Title Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Review
The torch of the Marvel fighting game has been passed on. Ever since X-Men Children of the Atom, Capcom has been the custodian of Marvel’s fighting games. The Marvel Vs Capcom franchise has become legendary in gaming culture. This iconic series of games have created some of the most memorable moments in fighting game history. Marvel Vs Capcom 2 birthed fighting game superstars like Michael "IFCYipes" Mendoza and Justin Wong, regular commentators at premium fighting game events. Marvel Vs Capcom 3 gave us some of the greatest matches of all time, creating memes like “When’s Mahvel?”. It’s a series that has influenced the fighting game community for decades, yet it’s taken nearly a decade to see a new Marvel fighter. Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 was the last noticeable Marvel fighter that was released, and never had a true successor to its cultural and community impact. Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite came out in 2017, but it was sadly a huge flop and never quite had the playerbase or the hype that its predecessors. The fans wondered whether they would ever see their favourite Marvel characters in a fighting game again.
During June 2025, a trailer dropped for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls. Two things were clear: This wasn’t a Capcom game and it wasn’t a traditional cross-over versus game. Marvel was in good hands with its new studio, and Arc Systems were keen to take up the mantle with a new chapter in the Marvel fighting game pantheon. Responsible for cult fighting games series’ Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, Arc Systems are perhaps most notably known for Dragonball Fighter Z – the Marvel Vs Capcom spiritual successor. A tag-fighter heavily influenced by the series, it was a huge commercial success, selling over ten million copies. It had amazing visuals that captured the essence of the Dragonball franchise. Truly a love letter to fans of the franchise. Upon seeing Arc System were developing the next Marvel fighter, I knew the game was in safe hands.
On August 6th, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls released on both PC and consoles. It’s a stunning game. Arc Systems have created stylish ‘anime’ style versions of the Marvel heroes that are both unique and familiar at the same time. The animations are fluid, and the gameplay itself is silky smooth. The super moves look incredible, with dynamic animations, capturing the personalities of the characters executing them. They’re some of the best I’ve seen and this comes as no surprise since the Dragonball Fighter Z super moves had the same level of quality. It’s a beautiful looking game, both pleasing to watch and play.
Arc System’s made an interesting choice by making this game a 4v4 fighter. That was quite intimidating for me initially, because I know from experience how much time each individual character takes to master. What’s different with this game is you can invest all your time into one character and use the remaining ones as ‘assists’. Unlike a traditional tag fighter where each character has their own health bar, here your team shares one. This system offers a great entry level because you only have to learn your ‘point’ character. I really enjoyed deep-diving one character and finding the perfect assist characters to complement my playstyle.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls has something for everyone. It’s a visually stunning game with a good barrier of entry. The characters look and ‘feel’ awesome to play. If you’re a veteran fighting game player, there’s plenty to offer with a deep tag system, classic Arc System mechanics and a growing competitive scene. The classic meme “When’s Mahvel” has finally been answered, it’s now!
- Nicholas Christensen-Secker