My biggest question going into Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a movie I was very skeptical of after years of disliking modern Spider-Man films, was “why is Spider-Man fighting random ninjas?” Then I saw the movie and realized the answer was incredibly simple: “Spider-Man fighting ninjas is really cool.” I was not just surprised but also delighted. Audiences get tired of anything when it becomes omnipresent, superheroes included. But when you add an unexpected element, when you make it cool, you get people to care.
I had a similar but slightly different question before firing up Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls ($59.99, available on PC and PlayStation 5), the new superhero fighting game developed by Arc System Works and published by Sony: “Why does this Marvel fighting game have an anime aesthetic?” The answer was exactly the same as before: It’s really cool. After playing the game, I’ve realized that Marvel Tokon’s cool factor is more than skin deep. However, the fresh look is what truly elevates it from other Marvel titles, a testament to how cross-cultural collaboration brings out the best in art.
(Credit: Arc System Works/PCMag)
Anime Avengers Assemble
Marvel Tokon is a combination of American and Japanese sensibilities, blending Western comic book characters with Eastern visual flair. It’s right there in the game’s name and logo: “Tokon” literally means “fighting souls” in Japanese, with the giant kanji character in the background.
The fusion is apparent as soon as you start the tutorial. The practice match has you play as Captain America against Iron Man, not just two Marvel icons but two very Americansuperheroes. One is a super soldier who embodies the values of the country that’s his namesake; the other is a rich guy in a weaponized battle suit that represents the might of the American military-industrial complex. Yet the matchup looks like a psychedelic show you’d stumble across on Crunchyroll.
You see, Cap is decked out in a sleek and elaborate outfit that makes the sentinel of liberty resemble a Super Sentai hero. And as a guy in power armor, Iron Man straddles the line of being a mecha, but his Marvel Tokon design spotlights Gundamand Tekkaman influences. And their fight occurs in a beautiful living illustration of an arena, whether you choose to think of it as a comic book or a manga.
I haven’t seen this kind of colorful, hyperactive visual splendor since Viewtiful Joe’s similar ode to tokusatsu, a genre greatly influenced by Japanese Spider-Man adaptations.
East Meets West
Given Marvel Tokon’s genre and license, comparisons with the legendary Marvel vs. Capcom are inevitable. But what’s cool about that crossover series isn’t just the idea of those two companies squaring off; it’s also the idea of a Japanese company adapting American comic book characters. I love the artwork in the Marvel vs. Capcom titles, gorgeous depictions of Marvel heroes drawn by iconic Street Fighter designer Bengus. This is the spirit that Marvel Tokon carries forward, an electrifying synthesis by main character designer Yuki Kato, whose art has shaped Arc System Works’ fighting games since the beloved BlazBlue.
Yes, fantastic fighting games can come from any region; just look at the very American Mortal Kombat. But many of the great franchises, such as Fatal Fury, Street Fighter, and Tekken, come from Japan. The genre benefits immensely not just from a vibrant game development culture but also from an even older tradition of complex martial arts and impeccable animation. So, beyond just being beautiful, an anime-style Marvel fighting game is a masterful marriage of form and function. This is what Tokon nails. The only downside to Marvel Tokon’s 4v4 team battles is that I wish there were evenmore characters, building on the 21-character initial roster, to let the fusion shine.
BUY MARVEL TOKON: FIGHTING SOULS
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls
I respect Marvel Tokon for its strong aesthetic, because not all comic book games live up to that standard. Marvel Tokon stands in stark contrast to Marvel’s Wolverine, the year’s other big Marvel game. It’s published by Sony, a company at the intersection of Western and Japanese philosophies. Whereas Marvel Tokon looks unforgettable, Wolverine’s bland stab at realism looks like little more than another boring bootleg movie. Having a bold and new take is the point of making an adaptation. From the Marvel Anime films of the early 2010s to the Marvel Mangaverse comics before that, these characters thrive because they are so ripe for reinvention.
The Combo Is Baked Into Every Game Aspect
The mix of cultures is on full display during Marvel Tokon’s story mode, which is told through motion comics, animated vignettes, and one very catchy J-pop theme song. In it, several Marvel heroes and villains compete to save the world from destruction by embarking on that classic anime trope: the Tournament Arc. The story was written by prominent British comic writer Kieron Gillen, but each episode is tackled by a different artist. It doesn’t stop there.
(Credit: Arc System Works/PCMag)
A more wacky mode, Arcadia Rumble, tasks you with running around an open environment to power yourself up before a match. It’s a little Power Stone and a little Super Smash Bros. After a few matches, it’s a bit jarring to go from an in-depth fighting game to a silly arena brawler with a much more basic combat system, but the potential chaos reminds us that these games can be fun even when they aren’t coldly competitive. This mode is also another chance to reinterpret Marvel through an anime lens, this time turning the mighty combatants into adorable, chibi versions of themselves. I could easily see die-hards fishing for this spin on the Avengers versions from a gacha machine.
The roster has many heavy hitters you’d expect in a Marvel fighting game, including Black Panther, Hulk, Storm, and Wolverine. But every fighting game also needs a few curveballs to give it some charm. So I love that Marvel Tokon also includes Peni Parker, Spider-Man’s Japanese schoolgirl alternate-universe counterpart, who appeared in the animated Spider-Verse films. Inspired by the landmark anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, Peni pilots a mech suit through a psychic link with her own radioactive spider. Peni’s a great pick, but I’m hoping for some Big Hero 6 DLC. And while Deadpool’s humor may be divisive, having him reference not just anime tropes but obscure fighting game lore (including some Japanese deep cuts) is an appropriate use of the character’s shenanigans.
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls’ heroic hybrid of East and West is the latest fighter to showcase that borders are fake, so embrace samurai Blade.
The success of Marvel Tokon’s mashup is exciting, but it shouldn’t be too surprising. This is just the latest example of how superheroes, anime, and video games have cross-pollinated. That joyful, multicultural globalism has only elevated the entertainment.
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So Much More Than a Pretty Face
Crucially, Marvel Tokon backs up its eye candy with a solid game (even if patches are required to fix iffy PC performance). After all, this intriguing East-West combo would be forgotten if not for a solid fighting foundation. Arc System Works delivers not just a proven talent for rendering a unique, living comic look, but also mastery of fighting game mechanics dating back to 1998’s Guilty Gear.
I love the expressive tag options. You can call in teammates for single attacks, counters, and multi-hit combos with synced acrobatics. It makes the characters feel like actual teammates, smart enough to perform various actions. They’re not just glorified special attack buttons.
(Credit: Arc System Works/PCMag)
With so much going on, I also appreciate the simplified execution options, making it easy to pull off standard combos and special attacks so you can focus more on strategy. Each character has a signature move that can drastically change your game plan. For example, Green Goblin summons his glider, allowing you to freely fly around the screen. Carnage spawns parasites that damage enemies over time. I dig the variety of abilities, and Marvel Tokon wisely teaches you their intricacies rather than caring too much about command inputs. Plus, any game with a dedicated button for launching foes into the air is going to win me over.
If I have one gameplay-related complaint so far, it’s that Marvel Tokon doesn’t do much to stand out from the games it emulates. It’s another Marvel vs. Capcom, not the next evolution of Marvel vs. Capcom. This is where the anime energy saves the day. Its novelty keeps Marvel Tokon from being too familiar, cementing it as a worthwhile title in its own right.
(Credit: Arc System Works/PCMag)
Learn to Love the Culture Clash
For decades, Street Fighter has brought together communities of diverse players in New York City, Tokyo, and everywhere in between. Tokon will likely do the same, especially with Arc System Works’ planned decade of support. And it’s fitting that alongside Marvel Tokon, I’ve also been playing the similarly excellent Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, a title based on the beloved American cartoon that’s unashamed of the anime influences in its mythological, Asian-inspired world.
Fighting games are a cross-cultural nexus that spark heated rivalries but ultimately forge lasting connections. They link together passionate individual players and the artistic movements of entire countries. Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls’ heroic hybrid of East and West is the latest fighter to showcase that borders are fake, so embrace samurai Blade.
About Our Expert
Jordan Minor
Principal Writer, Software
Experience
My PCMag career began in 2013 as an intern. Now, I’m a senior writer, using the skills I acquired at Northwestern University to write about dating apps, meal kits, programming software, website builders, video streaming services, and video games. I was previously a senior editor at Geek.com and have written for The A.V. Club, Kotaku, and Paste Magazine. I’m the author of the gaming history book Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977, and the reason everything you know about Street Sharks is a lie.
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