Anime fighter

Anime fighters are anime-styled fighters defined by expressive air movement, intricate combo systems and enthusiastic character designs. The focus on air movement has resulted in the genre being synonymous with the term "airdasher".

Elements of the genre can be first seen in Capcom's Vampire series, which introduced gameplay mechanics such as air dashes and a chain combo system (known as the "magic series"). The first game to be recognised under the anime fighter label was Guilty Gear [ギルティギア]; its developer, Arc System Works, would go on to heavily influence the genre with its Guilty Gear [ギルティギア] and BlazBlue [ブレイブルー] franchises, as well as licensed adaptations such as Persona 4: The Ultimate and Dragon Ball [ドラゴンボール]. Meanwhile, doujin groups would embrace the anime fighter philosophy with series such as Melty Blood [メルティブラッド] and Arcana Heart [アルカナハート].