I think it all depends on base stats like speed or even even if the stats of another character beats another they go first in the turn. Like a main character would cast their mystery before most characters cause their base stats are much higher than their own.

It's confusing cause I have higher refines on my one person over a friends but he goes first, so I am wondering if it's total.

It seems to mostly depend on whoever your first ninja is. If that ninja has more initiative then they go first. Ninja tools, battle armor, and refines all could raise it. From what i have seen its all on if your first ninja goes first.

1) Skill type matters. prompt-type will always go first compared to non-prompt skills(barriers etc) , unless you do delayed key pressing.
2) Order matters. higher order ninja will always go first regardless of initiative, as long as both skills are of same type.
3) Even if both have same refine and same rank in battle armor, maybe someone has progressed a bit more on armor rank than an opponent. We get small buff in stats and refinement almost everytime we use threads to fill armor rank. Maybe your friend has little edge here? even 1-2 difference can matter.

Although, if both have exact same initiative, same prompt skill and same order - then I'm not sure how its calculated. Maybe someone else can confirm about it. This post was last edited by Sourav at 2016-10-20 09:54

Ok before that we have to understand that move1 always cast first than move2 and move2 always cast first than move3 and so on.

Under character tab check details. There u should see initiative, whoever have higher initiative cast first. Regardless if move2 have higher initiative than move1, move1 will always cast first.

I have a good knowledge of this stuff, as far as I know my Sage Naruto should go first yet his goes first, and we're under move 1 both of us.

Are you in survival trial?

Nope, it was a fight we did today so we challenged each other, My initiative is 1375, his is not above mine or equal since I have 1 higher refine than him.

Strange. only explanation I can make is maybe its due to network issue, but this doesn't sound convincing..

Me and my friend did a test today. Both of us are fire main, both have exact same initiave value on the ninja we are experimenting. Here are the results, was quite interesting, atleast to me.
Test 1: I have tobi in order 1 and he has main in order 1. We both have exact same initiave on tobi/main. In round two, if both of us press mystery skills at the same time, tobi will always go before main. Did it a few times(with pressing hotkeys from the end of round 1) , always same result.

Test 2: Now, I put kakashi in order 1 instead of tobi. again, both of us have exact same initiative on kakashi/main. Now, his main will always go before kakashi.

I wonder if there is a hidden mechanism to decide these things when both have same initiative value. If someone else can clarify these, it'd will help a lot.

I see then it's something else. If it's equal then it will pick at random, i tested this with friend for a good few times and it seemed to be about 50/50. If he is going first every time, he is probably higher, even if he is higher just by 1 it still counts as higher.

A friend said it could be the total amount of refine lvl's you have that add up for the whole squad, but that doesn't sound right and would be really unfair if it was the case.

It's always him who goes first so idk man:'(

Nah it's not that, guy i tested with had same refines on move 1, but lower on other 3 ninjas, but who went first was still 50/50, just down to rng.

I think he must have more thread used in his battle armor rank, so even though you are both same rank, he has just few points more or even just 1.

u said your move1 is sage naruto? what ninja does your friend have on move1?

Sage Naruto.

with disame ninjas and position