It is the fourth and final installment in the Battle Arena Toshinden series, Unlike its predecessors, it was not released in North America.

The game features an all new roster of characters, with only former protagonist Eiji, antagonist Vermilion and Naru returning.

Each weapon bears a reference to one of the Chinese cardinal beasts, Byakko, Suzaku, Seiryu and Genbu.

However, Eiji's ending reveals the true nature of the power behind the weapons: It is the "Toshin", or god of fighting.

Christian Nutt of GameSpot, reviewing an imported Toshinden 4, wrote that the controls are "awkward" and that there is a "lot of delay", further criticizing the moves and attacks as well as graphics, but he had a positive opinion about the voices, anime opening, and character designs.