Anime and Arena Fighters: An Unbeatable Combo

It’s no surprise that anime and video games have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship, expanding the audience of a series while reducing a game’s sales risk. What is surprising is how that specific connection seemed to result in a genre of games made exclusively for those licenses. Known as “arena fighters” these games have become the go-to genre for shonen anime, resulting in roughly one new title every year. But why this genre specifically?

Let’s start with a different question – what is an arena fighter? This is a term used to describe a fighting game in which players compete in a 3D environment referred to as an arena. What separates them from traditional 3D fighters is ease of movement, as arena fighters offer fully lateral movement while 3D fighters still play alongside a 2D plane. Side stepping is important for dodging attacks in a 3D fighting game, whereas arena fighters have combatants constantly locked on to each other, so dodges must be much bigger. It is a unique concept, and while there is no Street Fighter 2-like title credited with creating the genre, many believe the first arena fighter is Virtual On: Cyber Troopers.

Released in 1995, Virtual On was developed by SEGA AM3, a SEGA-owned studio that specialized in the creation of 3D games. Acting as a mech simulator, Virtual On cabinets stood out by utilizing two separate joysticks in tandem to run, dash, blast, or slash opponents in a fully 3D environment. It was an original premise, but it still failed to catch on in U.S arcades as gamers gravitated towards more traditional versus experiences. Years passed and while other games took a shot at the formula, few managed to be remembered fondly. It wouldn’t be until a decade later when arena fighters would finally have their first worldwide hit: Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi.

In the early 2000’s, Dragon Ball Z was a force to be reckoned with, boasting a popularity that few anime has achieved before or since. Enjoying a newfound worldwide success alongside its established audience in Japan, the decision to create Dragon Ball Z fighting game on the most popular console at the time (the PlayStation 2) was a no brainer. Heck, it was so much so that they actually did it twice with the release of the Budokai series (a more traditional 3D fighter) and the Budokai Tenkaichi series.

Budokai Tenkaichi separated itself from other Dragon Ball titles with gameplay that sought to recreate the iconic fights that the manga is known for. During an interview with Gamespot, Budokai Tenkaichi producer Donnie Clay discussed that the team wanted to emphasize fast paced action and freedom through a 3D plane that’s “more melee and ranged attack based than just melee”. Flying, teleporting, and energy attacks were all common in Dragon Ball Z games, but Budokai Tenkaichi took it to the next level with a simplified control scheme. It’s for these reasons that the gameplay holds such a strong legacy, one powerful enough to re-emerge years later with the acclaimed Dragon Ball Sparking Zero. But while Dragon Ball is far and away the biggest success, it was only the first of many.

Following a similar path to Dragon Ball’s diverse assortment of video games, Shonen Jump’s Naruto would find success with their own arena fighter, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm. Like Budokai Tenkaichi, Ultimate Ninja Storm would revolve around action alongside a 3D plane. However, to keep in line with the anime, fights were a lot more grounded and melee combat served a larger role than energy blasts. Despite being less successful, Ultimate Ninja Storm would serve as the basis for what we refer to as an arena fighter, as many other manga series would try to copy its gameplay mechanics. But with that being said, why is it that only manga series tend to copy this style of game?

Alongside its association with anime, arena fighters are strongly associated with mediocrity. Due to an emphasis on fan service and recreating fights, the genre tends to suffer from less depth than its contemporaries. Choosing to forgo a large selection of combos or diversity in character movelists, arena fighters often feature large rosters of characters that play relatively the same. This is great as it allows minor characters to be implemented easily, but it results in few rewards for combo experimentation or trying new characters. It’s because of this that many hardcore fighting game players ignore the genre, focusing on more complex fighters instead. So if fighting gamers don’t like it, how has the genre persisted?

The answer is simple – arena fighters give anime fans what they want. They are given the chance to be placed right in the action of their favorite series, throwing balance away in exchange for simple fun. It’s for this reason that the games can act more as a simulator to the anime than a competitive experience, letting players feel what it would be like for Mr. Satan to fight Broly in a 1v1 match. It’s a feeling that many competitive fighting gamers may not care for, but does that truly matter? Some people have fun playing JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Heritage for the Future thanks to the amount of depth and uniqueness amongst its cast. Others however may enjoy JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Eyes of Heaven, as it allows them to recreate more fights far easier. As long as both fans are enjoying JoJo, does it really matter?

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After begrudgingly accepting the title of Scrub Lord, Noah R. Estey is a freelance writer who combines his passion for gaming with writing. He is currently studying for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Follow him @noahestey.bsky.social