Sengoku Basara 4

New

• Ashikaga Yoshiteru: Shūichi Ikeda
• Gotō Matabei: Shin-ichiro Miki
• Ii Naotora: Maaya Sakamoto
• Kyōgoku Maria: Miyuki Sawashiro
• Sen no Rikyū* : Takahiro Sakurai
• Shibata Katsuie: Nobuhiko Okamoto
• Shima Sakon: Yūichi Nakamura
• Yamanaka Shikanosuke: Miyu Irino

Returning

• Azai Nagamasa: Kōji Tsujitani
• Chōsokabe Motochika: Ryuzou Ishino
• Date Masamune: Kazuya Nakai
• Fūma Kotarō
• Honda Tadakatsu
• Ishida Mitsunari: Tomokazu Seki
• Kasuga: Natsuko Kuwatani
• Katakura Kojūrō: Toshiyuki Morikawa
• Kobayakawa Hideaki: Jun Fukuyama
• Kuroda Kanbei: Rikiya Koyama
• Maeda Keiji: Masakazu Morita
• Maeda Toshiie: Tomohiro Tsuboi
• Matsu: Yūko Kaida
• Matsunaga Hisahide: Keiji Fujiwara
• Mogami Yoshiaki: Tetsu Shiratori
• Mōri Motonari: Shigeru Nakahara
• Oda Nobunaga: Norio Wakamoto
• Oichi: Mamiko Noto
• Ōtani Yoshitsugu: Fumihiko Tachiki
• Ōtomo Sōrin: Noriaki Sugiyama
• Saika Magoichi: Sayaka Ohara
• Sanada Yukimura: Sōichirō Hoshi
• Sarutobi Sasuke: Takehito Koyasu
• Shimazu Yoshihiro: Kenichi Ogata
• Tachibana Muneshige: Tetsu Inada
• Takeda Shingen: Tesshō Genda
• Takenaka Hanbei: Akira Ishida
• Tenkai (Akechi Mitsuhide in disguise): Show Hayami
• Tokugawa Ieyasu: Tōru Ōkawa
• Toyotomi Hideyoshi: Ryōtarō Okiayu
• Tsuruhime: Ami Koshimizu
• Uesugi Kenshin: Romi Park

Every character moves with the analog stick. Tapping a direction twice will make the character enter a dashing state, which will last as long as you hold the direction and never return to neutral, unless you use a move or get hit. Jumping during this state, even if it's immediately after dashing, will make the character go further and faster than a normal jump would take them.

By pressing L1, a character will block. This prevents damage so long as it doesn't break through repeatedly being hit or blocking especially strong moves. Blocking just before being hit will perform a "Parry", doing damage and potentially staggering/knocking enemies down, allowing for a follow-up combo. Specific enemies and bosses can utilize this as well.

By holding L1 and tapping a direction, characters do a semi-invincible evade/roll animation in the direction you tapped. Doing this with proper timing can enter an enemies defense and even bypass certain attacks. New to Sengoku BASARA 4, performing it at the last second, similar to a Parry, will trigger a "Detect"[7] which has a different animation and maneuvers you around an attacking opponent. Bosses can utilize this as well.

By pressing and continuing to press square, every character does a string of basic attacks, often referred to as a "S-String". The amount of hits, as well as potential properties to each of these attacks, differ on a per-character basis, but every character can general cancel any one of the hits into one of their many special moves. These special skills come in the form of several different inputs. Every character has one tied to the following; Triangle, Direction + Triangle, R1, L1/Guard+Triangle, L1/Guard+Square (4 Sumeragi only), and by holding the Square button. The names change on a per-character basis, as do what they actually do, and their properties, much like the S-String. Depending on the character, some moves can also be done in the air, and may have different effects when used there as well.[8]

Each character also has a 'Special' skill tied to the R2 button. In the two previous installments, the player would select one between three total skills before a battle. New to Sengoku BASARA 4, the player can now switch between them on the fly with by holding L1 and pressing R2.[9] The name of the special skill currently equipped is also shown on the HUD above the players health bar.

A BASARA move also exists. By pressing Circle when the BASARA gauge, found right below the health bar, is full, the character will perform a unique sequence of movements and attacks. This move, called a BASARA, is very damaging and can be used in both crowd control or boss fight scenarios. Players fill the BASARA gauge by hitting enemies, getting hit, performing long combos, picking up items that fill the gauge manually, taunting, or by letting it refill over time when dangerously low on health. The character is fully invincible during the move until it ends. Enemy generals no longer have access to these moves like in the previous game but people say that they're still difficult to defeat.

Another gauge on the screen, the Style Gauge, is filled only by combos and specific items, and the rate at which it fills is increased by how large your combo is. When it's full, a player can press L1+R1 and enter Stylish Climax, a mode similar to Battle Drive or Sengoku Boost found in previous titles. When active, time slows slightly and the player gains a lot of strength and speed, making it useful in many possible places. As a bonus, utilizing a BASARA during this mode turns it into a Stylish BASARA for drastically increased damage.

Additional benefits of the combat system come from the Dash and Evade mechanics. Certain characters can cancel specific moves with these mechanics, though which of the two is another specific thing, allowing for much more combo ability in certain scenarios. Slow and combo unfriendly characters in previous installments benefit from this exceptionally, allowing much longer combo strings through the use of this mechanic.

Players will be accompanied by a war buddy through the game who can be given commands by pressing the L2 and dragging a circle towards the desired target. This can be used on enemies, boxes, bases, etc.

This ally can be also tagged after they reach level 50, by pressing the R3 button. If tagged mid-combo, characters will immediately perform an attack upon switching to continue the chain.