Ninja Gaiden 4: full platinum guide step by step

«Acquire all trophies» · True Ninja

Earn every other trophy in the game. At 14.46%, it is one of the rarest trophies in the game.

Category

Platinum

Missable

No

Unlocked by

14.46% of players

Master Ninja difficulty in Ninja Gaiden 4 and the trophy that decides the platinum →

«Defeat the Kitsune Courtesan and break the first seal» · Oh, Foxy Lady

Defeat the courtesan Kitsune and break the first seal.

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

75.11% of players

It's the story's first boss and the first of the four seals that structure the campaign. 75.11% have it.

The game has 19 chapters and the drop between bosses is steady: from here to the last story achievement, almost twenty points of the player base falls away.

«Defeat Kurobo and break the second seal» · It's a Dog! It's a Plane! It's...

Defeat Kurobo and break the second seal.

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

64.51% of players

Second of the four seals. 64.51% have it, eleven points below the first.

If you're going for the platinum, use every chapter to open the Purgatory gates you find: there are 18 in total across the story and they're the main source of weapon XP, which is exactly what runs short later for the five mastery achievements.

«Defeat Cetus and break the third seal» · Smile, You Son of a...

Defeat Cetus and break the third seal.

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

60.76% of players

Third of the four. 60.76% have it.

By now you should have three of Yakumo's four weapons: Takeminakata from the start, Yatousen mid-story and Magatsuhi. Each has 12 skills and maxing one costs around 350,000 points of weapon XP, so don't leave that part until last.

«Revive the Dark Dragon in exchange for Seori's life» · Priestess of the Dark Dragon

Revive the Dark Dragon at the cost of Seori's life.

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

58.42% of players

It's a story-progress achievement and can't be avoided: it's part of the turn that opens the campaign's final stretch.

58.42% have it. From here the game changes hands and Ryu Hayabusa's chapters begin — there are three of them.

«Start Ryu Hayabusa's story» · Return of the Super Ninja

Begin Ryu Hayabusa's story.

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

58.39% of players

Ryu is playable across three chapters and plays differently from Yakumo: he hits harder, which is exactly why he's the pick for Master Ninja difficulty.

58.39% have it. His chapters hide three health items of his own — the other twenty are Yakumo's — and you need all 23 for Ninja Fortitude.

«Head to the final battle carrying the wishes of Seori» · The Priestess's Wish

Head to the final battle to fulfil Seori's wishes.

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

56.59% of players

It's the progress achievement just before the ending. 56.59% have it.

If you're going for the platinum, this is a good place to pause: finishing the story unlocks Master Ninja difficulty, the boss trials and chapter-select access to everything you skipped. Nothing is missable, so there's no need to play carefully on the first run.

«Hold your own against Ryu Hayabusa» · Bloodsoaked Fate

Face down Ryu Hayabusa.

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

56.18% of players

The confrontation between the two protagonists, and the second-to-last story achievement. 56.18% have it.

The near-identical figure to the previous achievement says something specific: whoever gets this far doesn't quit. All of the game's drop-off happens in the first half.

«Purify the Dark Dragon and save the world» · A New Master Ninja

Purify the Dark Dragon and save the world: the end of the campaign.

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

56.31% of players

It's gold and 56.31% have it. Finishing the story on any difficulty is enough.

A curious warning: players report this achievement popping early, mid-run and for no reason. If it happens to you it doesn't mean anything is broken; finish the campaign anyway, because what it unlocks — Master Ninja, the trials and chapter select — depends on actually having finished it.

«Recover the lost Dark Dragon Blade» · Wielder of Darkness

Recover the lost Dark Dragon Blade.

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

25.04% of players

It isn't a story achievement: the blade comes from completing Boss Trial 13, which unlocks after you finish the campaign. That's why only 25.04% have it despite sounding like plot progress.

It's also the gateway to Master of the Dark Dragon Blade, which wants all 12 of its skills: without the blade, that other achievement can't even start.

«Defeat Oniwaka in his final encounter» · Consumed by Corruption

Defeat Oniwaka in his final encounter. 19.74% have it. This is where the list starts separating the players who are really going for the platinum.

Category

Story

Missable

No

Unlocked by

19.74% of players

«Complete the game on MASTER NINJA difficulty» · Way of the Master Ninja

Complete the game on MASTER NINJA difficulty.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

15.64% of players

It unlocks once you've finished the story on any difficulty. And it can be done through chapter select, so you don't need a clean start-to-finish run.

Two tips that change a lot: play as Ryu wherever you can, because he deals more damage, and bring the accessories you've accumulated — the ring that lowers Ki consumption, the scroll that builds it faster and the orb that widens the dodge window. At 15.64% it's the achievement, alongside Challenger of Challenges, that decides the platinum.

Master Ninja difficulty in Ninja Gaiden 4 and the trophy that decides the platinum →

«Reach maximum health with Yakumo and Ryu» · Ninja Fortitude

Max out both Yakumo's and Ryu's health.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

17.71% of players

That's 23 health items in total: 20 for Yakumo and 3 for Ryu, the latter in chests within his three chapters. They come from collectibles and mission rewards.

17.71% have it, and the reason it's so low is that four of them only exist in New Game+, in the flower kunai missions. It can't be closed on a first run no matter how thoroughly you search.

«Learn all Takeminakata Weapon Skills» · Master of Takeminakata

Learn all of Takeminakata's weapon skills — the red blade you start with.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

50.47% of players

That's 12 skills, costing around 350,000 points of weapon XP, earned from kills and above all from the 18 Purgatory gates scattered through the chapters.

50.47% have it, the highest of the five mastery achievements: it's the most-used weapon, so its XP climbs by itself.

«Learn all Yatousen Weapon Skills» · Master of Yatousen

Learn all of Yatousen's weapon skills — the drill.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

31.39% of players

Same 12 skills and same ~350,000 points as the other weapons, but only 31.39% have it: almost twenty points below Takeminakata, because it's a weapon most players try and drop.

The shortcut is deliberate: keep it equipped while you do the Purgatory gates and the missions, because XP goes to whichever weapon you're holding.

«Learn all Magatsuhi Weapon Skills» · Master of Magatsuhi

Learn all of Magatsuhi's weapon skills — the hammer.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

25.74% of players

Same 12 skills, same ~350,000 points. 25.74% have it.

This is where the underlying problem with the five mastery achievements shows: XP isn't global, it goes to the equipped weapon. Maxing all five means deliberately splitting your time, and anyone who plays with their favourite weapon finishes with one maxed and four half-done.

«Learn all Kage-Hiruko Weapon Skills» · Master of Kage-Hiruko

Learn all of Kage-Hiruko's weapon skills — the toolbox Yakumo uses to throw shuriken and kunai.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

23.13% of players

It's the ranged option among Yakumo's four and the least used: 23.13% have it.

If you leave it for last, the combat trials are the fastest place to level it: endless enemies, no travel, and whatever weapon you choose.

«Learn all Dark Dragon Blade Weapon Skills» · Master of the Dark Dragon Blade

Learn all of the Dark Dragon Blade's weapon skills — Ryu's weapon.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

19.58% of players

There's a prerequisite that isn't obvious: the blade comes from completing Boss Trial 13, which only exists after you finish the campaign. Until then this achievement is locked.

19.58% have it, the rarest of the five masteries, and that's exactly why: playing isn't enough, you have to clear a boss trial first.

«Learn all Combat Skills» · Master of Combat

Learn all combat skills — the ones that aren't tied to a weapon.

Category

Mastery

Missable

No

Unlocked by

21.57% of players

Unlike the five weapon masteries, this branch is shared, so the XP you put into it isn't split. 21.57% have it.

Ryu's section also has 13 combat skills of his own spread across his three chapters: if you miss one, go back through chapter select — nothing is lost.

«Perform an Obliteration» · The Art of Obliteration

Perform an Obliteration. At 100.0%, it pops almost on its own during the first few hours.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

100.00% of players

«Enter Bloodraven Form» · Bloodraven Form

Enter Bloodraven Form. At 100.0%, it pops almost on its own during the first few hours.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

100.00% of players

«Perform a Bloodbath Kill» · The Art of the Bloodbath Kill

Perform a Bloodbath Kill. At 86.74%, it pops almost on its own during the first few hours.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

86.74% of players

«Perform a Bloodbath Slaughter» · The Art of the Bloodbath Slaughter

Perform a Bloodbath Slaughter. It's the payoff of the Berserk state: fill the purple circle with kills and obliterations, and once it's full press L3 + R3. Everything in your line of sight dies instantly.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

76.86% of players

76.86% have it and it falls out of the first few hours, because the game pushes you to use it.

Worth understanding rather than just unlocking: on Master Ninja, clearing a whole room in one press is the difference between getting through and dying.

«Use the Caddis Wire» · Raven Gear: Caddis Wire

Use the Caddis Wire. At 90.55%, it pops almost on its own during the first few hours.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

90.55% of players

«Use the Dragonfly Glider» · Raven Gear: Dragonfly Glider

Use the Dragonfly Glider, one of the Raven Gear pieces. You get it in Chapter 06 and it's for gliding.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

73.01% of players

No trick to it: the moment you have it, the chapter makes you use it. 73.01% have it.

That same chapter hides Free as a Bird, which asks you to glide through it without hitting a single obstacle and with auto-movement switched off. Attempting it on the first pass saves you a return trip.

«Use the Pond Strider» · Raven Gear: Pond Strider

Use the Pond Strider, the Raven Gear piece that lets you skate across water. You get it in Chapter 10.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

63.62% of players

Like the Dragonfly Glider, it pops the moment the chapter hands it to you. 63.62% have it.

And as in Chapter 06, this one has its own no-crash traversal challenge. If you're going for the platinum, do it while you're there rather than replaying later.

«Use Takeminakata to attack 5 or more enemies at once» · Master of the Blade

Use Takeminakata to hit 5 or more enemies at once. 61.04% of players have it.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

61.04% of players

«Use Yatousen to inflict massive damage in a short time» · Master of the Drill

Use Yatousen to deal heavy damage in a short window. Yatousen is the drill, Yakumo's second weapon, obtained mid-story.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

38.71% of players

The achievement doesn't ask for a number: it asks you to keep the drill buried in a large enemy until the damage counter spikes. Against a boss or a heavy enemy it lands first try.

38.71% have it, well below other technique achievements: most players swap weapons before the drill has time to build.

«Use Magatsuhi to Bloodbath Kill 5 or more enemies in a short time» · Master of the Hammer

Use Magatsuhi to Bloodbath Kill 5 or more enemies in a short time. 33.46% have it: it no longer drops by itself, you have to go looking for it.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

33.46% of players

«Use Kage-Hiruko to defeat an enemy launched in the air» · Master of the Toolbox

Use Kage-Hiruko to finish off an enemy you have launched into the air. 47.46% have it: it no longer drops by itself, you have to go looking for it.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

47.46% of players

«Defeat 3 enemies in a row with an Ultimate Technique» · Way of the Dragon

Defeat 3 enemies in a row with an ultimate technique.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

68.53% of players

All three have to fall in the same execution, not one after another. The reliable way is to wait for a tight group and release it there, with Takeminakata, the weapon with the widest circular attacks.

68.53% have it. If it's giving you trouble, any wave-based combat trial hands you packed groups over and over without having to look.

«Achieve a 2000-point combo» · Combo Master

Land a 2,000-point combo.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

55.63% of players

Combo score rises by chaining hits without taking damage and without long pauses. Two thousand isn't a high bar: it lands against any sizeable group if you hold the chain.

55.63% have it. What breaks the chain is almost never missing — it's getting hit. The more open the arena and the further away the other enemies, the easier it is.

«Clear Chapter 02 without falling once (Auto Movement OFF)» · The Grind Never Stops

Clear Chapter 02 without falling once. 22.8% have it. This is where the list starts separating the players who are really going for the platinum.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

22.80% of players

The 4 chapter challenges in Ninja Gaiden 4 and the setting that voids them →

«Clear Chapter 06 without hitting any obstacles (Auto Movement OFF)» · Free as a Bird

Complete Chapter 06 gliding without hitting a single obstacle, and with auto-movement switched off.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

39.50% of players

Chapter 06 is where you get the Dragonfly Glider. The auto-movement condition is the decisive one: with the assist on, the achievement doesn't count even if you never crash.

39.5% have it. It replays through chapter select as often as you like, so if you clip something, restart and go again.

The 4 chapter challenges in Ninja Gaiden 4 and the setting that voids them →

«Clear Chapter 10 without hitting any obstacles (Auto Movement OFF)» · Surf Ninja

Clear Chapter 10 without hitting any obstacles. At 16.94%, it is one of the rarest trophies in the game.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

16.94% of players

The 4 chapter challenges in Ninja Gaiden 4 and the setting that voids them →

«Clear Chapter 12 without being hit by a laser (Auto Movement OFF)» · Laser's Edge

Clear Chapter 12 without being hit by a single laser. 18.35% have it. This is where the list starts separating the players who are really going for the platinum.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

18.35% of players

The 4 chapter challenges in Ninja Gaiden 4 and the setting that voids them →

«Complete any chapter without dying (excluding Chapters 00 and 14)» · Shadow Incarnate

Complete any chapter without dying. Chapters 00 and 14 are excluded for being too short.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

59.54% of players

Any of the others works, so pick the shortest and do it on the lowest difficulty: difficulty is irrelevant to this achievement.

59.54% have it. It replays through chapter select without limit, so if you die, restart and go again.

«Complete 20 Missions» · Ninja Business

Complete 20 missions. There are 55 in total: 34 tied to a specific chapter and 21 general ones.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

49.90% of players

Missions are enemy hunts, specific targets and combat challenges, and they pay out in health items and NinjaCoin, which is what you need for two other achievements.

49.9% have it. Twenty out of fifty-five fall out of the story almost on their own; the problem arrives with Work Horse, which wants all 55.

«Obtain 100,000 NinjaCoin» · NinjaCoin Miner

Earn 100,000 NinjaCoin.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

73.31% of players

Coins come from everything: enemies, missions, Purgatory gates and trials. 73.31% have it because 100,000 is a figure you hit without trying.

If you're going for the platinum you'll have plenty spare: boss trials pay tens of thousands each. Spend them on crimson blood items, which recharge the Ki gauge, because on Master Ninja those are what carry a long fight.

«Obtain 30 items» · Need, not Greed

Obtain 30 items.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

79.18% of players

Anything picked up or bought counts, so there's nothing to hunt: it comes from playing. 79.18% have it, one of the most common in the game.

If you're somehow short at the end, buying from the shop counts, and by then NinjaCoin is in surplus.

«Complete all Missions» · Work Horse

Complete every mission: all 55, across the 34 chapter ones and the 21 general ones.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

16.99% of players

16.99% have it. The problem isn't the missions themselves, it's that some only exist in New Game+ — the flower kunai ones — so this achievement forces a second run by design.

Use that second run: it's also where the four missing health items for Ninja Fortitude and Boss Trial 14 come from.

«Obliterate every enemy» · The One Who Obliterates

Obliterate every enemy in the game. Obliterating means severing a limb with your attacks and then finishing them point-blank with triangle.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

20.59% of players

That's 36 story enemies plus the Black Spider ninjas, who only appear in the combat trials: without going through those, this achievement can't close. And four types can't be obliterated at all — Burabura, the Tsukumo variants and Eltus — so don't go looking.

20.59% have it. Keep a list handy: several enemy families have variants that count separately.

«Collect every Gourdy» · Critter Collector

Collect all 15 Gourdies, spread across twelve of the nineteen chapters.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

20.25% of players

There are two kinds. The regular ones stand still and are captured by nailing a button combination. The blue ones are skittish: if they see you coming, they bolt. Those have to be taken from behind, waiting for them to turn away. Five of the fifteen are blue, and they are the only part with any difficulty.

Nothing is missable: in New Game+ you can pick a chapter and replay it on the lowest difficulty to mop up whatever you are short of. 20.25% have it.

«Complete all Purgatory trials» · Annihilator

Complete every Purgatory trial: all 18 scattered through the chapters.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

20.09% of players

Two warnings that save hours. One: they have to be the in-chapter ones, not the Challenge Mode versions from the main menu, which don't count. Two: they can be done on any difficulty, so drop it to the lowest and get on with it.

20.09% have it. Beyond this achievement, they're the main source of weapon XP, so doing them early speeds up all five masteries.

«Complete all Challenges» · Challenger of Challenges

Complete every challenge. Three families: 18 combat trials, 18 Purgatory trials and 14 boss trials.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

14.92% of players

The detail that stretches it out: Boss Trial 14 only unlocks in New Game+, so like Work Horse it forces a second run.

It's gold and 14.92% have it. Together with Way of the Master Ninja it's what separates the platinum owners from everyone else.

«Defeat the mysterious fiend in Tokyo» · The Pursuit of Duty

Defeat the mysterious fiend in Tokyo, the first story boss of The Two Masters expansion.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

16.54% of players

16.54% have it, and that number doesn't measure difficulty: it measures how many players bought the DLC. The expansion's eight achievements sit outside the base game's platinum.

If you come straight off finishing the game, the expansion assumes the whole system: it reintroduces nothing and starts at the demand level where you left off.

«Defeat the new threat from the shadows» · A Life Dedicated to Duty

Defeat the new threat from the shadows, the second story boss of The Two Masters.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

15.91% of players

15.91% have it. The drop from the first boss is just six tenths of a point: whoever starts the expansion finishes it.

This is the point to decide whether you're going for Way of the New Master Ninja, which asks you to replay the whole expansion on Master Ninja.

«Bring peace to Tokyo once more» · The Two Masters

Bring peace back to Tokyo once more: the ending of The Two Masters expansion.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

15.21% of players

15.21% have it, half a point below the previous boss.

Finishing it opens the rest of the expansion's content: the new boss trials, the EX trials and the Abyssal Path mode — the five remaining achievements and the rarest on the whole list.

«Complete the Seere Boss Trial» · Scornful Mother of the Damned

Complete Seere's boss trial, one of the new trials The Two Masters adds.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

8.46% of players

Seere appears in two different versions among the expansion's trials, one built around speed and one around power. Clearing the one the achievement asks for is enough.

8.46% have it: below ten per cent and already in the band almost nobody reaches. In return, the expansion's boss trials pay over twenty thousand NinjaCoin each.

The 8 trophies in the Ninja Gaiden 4 expansion The Two Masters →

«Complete the Mecha Soldier Boss Trial» · More Machine than Fiend

Complete the mechanical soldier's boss trial, another of the new trials in The Two Masters.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

8.75% of players

8.75% have it, practically the same as Seere's trial: whoever does one does the other.

Like the rest of the boss trials it repeats without penalty and pays well. If you're going for Way of the New Master Ninja, the coin you bank here funds the items you'll need later.

The 8 trophies in the Ninja Gaiden 4 expansion The Two Masters →

«Complete any EX Trial» · Ultimate Challenge

Complete any EX trial, the extreme-difficulty trials The Two Masters adds.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

6.48% of players

The important word is "any": one is enough, you don't need them all. Even so, only 6.48% have it.

They're the step above the standard combat trials, so arrive with your weapons levelled and your accessories on: there's no room to experiment here.

The 8 trophies in the Ninja Gaiden 4 expansion The Two Masters →

«Complete "The Two Masters" on MASTER NINJA difficulty» · Way of the New Master Ninja

Complete The Two Masters on Master Ninja difficulty.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

5.77% of players

It's the whole expansion on the hardest setting, and at 5.77% it's the rarest gold in the game.

Same advice as the base campaign: Ki accessories equipped, the Art of the Wind Blades Ninpo for groups and Piercing Void for bosses. And arrive with all five weapons levelled, because on Master Ninja there's no single weapon that covers everything.

The 8 trophies in the Ninja Gaiden 4 expansion The Two Masters →

«Complete Abyssal Road» · Conqueror of the Abyss

Complete the Abyssal Path, the combat tower The Two Masters adds.

Category

Missable

No

Unlocked by

3.37% of players

It's a climb through floors against increasingly brutal waves. Progress isn't lost, so you can climb it across sessions rather than in one sitting.

At 3.37% it's the rarest achievement in all of Ninja Gaiden 4, base game and expansion included. It doesn't ask for reflexes you don't already have by this point: it asks for stamina.

The 8 trophies in the Ninja Gaiden 4 expansion The Two Masters →