How to parry in Ninja Gaiden 4

Yakumo juggles a DDO enemy in the air in Ninja Gaiden 4 — (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios, Team Ninja, Platinum Games)

When it comes to action game defense options, none are cooler or more deadly than the parry, and knowing how to parry in Ninja Gaiden 4 is an essential trick on your path to becoming the Master Ninja. However, parries aren't your only defensive option in Ninja Gaiden 4, so we're going to break down how to parry, and the other defensive moves you should know below.

If you want to up your combat skills, here's how to Izuna Drop and Guillotine Throw in Ninja Gaiden 4, and to better understand the game we breakdown how long to beat Ninja Gaiden 4 and Ninja Gaiden 4 difficulty settings.

How to use the Ninja Gaiden 4 parry

Yakumo finishes off a DDO soldier with a brutal finishing move, with heaps of blood and gore

Parrying in Ninja Gaiden 4 is done by using your Light Attack (Square on PS5, X on Xbox) at the same time your enemy's attack is about to hit. This will cause a massive flash in the shape of an X to appear on Yakumo, staggering your enemy. And while you can go straight into a new combo from this, Yakumo is also able to learn skills from Tyran that will introduce follow-up attacks to his moveset.

Fatal Flash is done with Heavy Attack (Triangle on PS5, Y on Xbox) and sends Yakumo flying through the enemy, with a perfect timing version of it also able to be unlocked, which guarantees a dismemberment. The other uses your Bloodraven Form (L2 on PS5, LT on Xbox), which are powerful attacks that send your enemy flying.

Alongside parrying is the Perfect Block ability. This is effectively the same thing as a parry, pressing the Block button (R2 on PS5, RT on Xbox) as your enemy's strike is about to hit will also deflect their attack with a flashing line going across Yakumo. This also has unlockable ability Reflect, which is performed with Heavy Attack and staggers the enemy further off balance, plus a Bloodraven Form version of this that sends the enemy flying backwards with a powerful counterattack.

Outside of taking your enemy head on, you can also dodge. This is done by holding the Block button and moving the left stick in the direction you want to move in. You can do this at any time, but if you dodge at the perfect time you'll perform a Perfect Dodge. The Perfect Dodge also has the unlockable Mirage ability, which is performed by pressing Heavy Attack after a Perfect Dodge will give you a quick and powerful attack. This also has a Bloodraven Form version that unleashes a powerful attack that launches the enemy.

If you haven't picked up Ninja Gaiden 4 yet, then check out our Ninja Gaiden 4 review and find out why it's one of the highest-rated entries in the series.