When Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls was revealed, I was beyond hype. After getting heavily invested in Marvel Rivals, I was excited to see a new game set in one of my favorite genres, and I couldn’t wait to discover what characters Arc System Works would add. Arc System Works built its reputation on taking risks, whether through the rock stars of Guilty Gear, the deep cuts of Dragon Ball FighterZ, or the wildly creative adaptations found throughout its catalog. Nothing proved this like the announcement of Danger Room,
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However, this was more of an outlier than a precedent. Besides maybe Green Goblin and Peni Parker, the roster is what I would expect from a Marvel game, though some more obvious picks are missing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy with many of the choices and the lineup looks incredible. But I wish we had more oddball and niche picks like Danger Room. Marvel’s library of heroes and villains is so diverse that it would be nice to see characters who often get skipped to be included. Not only would it shine a light on more characters, but the gameplay opportunities would be more diverse.
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls’ Roster Is Strong, Even If It’s Familiar
Sony and Arc System Works have finally revealed the full launch roster for Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, and it includes some of the biggest names in Marvel. Avengers icons like Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, and Ms. Marvel, alongside X-Men staples such as Wolverine, Storm, Magneto, and Magik, are included. Spider-Man’s corner of the Marvel Universe is represented by Peter Parker, Green Goblin, Carnage, and Peni Parker, while Doctor Doom, Loki, Deadpool, Blade, Star-Lord, Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider, Black Panther, and Danger round out the cast.
From a gameplay perspective, this roster makes perfect sense. Fighting games benefit from recognizable characters, especially new franchises trying to establish themselves. The teams were a smart way to introduce characters, and we see some major players from across Marvel’s history. There are iconic heroes from different groups, as well as plenty of villains and morally gray anti-heroes.
Even so, I cannot help but think back to that initial Danger Room reveal and how wild it was. I, like many others, thought it meant we’d see more crazy character picks, yet the rest of the choices have been fairly safe. Instead of embracing the stranger corners of Marvel’s lore, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls went with tried-and-true picks that seem to be included in every Marvel game, but I am hopeful that DLC can follow the trend Danger Room was setting up.
The Roster Feels Surprisingly Safe for an Arc System Works Game
The biggest issue with Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls’ launch roster is not that the characters are bad choices. It is that most of them are expected choices. Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, Magneto, Doctor Doom, and Deadpool have all been major players in previous Marvel fighting games. Others, such as Loki and Ms. Marvel, have become significantly more recognizable thanks to the MCU, or Peni Parker from Marvel Rivals.
This becomes especially noticeable when looking at Marvel’s enormous character library. There are no Fantastic Four members. No Daredevil. No Moon Knight. No Silver Surfer. No Squirrel Girl. No Howard the Duck. No Jeff the Land Shark. Even longtime fighting game staples like Thor, Cyclops, and Doctor Strange are absent from the launch roster. For a universe containing thousands of characters across more than eighty years of history, the selection often feels selected for maximum familiarity rather than maximum creativity.
That stands out even more when looking at Arc System Works and its history of creative character design and off-the-wall choices. This is the studio that transformed a living shadow into a fighting game character in Guilty Gear and turned a grappling vampire samurai into one of the most beloved archetypes in anime fighters. If any developer could make someone like Paste-Pot Pete, Mojo, or Elsa Bloodstone into a compelling fighter, it would be Arc System Works.
DLC Could Be Where Marvel Tokon Truly Becomes Special
Fortunately, fighting games in 2026 are rarely defined solely by their launch rosters. Titles like Guilty Gear Strive, Street Fighter 6, and Tekken 8 have demonstrated how post-launch support can dramatically reshape a game’s identity over time with new characters. If Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls follows a similar roadmap, DLC could become the perfect opportunity for Arc System Works to take bigger risks after it has established a strong launch.
The foundation already exists. Danger Room proved that the developers are willing to explore less obvious choices, and Green Goblin demonstrated that villain selections do not have to follow traditional expectations. Future DLC packs could spotlight fan favorites like Thor and Doctor Strange while also introducing more unconventional picks such as Elsa Bloodstone, Nico Minoru, Moon Girl, Sentry, or even Howard the Duck. Marvel’s catalog is vast enough to support decades of experimentation.
In many ways, the safest launch roster may actually create the best opportunity for the future. The base game introduces the icons that casual fans expect, while DLC can cater to longtime comic readers and fighting game veterans searching for something unexpected. If Arc System Works embraces that approach, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls could eventually develop one of the most fascinating rosters in fighting game history. Right now, the launch lineup feels disappointingly safe. But a few years from now, it might look like the beginning of something much more exciting.
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