PlayStation’s State of Play 2025 revealed gameplay for many upcoming titles, but Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls may have been one of the most surprising announcements of the event. A bold, stylistic anime-inspired 4v4 fighting game featuring iconic Marvel Comics characters had not been rumored in any way prior to the event. With an unexpected development team, this title could define the future of tag team fighters.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is being developed by Arc System Works, the masterminds behind other titles, like Guilty Gear: Strive and Dragon Ball FighterZ. This comes as a huge shock, considering how Marvel vs Capcom tag team crossovers were the only place Marvel characters would ever show up in a fighting game. With a 2026 release window, this new title shakes up everything fighting game fans have come to expect.
Every Character Revealed From Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls’ First Trailer
Play As Iconic Heroes And Villains From Marvel’s Storied History
So far, the announced trailer for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls features eight different characters with incredibly unique playstyles. Without any idea of the launch roster for the game, players can at least expect these characters to be playable based on the trailer:
- Captain America
- Iron Man
- Spider-Man
- Ms. Marvel
- Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes)
- Star-Lord
- Doctor Doom
- Storm
This selection of heroes and at least one villain represents an already broad choice of which fighters will be revealed next. While staple figures of Marvel were always going to be in a game like this, such as Spider-Man, Captain America, or Iron Man, they sport anime-inspired designs that make them look very different. A good example of this is Iron Man, whose look resembles a Kamen Rider or Gundam clearly resembling Japanese mech designs rather than a traditional comic aesthetic.
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While some of the characters shown have been in Marvel vs Capcom or the earlier Marvel arcade fighting games, newcomers like Ms. Marvel and Star-Lord are welcome additions. Even Ghost Rider is different despite his appearance in Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite. While that version of the Ghost Rider was Johnny Blaze, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls uses Robbie Reyes, a powerful hero who’s taken up the Rider mantle in more modern comics.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Will Feature 4v4 Battles With Marvel Characters
Two Teams Unite And Collide In Massive Battles
The biggest reveal from the initial trailer for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is that two teams of four characters will face off against each other during matches. Unlike the 3v3 nature of Marvel vs Capcom 3 or the 2v2 style of Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite, this title pushes the boundaries of what it means to be a tag-team fighting game.
According to the development team, there were multiple iterations of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls before it chose to go in a 4v4 direction. Classic tag-team 3v3 was considered, along with a 2v2 style and a more traditional 1v1 fighting game approach.
As of this time of writing, it is unclear exactly how this 4v4 system will work, but the developers have hinted at new levels of synergy for these larger teams. You won’t have to learn four different characters to start playing, as the tag-team combat seems to revolve around one character acting as a leader. This leader can call upon the other three allies on their team to assist them with various moves as they fight their opponent.
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Also seen in the trailer is a way to actively swap between which character is fighting as a leader during a match. It seems that players can choose to take over a character when they appear as an assist, swapping out their current hero or villain for another figure from the Marvel universe. Selecting your team prior to a match may give you options to which characters you can actively swap between.
When players swap into new characters in this 4v4 mode, they seem to be able to continue combos that their original leader was performing. This degree of freedom will no doubt require some execution and synergy from a team, leading to dynamic fights. While it is not clear if each character on a team will have their own health bar or share one with their allies, this system is brand-new to fighting games within this sub-genre.
Marvel Tōkon Fighting Souls Has Familiar Mechanics From Other Arc System Works Games
Traditional Inputs For Special Moves Alongside Multiple Stage Areas
Those who’ve played some of the more recent fighting game releases from Arc System Works may recognize a few familiar mechanics from Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls‘ trailer. For example, players seem to be able to break walls from the corners of stages, forcing their opponents to a new area on those battlefields. Already, the developers have revealed that the New York stage in the trailer has three regions where players can duke it out.
Expressing some similarities to Street Fighter 6‘s control systems, it was also revealed in a PlayStation Blog that this game will feature both traditional fighting game inputs and a simpler control scheme. While no further details have been provided, this means that fighting game veterans will still be able to do special moves using classic motion inputs, while newcomers can learn how to play without learning complex controls.
So far, we know that Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls plans to have Normal, Special, Unique, and Super attacks inspired by the powers and abilities of Marvel characters. For example, Iron Man has a powerful beam attack from his reactor that will likely be a special ranged projectile.
Beyond the ability to swap your team’s leader, it also seems like players can perform something called a “Crossover” to interrupt an opponent’s pressure. While blocking, a team seems to have the ability to call in an assist, similar to the active tag system in Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite. While not something from Arc System Work’s past games, this tag-team mechanic could add some defensive depth to the game.
With little information to go off of, the exact intentions and purpose of each mechanic shown are unclear. There could be some benefit to using traditional inputs, or less emphasis on breaking walls that give players advantages in other titles. With the 4v4 approach taken by Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, whatever mechanics that do exist will be unique, creating a stand-out title in a highly regarded genre for Marvel characters.
Source: PlayStation Blog
