Ninja Gaiden/Act I

You'll start off your adventure squaring off with three hockey masked brawlers. The left side of the screen will be free of obstacles, but there's a phone booth present to the right, which you can either backflip off of, or punch enemies into in order to obtain an item. Pushing enemies into obstacles is highly advisable since you might be provided with extra health or swords at random. As you take on these fighters, learn how to manipulate them into occupying different planes. Enemies will not attack you unless their feet line up with yours. Therefore, if you prevent two enemies from lining up with you at the same time, they can't gang up on you. At the same time, it's possible to initiate your attack against the enemies before they line up precisely with you, giving you an advantage. After you clear away the two of the brawlers, two tonfa-wielding enemies will approach to take their place.

Proceed to the right, and you will see a signpost behind the phone booth. You can jump up and grab the bottom of the sign with the grab button on the joystick. One you grab on, you can use the attack button to knock enemies away as they approach. This method of attacking is much safer than if you remain on the ground. Three more brawlers will be waiting for you on the ledge above. If you remain on the sidewalk below, they will climb down to attack you. You can jump up to the ledge and use it to keep the enemies separated so that they can't unite against you. Knocking enemies into the sign, the mailbox beyond, and the barrel above will all result in the appearance of items. The barrel typically produces swords. After the three brawlers, a fourth brawler and a tonfa enemy will attack.

A coke sign will appear from which you can hang. A tonfa enemy will attack, along with the first appearance of a wrestler. A second wrestler will be waiting by the wall for you to arrive. After you take care of him, you will be attacked by one of each enemy that you've encountered so far. Knock them into various obstacles in an attempt to earn items. As you approach the popcorn stand, you will be attacked by one tonfa enemy, and two masked brawlers. When one of them is knocked out, they will be replaced by a second tonfa enemy. When a second enemy is knocked out, a new fighter will appear, a large enemy carrying a tree log. He will stop and swing the tree log around, so you should stay clear of him whenever it looks like he's about to attack. Then jump in front of him and attack, or use the Flying Neck Throw attack by jumping towards his head and pressing attack while in mid-air.

Beyond the popcorn stand, you'll find one tonfa enemy and a wrestler waiting for you. You can actually use the Flying Neck Throw to toss them off the drop to the right of the sidewalk to eliminate them. From there, you must jump up to the rails along the side of the building. There are two rails, and you're actually safer on the higher rail; enemies from above can attack you, but enemies below you cannot. While you cross these rails, you will encounter two new enemies. Black clad ninjas will appear from all over, but these ninjas are relatively weak, and only take one knock down to eliminate them. The tough enemies are the Kabuki warriors holding halberds. They have good reach, and you remove them as quickly as possible. Only one will appear per rail.

The rails, and subsequently the ninjas, will end when you reach a bar at the end of the stage. When you reach the doors of the bar, an enraged sumo wrestler will suddenly bust the doors down and proceed to attack you. He will be accompanied by a handful of masked brawlers. The sumo wrestler will attempt to get you within his reach and then grab you before rushing you with his shoulder while saying "Dosukoi!" which is a common exclamation among sumo wrestlers. In order to survive this battle, you must eliminate all of the fighters, including the sumo wrestler and all of the brawlers which appear from the bar. The Flying Neck Throw is surprisingly effective against the sumo wrestler, and may be used to eliminate him very quickly. Once the last brawler is defeated, you will spin into a ninja-tornado and leave the scene.