The structure–activity relationship of functional materials is an everlasting and desirable research question for material science researchers, where characterization and calculation tools are the keys to deciphering this intricate relationship. Here, we choose rechargeable battery materials as an example and introduce the most representative advanced characterization and calculation methods in four different scales: real space, energy, momentum space, and time. Current research methods to study battery material structure, energy level transition, dispersion relations of phonons and electrons, and time-resolved evolution are reviewed. From different views, various expression forms of structure and electronic structure are presented to understand the reaction processes and electrochemical mechanisms comprehensively in battery systems. According to the summary of the present battery research, the challenges and perspectives of advanced characterization and calculation techniques for the field of rechargeable batteries are further discussed.