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* SignsOfDisrepair: A neon sign in the PS2 game reads "SKILL UP" before the battle begins. As the boss walks towards you, the "S" and "P" short out, and the sign reads "KILL U".
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** 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?
--->'''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?
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* RecycledINSPACE: The arcade version of ''VideoGame/ESwat'' is pretty much ''Shadow Dancer'' with a ''Film/{{Robocop}}''-esque setting. The Genesis version is more different, though.
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* RecycledINSPACE: The arcade version of ''VideoGame/ESwat'' is pretty much ''Shadow Dancer'' with a ''Film/{{Robocop}}''-esque ''Franchise/RoboCop''-esque setting. The Genesis version is more different, though.
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as noted, they continue being bosses
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* DegradedBoss: The Shadow Dancer and the Masked Ninja from ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' reappear in the sequel as bosses, but in lower positions: the first is the midboss of stage 2, the latter is the penultimate boss.
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** {{Spider-Man}} was more of a SpecialGuest, as Sega originally obtained the rights to use him in another set of games. In fact, he was the only one of the aforementioned cameos who remained the same until the {{Wii}} re-release, since Sega no longer had the Spidey license by that time. Especially noted is that he does not die in the BossFight, rather he climbs out of the picture after taking enough hits before the {{Batman}}[=/=]{{Devilman}} rip off moves in to take on Joe.
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** {{Spider-Man}} was more of a SpecialGuest, as Sega originally obtained the rights to use him in another set of games. In fact, he was the only one of the aforementioned cameos who remained the same until the {{Wii}} re-release, since Sega no longer had the Spidey license by that time. Especially noted is that he does not die in the BossFight, rather he climbs out of the picture after taking enough hits before the {{Batman}}[=/=]{{Devilman}} Franchise/{{Batman}}[=/=]{{Devilman}} rip off moves in to take on Joe.
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* NamesTheSame: The second boss in ''Revenge of Shinobi'' is called the "Shadow Dancer", which was also the name of the original ''Shinobi'''s arcade sequel.
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* NamesTheSame: NamesTheSame:
** The second boss in ''Revenge of Shinobi'' is called the "Shadow Dancer", which was also the name of the original ''Shinobi'''s arcadesequel.sequel.
** The organization that Joe destroys is called '''Zeed.''' If memory serves, [[FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro]] murdered a mohawked ruffian of the same name.
** The first boss in the arcade game is named '''Kenoh.''' [[FistOfTheNorthStar Raoh]] would still murder him.
** The second boss in ''Revenge of Shinobi'' is called the "Shadow Dancer", which was also the name of the original ''Shinobi'''s arcade
** The organization that Joe destroys is called '''Zeed.''' If memory serves, [[FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro]] murdered a mohawked ruffian of the same name.
** The first boss in the arcade game is named '''Kenoh.''' [[FistOfTheNorthStar Raoh]] would still murder him.
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YMMV Trope.
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* IAmNotShazam: ''Shinobi'' is a synonym for a "ninja" (specifically of its first kanji) and not the name of a particular character.
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er wait
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!!Tropes used in Shinobi:
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!!Tropes used in Shinobi:
''Shinobi'':
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Tweak~
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Tropes used in Shinobi:
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** In the prototype of ''Alex Kidd in Shinobi World'', titled ''[[WorkingTitle Kid Shinobi]]'', one of the bosses was named Mari-oh, who looked like [[SuperMario the mascot]] of a [[{{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 concealed.
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** In the prototype of ''Alex Kidd in Shinobi World'', titled ''[[WorkingTitle Kid Shinobi]]'', one of the bosses was named Mari-oh, who looked like [[SuperMario the mascot]] of a [[{{Nintendo}} [[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 concealed.
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-->''He is stronger than steel\\
and moves faster than a whirlwind.''\\
Intro, ''Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master''
and moves faster than a whirlwind.''\\
Intro, ''Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master''
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and moves faster than a whirlwind.
-->-- Intro, ''Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master''
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* LawyerFriendlyCameo: In the early versions of ''Revenge of Shinobi'', Musashi will fight against thinly-disguised pastiches of {{Rambo}}, [[{{Terminator}} The Terminator]] (or TheIncredibleHulk, depending on how you look at it), {{Spider-Man}}, {{Batman}}, and even {{Godzilla}} as bosses. Unfortunately, [[SubvertedTrope the companies that made the characters started catching on]], so shipment of the games was stopped in order to modify the sprite data. This happened at least 3-4 times, with each revision removing or altering the characters in question. By the time of the {{Wii}} re-release, Rambo was spriteswapped, Spider-Man was recolored pink, Batman was a mutated {{Devilman}} ripoff, and Godzilla's skin was peeled off. Yep, that's right: only the Terminator / Hulk survived.
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* LawyerFriendlyCameo: In the early versions of ''Revenge of Shinobi'', Musashi will fight against thinly-disguised pastiches of {{Rambo}}, [[{{Terminator}} The Terminator]] (or TheIncredibleHulk, depending on how you look at it), {{Spider-Man}}, {{Batman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}}, and even {{Godzilla}} Franchise/{{Godzilla}} as bosses. Unfortunately, [[SubvertedTrope the companies that made the characters started catching on]], so shipment of the games was stopped in order to modify the sprite data. This happened at least 3-4 times, with each revision removing or altering the characters in question. By the time of the {{Wii}} re-release, Rambo was spriteswapped, Spider-Man was recolored pink, Batman was a mutated {{Devilman}} ripoff, and Godzilla's skin was peeled off. Yep, that's right: only the Terminator / Hulk survived.
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** In the Game Gear games, you have a FiveManBand of heroes colored in red, blue, green, yellow, and pink. Sounds like a ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' team to me.
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* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon: In the 3DS ''Shinobi'' Kunai are used as projectile weapons much like shuriken. Although not implausible in real life, Kunai were generally used primarily as tools and melee weapons (as depicted in ''Revenge of Shinobi'' and ''Shinobi III''), seldom thrown.
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* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon: In the 3DS ''Shinobi'' Kunai are used as projectile weapons much like shuriken. Although not implausible in real life, Kunai were generally used primarily as tools and melee weapons (as depicted in ''Revenge of Shinobi'' and ''Shinobi III''), seldom thrown.
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* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon: More of a misnomer in the 3DS ''Shinobi'' where the dart shurikens are called Kunai. Although similar in shape, actual Kunai are the size of daggers and generally blunt making them rather ineffective as projectiles.
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* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon: More of a misnomer in In the 3DS ''Shinobi'' where the dart shurikens are called Kunai. Although similar in shape, actual Kunai are the size of daggers and used as projectile weapons much like shuriken. Although not implausible in real life, Kunai were generally blunt making them rather ineffective used primarily as projectiles.tools and melee weapons (as depicted in ''Revenge of Shinobi'' and ''Shinobi III''), seldom thrown.
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* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon: More of a misnomer in the {{3DS}} ''Shinobi'' where the dart shurikens are called Kunai. Although similar in shape, actual Kunai are the size of daggers and generally blunt making them rather ineffective as projectiles.
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* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon: More of a misnomer in the {{3DS}} 3DS ''Shinobi'' where the dart shurikens are called Kunai. Although similar in shape, actual Kunai are the size of daggers and generally blunt making them rather ineffective as projectiles.
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* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon: More of a misnomer in the {{3DS}} ''Shinobi'' where the dart shurikens are called Kunai. Although similar in shape, actual Kunai are the size of daggers and generally blunt making them rather ineffective as projectiles.
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** The "No-Mask Jiro" Costume looks a lot like Kage from LegendOfKage 2.
** Also, getting through Very Hard Mode gives you the option to replace your kunai with [[{{FruitNinja}} fruit]].
** Also, getting through Very Hard Mode gives you the option to replace your kunai with [[{{FruitNinja}} fruit]].
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** Also, getting through Very Hard Mode gives you the option to replace your kunai with [[{{FruitNinja}} fruit}}]].
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** Also, getting through Very Hard Mode gives you the option to replace your kunai with [[{{FruitNinja}} fruit}}]].fruit]].
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*** The fifth level is called ''[[{{Afterburner}} Afterburned]]'', and climaxes with [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome a battle atop a fighter jet as it flies on a sortie against the Zeed warship]].
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*** The fifth level is called ''[[{{Afterburner}} Afterburned]]'', and climaxes with [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome a battle atop a fighter jet as it flies on a sortie against the Zeed warship]]. warship]].
** The "No-Mask Jiro" Costume looks a lot like Kage from LegendOfKage 2.
** Also, getting through Very Hard Mode gives you the option to replace your kunai with [[{{FruitNinja}} fruit}}]].
** The "No-Mask Jiro" Costume looks a lot like Kage from LegendOfKage 2.
** Also, getting through Very Hard Mode gives you the option to replace your kunai with [[{{FruitNinja}} fruit}}]].
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* BribingYourWayToVictory: Averted in the final stage of the arcade original. You can continue as many times as needed in previous levels, but here losing all your chances is '''Game Over''', with no continue prompt. Quite a nasty surprise, really.
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** Ninja dogs with swords in their mouths!
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** Ninja dogs with swords in their mouths!mouths! Before you ask: No, [[TheSimpsons when they bark they don't shoot swords at you]].
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Rename.
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* AboveTheRuins: The ending of ''Shinobi III'', where Joe looks at the remains of Neo Zeed's aerial base from a cliff after it crashes into the ground.
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* TheRuinsICaused: The ending of ''Shinobi III'', where Joe looks at the remains of Neo Zeed's aerial base from a cliff after it crashes into the ground.
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[[SegaSuperstars Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed]] features Joe Musashi as an unlockable racer as well as a track based around Shinobi called Seasonal Shrines.
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** But if you try to do it when you don't have any lives left, this can fall right into ExplosiveStupidity.
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** ''Shinobi III'' was initially titled ''The Revenge of Shinobi II'' and featured entirely different levels and enemies. Apparently, the mediocre reception this iteration got from several gaming magazines led to Sega scrapping it and overhauling the game. You can read about it [[http://rq87.flyingomelette.com/RQ/Shinobi/SS2Omain.html here]].
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** ''Shinobi III'' was initially titled ''The Revenge of Shinobi II'' and featured entirely different levels and enemies. Apparently, the mediocre reception this iteration got from several gaming magazines led to Sega scrapping it and overhauling the game. You can read about it [[http://rq87.flyingomelette.com/RQ/Shinobi/SS2Omain.com/RQ/SS/S3/O/main.html here]].
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Crosswicking
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* {{Notzilla}}: ''[[Videogame/{{Shinobi}} The Revenge of Shinobi]]'' features a boss battle against a Godzilla parody.
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** Some other things to note. Hotsuma has the weakest sword strike but average speed, defense, and magic. He doesn't lose energy to his sword like Moritsune. Moritsune has the most speed and power, but the worst defense and second strongest magic. Joe Musashi has the slowest speed, but the second strongest sword and the most powerful magic, he also doesn't lose energy to Akujiki, he also has unlimited Shurikens. He's there to beat the game on Super difficulty if you need it.
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redunant and gushy
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* XanatosGambit: Much of Hiruko's plot in the PS2 game. [[spoiler:Hiruko is trying to restore an ancient, completely useless superweapon called Yatsurao. As it turns out, he's only trying to restore it so you can beat it up and he can steal the souls that power it. Oh, and he wanted you to kill off your resurrected ninja clan with your cursed soul-eating sword so he'd have all their souls in one neat package you'd be guaranteed to bring straight to him.]]
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* PrehensileHair: The final boss of ''Revenge of Shinobi'' uses his hair as a weapon.
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-->'''Loading Screen:''' Everyone knows real ninjas eat chicken, not [[TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles pizza]].
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-->'''Loading Screen:''' Everyone knows real ninjas eat chicken, not [[TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles pizza]].
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[[quoteright:350:http://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.''\\
Intro, ''Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master''
''Shinobi'' is a series of side-scrolling action games that were released by {{Sega}} during the late [[TheEighties 1980s]] and early-to-mid [[TheNineties 1990s]]. The games has the player controlling a ninja (usually Joe Musashi, an obvious nod to ninja actor ShoKosugi) 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 similarly Namco's ''RollingThunder''. Musashi is armed with his punches and kicks, as well as an unlimited supply of shurikens (which can upgraded into a sword and machine gun), as well as different kinds of ninja arts which could be used to kill all on-screen enemies. Sega also made a MasterSystem 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 NintendoEntertainmentSystem and 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 canine companion who helps the player fend off enemies. A severely stripped-down version was released for the SegaMasterSystem, while the SegaGenesis got ''Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi'', which had similar gameplay but with completed 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 SegaSaturn, which eschews the hand-drawn graphics from previous installments in favor of ''MortalKombat''-style digitized graphics.
Sega revived the series in the early [[TurnOfTheMillennium 2000s]] with a new 3D game simply titled ''Shinobi'' for the {{PlayStation 2}} 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 ''[[NightshadeKunoichi Nightshade]]'' 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 [=3DS=], and released in September 2011.
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images1_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[HighlyVisibleNinja You're not even trying, Hotsuma.]]]]
A list of ''Shinobi'' games by order of release:
* ''Shinobi'' -1987 (Arcade, Mark III/Master System, NES, PC Engine)
* ''Shadow Dancer'' -1989 (Arcade, Master System)
* ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' -1989 (Mega Drive/Genesis, known in Japan as ''The Super Shinobi'')
* ''AlexKidd in Shinobi World'' - 1990 (Master System)
* ''The Cyber Shinobi'' -1990 (Master System)
* ''Shadow Dancer: 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)
* ''Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master'' -1993 (Mega Drive/Genesis, known in Japan as ''The Super Shinobi II'')
* ''Shinobi Legions'' -1995 (Sega Saturn, known as ''Shin Shinobi Den'' in Japan and ''Shinobi X'' in Europe)
* ''Shinobi'' -2002 ([=PS2=])
* ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' -2002 (Game Boy Advance, [[InNameOnly unrelated to the Genesis version]])
* ''NightshadeKunoichi'' -2003 ([=PS2=], ''Kunoichi'' in Japan)
* ''Shinobi'' -2011 ([=3DS=])
----
Tropes used in Shinobi:
* AboveTheRuins: The ending of ''Shinobi III'', where Joe looks at the remains of Neo Zeed's aerial base from a cliff after it crashes into the ground.
* AirborneAircraftCarrier: In the Final Mission of ''Shinobi III'' Joe boards Neo Zeed's flying fortress and has to navigate past its automated defenses in order to reach the final duel with the Shadow Master.
* AllThereInTheManual
** The backstory for ''Secret of Shinobi'' differs between versions, particularly when it comes to the player character's identity. The Japanese manual identifies him as Joe Musashi's estranged son Hayate, while the American version changes him to Joe Musashi himself. The in-game text is ambiguous enough to favor either version. Note that the original arcade ''Shadow Dancer'' didn't even have anything to do with Musashi.
** All the backstory for ''Shinobi X'' is only detailed in the manual, making the FMV scenes - especially the ones that deal with [[CainAndAbel Kazuma and Sho]] - completely incomprehensible.
* ApocalypseMaiden: The Ubusuna Miko in the [=PS2=] game, whom Hiruko intend to use to power up Yatsurao. She's also his descendant.
* {{Badass}}: Joe Musashi, by far. Hotsuma also qualifies.
** Might as well throw in Hibana as well no?
** Jiro takes this even further.
* BaseOnWheels: The giant ballistic missile tractor in ''Revenge of Shinobi''.
* BattleAura: In ''Shinobi III'' the final battle with the Shadow Master starts off on equal footing as he uses shuriken and katana against Joe. Then when he takes enough damage he calls down a beam of energy to power himself up with a corona of fire- at which point he starts firing energy bolts from his palms, hurls a huge EnergyBall, counters Joe's dive kick with a {{Shoryuken}} and sometimes unleashes his own Ninjitsu technique to spray the entire chamber with energy bolts.
* BattleCouple: The two teens Shirogane and Akagane.
* BonusFeatureFailure: Joe Musashi can be unlocked as a playable character in the [=PS2=] ''Shinobi'', his bonus being that he has an unlimited supply of shurikens- which damage targets instead of paralyzing them, and no life draining Tate gauge (since he doesn't wield the Akujiku blade). He has the strongest magic attack as well. The benefit to this is that you don't have to worry about getting huge combos to keep your health and damage enemies, and you can just continually chuck shurikens at some of the harder to kill enemies. The downside is that there are some bosses that pretty much require you to get huge combos in order to defeat them in a timely fashion, however you can also chuck shurikens at them infinitely. A perfect beginner character...only you don't get him until you've collected 40 Oboro coins, which is only possible if you've already beaten the game twice: once on Normal and again on Hard.
** Using his infinite shurikens to defeat a boss sounds good on paper, but in practice it takes a ridiculously long time. The game was also designed around the 'stun' ability of Hotsuma and Moritsune's projectiles, which actually makes certain sections trickier with Joe.
** On another note all together, the long time fans will note that this isn't much of a surprise for Joe, as all of his titles focused much of the combat on rapid fire shuriken throwing. (save for latter installments like ''Shinobi III'', where the running slash and jump kick help to ease the difficulty by a good notch). Making this something of a throwback to the arcade games.
* BossBanter: Every single one in the [=PS2=] version. You can actually attack them while they're taunting ForMassiveDamage.
* CallingYourAttacks: Hotsuma will yell "BURN!!" as he cast his jutsu. Hiruko too, but he could be justified being a warlock.
* 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 its going out of style. Lampshaded by Joe's unique ability when he's unlocked in the PS2 game...see BonusFeatureFailure above.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The Game Gear games had multiple playable ninjas eached dressed in a different color with their own weapons and techniques.
* ComicBookAdaptation: In ''SonicTheComic''. Shinobi was the first Sega game outside the ''SonicTheHedgehog'' series to get a comic adaptation, and it was both faithful to the games' stories and suitably serious in tone.
* ContinuingIsPainful: In the Master System version of the original game, dying resets the length of your life bar down to its default, and brings you back down to the slow-shuriken weapon. The former can be particularly frustrating in levels 4-2 and 4-3, which feature bottomless pits.
* ContinuityNod: Of sorts in the [[Nintendo3DS 3DS]] version. Enemies from past games like the Brain Mutants make an appearance, and one stage has Jiro [[spoiler:board a Zeed warship identical to the one in the final level of ''Shinobi III''.]]
* ConvectionSchmonvection: The fourth area in the [=PS2=] version is filled with lava pools and fire-spitting foes. Yet, Hotsuma has no problem whatsoever walking around. He's damaged only if hits the magma.
* DangerousTechnique: The MacGuffin in ''Shinobi Legions/X''.
* DefeatEqualsExplosion: Enemies tend to explode when they die.
* DegradedBoss: The Shadow Dancer and the Masked Ninja from ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' reappear in the sequel as bosses, but in lower positions: the first is the midboss of stage 2, the latter is the penultimate boss.
* DiagonalCut: Whenever you manage to pull a Tate attack. Extremely satisfying if you manage to wipe out all enemies onscreen.
* DifficultyByRegion: The US version of the PS2 ''Shinobi'' removes Easy entirely and adds an extra "super" difficulty level.
* DirectionallySolidPlatforms: In 2D games.
* DirtyCoward: Hakuraku, who will summon ninja hounds and keep healing himself using scrolls from his magical box.
* DistressedDamsel: Naoko in ''Revenge of Shinobi'' and Aya in ''Shinobi Legions''.
* DubInducedPlotHole: The MasterSystem version of ''Shadow Dancer'' identifies the player character as "Fuma" in the attract sequence and "Takashi" in the manual.
* ElementalPowers
** In the PS2 game, the Hellspawn lords have them.
*** [[GiantSpider Shiragumo]] has [[DishingOutDirt Earth.]]
*** [[PyroManiac Benisuzume]] has [[PlayingWithFire Fire.]]
*** [[{{Kitsune}} Kurokuda]] has [[AnIcePerson Ice]]
*** [[TheDragon Aomizuchi]] has [[ShockAndAwe Heavens.]]
*** Hiruko has all said powers plus [[SoulPower Light.]]
** Jiro's Ninja Magic in the [[Nintendo3DS 3DS]] ''Shinobi'' are now classified by elements:
*** Fire: The Art of ''[[SmartBomb Karyu]]''; it also temporarily powers up Jiro's shuriken and [[MoreDakka gives them a spread shot]].
*** Earth: Instead of ''[[SuicideAttack Mijin]]'' Jiro has a new magic that grants him automatic parrying against enemy attacks, [[MoreDakka shuriken spread]] and increased melee speed but [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique leaves him severely drained of health when it wears off]].
*** Lightning: The Art of ''[[DeflectorShields Ikazuchi]]''.
*** Water: The Art of ''[[InASingleBound Fushin]]''; also grants faster speed and shuriken recharge.
* [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning Everything's Better With Spinning]]: In addition to having a [[FlechetteStorm Punishing Steel Rain]] attack, Jiro can launch into a [[NinjaGaiden Jump-and-Slash]] off a double jump.
* EvilCounterpart: In the PS2 ''Shinobi'' the [[spoiler: four]] [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Hellspawn Lords]] are actually twisted and dark counterparts of the Si-Ling creatures: eg Shirogumo stands for the White Tiger of west, and is a white GiantSpider with Tiger's head and [[DishingOutDirt earth powers]].
** The Shadow Master is this to Joe, especially since he was cloned from the Musashi bloodline.
* EvilPlan: [[spoiler: Hiruko is more interested in collecting souls than the Yatsurao. His actions are focused on collecting them, or getting the player to collect them for him. Nonetheless, the Yatsurao thing is the opening conflict.]]
* EvilSorcerer: Hiruko.
* EvilWeapon: The sword ''Akujiki'' in the PS2-generation ''Shinobi'' feeds off the lifeforce of those it kills, and if not given fresh blood for too long, feeds off the wielder instead.
* [[spoiler:FishOutOfTemporalWater: Jiro Musashi]]
* FlechetteStorm: The Punishing Rain technique, from ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' onwards. Also, the Shadow Master's Ninjitsu technique.
* ForMassiveDamage: Both Lobster samurais had their heads as their weak point. Some bosses have this as well.
** The [=PS2=] game's Tate system tended to require human foes to be hit in the back for one-hit kills, while the massive Hellspawn Lord bosses had "taunt" phases to their attack patterns where they took hugely increased damage. Outside the US-only Super difficulty, every boss could be killed by Hotsuma in a single sword swing save the two iterations of the Blackhawk. Yes, even Shirogane and Akagane if attacked at the right time.
* FullMotionVideo: ''Shinobi X'' did this; specifically, the "live action {{cutscene}}" shtick used so extensively in TheNineties.
* FuumaShuriken: Kogou wields a gargantuan, kite-shaped shuriken that he uses as a shield and a flying saucer-like platform.
* GuideDangIt: Killing the final boss in ''Revenge of Shinobi'' can get like this, given he appears completely invulnerable and even the boss-killing Mijin magic deals no damage to him. As it turns out, you can only attack his body, which usually protected by his deadly Kabuki hair- until he overextends it in his initial strike which leaves an opening that Joe can throw a shuriken at... or even detonate a ''Mijin'' into ForMassiveDamage.
* HeelfaceTurn: Kazuma in ''Shinobi X'' pulls this, as he considers Sho a WorthyOpponent.
* HighlyVisibleNinja: Hotsuma's scarf is designed to make him this so the played 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.
** 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''.
* IAmNotShazam: ''Shinobi'' is a synonym for a "ninja" (specifically of its first kanji) and not the name of a particular character.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: A part from various weird shaped blades, we have Homura, who fights with a ''kiseru'' (pipe), Hakuraku who uses a huge box full of scrolls and Kogou who uses his extra-spiky iron Geta in order to chain lightningbolts at you.
* InNameOnly: The GameBoyAdvance version of ''The Revenge of the Shinobi'' is a completely different game from the original Genesis game.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: Hotsuma's sword can cut a tank in half.
* LawyerFriendlyCameo: In the early versions of ''Revenge of Shinobi'', Musashi will fight against thinly-disguised pastiches of {{Rambo}}, [[{{Terminator}} The Terminator]] (or TheIncredibleHulk, depending on how you look at it), {{Spider-Man}}, {{Batman}}, and even {{Godzilla}} as bosses. Unfortunately, [[SubvertedTrope the companies that made the characters started catching on]], so shipment of the games was stopped in order to modify the sprite data. This happened at least 3-4 times, with each revision removing or altering the characters in question. By the time of the {{Wii}} re-release, Rambo was spriteswapped, Spider-Man was recolored pink, Batman was a mutated {{Devilman}} ripoff, and Godzilla's skin was peeled off. Yep, that's right: only the Terminator / Hulk survived.
** {{Spider-Man}} was more of a SpecialGuest, as Sega originally obtained the rights to use him in another set of games. In fact, he was the only one of the aforementioned cameos who remained the same until the {{Wii}} re-release, since Sega no longer had the Spidey license by that time. Especially noted is that he does not die in the BossFight, rather he climbs out of the picture after taking enough hits before the {{Batman}}[=/=]{{Devilman}} rip off moves in to take on Joe.
** In ''Shinobi III'', Mecha Godzilla is the fifth boss, making him the ''second'' Godzilla-related boss in the series.
** In the prototype of ''Alex Kidd in Shinobi World'', titled ''[[WorkingTitle Kid Shinobi]]'', one of the bosses was named Mari-oh, who looked like [[SuperMario the mascot]] of a [[{{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 concealed.
* LegacyCharacter: [[spoiler:In the [[Nintendo3DS 3DS]] ''Shinobi'' it seems Shadow Master has become a title for the head of Zeed, as the one fought in this game is apparently the very first and is quite different from the Cyberninja in ''Shinobi III''.]]
* MarketBasedTitle
** ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' is known as ''The Super Shinobi'' in Japan.
** ''Shinobi III'' is named ''The Super Shinobi II'' (establishing its status as a sequel to ''Revenge'').
** ''Shin Shinobi Den'' is known as ''Shinobi Legions'' in America and ''Shinobi X'' in Europe.
** The [=3DS=] version is known as ''[[SuperTitle64Advance Shinobi 3D]]'' in Japan.
** 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 really strong and slices things using RazorWind.
* MinecartMadness: Happens in ''Shinobi Legions''.
* TheMole: [[spoiler: Ageha in the [=PS2=] ''Shinobi''.]]
* NamesTheSame: The second boss in ''Revenge of Shinobi'' is called the "Shadow Dancer", which was also the name of the original ''Shinobi'''s arcade sequel.
* {{Ninja}}: ''Obviously''.
** Ninja dogs with swords in their mouths!
* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: [[spoiler: The ending of Shinobi on 3DS has Jiro fall from space ALL THE WAY DOWN TO EARTH during the entirety of the credits. On fire. And then he walks away unscathed upon landing. Doubles with IFellForHours.]]
* ObviousBeta: Sega once [[http://segaretro.org/Sega_PC_Smash_Pack released]] a pack of poorly emulated Genesis games for PC. ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' was one of them [[TheyJustDidntCare and it was a beta build]].
* OneHitPointWonder: Joe Musashi dies in one hit in the original arcade game, while the Master System and NES versions gives him a health gauge. Expert players of the Master System version might find the arcade version a bit ''jarring'' at first because of this.
* PoweredArmor: The Shadow Master in ''Shinobi III''.
* PyroManiac: Homura in PS2 game is very fond of roasting people.
* RazorWind: Kamaitachi no Jutsu.
* RecycledTitle
** The name ''Shinobi'' alone could apply to the original 1987 arcade game and its console variants, the 2002 [=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 ''Shadow Dancer'' with a ''Film/{{Robocop}}''-esque setting. The Genesis version is more different, though.
* RedHerring: [[spoiler: Yatsurao.]]
* ReformulatedGame: The Genesis port of ''Shadow Dancer'' has the same gameplay as the arcade game, but with completely new stages.
* RuleOfCool: Ninjas on surfboards in ''Shinobi III''? Yes, please.
** Riding on horseback at the beginning of stage 2.
*** On which said horse can do a ''diving KICK'' ...awesome
** And Hotsuma's sword-parachuting, cutting tanks, missiles and helicopters in half...
** Hibana gets some nice moments too in a number of the cutscenes.
* {{Samurai}}: 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''.
* SaveTheVillain: At the end of Shinobi X, [[TheHero Sho]] attempts to do this for Kazuma, but Kazuma decides to save Sho and his girl instead, [[DeathEqualsredemption dying in the explosion]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard he was responsible for]].
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Hotsuma's scarf in the [=PS2=] titles.
** They even tack one on Hibana - although her's isn't quite as epic - it does leave a rather cool 'ghost trail' effect.
** Hell, the tack one on JOE in his model for PS2...it doesn't trail or get brushlike....but its the principal that matters.
** Jiro Musashi sports one.
* SealedEvilInACan: Hiruko at first and then Yatsurao, a demonic living statue powered by the souls of the victims of all the earthquakes that struck Tokyo in the past.
* SequelNumberSnarl: The Genesis games goes 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 ''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: An organization named "Zeed"? An enemy named "Ken-oh"? Someone must have been watching too much ''[[FistOfTheNorthStar Hokuto no Ken]]'' when they made the game.
** The [[Nintendo3DS 3DS]] game has a couple of ShoutOuts to other {{Sega}} games:
*** One of the unlockable extra weapons is the GoldenAxe. [[spoiler:Also in the Oboro Village level next to one of the hidden Mastery Coins is the dwarf Gilius Thunderhead trapped in ice. Free him and he'll thank you with an extra life before moving on.]]
*** The fifth level is called ''[[{{Afterburner}} Afterburned]]'', and climaxes with [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome a battle atop a fighter jet as it flies on a sortie against the Zeed warship]].
* SuicideAttack / TakingYouWithMe / ActionBomb: 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 - its 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?
* SuperMode: Again the Shadow Master after he charges up.
* TakeThat
-->'''Loading Screen:''' Everyone knows real ninjas eat chicken, not [[TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles pizza]].
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Sho in ''Legions'' does this to save Aya from getting backstabbed.
* TheUnreveal: That the MalevolentMaskedMan alongside Hiruko is Moritsune is painfully obvious. [[spoiler: That Aomizuchi was possessing him however, wasn't so obvious...]]
* ToBeContinued: We are told this after the credits in ''Shinobi III'', but Joe's story isn't continued at all in the other games.
* WeCanRuleTogether: [[BigBad Kazuma]] tries this in the final stage of Shinobi Legions. This example differs from most VideoGame examples of this trope, as Sho automatically says no.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Hotsuma's ScarfOfAsskicking was originally much smaller and shorter until one of the developers made it super-long as a joke. [[RuleOfCool It looked awesome]], [[ThrowItIn so they left it in]].
** ''AlexKidd in Shinobi World'' was originally just going to be a cutesy spin-off of Shinobi called ''Shinobi Kid'', but Alex was shoe-horned in so he could piggy-back off the popularity of Shinobi as his own license was on the out.
** The [=PS2=] ''Shinobi'' was originally planned as a Dreamcast game, but the intended platform changed due to Sega's abrupt departure from the hardware race.
** ''Shinobi III'' was initially titled ''The Revenge of Shinobi II'' and featured entirely different levels and enemies. Apparently, the mediocre reception this iteration got from several gaming magazines led to Sega scrapping it and overhauling the game. You can read about it [[http://rq87.flyingomelette.com/RQ/Shinobi/SS2Omain.html here]].
* AWinnerIsYou: The ending in the arcade ''Shinobi'' wasn't anything special to begin with, but it sure beats the Master System port, which awards the player with a blank Game Over screen (the same one you can get for losing the game).
* WombLevel: The second half of level 3 in ''Shinobi III''.
* XanatosGambit: Much of Hiruko's plot in the PS2 game. [[spoiler:Hiruko is trying to restore an ancient, completely useless superweapon called Yatsurao. As it turns out, he's only trying to restore it so you can beat it up and he can steal the souls that power it. Oh, and he wanted you to kill off your resurrected ninja clan with your cursed soul-eating sword so he'd have all their souls in one neat package you'd be guaranteed to bring straight to him.]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:Joe Musashi, the original Shinobi.]]
-->''He is stronger than steel\\
and moves faster than a whirlwind.''\\
Intro, ''Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master''
''Shinobi'' is a series of side-scrolling action games that were released by {{Sega}} during the late [[TheEighties 1980s]] and early-to-mid [[TheNineties 1990s]]. The games has the player controlling a ninja (usually Joe Musashi, an obvious nod to ninja actor ShoKosugi) 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 similarly Namco's ''RollingThunder''. Musashi is armed with his punches and kicks, as well as an unlimited supply of shurikens (which can upgraded into a sword and machine gun), as well as different kinds of ninja arts which could be used to kill all on-screen enemies. Sega also made a MasterSystem 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 NintendoEntertainmentSystem and 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 canine companion who helps the player fend off enemies. A severely stripped-down version was released for the SegaMasterSystem, while the SegaGenesis got ''Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi'', which had similar gameplay but with completed 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 SegaSaturn, which eschews the hand-drawn graphics from previous installments in favor of ''MortalKombat''-style digitized graphics.
Sega revived the series in the early [[TurnOfTheMillennium 2000s]] with a new 3D game simply titled ''Shinobi'' for the {{PlayStation 2}} 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 ''[[NightshadeKunoichi Nightshade]]'' 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 [=3DS=], and released in September 2011.
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images1_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[HighlyVisibleNinja You're not even trying, Hotsuma.]]]]
A list of ''Shinobi'' games by order of release:
* ''Shinobi'' -1987 (Arcade, Mark III/Master System, NES, PC Engine)
* ''Shadow Dancer'' -1989 (Arcade, Master System)
* ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' -1989 (Mega Drive/Genesis, known in Japan as ''The Super Shinobi'')
* ''AlexKidd in Shinobi World'' - 1990 (Master System)
* ''The Cyber Shinobi'' -1990 (Master System)
* ''Shadow Dancer: 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)
* ''Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master'' -1993 (Mega Drive/Genesis, known in Japan as ''The Super Shinobi II'')
* ''Shinobi Legions'' -1995 (Sega Saturn, known as ''Shin Shinobi Den'' in Japan and ''Shinobi X'' in Europe)
* ''Shinobi'' -2002 ([=PS2=])
* ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' -2002 (Game Boy Advance, [[InNameOnly unrelated to the Genesis version]])
* ''NightshadeKunoichi'' -2003 ([=PS2=], ''Kunoichi'' in Japan)
* ''Shinobi'' -2011 ([=3DS=])
----
Tropes used in Shinobi:
* AboveTheRuins: The ending of ''Shinobi III'', where Joe looks at the remains of Neo Zeed's aerial base from a cliff after it crashes into the ground.
* AirborneAircraftCarrier: In the Final Mission of ''Shinobi III'' Joe boards Neo Zeed's flying fortress and has to navigate past its automated defenses in order to reach the final duel with the Shadow Master.
* AllThereInTheManual
** The backstory for ''Secret of Shinobi'' differs between versions, particularly when it comes to the player character's identity. The Japanese manual identifies him as Joe Musashi's estranged son Hayate, while the American version changes him to Joe Musashi himself. The in-game text is ambiguous enough to favor either version. Note that the original arcade ''Shadow Dancer'' didn't even have anything to do with Musashi.
** All the backstory for ''Shinobi X'' is only detailed in the manual, making the FMV scenes - especially the ones that deal with [[CainAndAbel Kazuma and Sho]] - completely incomprehensible.
* ApocalypseMaiden: The Ubusuna Miko in the [=PS2=] game, whom Hiruko intend to use to power up Yatsurao. She's also his descendant.
* {{Badass}}: Joe Musashi, by far. Hotsuma also qualifies.
** Might as well throw in Hibana as well no?
** Jiro takes this even further.
* BaseOnWheels: The giant ballistic missile tractor in ''Revenge of Shinobi''.
* BattleAura: In ''Shinobi III'' the final battle with the Shadow Master starts off on equal footing as he uses shuriken and katana against Joe. Then when he takes enough damage he calls down a beam of energy to power himself up with a corona of fire- at which point he starts firing energy bolts from his palms, hurls a huge EnergyBall, counters Joe's dive kick with a {{Shoryuken}} and sometimes unleashes his own Ninjitsu technique to spray the entire chamber with energy bolts.
* BattleCouple: The two teens Shirogane and Akagane.
* BonusFeatureFailure: Joe Musashi can be unlocked as a playable character in the [=PS2=] ''Shinobi'', his bonus being that he has an unlimited supply of shurikens- which damage targets instead of paralyzing them, and no life draining Tate gauge (since he doesn't wield the Akujiku blade). He has the strongest magic attack as well. The benefit to this is that you don't have to worry about getting huge combos to keep your health and damage enemies, and you can just continually chuck shurikens at some of the harder to kill enemies. The downside is that there are some bosses that pretty much require you to get huge combos in order to defeat them in a timely fashion, however you can also chuck shurikens at them infinitely. A perfect beginner character...only you don't get him until you've collected 40 Oboro coins, which is only possible if you've already beaten the game twice: once on Normal and again on Hard.
** Using his infinite shurikens to defeat a boss sounds good on paper, but in practice it takes a ridiculously long time. The game was also designed around the 'stun' ability of Hotsuma and Moritsune's projectiles, which actually makes certain sections trickier with Joe.
** On another note all together, the long time fans will note that this isn't much of a surprise for Joe, as all of his titles focused much of the combat on rapid fire shuriken throwing. (save for latter installments like ''Shinobi III'', where the running slash and jump kick help to ease the difficulty by a good notch). Making this something of a throwback to the arcade games.
* BossBanter: Every single one in the [=PS2=] version. You can actually attack them while they're taunting ForMassiveDamage.
* CallingYourAttacks: Hotsuma will yell "BURN!!" as he cast his jutsu. Hiruko too, but he could be justified being a warlock.
* 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 its going out of style. Lampshaded by Joe's unique ability when he's unlocked in the PS2 game...see BonusFeatureFailure above.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The Game Gear games had multiple playable ninjas eached dressed in a different color with their own weapons and techniques.
* ComicBookAdaptation: In ''SonicTheComic''. Shinobi was the first Sega game outside the ''SonicTheHedgehog'' series to get a comic adaptation, and it was both faithful to the games' stories and suitably serious in tone.
* ContinuingIsPainful: In the Master System version of the original game, dying resets the length of your life bar down to its default, and brings you back down to the slow-shuriken weapon. The former can be particularly frustrating in levels 4-2 and 4-3, which feature bottomless pits.
* ContinuityNod: Of sorts in the [[Nintendo3DS 3DS]] version. Enemies from past games like the Brain Mutants make an appearance, and one stage has Jiro [[spoiler:board a Zeed warship identical to the one in the final level of ''Shinobi III''.]]
* ConvectionSchmonvection: The fourth area in the [=PS2=] version is filled with lava pools and fire-spitting foes. Yet, Hotsuma has no problem whatsoever walking around. He's damaged only if hits the magma.
* DangerousTechnique: The MacGuffin in ''Shinobi Legions/X''.
* DefeatEqualsExplosion: Enemies tend to explode when they die.
* DegradedBoss: The Shadow Dancer and the Masked Ninja from ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' reappear in the sequel as bosses, but in lower positions: the first is the midboss of stage 2, the latter is the penultimate boss.
* DiagonalCut: Whenever you manage to pull a Tate attack. Extremely satisfying if you manage to wipe out all enemies onscreen.
* DifficultyByRegion: The US version of the PS2 ''Shinobi'' removes Easy entirely and adds an extra "super" difficulty level.
* DirectionallySolidPlatforms: In 2D games.
* DirtyCoward: Hakuraku, who will summon ninja hounds and keep healing himself using scrolls from his magical box.
* DistressedDamsel: Naoko in ''Revenge of Shinobi'' and Aya in ''Shinobi Legions''.
* DubInducedPlotHole: The MasterSystem version of ''Shadow Dancer'' identifies the player character as "Fuma" in the attract sequence and "Takashi" in the manual.
* ElementalPowers
** In the PS2 game, the Hellspawn lords have them.
*** [[GiantSpider Shiragumo]] has [[DishingOutDirt Earth.]]
*** [[PyroManiac Benisuzume]] has [[PlayingWithFire Fire.]]
*** [[{{Kitsune}} Kurokuda]] has [[AnIcePerson Ice]]
*** [[TheDragon Aomizuchi]] has [[ShockAndAwe Heavens.]]
*** Hiruko has all said powers plus [[SoulPower Light.]]
** Jiro's Ninja Magic in the [[Nintendo3DS 3DS]] ''Shinobi'' are now classified by elements:
*** Fire: The Art of ''[[SmartBomb Karyu]]''; it also temporarily powers up Jiro's shuriken and [[MoreDakka gives them a spread shot]].
*** Earth: Instead of ''[[SuicideAttack Mijin]]'' Jiro has a new magic that grants him automatic parrying against enemy attacks, [[MoreDakka shuriken spread]] and increased melee speed but [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique leaves him severely drained of health when it wears off]].
*** Lightning: The Art of ''[[DeflectorShields Ikazuchi]]''.
*** Water: The Art of ''[[InASingleBound Fushin]]''; also grants faster speed and shuriken recharge.
* [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning Everything's Better With Spinning]]: In addition to having a [[FlechetteStorm Punishing Steel Rain]] attack, Jiro can launch into a [[NinjaGaiden Jump-and-Slash]] off a double jump.
* EvilCounterpart: In the PS2 ''Shinobi'' the [[spoiler: four]] [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Hellspawn Lords]] are actually twisted and dark counterparts of the Si-Ling creatures: eg Shirogumo stands for the White Tiger of west, and is a white GiantSpider with Tiger's head and [[DishingOutDirt earth powers]].
** The Shadow Master is this to Joe, especially since he was cloned from the Musashi bloodline.
* EvilPlan: [[spoiler: Hiruko is more interested in collecting souls than the Yatsurao. His actions are focused on collecting them, or getting the player to collect them for him. Nonetheless, the Yatsurao thing is the opening conflict.]]
* EvilSorcerer: Hiruko.
* EvilWeapon: The sword ''Akujiki'' in the PS2-generation ''Shinobi'' feeds off the lifeforce of those it kills, and if not given fresh blood for too long, feeds off the wielder instead.
* [[spoiler:FishOutOfTemporalWater: Jiro Musashi]]
* FlechetteStorm: The Punishing Rain technique, from ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' onwards. Also, the Shadow Master's Ninjitsu technique.
* ForMassiveDamage: Both Lobster samurais had their heads as their weak point. Some bosses have this as well.
** The [=PS2=] game's Tate system tended to require human foes to be hit in the back for one-hit kills, while the massive Hellspawn Lord bosses had "taunt" phases to their attack patterns where they took hugely increased damage. Outside the US-only Super difficulty, every boss could be killed by Hotsuma in a single sword swing save the two iterations of the Blackhawk. Yes, even Shirogane and Akagane if attacked at the right time.
* FullMotionVideo: ''Shinobi X'' did this; specifically, the "live action {{cutscene}}" shtick used so extensively in TheNineties.
* FuumaShuriken: Kogou wields a gargantuan, kite-shaped shuriken that he uses as a shield and a flying saucer-like platform.
* GuideDangIt: Killing the final boss in ''Revenge of Shinobi'' can get like this, given he appears completely invulnerable and even the boss-killing Mijin magic deals no damage to him. As it turns out, you can only attack his body, which usually protected by his deadly Kabuki hair- until he overextends it in his initial strike which leaves an opening that Joe can throw a shuriken at... or even detonate a ''Mijin'' into ForMassiveDamage.
* HeelfaceTurn: Kazuma in ''Shinobi X'' pulls this, as he considers Sho a WorthyOpponent.
* HighlyVisibleNinja: Hotsuma's scarf is designed to make him this so the played 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.
** 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''.
* IAmNotShazam: ''Shinobi'' is a synonym for a "ninja" (specifically of its first kanji) and not the name of a particular character.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: A part from various weird shaped blades, we have Homura, who fights with a ''kiseru'' (pipe), Hakuraku who uses a huge box full of scrolls and Kogou who uses his extra-spiky iron Geta in order to chain lightningbolts at you.
* InNameOnly: The GameBoyAdvance version of ''The Revenge of the Shinobi'' is a completely different game from the original Genesis game.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: Hotsuma's sword can cut a tank in half.
* LawyerFriendlyCameo: In the early versions of ''Revenge of Shinobi'', Musashi will fight against thinly-disguised pastiches of {{Rambo}}, [[{{Terminator}} The Terminator]] (or TheIncredibleHulk, depending on how you look at it), {{Spider-Man}}, {{Batman}}, and even {{Godzilla}} as bosses. Unfortunately, [[SubvertedTrope the companies that made the characters started catching on]], so shipment of the games was stopped in order to modify the sprite data. This happened at least 3-4 times, with each revision removing or altering the characters in question. By the time of the {{Wii}} re-release, Rambo was spriteswapped, Spider-Man was recolored pink, Batman was a mutated {{Devilman}} ripoff, and Godzilla's skin was peeled off. Yep, that's right: only the Terminator / Hulk survived.
** {{Spider-Man}} was more of a SpecialGuest, as Sega originally obtained the rights to use him in another set of games. In fact, he was the only one of the aforementioned cameos who remained the same until the {{Wii}} re-release, since Sega no longer had the Spidey license by that time. Especially noted is that he does not die in the BossFight, rather he climbs out of the picture after taking enough hits before the {{Batman}}[=/=]{{Devilman}} rip off moves in to take on Joe.
** In ''Shinobi III'', Mecha Godzilla is the fifth boss, making him the ''second'' Godzilla-related boss in the series.
** In the prototype of ''Alex Kidd in Shinobi World'', titled ''[[WorkingTitle Kid Shinobi]]'', one of the bosses was named Mari-oh, who looked like [[SuperMario the mascot]] of a [[{{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 concealed.
* LegacyCharacter: [[spoiler:In the [[Nintendo3DS 3DS]] ''Shinobi'' it seems Shadow Master has become a title for the head of Zeed, as the one fought in this game is apparently the very first and is quite different from the Cyberninja in ''Shinobi III''.]]
* MarketBasedTitle
** ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' is known as ''The Super Shinobi'' in Japan.
** ''Shinobi III'' is named ''The Super Shinobi II'' (establishing its status as a sequel to ''Revenge'').
** ''Shin Shinobi Den'' is known as ''Shinobi Legions'' in America and ''Shinobi X'' in Europe.
** The [=3DS=] version is known as ''[[SuperTitle64Advance Shinobi 3D]]'' in Japan.
** 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 really strong and slices things using RazorWind.
* MinecartMadness: Happens in ''Shinobi Legions''.
* TheMole: [[spoiler: Ageha in the [=PS2=] ''Shinobi''.]]
* NamesTheSame: The second boss in ''Revenge of Shinobi'' is called the "Shadow Dancer", which was also the name of the original ''Shinobi'''s arcade sequel.
* {{Ninja}}: ''Obviously''.
** Ninja dogs with swords in their mouths!
* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: [[spoiler: The ending of Shinobi on 3DS has Jiro fall from space ALL THE WAY DOWN TO EARTH during the entirety of the credits. On fire. And then he walks away unscathed upon landing. Doubles with IFellForHours.]]
* ObviousBeta: Sega once [[http://segaretro.org/Sega_PC_Smash_Pack released]] a pack of poorly emulated Genesis games for PC. ''The Revenge of Shinobi'' was one of them [[TheyJustDidntCare and it was a beta build]].
* OneHitPointWonder: Joe Musashi dies in one hit in the original arcade game, while the Master System and NES versions gives him a health gauge. Expert players of the Master System version might find the arcade version a bit ''jarring'' at first because of this.
* PoweredArmor: The Shadow Master in ''Shinobi III''.
* PyroManiac: Homura in PS2 game is very fond of roasting people.
* RazorWind: Kamaitachi no Jutsu.
* RecycledTitle
** The name ''Shinobi'' alone could apply to the original 1987 arcade game and its console variants, the 2002 [=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 ''Shadow Dancer'' with a ''Film/{{Robocop}}''-esque setting. The Genesis version is more different, though.
* RedHerring: [[spoiler: Yatsurao.]]
* ReformulatedGame: The Genesis port of ''Shadow Dancer'' has the same gameplay as the arcade game, but with completely new stages.
* RuleOfCool: Ninjas on surfboards in ''Shinobi III''? Yes, please.
** Riding on horseback at the beginning of stage 2.
*** On which said horse can do a ''diving KICK'' ...awesome
** And Hotsuma's sword-parachuting, cutting tanks, missiles and helicopters in half...
** Hibana gets some nice moments too in a number of the cutscenes.
* {{Samurai}}: 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''.
* SaveTheVillain: At the end of Shinobi X, [[TheHero Sho]] attempts to do this for Kazuma, but Kazuma decides to save Sho and his girl instead, [[DeathEqualsredemption dying in the explosion]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard he was responsible for]].
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Hotsuma's scarf in the [=PS2=] titles.
** They even tack one on Hibana - although her's isn't quite as epic - it does leave a rather cool 'ghost trail' effect.
** Hell, the tack one on JOE in his model for PS2...it doesn't trail or get brushlike....but its the principal that matters.
** Jiro Musashi sports one.
* SealedEvilInACan: Hiruko at first and then Yatsurao, a demonic living statue powered by the souls of the victims of all the earthquakes that struck Tokyo in the past.
* SequelNumberSnarl: The Genesis games goes 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 ''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: An organization named "Zeed"? An enemy named "Ken-oh"? Someone must have been watching too much ''[[FistOfTheNorthStar Hokuto no Ken]]'' when they made the game.
** The [[Nintendo3DS 3DS]] game has a couple of ShoutOuts to other {{Sega}} games:
*** One of the unlockable extra weapons is the GoldenAxe. [[spoiler:Also in the Oboro Village level next to one of the hidden Mastery Coins is the dwarf Gilius Thunderhead trapped in ice. Free him and he'll thank you with an extra life before moving on.]]
*** The fifth level is called ''[[{{Afterburner}} Afterburned]]'', and climaxes with [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome a battle atop a fighter jet as it flies on a sortie against the Zeed warship]].
* SuicideAttack / TakingYouWithMe / ActionBomb: 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 - its 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?
* SuperMode: Again the Shadow Master after he charges up.
* TakeThat
-->'''Loading Screen:''' Everyone knows real ninjas eat chicken, not [[TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles pizza]].
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Sho in ''Legions'' does this to save Aya from getting backstabbed.
* TheUnreveal: That the MalevolentMaskedMan alongside Hiruko is Moritsune is painfully obvious. [[spoiler: That Aomizuchi was possessing him however, wasn't so obvious...]]
* ToBeContinued: We are told this after the credits in ''Shinobi III'', but Joe's story isn't continued at all in the other games.
* WeCanRuleTogether: [[BigBad Kazuma]] tries this in the final stage of Shinobi Legions. This example differs from most VideoGame examples of this trope, as Sho automatically says no.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Hotsuma's ScarfOfAsskicking was originally much smaller and shorter until one of the developers made it super-long as a joke. [[RuleOfCool It looked awesome]], [[ThrowItIn so they left it in]].
** ''AlexKidd in Shinobi World'' was originally just going to be a cutesy spin-off of Shinobi called ''Shinobi Kid'', but Alex was shoe-horned in so he could piggy-back off the popularity of Shinobi as his own license was on the out.
** The [=PS2=] ''Shinobi'' was originally planned as a Dreamcast game, but the intended platform changed due to Sega's abrupt departure from the hardware race.
** ''Shinobi III'' was initially titled ''The Revenge of Shinobi II'' and featured entirely different levels and enemies. Apparently, the mediocre reception this iteration got from several gaming magazines led to Sega scrapping it and overhauling the game. You can read about it [[http://rq87.flyingomelette.com/RQ/Shinobi/SS2Omain.html here]].
* AWinnerIsYou: The ending in the arcade ''Shinobi'' wasn't anything special to begin with, but it sure beats the Master System port, which awards the player with a blank Game Over screen (the same one you can get for losing the game).
* WombLevel: The second half of level 3 in ''Shinobi III''.
* XanatosGambit: Much of Hiruko's plot in the PS2 game. [[spoiler:Hiruko is trying to restore an ancient, completely useless superweapon called Yatsurao. As it turns out, he's only trying to restore it so you can beat it up and he can steal the souls that power it. Oh, and he wanted you to kill off your resurrected ninja clan with your cursed soul-eating sword so he'd have all their souls in one neat package you'd be guaranteed to bring straight to him.]]
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