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The Ninja Kids

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The Ninja Kids is a side-scrolling arcade Beat 'em Up made in 1990 by Taito. It received no ports until its inclusion in the Taito Legends Compilation Re-release in 2005. The story is about an evil sect trying to summon "The Satan" on July 1999 (as foretold by Nostradamus), and only a group o...

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Developer
Taito

Released on
1990

Size
1–4 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Beat 'em Up

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

Cooperative
Yes

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Description

The Ninja Kids is a side-scrolling arcade Beat ’em Up made in 1990 by Taito. It received no ports until its inclusion in the Taito Legends Compilation Re-release in 2005.

The story is about an evil sect trying to summon “The Satan” on July 1999 (as foretold by Nostradamus), and only a group of four ninja can stop them.
Pretty standard fare for a videogame, except for the fact that almost every character is a puppet. No, not People Puppets, just regular puppets. Everything about this game is very tongue-in-cheek, though, so it also can be seen as a Stealth Parody of typical cheesy brawler storylines and settings.

The Ninja Kids

Overview & History

Released by Taito in 1990, The Ninja Kids is a vibrant, darkly whimsical beat-'em-up that merges traditional Japanese shinobi folklore with a quirky, neon-drenched post-apocalyptic aesthetic. Players step into the geta sandals of a youthful quartet of mystical martial artists tasked with dismantling the evil Satan-Gore empire, which has kidnapped the wise Master. Operating on Taito’s distinctive hardware, the game stands out in arcade history by blending side-scrolling martial arts action with frantic, four-player simultaneous cooperative chaos, offering a distinctly fast-paced alternative to contemporaries like Capcom's Final Fight.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike standard brawlers confined to a single plane, The Ninja Kids introduces unique vertical depth and frantic pacing across five surreal stages—ranging from haunted forests to mechanized futuristic cities. Players choose from four distinct youngsters: Blue (the agile swordsman), Red (the powerhouse with explosive talismans), Yellow (the acrobatic bo-staff wielder), and Green (the claw-equipped trickster). Each character features standard melee strikes, devastating running attacks, and the ability to summon screen-clearing elemental magic when collecting mystical scrolls. Defeated enemies drop unique power-ups, including speed boosts, health-restoring rice balls, and temporary invincibility, while certain stages allow players to mount robotic wolf-mechs to mow through hordes of mutant goblins, cyborgs, and tengu-masked bosses.