Mega Popular Fighting Video Game Gets New Anime From The Best Possible Studio
On June 7, 2024, Arc System Works announced that an anime from one of their most popular video games Guilty Gear Strive, is set to be the inspiration for a new anime. This anime will be known as Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers. Information about the show is rather limited at the moment, but more details will be released in early July 2024, during an Anime Expo panel.
However, Arc System Works hasn’t left fans completely in the dark. Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers will have SANZIGEN Studio (BanG Dream!) in charge of the anime. SANZIGEN’s Shigeru Morikawa (Chrono Crusade) is set to be the director, with Norimitsu Kaiho (Akudama Drive) as a scriptwriter, and Seiji Mizushima (Gundam 00) as an associate producer.
The Hero Is Named Badguy
Based on the name and the cover for Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Riders, it’s likely that Sol Badguy and Sin Kiske are going to be the main characters. Considering they are some of the most well-known characters from the Guilty Gear franchise, and their story is the one with the most potential to carry on, this decision makes a lot of sense.
The Anime Is A Canon Part Of The Franchise
There are a few more hints dedicated fans might notice from the poster. For one, Sol doesn’t have his classic headband, which means there’s a good chance the story happens after the end of Guilty Gear Strive when Ky abdicates.
This would make sense, as pretty much every Guilty Gear adaptation has important parts of the story that aren’t covered anywhere else. So the anime will likely continue where Guilty Gear Strive ended and feature new, canon content.
Appealing To Fans New And Old
While there could be a little worry that the anime will alienate new fans because it’s a continuation after Guilty Gear Strive, it might be the perfect time to introduce new fans. Most of the trailing plot points throughout the Guilty Gear franchise were already wrapped up by the end of Guilty Gear Strive. So while there are familiar characters, the storyline can start at a point where new fans can come in without much problem.
There is also a new character on the cover behind Sol and Sin, which has yet to be announced or explained, though some fans suspect they might be a new character to be introduced in a future season. Slayer was the newest character added to Guilty Gear Strive in the latest season, and there are already reports that a new season is on the way, though the character in the next season hasn’t been released yet.
The First Guilty Gear Anime
It’s not much of a surprise that Guilty Gear Strive is leading to an anime adaptation, though it is a little surprising that this will be the first one. Over the years, drama CDs and manga have also been adapted based on the games. It’s a bit of a twist on the usual style, where popular anime get a video game adaptation, but with Guilty Gear having such a dedicated story behind its game, it might be pretty fitting.
More Informaiton Coming This Summer
Guilty Gear Strive is the newest addition to the Guilty Gear franchise, released in 2021, with several DLC seasons released since then. This franchise features a series of Japanese-style fighting games with unique anime-like characters who have detailed backstories. The first game was published back in 1998.
Guilty Gear Strive is by Arc System Works, with Daisuke Ishiwatari as the creator and artist for the game. Not only is it praised for great technical gameplay, graphics, and characters, but it’s a unique and catchy soundtrack as well.
Those eager for more information about Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Riders will have to wait until July 4th.
