Beginner resources

Inspiration

Boocock's Review of GNT4 - An old review posted by someone who's now considered a pillar of the community. Gets quite descriptive at points, but also summarizes the influence and impact the game has had in the States quite well.

Combo movie with all characters - Originally hosted on a Japanese site showcasing combo montages, this is a good primer as to just how creative combos can get.

TORNADO - A GNT4/GNT4Remix Combo Video - Compiled by GNT4Clips in 2018, this is a montage of combos in both GNT4 and the "Remix" mod, performed by various members of the GNT community.

What makes GNT4 better than Rev3? - A Reddit post by LuxerWap inquiring as to why the community's opinions are biased towards GNT4 rather than Rev3.
Spoilers: GNT4 : Melee :: Rev3 : Smash 4. They're both great games in their own right, but lately more players have been more vocal when it comes to GNT4.
A similar post was made questioning Rev2's status that can be found here.

Naruto: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! 4 gets new life in this GNT4: Remastered Combo Video - A short article on Shoryuken describing how the scene is still strong and showcasing a Remastered combo video by TheCape.

Guides for Improvement

Y-Cancel/Combo Cancel Guide - An in-depth video guide explaining how to Y-Cancel. Uses Clash of Ninja Revolution in the guide, but applies to all GNT games after 4.

Explaining Stance Break - A Reddit post by Hatchy quoting Abbock as to why you want to stance break - a technique done during Y-Cancel combo strings that "breaks" the game's damage scaling in your favor.

Using Special Mid-String - A Reddit post by GNT4Clips explaining how one can execute a Special Technique in the middle of a combo for maximum efficiency.

"Forward Movement" Explained - A video guide by Abbock explaining how "forward movement" works - or rather, the frustrating nuances of hitboxes in GNT4 causing players to, at times, perform a substitution only to reappear on the wrong side.

Okizeme & You - A Reddit post by KariG explaining the concept of okizeme - aggressively pursuing a recovering opponent to follow up - how to develop okizeme in your gameplay, and how you can prevent it from happening to you.

Instant Run Tech - A video by TBC showing how to quickly perform running attacks from a standing position.

Mid-String Delay Punish Guide - A guide by David Hsu posted on GameFAQs outlining the delays in characters' combos, so you can follow up in their string in order to punish your opponent appropriately.

Air Throw Points - A video guide by TheCape showing points in various characters' combos where they can be punished with an air throw.
(Note: Only Kabuto, Kakashi, Kiba, Kimimaro, Naruto, and OTK can air throw)

Using j.B's in Your Combos - A video by TheCape that highlights the usage of attacks in combo strings - a good strategy, as aerial attacks do decent damage. (Check video description for list of combos)

Using j.B's in Your Combos Add-On - An addendum to the above video that shows more instances of used in combo strings.

Things to Remember

There exists high, mid, and low attacks in GNT4, but holding back (blocking) counters all of them. Low attacks generally duck high and mid attacks. Grab (a high attack) counters block.

The basic 50/50 mixup in GNT4 is jab or grab.

It is imperative to understand when the opponent is likely to jump and/or double jump, as it is possible to punish both the intro and ending lag of jump with attacks / throw.

Sidestep can be countered with well-timed (e.g. delayed) moves, or run up grab ().

If you are getting attacked from behind, you can out of most combos as the hitstun is decreased when attacking a back-turned opponent.

LKnJ -> attack can be countered with jump behind -> attack or turnaround grab (Billy no Jutsu). LKnJ -> attack can also be defended by simply turning around.

Sidestep -> grab (Rob no Jutsu) is an effective way to punish an overzealous opponent who is attacking using a move with high ending lag, such as CS2 Sasuke .

on all characters is a reversal move, which you can use if you know your opponent is blindly attacking you. It has slow startup but is very hard to interrupt with attacks due to guard frames. The only exception is CS2 Sasuke whose is a teleport.

is a universal combo into super. This also means you can generally go from your current combo to to end it with a super.

Running sidestep ( or ) is super good for approaching, as it is incredibly fast and can set you up to attack your opponent from the side. Ideal if they are zoning with projectiles and you want to get in close.

Don't forget to grab, especially if your opponent is only blocking. If they aren't quite close enough, you can always do . Make sure you know how to combo off grab, too.

If your opponent keeps substituting your combo as soon as they hit 75% Chakra, you can watch their meter while you combo them and sidestep when you think they will KnJ. If you predicted correctly, the sidestep will dodge their attack and you can start a new combo on them while they are in their attack animation.

If your opponent keeps throwing you, you can avoid it by pressing , , , or when you expect them to grab you. This window is very small, but you can get used to it if you try.

If you are landing from a combo, you can press or while landing in order to do a tech roll. This allows you to go in any of the four cardinal directions and gives you a slight amount of chakra.

If you have your opponent in a combo and can win the round either by doing a into another string or by finishing a basic combo, choose the basic combo so you don't waste 25% Chakra that you could use next match (unless the style points are worth it).