Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker DLC Review: Neji Hyuga

 Neji Hyuga is undoubtedly one of the most beloved characters in the Naruto franchise, which made Soleil’s decision not to include him in the Shinobi Striker roster for over two years a puzzling one to say the least. Each new season, fans of the game would ponder about who the new DLC characters would be, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a discussion that didn’t include Neji. On September 25^th, the Shinobi faithful finally got their wish, and Neji Hyuga was added to the game as part of season three.

Given how long fans of the game were practically begging for Neji, the reaction to this most recent DLC has been surprisingly critical. Recently, the new characters have been trending towards more overpowered abilities, and people were probably expecting the same here. Considering Neji’s role and power level in the manga/anime, however, Soleil made a well-balanced character with interesting possibilities. Neji’s DLC also comes with some fresh outfits and hairstyles that players can use on their created character, making this a good value for $3.99 or the $14.99 season three pass. Players can’t just equip his jutsu (special abilities or attacks) and instantly mop the floor with the competition, but when used in certain combinations his abilities can be serviceable—even devastating.

Neji’s first jutsu is Gentle Fist Technique: Body Blow. This ability allows the user to interrupt enemy attacks and send them flying back, similarly to Pain’s Almighty Push. It’s good for breaking enemy combos, but its range is very short and it does no damage. The user is uninterruptable while casting it, but they still take damage from enemy attacks while it’s activating. It does bring a couple new things to the table, like the ability to escape from binding jutsu such as Water Prison, and the ability to dispel negative effects such as burning, poison, or speed debuffs. While these can be useful, they’re very situational. Overall, this jutsu is probably not as good as similar options for defense class like Jiraiya’s Needle Jizo. Since the game already has Neji’s Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation, another good defensive ability, it’s not a big deal that this jutsu is a little underwhelming.

The other jutsu included with this DLC is 8 Trigrams Hazan Strike, which allows the user to charge towards an enemy on the ground and hit them with a palm blast that does damage to all opponents on a straight line. Anyone hit by this ability also has their substitution stock and secret technique gauge reduced. Since this jutsu takes away the enemy’s ability to substitute, it’s great for starting melee combos or following up with another jutsu. This ability does only work on the ground, which can be a hindrance on maps where air combat is a major factor such as the Hidden Cloud. This also makes it fairly easy to dodge by jumping if someone sees it coming. However, this attack is also unblockable and breaks defensive jutsu like Gaara’s Sand Shield. This jutsu is probably the highlight of the package, and the user can combo it with other jutsu for catastrophic results. For example, if a player catches their opponent with the Hazan Strike, they become dazed for a moment. This allows the user to unleash powerful attacks that are normally very difficult to land, like Wood Style: Domed Wall. One could also pair it with Mitsuki’s Ripple, which pulls the opponent in, dealing damage and healing the user while also setting the enemy up for a melee combo. Another tactic would be to use a damage over time jutsu like Sand Shower or Water Prison while the opponent is dazed, and pair it with a smoke bomb to increase the time they stand in it and take damage. While this jutsu can be difficult to land, the combination possibilities with it are essentially endless.

The last attack that comes with the Neji Hyuga DLC is his secret technique, 8 Trigrams 128 Palms. This is a technique that was popular in the manga and the anime, and it’s exciting to finally see it in the game. This attack does major damage to anyone within a decent range of the user, and reduces the secret technique gauge of anyone caught in it. While it doesn’t do a ton of damage as far as secret techniques go (it won’t one-shot a defense type with full health), it can effectively prevent an enemy from ever using their secret technique, especially when paired with the 8 Trigrams Hazan Strike. While it has a limited range, it’s excellent for game modes where players are grouped together like base battles. All things considered this is one of the best secret techniques currently available for defense types, and a useful addition to the repertoire.

The Neji Hyuga DLC, while certainly not the most overpowered character in the game, is a fun inclusion to the Shinobi Striker roster. One of the biggest complaints from players prior to this release was that all the new characters are broken, and if you don’t buy them you’ll just get handled by people who do. Soleil created a balanced character with abilities that have to be used skillfully in combinations. For a two year old game with an experienced player base, this was a wise move that encourages experimentation for both veteran and rookie—both Jonin and Genin. The news of Neji’s addition was accompanied by a lot of hype within the community, and the character that was delivered was solid. This is a win for Soleil and for the players, who will surely be eager to see what character comes next.