Rival Ninja
The third boss, at 1,500 metres in the Snow Peaks: a red ninja as fast as yours. He's the one boss you beat by getting in his way rather than hitting him from afar.
What he does
He arrives from behind, dashes past you and settles into a run ahead. Every so often he does one of two things:
- Throws kunai. He skids to a stop, turns round, shows red dots and throws a kunai back at you. Once he's down to his last hit, he throws two at a time.
- Drops caltrops. He scatters a patch of spikes on the ground behind him, right in your path.
After throwing, he sprints off to regain his lead.
How to beat him
Trip him. Any line crossing his path, anywhere from ankle to chest height, sends him tumbling when he runs into it. The best moment is while he's stopped to throw: draw a short upright stroke on the ground just in front of his feet. When he dashes off again, he runs straight into it.
A tripped rival falls, vanishes in a puff of smoke and comes flying past you again a second later. Three trips and he's done.
You can also hurt him by sending a kunai back, exactly like an archer's arrow. That's a harder shot because he's small and moving, but it counts the same.
Handling his attacks
- Kunai: block them across the dots, like arrows. If you have ink to spare, tilt the block back toward him.
- Caltrops: treat them like thorns. A low bridge over them, or a rubber bounce just before them.
Best ink
The trip line can be any ink, even fire. For the caltrops, rubber is great: one short stroke and he bounces clean over.
Common mistakes
- Drawing the trip line too far ahead. Lines fade. Draw it right in front of him while he's stopped, not somewhere he'll reach in five seconds.
- Forgetting his kunai. Tripping him is satisfying, but the kunai he just threw is still coming. Block first, trip second if ink is short.
Reward
50 coins, points and the No rival badge, which also unlocks the Shadow outfit in the Wardrobe. Next: the Great Hawk under the moon.