10 Video Game Bosses Everyone Fought Wrong

Although The Revenge of Shinobi is a classic, the hack-and-slash side-scroller tested the patience of many due to its brutal difficulty. Even if our hero, Joe Musashi, makes his way through a myriad of enemies, booby traps, dinosaurs, evil robots, a bafflingly complex maze, and freaking Batman, he still has to contend with the final boss, The Ninja Master.

At first, this guy seems like a joke (His only means of attack is hurling his hair like a boomerang.) However, many Genesis owners were infuriated by this foe for one simple reason.

In the background, Joe's wife, Naoko, can be seen trapped inside a cell. As the battle unfolds, the ceiling inside her cell gradually descends. If Joe doesn't vanquish the ever-cackling fiend in time, she'll be crushed to death. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem feasible to win before Naoko is squished, due to the Ninja Master's staggering health bar.

Yet, saving Joe's bride is easier than it appears. If Joe shoots a shuriken at the rectangular block on the very left of the room, the ceiling will reverse direction.

Keep striking this mechanism and you have more than enough time to defeat the Ninja Master before Joe's wife is turned into a pancake.