Naruto: Clash of Ninja (series)

The Naruto: Clash of Ninja series (known in Japan as Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen) is a series of 3D cel-shaded fighting games based on the popular manga and anime series Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto. They are developed by Eighting and published by D3 Publisher and Tomy. Various installments of the series have appeared on both Nintendo's GameCube and Wii. Four games are available for the GameCube and two are available for the Wii. The first two installments from Japan and Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution are available in the United States and in PAL regions. A fourth game was released in the U. S. on October 21, 2008. All other installments have been released exclusively in Japan.

Each installment of the series has had numerous methods of play with varying types of modes. New games have introduced additional modes that generally appear in subsequent games. The player directly controls a character taken from the Naruto series, and uses their unique abilities to battle and defeat an opponent. New games in the series include more of the Naruto plotline in a "story mode," and it generally stays true to the source material. As a result, the character selection increases with each installment due to the inclusion of more of the Naruto plotline. With the newer games incorporating Naruto: Shippuuden, the second part of the Naruto series, many of the characters have been substantially redesigned, and the selection correspondingly limited. Reactions to each installment have been mixed, with many praising the simple and easy-to-learn fighting system, with others lambasting the fighting system, and the lack of significant unlockable content.