You ever hop onto Ranked and just know exactly who you're fighting before the loading screen even finishes? It’s almost always Rinne Sharingan Sasuke or some variation of Minato. Honestly, it's kinda funny. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 has a roster of over 100 characters—well over that if you count the Road to Boruto expansion—yet the competitive scene feels like a high-school reunion where only the popular kids showed up.
But there’s a reason for it.
The ultimate ninja storm 4 characters aren't just skins with different flashy ultimates. They have "priority." If you've played more than ten matches, you know the pain of your punch magically ghosting through an opponent while their jab somehow sucks you into a 40-hit combo. It's not lag (usually). It's frame data and hitboxes that favor the gods of the Shinobi world.
The S-Tier Gatekeepers
Let’s talk about the "broken" ones. If you want to win, you pick these. If you want to have fun... well, you still probably pick these because losing isn't fun.
Rinne Sharingan Sasuke is basically the final boss of online play. His Chidori is fast, but his real power is that Infernal Style Fire Ball. It has high priority, meaning it eats other projectiles for breakfast. You can't just throw a regular kunai at him; he'll just burn through it and hit you anyway. Plus, his "tilt" move (that flick of the analog stick) is a literal teleport. It's diabolical.
Then you have Edo Minato. You know the one—the Reanimated Fourth Hokage.
He’s fast. Like, "I didn't even see him move" fast.
His Rasengan comes out almost instantly, and his awakening makes him nearly impossible to track. Most high-level players hate fighting a good Minato because he forces you to play a guessing game with your substitutions.
- The Last Sasuke: Widely considered the "cleanest" character. His combos connect even when they shouldn't.
- Hashirama Senju (Sage Mode): His wood style grab reaches across half the stage. It's annoying as hell.
- Nagato: If you like playing "keep away," Nagato is the king. His rockets and Shinra Tensei make approaching him a nightmare.
Why the "Weak" Characters are Actually Fun
Kinda hot take here: playing the low-tier characters is the only way to actually get good at the game.
When you play as Iruka-sensei or Rin, you don't have a "get out of jail free" card. You can't just spam a broken jutsu and hope for the best. You have to learn how to Ninja Move Cancel. You have to manage your subs like they're your life savings.
I’ve seen a Tenten main absolutely dismantle a Madara (Six Paths) player just because they knew how to use items and tilt-cancels. It was humiliating for the Madara player, but it proved a point. The roster depth is there if you’re willing to look past the glowing eyes and god-tier capes.
The Support Meta
Choosing your leader is only half the battle. Your supports are what actually keep you alive. Most people run Pain or Itachi for a reason.
Pain’s Almighty Push is the best defensive support in the game, hands down. It resets the neutral game. If you’re getting comboed and you call in Pain, he literally blasts the opponent away from you. It’s a safety net.
On the flip side, characters like Neji or Hinata are great for "Dash Cuts." If an opponent tries to Chakra Dash at you, these supports will jump out and block them automatically. It’s a passive defense that saves you from burning through your substitutions.
Secrets of the Roster
Did you know about the elemental interactions? Most people ignore them.
If you use a Fire Style jutsu, it actually deals damage over time. The opponent will keep losing health unless they move fast enough to "put it out" or step into water on certain stages. Lightning Style gets a buff if you're standing in water. It's a small detail, but in a close match, that extra bit of chip damage from a burn can be the difference between a win and a "Rematch?" screen.
And then there's Armor Break.
When you take enough damage, your clothes literally tear off.
You’d think it’s just cosmetic, right? Wrong.
Once your armor breaks, you take more damage, but your own attack power goes up. It’s a high-risk, high-reward mechanic that makes the end of a match feel way more intense.
How to Pick Your Team
Honestly, don't just pick the top tiers. You'll get bored of the same three combos.
Try a "Themed Team" for the Linked Secret Techniques. If you pick Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura (The Last versions), you get a unique triple ultimate that looks way cooler than the standard ones. Same goes for the Sannin or the Akatsuki members.
- Check the "Tilt": Every character has a unique move by flicking the stick and pressing attack. Some are useless, but some (like Itachi’s crows) are game-changers.
- Test the Awakening: Some characters, like Guy (Eight Gates), become monsters when their health is low. Others just get a slight stat boost. Know which one you have.
- Look at the Grab Range: Characters like Karin have a short grab, but Hanzo can grab you from halfway across the map.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re still playing the same character you picked three years ago, go into Practice Mode. Pick someone "trash" like Hanabi or Konohamaru.
Learn their infinite combo (usually involving a jump-cancel or a ninja move mid-string). You'll find that the game feels completely different when you aren't relying on a giant Susano'o to do the work for you.
Go check the Character Mastery in the menu. Try to get a win with every single person on the roster. It’ll take forever, but you’ll actually understand the game's mechanics instead of just knowing how to spam Fireball.
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Jump into a Player Match—not Ranked—and just experiment. The community is still weirdly active for a game this old, and you'll find plenty of people willing to run "Low Tier Only" sets. It’s basically a whole new game at that point.