Honestly, if you missed out on Ninja Five-O back in 2003, nobody can really blame you. It was a weird time. The Game Boy Advance was basically a dumping ground for licensed trash and questionable ports, and here comes a game about a "Ninja Cop" published by Konami. It sounded like a joke. The box art looked like a generic action movie you'd find in a bargain bin at a gas station.
But then people actually played it.
What they found wasn't a budget cash-in, but arguably one of the most mechanically tight action-platformers ever made for a handheld. Developed by Hudson Soft, it felt like a love letter to the 16-bit era, specifically mash-ups of Shinobi, Rolling Thunder, and Bionic Commando.
For years, it was the "holy grail" for collectors. Finding a legit cartridge of the North American version could set you back $300 to $500—sometimes more if you wanted the box. Thankfully, Konami finally brought it to modern platforms like the Switch and PS5 in 2025, but the original GBA hardware experience still holds a certain mystique.
What is Ninja Five-O actually about?
You play as Joe Osugi. He's a detective, but also a ninja. It's basically the best job description ever conceived. The plot is thin, but it's enough to get you moving: a terrorist group has stolen some mystical masks that turn people into super-powered maniacs. You have to go into banks, airports, and secret bases to rescue hostages and kill everyone in a mask.
The gameplay loop is simple but punishing. You aren't just running from left to right. Each stage is a series of interconnected rooms where you need to find colored keys to progress.
The Kaginawa Hook: A Masterclass in Movement
The absolute heart of Ninja Five-O is the grappling hook, or the Kaginawa. Most games get grappling hooks wrong—they're either too stiff or too automatic. Here, it’s physics-based. You can swing in 360-degree circles, adjust the length of your line mid-swing, and use the momentum to catapult yourself across the screen.
It takes a minute to click. You’ll probably plummet into a pit a few times. But once you get the hang of "swinging" into a backflip while throwing shurikens at a guard? You feel like a god.
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Why it became a $400 Game
Supply and demand is a brutal teacher. When the game launched in April 2003, it had almost zero marketing. Most retailers didn't even stock it. Those that did only got a handful of copies.
Word of mouth eventually caught up, but by then, the GBA was winding down and Konami wasn't interested in a second print run. It became a "sleeper hit" in the truest sense. By the 2010s, retro YouTubers started screaming about how good it was, and the price on eBay headed for the moon.
A Quick Side Note: If you’re in Europe, you might know this game as Ninja Cop. It’s the exact same game, just a different title and a slightly cooler logo. Weirdly enough, it never even came out in Japan, despite being made by Hudson Soft.
Let's talk about the difficulty
This isn't a "hold right to win" kind of game. It’s hard. Like, "pixel-perfect jump or you’re dead" hard.
- Hostages are fragile: If you accidentally hit a hostage while trying to kill a terrorist, you lose a life or fail the mission depending on the difficulty.
- Power-ups are fleeting: You can upgrade your shurikens to lasers and fireballs, but one hit from an enemy knocks you back down to basic projectiles.
- Boss fights are puzzles: You can't just spam attacks. Each boss, like the guy who rides a giant frog, requires you to master the grapple and wait for a very specific opening.
The 2025 Modern Re-release
For the longest time, your only options were to pay a month's rent for a cartridge or use an emulator. But in February 2025, Konami (working with Limited Run Games) put it on the Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC.
Is it worth the $25 price tag?
If you’re a purist, maybe not. It’s essentially a ROM in a wrapper. But it includes a rewind feature and save states, which, quite frankly, makes the game much more playable for people who don't have the patience to restart a 10-minute level because of one stray bullet.
Actionable Insights for New Players
If you're diving into Ninja Five-O for the first time, whether on original hardware or the new ports, keep these tips in mind to keep your sanity:
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- Don't ignore the sword: Shurikens are great for distance, but your sword (R button) deals way more damage and can often deflect certain projectiles. Use it for close-quarters crowd control.
- Learn the "Loop-de-loop": Practice swinging in full circles on the grapple hook. It’s the only way to build enough speed to reach some of the hidden areas and keys.
- Binoculars are actually useful: You can use Joe's binoculars to scroll the screen and see what's ahead. This prevents "blind jumps" into a pit of spikes or a guy with a shotgun.
- Save your Ninja Magic: You get two types of magic (invincibility and screen-clear). Don't waste them on regular grunts; save them for the second phase of boss fights.
The game is short—you can beat it in about three hours if you’re good—but those three hours are some of the most concentrated fun you'll find in the GBA library. It’s a relic of an era where developers cared more about tight mechanics than cinematic storytelling.
If you want to experience why this game has a cult following, start with the first Bank mission. Once you pull off your first successful grapple-swing-kill combo, you’ll get it.