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Who Is The Best Ninja In Video Gaming?

Who Is The Best Ninja In Video Gaming?

  • Gray Fox/Raiden [Metal Gear Series]

  • Joe Musashi/Hotsuma [Shinobi Series]

  • Scorpion/Sub Zero [Mortal Kombat Series]

  • Strider Hiryu [Strider Series]

  • Ryu Hayabusa [Ninja Gaiden Series]

Results are only viewable after voting.
Sanctuary

Sanctuary

Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,225
NeoZeedeater said:
You're obviously familiar with the Shinobi games so that's cool. Most people aren't so the results are ridiculously low for the franchise.
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Yeah, maybe, since the other votes that aren't Ryu are taking away from him a bit I suppose. I didn't really expect all that many votes for him anyway given how old the games are and how unlikely the average forum goer has played them. The original Shinobi arcade game holds a special place in my heart too since it was one of the few arcade games (along with Bad Dudes) that was in a pizza place, a few blocks away from where I was briefly living at in CA as a teen. There was also a local arcade two miles away that had a ton of then modern games (They had Ninja Spirit, Lifeforce, Altered Beast, R-Type etc.), but they didn't have that one. The year after that I ended up with a Genesis and Revenge.

Despite that, I still have to go with Ryu. 2004 NG especially was probably the first, real "git gud" game until the Souls games came out a few years later. Even Devil May Cry 3 wasn't as hard as that game.

Yossarian said:
RikimaruRender.png


Rikimaru of Tenchu fame is my personal pick.
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Easily the best Ninja on the PSX at least.

edit: Ryu is still going to win the Strawpoll, but the results won't be nearly as skewed.
 
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Issen

Issen

Member
Nov 12, 2017
6,819
Strider is getting fucking robbed in this poll.

Hiryu is the coolest. He's similar to Hayabusa in demeanor and ruthlessness in battle, but he wears clothing much more reminiscent of ninja, has better traversal abilities, can attack like a million god damn times per second and his Cypher, besides being cool as hell with the tonfa shape and whatnot, rivals the traditional japanese katana in its ability to cut through pretty much anything like butter.

However, unlike superior nihonese steel, the Cypher can do it at a distance.

Strider is the coolest ninja in videogames, but I gotta admit Grey Fox, Hayabusa and Raiden (in that order) are pretty good competition.
 

Fredrik

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,003
NeoZeedeater said:
Such underrated games nowadays. Aside from some annoying trial-and-error jumping parts, they hold up well. There's nothing quite like them.
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Agreed! I'm obviously a biased nostalgic but they really were so far ahead of everything else when they arrived, the movement, the different attacks, weapon differences, graphics, music, sense of adventure. Everything was top notch.
Couldn't believe my eyes when TLN popped up on Wii Virtual Console and could be played with an arcade stick, I might've shed a tear or joy when I started it the first time :)
 
OP
OP

Black Chamber

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,811
United States
KCsoLucky said:
Still one of the best title screens of all time. I remember playing this at a friend's place, and being ALL IN as soon as this came up.
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Same here :)

He looks like Sho Kosugi from "Revenge Of The Ninja", so I was beyond hyped to start playing It!

Also, Yuzo Koshiro being mentioned on the title screen as the music composer was the first time I had ever seen a composer get credit on a title screen before.
 

Coulomb_Barrier

Banned
Apr 9, 2018
368
Good selection. Really hard. I love Shinobi, Gray Fox is the coolest, and Scorpion is iconic although perhaps people dont see him as much as a 'ninja' more a demon warrior.

I love Kage from VF too.
 
Hoa

Hoa

Member
Jun 6, 2018
4,304
Sanctuary said:
He's my second choice. Ryu has just been around the longest, and been in the best games from NES to Arcade to modern consoles.
/shrug
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Shinobi precedes Ninja Gaiden by a year 1987-1988 :P

Edit: I guess that could be read as he is still around/relevant or been around the most generations of games. Actually thinking about it they've had games in the same generations too, with both skipping the PS1/N64 era?
 
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OP

Black Chamber

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,811
United States
Hoa said:
Shinobi precedes Ninja Gaiden by a year 1987-1988 :P

Edit: I guess that could be read as he is still around/relevant or been around the most generations of games. Actually thinking about it they've had games in the same generations too, with both skipping the PS1/N64 era?
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Would that make Joe Musashi the original GOAT video game Ninja [by release date/subsequent popularity standards]?
 
mas8705

mas8705

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,497
In terms of presentation, I have to admit that Shinobi takes it for the whole "zipping around and having all enemies split" game mechanic.

Overall though, Strider takes it since there is a very nice balance of Ninja abilities and having that satisfying weapon too.
 
ShinUltramanJ

ShinUltramanJ

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,949
This poll's proof that we've been without Shinobi for way too long.

The greatest ninja needs a serious comeback Sega.
 
k0decraft

k0decraft

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,183
Earth
NeoZeedeater said:
The one that's eating Zeed, of course.

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How the hell is he currently in fourth place in the poll? If you haven't played the 2d Shinobi games, go do that, and then vote.

Games like Shinobi, Shadow Dancer, Revenge of Shinobi, Shinobi III and others are top tier side-scrollers with excellent controls, detailed artwork, catchy music, bad ass moves, and replayability.
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Preach !! Chose Shinobi...part 3 for the Genesis at the time was an amazing action/adventure for me at the time. Shame that Shinobi isn't getting modern day AAA/AA treatment.
 

Deleted member 17403

User Requested Account Closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,664
Damn some great choices in the poll. I think Sub-Zero and Scorpion are easily the most iconic, Raiden and Grey Fox were pretty cool and members of a tentpole franchise, aesthetically Hotsuma is the best dressed and moves so fast that he leaves afterimages and is an OG but I have to go with Ryu Hayabusa. He has the best game of them all and is an OG, although MGR gives NG a run for it's money.

I forgot to mention Strider. I like him in MvC but his side-scrolling game from the start of the gen, I didn't like very much. I really wanted a character action game starting him. What a missed opportunity Capcom.
 
Unicorn

Unicorn

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 29, 2017
9,546
Rikimaru getting shunned in the Era poll. MK ninjas win here, but Rikimaru on the straw poll
 
Triggerhappytel

Triggerhappytel

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,043
Z-Beat said:
Scorpion's probably the most recognizable. Ironically that means hes a pretty bad ninja as far as doing what a ninja does
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I mean, if I understand the purpose of a ninja properly then just about all of them except for Rikimaru (from Tenchu) and Mark (from Mark of the Ninja) are all pretty bad at their profession.
 
Strangelove_77

Strangelove_77

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,392
It's funny that the only "real" ninja would be Raiden BEFORE he got turned into a cyborg ninja. He actually uses stealth and traps instead of just killing everything in sight.

The Ninja Gaiden ninja is the least ninja that ever ninja'd.
 
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OP

Black Chamber

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,811
United States
Strangelove77 said:
It's funny that the only "real" ninja would be Raiden BEFORE he got turned into a cyborg ninja. He actually uses stealth and traps instead of just killing everything in sight.

The Ninja Gaiden ninja is the least ninja that ever ninja'd.
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That's true and going by that logic, that would make Rikimaru from Tenchu the best video game Ninja, since he actually acts like a ninja the entire time.

He uses stealth, kills from the shadows and doesn't go around annihilating people with shurikens, guns and swords all the while being out in the open exposed for everyone to see.
 
Sanctuary

Sanctuary

Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,225
Hoa said:
Shinobi precedes Ninja Gaiden by a year 1987-1988 :P

Edit: I guess that could be read as he is still around/relevant or been around the most generations of games. Actually thinking about it they've had games in the same generations too, with both skipping the PS1/N64 era?
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Huh, I guess it does. I thought it came out at the end of '87, with the first Ninja Gaiden just before that. But yeah, other than the "being first" aspect, he's remained much more relevant longer. It's a shame Sega gave up on the Shinobi franchise.
 
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FairFight

FairFight

Member
Oct 27, 2017
794
Chandler, AZ
Ryu Hayabus wins no contest. His deft dispatching of enemies of all types with reckless abandon puts him above everyone else. Ninja Gaiden Black is as good as it gets. One of the few games I've played and beat on the hardest difficulty. It was and is an amazing game.
 
Zaied

Zaied

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,564
Gotta go with Joe Musashi.
shinobi-cover.jpg


He essentially beat the shit out of every pop culture icon from the 80's/90's in one game. Batman, Spider-Man, Godzilla, Terminator, Rambo, none of them could touch Joe. I still wonder how Zeed convinced Spider-Man to join them.
 
Burrman

Burrman

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,633
Sort of off topic, but I feel the last strider game doesn't get enough love. I feel like it's totally forgotten. I though it was awesome. Felt amazing to control strider
 
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