The game play in this game is similar to Jump Super Stars, a Japan-exclusive game that featured many characters from the popular magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. A few Naruto characters were included in it.
The spirit of Asuma Sarutobi appears whenever Shikamaru attacks with his trench knives, implying that Asuma is his motivation for fighting.
Kisame Hoshigaki and Tobi appear in the Story Mode, but they are not playable nor can you fight them.
Ironically, despite Fukasaku and Shima being playable characters, they still appear when Jiraiya goes into Sage Mode, although they appear much smaller than their playable appearances.
