Poll: Box Art Brawl - Duel: Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship Of Doom (NES)

I don't think either's great but at least the Japanese one doesn't seem to be doing some weird crouching chicken dance.

I like the western one more, but the fact that he seems to be posing on the sea, standing on the water, throws me off big time. It's so weird. For that reason alone I'm voting Japan.

Early days but pretty lopsided love for NA art at this point. Also the NA ninja is just more badass

The Japanese cover looks really cool on a Japanese cartridge and the North American cover looks really cool on the game package and in general. I like them both.

North American cover has a ninja.
Japanese cover has... some guy.
No contest.

Like Zuljaras said, this game never came out in Europe. It only ever got a Virtual Console release which is an emulation of the NA version.

I like the protagonist on the JP cover but I voted NA / EUR for the city backdrop, the colours of the sky and the silver 3 in the logo.

Japan's cover looks like a movie poster from the late 80's, the other one is a mess of ideas, the clash of fonts genuinely hurts to look at.

NA easy on this one.
The urgency of the reds and yellows. The strong pose. And the epic sense of a whole city that needs his protection. Not sure why "Gaiden" is green though...

I usually prefer the animé look, but in this instance the Western one just fits the game perfectly.

This shouldn’t even be a question - NA clearly has the better box art of the two.

I went with the NA cover because the Japanese cover just doesn't scream ninja gaiden to me to be honest and yes the NA cover is good it's just not that great since the art is kinda poorly drawn but compared to the Japanese cover it's leagues better just because of the background .

This is a case where neither cover is bad, but one is definitely more appropriate for the game.

The NA art is absolutely gorgeous!

The Japanese version looks pretty generic.

The Japanese cover looks like generic anime dude, this vote will not be close. The 23 countries of North America will take this win home.

The western box art for all three is also in tune with the style of the modern 3D era of NG, a very rare example of this happening for a game series.

North America/Europe is great. Though Japan's is also nice. I like this game best outta the NES trilogy.

I get Cowboy Bebop vibes from the Japanese cover, and I kind of love it.

@Olliemar28 Ninja Gaiden III never made it to Europe, at least physically on the NES.
Though the first two games got renamed, I think the second game was already a very late release over there.

@Tasuki The first two games got renamed. I think Shadow Warriors, and I can't remember if the second was Shadow Warriors II, or they thought of something else.

Neither art is especially great, but I have to pick the American one.
(as long as we're talking about just the box here )

There must be some ninja magic in use for the NA cover because it appears Ryu is crouching on top of water. And that does appear to be water because you can see the reflections. And if that wasn't convincing enough, Ryu is crouching on water on the cover for the prior game. The big problem is that the cover concept, while good, is way too much of a rehash of the second game's cover. I'd also say it's the weakest of all the NA covers.

The Japanese cover looks to be a tie in with the anime OVA of 1991. The concept isn't as dynamic or exciting as the NA cover, but I give it extra points for having that signature '80s and '90s anime style. Also, Ryu looks the way he should and is consistent with his look in the game cutscenes. All of these things taken together, I prefer the Japanese cover by a little bit.

@Solomon_Rambling "...both lack the Ancient Ship of Doom."
Yes. Although if they had it would've looked dopey. But I went with Japan because the NA cover makes no sense; how'd he get that big? And I know he's a ninja but walking on water is a bit too far. And with that pose he's doing you could replace that sword with a platter of snacks. Or a dinner bell. Or his report card

I honestly love the boxart of the NES Trilogy. So an easy pick for me.

Not a fan of the JP one since the stupid magic light rays block out anything interesting on the left side. Voted NA despite the usual de-anime-ation from that time.

Again. I'd like a "neither" option.

May I suggest for a future Box Art Brawl the NES game Air Fortress? Not only is it a great semi-forgotten classic, it has three very different box art designs, each with its own merits. The Japanese one is wild!

I vote for muscles. It's as simple as that.

Box Art Brawls Current Total:

Europe: 95

Japan: 90

North America: 111

Australia and New Zealand: 1

While I don't doubt Japan is more true to Ryu Hayabusa, that western image is so iconic, so that gets my vote.

Someone couldn’t draw hands and tried their best to avoid it. But it’s so obvious and weird that I had to choose Japan.

Never been a big fan of anime art. That said, swords gleaming with beams of light are always cool. But yeah, the western one with the nice background and cool pose are the way to go for me.

Just finished this gem on the beach today. There’s some great artwork out there but the Japanese cover is not it - a first!

The North American version has the World Trade Center which makes it a time capsule of a simpler time.