Konami Wai Wai World/Feudal Japan

Enemies

Villager	Lost Soul	Tengu
Villagers approach players early on in the stage. They walk simplemindedly in one direction, and are easily stopped.	Lost souls fly back and forth across the screen, rising or falling depending on where a character is in relation to the soul.	Tengus hop around the ground, and shoot bullets at the player. They take several hits to defeat.
Guardian	Lantern	Crow
Guardians carry long spears which make them difficult to fight close up. They take a few hits to knock down, and you might be better off ignoring them.	Lanterns are posted high up in trees, making them all but impossible to hit from the ground. They send slow fireballs at the player.	Crows appear higher up in the stage. They weave up and down across the screen. They generally remain out of reach.
Oni	Kappa	Dragon
Onis, or demons, behave very much like villagers, wandering straight forward in one direction hoping to crash into the player.	Very rare, the Kappa demon is found near mountain peaks. They throw objects at the player from time to time.	Dragons are the most difficult enemy that you will face in all of Feudal Japan. They guard important items and passages. They float effortlessly through the air and continue to hunt down characters that invade their domain. You must hit them several times in order to defeat them.
Ghost	Ninja
Ghosts are not strong, but they move a bit fast. They bob up and down as they cross from one side of the screen to the other.	After dragons, ninjas are the next most difficult enemy that you will face. They leap over you when they get close to you, and they take two hits to defeat.

Stage description

The easiest stage

Out of all the stages in the game, this one will certainly give you the least trouble. The enemies, though numerous, aren't particularly strong, and most can be defeated with relatively little effort. Konami Man and Konami Lady should be able to get all the way to the end and rescue Goemon with little trouble.

You'll need to return

Fly below this platform to reach the capsule

You'll have to fly above the walls to reach the cat

There are two important items in this stage that you won't be able to collect on your first visit. One is the Power Capsule from Gradius which increases the attack strength of everyone on your team. You can see it below the long platform leading up to the ninja castle where you are attacked by ghosts. The only way to get it is to have Konami Man or Konami Lady fly below the platform, and you can only fly if you collected the Konami Mantle from Hell (which you can only enter if you have King Kong). The second item is Goemon's special weapon, which is collected in the form of a lucky cat. You'll also need the ability to fly in order to collect this item. Go ahead and rescue Goemon, and leave these items behind until you collect the Mantle and can return.

Think of the dragons as bosses

In this stage, the toughest enemy that you will face are the dragons. Dragons are free to fly around wherever they like, and attack intruders incessantly. You'll need to master the technique to fighting these creatures if you wish to make it through the stage. One guards the key that you need to collect in order to rescue Goemon, and two more guard the rooftop-passage that you must cross on the way to Goemon's jail cell. When a dragon starts to fly in your direction, jump in order to lure it up higher than your normal position. Then start hitting it as quickly as you can, in hopes of striking it consistently enough to keep it from ever moving. If you manage to attack it quickly enough and freeze it in position, you can defeat it before it poses a serious threat to your health. As a reward, it will drop several items as opposed to just one like most enemies.