Ninja Spirit

Cover of the Amstrad CPC version
Developer(s)	Irem Bits Studios (Game Boy)
Publisher(s)	Irem NEC
Platform(s)	Arcade, TurboGrafx-16, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Boy (Japan only),ZX Spectrum, Virtual Console
Release date(s)	1988
Genre(s)	Platform game
Mode(s)	Single-player

Ninja Spirit, known in Japan as Saigo no Nindou (最後の忍道^?), is a 1988 platform arcade game developed and published by Irem.

The game's hero, Gekkou (月光^?), is a young ninja who lost his father to a mysterious half-man half-beast creature. The plot of Ninja Spirit is based on the quest of his revenge in an alternative feudal Japan.

Gekkou's journey takes him through seven stages, varying from woodlands, wastelands, swamps, temples and cliffs. Each stage begins with the player slashing his way to the end, until he confronts a level boss.

The ninja is always armed with the katana, Righteous Cloud, which can be fluidly used to attack in all directions. Extra weapons include the Swirling Leaf (shurikens), the Bamboo Thunder (bombs), and the Rising Dragon/Shouryu (kusarigama). There are also several power-up items, such as one unleashing multiple ninja ghosts to assist the player.

The game was successfully ported onto multiple platforms. The most popular port is the TurboGrafx-16 format which includes two styles of mode: the PC engine mode which provides a lengthy healthbar, and the Arcade mode, which is a more challenging mode where the ninja dies with the slightest contact. That version was ported to the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console on May 14, 2007, was delisted on March 30, 2012 and was available again on September 17, 2013 in Japan and on September 19, 2013 in North America and Europe.