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There is never any shortage of fighting games that release into the marketplace and are active with players. However, if you’re specifically looking for anime-style fighting games then you’ll still find quite a few newly added releases coming out each year. In this list, we’re highlighting some games that are solid entries to try out today.
#11 Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
Platforms: Meta 3
Release Date: October 21, 2024
PlayStation | Steam | Xbox
There are many, MANY video games based on anime out there. One could even argue that many of them are just “shovelware” to try and get money for developers and publishers. However, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is not like those titles, as the game respects and honors the anime/manga franchise and does its best to represent all aspects of the series’ history!
That includes taking you into the most important parts of various sagas and letting you see what happens if certain events go a different way. That’s right! You can alter history in the game, and you might be surprised where things end up.
#10 Tekken 8
Platform: PC PS5 XSX|S
Release Date: January 26, 2024
Steam | PlayStation | Xbox
It’s time for your fist to meet fate. Tekken 8 has finally arrived, and with it comes the conclusion of a storyline nearly two decades in the making.
In the last title, Heihachi Mishima and his son Kazuya faced off for the last time and ended their bitter feud. But now, it’s time for Kazuya to face off against his own son, and Jin may be the only one who’s capable of putting his father down for good.
He’ll need help to stop Kazuya’s plan for world domination, including help from his mother. Will you be able to save the world? Or will you be the one that dooms it?
#9 Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
Platform: PC PS4 PS5
Release Date: December 14, 2023
If you’ve never partaken in this franchise before, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising might be the game for you to try out to see if you like it! The title is a fighting game with RPG and anime influences, and it has multiple modes to help you get adjusted to all that’s involved in playing it.
For example, there are multiple modes to train you. Or, you can be trained via the action-RPG-style campaign that’ll teach you how to control the characters.
Or if you’re a veteran, you can jump right into the matches and see how you stack up against players from around the world!
#8 Street Fighter 6
Platform: PC PS4 PS5 XSX|S
Release Date: June 02, 2023
Steam | PlayStation | Xbox
Capcom’s revered fighting game is back! And with Street Fighter 6, you’ll have no better opportunity to put your skills to the test and see if you can be the true World Warrior!
Capcom heard everything fans said about the last entry and its various missteps and ensured that none of them were present in the new title. You’ll have a robust roster from the jump and a story mode to dive into so you can see the universe in a new way. Plus, there are numerous modes and ways to battle online so you can rise through the ranks!
Are you ready to step up?
#7 Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Platform : PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, NS
Release Date : November 28, 2013 (Arcade)
Genre : Fighting
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is the latest remaster/remake of a previous Persona title, this time in the fighting-game realm in order to bring in more people to play the franchise. After all, there were plenty of Persona games before Persona 5, just saying.
In this game you’ll play as characters from both Persona 4 & 3 in order to fight off the shadows in an original story. Or, you can just pick the characters you want to play as and go to war against other players and the computer.
You can expect a lot of fast action, fancy moves, and more as you go on your fighting journey. See if you can get to the Ultimax!
#6 Guilty Gear Strive
Platform : PC, PS4, PS5, Arcade
Release Date : June 11, 2021
Genre : Fighting
Guilty Gear Strive a fighting game developed by Arc System Works and it will be the seventh mainline installment to the Guilty Gear series. We are going to get a continuation of the Guilty Gear Xrd title so you’ll see a focus around Sol Badguy, but more interestingly for this game, you’ll find that the developers opted to make some revamps. There was a push to bring out some new mechanics and tweak some of the gameplay to hopefully bring in more newcomers to the franchise.
One of the new elements you’ll find in Guilty Gear Strive is the ability to break through different stages which is pretty common in a lot of other fighting games. When you hit some combos at certain areas of the map you can transition into a cutscene where you’ll get tossed into another level backdrop.
#5 Kill la Kill IF
Platform : PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
Release Date : 8 July 2019
Genre : Fighting game, Action game, Adventure game
Kill la Kill was a pretty popular anime series that came out back in 2013 and lasted for a year with several episodes and OVAs while originally getting its start as a manga. Being such a popular IP it wasn’t much of a surprise that we would receive a video game installment at some point. Kill la Kill: IF was released back in 2019 as a fighting title that places games through the anime storyline although with some slight changes. With that said, this is a game you’ll only want to play when you finish the anime series because it’s quick to start spoiling things. Since it’s a slight retelling of events especially since it was released a few years after the anime series came out, it’s a game made for already fans of the popular IP.
Through the main campaign, players are controlling Satsuki Kiryuin as you battle against a variety of different characters. Speaking of the battles, it’s a bit of a button masher as you can pull off some combos rather easily. This game also comes with a game mechanic known as Bloody Valor where you can get a bit of a buff in the battle by going through rock, paper scissors-style mini-game. Chances are if you’re a fan of the series you might have already jumped into this game, but if not and you’re after something new then we’d recommend checking out the Kill la Kill anime and trying this fighting title out.
#4 My Hero One’s Justice 2
Platform : Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Release Date : March 13, 2020
Genre : Action, Fighting
My Hero Academia is a popular manga and anime series so again not a surprise that we received video games for the IP as well. The latest installment to the video game franchise for this series is My Hero One’s Justice 2 which came out back in 2020 so this is still a new game for fans to dive into. If you enjoyed the previous installment of this series you’ll likely find this game just as fun. It’s an arena fighter with the combat being easy to grasp.
Likewise, you’ll find plenty of different characters to pick from during your battles with each having its unique abilities. As you can likely expect the storyline is a bit of a recap of select seasons of the anime series whereas you play through it you’ll obtain some unlockables like costumes. However, the main focus that players will likely spend their time with is the online or local competitive matches. Again, much like Kill la Kill: IF, this is a game likely played best if you already have been following the series or manga.
#3 BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
Platform : Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Arcade
Release Date : June 5, 2018
Genre : Fighting
The BlazBlue franchise is a pretty long-running one and it has a massive fan base so each new installment typically comes with a slew of fans quickly jumping onto the latest game. Currently, one of the latest installments to Blazblue is BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle which features 2v2 fights. Similar to that gameplay setup, players can tag in with their additional fighters to continue on the match when needed. Although when a character has their HP depleted you’ll automatically switch over characters.
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle was developed by Arc System Works and released back in 2018 where you get crossovers from a few different IPs so you’re not specifically dealing with characters just from BlazBlue. Instead, you’ll find characters from also Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In-Birth, RWBY, Arcana Heart, Senran Kagura, and lastly Akatsuki Blitzkampf. Storywise is what you would expect, universes clash together and now characters are battling it out in hopes of safely returning to their home. Gameplay is also pretty newcomer-friendly but with that said there are still plenty of move sets and mechanics to practice to master as you progress through different battles.
#2 One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4
Platform : PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release Date : March 27, 2020
Genre : Action-adventure Beat ’em up
One Piece is quite the popular anime series that’s been around for a good while now and the fan base continues to grow bigger. Here the game recaps the storyline within the campaign as you work your way through tough battles whether it’s a slew of enemies in a barrage attack or through boss battles. If you haven’t played the previous games then you’ll find that this is a game similar to the likes of Dynasty Warriors where there is plenty of flashy animation and cutscenes to still images to help move the storyline along.
With that said, it’s hard to capture everything from One Piece in this fifteen-hour campaign so it’s going to miss several arcs along the way. When you’re done going through the single-player campaign, there are online PvP game modes here so you can have a few competitive gameplay matches with other fans of the franchise or friends.
#1 Dragon Ball FighterZ
Platform : PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release Date : January 26, 2018
Genre : Fighting
There is never any shortage of Dragon Ball Z video game titles and one of the more recent releases that had fans joining in for competitive matches is Dragon Ball FighterZ. This is another title that was developed by Arc System Works who have made a name for themselves when it comes to the video game fighting genre. You do have a story narrative where you’re following a newly revived Android 16 and his army of androids that are clones of iconic fighters from the franchise.
This is overall a very solid 2.5D fighting gameplay experience. It can be easy to pick up for newcomers but also provide a solid challenge to those that wish to master their skills. It might not be the latest installment for the franchise when it comes to video games, but you’ll still find an active community spending time going through different matches online.
