Kamen no Ninja: Akakage

Kamen no Ninja Akakage (“Masked Ninja Red Shadow”) is a ninja side-scrolling slice-’em-up that is based on an anime of the same name that was released in the same time period, which in turn is based on a much older live-action tokusatsu (superhero) TV show about a masked vigilante ninja that helps people (similar to, say, Zorro or the Lone Ranger. Or Kamen Rider for that matter).