NINJA RYUUKENDEN CHRONICLE: PART THREE
Developer Commentary by Hideo Yoshizawa (Sakurazaki)
In December 2023, former Tecmo staff Hideo Yoshizawa began a series of posts on X detailing Ninja Ryuukenden's development, of which he served as director of the Family Computer version. This is a compilation of those posts, presented chronologically in an easier to read format.

Note: Animated images can be paused by hovering the cursor over them.

TOP - PART ONE (1-12) - PART TWO (13-24) - PART THREE (25-34 + EXTRA)
[https://x.com/yoshi_clonoa/status/1742704286554100035]

2024.01.03 Ninja Ryuukenden was first released domestically.

It was a moderate hit, selling around 300,000 copies. Then one day, I received a call from [Kazutoshi] Ueda-san, my mentor.

Ueda-san created Mr. Do! at a game company called Universal, and was headhunted by Tecmo to lead their development division. He was the producer for Mighty Bomb Jack, which I worked on, but he left during development to join the founding team at Atlus, where he created Megami Tensei.

We decided to meet up for drinks after so long. Though since Ueda-san doesn't drink, it ended up being a dinner gathering. I believe this was around the time Ueda-san released Megami Tensei from Atlus.

He told me how glad he was that Ninja Ryuukenden had sold well.

Furthermore, regarding the opening and intermission Cinema Display, he told me, "Making it look interesting with that kind of presentation is probably what's driving sales. That's something only Yoshizawa-kun could do; it's a talent I don't possess, so you should cherish it."

It's incredibly encouraging to know that there are people who truly see and appreciate what I've done.

That's when I first realized that I wanted to further hone this talent and aim to integrate it more with games.
[https://x.com/yoshi_clonoa/status/1743052843052138763]

2024.01.04 There's also an arcade version of Ninja Ryuukenden.

The president ordered us to develop both arcade and Famicom versions simultaneously under the title Ninja Ryuukenden. My colleague I.-kun was assigned to the arcade version, while I was assigned to the Famicom.

[I.-kun: H. Iijima, credited as Strong Shima]

I.-kun joined the company at the same time as me. Since he was originally an artist, he also handled the artwork for Star Force and Mighty Bomb Jack. That game Argos no Senshi was his masterpiece, both in terms of direction and visuals.

I.-kun had been developing an action game concept, and he planned to create it with a ninja as the protagonist. It was a game that used a unique controller with a stick-shaped handle and a button on top that you pressed with your thumb.

Back then, using a unique controller meant that the control panel could be sold as a kit, which boosted the price, and also had the advantage of being attention-grabbing. You could hang or perform the Kubikiri Nage [Beheading Throw] with it.

During the intermissions, there were quirky bits like a ninja reading an English newspaper at a sushi bar or returning from America in a rowboat, but the person in question sincerely believed these were cool.
[https://x.com/yoshi_clonoa/status/1743427541531328551]

2024.01.05 The contents were completely different between the business use and home use versions.

When a game released for both arcade and Famicom with the same title, people naturally assumed it was a port. But I wanted to create a more cinematic game, so I couldn't accept the tone of this content.

So when I said, "I'll make Ryuu Hayabusa look way cooler on the Famicom", he just replied, "Sounds good to me", and that's how things went - we worked completely independently without interfering with each other.

The management at Tecmo at the time never interfered with the content of the games, so this was allowed. In that sense, I think it was an environment where we could freely create whatever we wanted.
[https://x.com/yoshi_clonoa/status/1743804057628844174]

2024.01.06 As the release date approached, promotional events were planned at department stores and retailers across the country.

At Tecmo, not only sales department staff but also development team members were mobilized for that event. I too was dispatched to various locations.

There I had the chance to talk with retail store staff, and once they realized I was a developer, they were incredibly kind and accommodating. I even became friends with the manager of one store.

The best part of the event was seeing the children play live and hearing their stories, which was very meaningful.

At the event, when I asked a child who was trying out the game, "How is it? Is it fun?", they replied, "It's super fun!" And when I said, "Then, be sure to buy it when it's released!", they said, "Okay! I'll tell my older brother to buy it!" It made me so happy I almost cried.
[https://x.com/yoshi_clonoa/status/1744171753721782649]

2024.01.07 A story about meeting a certain voice actor.

At a local department store event, a special venue was set up on the rooftop. Though small in scale, it was a proper event featuring game introductions for children and trial play sessions.

The event staff included aspiring voice actors from the agency Aoni Production who were working as companions. I ended up working alongside one of these aspiring voice actors, and we had the chance to talk about all sorts of things.

She was still just a trainee who recently joined the production company, and she said that even though it was tough in many ways, she was enjoying it because every job is a learning experience. I was only about five years into my own job too, so we were chatting about how we should both keep pushing forward!

Even after the event ended, I couldn't stop thinking about her, so I wrote a letter to Aoni Production to thank them and offer encouragement. But since I never received a reply, I simply forgot about it altogether.

However, over a year later, I received a reply letter from her. According to it, my letter had arrived at the agency, but her manager thought it was too soon for a trainee like her to receive fan mail and hadn't given it to her.

Apparently, just as her training was coming to an end and she was starting her career as a voice actress, she was given this letter. So, her reply was an apology for the delay and a thank you note expressing how happy she was to receive her first fan letter.

That person is still a voice actor who is actively working at the forefront of the industry. My story was a boast about how I was the first person to send a fan letter to such a famous person. I still keep that letter carefully preserved.
[https://x.com/yoshi_clonoa/status/1744502750707388640]

2024.01.08 At last, it was time to begin production on the official Western version.

When localizing for the Western version, we must convert Japanese text into English. Incidentally, while translating into each country's language is now standard practice for the European market, back when storage was limited, only English was provided for Europe as well.

At the time, we outsourced the localization work to an external company. After a while, the translations came back. Design team member Katou-kun and I checked the English text together, but we found several things that concerned us.

I asked the foreigner who was in charge of the translation to come in for a meeting, so we could check whether the nuances of the original text were accurately conveyed in English.

Then the foreigner started speaking in the Yamagata dialect. And apparently, he was going to the Asakusa festival afterward to carry the portable shrine.

Though I thought he was an odd foreigner, he listened intently to the game and story content, and the result was a very good English translation.

He later became famous after appearing on television. His name is Daniel Kahl. He's properly credited too.
[https://x.com/yoshi_clonoa/status/1744850738113839429]

2024.01.09 The topic for today is the Ninja Ryuukenden TV commercials.
First, the domestic TV commercial. It featured a ninja dashing through the city streets at night and battling enemies. They actually filmed this on location in a high-rise district at night.

And there was English narration added throughout the entire video. The final catchphrase is "~~~~~OxOxOxOx Famicom" - only the last part, "Famicom", I understand.
"It sounds cooler in English" was the president's opinion. And actually, it did sound a bit cooler. You can watch it by searching for "忍者龍剣伝 テレビCM" on YouTube - be sure to check it out!

And now, the American TV commercial. A mansion at night. A child dressed as a ninja appears in the garden, striking a pose. Inside the living room, a couple relaxes while watching TV. The ninja child crawls across the floor and sneaks into the living room. He reaches out quietly for an NES cartridge that had been taken away.

The parents are glued to the TV and don't notice. With nimble movements, he slips from the balcony into his room on the second floor. There, he hurls the NES cartridge like a shuriken, and it sticks into the NES. The game screen starts up.

That's what it was like. The set design looks like it cost quite a bit, and I really like the tone of the commercial. You can watch it here!

[DOWNLOAD JAPANESE TV COMMERCIAL] [DOWNLOAD AMERICAN TV COMMERCIAL]
[https://x.com/yoshi_clonoa/status/1745237037542949096]

2024.01.10 In March 1989, Ninja Gaiden was finally released in North America. I was in Japan, already working on my next project, but I was constantly worried about how it was being received in America. But since information from America was slow to come in, I was getting really anxious.

Finally, the first reports came in from the U.S.

"Lines have formed at the registers since right after launch."

"Stores are selling out one after another."

"People who couldn't buy it are running around searching for it at various stores."

This news made my heart swell with such joy I almost cried. More than the sales, what truly made me happy was knowing there are people out there desperately searching for the very work I created.

Ah, I really wanted to be in America on release day to see it live... And then, additional orders came in immediately. But back then Famicom software took three months from order to delivery, so I was nervous the excitement might fade in the meantime.

However, additional sales steadily increased, and ultimately 1.5 million units were sold in North America.
[https://x.com/yoshi_clonoa/status/1745677985393627238]

2024.01.12 Ninja Gaiden was a huge hit in North America.

The name of the protagonist Ryuu's father is Jou Hayabusa in the Japanese version, but Ken Hayabusa in the North American version. This name was taken from the nickname of [Kensaku] Nakata-san, the president of Tecmo America at the time.

Feeling elated after the game's huge success in America, the president came over humming to himself and asked,"Yoshizawa, does Ryuukenden have a story?"

"Yes, it has a solid, well-developed story."

"I'm thinking of having Spielberg make it into a movie. What do you think?"

"......W-well, that sounds great! Absolutely!"

If that ever happens, I'd love to be sent to Hollywood as a supervisor! And I'd love to meet Spielberg! Would my name even be in the credits?

My imagination ran wild, but unfortunately, it remained just a dream and never actually happened.
[https://x.com/yoshi_clonoa/status/1745974194096226716]

2024.01.12 And then it was time to produce the European version.

In Europe, televisions use the PAL system, which has only five-sixths the frame rate of Japan and North America's system. So if you run the program as-is, the motion will appear at five-sixths speed.

Therefore, I had to readjust all the speeds, but there was no way I could do it all in time, so I just sped up the protagonist Ryuu's movements a bit. Then the protagonist's controls felt the same as the Japanese version, but all the enemy movements slowed down to five-sixths speed.

But wait!!! When I tried playing it, wouldn't you know it - the difficulty felt just right. Ah, I see. The enemy speed was a bit too fast... I realized.

However, the maniac fans out there could play it just fine at the original speed, and perhaps that intense thrill was actually a unique appeal that other software lacked, so it's hard to say.

Ninja Ryuukenden still has dedicated fans who play and discuss it in real time on websites, and even European indie bands have featured its BGM on CDs. It truly was a work that made me feel deeply rewarded as a creator.

Now, finally, watch this astonishing superplay video. Believe it or not, they clear the game in the shortest possible time without using any ninjutsu - or even the sword, except against bosses. I'm truly in awe.

[DOWNLOAD NINJA RYUUKENDEN PACIFIST 1 LIFE CLEAR]
[https://x.com/yoshi_clonoa/status/1746338526948704473]

2024.01.13 Today's a special edition where I'll introduce some Ninja Ryuukenden-related goods I have on hand.

■ This is the domestic store poster from the initial release.

■ These are pin badges. I don't remember why they were given out. Still, I wonder who drew the cartoon-style illustrations?

[https://x.com/yoshi_clonoa/status/1746691024804839801]

2024.01.14 Ninja Ryuukenden-Related Goods 2

■ This is a staff jacket distributed during the rooftop event for Ninja Ryuukenden 2 at Takashimaya. [FRONT] [BACK]

■ This is a handmade calendar sent to me by a fan. I was truly touched and delighted by the thoughtfulness of fans like this.
TOP - PART ONE (1-12) - PART TWO (13-24) - PART THREE (25-34 + EXTRA)