The female cast of the Ultimate Ninja Storm series is not yet known

The Naruto Manga and anime series have a diverse cast, but many of their female characters don’t live up to their potential. Characters like Sakura, Tsunade, and Hinata are often criticized by some fans for not receiving the same amount of narrative and character development as their male counterparts. Female characters in Naruto are often developed in a single episode or story arc and then forgotten.

Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionsand that Ultimate Ninja Storm Game series in general, is the main game series for the Naruto series, and the way it treats its female characters is arguably even worse than in the manga or anime. Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections had the opportunity to update characters like Sakura, Tsunade, and Ino, and instead these key characters were sidelined with very poor Ultimate Jutsus.

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Naruto’s next fighting game should deviate from the Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections list

The massive playable cast in Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is impressive, but it would be better left out of the next Naruto game.

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm must live up to the manga’s potential

Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections ignores important traits and abilities of female characters, while male characters receive multiple versions based on their abilities or versions created specifically for the game. A glaring example is Sakura, who has two Ultimate Jutsus that are visually and functionally indistinguishable from each other. Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections essentially overlooks her ability to wield the Byakugo, or Hundred Seal strength, and only uses it in a Team Ultimate Jutsu with Sasuke and Naruto.

Sakura’s ability to use Byakugo changes her abilities as a shinobi and allows her to dive into a massive chakra pool, which becomes a major plot point in the story. Not only would this give Sakura another form on the roster, but it would also potentially create the opportunity for a team Ultimate Jutsu with Obito. Likewise, Tsunade’s Byakugo is overlooked. Despite being the most prolific Hokage in the series, she is also the Hokage with the fewest Ultimate Jutsus. While every other Hokage has at least two, Tsunade only has one.

One could argue that a healing ability like the Byakugo would be difficult to integrate into a fighting game like Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionsother male characters with abilities that are difficult to conceptualize are better represented in the list, such as Shisui Uchiha. Shisui’s ultimate jutsu is Kotoamatsukami, a genjutsu that controls a person’s mind without their awareness, and in Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionsthe ability is realized on screen in a visually cathartic way. Shisui barely appears in both the manga and anime, and yet he is given this opportunity. He also shares a Team Ultimate Jutsu with Itachi.

Ultimate Ninja Storm’s pattern of overlooking his female squad

Ino’s character in Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections has not received a single update since the first versions of . Ultimate Ninja Stormwhere her character is reduced to throwing flowers at her enemies. In the actual series, she plays a central role during the war arc and is an important member of her team. Kushina, one of the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails, has a form in Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections where she hits her opponent with a frying pan, despite the fact that in the series she displays shinobi skills and is a capable fighter. This form is meant to be a joke, but is based on sexist stereotypes that have no basis in the source material.

Kurenai was recently added to Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections in an update and while the other male teachers get Team Ultimate jutsus with their genin students, Kurenai’s Team Ultimate overlooks her relationship and bonds with her students and instead she teams up with her boyfriend. With so many female characters not even reaching the potential of their manga and anime counterparts, this is becoming a pattern. It would be easier to overlook this if only one or two female characters on the list were not reaching their potential, but this happens time and time again in the Ultimate Ninja Storm Series with no signs of slowing down.

Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections

Based on the popular manga and anime, Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is a 3D fighting game from Cyberconnect2. Featuring two story modes and over 100 playable characters, this 2023 release covers a major rivalry from Naruto as well as a new story centered around the manga’s sequel, Boruto.

franchise

Naruto

Approved

17 November 2023

Genre(s)

Battle

ESRB

T for teenagers due to mild blood, mild language, suggestive themes, violence

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