During the Xbox Developer Direct 2025, Team Ninja and PlatinumGames not only announced thatNinja Gaiden 4will be released in Fall 2025 but also shadow-dropped a remastered version ofNinja Gaiden 2calledNinja Gaiden 2 Black. Therefore, players will be able to once again embody the legendary ninja Ryu Hayabusa in the latter and series newcomer Yakumo in the former,Ninja Gaiden 4.
While both of these surprise announcements are boons toNinja Gaidenfans, they could additionally entice longtimeHaloplayers. With aHalogame announcement of some kind expected to appear later this year, alongsideNinja Gaiden 4’s release, the two franchises should cross over once more to usher in the return of the beloved Hayabusa armor inHalo Infiniteand beyond.
Halo and Ninja Gaiden’s Long History Explained
Players are likely familiar with Ryu Hayabusa as the protagonist of theNinja Gaidenseries, but he also appears in another long-running Team Ninja franchise: the nearly 30-year-old 3D fighting game seriesDead or Alive. Following the widespread success ofHalo: Combat EvolvedandHalo 2, Team Ninja went to Bungie and requested to have Master Chief appear in the nextDead or Alivegame.
Instead, Bungie worked with Team Ninja and created a brand new Spartan II,Nicole-458, appearing as an unlockable character in 2005’sDead or Alive 4exclusively for the Xbox 360. In this game, players were able to have Nicole-458 battle it out against Hayabusa on a Cairo Station-inspired stage called Nassau Station after completingDead or Alive 4’s campaign.
Returning the favor for this collaboration, Bungie developed a brand-new set ofSpartan II armor based on Ryu Hayabusa, simply called Hayabusa, for players to unlock in 2007’sHalo 3. To unlock every piece of Hayabusa armor, players had to collect all the skulls hidden throughoutHalo 3’s campaign and complete 50 achievements to unlock the katana. Rather, the katana was just a simple armor piece and couldn’t be wielded as a weapon. Due to the difficulty of unlocking every piece of Hayabusa armor and the innate cool nature of Japanese-inspired armor, Hayabusa became one of the most popular armor sets in theHalofranchise, even inspiring the hilarious “Oh, Hayabusa!” song by JT Machinima.
Hayabusa’s Disappearance From the Halo Franchise
Despite Hayabusa’s popularity amongHaloplayers, the armor didn’t return inHalo 3: ODSTor Bungie’s finalHalogame,Halo: Reach. It’s unknown why Hayabusa didn’t return in games followingHalo 3, but many players still requested to see the armor return in futureHalogames. When primary development ofHalowas shifted over to 343 Industries, this desire to see Hayabusa return was heard and some developers considered bringing the armor toHalo 4.
Concept artist Gabriel Garza created a new GEN2 version of Hayabusa and Liquid Development even created some 3D renders of the armor, but it was never fully implemented for unknown reasons.Hayabusa has only returned inHalo: The Master Chief Collectionbut had its Japanese legacy continued inInfinite’s Yoroi armor.
InDead or Alive 4, players can equip alternate color variations of the Mark VI armor for Nicole-458, such as red, blue, white, tan, silver, and black.
The Potential Return of Hayabusa in Halo Infinite and Beyond
With Ryu Hayabusa returning to the gaming spotlight throughNinja Gaiden 2 BlackandNinja Gaiden 4in 2025, Microsoft, Halo Studios, and Team Ninja should strive to collaborate once more. Given that these twoNinja Gaidengames were first revealed at the Xbox Developer Direct 2025, Microsoft and Team Ninja may be forming a strong relationship together. If this turns out to be the case, Microsoft could request Team Ninja to allow Halo Studios to recreate the Hayabusa armor forHalo Infiniteor the next mainlineHalogame.Halo 3’s Hayabusa armor could simply be recreated inHalo Infinite, similar toHalo 2’s Master Chief armor, or it could be updated and incorporated intothe Yoroi armor core.
Bringing the Hayabusa armor inHalo Infiniteor the next mainlineHalogame could entice oldHalofans to try out these games after long hiatuses. However, this return doesn’t have to be one-sided. In return for allowing Hayabusa to return toHalogames, Halo Studios could allow Team Ninja to incorporate someHaloelements inNinja Gaiden 4.
For example, upon completing a certain prerequisite or achievement,Ryu Hayabusa and Yakumo could unlock energy swordsto use inNinja Gaiden 4’s campaign, with Hayabusa using the common blue energy sword and Yakumo using a red energy sword. If the Hayabusa armor does return inHalogames, Team Ninja could even incorporate the armor inNinja Gaiden 4as an alternate skin for Ryu Hayabusa.
