Virtual Fighter
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is a series of
fighting game The fighting game video game genre, genre involves combat between multiple characters, often (but not limited to) one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappling, counter- ...
s created by
Sega AM2 previously known as is a video game development team within the Japanese multinational video game developer Sega. Yu Suzuki, who had previously developed arcade games for Sega including ''Hang-On'' and ''Out Run'', was the first manager of th ...
and designer
Yu Suzuki is a Japanese game designer, producer, programmer, and engineer, who headed Sega's AM2 team for 18 years. Considered one of the first auteurs of video games, he has been responsible for a number of Sega's arcade hits, including three-dimensi ...
. The original ''
Virtua Fighter is a series of fighting games created by Sega AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki. The original ''Virtua Fighter (video game), Virtua Fighter'' was released in December 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential ...
'' was released in December 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential first ''Virtua Fighter'' game is widely recognized as the first 3D fighting game released.


Gameplay

Similar to most other
fighting game The fighting game video game genre, genre involves combat between multiple characters, often (but not limited to) one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappling, counter- ...
s, the default
gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game. The term applies to both video games and Tabletop game, tabletop games. Gameplay is the connection between the player and the game, the player's overcoming of challenges, and t ...
system of the ''Virtua Fighter'' series involves two combatants needing to win two of three rounds, with each round being 30 seconds long or more. Combatants utilize various attacks in an attempt to deplete the other fighter's stamina gauge and deal a knockout (K.O.), winning a round. If a character is knocked out (or falls out) of the ring, their opponent wins the round in a Ring Out. An extra round is necessary if a double knockout (both players knocking each other out at the same time) occurs in a previous round and the match is tied one round each. In this round, players fight on a small stage wherein one hit is enough to knock the other out and achieve victory. The basic control scheme is simple, using only an 8-way control stick and three buttons (Punch, Kick, Guard). Through various timings, positions, and button combinations, players input normal and special moves for each character. This allows extensive lists of moves to exist for a given character within the limited control scheme. Traditionally, in the
single-player mode A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the gameplay. Video games in general can feature several game modes, including single-player modes designed to be played by a single player in addi ...
, the player runs a gauntlet of characters in the game (which may include one's
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) all the way to the final
boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, ...
.


History

The following is a list of games in the ''Virtua Fighter'' series:


Arcade fighting games

The brainchild of
Sega AM2 previously known as is a video game development team within the Japanese multinational video game developer Sega. Yu Suzuki, who had previously developed arcade games for Sega including ''Hang-On'' and ''Out Run'', was the first manager of th ...
's
Yu Suzuki is a Japanese game designer, producer, programmer, and engineer, who headed Sega's AM2 team for 18 years. Considered one of the first auteurs of video games, he has been responsible for a number of Sega's arcade hits, including three-dimensi ...
, ''
Virtua Fighter is a series of fighting games created by Sega AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki. The original ''Virtua Fighter (video game), Virtua Fighter'' was released in December 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential ...
'' was released in 1993 as an
arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...
using hardware jointly developed by aerospace simulation technology by the company that is now known as
Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...
and Sega's most prominent and well known studio
AM2 AM2 can refer to: * Socket AM2, a CPU socket for AMD desktop processors * Sega AM2, a research and development team for the video game company Sega * Arp-Madore 2, an open star cluster * a fictional element from The Sten Chronicles * Animusic * ...
, originally crafted for the arcade system dubbed the Model 1. It is considered the first polygon-based fighting game. It introduced the eight initial fighters as well as the boss, Dural. Sony developers have confirmed that the game inspired Sony to create the first PlayStation console and to focus more on 3D games, more so than the main competitor in Japan, the
Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it is the successor to the succes ...
. ''
Virtua Fighter 2 is a 1994 Fighting game, fighting video game developed and published by Sega for Arcade video game, arcades. It is the second game in the ''Virtua Fighter'' series and the sequel to ''Virtua Fighter (video game), Virtua Fighter'' (1993). Created ...
'' was released in November 1994, adding two new fighters: Shun Di and Lion Rafale. It was built using the Model 2 hardware, rendering characters and backgrounds with
filtered Filtration is a physical separation process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture using a ''filter medium'' that has a complex structure through which only the fluid can pass. Solid particles that cannot pass through the filter ...
texture mapping Texture mapping is a term used in computer graphics to describe how 2D images are projected onto 3D models. The most common variant is the UV unwrap, which can be described as an inverse paper cutout, where the surfaces of a 3D model are cut ap ...
and
motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mocap or mo-cap, for short) is the process of recording high-resolution motion (physics), movement of objects or people into a computer system. It is used in Military science, military, entertainment, sports ...
. A slightly tweaked upgrade, ''Virtua Fighter 2.1'', followed soon after. ''
Virtua Fighter 3 is a 1996 fighting video game developed and published by Sega, the sequel to 1994's ''Virtua Fighter 2'' as part of the ''Virtua Fighter'' series. Released originally in arcades, ''Virtua Fighter 3'' was the first arcade game to run on the Se ...
'' came out in 1996, with the introduction of Taka-Arashi and Aoi Umenokoji. Aside from improving the graphics via use of the
Model 3 The Tesla Model 3 is a battery electric powered mid-size sedan with a fastback body style built by Tesla, Inc., introduced in 2017. The vehicle is marketed as being more affordable to more people than previous models made by Tesla. The Model ...
(such as
mipmap In computer graphics, a mipmap (''mip'' being an acronym of the Latin phrase ''multum in parvo'', meaning "much in little") is a pre-calculated, optimized sequence of images, each of which has an image resolution which is a factor of two small ...
ping, multi-layer anti-aliasing,
trilinear filtering Trilinear filtering is an extension of the bilinear texture filtering method, which also performs linear interpolation between mipmaps. Bilinear filtering has several weaknesses that make it an unattractive choice in many cases: using it on a ...
and
specular highlight A specular highlight is the bright spot of light that appears on shiny objects when illuminated (for example, see image on right). Specular highlights are important in 3D computer graphics, as they provide a strong visual cue for the shape of ...
ing), the game also introduced undulations in some stages and a fourth button, Dodge. ''Virtua Fighter 3tb'' in 1997 was the first major update in series history, implementing tournament battles featuring more than two characters (though not simultaneously as in the ''
Dead or Alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...
'' games and ''
Tekken Tag Tournament is a 1999 fighting game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It is a spin-off the '' Tekken'' series. Not canon to the main storyline, ''Tekken Tag Tournament'' features nearly all the characters in the previous ''Tekken'' games and int ...
''). ''
Virtua Fighter 4 is a fighting video game developed and published by Sega for arcades. It is the fourth game installment in the ''Virtua Fighter'' series. It was first released in arcades on the NAOMI 2 board followed by a console port as well as ''Virtua Figh ...
'', which introduced Vanessa Lewis and Lei-Fei and removed Taka-Arashi, was released on the NAOMI 2 hardware in 2001 instead of hardware from a joint collaboration with Lockheed Martin. The game also removed the uneven battlegrounds and the Dodge button from the previous game. The title is consistently popular in its home arcade market. ''Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution'', released in 2002, was the first update to add new characters, these being Brad Burns and Goh Hinogami. ''Virtua Fighter 4: Final Tuned'', an upgrade to ''Evolution'', was released in the arcades in 2004. In Japan, ''Virtua Fighter 4'' was famous for spearheading and opening the market for internet functionality in arcades. VF.NET started in Japan in 2001, and since companies have created their own arcade networks, E-Amusement by
Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...
, NESiCAxLive by
Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, Toy, toys, arcade cabinets, and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, Vending machine, vending machines, and Juk ...
and
Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing video game, role-playing game franchises, such as ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', and '' ...
, and ALL.Net by Sega. ''
Virtua Fighter 5 is a fighting video game developed and published by Sega. It is the fifth installment of the ''Virtua Fighter'' series. The original version was released in July 2006 on the Sega Lindbergh arcade system board with a number of updates before h ...
'' was released in Japan on July 12, 2006, for Sega's
Lindbergh Charles Lindbergh (1902–1974) was first pilot to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic. Lindbergh, a Swedish surname, may also refer to: People *Anne Lindbergh (1940-1993), U.S. children's author, daughter of the famous pilot Charles Lindbergh ...
arcade board and introduced yet two more new characters, Eileen and El Blaze. Similar to its predecessor, two revisions were later released. ''
Virtua Fighter 5 R is a Fighting game, fighting video game developed and published by Sega. It is the fifth installment of the ''Virtua Fighter'' series. The original version was released in July 2006 on the Sega Lindbergh arcade system board with a number of upd ...
'', released on July 24, 2008, saw the return of Taka-Arashi while introducing a new fighter, Jean Kujo. ''Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown'' was released in arcades on July 29, 2010. ''Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown'' (known in Japan as ''Virtua Fighter eSports'') was released for Sega ALLs cabinet on June 2, 2021, a day after PlayStation 4 version's release.


Console fighting games

The first ''Virtua Fighter'' game was ported to the Saturn in 1994 (1995 outside Japan), just months before fellow 3D-fighter ''
Tekken is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations. The main games in the series follow the events ...
'' was released. The console port, which was nearly identical to the arcade game, sold at a nearly 1:1 ratio with the Saturn hardware at launch. The port of ''Virtua Fighter 2'' on the Saturn for Christmas 1995 was considered faithful to the arcade original. While the game's 3D backgrounds were now rendered in 2D, resulting in some scenery such as the bridge in Shun Di's river stage being removed, the remainder of the game was kept intact. It became the top-selling Saturn game in Japan. Ports of the original ''Virtua Fighter'' and ''Virtua Fighter 2'' with enhanced graphics were also released for the PC. ''Virtua Fighter 2'' was remade as a 2D fighter for the
Mega Drive/Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...
in 1996, omitting the characters Shun and Lion, and later re-released on the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
as a part of the ''
Sega Ages is a series of video game Porting, ports, Video game remake, remakes, and compilations published by Sega. It consists of Sega arcade games and Home video game console, home console games, typically those for the Sega Genesis and Master System. Th ...
'' series. ''
Yakuza 5 is a 2012 action-adventure game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3. The game is the fifth main entry in the ''Yakuza'' series. The game was released in December 2012 in Japan, and localized for North A ...
'' was released in 2012 in Japan and in 2015 worldwide and features ''Virtua Fighter 2'' as a mini-game. The only port of ''Virtua Fighter 3'' was for the
Sega Dreamcast The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...
by Genki (instead of AM2) with ''Virtua Fighter 3tb'' in 1998 for the Japanese release of the console. In a reverse of the usual development cycle for the series, an update of the original ''Virtua Fighter'' called ''Virtua Fighter Remix'' was released for the Saturn and later ported to the arcade. ''Virtua Fighter Mini'', based on the anime series, was created for the Game Gear and released in North America and Europe as '' Virtua Fighter Animation''. The game was later ported to the Master System by
Tec Toy Tec Toy S.A., trading as Tectoy since 1997, is a Brazilian toy and electronics company headquartered in São Paulo. It is best known for producing, publishing, and distributing Sega consoles and video games in Brazil. The company was founded b ...
and released only in Brazil. Brazil itself was a market where the series was very popular. Following Sega's exit from the hardware market in mid-2001, ''Virtua Fighter 4'' was ported by Sega to the PlayStation 2 in 2002. Outside of a slight downgrade in graphics, the port of the game was considered well done. This port was followed by ''Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution'', an update that added two new characters as well as a host of game balancing tweaks, in 2003. ''Evolution'' was immediately released under the PlayStation 2's "
Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
" label in the United States, which lowered its initial sticker price. With the 2003 PlayStation 2 release of ''Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution'' arriving in time for the series' tenth anniversary, a
remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...
of ''
Virtua Fighter is a series of fighting games created by Sega AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki. The original ''Virtua Fighter (video game), Virtua Fighter'' was released in December 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential ...
'', ''Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary'', was released exclusively on the PlayStation 2. While the music, stages and low-polygon visual style were retained from the first game, the character roster, animations, mechanics and movesets were taken from ''Evolution''. In the previous PS2 release of ''Virtua Fighter 4'', a button code would make the player's character look like a ''VF1'' model. In Japan, the game was included as part of a box set with a book titled ''Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary: Memory of a Decade'' and a DVD. The box set was released in November 2003 and was published by
Enterbrain , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing founded on January 30, 1987, as . Magazines published by Enterbrain are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strate ...
. In North America, the game was included within the home version of ''Evolution'', and in Europe it was only available as a promotional item; it was not sold at retail. A port of ''Virtua Fighter 5'' was released for the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
in Japan and North America in February 2007, and March 2007 in Europe. The PlayStation 3 port is considered extremely faithful to the arcade original, due in part to the arcade hardware (based on
Sega Lindbergh Sega is a video game developer, publisher, and hardware development company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with multiple offices around the world. The company's involvement in the arcade game industry began as a Japan-based distributor of coin- ...
platform) and PlayStation 3 hardware sharing NVidia-provided GPUs of comparable capability. A port for the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
was released in October 2007 in Japan and North America, and December 2007 in Europe, and contains the additions of online fighting via
Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the origina ...
, improved graphics, and gameplay balances from the newer revision of the arcade game. For years, the designers have held strong on their refusal to add an online mode to console versions of the games; because the gameplay relies so much on timing, any lag would ruin the experience. Eventually, with the Xbox 360 release of ''VF5'', Sega decided to add online capabilities via Xbox Live. ''Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown'' was released as a downloadable title for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in June 2012, with online play available in both versions. An updated version of ''Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown'' named ''Version B'' was released in Japanese arcades in 2015. '' Yakuza 6: The Song of Life'' was released for ''
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
'' in 2016 in Japan and 2018 worldwide and the game features ''Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Version B'' as a mini-game, making the release of ''Yakuza 6'' also the PlayStation 4 debut for the ''Virtua Fighter'' series. ''Virtua Fighter Ultimate Showdown'' (known as ''Virtua Fighter eSports'' in Japan), a remake which also serves as a final update version of the fifth game's sub-series was co-developed with Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, and released in both PlayStation 4 and Arcade versions in the first two days of June 2021, respectively, with its night generation console title ''Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O.'' based on recent update of the previous, in additions to
rollback netcode Netcode is a blanket term most commonly used by gamers relating to networking in online games, often referring to synchronization issues between clients and servers. Players often blame "bad netcode" when they experience lag or reverse state tra ...
and crossplay released in January 2025 for Windows before being set to be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2. At
The Game Awards 2024 The Game Awards 2024 was an award show to honor the best video games of 2024. It was the eleventh show hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of the Game Awards, and held with a live audience at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Dece ...
, SEGA and Ryu Ga Gokuto Studio announced a new ''Virtua Fighter''. A digital event called Virtua Fighter Direct happening later that same night revealed more about the game in development, including a full look at the models of Akira and a character named Stella, followed by Wolf and an unidentified male character in EVO Japan 2025 before the full reveal in Combo Breaker 2025. According to Famitsu interview with Ryu ga Gotoku Studio representative Yokoyama and producer Yamada, the new ''Virtua Fighter'' is in talk to have a story mode, which would mark the first time in the series. Additionally, the new ''Virtua Fighter'' is confirmed to be designed for home releases, with Windows version is mentioned to be one of the planned ports. According to the interview, it is revealed that a Ryu ga Gotoku studio member, Seiji Aoki had been appointed to solely produce re-released versions of previous ''Virtua Fighter'' games, as he is not involved in the developing sixth ''Virtua Fighter'' game.


Spin-offs and adaptations

Due to the success of ''Virtua Fighter 2'', a
super deformed ''Chibi'', also known as ''super deformation'' (''SD''), is an art style originating in Japan, and common in anime and manga where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby with stubby limbs, oversized heads, and ...
version called ''
Virtua Fighter Kids is a 1996 installment in the ''Virtua Fighter (series), Virtua Fighter'' Fighting game, fighting video game series, and a super deformed version of ''Virtua Fighter 2''. It was developed by Sega AM2 on the ST-V arcade board, unlike ''Virtua Fight ...
'' was released for the Sega Saturn and arcades in 1996. 1996 also saw the release of ''
Fighters Megamix is a 1996 fighting video game developed by Sega AM2, a crossover between Sega's 3D arcade fighting games ''Virtua Fighter 2'' and '' Fighting Vipers'', with unlockable characters from several other AM2 games such as '' Virtua Cop 2'' and '' D ...
'' for the Sega Saturn, a crossover that pitted the cast of ''Virtua Fighter 2'' against the cast of ''
Fighting Vipers ''Fighting Vipers'' is a 1995 fighting video game developed by Sega AM2. A 3D fighter, it uses the same game engine as AM2's ''Virtua Fighter 2'' (1994) but features enclosed arenas and an armor mechanic, and was targeted more towards Western au ...
'' as well as other characters in AM2-developed games. ''Megamix'' served as a home preview to ''Virtua Fighter 3'' in a few ways, as the game featured the dodge ability found in ''VF3'' and the ''Virtua Fighter'' characters had their moves updated to those found in ''VF3''. Some stages and music from ''VF3'' are also in the game. The ''Virtua Fighter Kids'' versions of Akira and
Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...
appear as hidden playable characters in the game; the character Siba, who was omitted from the first ''Virtua Fighter'' also appears as a hidden playable character. The wrestling video game ''All-Japan Pro Wrestling Featuring Virtua'' was released for the Saturn in 1997 and ported to arcades later that year. Released only in Japan, it features Jeffrey and Wolf in addition to an assortment of Japanese wrestlers as playable characters. In 1996, AM2 began developing a Saturn
RPG RPG may refer to: Military * Rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon **''Ruchnoi Protivotankoviy Granatomyot'' (Russian: ''Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт''), hand-held anti-tank grenade laun ...
based on the series, titled ''Virtua Fighter RPG: Akira's Story'', with Akira as the hero. Development moved to the Dreamcast, the ''Virtua Fighter'' connection was dropped and the game became ''
Shenmue is an action-adventure game series created, produced and directed by Yu Suzuki. '' Shenmue'' (1999) and ''Shenmue II'' (2001) were developed by Sega AM2 and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. ''Shenmue II'' was released in 2002 in Western m ...
'', released in 1999. ''
Virtua Quest ''Virtua Quest'' is a ''Virtua Fighter'' spin-off title co-developed by TOSE and Sega AM2, and published by Sega for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. Plot In this world, many people avoid reality, and instead spend their free time in the Nexus ...
'', a simplified
role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
(which was also known as ''Virtua Fighter RPG'') with new characters aimed at the children's market, was released for the
GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
in 2004 and the PlayStation 2 in 2005. The Virtua Fighters had their incarnations from ''Virtua Fighter 4''. During the late 2000s, both Sega and
Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company founded in 1955. It operated video arcades and amusement parks globally, and produced video games, films, toys, and arcade cabinets. Namco was one of the most influential c ...
showed interest in a possible cross over between ''Virtua Fighter'' and ''
Tekken is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations. The main games in the series follow the events ...
''. This crossover would combine all the characters and fighting styles from both games, but any other inclusions are unknown at the moment. Prior to that, both franchises were represented as Mii Brawler costumes in the
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
crossover '' Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U'', in which Ryu from the ''
Street Fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...
'' series first playable too, whereas Akira himself (based on 10th Anniversary version) physically appeared in the sequel ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeeding ' ...
'' as an assist trophy character where
Kazuya Mishima is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists of Bandai Namco's ''Tekken'' series. Debuting as the protagonist of the original game, Kazuya has since become one of the series' most prominent villains after serving as the penultimate ...
from ''Tekken'', including
Ken Masters is a character in Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' fighting game series. The character was first introduced in the 1987 title ''Street Fighter'' as an alternate fighter to Ryu. While Ken and Ryu are devoted to testing their power, Ken instead focuses ...
as Ryu's echo fighter first playable too.


Other media

A 35 episodes-long anime television series ''Virtua Fighter'' was produced by
Tōkyō Movie Shinsha , formerly known as the is a Japanese animation studio owned by Sega Corporation. TMS is one of the oldest and most renowned animation studios in Japan, known for its numerous anime franchises such as ''Detective Conan'', ''Lupin the Third'', ...
, originally airing on
TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...
began publishing a ''Virtua Fighter 2''
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
, with creative oversight from Sega AM2 to ensure the characters were portrayed consistently with their original vision. The games' manga adaptation was written by Kyōichi Nanatsuki and illustrated by Yoshihide Fujiwara starting in 1997. In Japan, ''Virtua Fighter CG Portrait Series'', wherein each character in the series had their own Saturn CD showcasing various poses of the fighter, was released around the same time as well. People who collected all the discs could send in their proof of purchases to get a special Portrait CD of Dural. In 2014, Sega formed the production company Stories International for film and TV projects based on their games with ''Virtua Fighter'' as an animated project. The first ''Virtua Fighter''
merchandise Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of Product (business), products ("merch" colloquially) to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative w ...
was a set of dolls of the first ''Virtua Fighter'' cast which Sega produced for their UFO Catchers (a model of
claw crane A claw machine is a type of arcade game. Modern claw machines are upright cabinets with glass boxes that are lit from the inside and have a joystick-controlled claw at the top, which is coin-operated and positioned over a pile of prizes, dropped ...
). These proved so popular that supplies ran out almost immediately, so Sega made additional batches and began producing other ''Virtua Fighter'' merchandise to put in the UFO Catchers. When these also proved successful, Sega realized that ''Virtua Fighter'' merchandise had mainstream potential, and began licensing the property to merchandise producers such as
Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered ...
. Sega has also released soundtrack CDs for the games, and even an album of original theme music for the characters called ''Dancing Shadows''.


Characters


Introduced in ''Virtua Fighter''


Introduced in ''Virtua Fighter 2''


Introduced in ''Virtua Fighter 3''


Introduced in ''Virtua Fighter 4'' and ''Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution''


Introduced in ''Virtua Fighter 5'' and ''Virtua Fighter 5: R''


In other games

In Sega's music video game '' Project DIVA 2nd'',
Vocaloid is a singing Speech synthesis, voice synthesizer software product. Its signal processing part was developed through a joint research project between Yamaha Corporation and the Music Technology Group at Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona. The s ...
Megurine Luka can obtain a Sarah Bryant outfit for gameplay. Jacky Bryant and Akira Yuki appear in ''
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a 2010 kart racing video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. It was released for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, and Windows, featuring characters from multiple Sega franchises. The game is the third title in the ...
'' as partners competing against other Sega characters in races. Akira Yuki, Sarah Bryant and Pai Chan, appear as guest characters in Tecmo Koei's ''
Dead or Alive 5 is a 2012 fighting game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo Koei for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the fifth main entry in the ''Dead or Alive'' fighting series following '' Dead or Alive 4'' (2005) and the first to have a mul ...
'', followed by Jacky Bryant in ''
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate ''Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate'' (abbreviated to ''DOA5 Ultimate'' or ''DOA5U'') is a fighting game in the ''Dead or Alive'' series, developed by Team Ninja, and released by Tecmo Koei for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in September 2013. It was fo ...
'', marking the first time ''Virtua Fighter'' collaborated with a non-Sega fighting game series and for the series to be featured in a tag-team fighting game. Akira Yuki, Pai Chan and Dural appear in the crossover RPG ''
Project X Zone (pronounced as "Project Cross Zone") is a crossover tactical role-playing video game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Monolith Soft with assistance from Capcom and Red Entertainment and published by Namco Bandai Games. It is a follow-up t ...
'', which features characters from
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
,
Namco Bandai Games is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...
, and Sega. Akira Yuki, Pai Chan and Dural return in ''
Project X Zone 2 ''Project X Zone 2'' is a crossover tactical role-playing video game developed by Monolith Soft for the Nintendo 3DS and Bandai Namco Entertainment. Despite the game being the sequel to ''Project X Zone'', the plot is a homage to the events of ...
'' along with Kage-Maru. In ''
Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax is a 2D arcade fighting game developed by Ecole Software and French Bread and published by Sega. The game celebrates the 20th anniversary of ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko imprint, featuring various characters from light novels published under ...
'', Akira Yuki and Pai Chan appears as a playable guest boss where Akira is playable and Pai as assist, though they became regulars in the ''Ignition'' update. In ''
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and , both commonly referred to together as ''Super Smash Bros. 4'' or ''Smash 4'', are 2014 crossover fighting games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U video game cons ...
'' and ''
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeeding ' ...
'', Mii Brawler costumes based on Jacky Bryant's modern appearance and Akira Yuki's first appearance were released as downloadable content. Akira would also appear in ''Ultimate'' as an assist trophy in his appearance in ''Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary'' (a polygonal form from the first game with both voice lines and a move set from ''Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution''). ''Virtua Fighter 2'', ''2.1'', ''3tb'', and ''Virtual Fighter 5: Final Showdown'' have been near fully-recreated within the ''Yakuza'' series of games, as both a playable game inside the in-game arcades and a separate 1 versus 1 multiplayer minigame. Within the game files of '' Yakuza: Like a Dragon'' and '' Yakuza 6'', a near full version of ''Virtua Fighter 5'' exists.


Reception

The original ''Virtua Fighter'' sold more than 40,000 arcade units worldwide by 1996, with each unit costing between and £14,000 / . ''Virtua Fighter 2'' also sold more than 40,000 arcade units worldwide, adding up to more than 80,000 unit sales of both games by 1996. ''Virtua Fighter'' and ''Virtua Fighter 2'' became Sega's best-selling arcade games of all time, surpassing ''
Out Run (also stylized as ''OutRun'') is an arcade driving video game released by Sega in September 1986. It is known for its pioneering hardware and graphics, nonlinear gameplay, a selectable soundtrack with music composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi, and ...
'' (1986),
Translation
by Shmuplations. ).
which itself had sold 30,000 arcade cabinets by 1994. ''Virtua Fighter 3'' sold a further 30,000
arcade cabinet An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or a coin-op cabinet or coin-op machine, is the housing within which an arcade game's electronic hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the Japanese Amusement Ma ...
s by 1997, adding up to 110,000 arcade unit sales for the three games combined by 1997. In 1994, ''Virtua Fighter'' was the year's highest-grossing arcade game in Japan, one of the year's top five highest-grossing arcade
video games in the United States The video game industry in the United States is one of the fastest-growing entertainment industry, entertainment industries in the country. The American video game industry is the largest video game industry in the world. According to a 2020 s ...
, and one of the year's most popular coin-ops in the United Kingdom. In 1995, ''Virtua Fighter 2'' was the year's highest-grossing arcade game in Japan, and one of the year's top ten best-selling arcade games in the United States. On the Sega Saturn, ''Virtua Fighter'' and ''Virtua Fighter 2'' combined had sold more than copies worldwide by 1996. ''Virtua Fighter'' and ''Virtua Fighter Remix'' sold a combined 1,067,036 copies in Japan. ''Virtua Fighter 2'' sold copies in Japan, and more than 500,000 bundled copies in the United States, for a combined copies sold in Japan and the United States. As of 2023, the franchise sales and
free-to-play "Free-to-play" ("F2P" or "FtP") video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content for free. The term "free-to-play business model" or simply, "free-to-play model", refers collectively to business models tha ...
downloads combined totaled 18 million.


Legacy

''Virtua Fighter'' is often considered to be the grandfather of 3D fighting games, with each iteration being noted for advancing the graphical and technical aspects of games in the genre. Many 3D fighting game series such as ''
Tekken is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations. The main games in the series follow the events ...
'' and ''
Dead or Alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...
'' were heavily influenced by ''Virtua Fighter'', and the original ''
Dead or Alive A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...
'' ran on the Model 2 hardware. In 1998, the series was recognized by the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
for contributions in the field of Art and Entertainment, and became a part of the Smithsonian Institution's Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology Innovation. Its arcade cabinets are kept at the Smithsonian's
National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...
, where ''Virtua Fighter'' is the only video game on permanent display. In 1999, ''
Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...
'' listed the ''Virtua Fighter'' series as number 8 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting that, "''Virtua Fighter'' is the most elegant fighting game ever created. With only two attack buttons, the game still offers an astonishingly wide range of martial art styles." ''Virtua Fighter'' played a crucial role in popularizing 3D polygon graphics. The success of the ''Virtua Fighter'' series resulted in
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
awarding the series seven world records in ''
Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
2008'', including "First Polygon Based Fighting Game", "First 3D Fighting Game", and "First Fighting Game for a 32-bit Console".
1UP In video games, a life is a play-turn that a player character has, defined as the period between start and end of play. Lives refer to a finite number of tries before the game ends with a game over. Sometimes the euphemisms chance, try, rest an ...
listed ''Virtua Fighter'' as one of the 50 most important games of all time, crediting it for creating the 3D fighting game genre, and more generally, demonstrating the potential of 3D polygon human characters (as the first to implement them in a useful way), showing the potential of realistic gameplay (introducing a character physics system and realistic character animations for the time), and introducing fighting game concepts such as the ring-out and the block button. ''Virtua Fighter 2'' on the Sega Model 2 introduced the use of
texture-mapped Texture mapping is a term used in computer graphics to describe how 2D images are projected onto 3D models. The most common variant is the UV unwrap, which can be described as an inverse paper cutout, where the surfaces of a 3D model are cut ap ...
3D characters, and motion capture animation technology. ''Virtua Fighter 3'' on the Sega Model 3 further advanced real-time graphics technology, with ''
Computer and Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') is a British-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot web ...
'' in 1996 comparing it to CGI and referring to it as "the most astounding display of video game graphic muscle ever in the history of this industry." In 1997, ''
Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...
'' stated that ''Virtua Fighter'' had supplanted ''
Street Fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...
'' as the premier fighting game series. Some of the
Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...
(SCE) staff involved in the creation of the original
PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
video game console credit ''Virtua Fighter'' as inspiration for the PlayStation's
3D graphics 3D computer graphics, sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics, are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for the purposes of perfor ...
hardware. According to SCE's Shigeo Maruyama, the PlayStation was originally being considered as a 2D-focused hardware, and it was not until the release of ''Virtua Fighter'' that they decided to design the PlayStation as a 3D-focused hardware.
Toby Gard Toby Gard (born 8 June 1972) is an English video game designer and consultant. He is the co-creator of Lara Croft, the fictional protagonist of the video game franchise ''Tomb Raider'' (1996–present). Lara Croft was awarded a ''Guinness World ...
also cited ''Virtua Fighter'' as an influence on the use of polygonal characters in ''
Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game series created by British video game developer Core Design. The franchise i ...
'' and the creation of
Lara Croft Lara Croft is a character and the main protagonist of the video game franchise ''Tomb Raider''. She is presented as a highly intelligent and athletic British adventurer and archaeologist who ventures into ancient tombs and hazardous ruins arou ...
.
John Romero Alfonso John Romero (born October 28, 1967) is an American video game developer. He co-founded id Software and designed their early games, including ''Wolfenstein 3D'' (1992), ''Doom (1993 video game), Doom'' (1993), ''Doom II'' (1994), ''Hexen ...
also cited ''Virtua Fighter'' as a major influence on the creation of 3D
first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...
'' Quake''.
Team Ico Japan Studio was a Japanese video game developer of Sony Interactive Entertainment based in Tokyo. It was best known for the ''Ape Escape'', ''LocoRoco'', '' Patapon'', '' Gravity Rush'', and '' Knack'' series, ''Ico'', ''Shadow of the Colossus ...
's
Fumito Ueda is a Japanese video game designer, game director and visual artist. Ueda is best known as the director and lead designer of ''Ico'' (2001) and ''Shadow of the Colossus'' (2005) while leading Team Ico at Japan Studio, and ''The Last Guardian'' (20 ...
also cited ''Virtua Fighter'' as an influence on his animation work. A late 1995 article in ''
Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...
'' declared that "The ''Virtua Fighter'' series has been, and will continue to be, the yardstick by which all next generation arcade and console fighting games will be measured for a long time coming." According to
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
: "One of Yu Suzuki's most enduring creations once christened every round of new arcade hardware, was a pioneer in 3D graphics and helped establish online fighting. All the while, beneath those achievements emerged a game of exceptional depth and nuance."
1UP.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conte ...
opined: "Due to its innovation, ''Virtua Fighter'' not only influenced competitors' games -- it basically created a genre. Technically, every 3D fighter that came after it owes ''Virtua Fighter'' for establishing that a 3D fighter could work. Even today, ''Tekken'' still takes inspiration from Sega's series." ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
s Andy McNamara wrote: "It has always been my opinion that the ''Virtua Fighter'' series is the most intense and balanced of all the 3D fighters on the market. Its control scheme is intuitive, its pacing perfect, and its depth unmatched." in 2006, ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' ranked ''Virtua Fighter'' as the 25th greatest game series of all time, explaining that "no other 3D fighter has equaled ''VF'' in terms of difficulty and depth."IGN Staff
The Top 25 Videogame Franchises
, IGN, December 4, 2006.


Notes


References


External links

* {{Franchises owned by Sega Sammy Holdings Fighting games Fighting games by series Video games about ninja Sega video game franchises Video games designed by Yu Suzuki Video games developed in Japan Video game franchises introduced in 1993 Muay Thai video games