My Hero Academia: Ultra Rumble Announced

Over the weekend, some exciting information was revealed about a new video game based on the popular manga and anime series, My Hero Academia. While this information was initially revealed due to a leaked copy of the upcoming Japanese Weekly Jump magazine, the proper release of the magazine along with a debut trailer means that the game has been officially announced. It’s not as surprising of an idea as the asymmetrical Dragon Ball: The Breakers, but I can say I wasn’t expecting this.

My Hero Academia: Ultra Rumble is a free-to-play Battle Royale game that’s coming out on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Steam. Each match will have 24 players in teams of three (eight teams total) duke it out against each other as their favorite heroes and villains. That might not sound like a lot of players, but considering these characters have powerful and unique abilities or quirks, they’re sure to take up more space than your average gun-touting character in a typical Battle Royale game.

This seems especially important as characters like the explosive Bakugo and the all-mighty, well, All Might, certainly do shine with large superhero attacks. It’s even possible to play as the gigantifying Mt. Lady, who can change her height to 67 feet. As fun as it sounds for a player to suddenly become a giant beacon to others on the map, I am admittedly giddy with the idea of multiple giant players slugging it out with each other.

Various skill cards can be found on the map, each of which corresponds with and improves one of three skills for a specific character. Since these cards can only be used by an exact character, however, teammates will be able to help each other out by finding each other’s skill cards and handing them over. Item management and team cooperation are base ideas in Battle Royales, but I have to imagine it’s easier to tell a teammate needs their skill card than if they would prefer a specific gun. This could also inspire moments of tactical retreats and planning that commonly occur in the series.

This isn’t the first anime to receive a Battle Royale. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure also received a Battle Royale game in arcades a couple of years ago. While the genre and choice of platform for that are equally cool and questionable, it does feel like a perfect match for My Hero Academia. A closed beta test on PlayStation 4 in Japan will begin on February 2nd and can be applied for through the game’s website. Additionally, a 28-minute gameplay presentation shows off plenty of footage and can be seen below. It’s all in Japanese, but the game is easy to follow.