Five Anime Game Adaptations We’re Dreaming Of

With Dragon Ball FighterZ making waves among the gaming community, one can’t help but wonder what other anime properties would make for phenomenal video games.

Many series already have mobile games and visual novels, or have had games release in the past, but others still haven’t made the jump to the interactive virtual medium or seen a full-scale console title released this generation. Whether it’s an engrossing story, the scope of the battles, or the evocative art style, each of these series has something that, with the right studio behind them, could make for top of the line gaming experiences.

Hellsing
Created by Kouta Hirano, this series reimagines Bram Stoker’s iconic count as Alucard, a red-coated agent under the command of a private peace-keeping organization in Britain. Wielding two pistols, supernatural abilities, and a disturbing toothy grin, he teams up with a number of other strange individuals to take on a group of vampire Nazis set on starting World War III.

Perfect studio for the project: Platinum Games
Considering its past experience with Bayonetta, Platinum would be a perfect fit for the project, lending its talents to create a hack-and-slash action game with crazy combat to match this series’ equally insane premise. Plus, between Alucard’s dual-pistol fighting style and supernatural abilities, it would serve as a nice spiritual successor to the original Devil May Cry series, which some members of the team worked on. 

Tokyo Ghoul
What if the world were inhabited by ghouls who could only survive by eating humans? That’s the question posed by this series from the mind of Sui Ishida. Following an emergency surgery where ghoul organs were transplanted into his body, main character Kaneki Ken finds himself imbued with powerful abilities, but at the cost of only being able to survive by eating human flesh. Constantly hunted by a government organization out to exterminate all ghouls, Kaneki must rise up and fight to save ghouls from being eradicated while also trying to prove ghouls and humans can coexist.

Perfect studio for the project: Telltale
While an action-centric game could work for Tokyo Ghoul, a story-driven experience exploring the world’s themes and their implications would arguably be the best way to bring out its strengths. In that regard, Telltale is the best choice, with hits like The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us showing it can bring other properties to the virtual realm like no other. Either focusing on Kaneki or a new character all together, Telltale could dive into how the world works, lending a human quality to the super-powered monsters and cold human hunters. 

My Hero Academia
“This is the story of how I became the world’s greatest hero.” These are the words of Midoriya Izuku, the protagonist of Kohei Horikoshi’s smash hit Shonen manga about a world filled with super heroes. The story follows Izuku (A.K.A. Deku) as he rises through the ranks to become the next great hero after receiving the power “One for All” from the world’s current greatest hero, All Might. This is easier said than done, though, as a new organization of villains is rising up to smash the world’s peace and crush their trust in super heroes forever.

Perfect studio for the project: Bandai Namco Entertainment
While there is a fighting game available on the 3DS in Japan, an RPG allowing players to dive into the super-powered world of Academia would be even better. With past work on the Tales series as well as a number of other anime games, Bandai Namco Entertainment would be the best choice for making an RPG centered on making your own hero and fighting villains throughout the game’s world. Properly showing the impact and damage of each hero’s powers would be a must, but judging by the darker tone of Bandai Namco’s upcoming Code: Vein, the developer is more than up to the task.

While visiting Bandai Namco for the Dragon Ball FighterZ cover story, Kyle Hilliard asked Bandai Namco if they have a My Hero Academia game in development, and while they said no at the time, that certainly doesn’t mean it’s not a possibility in the future.

Hunter X Hunter
Everyone has something they’re searching for, or at least that’s how it is in this deconstruction of the Shonen genre. Made by Yoshihiro Togashi, the series follows the adventures of Gon Freecs and his friends as they travel in search of fortune, revenge, and long-lost family members. The cheery art style hides the surprisingly dark tones of the series, which include everything from negotiating hostage exchanges with super-powered thieves to battles between different intelligent races over who has more of a right to exist. 

Perfect studio for the project: Sega
As it has shown with the Yakuza series, Sega can handle making a game that juggles fun and quirky themes with dark and compelling stories. Given the same open-world action game approach as the recent Yakuza 0 and Kiwami, Hunter X Hunter could come to life like never before, with players exploring the world as Gon or any number of his friends, getting caught up in crazy side quests and taking part in fast, high-stakes battles.

Blade of the Immortal
Covered in scars and unable to die thanks to a symbiotic relationship with worm-like parasites in his blood stream, cursed samurai Manji wanders feudal Japan in this gore-heavy samurai Seinin series. Seeking atonement for the death of 100 of his fellow samurai, Manji is tasked with hunting 1,000 evil men in order to regain his mortality, kept alive by Sacred Blood Worms which prevent him from aging and regenerate lost tissue no matter the injury. To this end, he hacks and slashes his way across this bloody tale, struggling through his fair share of hardships to find forgiveness and peace.

Perfect studio for the project: Kojima Productions
When it comes to a heady, action-packed romp across violent settings, few can do it better than Hideo Kojima. Diving into the drama and weight of Manji’s immortality and quest for peace, Kojima Productions could accurately convey the story of this treasured series over to the virtual realm perfectly, matching it with engrossing and polished gameplay. Plus, with the recent hype made by the release of the live action adaptation's trailer, the game could find a foothold on new fans' radars.

Know of any other anime that deserve a high quality video game adaptation? Mention them in the comments section below. In the meantime, be sure to check out the Dragon Ball FighterZ hub for all the latest on Game Informer’s coverage of the game.