Super Chinese

The Super Chinese series is a collection of action role-playing games released for arcade machines and several Nintendo consoles. Developed by Culture Brain—which initially operated under the name Nihon Game—the games often follow two young boys, Jack and Ryu, on adventures through their homeland, Chinaland. Many titles in the series were never released outside Japan, and those that reached North America received new names, such as *Kung Fu Heroes* for the original *Super Chinese*.

The earliest entries, like *Super Chinese* (arcade) and its NES port *Kung Fu Heroes*, focused on action gameplay. Later games, including *Super Ninja Boy*, added role-playing elements, with characters gaining experience points from random encounters and leveling up to become stronger. The series is built around two main groups: *Super Chinese* and *Super Chinese Land* (the latter includes *Super Chinese World* as a Japanese title for *Super Chinese Land 3*). The very first game, *Super Chinese* (also known as *Kung Fu Heroes*), was developed by Culture Brain and published by Taito, with Culture Brain credited. The *Fighter* sub-series are fighting games where players can control series characters like Ryu and Jack.

In North America, the series is mostly known as the *Ninja Boy* line. *Ninja Boy*, *Ninja Boy II*, *Super Ninja Boy*, and *Kung Fu Heroes* were all released there. For the North American market, the two protagonists—originally kung fu practitioners suited to the Chinese setting—were slightly redesigned to appear as ninja. Several compilations and remakes exist, such as *Super Chinese Land 1-2-3 Dash* and *Super Chinese I+II Advance*, which bundle earlier games. The latter was also included in the puzzle title *Super Chinese Labyrinth*.