Want to see Raider King content first? Add us as a preferred source.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is filled with secrets for players who are willing to fully search through its stages, but perhaps no secret is more valuable than the Ankou Rifts hidden throughout every stage in the game. Finding these hidden portals will send players to challenge realms filled with difficult platforming challenges and reward them with items called “Pieces of the Dark Katana”. Collecting all of these will unlock the best weapon in the game, so it is highly recommended. However, some of these portals can be quite difficult to find. If you are having trouble with this, but truly want the Dark Katana, then please make use of this guide on every Ankou Rift location in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance – All Ankou Rift Locations
Every stage in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance has a single Ankou Rift hidden within it; however, many of which cannot be reached the first time you play a stage, as they require abilities learned later in the game. The guide below will go over the stages in the order they appear, with direct statements of the abilities you need to reach the Rifts.
Oboro Village
Oboro Village’s Ankou Rift cannot be reached without the Sword Dive ability that the player learns in the Submarine Base stage. Teleport to the Attic fast travel point in Oboro Village and then jump directly down to the bottom of the room, where there will be a crystal wall you can break through with Sword Dive.
This Ankou Rift will transport you to a challenge realm that tests your ability with Musashi’s basic air dash skill.
Lantern Festival
For this Ankou Rift, you’ll first need to complete the Neo City stage and get the Ninja Hook ability. Then teleport to the Buildings fast travel point in the Lantern Festival stage and make your way to the top of the structure to your right. Here, there will be a series of grapple hook chains that will lead you directly to the Ankou Rift.
The challenge presented by this Ankou Rift is a harder version of the stage’s first chase, where the player must keep moving horizontally to avoid a wall of fire that is approaching them.
The Mountain
The Ankou Rift in The Mountain stage cannot be obtained until the player learns the Ninja Hook ability from Neo City. Once you have that ability, travel to the Waterfalls fast travel point in The Mountain stage and platform vertically until you find this wall that you can climb.
Climbing this wall will lead you to a secret area of the stage called the Mountain Peak. From here, there will be a series of platforming challenges, at the end of which will be a grapple hook point that will lead you both to one of the stage’s Elite Squads and, more importantly, this Ankou Portal.
Fittingly, the challenge realm presented in this Ankou Rift will be a test of how skilled the player is with the Ninja Claws ability, with a lot of narrow climbing between lasers.
Neo City
The Neo City Ankou Portal requires the Glider ability learned in the Desert stage to reach. Once you have the skill, teleport to the West District of Neo City and grapple to the area on your left. This will lead to a building complex where the player must glide around and hit switches in order to reach the top, where this Ankou Rift awaits them.
This portal’s challenge realm will be a series of platforming challenges that tests how skilled the player is at the Ninja Hook ability.
Fish Market
To reach this Ankou Portal, first teleport to the Containers fast travel point and make your way to the top of the room. Here, there will be a platform that you can reach with a well-timed double jump that will lead you to a secret area in the stage called Storage.
Once in storage, you will be faced with a series of simple platforming challenges and an Elite Squad. At the end of the room, you will find this Ankou Rift.
The challenge in this portal’s realm is a combat one where the player must fight against five waves of enemies as the platform you’re on grows smaller and smaller.
Submarine Base
The Submarine Base Ankou Rift can be reached the first time you play the stage, but it will require some backtracking, as it requires the Sword Dive skill, which you learn near the end of the stage. Once you have this skill, teleport to the Floor B3 fast travel point and make your way to the top right of the room.
Once here, simply dive into the challenge where you must make your way down a room, avoiding lasers along the way. At the end of this challenge, you’ll find the Ankou Rift.
This Rift’s challenge realm will have the player constantly climb upward as a wall of fire approaches from the bottom of the screen. While not required to pass, the glider ability from the Desert stage makes this challenge much easier.
Desert
To reach the Ankou Rift in the Desert stage, you must first fast travel to the Astral Ruins fast travel point and make a leap of faith to your left. This will lead to a secret area in the stage called the Astral Labyrinth. This labyrinth is full of switches that temporarily change which walls are active, making your way to the center of this puzzle is how you will reach this Ankou Rift.
This Rift’s challenge realm is one that will test the player’s ability to use the glider, as you must avoid obstacles as you slowly float to the top of the realm.
Mad Train
Being a completely flat stage, it’s likely you’ll just stumble upon the Ankou Rift in Mad Train by accident. Simply fast travel to the Convoy area and then jump into the train car on your left, where this Rift will be located.
The challenge realm in this Ankou Portal is one where the player must jump between falling platforms before they reach the bottom of the screen.
ENE Corp Laoratory
Similarly, the ENE Corp Laboratory Ankou Rift is also very easy to find. Simply jump to your left at the very entrance of the stage, and you’ll immediately find this Rift.
This Rift’s challenge realm is another combat challenge where the player must fight against waves of enemies as the platform you are on grows smaller and smaller.
The Kaiju
Finally, the last Ankou Portal in the game is located in the Kaiju stage. Teleport to the Second Stomach fast travel point and jump down the chasm to your left. Pull out your glider and hold your analog stick to the left, and you’ll reach the platform this Rift is on.
Being the final Rift in the game, it’s only fitting that it is a combination of every other challenge realm you’ve faced so far. Complete it and you’ll get the final piece of the Dark Katana and be able to shred your way through Boss Rush mode.
If any Rift locations in this guide were unclear, we also have an alternative video guide that you may use as a resource.
