The 10 BEST Fighting Games Based on Anime

The 10 Best Fighting Games Based on Anime

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’ll be taking a look at the 10 best fighting games based on anime! Do note that we aren’t talking about games like “Guilty Gear”, “BlazBlue”, or “Under Night In-Birth”. We’re literally talking about fighting games based on anime.

“Tatsunoko vs. Capcom All-Stars” (2008)

It’s a real shame that Tatsunoko Productions hasn’t gotten a ton of attention from Western audiences as there are some cool IPs in the company’s possession. “Tatsunoko vs. Capcom” was a somewhat bold attempt at trying to bring them to mainstream audiences, and what better way to do so than through the then-increasingly popular Nintendo Wii? From the colorful cast to the beautiful graphics to the intuitive controls, “Tatsunoko vs. Capcom” was one of those rare gems on the Wii that sadly fell under the radar for so many folks. Who knows, maybe in another timeline, this game would have gained enough traction to propel us into new shows, movies, and games for “Science Ninja Team Gatchaman”, “Yatterman”, or even “Hurricane Polimar”. Everyone still enjoying the saturated world of Marvel?

“Digimon Rumble Arena” (2001)

Prior to this game, “Digimon” had only attempted to capture “Pokemon” fans with its own line of RPGs, most notably the poorly received “Digimon World” games. Critics were a little more forgiving towards “Digimon Rumble Arena”, though not by much. While they were busy complaining about the game being a clone of “Smash Bros”, we were having fun with its own spin on the formula. There was a lot of fun in fighting each other and trying to Digivolve into more powerful forms mid-game. It was dumb fun, but sometimes, that’s the best kind of fun, and the meaty roster of twenty-four characters amplified that in a lot of ways.

“Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2” (2006)

Of the “Budokai” games, “Budokai Tenkaichi 2” will forever be the best in the entire series. It had everything a DBZ fan could ever want: a retelling of the entire story, a massive roster of more than a hundred characters composed of almost every character from the show, “what if” scenarios that actually explored interesting ideas - it literally had EVERYTHING, even hair for Krillin. And to this day, the cel-shaded visuals still hold up tremendously well. Really, this game hasn’t aged a day in its graphics nor its controls. It is that immaculate!

“Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3” (2009)

“CNR3” is to “Naruto” as “Budokai Tenkaichi 2” is to DBZ. Of the classic “Naruto” games, this is the one every die-hard fan needs to play, and it’s for a lot of the same reasons why DBZ fans should play “Budokai Tenkaichi 2”. It’s got a beautiful and epic retelling of the Kazekage Rescue arc. It’s got a huge roster of more than forty characters from the show up to this point. On top of that, it introduced a fun assist mechanic to make fights feel more like group efforts instead of just one-on-one duels. We only wish this one was at least ported forward to modern hardware, but one title kind of trumps this classic. We’ll get to it in a little bit.

“Victorious Boxers: Ippo’s Road to Glory” (2000)

Much like the heroes from Tatsunoko, “Victorious Boxers” rarely ever seems to be given the time of day by anyone who isn’t a hardcore anime or manga fan. Well, if you live outside of Japan, anyway. “Ippo’s Road to Glory” plays a lot like other boxing games you might be familiar with such as EA’s “Fight Night” series or the classic “Ready 2 Rumble” games. Much of the gameplay retains the rules of real-life boxing while telling the captivating story of “Hajime no Ippo”. So, if you’re a fan of boxing sims and have been wanting to dive into a new anime, “Ippo’s Road to Glory” is an excellent choice and may turn you into a fan of this somewhat obscure story.

“Galactic Wrestling: Featuring Ultimate Muscle” (2004)

Now, if you want an anime fighting game that leans way more towards the arcade-y side, “Galactic Wrestling” is perfect for you. With a cast of nearly fifty playable wrestlers, you and up to three of your friends can pull off ridiculous wrestling moves and stunts with some of the wildest personalities imaginable. On the surface, this looks like it’s similar to the classic “WWE” games from the 90’s and early 2000s, but there are some other touches that help the game stand out such as rope physics that let you throw rivals around and clothesline them or even ropes made of pure electricity. The only gripe you might have with this gem is that the commentary can get obnoxiously repetitive. Other than that, highly recommend checking this out if you ever get the chance!

“One Piece: Grand Adventure” (2006)

There have been many “One Piece” fighting games and fighting games featuring “One Piece” characters, yet the seemingly endless ocean can’t seem to triumph over “Grand Adventure. This was the sequel to 2005’s “One Piece: Grand Battle”, and admittedly, it doesn’t change a ton of the gameplay. However, “Grand Adventure” excels by adding more characters, more levels, and a bunch of different game modes. Just by expanding on the predecessor, the sequel managed to boast a ton more replayability in this regard. And that’s something few sequels seem to ever do in the modern era of gaming.

“JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” (1998)

Capcom belted out a ton of excellent fighting games in the 90’s, and the “Street Fighter III” team was responsible for this one. In a time where licensed games were kind of lazy cashgrab opportunities, “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” stuck out because of how faithful it was to the source material. The stills and sprite animation were highly detailed in the way characters moved. The integration of Stands matched the look and feel we got from watching the use of spirit guardians in the anime. It was essentially a massive love letter to “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure”, and the way fights ended with the classic “To Be Continued” arrow was icing on the cake.

“Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4” (2016)

Yes, this is the “Naruto” game we were hinting at earlier. “Ultimate Ninja Storm 4” is simply the best “Naruto” game ever made for a number of reasons. First off, the story of the Fourth Great Ninja War is brilliantly written and throws several twists that are really well fleshed-out. It may be short, but it’s a story that will follow you after you finish it. Second, the sheer number of playable characters is almost overwhelming even without the “Road to Boruto” DLC. And above all, it properly incorporated proper tag mechanics that previous “Naruto” games would rarely ever commit to. It was like all those years of “Clash of Ninja” and the previous “Ninja Storm” games finally led up to this moment.

“Dragon Ball FighterZ” (2018)

Come on, you know this was an obvious choice for this list. We’ll forever cherish the crap out of the “Budokai” games, but after Arc System Works developed “FighterZ”... This isn’t just the greatest “Dragon Ball” game ever made - it’s the greatest video game based on an anime ever made. From the character animation to the way Dragon Balls were incorporated as a core mechanic, “FighterZ” was clever in concepts and executed on its ideas flawlessly. Sure, it’s a little annoying seeing how many versions of Goku and Vegeta make up the roster, but overall, this game captured the spirit and adrenaline “Dragon Ball” has long been known for. So, whether you’re casual or hardcore, anyone who even has a mild respect for the IP should pick up this title.

What’s your favorite fighting game based on an anime? Did it make our list? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!