Great guide to one of the most notoriously hard NES games! Fun fact: Ryukahr actually was Ryu Hayabusa's sensei. He taught him everything he knew to be a master ninja. Ryu Hayabusa's original name was "Robert Hayabusa", but he changed his first name to "Ryu" in honor of his teacher.

Important note, if you die on the final boss, yes you will get sent back to 6-1, but when you make it back to the final boss you will not have have to repeat the phases of the boss that you've already defeated. Yes you have to redo all of stage 6, but the final boss gets progressively easier as long as you can knock out a phase or two each trip.

Man all those years ago when I beat this game I didn't know about the tea bagging. Now I'll have to play again to truly beat it... damn

Love how off-the-cuff these walkthroughs are. Really entertaining😁

This is basically a narrated Nintendo Power, and I'm OK with this. Think you'll add in Player's Pulse, Classified Information, etc?

I was having so much anxiety watching that last boss timer lmao. I was just yelling at my screen "PAUSE WHEN YOU'RE TALKING DAMNIT" xD

That "death jingle", wether you like it or not, it will become embedded in your memory bank for life due to all the dying you'll be doing in this game.😂😂

In a different timeline where he was born 30 years earlier, Ryu IS the physical embodiment of Nintendo Power.

"Practice the fast slashing." Doesn't tell you how to do the fast slashing.... you can't expect people to see exactly what you're doing with your fingers on the controller, you know. Anyway, I already found out how to do the slash cancel glitch from another video.

I remember playing this game a while ago, and everything felt like a puzzle for you to solve. It got annoying having to be sent back every time I lost to the final boss, but after a while, I was able to beat the final level no problem once I learned all the tricks.

This debunking the difficulty series is fire 🔥

I’m really enjoying this series so far! It’s great how accessible you make these games feel with detailed, simple instructions

Ryu! Will you take a look at Waterworld next??? The music is sssooo good in that game. Thanks bud!

*Ryu playing with Ryu.* ⚔️😀

I love this series a lot. You're so chill and realistic at the same time. It's so easy to panic, get frustrated and freak out. And lord knows, I've done that plenty of times with these games. But yeah, you're like yup... it's hard not going to lie, you have to practice, but here is how to do it. And most of the time, it's just take your time, breathe and don't do stupid shit. Mad respect. EDIT: Ooohh do Ninja Gaiden 2 and Castlevania next. Those are two games I have beaten but man... did it take a piece of me with them.

So, funny story here. I was playing this game, taking turns with my older brother a long time ago, and I kept dying on that next to last boss (didn’t know about the fast slash technique back then and kept getting hit by the body and the flames that stayed on screen). My brother got past him, and then he kept dying to the final boss’s shrimp fest. I kept asking for a chance, and he was like “you couldn’t even beat the boss before him, so how are you going to beat this one?” Finally, after losing a bunch, he got frustrated and let me play again. Fortunately I had gotten the patterns down while watching him, and I got super lucky and beat the final boss on my first try. I know it’s a harder boss, especially without knowing the fast slash technique, but somehow I managed it. I need to get revenge on that next to last boss, though, so I can feel like I’ve truly beaten this game.

'Ninpou' literally means 'ninja art' (i.e. the skills a ninja uses). It would make more sense in reference to the different special attacks you can collect. I've heard a lot of players call the 'weapon energy' item ninpou in other vids but in the official manual it's just called 'spiritual strength' apparently

Anytime my freinds felt cheated in a game we called it getting "TECMO'd" -example those bird knocking you in a pit. This is the game. I had this as a kid. Took me years to beat. Infact didnt beat this until after i Beat Ninja Gaiden 2. But I did it. And i reccommend it to anyone who wants a great challenge. Love this game. Love the Music. Masterpiece.

That kill when the timer ran out was awesome lol! Thanks for doing these you're easy to listen too and very knowledgeable! 😎🎮

That first technique is known amongst the speedrunning community as "slash-cancelling."

I would love to see U. N. squadron on here on the SNES. that game was a ton of fun but I remember it being super hard to beat

The enemy respawning and the timing of birds/bats as you jump over a chasm is amazing.

20:25 I actually have never had any idea how to make that jump legit. I've always climbed up and through the wall ever since i was a kid.

Love this series! I love how it's not a cheat map. But a guide u can use that still requires skill.

This series is a great idea. Loving it so far.

Just subscribed to your channel! This is an awesome idea for a series. I was firmly in the "Ninja Gaiden is impossible" camp until seeing your play through. I'm stoked to see what you play next!

‘Spam jump while holding right and you can jump on top and teabag him’ Funniest shit

I love these videos, they are so much fun to watch for many different reasons. Makes me want to give another stab at these games that I never finished when I was a kid. Can't wait to see what other games are coming up!

Great content! Very much looking forward to this series. Keep up the great work!

Just discovered your channel from the first video you did in this series. So happy to see another one pop up and damn did this game suck when I tried playing as a kid!

This will make you HATE winged animals.

Absolutely love this series. Some of these games I’ll never even play let alone beat! Great to watch 🤙🏻

It's easy to debunk the difficulty of these games with modern internet. Back then, unless you had a friend with game knowledge, an appropriate Nintendo Power, or the money to pay for hotline support, you were hosed. These games were hard and there were no save states to easily retry hard sections.

I think the name used for the fast slashing is slash canceling. I’m digging these walkthroughs. Great work dude

This is great! Good job. I love how you break down steps and what to do. Keep it up 😊

Just found your channel, great guide man! Very informative and helpful, fun and interesting to watch too! Thanks

I will forgive you thinking Ninpo stands for ninja power as it does sound pretty logical.

I love this trilogy. I hope we see guides on the other two! The second is my favourite. Great content as always!

Loving this series, and would definitely looking forward to all your future content

29:04 could not be any more accurate lmao The jetpack ninjas in 6-2, and also the last jump in 3-2 were my biggest hurdles getting through this, but you're right it does feel pretty great to finish! Loving this new series so far ryu!

Loving this new series! 6-1 onwards is so chaotic, thanks for the tips. Would love to see Castlevania 3 or Ghosts & Goblins (NES) on this series :)

That final boss fight is going to be a problem for me, since I've spent my life actively trying to get closer to whatever shrimp I come across.

My God. I remember how we bullied a friend bc he held the pad just like you do. Years later, comes out it's the only way to run a speedrun. Instant subscription.

I am really enjoying your videos! Love what you are doing, these are the games I grew up on. Keep it up dude!

We need one for Ninja Gaiden 2 as well!

Wow. I been playing and beating this game for years and never knew these tricks! Speedrun here I come!

Loving the series! Keep it going man!

This is such a great idea for a series! Wonderful work!

The only thing that makes this game really hard is the last four stages. Dying to the boss once and having to start the whole four levels over again is brutal.

I love this game and the Unbreakable Determination ost is my fav from all the NES era! The first chapter of the saga is the best imo The second one is really infamous with annoying enemies everywhere and the final boss Meanwhile the third one is so different in mechanics to the first two, maybe too much change on the jump

I was today years old when I learned the essential tea bagging of the final boss move. Tmnt was great and this was just as awesome... Keep these debunking videos up they're amazing 👏

Channel popped up for me today and watched the tmnt video. Love videos like this. Different take on a walkthrough which I wasn’t sure was possible at this point lol.

spawn points (and the fact that enemies respawn) are the most difficult part of the game.

I loved this game! Oh....So that's what the 3rd level looks like.

"It's not that hard. You just have to memorize every level and use the only broken weapon."

Really liking this new series! Keep em coming!

Watching this I recall getting through to 5-2, but that is it. I played this as a kid and got so frustrated at it. This was the only game that made me want to throw a controller.

Great guide, you covered all the big problem spots very well. 👍 Loving this series! One tip I’d add is for players to learn to use the big orange windmill stars effectively. If you time it right you can avoid “catching” them on their return, and have them continue to zoom back and forth around you to cut through multiple enemies in some of those tight spots where there are a lot of spawning foes. Better than taking damage and maybe getting bumped off a ledge!

"If you didnt tea bag him did you really beat Ninja Gaiden?" Im going to put this on my Tombstone

22:38 “You’re all geezy” I’m using that. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ video! I subscribed!!

I kind of wish these awesome debunking the difficulty episodes were collabs between ryu and avgn 🤣 🤣 would be too awesome. Regardless, these are amazing, please keep doing these!

Ninja Gaiden... while I beated the NES trilogy in reversed order, I gotta be honest, this one I felt it was the hardest yet simultaneously hype when I managed to beat it, not to mention that it was a BIG joy to tell my cousins and bros. "In your face"... as they failed countless times before giving up, unlike me who managed to analyze the "inside-out" of the game to create strategies for each scenario.

Extremely good guide, wish I had this when I was throwing my face against the wall beating it. Especially just "knowing" the end repeats if you die would have saved so much a hardship. Great work!

I've beaten this game long ago, before KZfaq was a thing. Spin slash, fast slash, didn't know any of those quick kills so it was far more brutal. But one thing for sure with this walkthrough: Bird + Pit = Death. Every time. What makes the Malth battle easy as well is that you get a free recharge in the life department.

Ninja Gaiden is one game I could never get behind the "impossible" moniker. After all, *I* can beat this game. It has unlimited continues and you only have to beat it once, unlike say, Ghosts N Goblins, or Battletoads (You only beat Battletoads once, but you have limited continues). If you pause the game, you're bound to win eventually. There's only one enemy that's tough, and that's the bird in 5-2. Also, redoing the last stage is tortuous, but the fact the bosses stay dead makes it really easy. I've never beaten TMNT, Battletoads, even Snake Rattle N' Roll, but I have beaten Ninja Gaiden numerous times. It's really not that hard. BTW, I always personally avoid the spin-splash because it's hard to cancel. It's the only weapon I don't use at all. There are single Mario Maker levels that are harder than Ninja Gaiden. Ninja Gaiden is tough, but it's no Bayou Billy.

Ryu handles very differently across the 3 games. 3 being the most changed. I think that adds to the challenge of each game.

The key to almost all of the aspects of the NES Ninja Gaiden games is they have VERY little random aspects to deal with. Everything is scripted. You learn where guys are, you learn how to get past them, you can beat it. The first two games are really not that bad because of this. It is the third one and it's limited continues that are rough. Oddly, I think difficulty wise the third game isn't actually that hard, it just takes longer to learn. Also my favorite part of all 3 NES games is that one level with the freaking amazing track that makes you feel like an absolute badass.

I've just discovered your channel, and I'm loving it.

Ah, the trio of final bosses... Of course, when I was young and beat this game for the first time, there were no save states... And the first time I Game Overed on the boss and got sent back to the beginning of 6-1, that was SO soul-crushing! Plus there's the fact that even if you do get to the boss room with the Spin Slash, it's GONE for the next phase of battle! :O The way I beat this game for the first time was to get over that soul-crushed feeling of getting sent back to 6-1. I got to the boss room with Spin Slash, and defeated the first of the three bosses. I then intentionally lost against the second final boss, played through Stage 6 again, and then Spin Slashed the second final boss. Intentionally lost to the FINAL final boss, played through Stage 6 AGAIN, and then Spin Slashed the very last boss and beat the game! Even when you get a Game Over, once you beat the first two of the last three bosses, you don't ever have to fight them again unless you either reset, or cut power to the NES.

Bonus: if you want to show off or something, you can actually destroy the second boss's weapon with Spin Slashes. It's kind of funny, he just keeps roaming around and holding his arm out every now and then.

I graduated high school in '89. A friend of mine, a junior, got kicked out of his house in '89 when we were still in school. He moved in with us for a time and brought his NES. We split the $60 cost of the Ninja Gaiden cartridge lured by the awesome box art. I beat that game one night, or I should say one morning around 7 AM, with no witnesses as he had long fell asleep. I will always love Ninja Gaiden! He had the first Contra and I don't think we ever beat that one. At least not back then. Maybe that would be a good Dubunking the Difficulty. Thanks for the video!

This was really impressive.. and I love the ninja gaiden passion! I think you would dig the fact that we actually put this game on a bike with an NES and tv, I ran behind it and beat ninja gaiden in 3.1 miles! About 24 minutes! I’ve been trying to get it seen, but for some reason it only has a couple thousand views.

Once upon a time, I somehow managed to almost beat this game. Then I died to one of the final boss's thousand phases, got sent back to the beginning of act 6, and quit in disgust. Learning your techniques like fast slashing and spawn manipulation, I feel like I might have a chance of actually finishing the game, should I ever play it again. It's a terrific game, it fundamentally changed young me's understanding of what video game story telling could be, the soundtrack slaps, and it was one of the first games I ever saw in a movie ("The Wizard"!), but *my god*, it is brutal and cheap. I died to birds and bats so many times that I still refer to "Ninja Gaiden knockback" no matter how many other games do it. There's harder games out there, but I'd love to see Battletoads in this series. It's stylish and a lot of fun, and it can absolutely be cheesed to hell and back. Beating it was probably one of the most satisfying moments in gaming for me, even with save states. A Ryu-brand guide full of BT tips would make for a great video!

Is it fair for a guy who makes his living playing countless hours of platforming games to really, truthfully, say some of the hardest platforming games of all time aren't all that hard? I jest, love the series. :)

"I'm gonna need you to stop and rock out to this tune. This is like the best song in the game, straight up" And just for pure good taste, you've got yourself a subscriber.

I love your channel. I also grew up on the NES starting at age 8 in 1987. If there are two things I have learned about beating NES games over the years, they’re “be deliberate” and “enjoy strategy.”

I used to beat this one fairly routinely as a kid, and only learned it was supposedly so notoriously hard later when I got online. Yeah, there’s a learning curve, but that’s true of most of these games. Some cheap hits, yes, but again, that was not uncommon. We just learned to adapt and deal with it back then.

Quick Ryu, delete this. I've always told my friends this game is unbeatable. You're making me look bad!

I love this game, really good :D This series is a very fun idea, keep it up!

I appreciate what Ryu is doing here with this guide, but I will say if you wanna go a bit more in depth with this game then watch Sinister1's guides to speedrunning it. They aren't just about speedrunning but more in depth talk about how slash cancelling works and spin slash as well as general movement through the game. There are two ways to beat this game: taking your time, going slow, or just keep running right. Turns out if you just keep running and don't stop the enemies tend to de-spawn themselves and don't have a chance to gang up on you.

"I need to teach you a technique" "There's a trick that allows you to attack rapidly" ... never teaches technique...

You've debunked nothing.

1 of my favourite games growing up. I first beat this when I was 10 in the early 90's. Thanks for the vid Ryu 👍

Crossover idea. Since Ryu seems to be focussing on retro games that are said to be hard but making them easier, and because Ryu seems to be a fan of this person, I feel like there is a crossover opportunity with AVGN to be had here. Ryu could pick a game that AVGN has reviewed before that is also said to be hard, and AVGN could do a crossover where Ryu actually makes AVGN come around on the game or something. IDK. I just feel like the building blocks of something is there.

"Take your time" Back when games like this came out, all we had was time.

Fun video, super nostalgic for me. I’d love to see you take on Ninja Gaiden 2, that was always my favorite.

A trick he forgot that is useful in 6-2 is that you can jump the orange star when it returns. If you keep jumping it it will go back and forth 3-4 times

I know you have this series as "Debunking the Difficulty" but IMO it's more "Demystifying the Difficulty" or "Defeating the Difficulty". That being said, Battletoads would be a good, famously difficult one. And the OG Megaman is pretty unforgiving too. You've already done a "Lets Play" of Silver Surfer and Festers Quest although if you got those down to a science that'd be pretty cool. Of all of them though, "Yo, Noid!" was the bane of my existence back when I was a wee one. I think I got past the first level and gave up, upset I had wasted a weekend rental on a game that hard when you definitely needed to own it to get through it. Would love to see you deconstruct that game.

12:14 I remember doing this technique as a kid after reading about it in Nintendo Power. I was never a particularly good gamer, but I my heart was in it.

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite new series.

I love when he said. "Can't hold your hand, just get good" lol

wow what an EPIC ENDING by ryu.32:44 cool video, was fun to watch

13:54 Well played. Subscribed!

NES era was all about persevering against these hard games but holy crap I think I only ever made it to the third boss as a kid. I didn't own the game though. Knock back pit deaths and respawns were what made this game so hard.

I still can’t believe my 12 year old self beat this monster. It took 2 months playing every day, but It was my first game of my own for the NES. Had no idea what I was doing when I picked it, I just loved the cover art :D. Called Shadow Warrior at the time in Europe. I didn’t know spinslash was possible so the way I would try to defeat the last boss was using the fire ring magic. My jaw dropped the first time I actually killed Jaquio and the demon came…

"dodge the shrimp" "jump on top and t-bag him. very important" -Ryu

Thank you random video game guy for letting me relive this epic game I once was SO proud of myself for beating since I had to get all A's on my finals lol. What s great memory! Now I'm going to see if you did a blaster master that would be amazing!

HAHAHAHAHA! I love the addition of the teabag move at the end. Well done!

Love this series. You're my favorite KZfaqr bro

Nice! I need more episodes! Good work 😄