Seven modes are made available to the player, though some of them are a tad redundant, offering the same thing under a different name. Gameplay modes include a one-player mode, two-player battle, play against the computer, survival, time attack, training, and story mode. Not a single mode here offers the depth or level of enjoyment found in other, more competent titles like Soul Calibur or even Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi -- while the former is the model excellence in the genre, the latter shows that it can be a good amount of fun, despite its flaws. While Clash of the Ninja can be fun (not exceptional), you really have to take your time to get there.
Play against the computer mode is fairly self-explanatory, pitting you against a computer opponent. The biggest drag with this match is that it's a one-shot deal: player-versus-computer for one match, dragging you back to the character selection screen when all's said and done. Then there's also the one-player mode, which is more or less the arcade mode, having players select a character and guiding them through a handful of matches, with the ability to accommodate a second player, should the desire arise.
The two-player battle, much like the play against the computer mode, is a one-shot of player-versus-player action; the multiplayer aspects offered in these modes seem to be passable, but since it's so limited, it doesn't seem to be a major focus of the game. Parallel to that issue, the three aforementioned modes seem like they could have easily been combined since they're all basically the same thing. The only difference between the three is that the one-player mode is a series of battles rather than a single match. The other two modes seem like a waste to deal with the load times, play your match, deal with the loading once more, then be taken back to the character selection screen, as if they were thrown in to add to the perceived value.
The story mode, which would seem to contain the meat of the game, is actually rather skimpy. Players are placed in the role of Naruto Uzumaki and are guided through matches that parallel the narrative of the series… and that's more or less it. You have a few unlockable characters, but it really isn't anything special. On top of that, you can only play through the story mode as Naruto; nothing to give the same story from different perspectives as was done for the various games in the DBZ: Budokai series. It's sort of a ho-hum deal, and considering the charm of the source material, it is really a disappointment.