The most recent trailer for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls showed off three new characters, including Magik, Danger, and Wolverine for a team of Unbreakable X-Men with Storm as its leader. This confirms what fans had long suspected, that characters in the upcoming fighting game would be organized into five teams of four, with each having a distinct theme. With Storm acting as the X-Men’s leader, the revelation of the other leaders in the game gives fans much more room to speculate on who could be on the roster next.
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Although some eager fans expected other X-Men like Cyclops or Gambit, Danger proves that developer Arc System Works is willing to pull deep into Marvel’s history to select its characters. Ultimately, this a great way to make Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls stand out from Marvel vs. Capcom, even if some comic characters should still make it into the game. According to its updated Steam page, only 20 characters for the base roster limits what figures can be added, making each selection a deliberate choice before DLC expands anything.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Shows Off Unbreakable X-Men As Its First Complete Team
What makes the reveal of the X-Men in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls so important is that it is the only full team shown off for the game so far. With Magik, Danger, and Wolverine, 11 out of 20 characters are stapled to the main roster, but seven of those heroes and villains are not assigned to any team. This means that any combination of the remaining characters could be organized together, making up teams with themes surrounding their known roles in Marvel Comics.
For example, Captain American and Iron Man could easily be on a team together to represent an Avengers-themed group. Meanwhile, Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man have often been in team-up crossovers together, suggesting a group of characters that work on the “street level” of Marvel. Thankfully, the end of the Unbreakable X-Men trailer gave us a better idea on how teams will be paired up by identifying which characters already on the roster will act as leaders for future trailers.
Other Characters Were Revealed As Team Leaders With Some Unexpected Picks
Storm representing the X-Men was shown alongside Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, Captain America, and Doctor Doom as leaders of teams yet to be revealed. Some of these make perfect sense, such as Captain America leading a team of Avengers into the fighting game. Doctor Doom controlling a team of Marvel villains also makes sense, but Ghost Rider and Spider-Man might have some players scratching their heads.
In some cases, these characters in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls could join up with others already available for players. The history between Iron Man and Spider-Man during the events of Civil War could bring them together, but likely not with Spider-Man as a leader. Alternatively, Spider-Man’s youth could pair with Ms. Marvel in this 2026 fighting game, forming the New Avengers alongside other successor characters like Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye or Lin Lie’s Iron Fist.
Thinking about what characters have joined with this game’s selected leaders helps fans narrow down possible appearances, but the actual picks are still up in the air. Going back to the Spider-Man example, it would be easy for Spider-Man to just have a team of characters with spider-adjacent powers, like Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, or even the anti-hero Venom. However, Spider-Man could equally be a leader of a Future Foundation themed Fantastic Four, representing his time on that team following the death of Johnny Storm.
Avengers, Villains, & Midnight Sons Could All Guarantee Rarer Characters To Join The Roster
Each character chosen as a leader in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls has either been a part of, or led a team before in Marvel Comics, typically ones with a large number of characters both obscure and iconic. As an example, Ghost Rider has been a part of the Midnight Sons, a group of Marvel characters who fight the supernatural. Doctor Strange or Blade could easily be on Ghost Rider’s team in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, but obscure picks like Morbius or Moon Knight have an equal chance of making it.
Danger’s existence on the X-Men team shows that nearly anyone could be re-imagined and included through Arc System Works’ unique anime-inspired approach to the game. Despite the smaller number of launch characters, the diversity in the teams chosen through their leaders gives Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls a much wider selection of characters beyond the most common choices. While some heroes like the Hulk or Thor are popular enough to be included regardless, the door is open for less discussed characters to make it too.
Doctor Doom’s villains, Fantastic Four, or even Guardians of the Galaxy with Star-Lord are all begging for rarer picks. With the X-Men, Midnight Sons, Avengers, and whatever team Spider-Man represents, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls has tons of options for new characters, building up anticipation for the final roster to new heights as players wait for its August 2026 release date.
What do you think are the themes behind character teams in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
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