The roots of Anime in Japan started almost 100 years ago, with shows such as The Dull Sword that came out sometime in 1917. Since then, the popular type of animation has thrived in Asia and soon took over the western world. Over the years, people have enjoyed fun animes like Dragon Ball, Pokemon, Death Note, and more.
In fact, there are over 6000 different anime that are out there that fans around the world have experienced. With such popularity, there’s no surprise that anime have become a major part of the video game industry too. However, only a rare few games have featured truly massive scale cross-overs.
9 Jump Force
Jump Force is one of the latest games on the list that completely nails the anime crossover vibe. The game features a roster full of characters from different Japanese media such as Black Clover, Bleach, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, City Hunter, Dragon Ball, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, Fist of the North Star, Naruto, One Piece and many more.
Jump Force is a fighting game that ditches the traditional hand-drawn style for amazing 3D visuals. This Bandai Namco Entertainment title came out in 2019 on all major platforms and in 2020 for Nintendo Switch.
8 J-Stars Victory VS
J-Stars Victory VS is another crossover fighting game from Bandai Namco Entertainment that combines the universes of various mangas into one. Like Jump Force, the game features 3D visuals and focuses on giving beat ‘em up style laser fast combat that compliments its anime counterpart.
J-Stars Victory VS offers over fifty characters from over thirty different Japanese media. These include Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach, Son Goku from Dragon Ball, Kenshiro from First of the North Star, Gon Freecss from Hunter x Hunter, Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece, and many more.
7 The Alchemist Code
The Alchemist Code is a less-known game among most console and PC players, as it's only available on mobile. However, that doesn’t mean the game is less popular, as it’s a complete success within the iOS and Android gaming community. This anime crossover game offers addictive strategy-based role-playing gameplay mechanics alongside a manga-like visual style.
As its unique name suggests, The Alchemist Code features characters from popular Japanese media, such as Brave Frontier, Final Fantasy, Disgaea, Fullmetal Alchemist, Shin Megami Tensei, The King of Fighters, and more.
6 M.U.G.E.N. Fighter
The Mugen Fighter may be one of the best fighting games ever made, and a big thanks go to its brilliant community. Unlike other games on the list, this title isn’t from a well-known publisher. Instead, it's by the players for the players. Hence, the game gets to be a massive crossover between all kinds of media, not just anime.
Mugen started in 1999 and has featured thousands of fighters from real life to cartoons and comics to politics. In fact, it has over hundreds of characters exclusively from anime, ranging from iconic Goku to less-known Golgo 13.
5 Jump Hero Taisen
Jump Hero Taisen is a turn-based role-playing game that came out in 2019 on mobile devices using iOS & Android. Similar to other games with the word “Jump” in it, this game also featured various characters from different manga from Weekly Shonen Jump. The game's sole purpose was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the magazine, and hence it ended within a year of its launch.
Jump Hero Taisen featured various characters from the 1970s to the 2010s. These included Kankichi Ryotsu, Suguru Kinniku, Kenshiro, Jagi, Raoh, Son Goku, Vegeta, Freeza, Ryo Saeba, Seiya, Jotaro Kujo, DIO, Dai, Yukime, Fusuke, Naruto, Sasuke, and dozens more.
4 Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom
Capcom is brilliant at making addictive crossover fighting games such as the Marvel vs. Capcom series. However, only a few know that they also dipped their feet into anime crossover with Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars back in 2008, exclusively on Arcade and Nintendo Wii. This crossover game features iconic characters from Capcom’s library, such as Ryu, Chun-Li, and more.
At the same time, it showcases Tatsunoko characters like Casshan, Doronjo, Gold Lightan, Hakushon Daimaō, Ken the Eagle, Yatterman, Tekkaman, Karas, and more. Players who’ve played this classic still wish for a sequel on Nintendo Switch. Sadly Capcom has been busy with their remakes nowadays.
3 Crossing Void
Crossing Void is a 2018 turn-based role-playing game from none other than tech giant Tencent. Like many of their other games, this one is also a mobile-only game with online PvP and a single-player campaign mode. Sadly, the game wasn’t available in all languages, which meant that not everyone could enjoy it.
Still, for the players who could, Crossing Void featured multiple different characters from twenty-five most-adored anime franchises. These include Mikoto, Celty, Haruyuki, Alice, Sadao, and more. Unfortunately, the game shut down in October 2022 due to a major financial loss.
2 DreamMix TV World Fighters
DreamMix TV World Fighters is perhaps the oldest anime crossover game, as it came out in 2003 on Nintendo GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2. This Hudson classic is a fighting game that utilized the same engine Rockstar Games had used for titles like Bully and Grand Theft Auto. Sadly, this little gem only saw release in Japan.
DreamMix TV World Fighters featured some of the most diverse characters on this list, including Moai from Gradius, Manjimaru Sengoku from Tengai Makyō, Megatron from Transformers, Tyson Granger from Beyblade, Solid Snake from Metal Gear, Master Higgins from Adventure Island, and the iconic Bomberman.
1 Battle Stadium D.O.N
Last but not least, there’s Battle Stadium D.O.N, a Namco Bandai Games classic from 2006. This game is another Nintendo GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2 title that is all about over-the-top anime-style fighting. Although, unlike fully 3D games like Jump Force, this one features side-scrolling Smash Bros-style 2.5D gameplay.
Battle Stadium D.O.N features characters from the three most popular animes of all time. These include Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, and Naruto (referring to the D.O.N in the game’s name). Fans of the fighting genre must revisit this platform fighter classic.