Ninja Gaiden Fans Are Disappointed With Ryu’s Treatment in Recent Releases

Ninja Gaiden fans are disappointed with series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa’s treatment in the franchise’s latest entries, including the upcoming Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound game from Dotemu and The Game Kitchen. 2025 is a very notable year for the Ninja Gaiden franchise, as Koei Tecmo dubs it the “Year of the Ninja,” thanks to multiple new releases for the series.

During Microsoft’s Xbox Developer Direct in January 2025, Koei Tecmo, Team Ninja and PlatinumGames surprised Ninja Gaiden fans with the reveal of Ninja Gaiden 4, which stars the new protagonist Yakumo from the Raven clan alongside Ryu. Although Ninja Gaiden 4 is planned for release on October 21, fans still have plenty of Ninja Gaiden games to enjoy before the fourth numbered title’s release. These games include the already released Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and the upcoming Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, with the latter launching on July 31 for PC and consoles. However, fans aren’t happy with how Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja have treated the franchise’s iconic protagonist over the past decade leading up to Ninja Gaiden 4’s release later this year.

Ninja Gaiden 4 Needs to Balance its Protagonists Carefully

Ryu Hayabusa won’t be alone in facing Ninja Gaiden 4’s threats, but his new ally needs to match the pace set by the legacy hero.

Reddit user ThatSharkFromJaws is not happy with the past three installments of Ninja Gaiden featuring Ryu as a side character instead of a central protagonist. Most notably, ThatSharkFromJaws and other Ninja Gaiden fans trace Ryu’s treatment as a side character back to 2014’s Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, which starred the titular protagonist Yaiba. Following the release of Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, the Ninja Gaiden franchise took a considerable hiatus until the release of Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection in 2021, followed by the release of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black in 2025. Both of these titles offer definitive versions of Ryu’s games, but fans are upset and frustrated that Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound doesn’t appear to focus on Ryu after nearly a decade without all-new Ninja Gaiden games. Others aren’t pleased that Ninja Gaiden 4 could potentially place most of its focus on Yakumo, despite Ryu being one of the game’s two protagonists.

Ninja Gaiden Fans Aren’t Happy About Ryu Hayabusa Being a Side Character in the Franchise’s Releases Over the Years

Some Ninja Gaiden fans are disappointed that Ryu has not been the main character in some of the franchise’s most recent entries, including Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound.
A few fans worry that Ninja Gaiden 4 may focus more on Yakumo instead of Ryu, while others are hopeful about Ryu’s involvement.

However, some Ninja Gaiden fans, including Reddit users Arandui and PotatoIceCreem, aren’t as disappointed with Ryu’s absence from the spotlight over the years. Some Reddit users believe Ninja Gaiden games like Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z should experiment with new protagonists and different gameplay mechanics compared to the mainline entries. A few fans are still cautious about Ninja Gaiden 4, with some drawing comparisons with Devil May Cry 4, which featured protagonist Nero instead of Dante in roughly over half of the game’s story missions.

At the very least, Ninja Gaiden 4 seems prepped to offer a lot of engaging levels and content to explore while playing as Yakumo and Ryu. Ninja Gaiden 4 is an Xbox Game Pass day one title, so subscribers will have immediate access on launch day to see what the new action game has in store for fans.