Welp, you dun goofed. Ninja Gaiden 3 review. You read our Ninja Gaiden 3 review and said something to the effect of “There’s no way it could suck THAT bad.” Hate to say we told you so, but…we told you so. Or maybe you actually like pressing one button over and over again for eight hours. At least we’re here to dull the pain. We’ve broken down the mechanics and stats of every single boss fight in the game—whether you’re playing on Normal difficulty or giving Master Ninja a go, here’s everything you’ll need to know to slice and dice your way to victory.
Before we get to the bosses, here are some things you’ll want to know.
Ninpo Magic is now a “use it or lose it” ability. Your guage will fill when you attack and take damage. Once it’s full, don’t bother saving it—the gauge will drain once the current wave of enemies is defeated.
When Ryu’s sword or arm glows red, holding the Strong Attack button will cause him to instantly murder multiple dudes in one hit. It’s nice for building up that Ninpo gauge or reducing enemy ranks when swarmed—especially by those rocket launcher-toting jerks.
Steel on Bone techniques let you kill foot soldiers pretty quickly, and you can typically insta-kill up to three or four additional enemies so long as they’re within range of your sword.
Your max health is permanently decreased as you take substantial amounts of damage. It can only be refilled by petting your magical hawk friend that comes to visit during each mission. Even when you’re deep in an underground facility in the middle of nowhere.
When Ryu gets all slow because of his stupid glowing arm, turning around to kill enemies takes for-freakin’-ever. Just push down on the right analog stick to instantly target the nearest enemy. You’re welcome.
Steel Spider
Regent of the Mask
IDE-1011 Manta Helicopter
Gigantosaurus
Regent of the Mask round two
Prototype Goddess "Lovelace"
Obaba
Epigonos (Dark Ryu)
LOA Chairman
Regent of the Mask round three
Cliff
Regent of the Mask final battle
Goddess
This robo-arachnid is pretty simple—you’ll be fighting two of these at once in a later level. Basically, you just gotta cut its legs until they break off. Watch out for its AoE electric field attack when you’re up close. If you stand in front of the machine, it will use an unblockable flamethrower attack. Also, it’s equipped with a rather nasty rocket launcher, so get ready to slide around while on the offensive. Once its legs are destroyed, a generator core is exposed. Jump up on its back and rip it open.
Master Ninja notes:
You know that rocket launcher? Yeah, that thing will kill you pretty damn quick. When you see it illuminate, slide away immediately. Patience is key here, don’t get greedy and try to land too many leg hits at the risk of your own life.
This dude is a pain in the ass. You’ll fight him, like, 800 times by the end of the game, and every encounter is shockingly similar. First, you’ll want to damage his offense—don’t go rushing in yourself. Wait until he whiffs a few times, then punish with a few quick attacks. He typically uses a two- or three-hit melee combo, so be wary. Additionally, if his fists glow red that means he’ll use an unblockable throw combo, which is practically an instant kill on higher difficulties. Don’t let this connect.
Eventually he’ll get knocked out a window and you’ll continue the fight. Outside, he beefs up his offensive by using a three-hit strong attack combo, and adding one additional throw to his charge attacks. When going in for the kill, try to restrict yourself to a single strong attack before sliding out of his range. He can also do a charging slice attack—you’ll know he’s about to use this when his body glows red.
Master Ninja notes:
Same boss mechanics, but have fun dodging his one-hit kills.
For some reason the pilot of this airship thinks that ramming it into Ryu instead of using its many guns and missiles is a valid option. Slide dodge its dives, and shoot arrows at the rocket launchers under the wings. Try not to meander into the middle of the platform. Follow the prompts—when you’re on the wing and facing the turret, slide from side to side then attack the turret once it overheats. Repeat the process. Fuuuun!
Master Ninja notes:
Definitely be sure to dodge those missiles, as they will end you pretty quickly. When you have to fend off against jetpack troopers, try and dispatch them via bow and arrow while they’re airborne—if they land, their flamethrower attacks will likely result in barbequed ninja.
So…uh…Gigantosaurus? Really? Robo T-Rex isn’t exactly a friendly dino. He mainly runs around with his head down like a big dummy before slamming it straight into the ground. Give it a few slashes while it’s down, then slide away—typically it uses a tail swipe attack when it gets back up, and you don’t want to get caught by that. After you damage it enough, its body will turn to metal and you’ll have to repeat the same processes while attacking it’s giant, stupid face. Only do this when it’s on the ground, though, as it has a nasty bite attack and can even shoot some kind of damage-dealing roar. Repeat until dead.
Master Ninja notes:
Don’t even bother trying to attack this thing until it’s on the ground. Getting hit just once or twice means game over.
This is basically the same fight as the last time, except he has a few new moves: a five-hit melee combo, and an unblockable (and very lethal) jumping grab attack.
Master Ninja notes:
He hits harder.
This monster’s arms morph into different forms, each with different abilities. First thing’s first: get the hell away from it when its arms glow red. She starts with her normal arms, which employ projectile attacks. The thing is, she’ll only use these attacks of Ryu backs too far away, so stay close.
When she switches to the tentacle arms, she can use an acid spray attack as well as a quick swipe. With Demon arms, which look like giant, sharp hands, she can perform a charge, a jumping lunge attack, and a two-hit melee attack. Just dodge everything and stab her to death.
Master Ninja notes:
Surprise. She hits harder and is a bit more aggressive.
Otherwise known as the giant tree thing with glowy orbs. Anyone wanna guess what those orbs are for? They’re for killing. That’s what. This fight’s kind of a pain because you have to fend off waves of enemies while attacking the core on Obaba’s arm. Occasionally she’ll try to smash you with her other hand, so quickly shoot the orb on the palm of her hand with an arrow to avoid the attack.
Eventually you’ll get launched to new spot on the boss, but the general tactics remain the same. At this point the boss will use a nasty projectile attack, so keep an eye out for that. During the final assault, a force field will shield the boss from damage. Here, destroy the nearby tentacles and finish her off.
Master Ninja notes: The waves of enemy troops can quickly become overwhelming. Keeping them at bay while still damaging the core will be a tricky task indeed.
In his initial form, Epigonos is essentially a mirror of Hyabusa. Approach him how you would the Regent of the Mask; dodge his attacks, then punish his whiffs. In his secondary form, he becomes much more powerful—he also has access to a variety of weapons, including the Eclipse Scythe and Dragon’s Claw.
As always, be ready to slide dodge whenever he starts glowing red, indicating an unblockable grab attack. His scythe has HUGE range, so stay clear of it when possible. Again, wait for him to attack and miss, then punish.
Master Ninja notes: Don’t bother trying to attack while he’s got his scythe out. That sucker is nasty. Wait for him to switch to the Dragon Sword or Dragon’s Claw.
Robot dinosaur part two. One hand shoots flames (slide dodge to avoid them) while the other emits electric fields when it slams into the ground. This thing also shoots missiles from its back, but those won’t be much threat so long as you stay close to its body. Attack its flamethrower hand a bunch of times while dodging its other attacks. It’ll get pissed and slam its other hand into the ground—once it’s temporarily disabled, cut that one a bunch of times, too. Repeat this until the boss transforms into its flying form.
This is a bit trickier. It drops a ton of bombs, whose landing areas are indicated by glowing circles. Don’t stand in those. Slide to dodge missile barrages, and shoot it with as many arrows as you safely can while avoiding projectiles. It’ll occasionally stop, open its mouth, and shoot lasers. Don’t bother trying to slide dodge, as the lasers are thinly spaced. Instead, just walk between them when the trajectory is shown.
Its final stage is a tank-like vehicle. Shoot arrows at the wheels until they’re destroyed (be sure to dodge the charge attack). When it opens its mouth to shoot lasers, move between the wheels and slide underneath the mech to activate the finishing prompt.
Master Ninja notes: This is a long battle, which sucks considering Ryu will die from just one or two attacks in nearly any of the boss’s forms. Be patient and anticipate its abilities.
Ugh, again? Same strategy as the last two times you’ve fought him. Dodge his attacks, punish with a few of your own, get out, repeat.
Master Ninja notes: Don’t suck.
What a homely name for a crystalized mutant man with four arms. Slide dodge his projectile attacks and stand just outside of his attack range. Here, Cliff will likely employ a two- or five-hit combo chain. Dodge these, then get a few quick attacks in and back out. When his arms glow white, slide dodge away to avoid his unblockable attack. You’ll cut off his arms a bunch of times by the fight ends, but be prepared to dodge his AoE explosion attack, the blast radius of which is indicated by a glowing circle.
After he takes enough damage, Cliff will magically start flying around. Shoot him with an arrow and Ryu loses his bow. Now you have to fight off waves of crystal monsters while dodging laser attacks (don’t stand in glowing circles!). After killing enough monsters, Ryu can use an ultimate attack when his arm starts glowing red to bring Cliff back to the ground. If you manage to damage him enough before he flies back up into the air, a QTE will begin and you can end the fight.
Master Ninja notes: Again, same thing, just harder—be especially wary of the energy explosion attack.
Son of a bi—AGAIN? This is the last time, we promise! As always, dodge, punish, win.
Master Ninja notes: C’mon.
So…this is the final boss fight. Not exactly sure what this thing is, but it needs to die. After the QTE-fest, watch out for the orange circles that appear on the rooftop. This is where the boss will do an arm slam—and look at the size of those things! Getting hit by this is pretty bad. Hurry and kill the waves of enemies to build your Ninpo gauge, then unleash your magic to progress the fight into another QTE. Attack her arms, then her head.
Once your back on the rooftop, follow the same strategy as before. Sometimes after an arm slam, the Goddess’ arm will remain on the ground for a brief moment. Use this opportunity to attack it. Be wary of her sword slash attacks—slide underneath those to avoid death. Keep doing this while the boss destroys chunks of the roof. Finally, you’ll engage in one last QTE and end the fight.
Master Ninja notes: There’s not much to say aside from “don’t get hit.” One false move and you can expect to restart the battle.
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