Orochi the Serpent King, created a rift in time and space. He created a twisted new world and brought together warriors from the Three Kingdoms era of China & the Warring States period of Japan (more than 1,200 years apart in history).

The story is told in four separate, unrelated subplots. Each subplot starts the player with three characters. More characters are unlocked as the player progresses through the story or satisfies certain conditions in certain stages.

Due to the storyline, a majority of the characters have split from their respective factions in their original games and have been forced into others.