Malth: I am Malth. You will never get past me.
Ryu: *bzzzzzz*
Malth: (bursts into flames)

Stage Time Grade Comments
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1-1: 119 A+ This stage cannot be done significantly faster.
1-2: 148 A+ These two jump slashes on the boss are slightly faster than using just one.
2-1: 110 A I can occasionally get 111 on this stage by cutting corners more aggressively.
2-2: 106 B My windmill fails to defeat the green goblins, and I use the lesser bat jump.
2-3: 148 A+ As with the first boss, I defeat this one with two jump slashes.
3-1: 130 A I hesitate a bit too much behind the three bullets.
3-2: 118 A Running without stopping through this stage would have led to 119.
3-3: 145 A- This boss can be defeated a full second faster by using careful timing.
4-1: 118 A- I could have jumped off of the tall ladder a little sooner to get 119.
4-2: 119 A I had to wait for one of the falling swords to get out of the way.
4-3: 114 A The ax thrower at the end will sometimes boost me forward to get 115.
4-4: 149 A I think I could have gone a few frames faster by reacting a bit sooner.
5-1: 116 A Again, running without stopping would have led to a slightly faster time.
5-2: 113 A- Saving extra ninpo for 5-3 is great, but I decide to skip the eagle boost.
5-3: 102 B- I waste some time on the orange-clad buffoon, and a green goblin hits me.
5-4: 150 A+ I time my jump slash well, defeating Malth in 150.
6-1: 130 A- One of the bats launches me backward, slowing me down by about a second.
6-2: 100 D+ I fail hitting my targets using a regular sword attack as well as a jump slash.
6-3: 105 A- With hindsight, I can see that I did not need to get the extra health.
6-4: 149 A+ I successfully jump slash the bright red clown nose.
6-4: 132 C+ Ryu decides to use a butter knife against the flying fat man.
6-5: 138 A- The head could have been removed faster, but the popcorn shrimp did not hit me.
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Thank you to all the submitters who previously ran Ninja Gaiden:
- tmont, for completing the first Ninja Gaiden speed run even though you hated this game
- LigerofFortune, for popularizing the legendary 6-2 damage boost
- Arctic_Eagle, for your solid Ninja route that I have copied many times
- Vugmer, for improving the record yet again, which forced me to try even harder

Also, thanks to:
- sinister1, who I think of as my Ninja Gaiden coach, for providing countless time-saving tips
- Scumtron, for his TAS run, which must be studied by every serious Ninja Gaiden runner
- the SDA crew, for making this run available to the public
- fans of Ninja Gaiden and/or speed runs, for making my contribution feel important
- The Demon Statue, for giving me the maximum amount of luck
Let's see if we can beat 12:30 next time.
- Kevin Carstensen

Shadow Warriors is the european version of Ninja Gaiden. It's slightly modified from the american version, with floatier jumps, slightly slower etc.

I felt the need to improve my old Shadow Warriors run as I heard Jim Hanson "The Ninja" demolished the old NTSC-WR with 25? seconds. Shadow Warriors/Ninja Gaiden is a nice challenge to speed run, and it's still my second favorite NES-title. This run went pretty well for me, especially the hack and slash platforming play. The Demon could be killed faster as usual, but I'm not very good at him unfortunately.

Thanks to Tommy Montgomery for going through the pain of recording his Ninja Gaiden run, a game he doesn't seem to hold in high regards, teaching me (and others) the basics of the game and more. Thanks to Josh Styger for his 13:33 Ninja Gaiden run which I learned a few more details from. And thanks to the 'SDA-crew' for transferring from VHS and putting my run up on site etc.

Hope you all enjoy the run!

Here are my stage-times for the run with my best ever stage-times in parenthesis:

1-1: 124 (124)
1-2: 148 (148)
2-1: 117 (117)
2-2: 114 (114)
2-3: 148 (148)
3-1: 132 (133)
3-2: 124 (125)
3-3: 145 (145?)
4-1: 124 (124)
4-2: 124 (125)
4-3: 116 (117)
4-4: 150 (150)
5-1: 119 (121)
5-2: 120 (120)
5-3: 111 (111)
5-4: 149 (149)
6-1: 134 (134)
6-2: 108 (109)
6-3: 112 (113)
6-4: 149 (149)
6-4: 131 (?)
6-5: 135 (?)