Dragon Sword


 * "Thus was born the Dragon Sword, a formiddable weapon inhabited by the very essence of the powers of the dragons."
 * -From the Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword instruction booklet

The Dragon Sword (龍剣;Ryuken;AKA the Sword of the Dragons) is the primary weapon of Ryu Hayabusa in the Ninja Gaiden video game series.

The sword was created from the fang of the Dragon God. Powered by the spirits of the Twelve Dragons it was used against the Dark Dragon by the founding members of the Dragon Lineage to which the Hayabusa Clan hold their lineage. It has sinced been passed down the bloodline through millenia, up till the present day where Ryu is its current wielder. The sword is constantly kept in its inert stage, in order to 'awaken' the blade the Eye of the Dragon jewel must be placed in its hilt, thusly becoming the True Dragon Sword (真龍剣;Shinryuuken).

True Dragon Sword
When the Dragon Sword was created, the 12 dragons who imbued the sword with their essence allowed the Dragon Lineage to carve a magatama jewel out of one of their crystal-like eyes. This magatama became known as the Eye of the Dragon. To defeat the Dark Dragon and seal the Evil Deities, the Eye was fitted into the hilt, awakening the Dragon Sword, and giving the Dragon Lineage the power to defeat the Evil Deities and slay the Dark Dragon. Only those of the Dragon Clan who were true master warriors could wield the sword, lest their souls be overcome by the sword's incredibly powerful aura.

Because of its godly powers the True Dragon Sword was seen as a threat to the balance of the world, and so it became customary for the jewel and sword to be in two seperate locations; the Dragon Sword held by the Hayabusa Clan Leader, and the Eye of the Dragon guarded by the Dragon Shrine Maidens. However both factions would eventually meet and merge into a single clan, resulting in the two artifacts staying in close proximity to each other.

Abilities
As a mystical relic the Dragon Sword possesses many magical qualities demonstrated through Ryu Hayabusa's adventures. Apart from the ability to grant life (as demonstrated when it resurrected Irene Lew) other abilities that the sword possesses include:

Trivia

 * When Ryu was turned into a Fiend by Doku, the True Dragon Sword's power kept Ryu's mind intact by slowing the process severly, keeping the curse from altering his mind.
 * Because of the immense spiritual power of the sword, only the Dragon Lineage Ninjas such as Ryu and his father Joe Hayabusa, can actually wield it without harm to themselves
 * By getting 1,000 Gamerscore in unlocks the Dragon Sword on the back of the Hayabusa chest armor, however the sword is unusable.
 * When the Dragon Sword and the Blade of the Archfiend are wielded together, the enormity of their combined ancient power is said to be immeasurable.