The 2 megabit American version of this game, Demon Sword, contains nearly half as many stages as the 3 megabit Japanese version, Fudo Myouoden. As a result, many of the stages presented below do not apply to Demon Sword. Furthermore, many of the bosses have also been changed. Consult the table below to determine which stages are applicable to the game you are playing.
| Stage | Fudo Myouoden | Demon Sword |
|---|---|---|
| Bamboo grove | Stage 1-1 | Stage 1-1 |
| Mountain forest | Stage 1-2 | Stage 1-2 |
| Cemetery | Stage 1-3 | Stage 2-1 |
| Evil temple | Stage 1-4 | |
| Flame mountain | Stage 2-1 | Stage 2-2 |
| Cavern | Stage 2-2 | |
| Frozen mountain | Stage 2-3 | |
| Demon tower | Stage 2-4 | |
| Bottomless swamp | Stage 3-1 | |
| Fortress exterior | Stage 3-2 | Stage 3-1 |
| Fortress gates | Stage 3-3 | |
| Fortress interior | Stage 3-4 | Stage 3-2 |
| Netherworld | Stage 4 | Stage 4 |
Bamboo grove[edit]
As the first stage, the Bamboo grove gives players an introduction to the game. Skull ninjas will pour out of the sky to attack. This is a difficult stage because your sword will be so short, and your projectiles won't travel far, so you'll have to get up close to the enemies to attack them. Establish yourself somewhere safe where you can remain and attack enemies in order to amass a large collection of items. Good places to wait are locations where a branch is directly over your head, or beside the cliff walls just above certain doors. Be sure to visit many doors as well in order to obtain the powerful and helpful items contained inside. If you have to fight a mini-boss, remain a safe distance from him and throw projectiles at him as quickly as possible. He can only avoid them if he swings his sword very rapidly. As you proceed through the stage, be careful not to drop through the pits found at the bottom of certain areas. If you are unsure of what lies below you, jump to a tree trunk and use the trunk to safely climb down to the ground. Steadily make your way to the right until you reach a very large tree, where you will encounter the boss, but watch out for gaps that appear along the bridges. If you happen to fall through, you'll be saved by a bird if you collected the right item.
| Fudo Myouoden | Demon Sword |
|---|---|
| Be sure to build up a large collection of Substitute dummies. It is easier in this stage than any other. You are more likely to encounter the art of duplication scrolls in this stage. Try to collect a art of Asura scroll before you reach the boss. | Try to collect as many red orbs as possible. The basic skull ninjas are joined by masked warriors in red suits who are twice as strong as the skull ninjas. You can strike down a skull ninja with one sword swing, but it takes two projectiles to defeat. The masked warriors take two sword swings, or four projectiles to defeat. |
Boss[edit]
The boss wields a sword, and wears a Hannya mask representing a jealous female demon. It will typically jump in the air whenever it suffers damage. The best strategy to defeat this boss is to run to the spot on the ground where the boss is standing, squat down and strike at him with your sword. As long as you squat, you should be safe from attack. If you strike fast enough, you can prevent him from leaving the ground. Pinning a boss to the ground by frequent attack is a common strategy against many of the bosses. Learn how to swing your sword or throw projectiles as quickly as possible. In Fudo Myouoden, you will receive the red orb projectile for defeating this boss.
Mountain forest[edit]
The mountain forest is very similar to the previous stage, only it has much more of a downward slope to the terrain in the beginning. It's rather easy to go sailing off into the sky by leaping from the treetops and simply falling down, but you will again miss vital opportunities to collect life preserving items. The doors in the stage are actually positioned on the left side of certain pits. Be very careful when descending down these pits, as there are likely to be spikes waiting for you at the bottom. Look for trees that can safely guide you down to the ground. The boss of this stage is different between the two versions.
| Fudo Myouoden | Demon Sword |
|---|---|
| The skull ninjas are joined by an earth demon who pokes his head out from the ground and tries to grab you. If he catches you, you won't get hurt, but he will keep you stuck to the ground, leaving you vulnerable to other enemy attacks, until you strike him enough times with your sword to defeat him. It's a good idea to switch from the white orb projectile to the red orb, which passes through enemies and flies to the end of the screen. However, if you pick up the art of Asura scroll which allows you to throw your projectiles in four directions, you may find the pace of your attack to be too slow. If you do, switch back to the white orb for the duration of that scroll. You are more likely receive the art of shadow scrolls that will keep you safe from attack while increasing your offensive abilities. | The enemies remain the same as the previous stage. It is particularly important to hunt for the door which contains the first Shuriken power-up which will increase the damage done by your projectiles. |
Boss[edit]
| Fudo Myouoden | Demon Sword |
|---|---|
 The boss of this stage is a warrior monk. He carries a club with a flail connected by a chain. While it's important to watch out for the chain, you can minimize the chance of any attack occurring at all by utilizing the same strategy as you used against the previous boss, and keeping him rooted to the spot by swinging your sword quickly enough until he dies. You will receive the prayer bead projectile for defeating this boss |
The boss is a Tengu wind demon, which is a powerful boss not normally encounter until stage 2-4 of the Japanese version. This boss jumps in the air and tosses a fan at you. Fortunately, there is a safe method of defeating this boss, by squatting down within throwing distance of the boss and tossing projectiles at its feet. If you continue to fire low, you will gradually defeat this boss without having to get too close to it and suffer any damage. |
Cemetery[edit]
After the last two stages, you may anticipate having to run to the right in order to complete this stage. However, the goal of this stage lies above you. You must continuously jump to higher and higher ledges in order to reach the top. Be aware that the left and right sides of the stage connect to one another to form an infinite loop. At first the levels have platforms spread evenly throughout the width of the stage. As you get higher, the platforms become more spread out, requiring you to carefully choose a landing point in order to proceed. A new type of enemy will appear in this stage. Undead warriors with swords drop down from the ceiling. Doors are typically found on the left side of long platforms. This stage ends with a long bridge-like ladder that leads to the top of the stage. When you reach the top, spend some time attacking enemies to obtain items before facing the boss.
| Fudo Myouoden | Demon Sword |
|---|---|
| The new undead enemies cannot be defeated by any projectile besides the prayer beads, so make sure you activate that item when the stage begins. The mini-boss that appears in the hell rooms behind doors is susceptible to the prayer beads as well. If you ever collected any flight special items from the rooms behind the doors, it's a useful item to use in this stage, especially if you can't find the next ledge to jump to, or if you start falling a long distance. Two particular scrolls are likely to appear. The Chibi scroll doesn't grant invincibility, but it does allow you to take three hits without penalty. However, you cannot shoot projectiles while the scroll is in effect. The other scroll is the Falcon scroll. This is particularly useful in a stage where enemies appear from above and try to drop down on you. It's even very effective against the boss. | You can collect second Shuriken power-up from behind one of the doors, but it will not increase your power meter. Instead, it will allow you to throw your projectiles all the way to the end of the screen. In addition to the new undead enemy, there is a fast female ninja type enemy that is present in the stage. Since this is the first stage in world 2, you will face a new enemy inside the "hell" scenario rooms. It is similar to the warrior monk boss that is faced in the Mountain forest stage of Fudo Myouoden. |
Boss[edit]
| Fudo Myouoden | Demon Sword |
|---|---|
 The boss of this stage is a living statue known as a Niou, or "benevolent king". Nious are a pair of statues placed outside of Buddhist temples to ward off evil. Fortunately, you only have to fight one of them. The only vulnerable spot on the tall statue is the head, which is high off the ground. With no other help at your disposal, you must jump up to a high location and shoot down or swing your sword in order to hit its head. However, if you take some time to obtain a Falcon scroll before you encounter the boss, you can stand on the ground and the Falcon will fly at just the right level to strike the boss in the head. Then you can stand on the ground below, and simply avoid the staff that the boss swings, in order to defeat it. You will obtain the snowball for winning. |
In this version, the boss comes from Stage 1-4 in the Japanese version, the ghost high priest. Even though the setting is different, the strategy is the same. Read the boss section of the Evil temple below for strategies on how to defeat this boss. |
Evil temple[edit]
This is the first stage where the extent of your vertical leap will be limited by a ceiling. The basic arrangement of this stage is a group of platforms spaced out between the floor and the ceiling, with an occasional pillar that you can climb up and down. However, as you proceed through the temple, you will find that some of the levels end abruptly, forcing you to leap up or drop down to get beyond any walls that prevent progress. You face three primary enemies through this stage; the skull ninjas, the masked warriors, and a new enemy, the knife throwing hunchbacks. Hunchbacks drop straight down from the ceiling, and wait for a brief moment before throwing a knife at you that travels upward as it flies. If you are far enough away, you can avoid the knife by ducking, although you will fall through the platform if you are not standing on the floor. The snowball projectile is intended for use in Flame Mountain, so switch back to the red projectile and take advantage of its distance. As you get deeper into the palace, some sections of the floor are lined with spikes. You are generally safer if you remain closer to the top, although you may find it slower. Doors are scattered high and low throughout the temple, and are generally lined up against pillars. Of particular note among the scrolls that you may find are the Chibi scrolls and the art of duplication scrolls.
Boss[edit]
The boss is a ghost high priest. He is tall and carries a staff. The only means of attack that the priest has is to shoot out a trio of projectiles from the top of the staff. However, the only vulnerable spot he has is his head. Furthermore, he can render himself invisible and immune to attack for long durations. The only part of him that you can see while he is invisible is the top of his staff. The fastest strategy to deal with this boss is to approach his head and slash at it with your sword. While you risk standing near him when he uses his staff, you should be able to hit him quickly enough to prevent him from firing at you. Chase him around the giant Buddha statue and strike at his head when you are high enough until he is defeated. You will obtain the first extension to your blade.
Flame Mountain[edit]
While the environment of this stage is entirely different, the arrangement of it is not too dissimilar to the Mountain forest stage in reverse; that is, generally more upward climbs than downward drops. You never have to worry about open pits that you can die by falling through, but there are several locations where the floor is covered by damaging lava. There are no new enemies. You may be tempted to switch to the snowball projectile, but it really won't help you until the end of the stage, so stick with the red projectile for the distance it provides. All of the doors are located near the ground.
| Fudo Myouoden | Demon Sword |
|---|---|
| While there are no new enemies, the skull ninjas and masked warriors will begin firing projectiles back at you. There are two defenses against projectiles. If you squat on the ground, the projectiles thrown by the enemies will sail over your head. Additionally, you can block the projectiles by swinging your sword, which is now longer than before. Since this is the first stage of the second world, you will begin facing a new "hell" scenario mini-boss behind doors. It will be man who spins a staff around to deflect attacks. He is vulnerable if you shoot at his feet. In addition to Chibi scrolls and the art of shadows scroll, you may also encounter the dragon transformation scroll. As a dragon, you may fly anywhere and can destroy all enemies with a mere touch. Be ready to return to your normal form when the dragon begins to flash. | There are no new enemies, but like the previous stage, you will have to contend with four different enemies. Be sure to find a third Shuriken behind one of the doors, which will extend your power meter to three bars. |
Boss[edit]
| Fudo Myouoden | Demon Sword |
|---|---|
 The boss is a type of lava demon. Like most bosses, he jumps around the structure found at the end of the stage. He wields a sword and blasts fire from his mouth. Make sure you switch to the snowball projectile before this fight. Most of his body is vulnerable to attack, so you don't have to aim for any particular location. Just beware of his attacks and try to attack from a higher position so that you can keep him stuck in place until he is defeated. If you can, try to obtain a dragon scroll just before you engage the boss in battle, and simply sit on it to do as much damage as possible. |
The boss you face in this stage is the same as the boss from next stage of the Japanese version. Read the Cavern boss strategy below. |
Cavern[edit]
This is a particularly difficult stage for a few reasons. Like the Evil Palace, there is a ceiling throughout the stage that prevents you from leaping as high as you may like. There is a new enemy in here, the winged demons who dive down and the across before climbing back up, that can be especially difficult to avoid. And lastly, there are high cliff walls that contain bottomless drops below. If you are not careful and jump into one of these walls without a Golden Peacock in reserve, you will lose a life. Even if you are saved by a peacock, be sure to maneuver yourself over solid ground so that you don't simply fall right back into the same hole. A stream of water runs along a majority of the floor throughout the later half of the stage. It flows to the left, so you must typically run against it. After traveling forward for a little while, you will have to scale a tall cliff by jumping from one overhead platform to the next. When you reach the top, you'll have to carefully climb to the top of a stalactite, and drop off to the right in order to reach the next ledge. There are a few more times when you must climb over a cliff wall, and even one instance where you must descend from one platform to another along a long drop to reach the next portion of the stage. Keep to a safe path by identifying the next platform to land on before you make a move. Among scrolls that you are likely to find, the art of shadows scroll is particularly useful. In fact, you should attempt to obtain one just before you reach the boss.
Boss[edit]
The boss is ghost demon. He behaves much like many of the bosses you've encountered so far. He swings a large club, and spits out a trio of spirits that fan out as they fly forward. The terrain of this stage will benefit you greatly, especially if you collect a shadow scroll before fighting this boss. There is a platform above a layer of water that you can stand on and swing your sword. Contact with your sword will knock the demon down to the floor below. While you remain on the platform above, swing your sword continuously in order to lock the boss in place and hit him until he is defeated. If he manages to escape, track him down and knock him back down. You will obtain the Fireball projectile.
Frozen mountain[edit]
Just like Flame mountain did two stages ago, Frozen mountain ratchets up the challenge. This is an extremely long, and fairly dangerous stage. Skull ninja and masked warriors are joined by female assassins. They toss blades straight ahead as they move about, and they make their moves more hesitantly. Switch to the Fireball projectile before you get going. You absolutely need to keep moving on this stage; don't worry too much about finding doors, although it's always worthwhile investigating what's behind them if you find one. You are rarely safe at any location. There are so many ledges and short outcroppings that many of the enemies' projectiles will still hit you even if your squatting. They will throw them at you when they are level with the ground as they are falling. There are many bridges with gaps, so it's important to have a few golden peacocks in reserve. The only time you are safe in this stage is when you are standing on a long uninterrupted bridge. Stay centered on the screen and squat down to attack any enemy that appears on either side of you. If you're lucky, you may be able to snag an art of shadows scroll or a Falcon scroll. If you do obtain a shadow scroll, use the invincibility to your advantage, and leap through the stage from the tree tops. It's definitely in your best interest to try and obtain a shadow scroll before you face the boss at the end of the stage.
Boss[edit]
Not unexpectedly, the boss of this stage is a frozen ice woman. She is completely invulnerable to sword strikes, so you will have to hit her with projectiles. Naturally, the Fireball projectile will be the most effective weapon to throw at her. She doesn't jump around as much as levitate around the stage. Just like other bosses, she drops downward whenever she is struck by your sword or projectile. If you manage to grab an art of shadow scroll before you encounter the boss, you can easily rush the boss and overwhelm her with attacks until your vulnerability wears off. Without vulnerability, you still should be able to assail the boss with Fireball projectiles. If you're feeling bold, attempt to stand close to her and slightly above, and slash her with your sword until she is defeated. You will obtain the Air bubble projectile when you win.
Demon tower[edit]
The demon tower is a considerably short stage. It consists of a handful of floors that are not very wide, connected by long staircases that you must leap up. You will face the same three enemies as the previous stage: skull ninjas, masked warriors, and female assassins. There are only a couple of doors, and you will typically find them on the portion of the floor below the staircases. While the stage is fairly short, you definitely don't want to get caught staying in one area for too long and dealing with skeleton dogs. They're fast movement can make it difficult to climb up the stairs, although you fair much better if you happen to have a duplication scroll active. There is little else to note about this stage, you must simply aim to reach higher and higher floors until you reach the boss at the top of tower.
Boss[edit]
The boss of this stage is a Tengu wind demon. It moves like a typical boss, and it throws fans out ahead. Unfortunately, this boss is not vulnerable to projectiles, so you are required to get close to it in order to slash it with your sword. The boss likes to leap around, and it can be difficult to pin it down, especially if it's leaping up along the roof of the tower. If you're low on Substitute dummies, it would be a good idea to use some of the special items that you have saved up, like Lightning Whirlwinds, or Aurora blasts. If you can get it down to the ground below, keep it there for as long as you can, until the boss disappears in a large whirlwind. When the boss is defeated, you will obtain another extension to your sword.
Bottomless swamp[edit]
Compared to many other horizontal stages, this one is relatively level and flat. But it is no less challenging. There are a few trees that dot the landscape, but they provide little shelter from attacks. The female assassins disappear, but they are replaced with fighting monks who attack with flying kicks. They are particularly weak to the Air bubble projectile. There is another new enemy, but it will be difficult to see without the vision special item. You may notice what looks like a pair of jaws flickering lightly across the screen. You can hit them just as easily as any other enemy, provided you can tell where they are. You will start to receive the Talisman automatic item on this stage. Just as the Substitute dummies will protect you from visible attacks, a Talisman will protect you from attacks from invisible enemies. A layer of liquid lines the bottom of the stage, making running along the floor a chore. The stage is aptly named, as there are many pits that line the bottom of the stage, so you must be careful when you leap from one platform to another. The special power of flight can be especially helpful getting over the more dangerous jumps. Doors are found along some of the platforms above the ground. Starting with this stage, you will face a different mini-boss. This mini-boss appears to be immune to non-Telekinetic Wave projectile attacks, and has two forms. He starts out in the guise of a tall human. After you hit him enough, he becomes a skeleton. Once you obtain the Telekinetic Wave from the boss of Stage 3-2, you can use them against this mini-boss to attack from a safe distance. Two particularly useful scrolls that may appear are the art of shadows scroll or the dragon transformation scroll. Either one can help you sail past your enemies without fear, but only the dragon can help you safely fly over the bottomless pits. This stage is quite long, so be prepared for a fight, and keep your Substitute dummy collection up. You're about halfway through when you start encountering large cross-like structures that reach into the sky.
Boss[edit]
The boss of this stage is a Samurai that wears a bamboo hat. He can attack with his sword, or he can utilize a telekinetic wave attack from a distance. He is fairly easy to defeat, compared to the difficulty you faced reaching him. His entire body is vulnerable to attack, so like the bosses you faced earlier, it should be your goal to strike him quickly enough on the ground in order to keep him held in place until he is defeated. You can even attack him and keep him pinned while hanging on to the trunk of a tree. Once beaten, you will be receive the Thunder projectile.
Fortress exterior[edit]
You must scale the side of a cliff in order to reach the fortress that awaits you above. You'll start out by running to the right until you reach the interior of a cave. From there, you begin your ascent which leads in and out of the craggy cliff, sometimes with little more than branches to leap from. If you can afford to hang out in any areas before the skeleton dogs appear, it may be worth your while to try and obtain the power of shadows before making any major advancements. After climbing for a while, you'll reach a section where the background is a lighter shade of blue. You will have to find platforms to leap toward in order to make it to the top. However, the left side of this area offers the best chance to advance, using a combination of platforms and branches. Remember that, as you scale the mountain, the left side of the screen is generally exposed. If you accidentally leap off in that direction, expect to find yourself in a long plummet and return to the beginning of the stage. Once again, the power of flight is especially useful in this stage, and can spare you from having to repeat large portions of the stage over again, or bypassing sections with difficult jumps. Doors are very easy to locate in this stage, as you are pretty much forced to pass them in order to progress. When you reach the top, you may notice a giant skull carved into the background stone. You will encounter the boss of the stage in this area.
| Fudo Myouoden | Demon Sword |
|---|---|
| You will be attacked by a menagerie of enemies including the flying cave monsters who attacked you in the Cavern stage, a new type of soldier who attacks with a bow and arrows, and a new type of less visible blue apparition. The soldiers with the bow and arrows can only be shot with the Thunder projectile that you recently obtained. | The jump-kicking monks will appear on this stage for the first time. Though aggressive, they require no special technique to defeat. Since this is the first stage in world 3, you will face a new mini-boss. In this game, the new mini-boss is the same as the boss of stage 3-3 in Fudo Myouoden. The strategy against him is the same, only you won't have a tree to hang on to. Your best bet is to stay on the floor and shoot at him while squatting down. |
Boss[edit]
| Fudo Myouoden | Demon Sword |
|---|---|
 The boss of this area is an armored samurai. In addition to swinging his large sword, he can also fire projectiles from it. The armor that he wears makes him particularly vulnerable to your Thunder projectile, although sword slashes work equally well. If you manage to obtain a shadow scroll just prior to challenging the boss, you can keep him pinned down for a fairly long period of time before the effect of the scroll wears off. Then continue to slash your sword whenever you are close, and fire projectiles whenever you are trying to close the distance between you. Your reward for defeating the samurai is the first Telekinetic Wave. Unlike other projectiles that have a particular strength against certain enemies, the Telekinetic Wave is equally strong against all enemies. |
The boss of this stage is a Tengu Zombie, which is also one of the mini-bosses in Stage 4 of Japanese version. Unlike the Tengu in Fudo Myouoden, this one is still vulnerable to projectile attacks. If you squat down and shoot at it's feet, you should be able to damage it without the need to get too close. If you have been keeping up your efforts to find all of the Shuriken power-ups, you should be able to destroy the Tengu Zombie with relatively fewer hits. |
Fortress gates[edit]
You're not inside the fortress just yet. Now that you've made it to the top of the cliff, you must advance through the entrance in order to reach the interior. Like the bottomless swamp, it's a long slog to the end of a relatively flat stage. The stage is divided into roughly two sections: above the roof and below the roof. You are generally safer under the roof, although there are a few sections of the stage later on where you will have to contend with bottomless pits. Above the roof, it's much harder to dodge any projectiles that are thrown your way because ducking will just cause you to drop to the ledge below you. Every now and then, you encounter a high wall that you can climb across. Doors are generally found at the bottom of these walls. In addition to skull ninjas, masked warriors, bowmen, and both the white and blue apparitions, you will also have to deal with swordsmen. Be sure to switch to the Telekinetic Wave projectile as soon as you begin. Among the better scrolls left behind, you may find a Chibi scroll, a Falcon scroll, an art of shadows scroll, or best of all, a dragon transformation scroll. Take advantage of the dragon scroll and advance yourself as far along the stage as you can. It's also a good idea to try and obtain a dragon scroll just before you reach the boss.
Boss[edit]
The boss of this stage is the ghost of a former Japanese army commander. He is quite tall, carries a long sword with great range, and wear enchanted armor. This armor contains a face in the chest that is capable of firing a flame projectile at you from time to time. It is this face, in fact, that is the only vulnerable point on the commander. If you can collect a dragon scroll before facing the boss, try to occupy the height of his chest to keep him pinned until the scroll wears off. Once it does, you'll have to rely on more traditional attacks. He tends to leap high above the fortress gates, and stands on statues of two snakes found on the roof. Keep a distance and use the Telekinetic Waves against his chest often as you can. If he approaches you, use your sword to knock him back. This boss has a large amount of health, and it will be a fairly long battle. Make sure you come stocked with enough Substitution dummies and other special items. Your reward for beating him is the advanced form of the Telekinetic Wave. This form works just like the original, except that it does five times the normal amount of damage instead of three.
Fortress interior[edit]
The fortress interior is a collection of floors connected by a set of staircases. It's is like a more complicated version of the Demon tower, if you are playing the Japanese version. The layout of the stage is not straightforward, and more maze-like, requiring you to identify just the right set of stairs that will allow you to reach the rooftop and advance to the right where the boss of the stage is waiting. There are six floors, but only the gray floors are solid enough to squat on. Squatting on the thinner yellow floors will cause you to drop beneath them. Doors are located throughout the fortress, typically in areas that dead-end and force you to double back in order to find the correct path. All manner of enemies will attack you here, but if you have the strongest Telekinetic Wave activated, you should be able to rip through them with little problem.
| Fudo Myouoden | Demon Sword |
|---|---|
| Few scrolls will appear to help you out. The Falcon scroll and the art of shadows scroll are the best you can hope for. Use the chain special item to freeze enemies in place, or use the flight special item to fly freely around the stage in order to find your way through. | Aside from the lack of scrolls and apparition enemies, this stage is basically the same in Demon Sword. If you've managed to find every one in the game up until now, this fifth power-up will transform your weapon into a Telekinetic Wave A which will pass through enemies. |
Boss[edit]
The boss of this stage is a woman in a red kimono wearing a Noh mask. She is a wielder of dark magic that protects her from attacks. When she gathers this magic around her in the form of a barrier, no attacks are effective against her, so all you can do is wait. When she's vulnerable to attack, hit her with the Telekinetic Wave as often as possible, or swing your sword rapidly to pin her in place. Sometimes she will fire off a portion of the barrier in an effort to hit you. If you time your attack well, you can fire of the powerful Aurora beam attack just as she releases her protective barrier. Keep a steady stream of attacks going until she is defeated. At that time, you will obtain the third and final extension to your blade, completing the seven-blade sword. Now it is time for you to visit the final world, the Netherworld, and vanquish the evil that is invading your realm once and for all.
Netherworld[edit]
As the final stage, the Netherworld is also the longest. A twisting maze of dragon skeleton platforms and walls with eyes, you'll have to navigate through the entire stage from start to finish in order to reach the final boss of the game. The path you must take through it is shaped very much like an inverted "S". In general, you must proceed to the right, followed by a descent to the right, until you reach the lower right corner. Then double back to the left before dropping down several levels through a tunnel that snakes back and forth. Once you reach the lower left corner at the bottom, resume running to the right until you find the boss. There are no bottomless pits to worry about, but there are a couple of pools of lava that you need to be careful around. Doors are located throughout the stage, though usually close to the ground. You should aim to obtain the shadow ability before facing the final boss of the game.
| Fudo Myouoden | Demon Sword |
|---|---|
| After appearing in every stage, the skull ninjas will not be joining your enemies in the fight against you here. There are, however, plenty of masked warriors, gliding cave monsters, and slightly invisible apparitions. You can find the Falcon scroll, the art of shadow scroll, and the Dragon transformation scroll. While transforming into a dragon will help you progress a little, it won't help much against the boss. Behind the doors will be one of the toughest mini-bosses, including a blue Tengu Zombie, and a powerful Asura, whose head is the only weakness. | Every enemy that you've faced before will appear in this stage. The shadow item is really the only item that affords you any measure of invincibility. Take advantage of it whenever you find one, and run as far as you can before the effect wears off. You will only find Asura in the doors. While they are tough, beating a second one will yield the final shuriken powerup, which grants you the Telekinetic Wave B. |
Boss[edit]
The final boss is an old man who wields the most powerful dark magic. He has several tricks up his sleeve, including a blast of magic that is as tall as he is, and a throwing fan that tracks you down until it hits you or you slash it. But his most devious trick of all is his ability to instantly teleport to another location around the room whenever he gets hit. Forget about pinning this boss to one place, it's not possible. You'll have to try and outsmart him, and hope that you have enough Substitute dummies in reserve to outlast him. When he teleports, he tends to reappear somewhere close to where he once was, although that's not always the case. If you have grabbed on to the skull in the lower center of the room, he seems much more likely to appear somewhere around you. It is a good idea to pummel him with the remainder of your special powers, like the Aurora blasts, or the Lightning strikes, and if you have any extra lives remaining, the life stealing Curse attack.