Nowadays, whenever a shonen anime breaks through the mold from being a manga darling to a pop culture phenomenon it's guaranteed to hit at least three of these crossroads: being prematurely deemed overrated/peak by viewers a year after its first season drops, a celebratory Uniqlo fashion collection, and the inevitable release of an arena fighter video game. While the weight of the first two milestones is benign in the grand scheme of an anime’s mainstream upward trajectory, the bragging rights that come with the success of an anime’s first video game are the lifeblood of its fandom. Unfortunately, arena fighters have unwittingly become anime’s sole gaming genre when they don’t have to be.
Like any piece of media that’s soured on its once-doting audience, anime arena fighters suffer from the success of their predecessors. Those predecessors are the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z and Naruto arena fighter series Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm . On paper, it makes perfect sense for burgeoning anime series like My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, and Jujutsu Kaisen to capitalize on their show's respective popularity with a 3D brawler showcasing its super-powered ensemble cast and iconic locales.
We’ve seen this well-trodden hat trick attempted time again with fighters like My Hero: One’s Justice , Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles , and Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash promising players the chance to recreate each anime’s iconic batt.
