Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 5 (PS2) Tips & Tricks

For anime fans and manga readers, it’s almost impossible not to know Naruto, the hugely popular series that has captured audiences worldwide. Thanks to its massive success, Naruto has been adapted into a variety of games, many of which are just as exciting as the series itself.

One of the most well-known is Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 5, part of the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja game series. This particular title became a favorite among players of all ages, from kids to adults, and was available on the PlayStation 2 (PS2).

Ultimate Ninja 5 was first released in Japan in December 2007, and later launched globally in November 2009 as a sequel to Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 4.

Naturally, it came with several updates and improvements over its predecessor. One major addition was the ability to summon helper characters during battles, allowing players to chain new combo attacks and put more pressure on opponents.

Character moves, including ultimate techniques or jutsu, were also updated. Some characters even have special combination attacks with their helpers, faithfully adapted from scenes in the anime and manga.

Another exciting feature introduced in this game is ‘Master Mode’, a new RPG-style adventure where players can explore the village, interact with NPCs, and take on different missions.

The story is thrilling and stays true to the original anime and manga, involving more characters and offering a richer experience compared to previous entries.

In Master Mode, players primarily control Naruto Uzumaki, accompanied by two teammates who assist during battles. You’ll be tasked with completing missions for the villagers, and along the way, you’ll face off against criminals, bandits, and various characters you’ll recognize from the series.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 5 also offers a wide range of playable characters, including Naruto’s childhood friends, the Akatsuki, the Kage, and many more. However, you’ll need to unlock them first before using them in Versus Mode.

In this article, we’ll share some useful tips and tricks to help you play Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 5 more effectively, and unlock all your favorite characters!

How to Unlock Characters

Unlocking all the characters in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 5 isn’t actually that difficult. All you need to do is complete every mission given in Master Mode and follow the story through to the end.

While completing Master Mode can take quite a bit of time, the good news is that the storyline closely follows the anime, which makes it engaging and fun to experience all the way through.

Once you finish all the missions and reach the end of the story, you’ll be given a final task; to defeat all the Wooden Dolls listed in the Bingo Book. Simply put, once you defeat a character’s Wooden Doll, that character becomes available for you to use in Vs Mode.

That said, you don’t always have to wait until the very end to unlock certain characters. Some can be unlocked earlier by defeating them directly during Master Mode. These characters will become immediately playable once you beat them:

• Chiyo
• Chiyo with Puppet
• Deidara
• Itachi Uchiha
• Kabuto
• Kisame
• Orochimaru
• Sai
• Sasori
• Sasori True Form
• Sasuke
• Yamato

Here’s an interesting fact: many players often struggle to find two special characters , Sasuke (Classic) and Minato (the Fourth Hokage). Missing out on them would definitely be a shame!

Both characters appear only after you’ve completed the Master Mode storyline, finished all the missions, and defeated every Wooden Doll mentioned earlier.

Once you’ve done all that, you’ll find Sasuke (Classic) at Orochimaru’s Altar , the same hiding place where you previously fought Sasuke. Meanwhile, Minato can be found on the roof of the Hokage Room, near the statues of the past Hokages.

How to Use Awakening Mode

In Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 5, every character's jutsu and ultimate moves have been updated. Besides the new ultimate techniques and attack combos, this game also introduces a powerful feature called Awakening Mode.

Awakening Mode is a special transformation that boosts a character’s power that can enhance their ultimate moves and attack combinations.

However, not every character in the game can enter Awakening Mode. Only certain characters have this ability, including Naruto Uzumaki (Nine Tails form), Sasuke Classic (Curse Mark form), Kakashi (Mangekyou Sharingan), and a few others.

There are two ways to activate Awakening Mode: before the battle or during the battle.

1. Awakening Mode Before the Battle

You can activate Awakening Mode even before the battle begins, while selecting your character.
To do this, simply press the R1 button on the controller when choosing your character. Keep in mind, though, that only specific characters can transform.

Here’s the list of characters who can activate Awakening Mode:

• Naruto Uzumaki (Nine Tails)
• Naruto Uzumaki (Fox Mode)
• Sasuke Uchiha (Curse Mark)
• Rock Lee (Loopy Fist)
• Chouji (Super Pill)
• Gaara (Possession)
• Kimimaru (Curse Mark)
• Sakon (Curse Mark)
• Tayuya (Curse Mark)
• Kidomaru (Curse Mark)
• Jirobo (Curse Mark)
• Sasori (Puppet Mode)

These characters can also activate Awakening Mode during battle , but with a different condition. To transform mid-fight, your character’s Health Points (HP) must drop to yellow or red. Once that happens, you can trigger the transformation by performing a finishing move.

2. Awakening Mode During Battle

Some characters can also activate Awakening Mode while fighting. To do this, simply press and hold the D-pad Up button for a few seconds during the battle.

However, there’s an important catch: if your character gets hit by an opponent while trying to transform, the Awakening activation will be canceled. So, timing and positioning are key when trying to trigger it in the middle of a fight.

Here are some characters who can activate Awakening Mode during battle:

• Kakashi Hatake
• Sakura Haruno
• Chouji
• Itachi Uchiha
• Shikamaru Nara
• Shino Aburame
• Kurenai
• Hinata Hyuga
• Ino Yamanaka
• Kiba
• Rock Lee
• Mighty Guy
• Granny Chiyo
• Gaara
• Deidara
• Jiraiya
• Tsunade
• Orochimaru
• Sai
• Yamato
• Anko Mitarasi
• Kankuro
• Temari
• Jirobo

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 5 Cheats

If you’re wondering whether Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 5 has any cheat codes to unlock all characters, the answer is no. The only way to unlock every character is by playing through Master Mode and completing it.

Although you might come across articles claiming to offer cheats for this game, most of these cheat codes are either incorrect or simply don't work. Even major gaming sites like GameFAQs, GameSpot, and IGN don’t list any official cheats for this title.

So, those are some tips and tricks for playing Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 5 on the PS2!

If you know any other tips, tricks, or real cheats that actually work, feel free to share them with us in the comments section!