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Kasumi faces off against Kasumi Alpha whilst Ayane watches from the shadows — key art for Dead or Alive 4, the fourth instalment in Team Ninja's flagship fighting franchise, exclusive to Xbox 360
Team Ninja • Tecmo • 2026

Dead
Or
Alive 4

The tournament that decides everything — one last time.

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Platform Xbox 360
Genre Fighting
Developer Team Ninja
Players 1–4
Scroll
The DOATEC laboratory complex where Project Alpha continues — a sinister facility housing the Kasumi Alpha clone programme, depicted in a moody cinematic still from Dead or Alive 4's story mode
Chapter IV
The Story

The Clone
Must Fall

After the third Dead or Alive tournament collapsed into disorder, DOATEC pressed ahead with renewed urgency. Project Alpha — the company's ambition to engineer the ultimate fighting machine — has advanced well past the Epsilon trials that brought Hayate back from the dead, now fixated on refining Kasumi's cloned double. The exiled ninja must now contend with assassins from her own village and a flawless copy of herself.

"She's faster. She's stronger. She has all of Kasumi's techniques — without Kasumi's mercy."

Ayane, ever relentless in her pursuit of the traitor, finds herself drawn into a far larger conspiracy when she discovers that DOATEC's reach now extends to every major government on earth. Helena Douglas, still mourning the murder of her mother Fame Douglas, has inherited control of DOATEC — and with it, an impossible choice: destroy the organisation her family built, or wield its terrible power.

Meanwhile, Ryu Hayabusa receives intelligence that DOATEC has obtained ancient Dragon Clan artefacts. The master ninja enters the fourth tournament with one purpose — and it has nothing to do with a trophy.

The Roster

Choose Your Fighter

Twenty competitors enter the fourth Dead or Alive World Combat Championship. Every returning fighter arrives with an expanded move set and refined counters. Four new combatants have been confirmed — each carrying secrets that alter the tournament's outcome.

Kasumi, the runaway kunoichi of the Mugen Tenshin clan and the series' main protagonist, in her signature azure fighting attire — character portrait for Dead or Alive 4
Returning
Kasumi
Mugen Tenshin Ninjutsu
Ayane, the purple-haired kunoichi of the Hajin Mon sect, a relentless assassin with blindingly fast Hajin Mon style attacks — character portrait for Dead or Alive 4
Returning
Ayane
Hajin Mon Sect Ninjutsu
Ryu Hayabusa, the legendary Dragon Ninja and hero of the Ninja Gaiden series, in his black ninja garb — character portrait for Dead or Alive 4
Returning
Ryu Hayabusa
Hayabusa Ninjutsu
Hayate, leader of the Mugen Tenshin clan and Kasumi's elder brother, whose restored memory drives him back into the DOATEC tournament — character portrait for Dead or Alive 4
Returning
Hayate
Mugen Tenshin Ninjutsu
Helena Douglas, the heir to the DOATEC corporation and a master of Pi Qua Quan, who enters the fourth tournament to settle scores that go far deeper than martial arts — character portrait for Dead or Alive 4
Returning
Helena Douglas
Pi Qua Quan
Christie, the cold and calculating assassin who employs a serpentine assassination art combining snake fist strikes with lethal throws — character portrait for Dead or Alive 4
Returning
Christie
Assassination Arts
Tina Armstrong, the flamboyant American professional wrestler and daughter of Bass, whose raw power makes her one of the most dangerous grapplers in the tournament — character portrait for Dead or Alive 4
Returning
Tina Armstrong
Professional Wrestling
Jann Lee, the aggressive Jeet Kune Do practitioner inspired by Bruce Lee whose explosive offensive style has made him a fan favourite since the original Dead or Alive — character portrait for Dead or Alive 4
Returning
Jann Lee
Jeet Kune Do
Brad Wong, the eccentric drunken fist practitioner whose unpredictable Zui Ba Xian Quan style makes him one of the hardest fighters to read in the entire series — character portrait for Dead or Alive 4
Returning
Brad Wong
Zui Ba Xian Quan
Hitomi, the spirited German karate champion and childhood friend of Hayate whose powerful straight-line striking makes her one of the most well-rounded fighters in Dead or Alive 4 — character portrait
Returning
Hitomi
Karate
Zack, the flamboyant kickboxer who funds his eccentric lifestyle through tournament winnings, sporting a brand-new outfit for the fourth DOA competition — character portrait for Dead or Alive 4
Returning
Zack
Kickboxing
Kasumi Alpha, the perfected DOATEC clone of Kasumi engineered to be the ultimate human weapon — a brand new playable fighter in Dead or Alive 4 with all of Kasumi's techniques and none of her restraint — character portrait
New
Kasumi Alpha
Enhanced Ninjutsu
Eliot, the young British student of Gen Fu who enters the fourth DOA tournament to prove his mastery of Xinyi Liuhe Quan and honour his master's teaching — brand new character portrait for Dead or Alive 4
New
Eliot
Xinyi Liuhe Quan
La Mariposa, a mysterious masked luchadora whose acrobatic Lucha Libre style disguises a hidden connection to DOATEC's inner circle — secret character portrait for Dead or Alive 4
Secret
La Mariposa
Lucha Libre
Kokoro, a graceful Japanese geisha who conceals devastating Ba Ji Quan power beneath a composed exterior — confirmed new fighter in Dead or Alive 4 character portrait
New
Kokoro
Ba Ji Quan
Gameplay

Evolved
Combat

01
Hyper-Speed Triangle System

The classic rock-paper-scissors dynamic of Strikes, Throws, and Holds remains, but the tempo has escalated sharply. DOA4 punishes hesitation and guesswork — the counter window shrinks dramatically, forcing players to commit to precise reads rather than hopeful button presses.

02
Multi-Tier Danger Zones

Stages spill across multiple levels with explosive Danger Zone transitions. Knock opponents through glass floors, off cliff edges, and into electrified barriers. Every environmental hazard can reverse the momentum of a match in an instant.

03
Expanded Tag Battle

Expanding the Attack Change mechanic from DOA3, Tag Battle introduces Dual Assault — coordinated finishing moves that can only fire when both partners strike in unison. Four-player local Tag mode makes a return.

04
Xbox Live Online Play

Fully integrated Xbox Live support with ranked and unranked matchmaking, lobby systems, and spectator mode. Built on the foundations of Dead or Alive Ultimate's pioneering online infrastructure, DOA4's net code is the smoothest in the series to date.

05
Story Mode & CGI Cinematics

Every character receives a fully voiced CGI ending expanding on the DOA4 narrative. Story Mode weaves character threads into a coherent overarching plot — a first for the series — with in-engine cutscenes bridging each bout.

In-game screenshot of Dead or Alive 4's Tag Battle mode showing a Dual Assault combination attack, with two fighters striking simultaneously mid-arena — Xbox 360 gameplay
Tag Battle — Dual Assault
20
Fighters
16
Stages
60fps
Locked
In-game screenshot showing a Dead or Alive 4 Danger Zone stage transition as a fighter is knocked off a cliff edge into a lower arena tier, with dynamic lighting illuminating the impact — Xbox 360 gameplay
Danger Zone — Cliff Edge
Arenas

The World's
Your Stage

Sixteen battlegrounds stretch across five continents. Every venue includes Danger Zones, destructible elements, and multiple tiers — some stack up to three levels. Each setting ties directly into DOATEC's unfolding conspiracy.

The DOATEC Trinity Tower — a gleaming Tokyo skyscraper stage with floor-to-ceiling glass panels, rooftop Danger Zones, and sweeping views of the nighttime Tokyo skyline — Dead or Alive 4 arena
Danger Zone
DOATEC Trinity Tower
Tokyo, Japan
The Great Wall of China stage in Dead or Alive 4 — a sweeping outdoor arena built across the ancient ramparts with a lower courtyard tier and crumbling battlement Danger Zones — arena screenshot
The Great Wall
Hebei, China
The Mugen Tenshin Ninja Village — a moonlit forest clearing within the ninja clan's mountain stronghold, complete with paper lanterns, bamboo groves, and secret escape routes — Dead or Alive 4 arena
Danger Zone
Mugen Tenshin Village
Ninja Clan Stronghold, Japan
The DOATEC Underwater Research Facility — a pressurised deep-sea laboratory with reinforced glass walls revealing the ocean floor, erupting pipes as Danger Zones, and eerie bioluminescent lighting — Dead or Alive 4 stage
Underwater Research Facility
DOATEC Classified Site
A glittering Las Vegas casino rooftop pool stage in Dead or Alive 4, set high above the neon-lit Strip with a water Danger Zone and reflective poolside tiles — arena screenshot
Danger Zone
Vegas Skydeck
Las Vegas, USA
A remote Russian Arctic military base stage in Dead or Alive 4 — a blizzard-battered outdoor arena with ice-slick surfaces, collapsed watchtowers as environmental hazards, and a frozen wasteland backdrop — arena screenshot
Arctic Station
Siberia, Russia
The Series

A Decade
of Battles

From a single arcade board in 1996 to the most technically accomplished fighting game on next-generation hardware, the Dead or Alive series has redefined what 3D combat looks and feels like.

1996 — 1998
Dead or Alive

Launched on Sega's Model 2 arcade board, the first DOA brought together eight combatants, the three-way system of Strikes, Holds, and Throws, and the franchise's signature Danger Zones. Running on modified Virtua Fighter 2 code, it rescued Tecmo from financial collapse and set a new standard for 3D fighter velocity. Kasumi, Ayane, Ryu Hayabusa, Tina, Jann Lee, Leifang, Gen Fu, and Zack appeared for the first time. The 1998 PlayStation version introduced Bass Armstrong and Ayane as playable characters, alongside a rebuilt graphics pipeline. Kasumi claims victory by defeating Raidou, her own uncle — an act that earns her permanent exile from the shinobi order.

Arcade Sega Saturn PlayStation 8 Characters Triangle System
1999 — 2000
Dead or Alive 2

A watershed moment for the series and for 3D fighting games as a whole. DOA2 pioneered multi-tiered stages — fighters could be smashed through floors and over ledges into entirely new arenas. Tag team battle mode arrived with unique Tag Throws for specific character pairings, allowing four players to compete simultaneously. Hayate — Kasumi's brother, previously crippled by Raidou — returned under the amnesiac alias Ein, while Helena Douglas and Leon joined the roster. The story deepened considerably: DOATEC's sinister Epsilon Project was revealed, Kasumi was cloned to create Kasumi Alpha, and the supernatural Tengu Bankotsubo emerged as the tournament's hidden antagonist. Ryu Hayabusa defeated Tengu and claimed victory. DOA2: Hardcore for PlayStation 2 in 2000 became the definitive edition, and Dead or Alive Ultimate in 2004 brought both the original and DOA2 to Xbox Live for the franchise's first online play.

Arcade Dreamcast PlayStation 2 Multi-Tier Stages Tag Battle 13 Characters
2001 — 2002
Dead or Alive 3

Launching alongside Microsoft's original Xbox, Dead or Alive 3 became one of the platform's signature titles — shifting over two million units globally and standing as the franchise's commercial peak. The Xbox's capabilities let Team Ninja expand stage dimensions and visual fidelity beyond all prior entries: arenas grew larger, lighting became fully dynamic, and character meshes reached new levels of intricacy. Gameplay built on DOA2's framework with unrestricted three-axis movement and dramatically enhanced sidestep mechanics, enabling players to dodge almost any strike. The Tag system gained Attack Change, allowing the incoming fighter to strike during the swap animation. Newcomers Christie, Brad Wong, Hitomi, and Hayate (now fully playable) swelled the roster to eighteen. DOATEC's Omega Project — the forced transformation of Mugen Tenshin elder Genra into the monstrous Omega — formed the narrative spine. Each character received their own CGI ending, a franchise first that gave every fighter a distinct narrative conclusion.

Xbox Exclusive 18 Characters Attack Change CGI Endings 2M+ Sales
2026 — Now
Dead or Alive 4

The fourth tournament raises every stake. Dead or Alive 4 arrives on Xbox 360 — the first DOA title on next-generation hardware — and the leap in visual fidelity is nothing short of extraordinary. Kasumi Alpha takes her place as a playable fighter for the first time. DOATEC's global conspiracy reaches its apex. With expanded online capabilities, the tightest combat system in the series, and the most ambitious story Team Ninja has yet attempted, DOA4 is the culmination of a decade's craft. The fight does not end here — it begins again.

Xbox 360 Exclusive 20 Characters Xbox Live 2026
Pre-Order

Enter the
Tournament

Xbox 360 — 2026

Three editions are available. All pre-orders include the Kasumi Alpha Unlocked costume pack and early access to the online lobby beta. Physical copies ship with a reversible cover featuring the key art selectable between Kasumi and Ayane.

Pre-Order Now
Standard Edition
Game disc • Digital manual • Pre-order costume pack
£49.99
Collector's Edition
Game disc • Kasumi figurine (22 cm) • Artbook (160 pages) • Soundtrack CD • Steel case • All pre-order content
£89.99
Digital Edition
Full game • Xbox Live download • Pre-order costume pack • 7-day early access
£44.99

© 2026 Tecmo, Ltd. deadoralive-4.com

PEGI 16