Mirai Ninja/Gameplay

Controls

 * Joystick: Use the 4-way joystick to make Mirai Ninja run left, run right, and crouch; pushing it in the same direction twice will make him run faster.
 * Attack Button: Use this button to make Mirai Ninja throw his shurikens at the enemies, or slash them with his sword if he is close enough to them.
 * Jump Button: Use this button to make Mirai Ninja jump; unlike in other fighters, you cannot change the direction he is facing while he is in mid-air.
 * 1 or 2 Player Buttons: Push these buttons to begin a 1 or 2 player game.

Mirai Ninja (未来忍者)
The eponymous protagonist of the game, who was portrayed by Makoto Yokoyama and voiced over by Satoshi Itō in the movie that it was based on; armed with an infinite supply of shurikens (and a sword that he will only use at close range), he is on a mission to save Princess Saki from the evil master Shikinami Kurosagi. He starts the game with 99 (九九) energy points, and loses 12 (一二)-15 (一五) of them each time he gets hit - however, he will gain 25 (二五)-30 (三〇) of them back each time he clears a stage. If he runs out of energy points (〇〇), the game will ask if you want to continue by inserting another coin and pushing the start button before the 10-second timer runs out; but if you choose to do so, you should be aware that your score will be set back to a value that subtracts your stage's number by 1 and multiplies it by 30000 as a result of it.

Hanzou Hattori (服部半蔵)
These green ninjas appear on the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth stages; they'll attack by beaming down to the ground and running towards Mirai Ninja, and are worth 500 points. They are also named after a famous samurai (who lived from 1542 to 1596).

Karasu Tengu (からす天狗)
These airborne ninjas (who, ironically, make their first appearances before the regular Karasu) appear upon the first, second, third, sixth, seventh and tenth stages; they'll attack by flying towards Mirai Ninja (while trying to stick their swords into him) and are worth 330 points.

Sasuke (サスケ)
These red ninjas appear on the first, second, third, fifth and ninth stages; they'll again attack by running towards you, and are worth 250 points.

Kawariminojutsu Tsukai (変わり身の術使い)
These purple ninjas appear on the first and eleventh stages, and attack by "materializing" in front of Mirai Ninja before jumping into the air and throwing four fast-moving shurikens down at him; they will also be "disguised" as the game's "Warp Statues" and are worth 600 points.

Inari (稲荷)
This mythical Japanese harvest god (who wears a fox mask over his face) is the boss of the first and fifth stages; once the hologrammatical image of Shikinami Kurosagi has appeared in the background (and its associated sound effect has been heard from the C140), he will appear in front of Mirai Ninja and summon three (or four on the fifth stage) three Semushi Men to jump out of the ground and do a somersault (who can be killed for 400 extra points apiece) then disappear back into the ground as he warps over to the other side of the screen while throwing six fast-moving shurikens at you on the fifth stage. Given that he will never stop summoning Semushi Men to jump out of the ground and do their somersaults until he is killed you could theoretically kill them for extra points indefinitely - but you will have to watch out for Beam Hassha-ho appearing and firing lasers at Mirai Ninja if he remains in one place for too long. Once you have thrown enough shurikens at him to defeat him, he will explode and you will receive 6000 points; the "stage cleared" jingle will then be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151.

Semushi Men (せむし男)
These brown ninjas appear on the first and fifth stages, and attack by jumping out of the ground and somersaulting; they are worth 400 points, and the Kanji character in their name which also appears in the names of Fukubiki Man and the Maimai Men in Beraboh Man reads as: otoko.

Mukademaru (百足丸)
These centipede circles appear on: the second, fourth, five, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth stages, and come in two colours (gold and silver); they attack by spitting Kanji characters out of their mouths at Mirai Ninja. The gold ones are worth 1500 points but the silver ones are worth 5000.

Zaku (ザク)
These green ninjas appear on the second, third, fourth, sixth and eighth stages; they do not move, but attack by swinging their maces around in an anticlockwise direction (and occasionally swinging them directly at Mirai Ninja). The only way Mirai Ninja can avoid getting hit by their maces if he is close enough to them is if he crouches down while attacking them (as they will be just above his head) - and they are worth 3330 points.

Domu (ドム)
These purple ninjas appear upon the second, third, fifth, seventh, eighth and eleventh stages; those of the fifth stage can be shrunk by collecting an Inori (gray) powerup (making them easier to kill), and those of the seventh stage can be ran under because they are standing on the bridges. However, those of the third and eleventh stages have to be killed - and one on the latter appears right at the end of that "right" path. 1200 points.

Tourou (灯篭)
These lanterns appear on the second, third, fourth, sixth, eighth, ninth and tenth stages; they attack by firing laser beams down at Mirai Ninja as he passes under them. They are worth 340 points - but the one at the end of the third stage and the two on either side of the tenth stage are "regenerative".

Oda Nobunaga (織田信長)
This daimyo, who originally lived between 1534 and 1582, is the boss of the second and eighth stages; once Mirai Ninja runs into the stage's last elevator and gets taken up to the roof of the last building, the hologrammatical image of Shikinami Kurosagi will again appear on the screen, as its associated sound effect is heard from the C140. The "boss" theme will then start to be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151, as he starts walking towards Mirai Ninja - and he will attack by throwing his double-edged blade at him. You should crouch down as he does this, because it will return to him (like a boomerang); you will then have to jump over him and turn back to the left, as he starts walking back towards you. Once you have thrown enough shurikens at him to defeat him, he will explode, and you will receive 15000 points - and the "stage clear" jingle will then be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151 for the second (or eighth) time as Mirai Ninja runs off the right side of the screen. Also, if he happened to be standing on the right side of the roof, he will run right off it, and through the air; he can also do this on the third and seventh stages.

Other enemies

 * [[File:MN Choucho.gif]] Choucho (ちょうちょ) - 1010 points
 * [[File:MN Karasu.gif]] Karasu (カラス) - 700 points
 * [[File:MN Fireball.gif]] Fireball (火の弾) - Indestructible
 * [[File:MN Karakuri.gif]] Karakuri (神社) - 3330 points
 * [[File:MN Cannon.gif]] Cannon (大砲) - 2000 points
 * [[File:MN Kasa.gif]] Kasa (蜘蛛) - 250 points
 * [[File:MN Stick User.gif]] Stick User (棒使い) - 800 points
 * [[File:MN Shuriken Launcher.gif]] Shuriken Launcher (手裏剣発射砲) - 330 points
 * [[File:MN Ya Launcher.gif]] Ya Launcher (矢発射砲) - Indestructible
 * [[File:MN Namekuji.gif]] Namekuji (ナメクジ) - 50 points
 * [[File:MN Shura.gif]] Shura (修羅) - 3500 points
 * [[File:MN Kappa.gif]] Kappa (河童) - 400 points
 * [[File:MN Han Guraida.gif]] Han Guraida (ハングライダー) - 2500 points
 * [[File:MN Bomb Gate.gif]] Bomb Gate (爆弾門) - Self-destructs after 7 seconds
 * [[File:MN Tonbi.gif]] Tonbi (とんび) - 1230 points
 * [[File:MN Beam Launcher.gif]] Beam Launcher (ビーム発射砲) - 10 points

Other bosses
STAGE 3: Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉) - 2000 x 4 points

STAGES 4 & 9: The Core (ザ・コア) - 20000 points

STAGE 7: Nekko (根っこ) - 2000 x 6 and 8000 points

STAGE 10: Ashura (阿修羅) - 20000 points

STAGE 12: Shikinami Kurosagi (雷鳴法師) - 25000 points

Powerups
There are eight different types of powerups in the game; and from left to right, they are: Chishiki (blue), Cocolo (turquoise), Honoh (pink), Ikari (red), Inori (gray), Kudaki (orange), Waza (green) and Chikara (yellow). Their effects will be explained to you in the Walkthrough.