It is still the king. Even after the release of Connections, most of the core community basically refuses to leave Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. It’s kind of wild when you think about it. Usually, a licensed anime game has the shelf life of a carton of milk, especially once a sequel or a "definitive" successor drops. But CyberConnect2 caught lightning in a bottle back in 2016. They didn’t just make a tie-in; they created a visual benchmark that, frankly, some modern anime struggle to hit.
If you’ve spent any time in the online lobbies lately, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The game is fast. It's punishing. It’s arguably the most "broken" balanced game ever made.
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The Mechanical Mastery of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
Most people think this is a button masher. They're wrong. While you can certainly win a few matches against your younger cousin by hammering the circle or B button, the high-level competitive play in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is an exercise in resource management. It’s all about the substitution bar. Once those four bars are gone, you are basically a punching bag for a thirty-hit combo that ends in a cinematic ultimate jutsu.
The movement is what really sets it apart from the rest of the Storm series. You have the Ninja Dash, sure. But the real pros use "hollow stepping" and "jump canceling" to keep pressure high without overcommitting. It’s a dance. You’re baiting out a sub, then instantly switching characters to reset your combo string. This "Leader Swap" mechanic was the biggest game-changer CC2 ever introduced. It transformed the game from a 1v1 with assists into a fluid 3-character tag-team nightmare.
You can actually change your lead character mid-dash. Think about that for a second. You send out Sasuke for a Chidori, swap to Naruto mid-flight, and suddenly the opponent is blocking the wrong way. It’s chaotic. It’s beautiful. It’s why the competitive scene still hosts tournaments at events like DreamHack or local FGC meetups.
Why the Visuals Haven't Aged a Day
It’s the cel-shading. CyberConnect2 used a proprietary engine that mimics the hand-drawn look of the Pierrot anime while adding a level of particle effects that the show simply couldn't afford on a weekly budget.
Look at the final fight. Naruto vs. Sasuke at the Final Valley.
The way the character models show battle damage—scuffs on the skin, torn clothes, sweat—was revolutionary for a 2016 title. When you hit a Secret Technique, the game transitions into a cinematic that looks better than the actual Shippuden anime did during the Great Ninja War arc. They used a technique called "Cinematic Drama" where they frame-by-frame animated the most iconic moments. It’s why people still post clips of the Kakashi vs. Obito fight on social media today. It feels visceral.
The Controversy of the Netcode
We have to be honest here: the online experience can be a total crapshoot. Since Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 uses delay-based netcode rather than the modern standard of rollback, your experience depends entirely on your connection to the other player.
If you’re playing someone halfway across the world, you’re going to experience "input eat." You press a button, and half a second later, your character finally moves. It’s frustrating. It’s the one major flaw that keeps the game from being a "perfect" fighter. Yet, the community persists. Players have learned to adapt to the "Storm lag," which is a testament to how good the core gameplay feels when it actually works.
Breaking Down the Roster and DLC
The base game was already massive, but the Road to Boruto expansion and the later Next Generations DLC pushed the roster to over 100 playable characters.
- The God Tiers: Characters like Kaguya, Madara (Six Paths), and Mitsuki often dominate the top-level play because of their reach and priority.
- The "Troll" Picks: Using someone like Iruka or Hanabi can actually be a viable strategy if you know how to exploit their weird hitboxes.
- The Supports: Pain and Itachi remain the most overused supports because of their "Almighty Push" and "Amaterasu" abilities that act as perfect defensive walls.
Most fans agree that the addition of Kinshiki and Momoshiki Otsutsuki was the icing on the cake, even if they felt slightly overtuned compared to the classic roster.
The Legacy of the Story Mode
A lot of fighting games treat story mode as an afterthought. Not here. The story mode in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is essentially an interactive movie. It covers the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, from the shattering of Tobi's mask all the way to the epilogue.
The "Boss Battles" are the highlight. They aren't just standard fights; they incorporate Quick Time Events (QTEs) that, if done perfectly, unlock "Secret Factors"—extra scenes that provide more emotional depth. The scale of the Hashirama vs. Madara fight at the beginning of the game sets a bar that few other licensed games have cleared. You aren't just fighting a guy; you're controlling a wood-golem the size of a mountain against a Susanoo-clad Nine-Tails.
Technical Tips for Modern Hardware
If you’re playing on PC via Steam, you probably know the 30fps cap was a major point of contention at launch. While there are official 60fps toggles now, some of the physics—specifically the cloth simulation and certain projectile speeds—can get a bit wonky at higher frame rates.
For the smoothest experience on PS5 or Xbox Series X:
- Disable "Motion Blur" in the settings if you want more clarity during high-speed dashes.
- Use a wired LAN connection. Please. For the sake of everyone in the lobby.
- In the "Collection" menu, spend your Ryo on "Substitution Items" to customize your look, but don't ignore the "Ninja Info Cards" which are the only way to show off your rank in style.
The Verdict on Storm 4 vs. Connections
The newest entry, Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, was supposed to be the "Storm 4 killer." It updated the roster and smoothed out some mechanics, but many veterans returned to Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. Why? Because the balance in Connections felt... off. The removal of certain technical nuances and the change to the chakra recovery system made it feel more "casual."
Storm 4 remains the definitive competitive experience. It has a specific weight to the characters that the newer games haven't quite replicated. It’s the Melee of the Naruto world.
Actionable Next Steps for Players
If you’re looking to get back into the game or improve your rank, stop focusing on flashy combos. Start focusing on your "Chakra Dash Cancels."
Learn to hit the dash button immediately after a strike to reset your combo. Practice this in training mode until it becomes muscle memory. This allows you to extend your pressure without letting the opponent recover their sub bars. Also, spend time learning the "Counter" timing (Guard + Strike). A well-timed counter can flip the momentum of a match instantly by knocking your opponent back and temporary lowering their maximum chakra.
Lastly, watch high-level players like Mr. Airforce or others on YouTube. Observe how they move, not just how they attack. Movement is the difference between a Genin and a Hokage in this game.