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

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Sakurai likes Ninja characters?

Well, it's not like there's two not-ninjas already in the roster , or the fact that one of his two choices for an ARMS character was Ninjara, or anything like that, that would be silly.

 

[Golden Icarus]

Sakurai likes Ninjas?

He did add Greninja of all Pokémon (though Greninja was also super popular). Also Sheik, who was a pretty a random and unnecessary addition to Melee. Zelda definitely didn’t need a transformation, but he gave her one anyway. I don’t think he would have done that if he didn’t find Sheik’s design to be really cool. Plus, he mentioned that he wanted to add Ninjara as the ARMS rep. I think that it’s safe to say that Sakurai has an affinity for ninjas.

Edit:’d lol

 

[Wonder Smash]

Ninja characters are cool anyway, so I wouldn't be surprised if Sakurai does like those kind of characters. Plus, there's ninja enemies in the Kirby series.

 

[DanganZilla5]

I'm finally coming in here to show my support. I'm a big fan of the NES trilogy and I'm excited to try out the Sigma trilogy in a couple months. My biggest wishes are that they add Unbreakable Determination and they emulate the fast-paced nature of the games well with the timing of attacks, plus some powerups as well to distinguish him from the other ninjas in the roster.

 

[Wonder Smash]

That would have been great, honestly.

Definitely.

Heck, if Fighters Megamix was as big as Smash is right now, we might even have Ryu Hayabusa vs. Joe Musashi.

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

Well if Sakurai really does have that much of an adoration for ninjas in general as assumed, then it really begs the question to how the hell wasn’t Ryu Hayabusa added to the Smash Brothers series much sooner...

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Well if Sakurai really does have that much of an adoration for ninjas in general as assumed, then it really begs the question to how the hell wasn’t Ryu Hayabusa added to the Smash Brothers series much sooner...

As far as I see, Brawl and to an extent 4 seemed limited by third-party inclusion basically being a relative new and experimental concept (especially Brawl, since Miyamoto wanted , but that didn't work out until after Sora teamed up with Bandai Namco, and was basically decided on at the last minute by Sega). Brawl got two third parties with fighters, while 4 had four (discounting any that managed to get minor content). All of them being big-name companies, whereas Koei Tecmo was a little more on the "middle ground" end of things even after the merger that occurred two years after Brawl's release. Strong collaborations with Nintendo didn't really take off until the Wii U era, as well.

Now that Nintendo and Sak are more comfortable with the concept, and Koei Tecmo firmly established themselves as close collaborators with the former, it's now possible for the prospect of Hayabusa getting in Smash to happen.

 

[Nesysli]

While Hayabusa would definitely make the definitive roster even more definitive for me, I'm pretty satisfied with the additions that have formed my childhood: Mega Man games, Super Castlevania 4, Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie, Final Fantasy, DKC trilogy, Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask with Young Link returning. And with new favorites like Xenoblade in adulthood. The roster really is the core of Nintendo history and Ninja Gaiden is very much apart of it and it's why I can visualize Hayabusa's inclusion.

 

[MattX20]

Have these two videos been linked here? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AaWBqrlPCM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3sAaqo-j9g

 

[RETROROTER]

Have these two videos been linked here? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AaWBqrlPCM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3sAaqo-j9g

I am a strong believer in the CERO theory, primarily because the NINJA GAIDEN: MASTER COLLECTION is getting a Version D exclusively on Nintendo Switch. I agree with SabdierZ and PapaGenos, it’s definitely strange that this is exclusively happening for the Nintendo Switch. This is common in Japan but the fact that EVERY platform has a Z version of the game in Japan it’s once again strange that the NINJA GAIDEN: MASTER COLLECTION is only getting a rated Z version for PS4/PS5 and XBOX ONE/XBOX SERIES X leaving Nintendo Switch with both the rated Z AND D version exclusively. I’ve also mentioned this before and I know not everyone thinks this, but I still find it strange that the Lloyd Irving Mii Costume of all costumes is the one that’s missing here, when it comes to Mii Costumes that would fit with Ryu Hayabusa, Lloyd Irving is right on the bullseye, any Mii Costume would work, but Lloyd is just so on the dot that it’s unbelievable. So my prediction is that Ryu Hayabusa is the next fighter, he brings back the Lloyd Irving Mii Costume, and he brings a bunch of KOEI TECMO costumes with him alongside a deluxe costume like Hollow Knight or something. Now I know that in NO WAY that this is 100% going to happen, but with Vergeben saying Nintendo and KOEI TECMO have 100% spoken about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, we are STILL getting KOEI TECMO content this far into the pass, and now we have the Nintendo Switch version of NINJA GAIDEN: MASTER COLLECTION getting an exclusive D version of the game, it’s really hard to think that it may be possible for Ryu Hayabusa to join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, especially since he’s been rumored as long as Steve and Square Enix content and we’ve seen how long it takes for negotiations to happen for a character. Also one last thing I want to point out that SabdierZ said, I think it’s strange that KOEI TECMO deleted that video that originally discovered the Z and D version of the game and that talked about this theory in the first place

 

[iMACobra]

I am a strong believer in the CERO theory, primarily because the NINJA GAIDEN: MASTER COLLECTION is getting a Version D exclusively on Nintendo Switch. I agree with SabdierZ and PapaGenos, it’s definitely strange that this is exclusively happening for the Nintendo Switch. This is common in Japan but the fact that EVERY platform has a Z version of the game in Japan it’s once again strange that the NINJA GAIDEN: MASTER COLLECTION is only getting a rated Z version for PS4/PS5 and XBOX ONE/XBOX SERIES X leaving Nintendo Switch with both the rated Z AND D version exclusively. I’ve also mentioned this before and I know not everyone thinks this, but I still find it strange that the Lloyd Irving Mii Costume of all costumes is the one that’s missing here, when it comes to Mii Costumes that would fit with Ryu Hayabusa, Lloyd Irving is right on the bullseye, any Mii Costume would work, but Lloyd is just so on the dot that it’s unbelievable. So my prediction is that Ryu Hayabusa is the next fighter, he brings back the Lloyd Irving Mii Costume, and he brings a bunch of KOEI TECMO costumes with him alongside a deluxe costume like Hollow Knight or something. Now I know that in NO WAY that this is 100% going to happen, but with Vergeben saying Nintendo and KOEI TECMO have 100% spoken about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, we are STILL getting KOEI TECMO content this far into the pass, and now we have the Nintendo Switch version of NINJA GAIDEN: MASTER COLLECTION getting an exclusive D version of the game, it’s really hard to think that it may be possible for Ryu Hayabusa to join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, especially since he’s been rumored as long as Steve and Square Enix content and we’ve seen how long it takes for negotiations to happen for a character. Also one last thing I want to point out that SabdierZ said, I think it’s strange that KOEI TECMO deleted that video that originally discovered the Z and D version of the game and that talked about this theory in the first placeView attachment 308302

I know you like to keep mentioning Koei Tecmo removing that Version D video but the Japanese Nintendo Direct already introduced Version D and is still up at this point so it's not really a secret to anyone.

NINJA GAIDEN: マスターコレクション Version D [Nintendo Direct 2021.2.18]

【Nintendo Direct 2021.2.18】https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nintendo_direct/20210218/index.html動画に含まれる情報は公開日時点のものです。

youtu.be

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

Does the CERO rating theory even hold that much water? I mean I remember MGS 3 being rated CERO 18+ (the beta version of the current CERO Z rating, I guess) and Snake came to Brawl just fine.

But then again I guess you could argue that those were different times. Nowadays Nintendo’s not even ok with showing the logo of an M-rated game for the Mii costumes they present.

 

[Ornl]

The Master Collection on Switch receives a solid "+18" age rating
in Russia, in the United Kingdom, and in Europe.

 

[RETROROTER]

Ok regardless of the last fact “KOEI TECMO deleting the video” I still think this CERO thing might hold some water

 

[Chaosmaster8753]

I am a strong believer in the CERO theory, primarily because the NINJA GAIDEN: MASTER COLLECTION is getting a Version D exclusively on Nintendo Switch. I agree with SabdierZ and PapaGenos, it’s definitely strange that this is exclusively happening for the Nintendo Switch. This is common in Japan but the fact that EVERY platform has a Z version of the game in Japan it’s once again strange that the NINJA GAIDEN: MASTER COLLECTION is only getting a rated Z version for PS4/PS5 and XBOX ONE/XBOX SERIES X leaving Nintendo Switch with both the rated Z AND D version exclusively. I’ve also mentioned this before and I know not everyone thinks this, but I still find it strange that the Lloyd Irving Mii Costume of all costumes is the one that’s missing here, when it comes to Mii Costumes that would fit with Ryu Hayabusa, Lloyd Irving is right on the bullseye, any Mii Costume would work, but Lloyd is just so on the dot that it’s unbelievable. So my prediction is that Ryu Hayabusa is the next fighter, he brings back the Lloyd Irving Mii Costume, and he brings a bunch of KOEI TECMO costumes with him alongside a deluxe costume like Hollow Knight or something. Now I know that in NO WAY that this is 100% going to happen, but with Vergeben saying Nintendo and KOEI TECMO have 100% spoken about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, we are STILL getting KOEI TECMO content this far into the pass, and now we have the Nintendo Switch version of NINJA GAIDEN: MASTER COLLECTION getting an exclusive D version of the game, it’s really hard to think that it may be possible for Ryu Hayabusa to join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, especially since he’s been rumored as long as Steve and Square Enix content and we’ve seen how long it takes for negotiations to happen for a character. Also one last thing I want to point out that SabdierZ said, I think it’s strange that KOEI TECMO deleted that video that originally discovered the Z and D version of the game and that talked about this theory in the first placeView attachment 308302

We just had the Monster Hunter MF costumes return to promote Rise along with Arthur promoting Ghosts 'n Goblins: Resurrection for Capcom while Pyra/Mythra were added as playable characters. Sure, there's been times where returning Smash 4 Mii costumes had some co-relation to a new Ultimate fighter, but not all the time.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

Regardless of anything, the Lloyd costume will return sooner or later, it just doesn't necessarily need to be tied to a specific character.

I mean, consider the following: Hayabusa could still get in, but the costume could actually come with the other (known) fighter that's currently in the wings.

Does the CERO rating theory even hold that much water? I mean I remember MGS 3 being rated CERO 18+ (the beta version of the current CERO Z rating, I guess) and Snake came to Brawl just fine.View attachment 308316

But then again I guess you could argue that those were different times. Nowadays Nintendo’s not even ok with showing the logo of an M-rated game for the Mii costumes they present.

NOA, rather. Don't know how it is in Europe, but in Japan they got no issues showing what the title is for a given mature game in the Smash presentations.

I mean, for the former, we're talking the nation that still uses Mature games as a scapegoat for kids showing violent behavior, and all...

 

[Starlight Liger]

He did add Greninja of all Pokémon (though Greninja was also super popular). Also Sheik, who was a pretty a random and unnecessary addition to Melee. Zelda definitely didn’t need a transformation, but he gave her one anyway. I don’t think he would have done that if he didn’t find Sheik’s design to be really cool. Plus, he mentioned that he wanted to add Ninjara as the ARMS rep. I think that it’s safe to say that Sakurai has an affinity for ninjas.

Edit:’d lol

I don't really think that's indicative of Sakurai liking Ninja's. Greninja was chosen because The Pokemon Company wanted a Kalos starter for Smash Bros Wii U/3DS.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I don't really think that's indicative of Sakurai liking Ninja's. Greninja was chosen because The Pokemon Company wanted a Kalos starter for Smash Bros Wii U/3DS.

It's likely to have been a happy coincidence, in this case.

The other two cases (Sheik using ninja-esque moves and the skipped-over Ninjara) are definitely stronger, though.

 

[TDDolphin]

While Hayabusa would definitely make the definitive roster even more definitive for me, I'm pretty satisfied with the additions that have formed my childhood: Mega Man games, Super Castlevania 4, Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie, Final Fantasy, DKC trilogy, Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask with Young Link returning. And with new favorites like Xenoblade in adulthood. The roster really is the core of Nintendo history and Ninja Gaiden is very much apart of it and it's why I can visualize Hayabusa's inclusion.

Let's hope he's one of the final 2 fighters

 

[Wonder Smash]

While Hayabusa would definitely make the definitive roster even more definitive for me, I'm pretty satisfied with the additions that have formed my childhood: Mega Man games, Super Castlevania 4, Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie, Final Fantasy, DKC trilogy, Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask with Young Link returning. And with new favorites like Xenoblade in adulthood. The roster really is the core of Nintendo history and Ninja Gaiden is very much apart of it and it's why I can visualize Hayabusa's inclusion.

It's nice to know there are people who still care about the Nintendo part of this series. It's one of the main reasons why I also want Hayabusa in Smash Ultimate.

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

It's nice to know there are people who still care about the Nintendo part of this series. It's one of the main reasons why I also want Hayabusa in Smash Ultimate.

That’s pretty much the key element that I care about when it comes to wanting a character in Smash. Hell I always hate it when people request characters that have little to absolutely no history with Nintendo.

The Smash Brothers series started out as a crossover of Nintendo icons and currently it is a celebration of Nintendo first and gaming in general second so imo when it comes to 3rd parties, the ones with major ties/legacies with the big N have every right to get priority.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

When anyone wants a character that had NO appearance in a Nintendo-related game or hardware in some sorm at all and still think they got a chance, it irks me sometimes.
At least and had cameos or spin-off appearances on Nintendo-related stuff before they became confirmed (not to mention their associated franchises having a long history with the company, I mean Persona is a part of Shin Megami Tensei after all). Even goddamn had the decency to at least get an exclusivity deal for her sequel before joining in 4 (and she's the closest I'll ever have to Viewtiful Joe, seeing as Capcom barely does anything with Kamiya's characters except Dante). All three got their ties with the company become stronger some years after joining.

This is why I can't take the chances for characters like Kratos, TF2 or Freeman very seriously. They'd be neat to have, but it'd be like letting someone get in the house without an invitation.

 

[TDDolphin]

That’s 100% what I care about. Hell I always hate it when people request characters that have little to absolutely no history with Nintendo.

The Smash Brothers series started out as a crossover of Nintendo icons and currently it is a celebration of Nintendo first and gaming in general second so imo when it comes to 3rd parties, the ones with major ties/legacies with the big N should get priority.

Yeah, I'm the same way. All of the 3rd Party characters besides Joker and Steve have had a pretty good history with Nintendo. Though I am glad that at least Joker got in since Persona 5 is one of my all-time favorite games. Still though, until P5 Strikers, his series barely had any presence on Nintendo systems besides Persona Q, so I can't say Persona's history is as extensive in Nintendo's history like Metal Gear, Sonic, Mega Man, Pac-Man, Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, Bayonetta, Castlevania, Dragon Quest, Banjo-Kazooie and Fatal Fury are. Because of that, Ninja Gaiden just feels right at home in Ultimate, and I can only hope that Hayabusa will make it just to really acknowledge that history and truly make the roster feel complete.

 

[magiciandude]

I simultaneously agree and disagree when it comes to third party characters. Legacy third party characters that are associated with Nintendo should have the higher priority so that's characters like Sonic, Mega Man, Simon Belmont, Ryu Hayabusa, etc. Third-party characters that aren't necessarily associated with Nintendo but are well known in the gaming community should come next so that's characters like Snake, Cloud, Steve, etc. I believe it was Sakurai himself who said that Smash Bros has evolved into a series celebrating gaming itself.

 

[Wonder Smash]

I simultaneously agree and disagree when it comes to third party characters. Legacy third party characters that are associated with Nintendo should have the higher priority so that's characters like Sonic, Mega Man, Simon Belmont, Ryu Hayabusa, etc. Third-party characters that aren't necessarily associated with Nintendo but are well known in the gaming community should come next so that's characters like Snake, Cloud, Steve, etc. I believe it was Sakurai himself who said that Smash Bros has evolved into a series celebrating gaming itself.

I prefer characters that are heavily associated with Nintendo. In the end, Smash is still primarily a Nintendo crossover.

Also, I don't think Sakurai meant that literally. He was talking about the genre that Smash is in, as in how he views it as more than a fighting game and that it was something like a celebration of gaming or something else entirely.

 

[iMACobra]

This might be it, guys...

https://mobile.twitter.com/Nibellion/status/1374636453452464130

 

[True Blue Warrior]

That statement means nothing one way or another.

 

[Michael the Spikester]

Everyone remember when Grant Kirkhope deconfirmed Banjo?

Same thing.

 

[TDDolphin]

Yeesh... that could be a big hit to his chances... ouch

 

[Megadoomer]

This might be it, guys...

https://mobile.twitter.com/Nibellion/status/1374636453452464130

During the lead-up to Brawl, in an interview with IGN about Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, one of the people involved in that game said that Sonic making it into Smash Bros. is "not on the cards at the moment". (and also, as Michael the Spikester mentioned, Grant Kirkhope's "when pigs fly" statement (or was it "don't hold your breath"?) when asked about Banjo getting into Smash Ultimate)

While he could be telling the truth (something similar happened with Kojima for Smash 4), I'm not sure who Sakurai would get in touch with when it comes to including a character in Smash, and it seems like they'd want as few people to know as possible for the sake of secrecy. (plus, even a "no comment" can get speculators in a frenzy, as we saw with Suda 51 for Travis Touchdown or Donald Mustard for Fortnite)

 

[cybersai]

I dunno, the main director of Team Ninja saying that this close to the end of the fighters pass is pretty worrisome. As we know the Fighters Pass 2 characters were decided somewhere around late 2019 and early 2020, so if Ryu was in he would have been decided nearly 2 years ago now.

Yeah it's not a hard deconfirm, but still "waiting for an invite?" He could have been more vague, like, "I know fans like the idea of Ryu Hayabusa in Smash" and leave it at that or something. We know all developers are under NDA's to not leak characters for Smash, so eh.

I dunno.

 

[Wonder Smash]

This isn't really saying anything. Hayabusa is not in the game (yet), so of course he's still waiting on an invitation. Yasuda is not going to reveal anything in an interview.

 

[Brother AJ]

Sigh... not sure what to make of this. I'd say 9 times out of ten, comments like this mean a deconfirmation. There just doesn't seem to be too many situations like Kirkhope's comment, so I would really draw expectations back at this point.

This isn't really saying anything. Hayabusa is not in the game (yet), so of course he's still waiting on an invitation. He's not going to flat out reveal anything in an interview.

Yea, I see people saying this, but it all depends on your interpretation. He could mean the Smash team hasn't reached out to him yet. It honestly would've been better to say "no comment".

 

[jamesster445]

This might be it, guys...

https://mobile.twitter.com/Nibellion/status/1374636453452464130

I feel like Yosuke Hayashi would be the guy that would make this call.

 

[Wonder Smash]

Yea, I see people saying this, but it all depends on your interpretation. He could mean the Smash team hasn't reached out to him yet. It honestly would've been better to say "no comment".

I say "waiting on an invitation" is pretty much the same as saying "no comment" in this case. Like, I said, Hayabusa is not in the game so he would be waiting for an invitation but the fact that he's even waiting means he...could still be in? I don't know. That's why I said it's not really saying anything. It doesn't reveal anything new about his chances of being in.

 

[RETROROTER]

OH **** MY WORST NIGHTMARE HAS COME TRUE! Ok I will say this, there is an endless amount of possibilities this comment could mean, when he says “I’m still waiting on an invitation” it could mean that Hayabusa is coming and he hasn’t been revealed yet, but unfortunately I think what it does mean is that they haven’t been asked to bring Hayabusa to Smash by Nintendo and Sakurai which kinda sucks if that’s to be believed. Now the thing is is that Fumihiko Yasuda is the producer of Nioh so to be honest if they want a definitive answer, they would really have to ask Yosuke Hayashi this question but I personally think that this is at least somewhat a hit against his chances

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

I don’t think the interview means much because all of them are always intentionally vague for NDA reasons I’m sure. Even if it did we only have two fighters left so outright expecting him to be one of them is kind of setting yourself up for disappointment. We won’t know until Fighter 11 and that’s really not that far away.

Basically what I’m saying is: the interview means nothing one way or another and the fact that we constantly look at interviews for answers has likely already been picked up on by the entire industry. If they are asked about Smash they’re going to be vague and the interviews are going to hold no water at all. I wouldn’t say this is a hit towards his chances but I don’t think it’s in his favor either.

 

[TDDolphin]

I don’t think the interview means much because all of them are always intentionally vague for NDA reasons I’m sure. Even if it did we only have two fighters left so outright expecting him to be one of them is kind of setting yourself up for disappointment. We won’t know until Fighter 11 and that’s really not that far away.

Basically what I’m saying is: the interview means nothing one way or another and the fact that we constantly look at interviews for answers has likely already been picked up on by the entire industry. If they are asked about Smash they’re going to be vague and the interviews are going to hold no water at all. I wouldn’t say this is a hit towards his chances but I don’t think it’s in his favor either.

I don't know man. "He's still waiting on his invitation" sounds pretty definitive to me...

 

[Wonder Smash]

I don't know man. "He's still waiting on his invitation" sounds pretty definitive to me...

I don't see how. Maybe if he said "Nintendo never contacted us", that would have been more clear. But saying a character is waiting on his invitation, seems to me he's just taking the safest answer possible to not reveal anything.

 

[Golden Icarus]

If Hayabusa wasn’t coming to Fighters Pass 2, then him “waiting on his invitation” would make sense. And if Hayabusa was coming to Fighters Pass 2, then “waiting on his invitation” would also make sense. I’m definitely in the camp that believes this means absolutely nothing.