All the News from Anime Expo 2024

Upcoming Anime Series Will See Guilty Gear Break New Ground

ANN's coverage of Anime Expo 2024 sponsored by Yen Press and Ize Press!

At Anime Expo 2024, one of the very first panels of the entire show was something rather special. Arc System Works announced less than a month prior that their darling fighting game franchise Guilty Gear would be adapted into an anime series, and they've come to AX2024 to make a splash in a big way. In addition to experiencing the excitement of the panel live, I had the pleasure of speaking with Seiji Mizushima, Dual Rulers' associate producer, Norimitsu Kaihō, responsible for series composition on the series, and Ken Miyauchi, Guilty Gear Strive's producer.

For many, Arc System Works is a name synonymous with fighting games. It's not the only type of game they make, but they've been a steadfast presence in that genre since the late '90s. It's their bread and butter. The main staple in their pantry is Guilty Gear. First released on PlayStation in 1998, with several major installments over its 25-year run, it's enjoyed some success. It's never quite pulled ahead of giants like Street Fighter or Tekken, or even Western fighting games like Mortal Kombat, but it's always among fighting game fans' favorites, especially for anime fans.

It's a different story today, as Arc System Works recently announced the series' most recent entry Guilty Gear Strive has reached 3 million players.

Guilty Gear Strive has drawn more than 2,000 entrants at EVO, the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, every year since its release. You could argue that until now, the series' success has been in presence and name recognition rather than sheer sales numbers. Both Genshiken and ONIMAI: I'm Now Your Sister! feature footage of characters playing the game. Guilty Gear's characters have been popular choices for cosplayers for years. But for some reason, despite being ever present in the world of anime and popular among anime fans, it's always been adjacent to the anime world.

That all changes with Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers. It's as if, after more than 25 years, two celestial bodies are coming into alignment. Now that a Guilty Gear anime is finally happening, it feels like a foregone conclusion, like their orbits were bound to cross paths eventually. The panel starts with a bang by premiering the Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers Teaser Trailer:

After the excited cheers subsided, Miyauchi expressed relief that it had finally been shown and fans could finally get a glimpse of what the anime production team had been working on so hard. "It's very rewarding to see it get such a warm reception," Mizushima said. As if the audience needed reassurance after the trailer, the panelists shared that Dual Rulers will be handled by SANZIGEN and directed by Shigeru Morikawa. As a long-time fan, it's a personal relief that a series with such a long history is in good hands for its anime adaptation.

Anyone who's dipped even a toe into the lore of Guilty Gear can tell you that the pool gets deep VERY quickly. Dual Rulers will pick up immediately after Guilty Gear Strive's story, basically serving as a sequel. "We've made it so that everyone will be able to enjoy the story, even if you're just coming to Guilty Gear for the first time," Mizushima said reassuringly. "We've been working on the GG series for a very long time," he added. "But we're also aware that people are hearing about the property for the first time, so we're trying to make sure we're careful that people can get into it." From the sound of it, SANZIGEN's Mizushima was crucial to that effort. During my interview with them, he shared that his most important mission was to listen to the game's development team's wishes and needs and convey that to the animation production team. "It's difficult, but it's something I'm focused on and having fun doing," Mizushima shared. "Thanks to him, I can focus on writing a good script," Kaiho said emphatically.

What led them to create a new story for the anime rather than retell it from the beginning? "We didn't want just to retell what was already in the games but in an anime style. If we were going to do an anime, we wanted it to be a unique experience," Miyauchi explained. "We've been working with [SANZIGEN], and there are a lot of different kinds of ideas that wouldn't even occur to us as game developers." Having the freedom to tell a story in animation instead of something interactive like a game seems to have opened some doors. "A lot of new and fresh ideas are coming up in the anime." Miyauchi shared that he's excited about the types of action scenes, camera work, and even character narratives and emotions the anime will bring to the Guilty Gear world.

The panel host asked the guests how long Guilty Gear had been around and how the stars aligned for the anime adaptation. "As a series, it's been around for 26 years," Miyauchi said. "Throughout the years, we've had a lot of plans to do an anime here and there, but it wasn't until we worked with SANZIGEN in 2022 to do a music video called "Find Your One Way" that things reached the tipping point."

For anyone who might want a taste of the quality they can expect from Dual Rulers, this promotional music video may serve as a good barometer! Toshimichi Mori (producer for Arc System Works' BlazBlue series) worked with SANZIGEN to make the music video happen and was instrumental in getting Mizushima to work together with Arc. "I could see this passion in Mori's eyes when he asked me, 'How do we make [a Guilty Gear anime] happen?'" Mizushima recalled. Being intimately familiar with the anime production process, he advised Mori, and later Arc System Works, on what kind of team composition would facilitate such a project, and after continued discussions and some luck, things fell into place.

When Dual Rulers was announced, the key visual that was revealed included a character no one recognized. Speculation has been rampant since then, but with the premiere of the teaser trailer, fans got a better look at her. The trailer revealed the new character's name, Unika ("YOO-nee-kah," ユニカ.) Yui Ishikawa voices her. A press release describes her as a "mysterious girl who despises Gears", who will clash with Sin Kiske, the main character of Dual Rulers.

Guilty Gear is perhaps best known for its iconic character designs, borne from the mind of Daisuke Ishiwatari. He serves as character designer and music composer and, once upon a time, voiced the game's poster character, Sol Badguy. Fans lovingly refer to him as simply "Daisuke." In our interview, Miyauchi shared that Unika's design was Daisuke's work. Once the team had figured out the scenario and overall plot, they passed that to Daisuke and told him to create a character that would fit. "At that point, the character doesn't even have a name, and we don't have any image of them in our minds. We just request 2-3 elements that need to be in the character's design." Daisuke handled the full design, gave them their name, and thus etches another passage of Guilty Gear lore in stone.

Fighting game fans love speculating about what characters will be added to a game's roster. Guilty Gear Strive has been steadily adding new and classic characters to the list of playable characters, but I knew I'd never get them to reveal whether Unika would become playable. Still, I was curious if they felt pressure about their choices for characters to include. "I don't feel pressure about it, really," said Miyauchi. "Ultimately, we want all the characters to return in Strive, but it depends on how long we can continue the series." Kaiho was excited to throw in a personal vote for a favorite of his: "I don't know anything about the character choices, and I have no influence over those decisions, but I hope the new season would add Zappa as a playable character."

What about Dual Rulers? Which characters will grace our screens in SANZIGEN's beautifully animated sequences? In the beginning, they went back and forth about what era they wanted to focus on and which characters to feature. "There are always characters the fans will want to see," Mizushima said, "but there are specific ones that will fit in better to the story. Kaiho-san was integral in helping us make those decisions. He's familiar with the lore." It sounds like it wasn't a walk in the park, though. "I love all Guilty Gear characters, so I, of course, wanted to have all of them appear, but the reality is that that's just not possible. We have to consider the story itself and choose which characters will fit its themes and narratives. I had a lot of proposals for character appearances, but the powers that be said we had to dial it back because it was getting too much." We all appreciate you fighting the good fight, Kaiho! Miyauchi shared that Mizushima and Kaiho went back and forth on which characters to include. "Kaiho-san's a fanboy, so he wanted all of them in, but Mizushima-san said we had to dial it back because it could alienate some people. It was a back-and-forth to make sure everyone could enjoy [the anime]."

At the panel, the guests were asked who their favorite characters were. Miyauchi took the high road. "As a producer, I can't choose a favorite." He says he's been very focused on Unika, though. "I hope you come to love her as much as I do." Kaiho is an unabashed Chipp lover. "I'm not great at the game, but I've been a Chipp main since the first Guilty Gear came out. He's fast, so I can't quite keep up with what he's doing." He's even written a novel all centered around Chipp. Excuse me? Can we get this novel localized, please? Mizushima's favorite is Jack-O, citing her visual design, moves, and voice.

I wanted to know which character the guests are strongest with when playing the game! It turns out Kaiho has a pocket Nagoriyuki. He'll bust out if he's losing too much. Mizushima insists that he's not good at the game but will dabble with Potemkin because he looks powerful. And Miyauchi vibes most with rush-down characters like Leo and Elphelt. Good to know!

The panel concluded with enthusiastic cheers. Fans are excited to finally have a Guilty Gear anime adaptation. I asked the guests about the big picture. How does the existence of the anime fit in with the games on a meta-level? Is there some master plan they're executing? Miyauchi was coy but provided a glimmer of hope: "We do have a plan, but can't say any details right now. Maybe in the future. Perhaps in two weeks. I don't know, maybe." It sounds like we can expect some more exciting Guilty Gear news at Evo 2024 in Las Vegas, just a few short days away!