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

[Starlight Liger]

You know, it's entirely possible that plans for Hayabusa might have been changed or even dropped for Smash.

Let's consider the following...

Nah, I don't buy that. Koei Tecmo are too collaborative with Nintendo to pass the opportunity for Smash Bros representation.

 

[Wonder Smash]

You know, it's entirely possible that plans for Hayabusa might have been changed or even dropped for Smash.

Let's consider the following...

1: Some insiders, including Vergeben, heard that Hayabusa was arriving in pass 1, yet he was nowhere to be found
2: The only game in the NG series that got rereleased at the time was an Arcade Archives port for the arcade game, so that probably wasn't enough to justify taking the risk of putting him in Smash (Simon and Richter did at least have rereleases for their games)
3: Koei Tecmo and Nintendo higher-ups, to represent their collaboration, most likely settled with including Byleth, since Three Houses was made using assets provided by KT, so like I've said to [IMG alt="TDDolphin"]https://smashboards.com/data/avatars/s/452/452402.jpg?1604625881[/IMG] TDDolphin they're essentially an unofficial KT character

1: I thought Vergeben only heard talks about Hayabusa, not when he was coming.

2; Not really. The first NES game also got re-released on the Nintendo Switch online. Also, there's really no risk in putting a well-known character like Hayabusa in Smash, especially if fans want him in.

3: I'm pretty sure Koei Tecmo, as well as any other company, are truly aware of the type of attention Smash draws to a character and their series once they're in the game. No way they would pass up an opportunity to bring more interest to one of their most important IPs and settle for a character from a series that's not even owned by them.

Something I thought of today, we all know that KT is probably the closest 3rd party company to Nintendo currently. But that might be the reason we might not get Ryu or a KT rep, because KT doesn't need a character negotiation to get closer to Nintendo. The past DLC seems be with companies Nintendo wants to be closer with (Square Enix, Microsoft) & franchises they want from companies there already tight with (Persona/Shin Megami Tensei/ Sega & Atlus). With SNK being something of an exception, though SNK have been dedicated on the Wii, Wii U & Switch e shops and seem like an easy company to work with. Nintendo might be using character negotiations to bridge themselves better to companies they want to work with. Isn't it a little peculiar that we know KT & Ubisoft are really close to Nintendo since before Ultimate and yet outside of a few spirits and one assist trophy we've got nothing else new from them? I mean Monolith Soft helped out on development of Breath of the Wild & they didn't get a new rep from XC2 in Ultimate until over 2 years after the base game released.

I think getting closer to Nintendo is a different situation. As already pointed out, SEGA has a crossover series with Nintendo. Then there's also Namco literally working on the Smash series and Nintendo funding Bayonetta 2.

Heck, if anything, Smash should be used to showcase Nintendo's closeness to them and just like with Ayane in Fatal Frame, there's no better way to showcase that than to have a character that's completely owned by Koei Tecmo.

I do think, however, that that could be a reason for why he's not already in. As I said before, Sakurai and Nintendo do seem like they want to surprise people with their reveals, so they hold off on the most obvious characters for last to make people think they're not getting in. Pac-Man was revealed close to Smash 4's release and Bayonetta was the last DLC character for that game. Koei Tecmo's closeness to Nintendo, as well as their content already in Smash, makes Hayabusa a very obvious character for this game, so I wouldn't be surprised if they intentionally held him off until around the end of DLC and reveal him just when people began to doubt his appearance.

 

[TheBKFAN]

You know, it's entirely possible that plans for Hayabusa might have been changed or even dropped for Smash.

Let's consider the following...

I think with the Vergeben situation we need to remember that he had heard about Minecraft content before the release of the base game. So even if he heard of Koei Tecmo stuff a while back it could still totally be in play.

 

[Golden Icarus]

Also, couldn’t Byleth being a “Koei Tecmo character” technically be a point in Hayabusa’s favor?

So far, every Fighters Pass 2 character has been from a repeat company. Nintendo, Square, and Microsoft all had characters in FP1 and they all got characters again in FP2. So if we’re counting Byleth as a Koei Tecmo rep, then that would probably increase Hayabusa’s chances for this pass.

 

[RETROROTER]

I don’t usually look too much into these things but apparently this leak is going around and so far it’s gotten a lot of things right but again I’m not putting much faith in it but I still thought it was interesting to share nonetheless

 

[Golden Icarus]

I don’t usually look too much into these things but apparently this leak is going around and so far it’s gotten a lot of things right but again I’m not putting much faith in it but I still thought it was interesting to share nonetheless View attachment 311014

Ah, a glimmer of hope.

It seems that most people are shrugging it off because most of the stuff it’s gotten right is either very predictable (Diamond/Pearl, Mario Golf), or was leaked by other insiders (Sigma Trilogy, Skyward Sword, PKMN Snap).

Many others are dismissing it because it says that Hayabusa is coming to Smash. Yeah most people still seem to be taking Yasuda’s statements at absolute face value. Can’t say I’m surprised, but I still think it’s a little foolish to take interview statements as absolute truths, when we know full well that devs try their absolute damnedest as to not spoil anything.

 

[Nazyrus]

Yeah the fact that they didn't mention Pokemon Legends is a red flag lol. Also all these 4chan leaks that tend to get non smash stuff right are still wrong on the smash side. cries in Dante leak times…

But yeah most of all that was pretty predictable or safe guesses. Ninja Gaiden Sigma trilogy was leaked last year by retailers or whatever. SS HD did as well, and it has been the most obvious guess since it's the only 3D zelda to still not get an HD remaster of some kind. BOTW being mentioned in leaks is completely void since that happens in every single one, lol. Pokemon Snap was already revealed. 2D metroid has been rumored by Sabi for years now (at the same time they said paper mario going back to its roots, which basically wasn't true in the end). So yeah there's nothing here to make me even take a grain of salt for.

It's gonna be really hard to raise my expectations after that last interview we got tbh. It's healthier to keep expectations low while we still hope for the best.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

To be completely fair we have 4 super vague “we’re waiting on our invitation” interviews and 1 single “we haven’t had any discussions” interview. Which seems odd and I’m halfway wondering if it’s a translation error or some sort.

I mean it’s one thing translating Japanese to English but it’s a whole different thing to translate Japanese to Spanish and then to English to finally get to us but honestly I’ve kinda been against the interview disconfirms since around the Kiryu thing when people took that WAAAAY out of context.

 

[RETROROTER]

To be completely fair we have 4 super vague “we’re waiting on our invitation” interviews and 1 single “we haven’t had any discussions” interview. Which seems odd and I’m halfway wondering if it’s a translation error or some sort.

I mean it’s one thing translating Japanese to English but it’s a whole different thing to translate Japanese to Spanish and then to English to finally get to us but honestly I’ve kinda been against the interview disconfirms since around the Kiryu thing when people took that WAAAAY out of context.

What Kiryu thing?
Also on a separate note, something interesting is going on with the Nintendo Switch Version of the NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection, there was a character showcase trailer for the game today and it was released by KOEI TECMO, TEAM NINJA, PlayStation, and XBOX at the scheduled time...except for Nintendo, for some reason Nintendo is not uploading the trailer which is strange that Nintendo’s version of the NINJA GAIDEN Master Collection keeps getting put off to the side, in fact it’s not available for pre order for the the Nintendo Switch at all yet even in Japan you’d think Nintendo would also release the trailer as normal given they’ve been doing that for every other game series except NINJA GAIDEN for some reason

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

What Kiryu thing?
Also on a separate note, something interesting is going on with the Nintendo Switch Version of the NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection, there was a character showcase trailer for the game today and it was released by KOEI TECMO, TEAM NINJA, PlayStation, and XBOX at the scheduled time...except for Nintendo, for some reason Nintendo is not uploading the trailer which is strange that Nintendo’s version of the NINJA GAIDEN Master Collection keeps getting put off to the side, in fact it’s not available for pre order for the the Nintendo Switch at all yet even in Japan you’d think Nintendo would also release the trailer as normal given they’ve been doing that for every other game series except NINJA GAIDEN for some reason

It’s likely due to the mature content. Xbox and PlayStation don’t care and gore isn’t censored on their channel. Compare that with the new Doom on Switch trailer where they purposefully miss all their shots to keep it family friendly.

The Kiryu thing was when an interviewer asked the Yakuza director if he would let Kiryu crossover in fighting games “like Tekken” he said he didn’t want Kiryu hitting girls probably as a joke and people took that as a disconfirm but only a few months earlier the same director said he would love him in Smash. So people were hunting for disconfirms like they have been for months now. And interviews are the easiest way.

 

[RETROROTER]

It’s likely due to the mature content. Xbox and PlayStation don’t care and gore isn’t censored on their channel. Compare that with the new Doom on Switch trailer where they purposefully miss all their shots to keep it family friendly.

The Kiryu thing was when an interviewer asked the Yakuza director if he would let Kiryu crossover in fighting games “like Tekken” he said he didn’t want Kiryu hitting girls probably as a joke and people took that as a disconfirm but only a few months earlier the same director said he would love him in Smash. So people were hunting for disconfirms like they have been for months now. And interviews are the easiest way.

Yeah sure they TOTALLY care about the gore *precedes to release House of Dead trailer with gore https://youtu.be/_21KIrdgLAI * Idk it could be nothing but I still personally find it strange that the Nintendo Switch version of the NINJA GAIDEN Master Collection is having these odd occurrences, once again could be nothing but strange nonetheless

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

The only blood in that trailer is Green and Black. That’s a lot different than uh...

contrast The House of the Dead trailer with any other trailer on their YouTube page and you’ll understand what I mean. The recent Doom trailer:

or even the original announcement in the Nintendo Direct of the Master Collection at 37:37:

Where they intentionally left out any kind of gore despite those games designed with gore in mind. That’s absolutely the reason that specific trailer isn’t on Nintendo’s YouTube.

I’m not sure why they hide the gore as best they can in these trailers but it is what it is. It really doesn’t mean anything at all. Maybe it’ll get re-edited and rereleased at some point on their channel but we’ll see. They’ll show some gore but that new trailer is a little overboard in comparison to the others.

 

[Wonder Smash]

I do still think about how the Switch version is getting it's own censored version. It's already mentioned that it's probably because that's what they want to put on Hayabusa's official Smash page and even though they could just put a link to the arcade game, putting one for the Master Collection actually does make more sense.

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

The only blood in that trailer is Green and Black. That’s a lot different than uh...

contrast The House of the Dead trailer with any other trailer on their YouTube page and you’ll understand what I mean. The recent Doom trailer:

I thought this site had a kid friendly policy. How come bloody/gory content like this is allowed here but not harmless profanity?

 

[RETROROTER]

Ok so glitch theory goes as follows:
Basically whenever there is a new patch introduced into the game if a characters starts glitching it’s possible that the glitched fighter or fighters are being used as a base or having something specific taken from them and being implemented into a future fighter. For Steve it was Daisy’s down B being implemented into his mining mechanic, for Pyra and Mythra it was Pokemon Trainer specifically their swapping mechanic and Charizards Fire and in retrospect that makes sense, for Min Min it was Bayonetta’s Wicked Weave attacks being implemented into her. So in this new patch the glitch is as follows: projectiles are being ignored when a character exhibits forward momentum. So that got people thinking who is it for? People thought of Reimu because in her games when she moves forward she is immune to projectiles and Rayman because his head floats so it would go through his neck. Well here’s where things get interesting and HIGHLY SPECULATIVE, in NINJA GAIDEN II: THE DARK SWORD OF CHAOS on the NES Ryu Hayabusa has an ability called split clone which lets Ryu Hayabusa create a clone that only moves forward...and is immune/ignores projectiles...and can damage enemies. Again HIGHLY SPECULATIVE and I’m not banking on it at all but something I found interesting

Glitch Theory has existed all the way back early in the DLC cycle too, Duck Hunt and Mii Sword Fighter where the ones who were glitching BEFORE Hero and Banjo-Kazooie were revealed for Smash

 

[Golden Icarus]

Yeah sure they TOTALLY care about the gore *precedes to release House of Dead trailer with gore https://youtu.be/_21KIrdgLAI * Idk it could be nothing but I still personally find it strange that the Nintendo Switch version of the NINJA GAIDEN Master Collection is having these odd occurrences, once again could be nothing but strange nonetheless

So at first I shrugged this off because of how violent the Sigma trilogy is. It makes sense that Nintendo wouldn’t want to show that off on their YouTube page. But then I remembered that MK11 (probably the most violent game on the Switch) was a thing. Sure enough, Nintendo posted a ton of trailers for Mortal Kombat, many of which are pretty damn gruesome.

Here’s one from just 5 months ago:

Most of it isn’t too bad, but it gets pretty graphic around the 1:40 mark. And there are plenty of other MK11 trailers on their page, many of which are even more gory. Anyway, just thought that was interesting. If gore really is a reason for Nintendo to avoid showing off Master Collection, then I’m unsure why MK11 gets a pass.

 

[Wonder Smash]

I'm not sure what reason why Nintendo didn't upload the trailer but any ideas what other possible reason they didn't upload it if it's not the gore?

 

[RETROROTER]

I'm not sure what reason why Nintendo didn't upload the trailer but any ideas what other possible reason they didn't upload it if it's not the gore?

Yeah especially since Nintendo themselves published NINJA GAIDEN 3: RAZOR’S EDGE and they definitely were NOT scared of showing the gore at that time

 

[Wonder Smash]

Yeah especially since Nintendo themselves published NINJA GAIDEN 3: RAZOR’S EDGE and they definitely were NOT scared of showing the gore at that time

This makes me wonder if there is some kind of exclusive deals going on behind the scenes between Nintendo and Koei Tecmo.

 

[RETROROTER]

This makes me wonder if there is some kind of exclusive deals going on behind the scenes between Nintendo and Koei Tecmo.

I wouldn’t be suprised by that, I think people forget that next to Square Enix and CAPCOM, KOEI TECMO is one of their closest partners so it’s very easy for them to talk too each other about projects and ideas that they want to explore (like AoC) also I still think people should understand that when it comes to implementing a third party character into the game, you need to go talk to the right people about that, for example for Banjo & Kazooie’s inclusion both Microsoft and Rare LTD had to be consulted in order too add them into the game, for MEGA MAN, CAPCOM CO.,LTD was the ones who needed to be consulted for his inclusion while CAPCOM U.S.A., INC. was consulted for Ryu and Ken as they own the rights to the STREET FIGHTER series. So when it comes to the NINJA GAIDEN series, the ones that must be consulted are KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD as they own the rights too NINJA GAIDEN, Team NINJA, and the Team NINJA Logo, Team NINJA DOES NOT own the rights too NINJA GAIDEN therefore they do not need to be consulted, while KOEI TECMO GAMES owns the Dynasty Warriors series so conversely that’s who you would need to talk too if you wanted a Dynasty Warriors rep in Smash (KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD owns TECMO and all its properties while KOEI TECMO GAMES owns all of KOEI’S properties that’s why their credited in the Sophie spirit like that because that SPECIFIC division of KOEI TECMO worked on the game) also if an original developer of a series still works at the company then they must be consulted for the work as a supervisor like Yasyuki Oda of SNK supervising Terry Bogard or Gregg Mayles supervising Banjo & Kazooie. For NINJA GAIDEN (NES) no one there has worked on that project therefore Sakurai doesn’t need to consult anyone at Team NINJA about Hayabusa at all not even his modern design as that’s not something owned by Team NINJA

Taken from the NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection Nintendo Switch Page

 

[ninjahmos]

I know a lot of people want Ryu Hayabusa for Smash. I want him in Smash too. But I honestly think that Strider Hiryu, Joe Musashi, and, if possible, maybe even Hotsuma would be great additions too.

 

[Wonder Smash]

I know a lot of people want Ryu Hayabusa for Smash. I want him in Smash too. But I honestly think that Strider Hiryu, Joe Musashi, and, if possible, maybe even Hotsuma would be great additions too.

Nothing wrong with thinking that. They're all cool ninja characters. But for a game like Smash, all I want is Hayabusa.

 

[NonSpecificGuy]

If I could get a game where Strider fought Hayabusa it’d be over. It’d easily be the best game ever made.

 

[Pacack]

I'm not sure if this has been posted here before, but I personally enjoyed it even as someone who isn't a huge Ninja Gaiden fan.

It made me realize that I would really enjoy seeing Ryu with strong references to his NES incarnation.

 

[Wonder Smash]

If I could get a game where Strider fought Hayabusa it’d be over. It’d easily be the best game ever made.

Imagine if Fighters Megamix became as big as Smash is right now. We'd probably have Joe Musashi, Strider Hiryu, and Ryu Hayabusa in one game.

I'm not sure if this has been posted here before, but I personally enjoyed it even as someone who isn't a huge Ninja Gaiden fan.

It made me realize that I would really enjoy seeing Ryu with strong references to his NES incarnation.

I'm pretty sure that's the most likely case. His default look could be from the modern games while his moveset could be mostly based on the NES games.

And yeah, I like that video. I enjoy watching Ninja Gaiden speedruns too.

 

[RETROROTER]

I'm not sure if this has been posted here before, but I personally enjoyed it even as someone who isn't a huge Ninja Gaiden fan.

It made me realize that I would really enjoy seeing Ryu with strong references to his NES incarnation.

Loved watching this

 

[Golden Icarus]

I know a lot of people want Ryu Hayabusa for Smash. I want him in Smash too. But I honestly think that Strider Hiryu, Joe Musashi, and, if possible, maybe even Hotsuma would be great additions too.

Oh yeah, more ninjas (and samurai) in Smash would be great. Nioh is probably my favorite thing that Koei Tecmo has ever put out, so having William as our first Smash Bros samurai would be awesome. There are so many awesome abilities in Nioh that could make for a fantastic moveset. I also love Shinobi, so I’d be very happy to see Joe as well.

That said, Hayabusa should come first. He is the video game ninja as far as I’m concerned. Not only is he iconic, but gameplay wise, he has literally everything that you would want from a ninja.

I'm not sure if this has been posted here before, but I personally enjoyed it even as someone who isn't a huge Ninja Gaiden fan.

It made me realize that I would really enjoy seeing Ryu with strong references to his NES incarnation.

Summoning Salt is a great channel and this has to be one of the best videos he’s made. I never had all that much interest in speed runs, but his videos really opened my eyes to how fascinating they can be. His vids can also make for very pleasant background noise while I’m driving, gaming, working, etc.

 

[RETROROTER]

You know Team NINJA did retweet this collaboration event between Rise of Kingdoms and NINJA GAIDEN 3: Razor’s Edge but in a way where it kinda is implied that Team NINJA doesn’t really take part in negotiations with the NINJA GAIDEN IP being bought elsewhere, KOEI TECMO GAMES does as once again they are credited in the copyright not Team NINJA

 

[ninjahmos]

I'm not sure if this has been posted here before, but I personally enjoyed it even as someone who isn't a huge Ninja Gaiden fan.

It made me realize that I would really enjoy seeing Ryu with strong references to his NES incarnation.

This was interesting to watch. BTW Arcus is like the Bob Ross of Ninja Gaiden speedruns.

 

[RETROROTER]

Obviously nothing but a new Nintendo Switch article says to try Super Mario Bros. 3 and NINJA GAIDEN and I thought that was really cool

 

[Wonder Smash]

Obviously nothing but a new Nintendo Switch article says to try Super Mario Bros. 3 and NINJA GAIDEN and I thought that was really coolView attachment 312977
View attachment 312978

10 classic NES games for Nintendo Switch Online members to try. - News - Nintendo Official Site

Did you know that Nintendo Switch Online members get instant access to a library of NES™ and Super NES™ games? The games have been enhanced with online play and the ability to save your game at any point by creating Suspend Points (just press the ZL…

www.nintendo.com

The article mentions both Ninja Gaiden and Double Dragon II. Cool! Two games featuring my MWs.

It may not mean anything but it is cool to see Nintendo recommend it for the players.

 

[Takasmash]

How popular is Ryu Hayabusa for Smash ultimate in Japan?

 

[Wonder Smash]

How popular is Ryu Hayabusa for Smash ultimate in Japan?

I honestly don't know. But Hayabusa does have a fanbase in Japan, so I wouldn't be surprised if he had a lot support for Smash Ultimate over that.

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

The way Ryu hasn’t been on a Japanese fan poll (at least one that I know of) has always weirded me out. I just don’t get it.

 

[RETROROTER]

View attachment 313124The way Ryu hasn’t been on a Japanese fan poll (at least one that I know of) has always weirded me out. I just don’t get it.

Well Sakurai has said he has played NINJA GAIDEN before so I think that’s what matters more

 

[RetrogamerMax]

Well Sakurai has said he has played NINJA GAIDEN before so I think that’s what matter more

Speaking of which, I'm really surprised that no one has made a fake leak yet saying they know all the games Sakurai has played in his collection and they got it from a source who is deep within Nintendo. Some people would eat that **** up even if the leak is fake.

 

[RETROROTER]

I think that that’s probably more obvious than many problem realize like I think almost everyone in speculation has read that interview

 

[Megadoomer]

View attachment 313124The way Ryu hasn’t been on a Japanese fan poll (at least one that I know of) has always weirded me out. I just don’t get it.

This poll was from the Smash 4 days, before Cloud, Bayonetta, or even Ryu were announced. The inclusion of those three definitely changed the tone of speculation, or at least made people more open-minded towards a wider variety of third party characters. (there isn't even a Castlevania character on that list, though I'm not sure if the series is as popular in Japan as it is elsewhere)

 

[RETROROTER]

I do personally think that if Ryu Hayabusa does make it in, he will mostly be based off his NES counterpart akin to Simon Belmont and Richter Belmont with some modern stuff in the form of spirits, music, or maybe stage cameos

 

[TheBKFAN]

I do personally think that if Ryu Hayabusa does make it in, he will mostly be based off his NES counterpart akin to Simon Belmont and Richter Belmont with some modern stuff in the form of spirits, music, or maybe stage cameosView attachment 313206

I would love to see both. I personally think if he got in we would get his modern costume as his default and his NES one as his second costume. I know Sakurai and his team like to stick with the classic design but I'm curious if Koei-Tecmo would prefer the modern design to be the base one. Just with that design being more prominently featured in their games as of late. I could definitely see a lot of his special moves being powerups from the NES games but his more traditional attacks coming from the modern games. That's just me though.