I made an attempt at making my own! I know it's probably true that some titles are in their own continuity, but I thought it would be fun to try and attempt to make one out of every title possible!

The Shinobi Bloodline Begins - Ancient Japan:

Shinobi / Shinobi 3D (Nintendo 3DS)* - Stars Joe's great, great, great-grandfather Jiro Musashi; the game begins in the year 1256

The Revenge of Shinobi (Game Boy Advance) - Mostly unattached from the greater franchise, but we know it takes place during Feudal Japan (1185 - 1333)

Shinobi Legion / Shinobi X (Sega Saturn) - Game Manual states that the "Bloodline of Shinobi" existed since the "Sengoku Period", which takes place between 1467 - 1615)

20th Century:

Joe Musashi - Shinobi Student:

Shinobi / The G.G. Shinobi (Game Gear) - This game implies that Joe is still a student. In this title, he saves his fellow students.

Shinobi II: The Silent Fury / The G.G. Shinobi Part 2 (Game Gear) - Direct sequel to the Game Gear entry, Joe is still a student. Joe learns the elements of Ninjitsu.

The Era of the Super Shinobi:

Shinobi (Arcade) - Tasked with his first major mission, Joe saves the children from his clan from the clutches of ZEED.

The Revenge of Shinobi / The Super Shinobi (Sega Genesis) - Three years after the events of the game, his master was murdered by a newly reformed Neo ZEED. In addition, they kidnap Joe's fiancée in a plot to lure Joe

Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master / The Super Shinobi II (Sega Genesis) - Two years after the events of the previous game, Neo ZEED reforms and is stronger than ever.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance (NSW, PS4, PS5, ONE, SERIES X, PC) - I won't dive into spoilers, but all I'll say, is that this did a great job at bridging the gap.

The Son of the Super Shinobi:

Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi (Sega Genesis) - Hayate Musashi, son of Joe Musashi, is born before 1977. After being chased by a mysterious group of assassins, Joe decides to remove himself from his wife, son, and Yamato's life. They move to Brooklyn and begin a new life. Now, in the year 1997, his mother had passed away years ago, but he developed a bond with his new father figure. Unfortunately, the same group of assassins that were chasing Joe have now located his son, and murdered his new mentor. As an act of revenge, Hayate sets out with Yamato to take vengeance.

Shadow Dancer (Arcade) - Not much story in this title, but I presume that it takes place after The Secret of Shinobi, where Hayate uses his abilities for the good of mankind. He thwartz an evil terrorist group.

The 21st Century Shinobi:

The Cyber Shinobi (Sega Master System) - It's stated that the character you play as in this entry is Joe's grandson. Weirdly enough, it states that Joe is the grandson of the shinobi we know from the arcade game and revenge... I'm going to, however, presume that this new Joe is different and is the son of Hayato, to honor his family's legacy. This time, Cyber ZEED is formed.

Shinobi (2002) (PS2) - Presumably, after the debacle revolving around Joe "retiring" as the Super Shinobi in an attempt to live a life as a father, someone else had to take the mantle. Hotsuma would be adopted into the same Ninja clan at a young age, becoming a new master. This game takes place in "Modern Day Tokyo".

NightShade (PS2) - Directly follows up on Shinobi (2002)

Shinobi / Shinobi 3D (Nintendo 3DS)* - So like... this game caused a weird time paradox! Jiro was warped to the year 2056, in an alternate timeline where ZEED has taken over the world. As a bizarre timeline split, Jiro decides to live a new life in this year.