We haven’t seen Ryu Hayabusa on the Nintendo console in almost nine years. But Ninja Gaiden 3: Razors Edge was aimed at Wii U in 2012, as rumors had surfaced about a compilation of reboot trilogies on Switch. Like many popular characters, Ninja Gaiden protagonist Ryu Hayabusa has often been asked for Smash and reboot director Tomonobu Itagaki has weighed heavily.
Having worked on the said Ninja Gaiden restart, Ninja Gaiden II i Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, Tomonobu Itagaki recently spoke with Dexerto about the series. When asked if he thought Ryu could ever come Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, gave the idea “two thumbs up.”
Commenting further on this, he replied:
Super Smash Bros. is a very popular game. I think it’s a big enough stage for Ryu Hayabusa to play an active role.
It is worth mentioning that Tomonobu Itagaki left Tecmo in 2008 to form his own team, Valhalla Game Studios, which you remember he launched Third devil on Wii U. As such, Itagaki could not confirm if there are any plans to add Ryu, although we know he is currently looking to start a new project.
Meanwhile, while we wait for more news on this trilogy port, you can still check out the original NES game using the Switch Online service.
Would you like to see Ryu join Smash Bros? Would you make a likely candidate? Let us know in the comments.