Gaiden means side story. The only reason the West got the title, Ninja Gaiden, was because it sounded cool, and us stupid American couldn't pronounce Ninja Ryukenden!Oh that's pretty cool. I only played the original Double Dragon on NES, I haven't kept up with any of the series. And the word Gaiden in the title has something to do with like Ninja Gaiden?
As for Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, the reason why it's called that is due to being a full on continuity/"prequel" reboot. This franchise never had consistent continuity. There is the arcade continuity (DDI-DDIII) and the NES continuity (DDI-DDIV). After that, each game pretty much takes place in its own pocket universe.
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