Ultimate Ninja Storm 4's gameplay is similar to that of previous games in the series, in which players battle each other in 3D arenas. A returning feature, omitted since the original Ultimate Ninja Storm, is the ability to wall-run; players can battle on the sides (walls) of each arena. A major change to the feature is the ability to have one character on the wall and the other on the field; the second player was originally also moved to the wall to keep the battle flowing and the system in check.[3] Its roster includes 106 fighters from the Naruto universe, including duplicates of the same characters, such as Naruto (Part 1) and Naruto (Six Paths Sage Mode).[4] The game also includes characters from the films The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014) and Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015).[5]
The option to select one of three fighting types was removed; it was introduced in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution, restoring the rest of the series' strongest attacks, Ultimate Jutsu, and Awakening system, which enhances the fighting capabilities of fighter for a limited time. Another new feature is the ability to swap characters during battle, similar to games such as Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Awakenings and Ultimate Jutsu can be shared by switchable characters; players can build their meter with one character and switch to the other, using the same abilities with the other character (which shares the life bar). Also new to the series is the ability to break weapons and armor in free and boss battles with the ability to inflict elemental damage; fire can burn away clothing, but players can get rid of fire by moving quickly across the area or being attacked with water.[6]