The Ninja Gaiden series has seen many different entries spanning different systems, genres, and generations. While the series is seemingly dead at this point, its contributions to the hack and slack and action platformer genres should be applauded as they still run through the veins of many games in those genres today.

Though Nioh can be seen as a spiritual successor to the series, it would still be nice to see another adventure featuring Ryu Hayabusa and his quest to avenge his father. To look back at the series, here are 10 of the best Ninja Gaiden games ranked from worst to best.

Updated On July 17, 2021, By Jason Wojnar: After Ninja Gaiden 3, the series went into a hiatus. Despite it leaving the spotlight, many still remember the finest entries as some of the best in the genre. A remastered collection was recently released featuring the three games in the rebooted trilogy. Unfortunately, it comes with some issues, such as less violence in the second game due to it being the Sigma release. Regardless, it is still a solid way for newcomers to experience the series. With this new collection out, we decided to revisit this list featuring the best games of the series.

10 Ninja Gaiden 3 (X360/PS3)

The first two games in the Ninja Gaiden reboots that started off on the original Xbox were very well received. Tecmo created unique hack and slashers that took inspiration from Devil May Cry and the original very hard games on the NES to make something all their own.

When the third game in the rebooted series was announced, many were very excited. Like the original NES release, it tried to be very story-driven but unfortunately failed. The combat was also very shallow when compared to other games so it got generally poor reviews.

9 Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z (X360/PS3)

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z has a very unique visual style, using a lot of color in a cel-shaded world that really makes it stand out. This spin-off oozes style as you rip apart enemies and cool camera angles overtake the screen. Against the brightly colored blood, the great use of color becomes even more apparent.

You play as Yaiba whose primary goal in the game is to take out Ryu Hayabusa, the series’ usual protagonist. While the gameplay is fast and frenetic, it is missing the depth and polish that the first two rebooted Ninja Gaiden games had.

8 Ninja Gaiden (Arcade)

While many believe that the series started off on the NES, Ninja Gaiden actually started off in the arcades as a fairly average beat ‘em up that was seen mostly as a quarter muncher.

Though an entirely different game appeared on the NES, the original game was ported over to the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, Atari ST, and Amstrad CP. It was also added as a bonus in Ninja Gaiden Black for the original Xbox and was added to the Virtual Console on the Nintendo Wii.

7 Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (DS)

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword was released for the Nintendo DS and plays similarly to the rebooted Ninja Gaiden games released for the Xbox and Xbox 360. It takes place chronologically between the first two rebooted Ninja Gaiden games but with much less gore than the other entries as Nintendo was still fearful of having violence on their consoles at that time.

Unlike most DS games, in Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword you tilt the DS to the side when playing, similar to games like Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Brain Age.

6 Ninja Gaiden Shadow (GB)

Ninja Gaiden Shadow is a side-scrolling action-platformer released in 1991 by Tecmo for the Game Boy and is a prequel to the NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy. It plays just like the trilogy it is a prequel to but there is only one ninjitsu powerup, the flame wheel, while the NES trilogy has many.

Ryu is also unable to cling to walls and platforms, though he can hang onto poles and hang underneath them like in Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom. Unlike the NES trilogy, in Ninja Gaiden Shadow Ryu has a grappling hook that he can use to attach to hard-to-reach poles.

5 Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (NES)

The first Ninja Gaiden for the NES was a huge hit for Tecmo, so making a follow-up was a no-brainer. Added to Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos is the ability to climb up and down walls and ladders as well as attacking while climbing on walls with “Power Boosting Items”.

Also added were environmental hazards - in the second stage, the wind blows and you must time your jumps accordingly in order to make it through, adding an additional element to make it through the already difficult stage.

4 Ninja Gaiden 2 (X360/PS3)

The rebooted Ninja Gaiden was one of the best-selling games on the original Xbox and was very well received, so a follow-up was inevitable. After a long wait in hibernation, Ninja Gaiden returned for the Xbox 360 called simply Ninja Gaiden 2. Ninja Gaiden 2 took the gameplay established in the original and added dismemberment - as you cut off enemies’ arms and legs, they will continue to attack even as nothing but a torso until you cut off their head or deliver the final blow.

Also included was a harder mode which would provide a red costume after beating the game. Unfortunately, the release of Ninja Gaiden 2 on the remastered collection is Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. It lacks the extreme violence of the original release. The gameplay remains the same, but it feels incomplete giving us a censored version.

3 Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (NES)

Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom is the third and final game for the NES. Added to Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom was the ability to hang on to overhead pipes and platforms as well as the ability to upgrade your sword so it has a wider range and deals more damage, similar to how you upgrade your whip in the classic Castlevania games.

Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom was rereleased alongside the two prior NES Ninja Gaiden games in a compilation for the SNES called Ninja Gaiden Trilogy with updated graphics.

2 Ninja Gaiden (NES)

Back in the days of the NES, rather than attempting to squeeze arcade games onto the system and losing quality in the process, entirely new games were created that perfectly complimented the system’s capabilities. Because of this, Ninja Gaiden, which was a beat ‘em up with large sprites in the arcade, was brought home as an action platformer. Retained from the arcade original is the extreme difficulty.

Ninja Gaiden is a perfect example of game design, providing incredibly difficult gameplay while slowly teaching the player through that gameplay to conquer later levels. The game is also home to an infamous glitch that sends you back several stages if you die at any of the final bosses. This was a bug, but the developers decided to leave it in and treat it as a feature.

1 Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)

While the NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy was incredibly successful and a great set of games, the series went two generations without a single new release. After a long wait, fans were given a new entry that ditched the 2D platformer style the series was known for and created a punishingly difficult 3D hack and slash game that feels like Dark Souls mixed with Devil May Cry.

Ninja Gaiden was re-released as Ninja Gaiden Black which added the downloadable hurricane packs that were released for the original game as well as different difficulties, new enemies, somewhat different enemy placement, and more. Considered a timeless classic and easily the best in the Ninja Gaiden series, this game alone is worth purchasing the Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection for.