Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls could be the comeback Marvel fighters have been waiting for, thanks to an anime makeover that pops

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is arriving at precisely the right time. With new iterations of established franchises like Street Fighter and Tekken, as well as a long overdue Fatal Fury back in the ring, the return of the tag fighter is the next logical step. Sure, genre newcomer Riot Games has already thrown down the gauntlet with 2XKO in early access, with more new blood is coming courtesy of Invincible VS, but it's the IP that first gave birth to this sub-genre with X-Men Vs Street Fighter that has me the most excited.

It's arguably also got the most to prove, not just because the last Marvel fighting game, the heavily MCU-friendly Marvel Vs Capcom: Infinite, was such a disappointment. Yet despite the release of Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection just last year, Marvel Tokon also sees the license shifting from Capcom to anime fighter aficionado Arc System Works. It's exactly the sort of shake-up needed for a revival, and it's reassuring that despite the usual focus on cinematic realism that best describe Spider-Man and the upcoming Marvel's Wolverine, Sony is learning a lesson from Marvel Rivals by letting these iconic characters from Western comics be interpreted with an Eastern style and sensibility.

Four sure

The June 2025 State of Play showcase had already convinced me of ArcSys's approach to "drawing on both American comics and Japanese shonen manga" with an announce trailer where the Japanese voices have the high energy of an anime while Captain America trades blows with Iron Man, whose suit has a design that's closer to a Gundam than anything we've seen from Stark Industries before. But having had the chance to play Marvel Tokon across two online betas and, even better, locally side-by-side at Evo France, it's just as fun to play as it looks.

But ArcSys isn't resting on its laurels by reskinning Dragon Ball FighterZ. In fact, it ups the ante from that game's 3v3 clashes as matches turn into epic 4v4 brawls where superheroes like Ms Marvel can team up with supervillains like Doctor Doom, smashing each other off the edge of the screen as they go flying to another part of the stage.

Yet despite the intimidating increase of numbers, it's also taking care to make this approachable and fun enough for newcomers who may not know the first thing about motion inputs or air juggles. That the control layout means you can opt to do single-button specials or command inputs with light, medium or heavy without having to choose a 'normal' or 'easy' option also makes things more flexible. Used to rolling quarter circles but prefer less hassle when using a super or ultimate? It's up to you.

One important detail is how matches actually begin as 2v2s, where certain actions will result in another member joining the fray, a neat nod to the idea that you're having to assemble your team. Differing again from other tag fighters is that you have just one life bar shared between the team, which means it's possible to just main one fighter and use the others as assists, while it also means matches are played as first-to-three where you'll start each round with the team you've assembled rather than having a situation where you're down to your weakest link and outnumbered.

It's the assists that make Tokon such screen-filling fun, as you just tap the assemble button along with a directional input Smash-style, which brings out the corresponding team member to throw a projectile, perform an anti-air, or activate a unique character action. You can even just mash light attack to auto-combo, which will also result in your teammates swooping in to add a few extra blows, adding insult to injury.

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But even more overpowered is Marvel Tokon's equivalent of Street Fighter 6's Drive Impact, where you can perform an armored overhead attack that also calls in a teammate for follow-up damage. There's also a version of this to counter if you're feeling the pressure. But it's also not completely open to abuse, since assists also require spending bars that take time to refill, while good players will know how to bait and reflect a counter right back at you.

Tokon's already garnered positive feedback from its betas so far, and with the addition of the X-Mansion in the latest beta, it's surely only a matter of time before its mutant residents make their much awaited return. In any case, a large roster is going to be crucial, especially when 4v4s makes the prospect of mirror matches all the more annoyingly likely.

Still, with the current line-up, including all-rounder Captain America, nimble Spider-Man and his awesome Spidey-Sense counter, and the Robbie Reyes incarnation of Ghost Rider whose attacks can be powered up but also have to be managed to avoid overheating, there's a lot that ArcSys is doing right with its very first western IP. Even with Marvel's Wolverine and Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra on the horizon, this is going to be a Marvel title that really stands out from the page.