is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo for the Xbox. A reboot of the Ninja Gaiden franchise, players control Ryu Hayabusa, a master ninja, in his quest to recover a stolen sword and avenge the slaughter of his clan. It is set in the same world as Team Ninja's Dead or Alive fighting games.
Tecmo developed Ninja Gaiden for five years, targeting a western audience. The violence created difficulties obtaining content ratings, and it was censored in some regions. Tecmo promoted Ninja Gaiden international online contests using the Xbox Live service. Record-breaking numbers of players competed for places in the live final held at the 2004 Tokyo Game Show.
Ninja Gaiden received acclaim, with praise for its combat, graphics, and difficulty. It sold more than 1.5 million copies and became one of the ten best-selling Xbox games. It sold 362,441 copies in North America in the first month of release; however, Japanese sales were poor.
Team Ninja released two packs of downloadable content, which were incorporated into a reworked version, Ninja Gaiden Black, in 2005. In 2007, Ninja Gaiden was ported to PlayStation 3 as Ninja Gaiden Sigma, with graphical improvement and gameplay changes; this was released on the portable PlayStation Vita as Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus. Ninja Gaiden was followed by Ninja Gaiden II (2008), Ninja Gaiden 3 (2012) and Ninja Gaiden 4 (2025). Ninja Gaiden Sigma was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One as part of the Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection on June 10, 2021.
Gameplay
Players control the ninja Ryu Hayabusa from a third-person perspective. Ryu starts with basic abilities and weapons that can be upgraded as he progresses, by discovering or buying items. Ryu can perform acrobatic feats such as running along and jumping off walls, swinging from pole to pole, or running across water. The world is made up of several regions, most of which are connected via the city of Tairon, which functions as a hub. Access to these regions are obtained by fighting enemies, finding keys, or solving puzzles, inspired by the mechanics of The Legend of Zelda video games. The player can save the game at dragon busts scattered throughout the levels.
Ryu's movements are directed using the console gamepad. The control system, which comprises the left thumbstick, two attack buttons, and a block button, was described as fluid and responsive, and Ninja Gaiden was regarded as having one of the deeper combat engines among Xbox games at the time, comparing well to the action-adventures God of War and Devil May Cry. Unlike the action games Devil May Cry and God of War, Ninja Gaiden does not allow players to halt or change attacks mid-stroke. Eric Williams, the designer of the God of War combat system, said this made Ninja Gaiden harder to master but lets players fight their computer-controlled foes on equal terms.
Ninja Gaiden features a selection of weapons, each with advantages and disadvantages that affect the way the player approaches combat. These include one-handed swords, such as the Dragon Sword and Kitetsu, which grant quick attacks, and a move called the Flying Swallow, which allows Ryu to leap and slash through enemies. In addition these light weapons allow Ryu to smash foes into the ground and perform his signature Izuna Drop—a spinning piledriver. Heavy weapons, such as the Dabilahro and the Unlabored Flawlessness, are slow but cause more damage to opponents. With flails and staves, the player can string together long sequences of attacks. To engage distant foes Ryu can throw shuriken and shoot arrows. In addition to using standard melee techniques, Ryu can employ essences—colored globes of energy that are released on the death of enemies and absorbed into Ryu's body when he comes into proximity with them. Essences have an important role in general gameplay, acting to heal Ryu, restore his magic, or increase his cash. The player can cause Ryu to draw in essences and unleash powerful attacks known as Ultimate Techniques, which deal heavy damage and make Ryu invincible for a short time.
Ryu can use magical spells in the form of ninpo spells. When activated by the player, these make Ryu cast fireballs, ice storms, or bolts of lightning. Functioning in a similar manner to the bombs or grenades of shooter action games, these spells allow Ryu to inflict heavy damage on enemies while potentially avoiding damage himself. Unsatisfied with their programmed visual effects, the director, Tomonobu Itagaki, wanted to deter players from using ninpo, and so awarded bonus points when players cleared stages without them. Ryu can roll to dodge attacks, or stand and block; but certain enemies can break his guard with strong attacks or by grappling him.
Plot
Inspired by the 1980s Ninja Gaiden series for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the 2004 version was originally set in a re-imagined game world based on another Team Ninja creation, the Dead or Alive (DOA) series of fighting games. However, interviews with Tomonobu Itagaki indicate that the Xbox games are standalone prequels to the NES series and that both possibly share a single continuity.
Ninja Gaiden is set in the world of the Dead or Alive series. Located mainly in Japan and the fictional Western Asian nation of the Vigoor Empire, the game draws on Heian period structures for its Japanese locales—a ninja fortress and village set in the mountains. In contrast the Vigoor Empire, with its capital city of Tairon, is a blend of architectural types from around the world. European-style buildings and the monastery in Tairon exhibits Gothic influences with a vaulted hall, pointed arches, and large stained glass windows. A hidden underground level features statues with the heads of cats, walls covered with carvings, hieroglyphics, Aztec pyramid and a labyrinth. This mix of styles was the result of Itagaki's refusal to constrain the creative process.Ninja Gaiden'''s story spans 16 chapters, each beginning and ending with a cutscene.
Characters The main player character is Ryu Hayabusa, the "super ninja". Itagaki believed that creating extra player characters might distract his team from focusing on Ryu's development, despite this, Rachel is a playable character in the Sigma version. Ryu has a long history with Tecmo; he was the star of the 1990s Ninja Gaiden series and has been part of the DOA roster since 1996. His roles in these games played a part in his popularity among fans and the video game industry. Ninja Gaiden provides a backstory to Ryu's appearance and character as seen in the Dead or Alive series, being set two years before the first DOA game.
Rachel is the leading female character and tragic heroine. She and her twin sister, Alma, are afflicted with a blood curse that turns humans into fiends. Believing that there is no cure for their condition, Rachel seeks to kill Alma to redeem her sister's soul. The relationship between the sisters and the Greater Fiend Doku, who cursed them, serves as a plot device, with Rachel occasionally needing to be rescued by Ryu. Although not a player-controlled character in Ninja Gaiden, in a few sections of the Ninja Gaiden Sigma remake she is controllable. Two other characters assist the player. Ayane, a young female ninja and one of the DOA regular cast members, acts as a guide by supplying advice and objectives to the player. Muramasa, a bladesmith, has shops where players can purchase useful items and upgrades for Ryu's weapons. Muramasa also gives quests and relates back-stories and other crucial information; for example, he tells Ryu how he can obtain the item required to upgrade his Dragon Sword to its full potential. Players have the option to customize the appearance of player characters, with selectable costumes for Ryu and hairstyles for Rachel.
Most of the enemies are fiends—humans changed into monsters by their blood curse. Three Greater Fiends lead their lesser brethren against Ryu, playing major roles in the plot: Alma, Rachel's sister, whose story forms a significant element; Doku, Ryu's main antagonist, whose raid on Hayabusa village and theft of the Dark Dragon Blade comprise the main plot thread; and Marbus, lord of the fiend underworld who is responsible for the final set of challenges Ryu faces in the realm of the fiends before encountering the Vigoor Emperor.
Backstory Centuries ago, the Dark Dragon Blade was forged from what was believed to be the bones of a dark dragon. It carried an immense power of evil that whoever wielded it would become the devil incarnate. It brought plague and death to the world during the age of ancient myth until it was sealed by those of the Dragon lineage. Its sister blade, the Dragon Sword, which had been used to slay the dark dragons, was handed down from generation to generation in the Hayabusa Ninja Clan, the modern descendants of the Dragon lineage. Its current successor is Ryu Hayabusa.
Story Ryu infiltrates the Shadow Clan fortress to visit his uncle, clan leader Murai. During their chat, Ayane delivers news of a raid on the Hayabusa village. Fighting his way back to his village, Ryu encounters Doku, who has killed the Hayabusa shrine maiden Kureha and has taken the Dark Dragon Blade. Ryu is cut down by Doku with the stolen Blade, but he is brought back to life as a "soldier of revenge" by a falcon, the spiritual animal of the Hayabusa clan.
Seeking vengeance for the death of his childhood friend, Ryu learns from Murai that the raiders are from the Vigoor Empire, a mysterious clan that takes refuge in the city of Tairon. Due to its exclusionist foreign policy, Ryu stows away on an airship to reach his destination. In Tairon, Ryu not only battles the Vigoor Empire clan but also monstrous enemies called Fiends and a rival clan called the Black Spider Clan that also seek the Dark Dragon Blade. Eventually, he meets Rachel, a Fiend Hunter who too seeks vengeance on Doku for turning her twin sister Alma into a Greater Fiend. In the background, Ryu is shadowed by Gamov and the Dark Disciple, two mysterious figures with an unknown motive.
Ryu encounters Alma and defeats her in a battle that wrecks the city but leaves her to Rachel's mercy. Conversely, Rachel cannot bring herself to kill her sister, and instead is taken by Doku, who prepares to sacrifice her in a ritual to enhance Alma's power. However, in a strange turn of events, Alma sacrifices herself and rescues Rachel, destroying Doku's spirit in the process. With his dying breath, Doku casts the blood curse on Ryu, which turns his skin blue and eyes red. The only way to lift the curse is to kill the clan's leader, the Holy Vigoor Emperor. While Rachel mourns the death of Alma, Ryu storms the Imperial Palace and faces the Holy Vigoor Emperor in a fiery volcanic pit. Once the Emperor is destroyed, Ryu's curse is lifted and the realm begins to collapse. Ryu seizes the Dark Dragon Blade and ascends to the surface with the help of Rachel but in the process, he loses his grip on the evil Blade.
Outside the Imperial Palace, the Dark Dragon Blade lands at the feet of the Dark Disciple, who takes it and kills Gamov. The Disciple reveals himself to be Murai and admits that the raid on Hayabusa village was part of his plan to restore the Blade's evil power, using souls harvested by Ryu. Drawing on the Blade, Murai transforms into a devil incarnate and attempts to kill his nephew. Ryu defeats Murai and shatters the Blade with the True Dragon Sword. Victorious, Ryu turns himself into a falcon and flies to the Hayabusa village. He places the Dragon Eye, used to enhance his sword, on Kureha's tombstone and disappears into the night.
Development