Multiple publications praised Rikimaru on their lists of the top ninja characters in video games. In 2004, 1UP.com ranked him as the fourth best video game ninja yet and "the truest old-school ninja on this list." The Armchair Empire had Ayame and Rikimaru tied for sixth spot in on their 2006 list of ten best ninja characters; in 2010, Wild Gunmen ranked Rikimaru as the second best ninja in video game history for his use of stealth and being "a total badass." In 2011, Rikimaru was featured among the top ten ninja for PlayStation consoles by "PLAY", and was also ranked eight on the Machinima.com's list of top ten ninja characters in all of gaming. Others also included him as one of the best video game assassins in general. "FHM" placed Rikimaru fourth on their 2009 list of most memorable hitmen in gaming. "Complex" included Rikimaru and Ayame from "Tenchu 3" on a 2010 list of their favourite stealth killers in video games, stating: "When's the last time you saw a male/female duo this brutally deadly?" In their 2012 list, ZoominGames ranked Rikimaru as the third top assassin in games. In 2013, "Complex" ranked him as the tenth best assassin in video games, stating: "Nothing wrong with Ayame, but this master assassin just oozes pure awesome."