We have not seen Ryu Hayabusa on a Nintendo console for almost nine years now. Although Ninja Gaiden 3: Razors Edge came on the road to Wii U in 2012, there were earlier rumors of a recharge trilogy compilation on Switch. Like many popular characters, Ninja Gaiden main character Ryu Hayabusa was frequently asked for Smash, and reboot director Tomonobu Itagaki weighed in.
After working on the above Ninja Gaiden reload, Ninja Gaiden II and Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, Tomonobu Itagaki recently spoke to Dexerto about the series. Asked if he believes Ryu can ever come Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he gives the idea ‘two thumbs up’.
Commenting further, he replied:
Super Smash Bros. is a very popular game. I think it’s a stage big enough for Ryu Hayabusa to play an active role.
It is noteworthy that Tomonobu left Itagaki Tecmo in 2008 to form his own team, Valhalla Game Studios. Devil’s third on Wii U. As such, Itagaki would not be able to confirm whether there are plans to add Ryu, although we do know that he is currently looking for a new project.
While we wait for further news on the trilogy gate, you can still watch the original NES game via the Switch Online service.
Want to see Ryu join Smash Bros.? Would he make a likely candidate? Let us know in the comments.