Ninja Gaiden II Black: A Gory Tribute to Itagaki’s Uncompromising Vision

As a gamer, I’ve been tearing through Ninja Gaiden II Black, the latest remaster from Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo. It’s no secret that Ryu’s a tech-lover, dating back to his first appearance in an exclusive arcade cabinet, then on the Nintendo Entertainment System with its vibrant, unfinished hues, and finally on the Xbox, where his most intense adventures were fueled by its glowing green power. The “Black” in the title is more than just a suffix; it’s a tribute to the era of director Tomonobu Itagaki, who ruled over the series during the 2000s. He was the one who rescued Ninja Gaiden from the brink of obscurity with the release in 2004, and then he brought back Ninja Gaiden Black a year later, calling it the “best and ultimate” version. For Itagaki, words were weapons, his favorite being blunt – and he didn’t care about any resulting pain.