Spanish website PulpFrito did an interview with CyberConnect 2 president Hiroshi Matsuyama.
Pulpofrito: How many characters will the game have?
Hiroshi Matsuyama: The total number of available characters is 44, an amount considered reasonable for this game and, as to whether there will be some surprise character, the answer is yes, but I will not say who (surprise).
PF: Are you thinking about the possible inclusion of new characters and jutsus through downloadable content (DLC)?
HM: As I said before, we consider that the number of characters included in the game is reasonable, and we have no plans to increase it by DLC.
PF: Storm 1 had character intros. Before the beginning of the match in the Storm 2 demos, we have not seen character intros. Does that mean there will be no character intros in Storm 2?
HM: No, the intros prior to the fighting are still present in Storm 2.
PF: Why are the jutsu shorter in Ultimate Ninja Storm 2?
HM: They have been shortened to make the game more fluid online for a superior gaming experience.
PF: Speaking of jutsu, is it possible to customize your character with different ninjutsus, items and ultimates?
HM: Absolutely. When moving through the adventure mode players will unlock all these options and can choose what they want to equip on characters. Items may also be changed at will during fights. The online mode allows players to enjoy these improvements.
PF: Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm came out exclusively for PS3. Will the 360 version of Storm 2 be any different then the PS3 version because of that?
HM: No, both versions are equal in that sense, because it seemed unfair that, being a multi-platform game, a version will benefit from content not available to the other.
Hrmm, 44 playable chars and no DLC.