Yuri Fighting Game Tournament Anime Unveils Release Window

Some of the most classic romance anime ever released succeed in honing in on specific hobbies or interests shared by the leads that brings them together. Shows like My Dress Up Darling! and Chihayafuru handle this trope particularly well, but an upcoming 2025 yuri romance might give all of its predecessors a run for their money. Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, based on the original manga by Eri Ejima, is a unique take on romance by tapping into the competitiveness of fighting games.

While there was a similar anime that debuted on Netflix in 2018 called Hi Score Girl, Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games stands out not only for its sapphic love story but because of the fact that the two leading ladies that the show’s narrative centers around use their love for gaming as a conduit to discuss much more complex aspects of themselves that’s left out of the aforementioned rom-com. Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games follows Aya Mitsuki and Mio Yorue, two students attending classes at a prestigious all-girl academy where gaming is banned. Despite the school’s strict rules, the two girls absolutely adore fighting games and enter one of Japan’s biggest gaming tournaments where they must compete against one another as they begin developing feelings that go much deeper than a gaming rivalry.

[RELATED: Witch Watch Reveals English Dub Cast With New Trailer]

Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games Boasts a Momentum-Fueled Rivals-To-Lovers Drama

While Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games is filled with tongue-in-cheek humor about fighting game culture and how competitive gaming can get – complete with silly banter and outright trash-talking – it’s also an incredibly well-written love story between two rivals who just can’t get enough of one another. The two lead voice actresses taking on the roles of Aya Mitsuki and Mio Yorue seem to think so too, with the two making passionate comments about their involvement with the anime.

Hasegawa Ikumi, who plays Aya in the show, stated, “I’m not a big fan of games in general, but when I first read the original work, I was overwhelmed by the “passion” that was coming from the girls.” Similarly, Ichinose Kana, who voices Mio, commented “When I read the original work during the audition, I thought it was a work with a huge impact, I hope you enjoy how the story progresses.”

The original creator of the series, Eri Ejima, has stated in the past that despite not being a huge fan of competitive fighting games themselves, she was fueled by momentum writing the story. The director of the upcoming anime adaptation has more experience playing games, which Ejima believes will elevate the manga’s story to better reflect its main character’s passions. 2025 certainly needed more high-energy romance picks to fill out the year, and despite the original manga being a bit more niche, this is the perfect opportunity for Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games to get the recognition it deserves.

Source: Oricon