How Long Is Ninja Gaiden 4? Campaign Length With Every Mission and Chapter Listed

Team Ninja dusted off the katana rack and brought back the ultra-stylish, limb-littered chaos with Ninja Gaiden 4. The headline is still the combat, but the story pulls its weight too, bouncing between the new guy Yakumo and series legend Ryu Hayabusa. If you just want to know how long it takes to carve through the campaign (and, yes, how long it takes Yakumo to cleanse that Dark Dragon mess), I got you — plus the chapter rundown and every single mission so you can min-max your way to 100% without guessing.

How long it takes to beat Ninja Gaiden 4

If you play on Normal, expect roughly 10–12 hours. Drop it to Hero (the easiest setting) and you can sneak in just under 10 hours. That said, your mileage will depend on how comfy you are with this brand of mean-spirited action. Veterans will settle back into the rhythm pretty fast. If you’re new to Ninja Gaiden or action games in general, budget up to 20 hours for a first run while you learn the systems and stop getting turned into sashimi.

Going for 100%? Buckle up. A full completion run can push past 50 hours because you have to finish the entire campaign on Master Ninja, the highest difficulty, which only unlocks after you beat the game once. Master Ninja is exactly the nightmare you think it is: enemies hit harder and think smarter, late-game threats show up early, and Yakumo can get erased in a couple of hits if you slip. To complete the game fully, you need to clear every chapter on Master Ninja.

What unlocks when you finish the campaign

Beating the story on any difficulty unlocks Master Ninja, lets you replay any chapter on any difficulty with all your unlocked skills and gear intact, and opens Trials Mode — a set of combat challenges with modifiers if you want to stress-test your build and your sanity.

Chapters: yes, there’s a numbering quirk

The campaign is carved into chapters labeled 00 through 19. That’s 20 chapters total, even though some materials say 19 (the math does not agree). For the curious, here’s the full sequence by title: Chapter 00: Dark Descendant; Chapter 01: Bloodsoaked Tokyo; Chapter 02: Haunted District; Chapter 03: Phantom Pleasure Quarter; Chapter 04: Pilgrim's Windswept Path; Chapter 05: Raging Valley; Chapter 06: Guiding Winds; Chapter 07: Altar of the Mountain God; Chapter 08: Drowned District; Chapter 09: Realm of Silent Dead; Chapter 10: Bounding Spirits; Chapter 11: Infiltration; Chapter 12: Dragon's Maw; Chapter 13: Clash of Convictions; Chapter 14: Unholy Descent; Chapter 15: Fanged Gate; Chapter 16: Downpour; Chapter 17: Howling Ravine; Chapter 18: Darkness Reborn; Chapter 19: Ebon Wings.

How missions work (and why you should do them)

Throughout all 20 chapters, you’ll bump into DarkNest Terminals. Talk to Umi there to grab missions from the Mission Database — and while you’re at it, stock up on supplies so you don’t bleed out mid-boss. Some missions are tied to specific chapters and locations; others can be finished anywhere and are pretty straightforward. Rewards are worth your time: piles of NinjaCoin plus useful consumables, charms, and the occasional rare trinket. If you’re chasing unlocks or just want more tools for Master Ninja, do these.

• Execute the D.D.O Distribution Officers — Chapter 01 / Sky City Tokyo — 2.5k NinjaCoin
• Collect 1 Gourdy — Any location — 2k NinjaCoin
• Defeat 25 D.D.O. soldiers — Any location — 2k NinjaCoin, 1x Crimson Blood Pellet
• Find the Data Chip in Sky City Tokyo — Chapter 01 / Sky City Tokyo — 1x Phantasmal Herb
• Use Takeminakata to defeat 50 enemies — Any location — 2k NinjaCoin, 1x Crimson Blood Pellet
• Collect 5 Gourdies — Any location — 4k NinjaCoin, 2x Life Elixir
• Execute the otherworldly invaders — Chapter 02 / Sky City Tokyo — 4.5k NinjaCoin
• Execute the renegade D.D.O. soldiers — Chapter 03 / Sky City Tokyo — 5.5k NinjaCoin
• Defeat 10 Burabura Lanteran Daemons — Any location — 3k NinjaCoin, 1x Crimson Blood Balm
• Find the Rotting Charm in Sky City Tokyo — Chapter 03 / Sky City Tokyo — 1x Black Scale
• Execute the food thief — Chapter 03 / Sky City Tokyo — 5.5k NinjaCoin, 1x Senjin War Brew
• Execute the Tengu leaders — Chapter 04 / Fuuhaku Sanctum — 1x Raven Seal Case
• Use Yatousen to defeat 50 Daemons — Any location — 4k NinjaCoin, 1x Senjin War Brew
• Find the secret supplies in Fuuhaku Sanctum — Chapter 04 / Fuuhaku Sanctum — 1x Black Scale
• Find the Tengu offering in Fuuhaku Sanctum — Chapter 04 / Fuuhaku Sanctum — 1x Phantasmal Herb
• Execute the rampaging Daemons — Chapter 05 / Fuuhaku Sanctum — 1x Bat Fang Amulet
• Retrieve the Heirloom Knife in Fuuhaku Sanctum — Chapter 05 / Fuuhaku Sanctum — 1x Phantasmal Herb
• Execute the troublemaker — Chapter 05 / Fuuhaku Sanctum — 6.5k NinjaCoin, 1x Kongou Iron Brew
• Defeat 20 Tengu — Any location — 1x Numbing Scroll
• Execute the man-eating Daemons — Chapter 06 / Fuuhaku Sanctum — 6.5k NinjaCoin
• Collect 8 Gourdies — Any location — 6k NinjaCoin, 2x Duvine Life Elixir
• Execute the otherworldly messengers — Chapter 08 / Drowned District — 1x Rigid Seal Case
• Defeat 20 fiends — Any location — 5k NinjaCoin, 1x Crimson Blood Pellet
• Find the antiquated currency in the Drowned District — Chapter 08 / Drowned District — 1x Black Scale
• Use Magutushi to defeat 15 Eltus Fish fiends — Any location — 1x Bloodlfow Omamori
• Execute the enormous fiends — Chapter 09 / Drowned District — 1x Diamond Ring
• Find 3 beautiful minerals in the Drowned District — Chapter 09 / Drowned District — 1x Phantasmal Herb
• Destroy 10 drones while riding on a rail — Any location — 7k NinjaCoin
• Execute the D.D.O.'s special defense forces — Chapter 12 / Dragon's Maw — 1x Leech Fang Amulet
• Execute the strange Oni — Chapter 12 / Dragon's Maw — 8.5k NinjaCoin, 1x Kongou Iron Brew
• Use Kage-Hiruko to destroy three D-0037 Vanguards — Chapter 12 / Dragon's Maw — 1x Hunting God's Orb
• Defeat 10 D.D.O. Heavy Infantry — Any location — 6k NinjaCoin, 1x Senjin War Brew
• Find the classified document in the Dragon's Maw — Chapter 12 / Dragon's Maw — 1x Black Scale
• Execute the Elite D.D.O. squadron — Chapter 12 / Dragon's Maw — 1x Tigereye Ring
• Collect 12 Gourdies — Any location — 9k NinjaCoin, 2x Rejuvenation Elixir
• Execute the spreading monstrosities — Chapter 14 / Drowned District — 7.5k NinjaCoin
• Execute the rampant monstrosities — Chapter 15 / Sky City Tokyo — 1x Hayabusa Texts, Vol. 1
• Defeat 100 enemies — Any location — 7k NinjaCoin, 1x Kongou Iron Brew
• Defeat 50 D.D.O. soldiers — Any location — 8k NinjaCoin, 2x Crimson Blood Pellets
• Defeat 50 Daemons — Any location — 10k NinjaCoin, 1x Senjin War Brew
• Defeat 50 fiends — Any location — 11k NinjaCoin, 1x Kongou Iron Brew
• Use Yatousen to defeat 15 Ilcanis fiends — Any location (New Game+) — 13k NinjaCoin
• Defeat 20 Enhanced D.D.O. soldiers — Any location (New Game+) — 9k NinjaCoin, 2x Crimson Blood Balm
• Use Takeminakata to defeat 10 Van Gelf fiends — Any location (New Game+) — 12k NinjaCoin
• Use Kage-Hiruko to defeat the D.D.O. Commander — Chapter 01 / Sky City Tokto (New Game+) — 1x Bloody Texts, Vol. 1
• Use Magatushi to defeat Sanzeon — Chapter 05 / Fuuhaku Sanctum (New Game+) — 1x Tremor Texts, Vol. 1
• Use Yatousen to defeat Veilotl — Chapter 10 / Drowned District (New Game+) — 1x Twilight Texts, Vol. 1
• Use Takeminakata to defeat the D-1018 Chariot — Chapter 12 / Dragon's Maw (New Game+) — 1x Cursed Texts, Vol. 1
• Find the Flower Kunai in Sky City Tokyo — Sky City Tokyo (New Game+) — 1x Black Scale
• Find the Flower Kunai in Fuuhaku Sanctum — Fuuhaku Sanctum (New Game+) — 1x Phantasmal Herb
• Find the Flower Kunai in the Drowned District — Drowned District (New Game+) — 1x Black Scale
• Find the Flower Kunai in the Dragon's Maw — Dragon's Maw (New Game+) — 1x Phantasmal Herb
• Execute the Possessed Swordsman — Fuuhaku Sanctum (New Game+) — 1x Blood Oath Scroll

Bottom line: if a DarkNest Terminal is nearby, talk to Umi, grab everything, and restock. The payouts stack up fast, and the consumables make the tougher fights a lot less miserable — especially once Master Ninja is on the table.