Naruto: Clash of Ninja (or Gekitou Ninja Taisen in Japan) is a series of Fighting Games for the Nintendo GameCube and the Wii based on the Naruto anime and manga.
Since the characters come from the anime, they share many of the tropes found on its character sheet.
Tropes exhibited by these games:
- Adam Smith Hates Your Guts: There's a lot of ridiculous prices for characters in Revolution 3. Then again, it's Bando running the shop.
- Assist Character: Choji helps Ino out during her special move in 2. When Choji was made playable in 3, the move was changed so Asuma would be the assistant instead (this change was also made in Revolution, despite Choji not being part of that game's roster). In Revolution 2, where both Choji and Asuma are playable, Ino received a new attack that wouldn't need any assist characters.
- Barefisted Monk: Any character who doesn't have long range abilities falls under this. Examples include Lee, Guy, Tsunade, and Neji's Shippuden version.
- Battle Aura: Used by some characters, particularly Naruto, as a power-up visual.
- The Beastmaster: Kiba can order his dog Akamaru to attack for him in battles. Kankuro and Chiyo can use their puppets in a similar style.
- Blow You Away:
- Temari has some spectacular wind attacks.
- Baki also has several wind blade combos, and a whirlwind that pulls the opponent.
- Canon Foreigner: Bando, Komachi, Towa, and Kagura.
- Capcom Sequel Stagnation: Something of a complaint, given the style doesn't change all that much.
- Cel Shading: The games have cel-shaded graphics to emulate the visual style of the anime.
- Character Exaggeration: Iruka is reduced to his role as a teacher, with his lines referencing little but being a sensei at the academy.
- Combat Medic: Kabuto can restore some damage immediately after being attacked, as well as having good taijutsu.
- Combo Breaker: Substitution, which teleports you behind the opponent for a free hit, but costs three-fourths of your chakra.
- Confusion Fu:
- Shikamaru's thinking stance can lead into a variety of different attacks or counterattacks, making his fighting style difficult to predict.
- In Clash of Ninja Revolution 3, Kakashi can fall under this. Every time he uses a special, he can choose one of five jutsu, but since all of them have the same start-up animation it's hard to guess what he'll do.
- Counter-Attack: Everyone has one with a backward attack; back weak attacks are guard point/auto-guard moves that can be charged up, while most back strong attacks are actual counters that may or may not be extended by rapidly expending chakra.
- Cute Bruiser: Sakura in the Shippuden games.
- Ditto Fighter: Kakashi's Sharingan with his back strong counter allows him to copy his opponent's special attack. Sadly, not used in the Shippuden games, as he just counters with Lightning Blade. He still dodges specials, though. However, he only counters and copies most neutral specials; it's also apparent in that some attacks from characters like Haku, Bando, Neji, Hinata and over half the cast he's unable to actually copy. Bando even outright says it in Kakashi's face.
- Doppelgänger Attack: Naruto's schtick. Itachi does it too.
- Double Unlock: Revolution 3's store would often show the characters that needed to be unlocked when you bought all the required characters...But they'd be unselectable anyway due to not showing their names or prices until you complete more tasks.
- Dual Wielding: In the Shippuden sub-series, Hidan uses his scythe and pike simultaneously.
- Flash Step: Used by some characters to teleport behind the opponent for a sneak attack.
- Fuuma Shuriken: Iruka and Mizuki use these, even though they're simply giant shuriken.
- Glass Cannon:
- Choji. He has very powerful combos, but when he gets caught in somebody else's combo, he has a hard time escaping.
- Rock Lee can be made into one if he activates the Gate of Life, which supercharges him but drops his HP to 1.
- Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: The story modes often have the player character fight the same battles as the anime. You're expected to win even in matches where, in the canon, your character got curb-stomped; once you win, the story mode continues as if you had lost.
- Jack of All Stats: Naruto and Sasuke before the Shippuden games.
- Jerkass: Bando is basically demoted to this status in Revolution 3, at least until he's "hired".
- Lady of War: Hinata and Kagura.
- Lethal Joke Character: Akamaru, the little puppy, appears as a playable character in some of the games. He's too short to be hit by most standard attacks, making him annoying to fight against.
- Lightning Bruiser: Rock Lee and Might Guy, even more so when they active their Gates. As a trade-off, they're Barefisted Monks with no long-range attacks.
- Limit Break: Your chakra meter gradually fills up as you fight. Filling it completely allows you to perform a special attack.
- Long-Range Fighter: Sakura pre-Time Skip, Temari, and Komachi in the US-exclusive Revolution series are the main examples.
- Mighty Glacier: Zabuza, Choji, Kisame, Bando and A.
- Moveset Clone: Iruka and Mizuki. Their movesets are almost identical, the only difference being that Mizuki makes greater use of the Fuuma Shuriken. Later games added Zabuza and Kisame, Kimimaro and Kagura, Haku and Komachi, and a few more.
- Nonchalant Dodge: Shikamaru casually leans away from attacks without taking his hands out of his pockets.
- Overly Long Fighting Animation: The special attacks.
- Ramen Slurp: Clash of Ninja 2's loading screen.
- SNK Boss:
- Deidara, in Revolution 3. A blatant cheater, and you are forced to play as Nine-Tails Naruto, a close combat fighter who can't do damage unless he's right next to the enemy. Of course, since Deidara doesn't stagger unless knocked off his feet, that gives him plenty of time to throw up another damn storm of clay bombs that break your guard. Even if you do knock him off his feet, he'll use Ninja Log to get out of range, leaving a bomb behind to knock you into yet another combo of bombs, when he's not using Teleport Spam to blast you again. Did we mention it's a Timed Mission with only a minute on the clock, and you can only win if you use a Special as a finisher?
- The series makes regular use of this trope for its final battles, usually in the form of Super Armor. Here they are in order by game: 1: None; 2: Gaara (The one consolation was that, in this game, you could get an item that gave your character Super Armor, something no other game has done since.); Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3: Unknown; Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4: None, the final boss (Naruto/Sasuke, you get to pick) isn't superpowered; Revolution: Itachi Uchiha seems to be the only one ; Revolution 2: Might Guy, Kagura, AND Kabuto (Kabuto doesn't have Super Armor, but he regenerates. Guy, however, is the worst of the three, as not only does he have the Super Armor, he also takes little to no damage from attacks, AND you have to defeat him with the Primary Lotus. Also note that the former two aren't final battles, but Kagura can be semi-excused for being rather climactic.); Revolution 3: The aforementioned Deidara is another absurd example as you fight against him earlier, and he doesn't have the Super Armor. Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX series: Unknown.
- S Rank Missions In Clash of Ninja Revolution 3. You face your rival who doesn't stagger and has increased damage. This isn't so bad for some characters, but when you're fighting say Itachi Uchiha who's already high tier, just put the controller down.
- Title Scream: Regardless of which game you're playing, every character (unlockable characters won't do this if you haven't got them yet) will do this.
- Vocal Evolution: Bando's lines in Revolution 2 seemed incredibly forced, at times, in Revolution 3, his lines became much more natural because of the new voice clips.
