5 Anime Series That Deserve The Dragon Ball FighterZ Treatment

There are few fighting games as well polished as Dragon Ball FighterZ, mainly due to the title’s incredible visuals. Every frame of this 3v3 fighting game features beautiful manga and anime-inspired looks for each of its iconic characters, allowing players to feel like they are completely immersed in the beloved Dragon Ball Z setting. Other anime could benefit from a game like FighterZ, with a game that provides players with exciting action to represent their series with extraordinary authenticity.

Many games that use the IP of popular anime are somewhat lackluster in their presentation. For example, Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash had fairly simplistic visuals, a sharp contrast to the stellar animation present in its anime’s second season. Similarly, games like My Hero One’s Justice, Jump Force, and other “anime arena fighters” tend to cut corners in some areas, either with simplistic gameplay or unrefined artstyles that don’t represent their inspirations as well as other games.

5. Shaman King

Shaman King is an often underrated anime, and one that would be perfect for a fighting game like Dragon Ball FighterZ. This mainly comes from the lack of restrictions on the series’ power system, which revolves around its characters cooperating with spirits to imbue power into a variety of objects. For example, some characters use the spirit of a turtle to imbue its defensive properties into a simple shirt, increasing their defense.

This older Shōnen Jump series has a distinct artstyle from creator Hiroyuki Takei too, making it somewhat distinct compared to other anime series that get adapted into games. The spirit powers in this series are almost tailor-made for a fighting game, with stamina in Shaman King being an easy stand-in for meter systems seen in most titles from the genre. With the right development team, the distinct powers from this series could make for an incredibly dynamic experience with unique gameplay.

4. Jujutsu Kaisen

As mentioned earlier with Cursed Clash, there hasn’t really been a game that adapts Jujutsu Kaisen‘s distinct style, with potent cursed techniques taking center stage to awe viewers. This anime has truly stunning scenes and characters that are reaching the same iconic status as even some Dragon Ball Z figures, such as Satoru Gojo or the villain Sukuna. Much like Shaman King, JJK seems built for combat, with duels between characters having tons of impact.

With enough attention to detail on its visuals, any JJK fighting game could easily sell upwards to millions of copies. Making players feel as powerful as some characters from this series through tight, technical gameplay could be an amazing selling point, just like it was for Dragon Ball FighterZ. With how many unique powers each character has in this series, enough emphasis on immersing players as any fighter with the full spread of their abilities might make something unforgettable.

3. My Hero Academia

My Hero Academia‘s final season has come and gone, but it still hasn’t received the “perfect” game to represent its fascinating world of heroes and villains. While My Hero’s One Justice 2 wasn’t bad, its artstyle wasn’t nearly as authentic to the source material as some other anime-inspired games have done. For example, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 does a great job emulating Naruto‘s visuals, with great care taken to express its inspiration.

A My Hero Academia game like Dragon Ball FighterZ could not only replicate author Kohei Horikoshi’s impressive artstyle, but also go into more detail creating deep characters through nuanced gameplay. The main attraction of My Hero Academia are the Quirks of each character, which are almost singular to every individual in the series. Part of the fun of the anime is seeing how each hero and villain learns how to wield their power in unexpected ways, a feeling that can be replicated in a fighting game that gives players enough expressive freedom.

2. Yu Yu Hakusho

Now, there have been other fighting games surrounding Yu Yu Hakusho, the classic anime and manga series created by Hunter x Hunter author Yoshihiro Togashi. That being said, none of them have come close to the quality of something like Dragon Ball FighterZ, mostly being small PS2 or Sega Genesis titles that have quickly faded into obscurity. Anyone who has a fondness for this series would know that is a shame, as it is almost a perfect series for a quality fighting game treatment.

Each character in Yu Yu Hakusho has unique spirit powers that would make each of them great on a roster, but the story of the series itself also lends into a potential game. The Dark Tournament arc is often considered one of the best competitions in anime, setting the stage naturally for character fights. Unlike other anime games where the story feels like a simple rehash of the series’ events, a Yu Yu Hakusho game wouldn’t cause that to feel forced.

1. One Piece

One Piece doesn’t just deserve a Dragon Ball FighterZ style of game, it needs it. This series is practically begging for a proper fighting game adaptation, with everything you need to build an immersive experience that could rival or surpass FighterZ easily. The enormous cast of One Piece creates endless possibilities for a potential roster, with each figure’s abilities creating a fighting style unlike anyone else.

Devil Fruits and Haki mold iconic characters with powers defined by their visual presentation, down to their nostalgic sound effects that fans have been watching for upwards to 26 years. Over 1000 episodes of anime have endeared fans to One Piece with a fervor most series can only dream of, so a visually detailed fighting game might send them into a frenzy.

Past One Piece games have been enjoyable, such as One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 and One Piece Odyssey. However, those games both used 3D graphics to create smoother character models for many characters, creating artstyles that didn’t quite capture the original anime or manga’s looks. With a One Piece game closer to the look of Dragon Ball FighterZ, the 2D/3D hybrid animation might fully immerse players, constructing one of the best experiences fans could ever have in one of the longest-running anime series.

What anime series do you think deserves a game like Dragon Ball FighterZ? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in ComicBook Forum!