Turned to stone ≠ dead. Maybe at the end of the game, the clan may magically returns to life.


Too convenient but yeah, that could happen.
Plus, was 2002 Shinobi game a reboot? Thus non-canon to the original continuity... which Art of Vengeance appears to be a continuation of.
If SEGA Heroes considered canon, I remember when Joe Musashi met Hotsuma & Ageha and hinted that they're in the same universe but different timeline.
Hotsuma and Ageha live far in the future long after Joe Musashi is dead.
