From the magical girl genre to shonen giants like Naruto, most anime have a lot of fighting that's easy to channel into a video game context. The fights tend to be on a whole other level or reality, often with the fighters using only a certain percentage of their power, having different forms, and somehow always being able to stand back up through the power of friendship.
For fans of these fights, there is good news! Anime fighting games exist, and they are quite fun. What makes for a good anime fighting game is a vast character selection and a balanced fighting system. It is a joy to take two characters that never actually met in the show and to make them fight. Not all fighting games are made the same. Reviews have shown some to be far more popular than others
Updated by Daniel Kurland on September 17th, 2021: There's been a natural connection between anime series and video games for decades now, but there remains a stigma that most video game adaptations of popular anime inevitably pale in comparison and fail to capture the energy of the series. Granted, many anime video games can be misfires, but great strides have been made in the past decade, especially when it comes to fighting games.
15 One Piece: Grand Battle! Rush! Boils Down The Long-Running Shonen Series' Unique Cast
One Piece is one of the most popular anime of all-time and it’s close to celebrating 1,000 episodes with still plenty of story left. One Piece: Grand Battle! Rush! is the standout entry in the Grand Battle! series and the first entry in the franchise to get localized. The game has smooth enough gameplay with nearly 20 characters and an additional 36 support figures, which allow the game to contain various different fighting styles among its characters. Admittedly, the One Piece: Pirate Warriors games are superior, but those are more action-adventure “musou” style games, rather than direct fighting titles.
14 Pokkén Tournament Gives Over A Dozen Pokémon The Tekken Treatment
Fighting has been a core dynamic to the Pokémon RPG series and the popular franchise has gradually featured a number of spin-off titles that are specifically geared around Pokémon combat. The Pokémon Stadium series is popular, but the more recent Pokkén Tournament is the most satisfying Pokémon fighter for dedicated fans of the genre. The game focuses on a concise 16 Pokémon that are naturally inclined to combat and it applies a more mature approach to the cuddly series. It’s a satisfying fighting game for longtime Pokémon fans and those who are completely new to the series.
13 Super Robot Wars V Is A Love Letter To Decades Of Mecha Anime Content
There are such distinct genres in anime that the prospect of crossover anime fighting titles makes quite a bit of sense. The Super Robot Wars games have been delivering massive mecha crossover fighting games for decades and 2017’s Super Robot Wars V is one of the most satisfying modern entries in the series.
Super Robot Wars V crafts a story out of 25 years’ worth of mecha anime that features a staggering amount of playable robot characters from a wide array of different series, more than seven of which represent different Mobile Suit Gundam anime.
12 Kill La Kill -IF Captures Both The Look & Feel Of The Chaotic Action Anime
Developed by APLUS and published by Arc System Works for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows, Kill la Kill -IF is a surprisingly faithful arena fighter that adapts Studio TRIGGER’s subversive action series. The game has combat and gameplay that feels right and a cast of characters that isn’t huge, but still takes advantage of the anime’s diverse group of personalities. The fighting and story modes are highlights, but the game most impressively recreates TRIGGER's distinct art style. Many anime fighting games fail in this department, but Kill la Kill -IF looks as good as it plays.
11 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle Is The Ultimate Game That Pulls From The Entire Saga
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure fighting games have been around since the Super Nintendo days, but the PlayStation 2’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle is widely viewed as the superlative JoJo fighter. There’s an eclectic roster of 32 starting characters and 14 extras that come from all eight of the different JoJo chapters. All-Star Battle creates an original story that feels faithful to Araki, but as a fighting game it offers up six different battle styles, online options, and even the ability to work through the story from the villains’ perspective. It’s a satisfying successor to the 2D JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure fighter.
10 BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Taps Into The Constant Chaos Of anime
Released in 2018, this 2D game is a crossover fighter. In BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle includes characters from BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In-Birth, RWBY, Arcana Heart, Senran Kagura, and Akatsuki Blitzkampf. The roaster is pretty big with up to 40 different characters. The game started with 20 characters with most of the others costing additional money. Obviously, this caused severe backlash from fans.
9 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 Set An Early Benchmark For The Series
Released back in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, this game is still fondly remembered today and was a big part of many people's childhood. In terms of critical reception, the title received a pretty average score. If you ask the fans though, they typically have strong positive feelings about this fighter.
Dragon Ball Z is an anime that is perfect for fighting games, so this title is just one of many. Budokai Tenkaichi 3 boasts one of the largest rosters in the franchise.
8 Guilty Gear Xrd Is A Hardcore Fighting Fan's Dream
Part of the Guilty Gear series, Xrd was released in arcades, the PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 in 2014. The game got high reviews across the board for its accessibility, interesting characters, and aesthetics. Many reviews mentioned that this is a great title for those just checking out the fighting game genre for the first time. Some mentioned that while the character roaster is smaller than others, that flaw is made up for with how interesting and unique each character is.
7 Under Night In-Birth Is A Welcome Change Of Pace For Anime Fighters
Part anime visual novel and part 2D fighting game, this title was initially released as an arcade game in 2012. It is now available on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, as well as the Nintendo Switch and has 20 playable characters. Like Guilty Gear Xrd, it's a game that is commended for its accessibility for beginners. Players have called the characters available fun and varied but also balanced.
6 Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Brings Out The Best Of The Hokage
Naruto, like Dragon Ball Z, makes for good fighting game content. Naruto has a ton of fighting games, but none of them could beat Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4's cinematography, compelling story, and stunning three dimensional fights. It also introduced elemental damage, which can affect both weapons and clothing.
What some players and critics didn't like was that the fighting system felt too simple and characters that are unlocked through the story were more overpowered compared to others.
5 My Hero: One's Justice 2 Is A Fitting Tribute To The Superhero Anime
Released in March 2020, My Hero: One's Justice 2 is one of the more recent anime fighting games out there. It has a lot for the player to do, from tons of solo content modes to changing and editing the costumes of characters. The action is smooth, the graphics are gorgeous. The characters are interesting and fun to pit against each other. In terms of its issues, some of the characters are unbalanced. Due to its newness and attachment to such a trending and popular series, it does have a couple crutches compared to other fighters out there.
4 The King Of Fighters XIII Returns To Fighting Fundamentals
The King of Fighters is a long series of fighting games which released its first title in 1994. Of all the games though, XIII is the one that stood out from the crowd. Gamespot awarded it both Best Fighting Game and Most Improved Sequel of 2011. Fans love the game for its art style and many call it the best title in The King of Fighters' series. In terms of characters, you can pick from 36 of them.
3 Dragon Ball FighterZ Is The Ultimate Saiyan Fighting Experience
This more recent Dragon Ball Z fighter got great reviews from critics and fans alike. Critics have called it one of the best fighting games released on the 8th generation of video game consoles. In terms of awards, it won Best Fighting Game at the 2017 Game Critics Awards, Best Fighting Game at the 2018 Game Awards, and Best Fighting Game at the 2018 Titanium Awards. What made the game so loved is its fantastic use of 3D animation simulating 2D, its loyalty to the source material, and fun combat.
2 Jump Ultimate Stars Includes Every Shonen Figure Imaginable
Released back in 2006 and only in Japan, Jump Ultimate Stars is a special anime fighting game for a number of reasons. Its character roaster is massive and is a major crossover between 41 different anime series. It is truly a tragedy that this Nintendo DS game never left Japan, as it is a crossover dream. The roster is a monster, including 305 characters. It includes characters from D. Gray-man, Naruto, Death Note, Bleach, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu Yu Hakusho, The Prince of Tennis, One Piece, Black Cat, and more.
1 Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Is The Creative Fighter In Its Purest Form
This game is actually a sequel to Persona 4 Arena. Characters from both Persona 3 and 4 are included in the games' roaster. As a sequel, it did a good job at strengthening its quality. It re-balanced some characters and added layers to the gameplay that didn't interrupt or overshadow what was already perfect. Many sequels can feel like a cash-in, but not this one. It has something for everyone from solo players to fighting enthusiasts.