Anime has been able to make a major impact on other mediums of entertainment, but there’s always been a very symbiotic relationship between anime and video games. There is often a lot of crossover between these two mediums and the aesthetic from one can often bleed into the other and blur lines even further. It’s not unusual to have strange spin-offs for popular anime series, but video games can capture that same idea in a very different way.
There is no shortage of video games that adapt popular anime as well as anime series that will expand upon a video game franchise. Many of these video game adaptations have maligned reputations, but there are still titles that will satisfy both dedicated anime fans as well as complete newcomers.
10 Ranma ½: Hard Battle Is A Satisfying Blast Of Nostalgia
Ranma ½ is a shonen staple of the 1990s, and so it’s only fitting that there’s a 2D fighter for the Super Nintendo based on the iconic anime series. There are an endless amount of 2D anime fighting games, but what makes Ranma ½: Hard Battle stand out is that the roster is big enough and each character feels unique and also faithful to the series.
It’s surprising that this title was released in the West when Ranma ½’s footprint outside of Japan was minimal at the time. It’s overlooked, but it deserves some love.
9 Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Delivers The Very Best Naruto Gaming Experience
Naruto is one of anime's biggest hits, and the past few decades have featured a number of Naruto fighting games that have slowly refined their formula. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 is actually the fourth title in the series and by far the most impressive and comprehensive of the Naruto games.
There's a robust story mode in addition to the multiplayer that's filled with characters, and a ton of extra content to unlock. It distills Naruto Shippuden to its very best elements—and it's the only Naruto game that truly needs to be played.
8 One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 Perfects The Musou Formula With The Iconic Anime Series
Along with Dragon Ball and Naruto, One Piece is the other major long-running anime series that’s gotten to experience a healthy life in video game adaptations. One Piece titles have literally gone all over the map, but the Pirate Warriors crossover with Dynasty Warriors is an excellent translation of the anime’s chaotic action and energy.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is the latest and most thorough of the entire musou action franchise. It creates a gameplay system that doesn’t become overly repetitive, and it also highlights the wide cast of unusual characters that make One Piece so unique.
7 Gundam Versus Offers Nearly 100 Different Mecha To Cause Mayhem
Giant robots and the mecha genre have almost become synonymous with anime and Mobile Suit Gundam has definitely become the most prominent mecha institution of the lot. There are lots of video games that explore different chapters from the extensive Gundam universe. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 is an excellent use of Gundam in the musou format, but Gundam Versus manages to top it.
The impressive package contains over 90 different mobile suits from across the entirety of Gundam’s history. It’s the very best Gundam multiplayer experience and there’s just so much love and attention to detail in the game.
6 My Hero: One's Justice 2 Improves Upon Its Predecessor In Major Ways
My Hero Academia is a more recent anime series, but it’s already fortunate enough to have a few video game adaptations. My Hero: One’s Justice is a serviceable and ambitious fighting title that does My Hero Academia justice.
However, the sequel is such a grander package with a narrative that’s told from both the heroes' and villains’ perspectives. The character roster is much bigger and the combat becomes more precise and intricate, with destructible environments and team Quirk executions. The fights actually look like they’re from out of the anime and properly capture the series’ energy.
5 Astro Boy: Omega Factor Is A Fundamental Handheld Gaming Experience
Many wrote Astro Boy: Omega Factor off because it's an adaptation of such a retro anime series and it’s also a release for the handheld Game Boy Advance. Projects like this can often be a disaster, but Omega Factor is handled by expert developers, Treasure, and the result is an endlessly inventive action-platformer set within Astro Boy’s universe.
It’s a serious tragedy that more people haven’t experienced this game and that it’s not available on a modern platform since it’s just an excellent game on every front, let alone a fantastic tribute to one of anime’s most important series.
4 The Dreamcast’s Sword Of The Berserk: Guts' Rage Was Ahead Of Its Time
The loss of Sega’s Dreamcast is still felt by many video game fans and the ambitious console was a home for some excellent anime games. Berserk doesn’t have many video games despite how it's been turned into several anime.
Guts’ Rage was one of the first titles to incorporate QTE sequences with hack-and-slash action. The game was groundbreaking for its time and it still holds up now. The more recent musou entry, Berserk and the Band of the Hawk, may technically be a better game, but Guts’ Rage allows more freedom with a branching narrative and less repetitive gameplay.
3 GioGio's Bizarre Adventure Is A Painfully Accurate Exploration Into JoJo’s Golden Wind
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the best and weirdest series to ever come along and it’s incredible how Hirohiko Araki’s visual and storytelling styles have evolved. There are a lot of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure fighting games that feature elaborate mash-up of characters from across all series.
GioGio’s Bizarre Adventure is more unconventional and it’s far from perfect, but has more of that JoJo charm in the end. The game focuses specifically on Part 5, Golden Wind, with a strong action-adventure angle. It’s deceptively deep and it even rewards the player for painstakingly recreating events properly from the manga.
2 Dragon Ball FighterZ Has Become The Ultimate Dragon Ball Fighter
There are possibly more video games that pull from the Dragon Ball universe than any other anime. There are literally dozens of Dragon Ball fighting titles that helped keep the franchise alive over the past few decades.
There’s a lot to love in the Xenoverse series, but Dragon Ball FighterZ is the very best that a Dragon Ball fighting game has to offer. The graphics are sublime, the gameplay is fluid, and although there’s a bit of a Goku problem on the roster, there’s still some excellent variety that covers both Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball GT.
1 Jump Ultimate Stars Is A Love Letter To The Shonen Genre
The Jump Stars fighting crossover series is the ultimate celebration of anime. The Jump Stars series is basically Super Smash Bros., but with anime. There are many titles in the series and the most recent 3D installment has a lot to enjoy in it, but the franchise’s apex comes with Jump Ultimate Stars for the Nintendo DS.
This fighter contains over 300 characters, over 50 of which are playable, which pull from 40 different shonen series. It’s the only place where Goku from Dragon Ball can fight against Gintoki from Gintama while Gon from Hunter x Hunter watches.