Xbox Sport Studio, Koei Tecmo, Group Ninja and PlatinumGames, have launched a brand new video revealing that they teamed up with grasp swordsmith Yuya Nakanishi and the Masahiro Tantoujou Sword Forge to re-create Ryu Hayabusa’s Dragon Sword and Yakumo’s Takeminakata in actual life. The video, which you’ll be able to try beneath, options Nakanishi speaking about his resolution to pursue the artwork of swordsmithing, and the historical past of the katana as properly.
“What we name katanas first appeared about 900 years in the past, within the later Heian interval,” defined Nakanishi. “Among the many individuals who used katanas have been, after all, samurai. And likewise ninjas too. The samurai, properly, they positioned their life and satisfaction on their katana. The aesthetics have been vital. However ninjas, I have to say what they worth most is one thing extra sensible, and never an emblem.”
In line with Nakanishi, making a katana in real-life takes between 5 and seven days. He additionally goes on to explain the bottom technique of forging a katana, from forging to carving blocks and folding the metallic. After this, he goes into element about tempering the blade, sharpening it, and the way it shinning brightly signifies that it has turned out properly.
“When making katanas, together with these swords for Ninja Gaiden 4, the toughest half is the tempering on the finish, particularly the adorning etchings,” he defined. “Ryu’s pink katana, the larger one. This one has an imposing feeling as a result of it’s lengthy, thick and broad, and the etchings are jagged and wild. For this, I turned up the warmth and used increased temperatures.”
“The blue Yakumo sword was extra delicate. The decorations on it are like a raven, spreading its wings, and if I tempered it at excessive temperatures, that delicate feeling can be misplaced.”
“By way of the katanas, my intention was for folks to grasp the personalities of the characters,” he continued. “’Oh, this character is like this, they’ve these tendencies,’ if folks can suppose that approach, I’d be glad.”
Going additional into the small print about how the characters of Ninja Gaiden 4 shall be depicted, artwork director of the sport Tomoko Nishii had written about how idea artwork was created for it, and the way the method usually helps with the visible design and language of a sport in growth. In a dev weblog, she wrote concerning the three sorts of idea artwork: imaging artwork, design sketching, and overpainting.
“Whereas the art work created right here usually doesn’t stay in its last type, it serves as a vital reference level for the whole crew through the manufacturing course of, making it a job with important accountability,” she defined whereas speaking about imaging artwork.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Collection X/S, and is ready for launch on October 21. A playable demo for the sport was accessible throughout Gamescom 2025, which Koei Tecmo had then uploaded a full playthrough video of. The demo offered quite a lot of weapons to play with, from Yakumo’s katana, to the drill spear and even a pair of shurikens. Together with this, we additionally bought to see some enemy selection as properly.
