When video game developers make anime and movies into video games, the result usually isn't too pretty. The worst offenders make your favorite characters look weird, and some even change the voice actors. This makes the game utterly painful to play.
However, some video game developers succeed in getting all the nuances of the anime or movie spot on. Take a look at these awesome examples of video games based on anime—they definitely don't disappoint.
8. Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution
Don't you just hate when you're in an intense duel and the creatures on your Yu-Gi-Oh! cards don't even get summoned in real life? Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution brings every strange monster to life to obliterate your opponent the way you always imagined.
This game—a remaster of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist—isn't your typical fighting game: you battle with your cards, just like you did back in the day, and you have the chance to collect over 6,000 cards from the entire generations of Yu-Gi-Oh!
Not only does this game include a multiplayer mode, but you can also play the story mode to relive your favorite Yu-Gi-Oh! moments.
7. Gundam Versus
Just like My Hero One's Justice, you don't need to know anything about the Gundam series in order to play Gundam Versus—all you really need to know is that it's all about people piloting giant robots called Gundams.
In this game, you'll step inside your very own Mobile Suit and head to the battlefield to duke it out with players from around the world.
If you're a Gundam fanatic, you'll be happy to hear that Gundam Versus offers 94 different Mobile Suits that span the entire series. You can either choose to play online with actual people, or you can play the single-player mode and pit yourself against computers.
Gundams are very versatile machines, allowing you to hit your enemy up close or with ranged attacks. The game comes with enough character choices that you're bound to find one that suits your preferences.
6. My Hero One's Justice
You don't have to know anything about My Hero Academia in order to enjoy My Hero One's Justice—you'll enjoy the game equally as much while experimenting with every characters' different quirks.
Choose from a huge roster of characters, which includes both heroes and villains from the series. Needless to say, this game does a great job recreating the original anime and its characters.
My Hero One's Justice features the same cel-shaded style that you'll find in Dragon Ball FigherZ and Naruto: Rise of a Ninja.
5. Bleach: Brave Souls
Movies and anime that get adapted into mobile games usually don't fare well. Bleach: Brave Souls is definitely an exception. This mobile app relays the story of Bleach, reaching all the way until the Lost Agent portion.
When you start up story mode, you'll begin the game as the series' main protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki. Each character has a rating that goes up to six stars—the higher the rating, the more powerful the character.
This hack-and-slash mobile game closely follows Bleach's timeline, and will suck you in as you begin to unlock stronger characters along the way.
4. Attack on Titan 2
Attack on Titan is one of the most brutal anime, and you can expect its game to have the same gruesome qualities. The second installment, Attack on Titan 2 encompasses the stories from the anime's first two seasons.
There's a lot of overlap between this game and its predecessor, but Attack on Titan 2 contains many much-needed improvements.
After creating a character, you're recruited as a member of the Survey Corps, where your Titan-fighting skills are put to the test. Swing through the air and attempt to take down these violent behemoths with your blade.
You can also use stealth to kill unsuspecting Titans from a far distance—just don't dilly-dally too much, or the Titan will get angrier and harder to kill.
3. One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4
If you enjoy playing Dynasty Warriors, you'll love One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3. It has the same hack-and-slash style gameplay and somehow squeezes in all of the content from the hundreds of One Piece episodes.
In Legend Mode, you play as Monkey D. Luffy, as you fight against hoards of enemies, complete missions, and experience the show's lengthy story.
After playing Legend Mode, you need to check out Dream Log. This mode allows you to play as any character as you work to fulfill a number of quests. Beating this mode will unlock all of the playable characters in the game.
2. Naruto: Rise of a Ninja
There's no question that the Naruto Ninja Storm games are a ton of fun, but Naruto: Rise of a Ninja easily beats all of these games. Naruto: Rise of a Ninja isn't only about fighting, it's also a role-playing game.
Although it was released for the Xbox 360 in 2007, it still presents itself as one of the most interactive Naruto games of all time.
You play as none other than Naruto, as you re-experience the series' story all the way to the end of the Invasion of Konoha. The village of Konoha serves as the home base for all of the missions. Missions involve platforming and battles!
1. Dragon Ball FighterZ
Dragon Ball FighterZ actually makes you feel as if you're part of the series. Not only is this one of the best video game based on anime, but it's also considered one of the best fighting games of all time.
Each round, you'll choose three characters to join your team. Pick from 24 Dragon Ball characters, including Android 16, Piccolo, Krillin, Goku Black, Gotenks, and more.
You can switch between characters while fighting—each come with different abilities that you can take advantage of. The mobility of your character will mesmerize you. Fly, teleport, and perform a series of epic combos on the ground or in the air.
Anime Games Aren't So Bad After All
Unfortunately, the reality is that many terrible video game adaptations exist of anime, so you're better off staying skeptical whenever you hear that your favorite anime is getting a video game.
That said, the occasional diamond in the rough can make it all worthwhile, to hold your breath with every announcement and hope that the end result lives up to the potential.
Of course, it can also go the other way around, too! Video games can be turned into anime series of their own, often to similarly mixed results. But when they're good, they're good.
