Part 26: Ninja Gaiden II - Chapter 11
This is the real moment I've been waiting for this whole LP. This fucking chapter is single handedly the best thing in Ninja Gaiden II and I hope you'll see why. Also while being the worst chapter on Master Ninja difficulty because god damn fucking explosions.
True Dragon Sword
The true form of the Dragon Sword, brimming with sacred power.
It wouldn't be a proper Ninja Gaiden game if Ryu didn't get the True Dragon Sword just in time for the end game. The base combos are more powerful, you get new ones introduced, and returning combos from Ninja Gaiden 1 get major upgrades as well. A single katana weapon in any game has never felt as good as this sword does in this game.
Windmill Shuriken
A large, unique Shuriken that has been handed down within the Hayabusa Clan for generations.
Due to its large mass, the Windmill Shuriken is able to strike multiple enemies without losing momentum and return to the thrower like a boomerang. Its four blades can be folded on top of one another by rotating them on the central axis. It is carried in this folded state, attached to the wielder's forearm guard. Some say that a similar weapon carried by the legendary Ninja Fuma Kotaro was inspired by this Hayabusa Clan original.
The final projectile weapon, and a personal favorite of mine from the first Ninja Gaiden. It's as useful as you'd expect it to be, but with this game's addition of charging projectile attacks, the Windmill Shuriken's benefits from this mechanic come in the form of severing body parts off of multiple enemies. Along with the True Dragon Sword, getting this weapon again near the end game is so exciting, and you'll honestly wonder how you got through the rest of the game without having it beforehand.
quote:
Hachijuro's Notebook
March 20th
Master Genshin is quite different from our previous master,
rest his soul. That old man had us Ninjas search the world for
dragon bones to heal his aging body, and then he sold all of
the leftovers for a hefty sum.
Of course, money is important, even to us Ninjas. But my heart
pains for my brethren, good souls like Gen and Dai, who were
sent to their deaths in Vigoor on such a fool's errand.
April 12th
Master Genshin is the true Overlord of our Black Spider Clan.
I would gladly give him my life -- he need only say the word.
Now that I think of it, that Obaba was quite the scary old hag
when she was still alive. The hairs on the back of my neck used
to stand up when I saw her cast her infernal sorcery.
She only got away with what she did becasue she was in the
right place at the right time. If Master Genshin had been there,
she would have undoubtedly been kept in her place.
April 14th
Damn you, infernal beasts! These Fiends lunge at anything,
devouring both friend and foe alike. Stupid creatures!
I cannot believe I should be destined to die this way.
I am badly injured. The pain knows no end.
April 15th
Consciousness, growing faint. I must... keep writing.
The blood... won't stop.
Forgive me, brothers. So... cold...
April 19th
I awoke to find myself still in the land of the living.
Inukoma must have fed me an Herb of Spiritual Life.
What a disgrace I am.
I have been told that Inukoma perished.
They say he died on the 16th.
May 4th
This is it, my time has come.
I am happy to die under Master Genshin's command.
I only wish that I could have killed that damned Dragon Ninja.
I must die with regret. Farewell.
quote:
Koshimaru's Notebook (2)
April the Fourteenth
I seem to have misplaced the notebook I was using to write
down my thoughts. How deeply depressing.
April the Sixteenth
I saw Yogenta's face today.
He is much too passionate for combat. He must learn that
a true Ninja faces his fate with detachment and cold silence.
Yogenta, if you let your bloodlust get to your head, even a
skilled combatant like yourself cannot last long in the
blood-soaked world we live in.
Inukoma has died.
He never learned that compassion is for the weak.
If he had kept his Herb of Spiritual Life instead of giving it
to Hachijuro, he would be among us today.
April the Eighteenth
There is a female here, a blond.
I must stay wary of the females. Perseverance, patience.
April the Twenty-First
I have found the young Dragon Ninja's weakness.
The next time I lay eyes on him, I will strike. Rest assured,
it will be I who takes the glory for defeating our sworn enemy.
Now, Dragon Ninja, prepare yourself. My Inner Eye has
shown me exactly what I must do to destroy you!
April th----
quote:
History of the Castle of the Dragon
Above the Earth Dragons' path that flow through the lands of
Fuji, there lies a mountain that erupts with spirit. In the night, a
faint white crown of light rests upon its peak.
Lord Nobunaga, he who challenged the heavens for control of
the land, ordered that a stronghold be constructed at the height
of the halowed mountain. Lord Nobunaga, he who decimated
the Ninja province of Iga, now sought the support of a select
group of Ninja. In these times of civil war, even the most
powerful feared the creatures that dwelt in the deep forests
of Fuji.
Lord Nobunaga knew of a superior clan, a group of warriors
who had fought back the demons for generations. Known as
the Hayabusa Ninja Clan, these descendants of the Dragon
Lineage had long lived in these woods, slaying the evil spirits
that dared to show themselves in the sacred lands of Fuji.
Thus, the Castle of the Dragon was conceived: an impenetrable
fortress to quell the threatening evil. The leader of he Hayabusa
Clan, Shunden, shook hands with Lord Nobunaga and promised
its construction.
The castle was built, a strong face to stare down the evil
menace. thus history recorded this event shortly before
the incident at Honno-ji that cost Lord Nobunaga his life.