"Justice Always Triumphs." - Ryu Hayabusa for Smash Switch! (Ninja Gaiden/Dead or Alive)

[Commander_Alph]

I uh, actually didn’t know their names. All’s fair I’m more of a SW fan than a DW fan so it’s comparable to Yukimura Sanada and Nobunaga Oda.

Well, that is basically the same thing but, fair enough.

 

[WillRojo]

Hey guys, I bet you knew the news about Koei Tecmo's plans for 2021, they said they would be "releasing some games that would make you say 'finally!'"
Ryu Hayabusa is my most wanted character for Smash and I must confess I was afraid of Sephiroth possibly prevailing over another katana character.
I try to comfort myself thinking "hey, there are a lot of clone-ish swordsmen in Smash, why would the most popular videogame ninja be a problem?"
Trying to stay hopeful.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Hey guys, I bet you knew the news about Koei Tecmo's plans for 2021, they said they would be "releasing some games that would make you say 'finally!'"

You mean this?

https://screenrant.com/koei-tecmo-2021-reveals-anticipation/

 

[WillRojo]

You mean this?

https://screenrant.com/koei-tecmo-2021-reveals-anticipation/

Yes! Exactly that. Maybe we could see something new of Ninja Gaiden soon?

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

No idea, though a listing for "Ninja Gaiden Trilogy" on Switch and PS4 was seen popping up.

One thing for sure is though, they stated that they're done with Nioh for good, so it should be interesting to see what'll happen after boldly deciding to set aside a safely-assured source of income like that. So far, we have no idea if they'll do anything with their other evergreen properties.

 

[WillRojo]

No idea, though a listing for "Ninja Gaiden Trilogy" on Switch and PS4 was seen popping up.

One thing for sure is though, they stated that they're done with Nioh for good, so it should be interesting to see what'll happen after boldly deciding to set aside a safely-assured source of income like that. So far, we have no idea if they'll do anything with their other evergreen properties.

Yeah I knew about this too! If it's true, it should be officially confirmed soon.
With all of this I would love to think of 2021 as Hayabusa's triumphant return and therefore, finally, his arrival to Smash.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Assuming for a moment that he allegedly comes, his trailer ought to have his emulators involved.

 

[WillRojo]

Assuming for a moment that he allegedly comes, his trailer ought to have his emulators involved.

Totally agree! Many of us think the same. And his case could be similar to Terry's, who represents not just Fatal Fury but the whole SNK stuff, making him "Mr. SNK" so to speak; something similar could happen with Ryu Hayabusa, could be "Mr. Koei Tecmo" and bring spirits from Dead or Alive, Warriors, etc.

 

[TDDolphin]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjAqY-68JHuAhWko1kKHc5vCyMQFjAIegQIDhAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eventhubs.com%2Fnews%2F2021%2Fjan%2F06%2Fteam-ninja-retweet-hyrule-ssbu%2F&usg=AOvVaw1qhHJrbpJAZUSfiXMzIjKf

Soooooo Team Ninja retweeted the Age of Calamity Spirit Event announcement...

 

[RETROROTER]

As stated above, Team Ninja retweeted the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Spirit Event, curious about your guys thoughts? Do you think it could mean anything? Do you think it means nothing? I’d really like to hear what you guys think about it

 

[Brother AJ]

Is IamShifty still credible? I haven't heard about him in a while, but I remember him always claiming during FP1 that Hayabusa would be next. If I recall, he got Piranha Plant and Marx as a boss correct, which aren't easy to guess. Is he still saying Ryu is in or has something happened to hit his credibility? I just really want Hayabusa in and would love to know in detail anything that could point to his inclusion.

Okay, so I've been meaning to get back to you on this. Sorry it took so long. Awhile back I wrote a post breaking down the Shifty situation:

Hello fellow supporters of Justice!

So, I've been doing some research into IAmShifty, and I think this is still worthy to discuss. Basically, I don't think we really have much reason to doubt Shifty and his sources at this stage. They have been accurate on SO many accounts. Many know about Marx and Piranha Plant being leaked by him, but there was far more than that.

Let me give you a breakdown:

In the first leak video I can find on his channel, he reveals that a source is telling him Isabelle, Ken, and Incineroar are coming to the game. At this point Vergeben had already leaked Isabelle, Ken, and a gen 7 rep, but did not confirm it was Incineroar until after Shifty's vid. This same video also confirms that Isabelle was the very next fighter that would be revealed (which was true), and that Rathalos, Dracula, and Marx would show up as bosses in the then unknown blurred out mode (Spirits Mode).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdYhLFiJIsY

His next leak video claims that Box Theory was true, which was correct.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2wX71R-G1I

This next video claims Ultimate DLC would go on for two years, and in all honesty it looks like this will come to pass. This at least would've made us aware that DLC would continue after the fighter pass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcmAVb8sGz0&t=291s

The next one was a leak of the Smash Direct in November. He revealed a second source which was recommended by his first source in all the previous videos. This source claimed that the Direct would be coming November 2nd. It actually turned out to be the first, but it was pretty damn close.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfcEwxiNdGk&t=1s

This is the last leak video before the Ryu vid where he deconfirms the Grinch leak, and confirms Piranha Plant of all characters (PP was leaked by the second source).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Wq3uuPDyg

Finally we have the Ryu videos. Obviously there was controversy surrounding these videos because he claimed Ryu, in no uncertain terms, would be the 4th DLC fighter. This turned out not to be the case. The second video, which discusses the SNK leak, claims that neither of his sources knew of SNK being in the game (indeed, almost no one seemed to), but reiterated that they had heard Ryu would certainly be in the fighter pass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcwSKSy-nIY&t=6s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWP1fHUK0kA&t=1s

So most of his claims have been proven true. One has yet to be confirmed (DLC lasting 2 years), and 2 were proven to be wrong (although the direct date was very close). The Ryu leak still has the possibility to be partially right if he turns out to be the last fighter on the FP.

As for this possibly being mixed up information with Ryu being added to Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate, IAmShifty told PapaGenos that this was possible, but unlikely because he claims his sources come directly from Nintendo. He says it doesn't make sense for his sources to confuse the Ryu leak with a game that Nintendo has no involvement with. Here is a link to a video that displays this conversation starting at 13:51:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUHvd0KGTCg&t=888s

There's definitely a precedent for this. Most people still trust Vergeben even though we've yet to see Minecraft content and the fact that he said the first DLC character would be a SE rep. His source knew of the SE character, but not precisely when they would arrive. We continue to trust him because he has gotten so much correct in the past, and the same is true for IAmShifty. I think it is plainly clear at this point that Shifty has legitimate sources as Vergeben does.

In short, I still think Ryu is coming. It's not certain of course, but given everything we know I still see it to be highly probable.

I still stand by what I said. I think Ryu's chances are really strong considering Shifty's previous track record.

Since then he's released one other video covering leaks:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

Basically he talks about how he stands behind Brew who also leaked Piranha Plant and Ryu as they have the same sources. Brew was saying that he was confident that Ryu would be announced in 2019, but obviously that turned out not to be the case.

I have not seen Shifty release anymore leak videos since that one. Perhaps he talked about leaks during his streams, but I doubt it. My take is that he doesn't wish to discuss leaks anymore given he was wrong about Ryu being #4 and then #5. He doesn't want to deal with the backlash I imagine if he happens to be wrong again in the future.

That said, even if he was wrong about Ryu being in Fighter Pass 1, he easily could still come. He might have just not known when he was precisely coming out, and got too confident previously.

In addition to this, Vergeben has leaked that there were Koei Tecmo negotiations involving Smash, so I feel we can be reasonably certain that some sort of significant content is coming.

The oversaturation problem with DW isn't really because of the character but more so the spin-off game oversaturated the original like HW and FEW cause everyone know Lu Bu and Zhao Yun is the main character even for people who don't know nothing about DW.

I uh, actually didn’t know their names. All’s fair I’m more of a SW fan than a DW fan so it’s comparable to Yukimura Sanada and Nobunaga Oda.

Yea, I don't know who any of these characters are, and that's not because of the Nintendo Warriors spinoffs. There's just too many characters in general to me. I can't be alone on this.

 

[iMACobra]

As stated above, Team Ninja retweeted the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Spirit Event, curious about your guys thoughts? Do you think it could mean anything? Do you think it means nothing? I’d really like to hear what you guys think about itView attachment 298842

While it's nice to see that, I personally see it as not meaning much. Team Ninja most likely assisted Omega Force in developing Age of Calamity just as they did with the original Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors. I believe they also had a hand in Fire Emblem: Three Houses as well. Not to mention, Yosuke Hayashi, current head of Team Ninja, is a producer in some of those games including Age of Calamity.

 

[PowerfulSugar]

Okay, so I've been meaning to get back to you on this. Sorry it took so long. Awhile back I wrote a post breaking down the Shifty situation:



I still stand by what I said. I think Ryu's chances are really strong considering Shifty's previous track record.

Since then he's released one other video covering leaks:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

Basically he talks about how he stands behind Brew who also leaked Piranha Plant and Ryu as they have the same sources. Brew was saying that he was confident that Ryu would be announced in 2019, but obviously that turned out not to be the case.

I have not seen Shifty release anymore leak videos since that one. Perhaps he talked about leaks during his streams, but I doubt it. My take is that he doesn't wish to discuss leaks anymore given he was wrong about Ryu being #4 and then #5. He doesn't want to deal with the backlash I imagine if he happens to be wrong again in the future.

That said, even if he was wrong about Ryu being in Fighter Pass 1, he easily could still come. He might have just not known when he was precisely coming out, and got too confident previously.

In addition to this, Vergeben has leaked that there were Koei Tecmo negotiations involving Smash, so I feel we can be reasonably certain that some sort of significant content is coming.


Yea, I don't know who any of these characters are, and that's not because of the Nintendo Warriors spinoffs. There's just too many characters in general to me. I can't be alone on this.

Thank you very much for this rundown. This is some very good information here. It sounds like Shifty was more credible than I thought, and I already thought he had a decent track record. Thank you again!

 

[Brother AJ]

Thank you very much for this rundown. This is some very good information here. It sounds like Shifty was more credible than I thought, and I already thought he had a decent track record. Thank you again!

You're very welcome! My pleasure.

As stated above, Team Ninja retweeted the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Spirit Event, curious about your guys thoughts? Do you think it could mean anything? Do you think it means nothing? I’d really like to hear what you guys think about itView attachment 298842

Yea, I don't think it means very much either, but it is nice to see them recognizing Smash content. I think they would've done this regardless if they were having a character added from their company though.

 

[Commander_Alph]

Just a question for you, Ninja Gaiden fans. If Hayabusa has his own spirit board, is there any character in his series (other than Kasumi, Ayane and Momiji) who has an artwork/sprites that can be use and is somewhat play a major role in the series? (Not counting DoA, Ninja Gaiden only)

 

[PowerfulSugar]

Just a question for you, Ninja Gaiden fans. If Hayabusa has his own spirit board, is there any character in his series (other than Kasumi, Ayane and Momiji) who has an artwork/sprites that can be use and is somewhat play a major role in the series? (Not counting DoA, Ninja Gaiden only)

Doku would be cool.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Just a question for you, Ninja Gaiden fans. If Hayabusa has his own spirit board, is there any character in his series (other than Kasumi, Ayane and Momiji) who has an artwork/sprites that can be use and is somewhat play a major role in the series? (Not counting DoA, Ninja Gaiden only)

Maybe Jaquio? There could also be Irene and Robert, as well.

 

[TDDolphin]

Just a question for you, Ninja Gaiden fans. If Hayabusa has his own spirit board, is there any character in his series (other than Kasumi, Ayane and Momiji) who has an artwork/sprites that can be use and is somewhat play a major role in the series? (Not counting DoA, Ninja Gaiden only)

Irene, Jaquio, Murai, Muramasa and Jo Hayabusa come to mind off the top of my head.

 

[shinhed-echi]

I'm not worried about Sephiroth stealing Ryu's shtick.

One is a slow, long-ranged, glass cannon with magic attacks.
The other is a fast, quick-draw sword using ninja, who throws shuriken, uses ninpou, hand to hand combat, and other traditional weapons.

They're different gameplay tropes, and that's mostly what matters to Sakurai.
They're not even from the same genre. If Ryu isn't in, it's most likely not because of Sephiroth.

 

[RetrogamerMax]

I'm not worried about Sephiroth stealing Ryu's shtick.

One is a slow, long-ranged, glass cannon with magic attacks.
The other is a fast, quick-draw sword using ninja, who throws shuriken, uses ninpou, hand to hand combat, and other traditional weapons.

They're different gameplay tropes, and that's mostly what matters to Sakurai.
They're not even from the same genre. If Ryu isn't in, it's most likely not because of Sephiroth.

Absolutely. If Hayabusa doesn't make it in, it could be because of various reasons we will never know like Nintendo or Sakurai not wanting him in at the moment.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

Just a question for you, Ninja Gaiden fans. If Hayabusa has his own spirit board, is there any character in his series (other than Kasumi, Ayane and Momiji) who has an artwork/sprites that can be use and is somewhat play a major role in the series? (Not counting DoA, Ninja Gaiden only)

There’s Rachel but uh, she might not be for good boys and girls.

 

[iMACobra]

There’s Rachel but uh, she might not be for good boys and girls.

There's this, but it's from a Chinese mobile game called Dead or Alive 5 Infinite. How official it is I don't know but it is officially censored enough I'd think.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

As stated above, Team Ninja retweeted the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Spirit Event, curious about your guys thoughts? Do you think it could mean anything? Do you think it means nothing? I’d really like to hear what you guys think about itView attachment 298842

I’ve said this for pretty much every little thing that’s happened. From Shifty and brew, to Verge, to the Spirit event with the KT Copyright: there’s no way this means anything BAD for Hayabusa and something that’s not bad is nothing but good.

There's this, but it's from a Chinese mobile game called Dead or Alive 5 Infinite. How official it is I don't know but it is officially censored enough I'd think.
View attachment 298882

Ok wow, I actually prefer this look by a landslide.

Dead or Alive 5 is official yeah, so if they needed to put Rachel on there they could go for this art I’m sure. Nice find.

 

[shinhed-echi]

There's this, but it's from a Chinese mobile game called Dead or Alive 5 Infinite. How official it is I don't know but it is officially censored enough I'd think.
View attachment 298882

Nintendo and Sakurai: "We'll take it!"

She actually looks so much better than boobs with legs design she originally had. I cannot possibly play that game with my wife nearby lol

 

[RETROROTER]

I think the biggest thing that kinda stands in the way of Hayabusa now at the moment is whether or not Nintendo chose him or Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia, the reason I say this is because of that leak awhile back that has the Suqre Enix Info along with Steve, Chun-Li (who was said to be replaced by Ken), and then Yuri and Lloyd who were discussed too and also the fact that there is a Tales of anniversary on March 6th to March 7th which is also the month the next potential Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal is being anticipated and surprise surprise also the month of the supposed Ninja Gaiden Trilogy’s release. Given how Nintendo has timed character reveals next to important dates as of late (Steve with MINECRAFT Live and Sephiroth at TGA cuz FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE was majorly highlighted there) I feel as though it could potentially be down too these two as the next fighter so there’s either 3 things happening here:
1.) Ryu Hayabusa is the Chosen Fighter and Lloyd Irving will return with his Smash 4 Mii Costume
2.) Lloyd Irving is the Chosen Fighter and Ryu Hayabusa will be a new Mii Costume
3.) Perfect Scenario: Ryu Hayabusa AND Lloyd Irving are both in as playable Fighters which I would totally be done for

 

[AmphabulouSnake]

The Lloyd and Monster Hunter mii costumes are undoubtedly coming back so I wouldn't worry on that front.
The one thing I'm still worried about is that Sakurai considered Ninjara for the ARMS spot, and I don't think they'd pick two Ninja characters in the same pass if that happened.
Reason I'm worried is because they probably left an "ARMS" spot to Sakurai and he had to choose the ARMS character himself (though we know Yabuki influenced the choice among other things) while all the other FP2 characters were decided at the same time soooo....
I honestly don't know

 

[RETROROTER]

The Lloyd and Monster Hunter mii costumes are undoubtedly coming back so I wouldn't worry on that front.
The one thing I'm still worried about is that Sakurai considered Ninjara for the ARMS spot, and I don't think they'd pick two Ninja characters in the same pass if that happened.
Reason I'm worried is because they probably left an "ARMS" spot to Sakurai and he had to choose the ARMS character himself (though we know Yabuki influenced the choice among other things) while all the other FP2 characters were decided at the same time soooo....
I honestly don't know

Why is that worrying you? That’s already been done we don’t have to worry about that

 

[shinhed-echi]

I feel like a character from ARMS was much easier to work with, and when the idea came up, with the window of opportunity for it to have a playable characters, Sakurai would've been like:

"Uh.. well Spring Man is taken... So I guess .. Ninjara is kinda interesting looking?" (Kind of lost without the main character in the discussion).

I do wonder why he didn't consider Ribbon Girl, since she was the pseudo co-protagonist.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I feel like a character from ARMS was much easier to work with, and when the idea came up, with the window of opportunity for it to have a playable characters, Sakurai would've been like:

"Uh.. well Spring Man is taken... So I guess .. Ninjara is kinda interesting looking?" (Kind of lost without the main character in the discussion).

I do wonder why he didn't consider Ribbon Girl, since she was the pseudo co-protagonist.

Because 1) she already had a Mii costume as a consolation prize and 2) he likes ninjas.

But according to Yabuki, everyone in ARMS is the main character anyway, so it's a moot point.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

I mean it says a lot that Min Min’s stage is Spring Stadium.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I mean it says a lot that Min Min’s stage is Spring Stadium.

Makes you wonder how Sak felt when he was doing research on that game. Must have confused him a little bit.
"Wait, what do you mean "Spring Man and Ribbon Girl aren't the only stars"? Why does Springtron exist then?"

That aside, didn't some fans say that Ramen Bowl would have been tough to translate into Smash anyway?

 

[iMACobra]

The one thing I'm still worried about is that Sakurai considered Ninjara for the ARMS spot, and I don't think they'd pick two Ninja characters in the same pass if that happened.
Reason I'm worried is because they probably left an "ARMS" spot to Sakurai and he had to choose the ARMS character himself (though we know Yabuki influenced the choice among other things) while all the other FP2 characters were decided at the same time soooo....
I honestly don't know

I think it means Sakurai wouldn't have cared if there were two ninja-themed characters in the same Fighters Pass like we do. I wouldn't let something as pedantic as being a certain occupation prevent characters from getting in just because another was already in to fulfill some imaginary quota. Plus, look at the way Min Min fights now, Ninjara most likely would have used the same moveset with some changes to reflect Ninjara himself but the point is, Hayabusa would not have fought similarly at all even if both were included in the same Fighters Pass.

 

[Greyfox22]

Ryu Hayabusa would be a cool pick and I'd be pretty happy with him. I'm not super attached to anything Ninja Gaiden or Dead or Alive, but he's just a really cool iconic character with an expansive history to back him up. Honestly, him not being in Smash at this point feels weird. He's probably the character I'm most certain about getting some kind of representation before Ultimate is done.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

For what it's worth, Koei Tecmo and Arc System Works are the only big-name Japanese companies left without a playable character in Smash. KT obviously has more content, so they might get something.

 

[kaithehedgefox]

Not in my eyesView attachment 298597

If Hayabusa makes it in, I don't think Yuri (Fatal Frame) would get a deluxe mii costume, Suezo will probably just get a headgear-only mii costume, similar to the Rabbid (Rayman).

 

[TDDolphin]

I think the biggest thing that kinda stands in the way of Hayabusa now at the moment is whether or not Nintendo chose him or Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia, the reason I say this is because of that leak awhile back that has the Suqre Enix Info along with Steve, Chun-Li (who was said to be replaced by Ken), and then Yuri and Lloyd who were discussed too and also the fact that there is a Tales of anniversary on March 6th to March 7th which is also the month the next potential Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal is being anticipated and surprise surprise also the month of the supposed Ninja Gaiden Trilogy’s release. Given how Nintendo has timed character reveals next to important dates as of late (Steve with MINECRAFT Live and Sephiroth at TGA cuz FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE was majorly highlighted there) I feel as though it could potentially be down too these two as the next fighter so there’s either 3 things happening here:
1.) Ryu Hayabusa is the Chosen Fighter and Lloyd Irving will return with his Smash 4 Mii Costume
2.) Lloyd Irving is the Chosen Fighter and Ryu Hayabusa will be a new Mii Costume
3.) Perfect Scenario: Ryu Hayabusa AND Lloyd Irving are both in as playable Fighters which I would totally be done for

What're the odds of a double reveal for them both around March?

 

[RetrogamerMax]

The Lloyd and Monster Hunter mii costumes are undoubtedly coming back so I wouldn't worry on that front.
The one thing I'm still worried about is that Sakurai considered Ninjara for the ARMS spot, and I don't think they'd pick two Ninja characters in the same pass if that happened.
Reason I'm worried is because they probably left an "ARMS" spot to Sakurai and he had to choose the ARMS character himself (though we know Yabuki influenced the choice among other things) while all the other FP2 characters were decided at the same time soooo....
I honestly don't know

It's kind of silly thinking that way since in Fighter's Pass 1 we got 3 JRPG characters. Sakurai isn't concerned about adding a couple of characters in the same Pass that share something similar with each other. He's more concerned what their moveset could bring than there similarities in genre or character design.

For what it's worth, Koei Tecmo and Arc System Works are the only big-name Japanese companies left without a playable character in Smash. KT obviously has more content, so they might get something.

Don't forget Level 5.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Don't forget Level 5.

Yeah, but slow as they are, I'd be surprised if they even get a spirit event.

 

[MattX20]

It's kind of silly thinking that way since in Fighter's Pass 1 we got 3 JRPG characters. Sakurai isn't concerned about adding a couple of characters in the same Pass that share something similar with each other. He's more concerned what their moveset could bring than there similarities in genre or character design.



Don't forget Level 5.

Yeah, but slow as they are, I'd be surprised if they even get a spirit event.

They may get a Mii Costume with Layton so don't be quick to give up on them

 

[Brother AJ]

I think the biggest thing that kinda stands in the way of Hayabusa now at the moment is whether or not Nintendo chose him or Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia, the reason I say this is because of that leak awhile back that has the Suqre Enix Info along with Steve, Chun-Li (who was said to be replaced by Ken), and then Yuri and Lloyd who were discussed too and also the fact that there is a Tales of anniversary on March 6th to March 7th which is also the month the next potential Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal is being anticipated and surprise surprise also the month of the supposed Ninja Gaiden Trilogy’s release. Given how Nintendo has timed character reveals next to important dates as of late (Steve with MINECRAFT Live and Sephiroth at TGA cuz FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE was majorly highlighted there) I feel as though it could potentially be down too these two as the next fighter so there’s either 3 things happening here:
1.) Ryu Hayabusa is the Chosen Fighter and Lloyd Irving will return with his Smash 4 Mii Costume
2.) Lloyd Irving is the Chosen Fighter and Ryu Hayabusa will be a new Mii Costume
3.) Perfect Scenario: Ryu Hayabusa AND Lloyd Irving are both in as playable Fighters which I would totally be done for

What are you thinking here exactly? That they probably won't put two more katana wielders in?