Shinobi Striker — Fastest Way to Level Up Master & Character (2026)

Leveling in Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker trips up new players because there are really two things to level — your character and your masters — and they level differently. This guide covers the fastest way to level up in Shinobi Striker, how to unlock jutsu by ranking masters, and whether VR missions or PvP get you there quicker. It is written for PS4 and PS5. The reason so many newcomers feel stuck is that the game never clearly explains this two-track system, so they grind the wrong activity for hours and barely move. Once you understand which activity feeds which track, the whole progression opens up and you stop wasting sessions. This guide lays out the efficient path from a bare-bones starter shinobi to a leveled character with a full jutsu kit, in the order that actually gets you there fastest. We will also cover how ranked play and the Ninja World League fit in, and a simple routine you can repeat so both your character and your masters climb without either track stalling out.

The Two Things You Level

Your character levels up your base stats and unlocks progression, while your masters (the VR mentors) must be leveled individually to teach you their jutsu and secret techniques. Confusing the two is why people feel stuck: you can be a high character level and still have almost no jutsu because you never ranked your masters at the Ninjutsu Library.

Keeping both in mind is the key to efficient progression. You want character XP for stats and master XP for your kit, and the fastest activities differ for each. Once you understand that split, "leveling up" stops being vague and becomes two clear tracks you can push in parallel — which our jutsu unlock guide ties together.

Fastest Character XP: PvP

PvP is the engine of fast leveling. A quick match or Ninja World League win gives around 200 XP and a loss still gives around 100, which dwarfs the small amounts VR missions hand out. If raw leveling speed is your goal, queuing PvP and simply playing — win or lose — is the quickest route up the ladder.

That also means you level while you improve, since PvP is where the game's skill actually lives. Even losses pay out, so there is no reason to avoid the mode out of fear of losing. Lean into quick matches and league play, and your character and master levels both climb far faster than grinding missions solo.

Leveling Masters to Unlock Jutsu

Here is the part new players miss: your jutsu come from leveling masters to rank 5 at the Ninjutsu Library, and the new moves do not appear automatically — you have to return to the Library to learn them after ranking up. With 20 masters across the four classes, that is a lot of jutsu to unlock, and each master takes XP earned mostly from PvP.

So master leveling and character leveling share a source: PvP XP. Play quick matches, rank your masters toward 5, and swing by the Library to learn each new technique. Our all jutsu and secret techniques guide covers which masters are worth prioritising for the strongest moves.

XP sources compared

Activity	XP / reward	Best for
Quick match / League win	~200 XP	Fastest character + master XP
Quick match loss	~100 XP	Still worth playing
VR missions	Small XP	Scrolls, ryo, offline play
Ranking masters to 5	Unlocks jutsu	Your kit, not your stats

VR Missions vs Quick Match

VR missions are the only offline mode and the main way to earn scrolls and ryo, but they give little character XP — so treat them as your economy farm, not your leveling farm. S-rank VR missions are fine for grinding currency and cosmetics, but if pure levels are the goal, PvP is simply faster.

The efficient player splits their time: PvP for levels and master ranks, VR missions for scrolls and money. Trying to level entirely through VR missions is the slow trap most beginners fall into. Our scrolls and ryo farm guide covers the VR side in depth so you know when to run which.

Leveling All 20 Masters

Unlocking every jutsu means ranking all 20 masters to 5, which is a serious long-term grind on top of your character level and your gear. Most players rank the masters whose jutsu they actually want first, then backfill the rest for completion. There is no shortcut to it beyond playing a lot of PvP and visiting the Library often.

If you want every master maxed and every jutsu learned without months of queueing, that full unlock is exactly what a modded save delivers. Our modded save guide covers the unlock-all option for players who want the complete kit immediately.

Rank and the Ninja World League

Beyond raw levels, the Ninja World League is the ranked PvP ladder, and climbing it is both a progression goal and an XP source. League matches pay the same strong XP as quick matches while also pushing your rank, so competitive players level almost as a side effect of laddering. If you enjoy PvP, the league is the most efficient place to spend your time.

Rank also gates some rewards and bragging rights, so it is worth engaging with even if your main goal is leveling. The important point is that you never have to choose between ranking up and leveling up — they happen together in the same matches. That overlap is why so many guides point you toward PvP as the one activity that advances everything at once.

A Simple Leveling Routine

A clean routine looks like this: queue quick matches or league games for your character XP and master ranks, and swing by the Ninjutsu Library whenever a master hits a new rank to actually learn the move. Between PvP sessions, run a few S-rank VR missions to top up scrolls and ryo. That split keeps all your progression tracks moving without grinding any one of them to exhaustion.

The mistake to avoid is doing only VR missions because they feel safer — you will level painfully slowly and wonder why. Lean into PvP for speed, accept that losses still pay out, and treat VR missions as your economy farm rather than your leveling farm. Follow that rhythm and both your character and your masters climb far faster than the average player's. Our scrolls guide covers the VR side in depth.

Playing to Win vs Playing to Level

There is a small tension between playing PvP to win and playing it to level. Since even losses pay ~100 XP, pure leveling does not require you to win — it just requires you to keep queueing. That is liberating for newer players: you do not have to be good to level through PvP, you just have to show up and play matches, improving as you go.

That said, winning pays double, so improving at the game directly speeds your leveling. The sweet spot is to queue without fear of losing — treating every match as XP whether you win or lose — while genuinely trying to win so your XP-per-match climbs over time. Players who avoid PvP because they are scared of losing are the ones who end up stuck grinding slow VR missions forever. Embrace the queue and both your skill and your levels rise together.

Skip the Grind With Unlock All

If ranking 20 masters and grinding PvP for every jutsu sounds like months, our Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker modded save unlocks all content including DLC, with infinite ultimate jutsu, ninjutsu and sub-weapons, all clothes, and max scrolls — applied directly to your PS4 or PS5 profile.

That skips the entire master-ranking and XP grind and lets you play with the full kit from the start. Learn how leveling works from this guide, then see what the modded save unlocks if you would rather jump straight to a finished shinobi.

Frequently Asked Questions