Mirai Ninja/Gameplay

Controls

• Joystick: Use the 4-way joystick to make Mirai Ninja run left, run right, and crouch; pushing it in that 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.

Characters

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 either three, or four on the fifth stage, 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.

Choucho (ちょうちょ)

These butterfly-like creatures appear on the second, eighth, tenth and eleventh stages; they attack by flying towards Mirai Ninja while sprinkling spores on him (which will not only cause injury if they land on him, but will also reduce his speed for a few seconds). They're worth 1010 points.

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.

Karasu (カラス)

These airborne ninjas, who make their first appearances after the Karasu Tengu, appear upon the third and seventh stages; they attack by flying into view from the left and right sides of the screen (and in the case of the latter, they will drop into the water or onto the current bridge once they have seen Mirai Ninja and start running towards him). They're worth 700 points - and also resemble the Hanzou Hattori, who are only worth 500.

Hi No Dan (火の弾)

Looking somewhat like an 8192-colour version of the Tumblers from Namco's own Dragon Spirit, these fireballs only appear upon that third stage; they attack by dropping down on Mirai Ninja as he passes under them and making craters in the ground as they hit it, and cannot be killed at all. The only other enemies in this game that cannot be killed at all are the Ya Hassha-ho (which are always mounted on the walls).

Jinja Walkers (神社ウォーカーズ)

These mechanical shrines only appear upon that third stage, and attack by walking towards Mirai Ninja while firing lasers at him; due to their enormous size, they are impossible to jump over without crashing into them and getting injured as a result. This means that if you try to jump over one, and have less than 12(一二)-15 (一五) energy points remaining, it could end up costing you the game - and the only way around it is to jump up, or just stand in place if you have recently collected a Waza (green) powerup, and throw enough shurikens at them to kill them for 3330 points. Also, once you have killed one, it will leave a Chikara (yellow) powerup behind, which you can collect for extra energy; but if you forgo it, it can make the boss battle with Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the end somewhat harder.

Taiho (大砲)

These cannons only appear upon the battering ram on the third stage; they attack by firing projectiles at Mirai Ninja, and are worth 2000 points.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉)

This daimyo, who originally lived from 1537 to 1598 (and was the successor of Oda Nobunaga), is the boss of the third stage; once Mirai Ninja jumps off the right side of the battering ram's lookout tower in order to collect a Waza (green) powerup, the hologrammatic image of Shikinami Kurosagi will appear in the background as its associated sound effect is heard from the C140 for the third time. The "boss" theme will then start to be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151 for the second time as he jumps into the air towards Mirai Ninja, and tries to slash him with his sword at close range once he has landed - and once you have thrown enough shurikens at him or slashed him with your own sword enough times at close range, he will pull the ripcord on his waist in order to create three identical copies of himself. All four of them will then jump up into the air towards Mirai Ninja and try to slash him with their swords at close range once they have landed simultaneously; once you have thrown enough shurikens at each of them or slashed them with your own sword enough times at close range to kill them they'll explode and you will receive 2000 points, and the first three will also leave a Chikara (yellow) powerup behind that you can collect if you need the extra energy. The "stage clear" jingle will then be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151 for a third time as Mirai Ninja runs off the right side of the screen - and also, if he was standing on the right side of that battering ram's caterpillar treads, he will run right off them and through the air (for what may be the second time).

Kumo Robots (蜘蛛ロボットス)

These mechanical spiders appear upon the fourth and sixth stages; they'll attack by running towards Mirai Ninja (in the case of the fourth stage, often on conveyor belts that are moving to the right, and thereby defying their direction) while firing lasers at him, and they are worth 250 points.

Katame (片目)

This enormous singular eye is the boss of the fourth and ninth stages; once Mirai Ninja has dropped off the last platform, the screen will fade out, and the song you are hearing from the Yamaha YM-2151 will suddenly stop as that hologrammatical image of Shikinami Kurosagi appears in the background and its associated sound effect is heard from the C140. Once that screen has faded back in, the "boss" theme will once again start to be heard from that Yamaha YM-2151 as Mirai Ninja finds himself in the Katame room - and it attacks by shooting fireballs at Mirai Ninja and spawning Mukademaru (which themselves attack by spitting Kanji characters out of their mouths, and can be killed for 1500 and 5000 extra points apiece). The room will also occasionally rotate (ninety degrees clockwise), and change its gravitational force for Mirai Ninja, which can often result in him landing on a fireball or Mukademaru; once you have thrown enough shurikens at Katame to defeat it, it will explode and you will receive 20000 points - and the "stage cleared" jingle will then be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151 as the screen fades out again.

Shuriken Hassha-ho (手裏剣発射砲)

These propeller-like launchers only appear on the fifth stage, and attack by firing three slow-moving shurikens at Mirai Ninja, before rotating 120 degrees anticlockwise and firing three more slow-moving shurikens at him; his shurikens move faster than theirs, and they are worth 330 points.

Bo Tsukai (棒使い)

These orange ninjas only appear on the fifth stage, and attack by jumping out of the Chinese-style lion statues in the background as Mirai Ninja passes them, to land behind him and spit lasers at him; he must turn around and kill them before they can do so, and they are worth 800 points.

Ya Hassha-ho (矢発射砲)

These crossbow-like launchers appear upon the sixth and ninth stages, and attack by firing flaming arrows at Mirai Ninja; they are indestructible.

Namekuji (ナメクジ)

These one-eyed slug-like creatures also appear on: the sixth and ninth stages, and attack by jumping towards Mirai Ninja; they are worth 50 points.

Shura (修羅)

These green ninjas appear in pairs on the sixth and eighth stages, and attack by materializing on either side of Mirai Ninja to throw small fireballs at him; as with Oda Nobunaga's double-edged blade, you will have to crouch down to avoid the fireballs the right ones throw, as they will go over Mirai Ninja's head. Once you kill either of them, you'll receive 3500 points - and once you kill that remaining one, you'll receive 3500 more points.

Kappa (河童)

These water demons only appear on the seventh stage, and attack by jumping out of the water to land on Mirai Ninja; they are worth 400 points.

Bakudan-mon (爆弾門)

These bomb gates also only appear on the seventh stage, and attack by hovering in place above the bridges while creating electrical force fields in front of Mirai Ninja (which are impossible for him to bypass without getting injured, so you should not do it if you have less than 12-15 energy points remaining), and counting down from 7 (七) to 0 (〇) in Kanji numerals; they'll then fall down onto the bridges and explode.

Hang-Gliders (ハングライダーズ)

These airborne ninjas again only appear on the seventh stage, and attack by materializing in the air above Mirai Ninja to fire bullets at and drop bombs on him; if Mirai Ninja is standing in the ocean, he cannot defend himself against them, but if he is standing on a bridge, he will be able to jump up and throw shurikens at them (or even slash him with his sword at close range) to kill them. They are worth 2500 points.

Nekko (根っこ)

Once Mirai Ninja has made it to the end of that seventh stage, the hologrammatical image of Shikinami Kurosagi will appear in the background (after a one-stage absence) as its associated sound effect gets heard from the C140; the "boss" theme will then start to be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151 yet again as two of these root-style creatures emerge from the water and start wading towards him. Once you've thrown enough shurikens at both of them to defeat them they will submerge beneath the surface of the water and you will receive 2000 x 2 points - and two more of them will then emerge from the water and start wading towards you. Once you've thrown enough shurikens at both of these, to defeat them, they will submerge beneath the surface of the water, and you'll receive 2000 x 2 more points; two more will then emerge from the surface of the water, and start wading towards you. Once you've thrown enough shurikens at both of them to defeat them, they will submerge beneath the surface of the water and you will receive 2000 x 2 more points - and a seventh, (larger) one will then emerge from the surface of the water and start wading towards you. Once you have thrown enough shurikens at it to defeat it it will submerge beneath the surface of the water and you will receive 8000 more points; the "stage cleared" jingle will then be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151 for a seventh time as Mirai Ninja runs off the right side of the screen. Also, if Mirai Ninja was standing on the end of the fourth bridge, he'll run right off it and through the air (for what may be a third time).

Ashura (阿修羅)

Once that ascending platform on which that tenth stage takes place stops ascending, the song you are hearing from the Yamaha YM-2151 will suddenly stop and the old hologrammatical image of Shikinami Kurosagi will appear in the background for a ninth time as its associated sound effect is heard from the C140; an electrical current will then pass through the floor of that platform five times, and you will have to jump over it each time it is passing under you in order to avoid being struck by it. The unique "boss" theme of Ashura will then start to be heard from that Yamaha YM-2151 as he rises up from below and starts walking towards Mirai Ninja, and the five dreadlocks on his head wave randomly around - so the best way to defeat him is to continuously throw shurikens at him to make each of his dreadlocks fly off in turn, then jump over him to the other side of the platform (once he gets close enough to you) before turning around, to throw some more shurikens at him. Once you've thrown enough shurikens at him to defeat him he will explode and you will receive 20000 points; the "stage clear" jingle will now be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151 for a tenth time as the two regenerative Tourou on either side of the platform disappear and Mirai Ninja runs over to its right side as it connects itself to an enormous pagoda. There is only one way out of Castle Kurosagi - which is the biggest trouble spot for any Namco game.

Tonbi (とんび)

These airborne ninjas only appear on the eleventh stage, and attack by flying towards Mirai Ninja once they have seen him; they are worth 1230 points, but they can only be seen if you intentionally take one of the many "wrong" paths (then have to get "poofed" back to the start as a result).

Raimei Hoshi (雷鳴法師)

At the start of the twelfth stage the unique "boss" theme of this thunder priest will start to be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151 as he materializes in front of Mirai Ninja and sets up an invisible wall that will not disappear until he has been defeated like the original incarnation of Pistol Daimyo did in the eighth and twenty-second stages of Beraboh Man; he will then summon three turquoise spirits to fly around above Mirai Ninja, so you will have to crouch down, in order to avoid getting hit by these. Although Mirai Ninja cannot penetrate the invisible wall, his shurikens can - and once you have thrown enough shurikens at him, he'll bend over and the three turquoise spirits will disappear. He will then begin shooting turquoise flames directly at you which you must again crouch down to avoid getting hit by; once you have thrown enough shurikens at him to defeat him, the song you were hearing from the Yamaha YM-2151 will stop and you will receive 25000 points as he disintegrates (the invisible wall that was in front of him will also disappear). The hologrammatical image of Shikinami Kurosagi will then appear in the background for a tenth, and final, time as its associated sound effect is heard from the C140 - and a remix of Ashura's unique "boss" theme will then start to be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151 as he rises up from below then starts walking towards Mirai Ninja while the five dreadlocks on his head wave randomly around for a second time. But once you have thrown enough shurikens at him to make his last dreadlock fly off this time, an electrical force-field will appear around him meaning the only way you can finish him off is by running up to him and continuously slashing him with your sword at close range; because you will lose 12 (一二)-15 (一五) energy points every time you get hit, you must have at least 70 (七〇) energy points left to do so. Once you've slashed him with your sword at close range enough times to defeat him, he will explode, and the "stage clear" jingle will be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151 for a twelfth and final time as Mirai Ninja runs over to the tree trunk on the left side of the room (the one on the right side of the room will always be bulging, as if it is about to explode) to free the Princess Saki - and the pair will then run off the right side of the screen together, so you can sit back and enjoy the ending.

Beam Hassha-ho (ビーム発射砲)

If Mirai Ninja takes too long over any stage, one of these launchers will fly into view from the left or right side of the screen, then start firing lasers at him; they are worth 10 points, but if you manage to kill one, two more will appear after a short period of time. If you kill them, three more will appear after an even shorter period of time - and the pattern will continue with the number of Beam Hassha-ho increasing by one and the period of time in which they appear decreasing each time you kill them. They also appear on the tenth stage as regular enemies, with Chikara (yellow) powerups for Mirai Ninja.

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.