The answer is a resounding "yes", though we're not sure if Karnov counts as a ninja or not.

In this run, Kirkq utilizes obscure and unusual jump patterns to move quickly. During the game's lengthy scrolling sections, optimization shifts more toward entertainment.

The Japanese version is used because the US version has considerably slower gameplay (almost twice as slow).

This is an improvement of around five seconds to the previous run from 2004 (making the old run one of the oldest on the site).

Reading the author's comments is encouraged.

Kirkq and Nitrodon, the players who made this tool-assisted speedrun, chose Lux the Tetujin to complete this quest as fast as possible, forgoing a stat boosting glitch, and performing luck manipulation to defeat bosses at an impossibly low level!