Anime arena fighters have been getting a bad rep from fans, even though some of them are quality titles. While there are definitely bad games in the genre, there are fans who feel that being an arena fighter is an immediate seal of low quality. It’s a common complaint from fans who like serious fighting games and want more from these fighters.
That’s not to say fans shouldn’t criticize arena fighters, but acting like they should all be competitively viable titles is absurd. Some of these games were made to fulfill power fantasies, and that’s a genre many are entertained by.
Seeing fans complain about Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero not being a “fair” fighting game was baffling. In this game, some characters are just more powerful than others, and it’s not designed to be competitive at all. This is how the original Budokai Tenkaichi games were in the PS2 era and Sparking Zero captured that spirit really well.
More valid complaints about the game have been made, like it having Ranked Battles when there’s a hierarchy of characters who will beat most of the roster. Bandai Namco also hosts tournaments with the game, which has led to some criticism since there’s nothing competitive about this fighter. It’s a broken toy box that fans love playing with, so putting competitive modes in there is legitimate criticism.
Other arena fighters like Bleach: Rebirth of Souls and Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash were immediately panned for being games of this genre. Granted, Cursed Clash did feel like a cheap cash-in for fans of the series, but some gamers defend and play it to this day. Rebirth of Souls also has unique mechanics that try to be more competitive than the average anime arena fighter, but that often gets lost because of the genre it’s in.
CyberConnect2 has also received criticism for popularizing the genre with their Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series. These games get hate from competitive players since most attacks are done by mashing one button. However, the spectacle of these games is why fans love them, with incredible finishing moves and stylish retellings of iconic anime scenes.
click to enlargeWhile it’s not bad to want more from these anime arena fighters, acting like this genre is the kiss of death needs to stop. Some of these games can be pretty competitive, look at Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles, but they get overlooked because of their genre. Even if they aren’t competitive, that doesn’t mean they aren’t fun games that fans of the source material can enjoy.
The bottom line is, you can criticize these games if they’re bad, like Jump Force. But if the anime arena fighter is a genuinely fun time most people can enjoy, just let it be.