Best Anime Fighting Games
Published: Wed Jan 24 2024
Table Of Contents
What are the best fighting games based on Anime?
With the highly anticipated release of both One Punch Man: World on January 31st 2024 and JuJutsu Kaisen Cursed Clash on February 2nd 2024, we’ve ranked the top fighting games based on anime you can play right now on modern consoles! So if you are a fan of both anime and fighting games then look no further than the 5 options below! As always, the games will each be ranked on a set of metrics tailored to the anime fighting game genre.
| ✓ Learning Curve | ✓ Skill Ceiling | ✓ Diversity of Game Modes |
| ✓ Character Selection | ✓ Gameplay Mechanics |
What do One Punch Man: World and JuJustu Kaisen Cursed Clash offer?
Firstly, what do the two upcoming anime fighting games offer? One Punch Man: World, available on PC, ios and Android, adapts the first season of the hit anime and features cross-platform play. Playing single or multiplayer, choose from a wide range of familiar characters including Saitama, Genos, Mumen Rider and Silver Fang to tackle villains such as the Subterranean King, Mosquito Girl, Beast King, and more.
Available on the Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox One/Series X/Series S, and PC, JuJutsu Kaisen Cursed Clash is a 2 vs 2 game that allows you to master the Cursed Techniques of both Jujutsu Sorcerers and Cursed Spirits. The varied, dynamic gameplay utilises mechanics that cause the stage to collapse and Domain Expansions that evolve the entire field as you play!
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 4.4
Ratings (Out of 5)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is a treat for any fan of the anime or manga and features fast-paced, 3D arena-based combat. With the option of playing story mode or battle mode, both featuring stunning cinematography, the varied gameplay means you won’t get easily bored!
Buy the game on Steam and PlayStation Store and XBox and Nintendo Store!
Character Selection
With over 100 playable characters, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 has an excitingly diverse roster including Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and more. Furthermore, the game introduces characters from The Last: Naruto the Movie and Boruto: Naruto the Movie, expanding the roster to the next generation of ninja. Whilst a significant portion of the roster is made up of various versions of certain characters (namely Naruto and Sasuke), each version reflects the different stages of their development or significant story arcs and features their own unique movesets.
Learning Curve and Skill Ceiling
The game is designed to be accessible to fans of the Naruto series who may not have extensive experience in the fighting game genre. As such, the controls are relatively intuitive, allowing you to perform basic attacks, combos, and special jutsu techniques without a steep learning curve. While basic attacks and combos are easy to execute, mastering the more advanced techniques, including ultimate jutsu or awakening transformations may require some practice and therefore provide more depth to the gameplay experience. Additionally, the ability to switch characters during battles further adds an element of strategy that perfectly balances a high skill ceiling yet low learning curve.
Dragon Ball Z: FighterZ 4
Ratings (Out of 5)
Part of the Dragon Ball franchise and inspired by the iconic anime and manga series, Dragon Ball Z FighterZ is truly a gem of a fighting game for both fans and non-fans of the original content! The game is praised for its visually stunning graphics and faithful recreation of the Dragon Ball Z art style, displayed through fast-paced and dynamic 2D combat in both the story and arcade modes. Truly, the best thing about this game is how much it feels like Dragon Ball Z.
Buy the game on Steam and PlayStation Store and XBox and Nintendo Store!
Character Selection
With only 21 playable characters in the original release, FighterZ does not include the same extensive roster as some of the other games on this list, however, the characters themselves span across the whole of the Dragon Ball Z saga, meaning it is highly likely you can play as at least one of your favourites! Characters range from Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Frieza, Cell, and many more! Furthermore, FighterZ allows you to select and play as 3 characters in every battle, with seamless switching between each. There’s an engaging range of movesets for each player and one of the more unexpectedly amusing aspects of the game is teaming unconventional characters together, like Gotenks and Ginyu, for lighthearted banter before a battle.
Learning Curve and Skill Ceiling
With explosive and intense combat, you would be forgiven for being intimidated by the gameplay, but fear not! Fighterz is extremely welcoming to newcomers of the genre and employs a straightforward control scheme, making it easy to grasp basic movements, attacks, and special moves. Additionally, Dragon Ball FighterZ includes an auto-combo system, allowing you to perform simple yet visually impressive combos by repeatedly pressing the light attack button. Clean and accessible as it is, you can also progress past simply spamming auto-combos to hone the more technical components of the gameplay (namely, dodging said auto-combos)! With fluid and fast battles, timing is key and can only truly be mastered with practice over time, making hitting the skill ceiling a gradual and thoroughly enjoyable experience.
My Hero One’s Justice 2 3.8
Ratings (Out of 5)
My Hero One’s Justice 2 is a 3D arena fighting game based on My Hero Academia and the sequel to My Hero One’s Justice, expanding upon its predecessor with new characters, features, and improvements. Like Naruto, My Hero One’s Justice 2 includes a Story Mode that follows the events of the anime and includes perspectives of both heroes and villains, whilst also providing co-op and online multiplayer battles. Battles are over the top and colourful, just like the anime, whilst sprinkling in a good dose of humour throughout.
Buy the game on Steam and PlayStation Store and XBox and Nintendo Switch!
Character Selection
The game allows you to choose from around 40 different playable (and customisable!) characters including both heroes and villains and featuring Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, All Might and Shoto Todoroki amongst others. With 18 new characters added since its predecessor, each with their own unique moves and the ability to utilise support characters, the roster truly provides a treat for fans of the anime! The movesets are different for each character, sharing no similarities when it comes to quirks (ie. One quirk heavy move will be a gravity move for another character)! These quirks are extremely faithful to the anime and lots of fun to utilize featuring gravity, flying, seal, super speed, etc!
Learning Curve and Skill Ceiling
At its core, My Hero One’s Justice 2 is a generic fighting game (with completely destructible maps!), adopting the tried and true attack, jump, and dash mechanics that contribute to the majority of the fighting style and combos. Each character also has two special moves, or ‘quirks’ that add some depth into the gameplay whilst keeping the learning curve of the game relatively low. Despite this, the support character functionality is interesting to experiment with and you can create some great combos with your characters, which adds a level of strategic thinking for those more experienced in the fighting genre. Ultimately, My Hero One’s Justice 2 is easy to learn and a good bit of casual fun, however, after mastering the skill set of each character there is really no way up from there.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicle 3.2
Ratings (Out of 5)
Released in 2021, Demon Slayer is based on the beloved anime of the same name. With the option of playing story mode or duelling in battles, faithfulness to the series is truly where this game shines. If you are a fan of the anime (and can sit through lengthy cutscenes), you will love playing through the story mode, featuring interactions and battles at multiple key moments through the story. Whilst the game could benefit from more stages (an introduction of the interactive kind could really boost some of the more repetitive gameplay), and a more diverse range of game modes, ultimately Demon Slayer is an enjoyably bright and engaging versus game.
Buy the game on Steam and PlayStation Store and XBox and Nintendo Store!
Character Selection
Through cinematic battles, you are given the opportunity to play as multiple characters including both slayers and demons including Tanjiro, Nezuko, Rui and Akaza to name a few! Multiple DLCs have continued to add the anime’s later demons and characters versions, keeping the gameplay fresh and exciting. Unfortunately, several of the characters (mainly the hashiras) are unlocked only as you play through the story mode and, for some, this can be a laborious process. However, through extensive playing of the versus mode (and we mean extensive) there is the ability to unlock achievements which can also be used towards unlocking characters.
One of the more interesting features of the character selection is the support character mechanic. Playing as a slayer, including hashiras, gives you the ability to select, utilise, and even switch to a support character throughout the battle. Playing as a demon does not allow for this option, thereby adding a level of strategy and skill starting right from the character selection!
Learning Curve and Skill Ceiling
The learning curve of the game is relatively accessible for beginners who want to enjoy the story and basic gameplay, but it can become steeper for those aiming to excel in the more competitive aspects of the game. The basic controls for each character are the same but the speed and range of each differs, giving you the opportunity to experiment with and adapt your playstyle. The battles are vibrant and visually stunning, with some finishing move scenes coming directly from the anime, and the need to block and evade alleviate the combat from becoming the simple button mashing experience that some fighting games can fall victim to. Whilst you can get away with button mashing to an extent, the combat mechanics are a lot deeper than predecessors of the same company and timing for each move is crucial, something that takes patience and practice to truly master.
Jump Force 3
Ratings (Out of 5)
Jump Force is a crossover fighting game bringing together characters from various manga and anime series including Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and many more! Playing as your own customizable avatar, choose the story mode, revolving around the real world colliding with anime, or engage in 3D arena-style battles. Whilst Jump Force is not a perfect game by any means, it remains notable for its unique crossover and the appeal of playing as characters from such a wide variety of anime and manga.
Buy the game on Steam and PlayStation Store!
Character Selection
The game’s launch roster features 40 playable characters from 16 different series, plus an additional 14 characters available through DLCs and a free update. Some notable characters include Asta (Black Clover), Goku and Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z), Jotaro Kuji (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia), Naruto and Sasuke (Naruto), and Monkey D Luffy and Roronoa Zoro (One Piece) to name a few (and that really is only a few!) Each character in Jump Force has a set of unique special moves and ultimate attacks inspired by their respective manga and anime series. Indeed, the impressive array of source material and characters is truly where this game shines, getting a perfect 5/5 from us!
Learning Curve and Skill Ceiling
Unfortunately, this is where things start to go a little downhill. Jump Force is designed to appeal to a broader audience, including fans of the included series who may not be hardcore fighting game enthusiasts. As a result, the gameplay prioritises a more casual experience that allows you to enjoy the spectacle of the battles rather than nuanced and challenging mechanics. Featuring straightforward controls, it is fairly easy to execute and master basic attacks, special moves, and combos (the game also features auto-combos). And this is essentially all there is to the game. While it does have the combos and special moves we have come to expect from fighting games, the depth of combo variations and intricate mechanics are certainly not as extensive as the other games on this list. In addition to this, the game’s AI can be somewhat predictable, making it easier to learn patterns and find effective strategies when playing in singleplayer mode. Whilst Jump Force may be bottom of our list in terms of gameplay, it is still a visually fun instalment of casual, anime battles to check out.