Don't shoot the messenger - I'm just saying, don't expect much from Ryu's playable story segments in Ninja Gaiden 4. Over the past week or so, I've been able to play through and beat Ninja Gaiden 4, and I'd say most of my expectations were topped by the flashy new action game. As Yakumo, it delivers everything I want from the combat and more, but PlatinumGames did confirm that there were two playable characters before release: newcomer Yakumo and veteran Ryu Hayabusa. I can easily point toward the worst gameplay segments in Ninja Gaiden 4's story, and those are the ones where you play as Ryu.
But I do want to be clear: NG4 is a good game and, as a whole, I'd recommend it. I'd just recommend it with the caveat that your expectations for Ryu should be on the floor. Luckily, it is a relatively short segment of the game, taking up only a handful of chapters in Ninja Gaiden 4. It's worth noting that there's more to Ryu than just those chapters, at the very least, but it still feels like he's a side character in a franchise his name carries. SPOILER DISCUSSION FOLLOWS.
Spoilers for NG4 Ahead
Ryu's Role in the NG4 Story Explained
Without going further into spoiler territory than I have to, it becomes abundantly clear in the earliest hours of Ninja Gaiden 4 that Ryu truly is the "major challenge and growth milestone" for Yakumo that PlatinumGames suggested he'd be. Yakumo carries with him the arrogance and self-righteousness one would expect from a less-seasoned warrior, believing himself to be Ryu's equal from the beginning. The conflicts that emerge between the two are clearly one between a seasoned veteran and a prestigious upstart, and the story puts them at odds pretty quickly. There are several reasons for this, but as players progress through the story as Yakumo, they must complete four objectives. Throughout this, it is continuously suggested and then outright confirmed that the priestess Seori put those four objectives in place—with Ryu's help.
After spending the entire game clearing those four objectives, the playable segments for Ryu are flashbacks to setting up those four objectives. In other words, it's just repeating the content that's already been played. It surprises no gamer that each of those four objectives ends in a boss fight, and it's those very same boss fights for Ryu. Making it a little worse is that it goes backward, meaning the last objective that Yakumo finishes is the first one that Ryu set up. Players face one major boss back to back, first as Yakumo and then as Ryu, and then proceed to repeat levels to get to the other bosses. The one silver lining here is that each objective is shortened for Ryu, perhaps speaking to his power, but it's not like players need to be convinced that Ryu is the better ninja. Altogether, it's one of the shortest segments of the game, but the brevity, the repeated boss fights, and the fact that it has no real narrative bearing mean Ninja Gaiden 4 would have been better if these levels were cut.
Fans have been upset over Ryu's treatment in prior Ninja Gaiden games aren't likely to change their minds here.
How Cutting Playable Ryu Would Have Made Ninja Gaiden 4 Better
The pacing would be massively improved, for one. These flashbacks take place immediately following one of the biggest story beats in Ninja Gaiden 4, interrupting the natural storytelling. Perhaps the goal is to create distance from that moment and what follows, which in and of itself is brief compared to the rest of the game, but it doesn't really accomplish that. It feels like repeated content shoved in between the resolution of the four objectives and the final boss. Secondly, it adds nothing to the gravitas of the story either. If there was something new revealed here, then perhaps playing through the content would have been worth it, but there's not. Seori's role in the four objectives is made clear early in the game, and it is implied throughout the game that Ryu was involved in it. The flashbacks serve no purpose narratively other than to explain maybe one detail, which is stretching the need for explanation.
Ninja Gaiden 4's Story Structure
- Prologue and Set-Up
- Complete Objective One
- Complete Objective Two
- Complete Objective Three
- Complete Objective Four
- Big Story Moment (Cutscene)
- Repeat Objective Four, Three, Two, and One as Ryu
- Final Chapters of the Game
Given that nothing of importance or anything new happens in Ryu's boss fights or story chapters, it feels very much like an afterthought shoved into the game for fan service. Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with fan service, and having playable Ryu in Ninja Gaiden 4 only makes logical sense. But the fact remains, cutting his chapters would have made it a better game. Stepping into Ryu's shoes quickly goes from a surge of excitement to worries that everything feels very familiar to "Oh, so that's what we're doing. All of this. Again." The way the story unfolds, I would be more curious about what Ryu was doing during the rest of the present-day game instead of these flashbacks. The story and pacing would have been more interesting if each objective for Yakumo (which is roughly three chapters) was followed by an original present-day chapter for Ryu, instead of flashbacks.
Without that, outright cutting Ryu's chapters would have worked too, with his role as a playable character just being an endgame unlock. It already is, effectively, but his story chapters aren't necessary for that. As it stands, he feels like an arbitrary story reward instead of an actual one as players head into Ninja Gaiden 4's higher difficulties/endgame content.
Ryu's Endgame Content in NG4
To reiterate, I liked and recommend playing Ninja Gaiden 4. For me, it's a very good 8/10 game. I just think this part of the story hurts it overall and stops it from being a great or even amazing experience. The moment-to-moment combat is tons of fun, the content offerings are pretty good, and the overall story isn't revolutionary but is more than serviceable. I don't necessarily think more Ryu would have fixed it, but I wanted better Ryu content than flashbacks. Players, I'd argue, deserve more than the Super Ninja's main content being flashbacks.
However, once players get past those chapters and wrap up Ninja Gaiden 4's story, Ryu can be picked as a playable character. Players can repeat chapters, do Purgatories, complete trials, and so on, which means at least there's more Ryu than in the story chapters. But for his playable story segments, it's hard not to be disappointed by how he's treated.
Ninja Gaiden 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- October 21, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Platinum Games, Team Ninja, Koei Tecmo Games Co., Ltd.
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
