The Dark Ninja & the Legion of Guards

Level
The Dark Ninja & the Legion of Guards
Level code	Ninja-3
World	BF
Game	Princess Peach: Showtime!
Primary power-up	Ninja Peach
Boss	Dark Ninja
Level progression ← Previous Ninjutsu: The Art of Flames Next → — Princess Peach: Showtime! levels

The Dark Ninja & the Legion of Guards is a level in Princess Peach: Showtime!, located in the third-from-left in the upper section of the basement of the Sparkle Theater. It is the third level where the Ninja Peach transformation is used.

Layout

The play starts with Peach in her Ninja transformation heading towards a castle that is located further up a hillside. The Ninja Sparkla is held captive partway up the hill by a lantern-holding Mihari Musha, and a red Mihari Musha holding a spear, with dark energy emanating from him. Sneaking her way through the grass past several lantern-wielding Mihari Musha, Peach defeats the red Mihari Musha and frees the Ninja Sparkla. Peach and the Ninja Sparkla press on forwards, heading towards the tower in the distance in the opes of finding an exit. Upon them leaving the scene, however, the remains of the red Mihari Musha are replaced with a purple-glowing log with a Dūke mask, implying him to be a particular Ninja Dūke in disguise and just performed the kawarimi technique, similar to what happened with the red Mihari Musha in Ninjutsu: The Art of Rapids.

In order to reach the tower, Peach and the Ninja Sparkla must use their techniques to sneak through a labyrinth heavily guarded with Mihari Musha wielding lanterns. At one point, Peach and the Ninja Sparkla find themselves in a trap, where Peach must escape from rising sharp poles. After doing so, they continue sneaking past several Mihari Musha until they reach the end, where they are being ambushed by six Mihari Musha wielding spears. The Ninja Sparkla uses a smoke-screen technique that hinders the Mihari Musha's sight, allowing Peach to defeat them quickly. Peach and the Ninja Sparkla emerge from the labyrinth and scale the tower.

Halfway through the tower, the Dark Ninja reveals himself, and is implied to be the true identity of the red Mihari Musha from earlier in the play. He uses a special ninja technique that causes the props and decor floating around them to descend, and flees with Ninjutsu power. This leads into an auto-running section in which Peach and the Ninja Sparkla traverse through the falling decor while avoiding Karasu Dūkes in to catch up to the Dark Ninja.

Eventually, they run across floating walls and rooftops on the Dark Ninja's tail. With the Ninja Sparkla and the Dark Ninja now on opposite paths, with Peach in the middle, Peach will have to time her attack as the Ninja Sparkla and the Dark Ninja strike each other; doing so allows her and the Ninja Sparkla to defeat the Dark Ninja in one hit.

Sparkle Gems

Sparkle Gems marked with an asterisk ⁽*⁾ will always be obtained during regular gameplay.

Image	Location
	Right after the arch between the first and second grass sneaking areas, behind the lower step of the left Mihari Musha's platform.
	In a backroom pose platform on the flat rock in the fourth square of the carpet labyrinth. Peach must use Wall Jump to jump to two rotating platforms.
	In the carpet labyrinth, taking a 270° turn to defeat the Mihari Musha whose lantern shines through the plank fence.
	On a wall-run wall after the second wall jump part of the auto-run section.
	Defeat the Dark Ninja.*

Stella ribbon

Ribboner's location

Multicolored Ninja Ribbon: Ribboner is found in an under-walls river passage heading north from the ninth square of the labyrinth, guarded by a Mihari Musha. After Peach defeats the Mihari Musha, he awards her the Stella ribbon for Stella.

• Help request: "N-nobody's over here..."
• Rescue message: "That was brilliant!"

Lobby Shop stock

Completing the level allows Peach to buy the Special Ninja Dress for 300 coins at the Lobby Shop.

Postgame hidden Ninja Theet

The stage has one Ninja Theet when it is played in the postgame:

Image	Location
	On the wall of the sixth square of the carpet labyrinth.

Gallery

• 

  Ninja Sparkla in the level's ending

• 

  Pictioneer's photo of the stage

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Note(s)	Ref.
Japanese	ヤミの忍にん術じゅつと武者軍団むしゃぐんだん Yami no Ninjutsu to Musha Gundan	Dark Ninjutsu and Warrior Legion		[?]
Chinese (Simplified)	黑暗的忍术与武者军团 Hēi'àn De Rěnshù Yǔ Wǔzhě Jūntuán	Dark Ninjutsu and Warrior Legion		[?]
Chinese (Traditional)	黑暗的忍術與武者軍團 Hēi'àn De Rěnshù Yǔ Wǔzhě Jūntuán	Dark Ninjutsu and Warrior Legion		[?]
Dutch	De duistere ninja	The dark ninja		[?]
French	Le ninja sombre et ses gardes	The dark ninja and his guards		[?]
German	Die Armee des dunklen Ninja	The Army of the Dark Ninja		[?]
Italian	Il ninja oscuro e le guardie	The dark ninja and the guards		[?]
Korean	어둠의 인술과 무사 군단 Eodum-ui insulgwa musa gundan	Dark Ninjutsu and Warrior Corps		[?]
Portuguese	O Ninja Sombrio e as Sentinelas	The Dark Ninja and the Sentinels		[?]
Russian	Стражники и ниндзя мрака Strazhniki i nindzya mraka	Guardians and Dark Ninjas		[?]
Spanish	La técnica ninja de la malguria	Darkle ninja's technique		[?]