Spanning a good thirty years, the Ninja Gaiden franchise provides high-octane ninja action with the Ultimate Ninja himself, Ryu Hayabusa. He has seen his fair share of hacking and slashing in both 2D and 3D iterations of his games, from the SNES to the more recent Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
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But which Ninja Gaiden is the definitive best title among its numerous console versions? From frantic side scrollers to unforgiving blade-and-shuriken-riddled platforming and enemy-slicing combat, the franchise is home to some real gems, but some entries are arguably better than others.
Updated on February 14, 2025 by Mark Sammut: 2025 is shaping up to be a massive year for Ninja Gaiden. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black was randomly announced and dropped in January, while two new titles are set to launch within the year. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound seems to be a throwback to the classic side-scrolling trilogy, and the project should be in safe hands as The Game Kitchen, of Blasphemous fame, is in charge. Furthermore, Ninja Gaiden 4 is on the horizon, and the sequel is being handled by PlatinumGames. It is a great time to be a Ninja Gaiden fan.
9
Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Very Difficult, But Not Too Far Removed From The Quality Of Its Two Predecessors
- Released
-
August 15, 1991
- Developer(s)
-
Tecmo
Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom is an excellent third game of the side-scrolling 2D iterations of the franchise. This title is more forgiving compared to the previous two games, but it doesn’t mean it’s not challenging.
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Narrative-wise, Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom happens between the events of Ninja Gaiden 1 and Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword of Chaos. Ryu has to clear his name following the death of Irene. He investigates what Irene was working on in the laboratory and uncovers a bio-weapon that he needs to stop from achieving its goal.
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Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge
A Competent Improvement On An Underwhelming Game
Hack and Slash
Action
Adventure
- Released
-
November 18, 2012
Excluding spin-offs and handheld games, Ninja Gaiden 3 is generally regarded as the weakest entry in the series, especially since it was coming off two pretty great games (and their various iterations). Team Ninja was still at the helm, so there was nothing to suggest that the 2012 release would mark such a steep decline in quality. While not amazing, the Razor’s Edge edition fixed a few of the base game’s issues, including significantly ramping up the difficulty level and incorporating different weapons. If someone is looking to go through everything the IP has to offer, they should go with Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge and not the vanilla version.
Given that Ryu has close ties with Ayane and the other ninjas from the Dead or Alive games, it was only a matter of time until they got featured in a Ninja Gaiden title. In Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, players have access to cooperative gameplay and use Ayane in missions. She has her own moveset as well as cutscenes as players progress through the game. This, along with a good number of weapons Ryu has at his disposal, makes for an enjoyable game without straying too far from the challenging notion the franchise is known for.
7
Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword of Chaos
Action
Platformer
Adventure
- Released
-
April 6, 1990
- Developer(s)
-
Tecmo
The sequel to the first Ninja Gaiden in NES, Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword of Chaos continues the frenetic platforming action of the previous game while pushing Ryu Hayabusa into another story that puts his ninjutsu to the ultimate test.
Movement and combat-wise, Ninja Gaiden 2 introduces the ability for Ryu to scale walls using Up or Down on the directional pad and the use of Phantom Doubles to mimic Ryu’s last action. These are essential skills that Ryu needs to take on the dangers he’s set to face. While not shaking up the formula too greatly from its predecessor, the sequel revisit the core formula well, providing another solid action-platform experience that captures that early Nintendo Difficulty.
6
Ninja Gaiden 2 (And Sigma)
Team Ninja’s Confident Sequel Is Nearly As Good As Its Highly-Regarded Predecessor
Action-Adventure
Hack and Slash
The second title released by Team Ninja, Ninja Gaiden 2 ramps up the intensity by having even more outrageous enemies and situations in place for players to overcome. This includes troopers wielding rocket launchers and beasts that deal massive damage with their swiping attacks.
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Aside from seemingly insurmountable enemies, Ninja Gaiden 2 and Sigma 2 also give players some offensive options by granting them several weapons to lay waste to beasts and soldiers. This adds more variety to combat and gives players more opportunities to unleash cool combos. The sequel is not generally as highly regarded as Ninja Gaiden Black, but it is still among the best hack-and-slash games of the 2000s.
5
Ninja Gaiden (2004)
The Start Of A New Era That Was Eventually Overshadowed By Two Revamped Versions
Ninja Gaiden
Hack and Slash
Action
Adventure
The first game of the franchise to jump from 2D to 3D, 2004’s Ninja Gaiden saw Ryu Hayabusa perform his daring feats of ninjutsu using the then-powerful Xbox engine. This resulted in amazing graphics for the time that gave justice to just how formidable Ryu is as the Ultimate Ninja.
Along with the amazing graphics, Ninja Gaiden also brought the difficulty of its predecessors to this generation of gamers. Controls were as tight as they could be for its time, and its deep combat mechanics demanded players to master them if they wanted to finish the game.
4
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
An Unexpected Surprise That Looks Great And Plays Beautifully
- Released
-
January 23, 2025
- Developer(s)
-
Koei Tecmo Games Co., Ltd.
There is not all that much separating Ninja Gaiden 2, Sigma 2, and 2 Black, at least in terms of quality. That said, nowadays, the 2025 iteration seems likely to be most people’s preferred choice to experience this story, especially since it is readily available on Game Pass (along with the Master Collection‘s Sigma 2). Ninja Gaiden 2 Black‘s biggest and most obvious asset is the utilization of Unreal Engine 5, which delivers a massive jump forward in visuals. Just to be clear, the original version and especially Sigma 2 still look great considering their age; however, they cannot compete with the remake’s modern technology.
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Beyond that, 2 Black serves as something of a “complete” version of the 2008 original, one that offers four playable characters (like Sigma 2) and the introduction of an easy mode to help newcomers. A post-release update even added New Game+ and a Photo Mode. More importantly, the gameplay is still as tight and furious as ever.
3
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Ramps Up The Action And Adds A Touch Of Color, Resulting In A Worthy PS3 Alternative
Ninja Gaiden Sigma is built upon the foundation of 2004’s original 3D title, and it differs considerably from both that release and Ninja Gaiden Black. The developers had more room to improve the game’s graphics and gameplay mechanics, thanks to the PlayStation’s engine. This allowed for more detailed areas and additional save points and shops.
As for combat, Ninja Gaiden Sigma allowed players to use Ryu’s bow and arrow while in mid-air while also permitting him to fight on water. It also gave players access to a wide array of weapons that each had strengths and weaknesses. Players could even power up Ryu’s Ninpo powers by shaking the Sixaxis controller.
2
Ninja Gaiden (NES)
The One That Started It All
- Released
-
March, 1989
- Developer(s)
-
Tecmo, Hudson Soft
As far as original games are concerned, the NES version of Ninja Gaiden is the best and the most notoriously difficult 2D side scroller of the franchise. To complete it, players need to clear six Acts that comprise twenty levels, each littered with enemies and projectiles that can knock Ryu off and send him falling to his death.
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Ryu has to rely on timing his jumps and attacking enemies at the right moment to ensure he doesn’t get hit and has enough health to take on the bosses who have devastating attacks of their own.
1
Ninja Gaiden Black
Immaculate Combat, Hard But Fair Difficulty, And The Pinnacle Of Ninja Gaiden
- Released
-
September 20, 2005
Ninja Gaiden Black is the first rework of Ninja Gaiden 2004. This version included the two Hurricane Packs that had new in-game cutscenes as well as a Mission Mode and other scenarios. Players are also given two new weapons: the Lunar Staff and smoke bombs on top of unlockable costumes.
Enemies in this game are more aggressive, and Team Ninja specifically designed them to be hard to take down, with attacks that can ignore and breakthrough Ryu’s defensive stance. This tweak demanded players to be more offensive-minded and to be crafty when trying to take out enemies and bosses.
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