Jump Ultimate Stars

Jump Ultimate Stars for Nintendo DS is a Japanese-only crossover fighting game released on November 23, 2006. Developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo, it follows 2005's Jump Super Stars and brings together characters and worlds from 41 series associated with Weekly Shonen Jump. The result is a 2D arena fighter built specifically around the DS's dual screens and touch controls, with manga imagery at the centre of both its roster and its team-building system.

A match is fought across compact, platform-filled stages whose layouts evoke comic-book pages. Players directly control a chosen Battle character, moving, jumping, guarding, dashing and attacking with the DS buttons while trying to deplete opponents' health or send them from the arena. Stages can include hazards, moving or breakable terrain, and changing routes that make positioning as important as an individual character's attacks. The game supports free-for-all and team battles, with computer opponents available for solo matches and several battle-rule options.

Its defining feature is the koma deck. Before fighting, players arrange manga-panel-style character pieces on a 4-by-5 grid using the touch screen. Larger Battle koma provide the characters controlled in combat, Support koma call in temporary attacks, healing, or other effects, and one-space Help koma grant adjacent pieces useful bonuses. A deck needs its required character roles and a designated leader, while the limited grid turns roster selection into a small puzzle of space, combinations, and priorities. Players can use the touch screen during a fight to switch among Battle koma or activate their support and help options.

Jump Ultimate Stars expands the preceding game with a broad collection of manga properties and character panels. Familiar series such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Rurouni Kenshin appear alongside series including Death Note, D.Gray-man, Gintama, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, and Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. The full set contains 305 character koma, including 56 Battle characters. Their panel size and role affect how they fit into a deck, and the roster’s mixture of fighters, support figures, and helpers gives each team a different tactical shape.

Single-player play is centered on the J-Adventure story mode and its connected challenges. Successful battles earn gems that are spent on each character's evolution chart, opening routes to stronger or alternate koma as well as related content. Training, quiz, and information features provide other ways to engage with the large crossover catalogue. In addition to local DS Wireless Play for up to four players, Nintendo's original Japanese page lists Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support for up to four; those online services were subsequently discontinued. As a sequel that turns Shonen Jump's history into a customizable touch-screen battle game, Jump Ultimate Stars remains closely tied to the Nintendo DS and its 2006 Japanese release.