The release ofNinja Gaiden The Master Collectionhas fans of the series excited about returning to the games they grew up failing at over and over again. Every game in theNinja Gaidenseries istough beyond any reasonable doubt, but as with any hard game, repeated failures lead to eventual successes.

RELATED:Every Ninja Gaiden Game (& The Consoles They Can Be Played On)

The series has been going on for quite a long time; the first game was released in 1988, almost 33 years ago. The series has amassed a huge fanbase and although the games take themselves very seriously, theNinja Gaidencommunity is no stranger to memes.

10The Dark Dragon is Wasted On Ryu

The story ofNinja Gaiden Dragon Swordfor the Nintendo DS revolves around Ryu trying to find the Dark Dragonstones to re-forge the Dark Dragon Blade and True Dragon Sword. Unfortunately, it ends up summoning the Dark Dragon that Ryu must then put down.

Because Ryu knows that the world cannot coexist withweapons of that unimaginable power, he refuses to use either weapon and sees them destroyed instead.

9Everyone Gets An Izuna Drop

The Izuna drop is a very powerful special technique that lets the player raise enemies up to then drop by the head onto their spinning attacks. It’s relatively hard to pull off, though, as it requires a special set of inputs to complete the combo requirement.

Playerswho have mastered this technique, though, find that it’s ridiculously powerful. When pulled off consecutively it just wipes the floor with opponents, and it’s very tempting to go for nothing but the Izuna drop.

8The Ninja Lebowski

Meme generators online have taken on a life of their own. Do-it-yourself generators and mix-n-match generators are the simplest way to make a home-brewed, organic meme.

Twitter user @robo_hammer posted this quote fromThe Big Lebowskiin a cutscene from the originalNinja Gaiden.Ryu’s darting eyes perfectly encapsulate the reaction to a statement like this.

7Stop, He’s Already Dead!

The most well-known trait of theNinja Gaidenseries is its insane difficulty. Repeated deaths are a part of the learning process, but new players will feel especially punished until they get the swing of things.

RELATED:The Hardest Video Games of All Time

EvenNinja Gaidenfans returning to the series withNinja Gaiden The Master Collectionfind the games surprisingly challenging. Maybe it’s something about aging and losing reflexes of youth, or maybe the games were always this tough, and gamers' memories have gone foggy.

6Let Me In… Let Me IIIIIIIN!

This screencap from the originalNinja Gaidenshows Ryu iconically facing a distant castle in a cutscene from the first game. The perspective makes the size of the castle seem absolutely gigantic, a tantalizing colossus that Ryu stands courageously in front of.

On another note, bouncy castles never stop being fun – hopefully Ryu’s various sharp belongings don’t burst the bouncy castle, though.

5Ninja Gaiden’s Aquatic Fauna Are Unlike Any Other

Ghost Fish are one of theiconic enemies of theNinja Gaidengames. They appear in just about every single entry, and with every new appearance, they feel somehow cheaper and more fickle than their last.

In most video games, fish are pathetic weak creatures that barely exist on a 2D plane. In theNinja Gaidenseries, though, they’re a force to be reckoned with and a reason to pay attention during the watery segments of the game.

4The Best Ninja Gaiden Isn’t Ninja Gaiden At All

It’s a controversial opinion to some, but many fans of theNinja Gaidenseries have been extremely disappointed with recent installments in the series. For some, the newSamurai JackgameSamurai Jack: Battle ThroughTimewas the best ninja-type game in a decade.

RELATED:Ninja Gaiden: The Best Boss Fights In The Modern Franchise (And The Worst)

There are lots of different ninja-type games that have come out over the last few years, but none of theNinja Gaidengames have been well received. Fans of the series might enjoy theSamurai Jackgame as well as theNiohgames andSekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

3Milhouse Dreams Of The Master Collection

The Simpsonsis often hailed as one of the original sources of internet memes – people in the late ’90s and early 2000s just couldn’t escape constant references to the show everywhere. While memes become less tied to mainstream media over time,The Simpsonsis as popular as ever.

This scene fromThe Simpsonsshows Milhouse happily dreaming of himself counting down to waking up.Ninja Gaiden The Master Collectionis availablealready, and the meme sums up the way fans felt about waiting for the game.

2Looks Like Meat’s Back On The Menu

There’s been a trend in video game design lately that revolves around rewarding players through extremely difficult and inconvenient gameplay. For a long time, games pandered to the lowest common denominator, but the success of games likeDark Soulshas brought old-school game mechanics back.

Gamers who stray towards these types of games tend to be unable to return to anything easier. Whenever a “hard” game is announced nowadays, one can’t go far without itbeing compared toNinja Gaiden,the Seki-souls-borne series, or evenHollow Knight.

1Tenchu: Stealth Assassins Raised Us All

https://june2734.tumblr.com/post/625728975041413120

The PlayStation 1 titleTenchu: Stealth Assassinswas one of the first 3D ninja-type games ever made. Because of the gameplay mechanics and standards it introduced, just aboutevery game that features Ninja-type gameplaytakes some kind of inspiration from it.

As a result, gamers who grew up withTenchutended to play games likeGhost of Tsushima,Sekiro, andNioh, as well as the 3DNinja Gaidengames.