Alma's first encounter, for example).

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