Welcome to the twelfth episode of 23 Endings: The Early Years, the show where we put old school video game endings into proper context. Everybody's favorite 8-bit ninja is back for his second NES adventure, and this one promises to be even bigger and more explosive than the last. Will Ryu save the day or blow it at the last minute? Find out now when you watch a brand new episode of 23 Endings: The Early Years!


When we last checked in with Ryu, he had just found out that his long-dead father wasn't dead after all, he rescued the girl, he defeated the evil Jaquio and kept the world from ending. For a first mission, this kind of success is unheard of. It's like getting eighteen holes in one the first time you go golfing. If I were Ryu, I would probably hang up the shurikens and relax for the next sixty years. There's no way the next mission is going to be as successful as the first.

But this is a video game franchise, so of course Ryu Hayabusa can't just give up the ninja lifestyle. This is made even more complicated by the introduction of Ashtar, who turns out to be the guy that was controlling Jaquio back in Ninja Gaiden 1. He's the evil lord of the Realm of Darkness, and he's none too thrilled that some puny kid from Japan was able to fly across the world and defeat the Jaquio without any help. So what does he do? He kidnaps the girl, because that's what you do in 8-bit action games.

If you're wondering how Ryu comes across this information, then let me introduce you to Robert T. Sturgeon. This is a U.S. Army Special Intelligence unit member who has been sent to locate Ryu and convince the ninja to gaiden again. He reveals that Irene is being kept in the Tower of Lahja, and then pulls a gun on the young Hayabusa. But don't worry, Ryu stays bullet-free in Ninja Gaiden II. Thought, I can't say the same about the swamp monster lurking behind him.

So with his marching orders, Ryu boards a train and makes his way to the Tower of Lahja. Did I say board? I meant that he spends the entire time fighting on top of the train cars. This turns into an epic climb up a mountain, which ends with an ambush by a tribesman from the World of Chaos.

Ryu's a little confused, but he knows that he doesn't have much time to save Irene and defeat Ashtar, so he continues his journey to the Tower of Lahja. Once there, he defeats whatever this is and finally comes face-to-face with this Emperor of Darkness he's been hearing so much about. Ashtar strikes with a blast from his sword, subduing our hero and bringing Irene to her knees. I'm not going to lie, things look bad. But don't worry, we're barely a quarter of the way through this game, so Robert steps in to, once again, save the day. Ashtar escapes, but at least Ryu is still alive to fight another day.

So what now? Apparently Ryu needs to defeat Ashtar before his magical sword reaches full strength. This means chasing him through a bunch of levels in a left-to-right game of cat and mouse. It's in this chilly location where Ryu finally catches up with Ashtar, who now seems ready to let Irene go. But watch out, Hayabusa, because it's a trick. Out of nowhere, the Emperor of Darkness stabs Irene in the back, sending her into Ryu's arms. But don't worry, Robert is here to ... oh no! With all of our friends out of the picture, it's up to Ryu to once again save the day.

So in case you're wondering, Irene is fine. She's talking slowly and losing a lot of blood, but she says she's fine and orders Ryu to push on and destroy the altar that Ashtar used to connect the two worlds. Robert is going to help her get back to civilization and find some much-needed medical attention, or, at least, that's the goal. Unfortunately, they run into a familiar face when backtracking through the caves.

As it turns out, this is not the only familiar face the team will run into. On his way to the altar, Ryu ends up fighting these demon dogs from the first game. Even our unflappable hero seems noticeably shaken by the sense of deja vu. And that bad feeling in Ryu's stomach only gets worse when Robert shows up with some devastating news -- Irene has been captured ... AGAIN!

So there's no time to waste. Robert is going to fend off the army of darkness while Ryu races ahead to destroy the gate. He finds Irene, but clearly something is wrong. And that's when Hayabusa finds his old nemesis, The Jaquio. He's been reborn and now has the dark Power of Evil. The Sword of Chaos is going to throw open the Gate of Darkness, which will turn our world into a literal Hell on Earth.

But don't worry, everything is going to be fine as long as that stupid Sword of Chaos doesn't come in contact with Jaquio's blood. This is an old NES game, what are the chances of that happening? OH NO! The sword is awake. I repeat, this is not a drill, the sword is awake!

So this opens up the Gate of Darkness, which sets up one final epic confrontation for Ryu Hayabusa. He summons the full power of the Dragon Clan to fight evil in all forms, eventually defeating this massive demon monster with floating hands. This is the ending we get for our troubles.

Now, I know what you're thinking: These guys need to cool it with the talk about vanquishing evil forever because we all know there's a Ninja Gaiden III. But here's a plot twist -- this is actually the end of Ryu Hayabusa's 8-bit story. The Ancient Ship of Doom actually takes place between these two games and Ninja Gaiden Shadow is a prequel that completely ruins the continuity, so what you're looking at right now is the final known battle of Ken Hayabusa's son. It's almost emotional.

I guess my problem with this ending is that it feels like it's repeating most of the same beats as the first game. We once again save the girl and then watch a building crumble in the distance. This game tries to make you think that maybe Ryu didn't save Irene after all, but she springs back to life after a sword turns into a magic ball with resurrection powers. I know they set this up earlier in the game, but it's still dumb. Worst of all, these two don't even spend a moment to remember Robert T. Sturgeon, who was apparently trapped in the destroyed temple. Don't worry, Sturg, I'll always remember your heroism. Rest in peace, buddy.