Ninja Gaiden
The Dark Dragon Blade/Kitetsu FAQ
Authored by VampireHorde
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INTRODUCTION
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Thanks for clicking on the FAQ. This FAQ will focus on obtaining and
using the most underused (or unused) weapons in Ninja Gaiden:
The Dark Dragon Blade and Kitetsu.
I have seen various Ninja Gaiden players using different weapons for
combat but never seen these two used. I will give an overview of what
each is capable of and by the end I hope you'll stop using the Dragon
Sword or Unlabored Flawlessness for a while and change your combat
selection.
**I will only give tips and hints for the Hurricane pack Volume 1. I
don't plan to update the FAQ anymore for Volume 2 so please don't ask.
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THE DARK DRAGON BLADE
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This weapon is the main reason why Ninja Gaiden is set into action and
I feel I should explain its worthiness.
What is the Dark Dragon Blade?
It is an evil blade that has been sealed away by the Hayabusa Ninja
Clan. Chaos brings out its hellish power.
The DDB has the look of the Dabilahro and its combos are a mix of the
Warhammer and the Unlabored Flawlessness. (Which are both a good and a
bad thing.) Since you can't perform a combo longer than XXY I suggest
you only use this weapon on smaller enemies.
How do I obtain the Dark Dragon Blade?
The Dark Dragon Blade is an unlockable weapon obtained by beating Ninja
Gaiden on any difficulty. Reload a Successive Play file and play the
game again until you reach Chapter 13. After activating the portal in
Twin Serpents Plaza, teleport Ryu back to Hayabusa Village. When you
head to Muramasa's shop in the village the DDB should be on the second
floor sticking its "truly evil" head out. Grab the weapon and get
ready for some "truly evil" fun!
**HP UPDATE: You can obtain this weapon by giving Muramasa all 50
Golden Scarabs.
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THE MOVES LIST
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Gleam of Heaven and Earth: X, Y
Flaming Hell Slash: X, X, Y
Dark Dragon Descending Fiends: Y
Dark Dragon Flaming Dragon: Hold Y
Dark Dragon Cauterizing Slash: Hold Y w/ one essence
Dark Dragon Gates of Hell: Hold Y w/ max essence
Hundred Demon's Bite: Right, X
Flaming Whirlwind: Right, Y
Reigning Spiral: X or Y while blocking
Hundred Man Slash: rotate analog stick, Y
Corpse Crusher: X or Y near a downed enemy
The Dark Dragon Gates Of Hell ultimate attack of this weapon is the
most stylish move I've seen in the entire game. The attack can
sometimes catch three enemies who are standing in the way during the
attack. The only downside is that any enemies behind Ryu will be
unscathed. IMO, its ultimate attack puts the Unlabored Flawlessness
ultimate to shame.
And like the UF, the Flaming Whirlwind attack will decapitate all small
enemies just as easily. The Dabilahro is no match for this bad boy.
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DARK DRAGON CAUTERIZING SLASH GLITCH
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I don't know whether to call this a glitch or a flaw. When Ryu absorbs
one essence during a heated battle and releases for the attack, he can
still take damage if there's any enemy attacking BUT he will still
complete the attack! That's what I said! An enemy will attack him
while he's absorbing essence and his health will decrease but it
doesn't interrupt the attack animation.
This is VERY annoying especially during Fiend Challenges.
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USING THE DARK DRAGON BLADE
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**WARNING to beginning or intermediate players: The DDB has VERY few
combos and should only be used for fun. Fighting the last few bosses
with this weapon is NOT recommended!
The only places where I think the weapon is most useful are during the
Fiend Challenges that involve smaller fiends. On a Successive Play
file I suggest you skip any small fiend challenges after Chapter 10 and
keep going until you've obtained the DDB in Chapter 13.
When fighting off multiple fiends, abuse the Reigning Spiral counter
attack. With this tactic you can kill off more than 10 fiends back-to-
back without flinching.
Use the DDB in the following challenges:
Aquaducts 3: 60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge
Peristyle Passage: 60, 80, 0r 100 Fiend Challenge
Outside the Hall of the Flame Dragon: 60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge
Stairway to the Imperial Palace: 60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge
Fiendish Depths: 60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge
Also, you can use the DDB during the boss fights in Chapter 15 that
involve the pink fiends.
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THE DARK DRAGON BLADE VERSUS THE UNLABORED FLAWLESSNESS
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The DDB is no match for the Unlabored Flawlessness. All the combos and
attacks of the UF are much more powerful than the DDB's.
As much as the attack power of the Dark Dragon Blade is similar to the
UF it doesn't have the pure bludgeoning effect at times.
Unlike the UF, the Dark Dragon Blade DOES NOT have the 5% health trick
either. This means that if Ryu were almost near death, this weapon
couldn't save his life even if it were "truly evil and powerful".
The only thing that these two have in common is its Reigning Spiral
counter attack. It can decapitate enemies easily and has no lag time
between hits.
Hands down the most powerful weapon of the two is the UF BUT the most
stylish weapon to use is the Dark Dragon Blade. Learn to use this
weapon and it'll make up for its limitations.
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THE POWER OF THE KITETSU
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This weapon is the second most underused weapon in the game. For some
reason, players tend to obtain the weapon yet not use it. Why aren't
you people using this weapon?
What is Kitetsu?
The weapon used by Doku, it is a cursed Japanese sword that feeds on
the souls of those it slays.
This weapon is the only one that can be split into two for a more
powerful attack.
How do I obtain Kitetsu?
After defeating Doku in Chapter 11 the blade will be lying on the
ground at the beginning of Chapter 12.
This weapon's life-sucking attacks are what I love about it.
Most of the attacks involve Ryu stabbing an enemy and sucking its
health all while restoring any lost health back to Ryu.
The downside to using this weapon is its life draining effect.
As Ryu equips this weapon his health will very slowly deplete to zero
unless he sucks some health back into it. (Just like in Shinobi.)
To reverse the effect Ryu MUST equip the Armlet of Tranquility to stop
the draining.
But it really doesn't kill Ryu right away. It would take about 5-6
minutes for the blade to completely drain his health. So if Ryu dies
because the blade drained him, YOU my friend REALLY have too much time
on your hands.
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LIFE SUCKS WITH KITETSU. LITERALLY.
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Dark Rain: X, X, X
Stab of Overpowering Evil: X, X, Y
Dead Soul Bind: X, X, right, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X
Soul Eraser: X, X, right, X, Y
Blade of Nirrti: X, Y, X, X, X, X
Izuna Drop: X, Y, X, X, X, Y
Stab of Extinction: Y
Haze Straight Slash: Hold Y
Extinction Straight Slash: Hold Y w/ one essence
Bassara: Hold Y w/ max essence
Crazed Bones Slash: Right, X
Azure Dragon: Right, Y
Scarlet Dragon: Right, Hold Y
Beheaded Demon: X, X while running
Hundred Curses Slash: Rotate analog stick, Y
Fiend Sealer: Y next to downed enemy
IMO, the Stab of Extinction attack isn't all too useful. When Ryu
throws the sword it doesn't home in on an enemy too often.
So AVOID this move. The best attack on the list is the Dead Soul Bind.
Ryu performs two slashes followed by a stab with a "life-sucking"
animation.
What is the cool thing about this move? When Ryu performs the move
other enemies can attack him but Ryu WILL NOT take damage or get
interrupted during the "life-sucking" animation (if done properly).
And then there's the ultimate attack Bassara. This ultimate attack is
the second most stylish move behind the Dark Dragon Blade. When Ryu
absorbs max essence he unleashes a two-sword flurry of slashes that
will AMAZE you.
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BOSSES VERSUS KITETSU
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**WARNING to beginning or intermediate players: Because of the blade's
life-sucking power on Ryu, the Armlet of Tranquility will not be useful
if you haven't discovered the boss patterns yet so I recommend using
this weapon ONLY if you've learned the boss tactics.
If you end up taking major damage during the boss fight switch over to
another weapon, you'll have no chance with Kitetsu if you lose more
than 60% of health. PRACTICE!
The only thing I hate about boss fights with this weapon is that you
CANNOT use the Dead Soul Bind attack on them. Why can't I suck the
life out these bosses? Can it even be done?
Use Kitetsu on these bosses for some life-sucking fun (sort of)!
CHAPTER 12 ICE FIEND:
This boss takes a lot more damage with this weapon compared to the
Dragon Sword. Use the Hundred Curses Slash and the Dark Rain attack
for faster results. AND you'll look stylish.
CHAPTER 12 FLAME WORM:
The worm also takes more damage with this weapon. Use the Dark Rain or
Scarlet Dragon to kick some worm ass!
CHAPTER 12 FLAME DRAGON:
Although I don't recommend this weapon for this fight I dare you to try
and do the Dead Soul Bind or the Soul Eraser move on this sucker's
head. If it actually works, email me and send me a screencap of you
performing the move.
**Unfortunately, I DO NOT recommend that you use this weapon after
obtaining the True Dragon Sword in Chapter 13.
But I do suggest something else though.
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FIEND CHALLENGES
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Use Kitetsu on the following Fiend Challenges:
Ritual Room: 60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge
Peristyle Passage: 60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge
Zarkhan Stadium: 60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge
Stairway to the Imperial Palace: 60, 80, or 100 Fiend Challenge
Drawbridge Square: 3 Fiend Challenge
This is my favorite one. Since these purple zombies have a REALLY long
life bar, you can just spend the whole fight just sucking their life
away.
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KITETSU VERSUS THE TRUE DRAGON SWORD
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Like I mentioned above, DO NOT use the Kitetsu after obtaining the True
Dragon Sword. The TDS has 3x more attack power than Kitetsu and is
more efficient on bosses from Chapter 13 and on.
BUT the Kitetsu in all its glory has the better ultimate attack than
the TDS. Don't you get tired of Ryu flinging an enemy into the air
just to do 12 stabs and a downward slash? I know I do.
Hands down the TDS is the better weapon. But UNTIL you get the TDS, I
recommend using Kitetsu from Chapter 12 on. It'll suck the life out of
you. Literally.
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Hey you made it to the bottom! Thanks for reading. I understand that
Kitetsu and the DDB aren't easy to use but try practicing with these
two weapons and I'm sure you'll change your mind about their power.
IMO, the Dragon Sword and Unlabored Flawlessness are SO overused that
you forget that you've got OTHER weapons. Take a rest from the obvious
and go with the alternate. If you still can't use these weapons
properly after much practice then I don't know what to tell you.
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This FAQ is only for use on GameFAQs. You may not link, copy, or
publish my FAQ to your publication or website without my permission.
If you want to use my FAQ e-mail me at
[email protected]. I have no
problems with anyone who asks. June 2004.
