Missing characters and DLC
Most missing characters mean the Next Generations DLC is not installed — the Storm Connections ports read their assets from it, and the mod's own notes say so. If the DLC is installed and characters are still missing, validate the mod in the launcher and verify the game in Steam.
Evolution's roster is base STORM 4 characters plus ports from across the series. When something is absent, work out which group it belongs to before you touch anything.
The DLC rule
When Storm Connections content landed in 1.07, the release notes carried a footnote: Storm Connections characters and stages require the Next Generations DLC. That is a hard dependency, not a suggestion.
| What is missing | Most likely cause |
|---|---|
| Kawaki, Jigen, Delta, Boro, Isshiki, Kashin Koji and other Connections ports | Next Generations DLC not installed |
| Connections stages from the stage select | Same DLC |
| Costumes ported from Connections | Same DLC |
| Part One versions of Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Kakashi and the rest | Mod files incomplete — press Validate |
| Individual outfits on characters you have | Build is older than the costume — update |
If the DLC is installed and something is still missing
- Update through the launcher. The updater pulls the current build; a character added in a later patch will not be there on an older one.
- Press Validate. Missing voice lines and characters that load without a model are the classic symptom of a file set that never finished downloading.
- Verify the game in Steam. See verify game files.
- Check you are launching the mod, not the game. Starting STORM 4 from your Steam library gives you the unmodified roster — start
NSUNS4e.exeinstead.
Characters that exist but are locked
Some unlocks come from progression rather than the mod: the Connections ports rely on the DLC's own unlock state, so a character can be present and still not selectable until the base game's condition is met.
Costumes on a character that looks unchanged
A costume you saw in the changelog but cannot find usually means the build predates it. The version pages record which build introduced which outfit, so you can confirm which one you are looking for.
Still short of characters
If the count is right but a specific character misbehaves once selected — no voice, missing textures, a crash on selection — the fault is a file, not a dependency: run missing icons and slow motion next.
