Nowadays, ‘anime fighters’ don’t have to be based on an actual anime series to fit that bill. Most people today associate it with games likeGuilty GearorBlazBlue,withtheir air dashes, aerial combat, and crazy character designs. TheDragon Ball Z: Budokaigames don’t quite fit that description, despite literally being fighting games based on an anime.
When it comes to licensed anime, developers seem more keen on making them arena brawlers, where the characters can run around an environment. But they’ve become so common that fans would like to see them do something different with the IP. They could even turn someclassic anime into traditional fighting games! However, there are reasons why these examples, ranked by their obscurity, fell under the radar.
7Fist of the North Star
ArcSystem Works Turns Cast of Iconic Shōnen Anime into the Harlem Globetrotters
There are anime fighters out there that are literally based on anime, likeDragon Ball FighterZ. It took theGuilty Gearformula, mixed it withMarvel Vs Capcom-esque gameplay, and threw in uniqueDragon Ballelements. Fans could even recreate scenes from all 4 main series, and some of the movies, via its ‘Dramatic Finishes’. However, it wasn’t the first game to do that. ArcSystem Works did it 20 years prior withFist of the North Star.
It essentially played likeGuilty Gear X2. Except if certain characters got to finish the other off witha Fatal KO move, they’d recreate scenes from the anime itself. It’s a nice touch, and the game is fun at a casual level. Beyond that, it’s notoriously broken. Nearly every cast member had their own infinite combo, with the most infamous being the ability to bounce the opponent off the ground like a basketball until their health bar was empty.
6Sailor Moon
Infamously Broken Shojo Fighter Becomes a Cult Classic Among Fighting Game Pros
Just because a game is broken doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile. If anything, they might even add to its fun factor.Fist of the North Staris busted but entertaining. Yet ArcSystem Works made another anime fighter that was even more broken and crazy:Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon S: Jōgai Rantō!? Shuyaku Sōdatsusen(‘Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon S: A Street Fight!? Superstar Struggle’), or justSailor Moonfor short.
It was aStreet Fighter 2clone with the Sailor Scouts battling it out against each other. Its mechanics were completely unbalanced, with some characters having more or less health than others, infinite combos, instant teleports, etc. But its lack of balance made it a cult favorite, earning spots at EVO 2018 and 2019, and getting coverage frompopular players like desk, Justin Wong, and Daigo Umehara.
5Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22
SNES Fighter Makes PS1 Debut 8 Years After Its Original Release
There are plenty ofDragon Ball Zfighting games, from one-on-one brawlers to arena fighters to beat ‘em ups. But it wasn’t always that way. By the time fans in the West were getting to know Goku and co,DBZwas nearing its end in Japan and waiting to shift toGT. This meant they got plenty of games that wouldn’t reach North America for decades, like theSuper Butōdenseries on the SNES.
But one game did make it to the Far West.Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22was a 1995 SNES game ported to the PS1 in 2003. UnlikeSailor Moon, its lack of balance just added to its stodgy gameplay and aged, cel-animated graphics. For a mid-1990s 16-bit game, it was fine. But for an early 2000s PS1 release that cut stuff out from the original SNES game (e.g. special cutscenes for certain encounters), it was underwhelming.
4Ranma ½: Chōnai Gekitou Hen
Ranma Gets Lost in Customs and Replaced with a Cyborg Stand-In
Rumiko Takahashi’s classic tale of love and gender-bending received a few games during its run. Fans might rememberRanma ½: Hard Battle, a decent brawler that made it worldwide in 1993. But it had a predecessor that technically reached the West too. Like howDoki Doki PanicbecameSuper Mario Bros 2, Japan’sRanma ½: Chōnai Gekitō Hen(Street Combat Chapter) became the US and Europe’sStreet Combat.
The whole cast was redrawn to look more legally distinct from Takahashi’s manga, with Ranma and his female alter-ego, Ranko, becoming Steven and Robo-Steven. They’re also the only 2 playable characters against a host of bosses, which was actually the norm for pre-Street Fighter 2fighting games. However,SF2would reach the SNES in June 1992,makingR½: CGHfeel outdated within months,andStreet Combatpractically antiquated on its 1993 US release.
3One Piece: Grand Battle Swan Colosseum
2D Smash Bros with the Strawhat Pirates
So far, the reason for these games’ obscurity is pretty obvious: they’re either ironically good or unironically bad. ButOne Piece: Grand Battle Swan Colosseumis actually a rather good handheld fighter akin toSuper Smash Bros. Only Luffy & co can pull off Final Smash-like supers when they maxed out their Bombstock gauge. It also had a card-collecting minigame, in-game challenges, and unlockable characters.
The problem was that it was made forthe Bandai WonderSwan, a Japan-only handheld whose luck ran out before it was released. The company was thinking it could get one-up on the Game Boy, only for Nintendo to release the Game Boy Color shortly before the WonderSwan’s release. It did get a color version, whichOP: GBSCwas made for, but Bandai stopped supporting the system altogether in 2003.
2Yu Yu Hakusho
Underrated Fighter on an Underrated Console
Speaking of unlucky platforms, the 3DO was meant to be the next step up from the 16-bit machines, with 3D graphics and a planned (but ultimately canceled) online service. However,its high price pointand lacking games meant that accolade went to the PlayStation instead. Still, unlike other consoles of the era, the 3DO did manage to develop a cult following across the world thanks to its more experimental titles.
It also received aYu Yu Hakushofighting game! It resembles theDBZ Butōdengames with its use of real cel-animated sprites (courtesy of Studio Pierrot) against the backgrounds. Granted, it didn’t look that much better than a Famicom game and could get quite laggy in places. But it made good use of the 3DO’s controls, and it had a neat story mode that replicated scenes from the anime.
1Tatsunoko Fight
Tatsunoko Without Capcom
Lastly, Tatsunoko is an iconic animation studio, though its most famous properties have a bit of a generation gap outside Japanese shores. Gen X’rs may rememberBattle of the Planets, while their younger Millennial and Gen Z siblings might recallTeknomanandCasshern Sins. But their original 1970s equivalents andHurricane Polymerare perhaps too obscure.
This is whyTatsunoko Fightstayed in Japan, and saw 3 characters (a Hero, Supporter, and Arch Rival) fromScience Ninja Team Gatchaman,Tekkaman,Casshern, andHurricane Polymereach battle it out to save the world from the Jaleizer Empire. The game plays quite well too. It’s not stellar, but not busted either. It’s a good pick for the oldest otaku if they’ve already completedTatsunoko Vs Capcom.
