Once the player has been discovered or is left without any other options, they must face their enemy in combat. While this is not the easiest way to deal with foes, sometimes it may be more practical or quick than running.
All enemy types have their own unique moveset and animations. Some of them may telegraph their strongest attacks before execution, so be observant.
It's heavily discouraged to confront large groups of enemies. Underestimating a foe, from the mighty Bear to the common Soldier can quickly prove fatal.
This page lists movesets from Way of the Ninja and Tales of the Ninja. For movesets in Revenge of Zen see Combat in Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen.
See also Items in Shinobido: Way of the Ninja and Weapons.
Player Characters
Goh the Crow
The protagonist and first playable character, Goh's moveset is the most varied in the game, amplified by his ability, as a player character, to use all tools available in the game.
He attacks with his ninjato and kicks, and is one of the few characters who can attack while running without having to stop first or lose momentum.
Square | Slash
Square, Forward + Square | Slash to Power Slash
Square(x2) | Double Slash
Square(x3) wait 1s R1+Triangle | Double Slash to Kick to Power slash (like Zaji)
Square(x2), Forward + Square ,
R1+Triangle | Double Slash to Jumping Strike to Power slash
Square(x2), Forward + Square(x2)| Double Slash, Jumping Strike to Power Slash
| (PAL only)
Square(x2), Forward + Square, | Double Slash, Jumping Strike, Slash to Kick
Square(x2) | (PAL only)
Back + Square | Kick
Square (While Midair) | Downwards Strike
Square (While Sprinting) | Leap Forward and Slash
Square (Near Downed Enemy) | Low Kick
R1 + Back + Square | Low Kick
R1 + Square | Rising Uppercut
R1 + Square(x2) | Rising Uppercut to Downwards Strike
| (PAL only)
R1 + Triangle | Throws enemy overhead leaving them downed.
R1 + Forward + X | Forward roll into enemy, flips over enemy
| allowing you to attack / grab from behind.
Triangle | Grabs enemy, press Square / Triangle rapidly
| for a chance to perform an forced stealth
| kill.
| (Easiest from behind or on enemy with low HP)
new edit by me Sk8er_RK on Instagram :) 7/12/2018
Kinu the Canary
Unlike her clanmates, Kinu's moveset is unique and somewhat orthodox. She is the only character who can combo range attacks (ignoring thrown weapons).
Square | Slash to Left Stance (LS)
Square (From LS) | Slash to Right Stance (RS)
Forward + Square (From LS) | Long Range Attack, hits multiple times.
Forward + Square(x2)(From LS) | Long Range Attack to 360 Spin Attack
Forward + Square(x3)(From LS) | Long Range Attack to 360 Spin Attack(x2)
Forward + Square (From RS) | 360 Spin Attack
Forward + Square(x2)(From RS) | 360 Spin Attack(x2)
Square (While Midair) | Slash to Legs
Square (While Sprinting) | Leap Forward and Slash
Square (Near Downed Enemy) | Low Kick
R1 + Back + Square | Low Kick
R1 + Square | Long Range Forward Attack
R1 + Triangle | Slides through enemy's legs and trips them up
| leaving them downed.
R1 + Forward + X | Forward roll into enemy, flips over enemy
| allowing you to attack / grab from behind.
Triangle | Grabs enemy, press Square / Triangle rapidly
| for a chance to perform an forced stealth
| kill.
| (Easiest from behind or on enemy with low HP)
Alternate Skins
All alternate skins use Goh's moveset, with voice samples taken from their respective characters. The only exception is Kinu's alternate costume, which uses her own moveset.
The Bear slightly skin alters the moveset by its heavily reduced jump ability. And while landing produces a shaking effect it doesn't seem to alert enemies.
Enemies
- Soldiers: Rank and file soldiers. Can get upgrades and new weapons if their warlord receives secret documents/weapon designs. Variants are Katana wielders, Bow wielders and Rifle wielders.
- Samurai Generals: Retainers and field generals. Very resilent and strong, use two katanas in combat. Can only be found in fortress-type locations.
- Oxcarts: Armored transport carts. Can only be found during specific missions. Attack with a cannon. Can't see or attack behind themselves.
- Yojimbos: Hired warriors that work independantly. Very strong but lacking in defense. A warlord's economic situation does not affect them (can't get hungry). They never call for help.
- Kenobi Ninja: Ninja clan for hire. They are fast, prefer to attack from melee and use shuriken and weakening and confusion bombs.
- Mosu Ninja: Ninja clan for hire. They are fast but prefer to attack from distance with kunai. If close they use claws, staggering kicks and grapples.
- Taraba Ninja: Ninja clan for hire. They are slow and heavy, but are armed with poweful blades and cannons and their armor makes them more resilent.
- Barbarians: Aggressive savages. They are clumsy and erratic. Regularily attempt to raid your hut.
- Barbarian Chieftains: Leaders of the savages. Very strong and resilent. Somewhat clumsy, but not as much as their lackeys.
- Bears: Wild beasts. Extremely strong. Don't have a patrol pattern and are unnafected by poisoned food. Will attack any enemy on sight.
- Merchants: Rich businessmen. They are weak and cowardly, and often run from the ninja. Attack with a gun.
- Village Girls: Citizens of Utakata. They are weak and cowardly. Attack from a distance with shuriken mushrooms. Will run from the ninja and scream for help, but their clumsiness often makes them stumble.
- Princesses: Noblewomen. They scream for help if they spot the ninja but can put up a fight with kicks and mushroom shuriken. Will run away if cornered.
Bosses
See Bosses for a list of all bosses in the game.
Samurai Generals and Barbarian Chieftains are considered common NPC despite their boss status. Ninja Masters can be fought more than once. Daimyo can only be fought under certain conditions. Gamuran, as the final boss, can only be fought once, while Zaji has to be fought twice.