There is no official Shinobi Striker tier list, and the community lists that exist were made before the two big 2026 balance patches, so the most reliable way to rank techniques in November 2026 is to read what patches 2.70 and 2.71 actually buffed and nerfed. The newest dated community ranking we found is content creator Hiroto Uzumaki's DLC tier list video from 20 February 2026, which predates both patches. Below is what changed since then, sorted into what is rising, what is falling and what was reworked, so you can judge any tier list you find against the current game.
For this guide we read the official 2.70 patch notes on Steam, the 13th and 14th developer letters on the official NARUTO site, the Shinobi Striker Fandom wiki, a TierMaker community ranking and the publish dates on YouTube in November 2026.
Why Every Tier List Ages Fast in 2026
The development team changed its balance schedule in August 2026. In the 14th developer letter, published for the game's eighth anniversary, the team said balance adjustments would no longer wait for major updates and would instead land during regular maintenance, with a planned frequency of every 2 to 4 weeks. That one decision matters more than any single ranking. A list that was accurate in spring can be wrong by autumn, and a list built around one patch can be out of date a month later.

The community sources reflect that. TierMaker's all-jutsu community ranking is an average of just five submitted lists, which is too few to treat as a consensus. Hiroto Uzumaki's "The ULTIMATE Shinobi Striker DLC Tier List" went up on 20 February 2026, three months before patch 2.70 and six months before 2.71. Older class videos, such as ridikTV's attack jutsu tier list from May 2020, are useful for learning what each technique does but say little about today's balance. When you watch any tier list, check its upload date against the patch history first.
The Four Types and What "Good" Means for Each
A single tier list for the whole game hides an important detail: each type wins in a different way. The wiki describes Attack types as close-range, fast and offensive, Defense types as heavy hitters that protect allies and objectives, Ranged types as specialists in large projectiles, and Heal types as team support with healing jutsu. A technique that is top tier on a Heal build can be useless on Attack, and you cannot swap ninjutsu between types anyway; the wiki's controls page notes that ninjutsu are locked to their class.
- Attack: values gap closers, combo starters and anything that stops substitution escapes.
- Ranged: values projectile speed, tracking and safe cooldowns.
- Defense: values guard pressure, objective control and survivability.
- Heal: values area recovery, buffs and debuff removal for the team.
Mode matters too. A technique that clears a Base Battle point may do little in Survival Exercise, which is a six-player free-for-all. That is why we group the 2026 changes by type below rather than forcing them onto one S to D chart. If you want the weapon side of the picture, the existing guide to the best Shinobi Striker weapons for every class covers that half of a build.
Rising: What Patches 2.70 and 2.71 Pushed Up
Patch 2.70 arrived with Jiraiya (Sage Mode) on 29 May 2026 and leaned toward giving visual and sensing techniques a new job. Sharingan, Koto Amatsukami, Kamui Bond, Genjutsu: Sharingan, Byakugan, Transportation Ninjutsu and Hidden Jutsu: Sukunahikona all gained the ability to lock on to invisible enemies while active. Against cloaking techniques, that is a real counter, and it lifts eye jutsu that many players had benched. Our walkthrough on getting Sharingan eyes in Shinobi Striker shows which masters teach those techniques.

Other clear buffs in 2.70: Wind Style: Rasen Shuriken gained Super Armor from activation until it lands, Boruto Strike charges sooner and faster, Wood Style: Wood Golem Jutsu costs less Secret Technique gauge, Karma got a shorter cooldown and more damage on its follow-up, Toad Oil Bombs got a shorter cooldown, and Reaper Death Seal changed from Super Armor to invulnerability on hit. The patch also raised Secret Technique gauge gain from hitting enemies with ninjutsu, from blocking with shield-type tools and from healing, which quietly helps every type reach its ultimate sooner.
The 14th developer letter then explained the August patch 2.71. Wood Style: Laughing Buddha Jutsu, which the team said had a low usage rate, now cancels sooner; one of the Iron Sand techniques now accepts its follow-up input even when the first hit lands on terrain; Slug: Long-Distance Healing can be used in mid-air; and the drawbacks of Summoning: Gedo Statue and Curse Jutsu: Death Possession Blood were softened. Older SS items were also buffed, according to the same letter.
Falling: What the 2026 Patches Pulled Down
The biggest nerf target in 2.70 was the Rasengan family. Vanishing Rasengan and Vanishing Rasengan: Full Moon both lost their Guard Break effect, so they can now be blocked, and both deal less damage, although their cooldowns were shortened and their tracking improved. Kurama Twin Impact also lost Guard Break. Momoshiki Otsutsuki's master moveset and his Palm Eyes weapon both had the tracking on the first two strong-attack hits reduced, and the Sealing Tag: Fake ninja tool lost its substitution stock reset. Among summoned animals, the Ninja Hawk's charge tracks less well.
Patch 2.71 continued in the same direction. The development team listed more damage taken during Baryon Mode, longer cooldowns for Fire Style: Flame Bombs and Heavenly Hand Power, a smaller strong-attack hitbox on the Whip Sword "Rainflow" and slower flight for the Ninja Tortoise. If a tier list you are watching puts any of these at the very top, it was almost certainly recorded before August 2026.
The Big Rework: Cooldown Resets and Substitution
The most important 2026 change is not a single buff or nerf but a rule change. In 2.70, a long list of ninjutsu lost the effect that reset an enemy's ninjutsu cooldown on hit and gained an effect that disables the target's ninjutsu instead. The list covers every type: Acrobat Technique, Uchiha Shuriken Jutsu: Oboroguruma and Karma Linchpin (Strange Taste) on Attack; Onyx Chidori and Hidden Jutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death on Ranged; Earth Style: Mud Wall, Sand Shield, Water Style: Shark Bomb and 8 Trigrams Hazan Strike on Defense; Shadow Possession Jutsu, Truthseeker Orb: Cycle and Sage Art: Shadow Style: Thunder Blast on Heal.
Then 2.71 reworked substitution. The team reduced how much the Substitution Jutsu cooldown shrinks when you take damage and increased how much it shrinks when you deal damage. Their stated goal was more combo opportunities, because combo starters were landing and enemies were escaping immediately. In practice this rewards aggressive players who keep hitting, and it makes reliable starters more valuable than they were in spring. Any tier list that ranks techniques by escape value needs to be redone with that in mind. The same logic applies to the ninjutsu disable effect from 2.70: a technique that used to reset your opponent's cooldowns was a liability if it missed the follow-up, while the new version shuts the target's ninjutsu down instead, which makes several of those mid-tier picks far more attractive for pressure builds than they were a year ago. To practice the timing, our Shinobi Striker controls guide covers the substitution and deflect inputs on every platform.
New Picks Worth Testing in November 2026
Two masters arrived after the February community lists. Jiraiya (Sage Mode) is a Defense type built around the two Great Sage Toads: Sage Art: Bath of Boiling Oil pushes enemies back and leaves a damage zone, Sage Art: Frog Song changes your moveset for ultrasonic binding, and Demonic Illusion: Gamarinsho restrains several enemies at once. Naruto Uzumaki (Sage Mode), added on 28 August 2026, is an Attack type: Frog Kumite is a charging taijutsu with a shadow clone Rasengan follow-up on a clean hit, and Nature Energy: Concentration has no cooldown and boosts attack, movement speed and lock-on range once charged. The 14th developer letter also flagged new summoned animals and SS+ weapons. Summons now shape movement in every match, so read our guide on using summoned animals in Shinobi Striker before you settle on a loadout.
A sensible way to rank anything new is to test it in practice first. Since 2.71, the Survival Exercise Practice Mode lets you turn off AI Ninja Masters and spar with up to four friends in a party, so you can try a technique against real players without risking league points. Pair that with the Ninjutsu Control Guide, also added in 2.71, which shows which button triggers each jutsu icon. Once you know where your loadout sits, the Shinobi Striker ranks guide explains how the league grades you will be climbing are structured.
Testing Every Technique Without the Grind
Ranking techniques yourself means owning them, and on a fresh profile that takes a long time. For PS4 and PS5 players only, the store's Shinobi Striker modded save lists everything unlocked including DLC, infinite ultimate jutsu, ninjutsu and sub-weapons, all clothes and max scrolls. The page states that the game itself is not included and that PlayStation orders need active PlayStation Plus on the same account being modified.
There is no Xbox or PC version of the save. The other saves and the trophy service are on the Shinobi Striker store hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an official Shinobi Striker tier list?
No. Bandai Namco publishes patch notes and developer letters, not rankings. Community tier lists are opinions, and the latest dated one we found is from February 2026.
What is the best class in Shinobi Striker?
No class is best in every mode. Attack wins fights, Defense holds objectives, Ranged controls space and Heal keeps a team alive; most strong teams run a mix.
What was nerfed in Shinobi Striker patch 2.70?
Vanishing Rasengan and its Full Moon version lost Guard Break and damage, Kurama Twin Impact lost Guard Break, and Momoshiki's strong-attack tracking was reduced, among other changes.
How often does Shinobi Striker get balance changes?
Since August 2026 the team plans balance adjustments during regular maintenance every 2 to 4 weeks, announced in game and on the official channels.
Is Naruto Sage Mode good in Shinobi Striker?
He is an aggressive Attack type with a no-cooldown buff and a Nine Tails secret technique. He arrived after the February community lists, so test him yourself in Practice Mode.
Where can I find a Shinobi Striker DLC tier list for 2026?
Hiroto Uzumaki posted a full DLC ranking video on YouTube on 20 February 2026. Treat it as a pre-2.70 snapshot and check the patch notes for later changes.