Something a little more grounded, maybe? A
Toei Company vs. Bandai-Namco title that still gets created by Eighting, but in place of
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, released in 2008. I think there's at least a
little logic behind this; keeping the "Cross Generation of Heroes" theme, it'd be focused on Toei's live-action output (with a couple of bits of animated stuff from the Toei Animation side of things, partially courtesy of Go Nagai's output to supplement the massive Ishinomori focus) while a recently-merged Bandai-Namco would lend things from all sides of its libraries; from its toy offerings all the way to stuff like Banpresto.
Toei Company
Cross-Generation of Heroes' base roster for the arcade release only featured 9 characters on each side, so I'll present things in a similar fashion here. Toei's side of the roster has a massive focus on their tokusatsu output, but that's kind of by design; a lot of their Animation stuff is owned by other publishers, while much of their other live-action offerings tend to be in the form of B-movies or have actor likenesses attached to them that might be an issue. (Case in point, I genuinely considered Sonny Chiba's character in
The Street Fighter here, but didn't feel it'd work very well.)
- Bouken Red (Super Sentai) - More of a promotional pick than anything as our headliner. I think Boukenger's themes of adventure and recovering treasures kind of lends well to a heroic narrative, and Red's nature as a calm but fiery fighter feels like it lends well to some fun interactions. He'd mostly fight with his Bouken Javelin as an odd mid-range tool, using staff twirls and fire-embued attacks for a decent amount of range, but it'd also be funny to have his Lv. 3 super call in his gigantic dump truck.
- White Swan (Super Sentai) - Our second Sentai rep. Jetman might be an odd pick to go with at a glance; not as internationally iconic as Zyuranger or as historically significant as Gorenger - but the cultural significance it had at the time (to the point of being covered in J-drama magazines!) plus its legacy continues as a sort of fan-favourite, so I think a pick from it would be warranted. Swan's moveset sort of ties into the aerial themes overall, having an aerially focused moveset that's good at applying pressure both laterally and from above.
- Space Sheriff Gavan (Metal Hero) - I felt it'd be remiss not to represent the Metal Hero series, despite it having been inactive since the late 90s - and Gavan felt like a decent candidate for that as a result. He'd probably be a mid-range keepaway zoner of sorts, using his various projectiles as well as his baton to bring the hurt onto opponents; and it'd also be fun for his interactions with more questionable heroes to suggest he wants to bring them in for questioning.
- Cure Black & Cure White (Pretty Cure) - I picture these two as a sort of two-in-one deal, befitting of the early Pretty Cure series' focus on friendship and teamwork in order to get the job done. That said, only one of them would be "in the plane" at a given time; they'd hold hands for specials, but otherwise the other is ever so slightly in the background. A light and airy moveset focused on their magical abilities, and the balance between light and dark, feels like it'd be particularly fitting to represent them.
- Devilman (Devilman) - The first of two Nagai characters, chosen because I think his significance to Toei Animation's history would justify inclusion, and also that I think it's not out of the realms of possibility for his stuff to be included alongside a big focus on Ishinomori's work. Despite being ostensibly based on his anime appearance, his design would feature full trousers, more to Nagai's actual liking. As Devilman, Fudo's moveset is essentially full rushdown, being at his best when up close and slashing at opponents - but still capable of setting up mixups with some ranged projectiles from his forehead. He'd also have a massive attack buff as a high-level super, taking over Fudo's body entirely while becoming faster and stronger... but also more susceptible to damage, kind of like Akuma.
- Kikaider-01 (Kikaider) - A robot programmed with the sole purpose of helping others, though unable to develop as a person because of it, I think Ichiro's appearance here would be warranted - even if over his predecessor. I can't really imagine Kikaider's moveset being anything too spectactular, though; think of him as a simpler character with very few gimmicks, albeit with more of a close-range toolkit than Bouken Red.
- Kamen Rider #1 (Kamen Rider) - Possibly an unorthodox pick, specifically in this case based on his appearance in Kamen Rider: The First. To offset Hongo's general lack of special gimmicks compared to later Riders, he'd have a mechanic that allows him to acquire "Typhoon Charges" by performing forward movements like dashes, air-dashes, and super-jumps - charging his Typhoon belt with the force of wind in order to then allow him to cancel specials (just like Polimar did in TvC.) He could also totally have a special Lv. 3 super when paired with other Riders that allows him to perform a Double Rider Kick?
- Kamen Rider Kabuto (Kamen Rider) - A Heisei Rider, chosen more specifically for relative recency (akin to Bouken Red) but as not to be too recent. Kabuto's main gimmick (as with the other Riders in his series) is that his Henshin has him transformed into a pupa-like form characterised by being heavily armoured, but very slow; and can then perform a Cast-Off to enter the faster Rider form. Kabuto would kind of play into this, I think - he's typically a bruiser, but you can perform a special to have him Cast-Off at any time, transforming from a heavyweight bruiser to a flyweight rushdown in an instant. However, performing it again - or getting to low health - has him perform a Put-On, regaining his armoured state.
- Mazinger Z (Mazinger Z) - Similar to Devilman, Mazinger Z's abilities and appearance are mainly inspired by the Toei animation. He's considered a Giant Character similar to PTX-40A and Gold Lightan in TvC, and is powerful to match this; but his toolkit is focused mostly on powerful close-range strikes, supplmented with rocket propulsion for things like punches. He's also got some decent mid-range zoning tools like his Breast Fire or Rust Hurricane, but generally lacks in long-range tools by comparison.
Then, followed by the Wii release, which can kind of get away with featuring some less immediately obvious characters,
- K (Robot Detective K) - Another 70s Ishinomori rep, but one I think would stand out enough to warrant inclusion. K's nature as a robotic detective might seem ill-suited for combat at first, but he can more than hold his own in a fight; not least because of the guns hidden in his chest or his rocket-propelled feet. Some kind of gentlemanly boxer archetype coupled with his robotic nature could be quite fun to play around with, which would make it all the more shocking when he enters Blow-Up Mode, one more dedicated for fighting.
- Tokugawa Mitsukuni (Mito Kōmon) - Possibly an oddity, but I think a fitting one. Mito Kōmon was a particularly long-running drama series produced by Toei that focused on the fictionalised exploits of the historical figure listed here, as an adaptation of the Mito Kōmon legend. He's presented as a wanderer in disguise who dispels evil across Japan, disguised as a commoner to prevent suspicion; and I think his more unorthodox brawling and swordfighting style, coupled with other iconic elements like his inrō, would lend to something fun.
And, lastly, the
Ultimate All-Stars release (which cuts Mitsukuni due to actor likeness licensing, in a similar manner to Hakushon Daimaō's cut),
- TimeYellow (Super Sentai) - I think Timeranger is decently warranted for something like this, and Domon specifically feels like he'd lend well in terms of both personality and his abilities and the like; mainly because I picture him as a grappler due to his MMA experience. He'd be a bit of an oddity here in that he'd get quite a large variety of takes on his supers depending on buttons used; allowing for different Vector attacks that can have different hitboxes and effects based on the hands of a clock.
- Riderman (Kamen Rider) - A true Showa-era Rider, I think Riderman is specifically an odd, but interesting pick who's got some fan pedigree behind him. He's an oddity among Riders for not being fully-converted, only possessing a robotic arm that can be switched between attachments - which would be the main focus of his toolkit, a little like Volnutt's in TvC. With anything from a machine gun to a grappling hook, it's possible to switch from a zoner to a grappler all the way to a highly mobile and evasive character as needed.
- Inazuman (Inazuman) - Inazuman's baseline concept kind of has some similarities to Kabuto's at a glance, but I think it'd be handled in a pretty different way. Mainly, Inazuman would be a more defensive character who can build energy (in the form of temporary buffs, think a little like Incineroar's Revenge) when attacked while performing a specific counter that puts him in his pupa-like Zangaiman form. In his normal state, he does have a couple of ranged attacks, but his buffed state - referred to as Flash - allows him to imbue his attacks with electricity and grants him a larger, more versatile array of projectiles. This makes him a bit of an oddity, working best when he can draw opponents in before decimating them from afar.
Bandai-Namco
- Jin Kazama (Tekken) - Chosen as probably the closest thing we have to a "protagonist" of the Tekken series, I think Jin's in a good spot here, especially shortly after Tekken 5's introduction of the Devil Jin playstyle. I would only suggest Devil Jin appear in his supers, but his normal moveset still has enough sauce to work in something like this; his focus on Kyokushin karate with minor elements of Mishima style could lend to something pretty fun.
- King II (Tekken) - Probably the closest thing to a hero in the Tekken world, I felt King would be a great choice given his unilaterally heroic characterisation, iconic look, and the opportunity to go for a straight-up grappler is something I just can't pass up. His professional wrestling fighting style and immense chain throws would absolutely lend to something unique, and I think leaning heavily into his manga inspriations (like Kinnikuman!) would help him really stand out here.
- Taki (SoulCalibur) - Taki might be a bit of an unorthodox pick to represent the Soul series, but I think her fan-favourite nature and her potential for a fast-paced rushdown playstyle befitting of her nature as a kunoichi would make her a pretty perfect candidate for this role. She's also one of the characters featured since the first game, Soul Edge, and her pair of kodachi would absolutely give her a fantastic vibe all her own.
- Taizo Hori (Dig Dug) - So, this is probably the closest thing we have to an outright "Namco-rep", who uses his fresh redesign featured in Namco x Capcom complete with his massive pile bunker. It just feels like this kind of look would stand out while still being fitting in a place like this - and as you can imagine, he'd be a powerful character who can deal obscene damage, but relies on some pretty stringent positioning to ensure he can be optimally effective.
- Colette Brunel (Tales of...) - Perhaps another unorthodox candidate to represent the Tales series, but I deliberately didn't want an oversaturation of sword-fighters in the roster, and Colette's role in arguably one of the more popular games in the franchise at the time (namely Symphonia) felt like it lent well to her inclusion here regardless. Her use of angelic chakrams and powerful light-based magic in combat feels like it'd lend well to her being an interesting combatant, not to mention the potential that could come about from utilising her wings to give her extra aerial options.
- Haseo (.hack//G.U.) - The main character of both Roots and G.U., Haseo's based here on his earliest appearance in which he fights with dual blades, and continually implies in his interactions that he's somehow been digitized into this world. A lot of his attacks utilise his dual blades, but he's also capable of using a larger broadsword and even a scythe, given his nature as an Adept Rogue; with his moveset generally relying on punishes for optimal effectiveness, only enhanced by a buffed effectiveness when attacking from behind in the form of a cross-up.
- Gaomon (Digimon) - One of our Digimon characters, chosen partially from a desire to represent the Bandai side of things while also in recognition of Toei Animation's work on the Digimon anime. Gaomon's chosen as one of the leading Digimon from Savers, mstly because I think his "bestial boxing" would be fun to work with as well as his tendency to defer to commands; plus, a dedicated Digivolution mechanic allowing him to Digivolve into Gaogaomon (with greater range, speed, and attack power) after dealing enough damage, or Mach Gaogaomon as a super install, could be plenty of fun.
- Renamon (Digimon) - More of a fan-favourite Digimon this time around, representing Tamers. With a loosely similar ninja-like theming to Taki, you might think they'd be similar; but Renamon would play into more of the mystical elements associated with this, featuring fancy counters, leaf-based attacks, and claw attacks. Coupling this with powerful supers that Digivolve her into Kyubimon for powerful signature attacks, and Renamon's a character who excels at building meter and capitalising as much as possible.
- GAT-X105 Strike Gundam (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED) - The first Gundam piloted by Kira Yamato in the Cosmic Era, I opted for this particular model over some later ones more closely associated with the lead character mostly because I think its malleability lends well to a lot of fun in terms of visuals. It's another Giant character similar to Mazinger, but this Gundam would be focused on a slightly higher level of maneouverability with the XM404 Anti-Ship Sword making up a large number of its normals. Beyond that, it's also able to shift between Striker Pack states that alter properties further; either the Aile Striker, which increases aerial maneuverability and ground speed, or the Sword Striker, increasing the range and power of normals in exchange for slower movement.
Followed again by the Wii release,
- Fighter Roar (Compati Hero) - Possibly an odd pick at a glance, but one I think is really fitting. The Compati Hero series was made up of a variety of different genres, unified by featuring characters from Gundam, Ultraman and Kamen Rider (alongside occasional other series, like Go Nagai's characters or the Godzilla franchise.) Fighter Roar was an original character for the franchise created by Banpresto, who would later be acquired by Bandai. As such; his moveset leans into the Compati Hero series' different genres; attacking with anything from his hoverboard to a dodgeball as a sort of jack-of-all-trades character.
- Valkyrie (Valkyrie no Bōken) - A pretty iconic character in Namco's library who juuust about missed out to Taizo (mostly because I didn't want too many fantasy characters in the launch roster.) Not dissimilar to Taizo, she'd take a lot of influence from her appearance in Namco x Capcom, which in turn takes influence from her older games and the like; generally having a sword-and-shield moveset with inspirations from mythology. She's generally good at pressing through defences and striking hard up close, but struggles a little when at longer range.
And, lastly,
Ultimate All-Stars,
- KOS-MOS (Xenosaga) - Given her continual popularity with things like model kits and statuettes even to this day, KOS-MOS feels like a pretty good fan-favourite character who'd work well to offset other picks in the roster. She's not dissimilar to some other picks with her zoning focus, attacking with her F-SCYTHE for the most part but backing these up with the F-GSHOT chainguns for pretty oppressive aerial command. Of course, despite her high power, it's possible to use that lack of close-range options against her if you can get up close.
- Agnimon (Digimon) - A representative of Frontier, I feel like Agnimon being a generally slightly more simplistic character makes some sense; having a focus on fire-based physical attacks that take influence from kenpo and yoga. However, his honest and understandable movelist shouldn't imply weakness - he'd still be more than capable of holding his own if used correctly, and can even Digivolve into Vritamon for exceptionally powerful supers.
Kind of a dream match, in some ways. But hey, if an Eighting developer had wandered into a different elevator, who knows what could have happened.
