This Article Contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Ninja Gaiden 4
Between 2015 and 2024, there were no brand-new Ninja Gaiden games to check out. That drought has ended with the releases of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, and Ninja Gaiden 4 in 2025. Many fans are no doubt curious if these games, especially Ninja Gaiden 4, ultimately signal the franchise's return to gaming prominence. The jury is still out on that, but in my mind, any new release is only as strong as its ending.
Ninja Gaiden 4 certainly has a well-defined ending to follow its excellent action gameplay. Overall, the story is not the main appeal of this game, but for lore fans, it introduces a lot to chew on. Spoilers begin with the next paragraph.
The Past in Ninja Gaiden 4
Ninja Gaiden 4 has a few flashback chapters near the end of the game, with these being the ones where beloved protagonist Ryu Hayabusa is playable, but for the sake of clarity, it's worth explaining this first. In the Ninja Gaiden 4 timeline, Ryu has killed the Dark Dragon twice, but these deaths are never permanent. Every time he kills it, it just comes back, so somewhere along the way, the decision was made to seal it in Tokyo. This splits the Dark Dragon into two: its body, which is visible throughout Tokyo, and its soul, which resides in the priestess Seori. The body creates a rotting rain around Tokyo, making it nigh unlivable except for the most hardened warriors and fiends.
The Archfiend Achilles used Seori to attempt a resurrection that Ryu thwarted. To ensure it cannot be revived, Ryu and Seori create elaborate seals spread throughout the world. At each of these seals, there is a sacred weapon that keeps the seal intact, and Ryu and Seori bind a daemon to the area to prevent anyone from breaking the seal. After that, it appears that Ryu and his ally Kagashi build and expand the power of the Divine Dragon Order (DDO), with one of those said seals existing at the top of its headquarters. Seori sets out to find some way to undo all the harm she has inadvertently caused by playing into Achilles' hand. Achilles is thought to be defeated at this time.
The Present in Ninja Gaiden 4
Years later, the present that begins in Ninja Gaiden 4, Yakumo and a small crew of Raven Clan ninjas seek to break into the DDO's HQ, kill the Dark Dragon's priestess, and thus end theDark Dragon. This is because of a prophecy saying that a master ninja from the Raven Clan can kill the Dark Dragon for good.
The exact wording implies that, only after the priestess' death, a Raven Clan master ninja can "cleanse" the Dark Dragon. They believe Seori to be a captive of the DDO, but it seems more likely that she was just visiting as her relationship with Ryu is a good one, though players do not know this immediately. However, Seori stays Yakumo's hand by saying that they don't fully understand the prophecy and that they'd need her help to undo the seals to free the Dark Dragon (to cleanse/completely kill it once and for all).
The Raven Clan is a rival of the Hayabusa clan and has often been seen as second to them. This creates a certain grudge between the clans, as well as between Yakumo and Ryu.
From there, Yakumo, the Raven Clan, and Seori work to undo the four seals (that Seori and Ryu set up years prior). Yakumo spearheads everything, with everyone believing him to be the one capable of cleansing the Dark Dragon. Joining Yakumo and Seori are a few important figures:
- Umi - A Comms Specialist
- Tyran - Martial Arts Master
- Misaki - The newest member of the Raven Clan and a trusted advisor
After agreeing to work with Seori, the players work through finding and undoing each of the Dark Dragon seals. Yakumo leads the way by clearing each area of fiends and enemies, supported by Tyran's training modules and Umi's communications. Misaki, meanwhile, escorts Seori to each location when it is safe. Along the way, there are a couple of important story beats:
- Yakumo clashes with Ryu, with the latter and Ayane investigating Yakumo. This scene would imply that Ryu is attempting to save Seori and stop Yakumo from freeing the Dark Dragon.
- Seori gets kidnapped by a Fiend, whom Yakumo must rescue. This sequence, especially, highlights a burgeoning relationship between Yakumo and Seori.
The Fourth Dark Dragon Seal
After breaking the first three Dark Dragon Seals, Yakumo and the party return to the DDO HQ for the last seal. Yakumo battles his way through, defeating Kagashi along the way, who is paraded as the most powerful member of the DDO (as also implied by his title). Along the way, players are treated to a cutscene of Seori speaking with Ryu, where she asks him to entrust Yakumo with a special item of the Dark Dragon if and only if Ryu deems him worthy. This cutscene is slightly confusing in terms of the timeline, but when it happens matters little. It could mean that she got away from Mizaki for a short time to talk with Ryu, or this could have happened when the party was in the DDO HQ at the start of the game. In the case of the latter, it means that Ryu has been fully informed and testing Yakumo the entire time. This would also explain why Ryu isn't hounding Yakumo throughout the journey.
Yakumo meets up with Mizaki and Seori at the final seal, and when Seori performs a ritual to expose the Dark Dragon's soul within her, she asks Yakumo to kill her. Yakumo hesitates, torn between his duty as a Raven Clan master ninja and as someone with feelings for Seori. Mizaki, instead, stabs Seori at this moment, revealing himself to actually be Achilles. This frees the Dark Dragon, with Yakumo fighting and killing Achilles in the immediate aftermath. Yakumo then takes Seori into his arms, as she talks about her mistakes and how she isn't really ready to die, and Yakumo cries while the Dark Dragon flies over Tokyo.
At this point in the game, players step into the shoes of Ryu, playing through flashbacks of him and Seori setting up the seals. When it returns to the present, Ryu rushes to the exit to the top of DDO HQ. The game then returns players to Yakumo's perspective.
Angered over the death of Seori, he rushes for that exit and faces Ryu one more time. The two engage in a battle, where Ryu deems Yakumo worthy. Ryu then gives Yakumo the final parting gift from Seori (the earlier cutscene)—the Jewel of the Dark Dragon—which morphs into the Dark Dragon Blade. Part of the Dark Dragon itself, this Blade has the power to kill the Dark Dragon in the hands of a Raven Clan ninja because of their cursed bloodline.
The Dark Dragon's End in Ninja Gaiden 4
On the roof of DDO HQ, Yakumo faces the Dark Dragon and defeats it. The second phase of the boss battle sees the Dark Dragon take on Yakumo's form, which Yakumo defeats then too. Afterward, as the credits roll, players can run around Tokyo as it breathes fresh air for the first time in years, free from the poisonous effects of the Dark Dragon. Like Tokyo, Yakumo has freed himself and his clan from the curse of the bloodline by defeating the Dark Dragon. Without Ryu and Seori, he may not have had the skill to defeat the Dragon, but through their teachings (and loss in Seori's case), the world is a better place. Yakumo and Seori don't get a happy, romantic ending, but they achieve what they set out to do because of each other.
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
