Video game publishers finally seem to be realizing that anime games don't need to be fighting games. Well, for the most part. Jump Force is still a thing, but the novelty of it being a crossover buoys its so-so arena fighter gameplay. Individual franchises, however, have begun branching out into other genres.
One Piece is on its fourth Dynasty Warriors-style installment. The One Punch Man game got a single-player hub city and allowed players to create their own bizarre heroes. And of course there's the recent Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, which found great success as an open world RPG. By taking on different game genres, these typically action-focused shounen titles get a chance to show their worlds in a new way. And it's time My Hero Academia's U.A. was given the same chance to shine.
My Hero Academia combines the excitement of shounen anime with superheroes, and is one of the world's most popular anime franchises as a result. Yet the only console video games based on it are fighting games. There's also an arcade-only card battling game. Both prioritize action and battles, with the most recent console offering being the typical anime arena fighter that offers lots of flash but little substance.
RELATED: Shoto Todoroki From My Hero Academia Is Coming To Jump Force
Imagine a story-based RPG that lets the player actually attend U.A. This could take two forms. It could work like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, going over the major story arcs but also providing "intermissions" that allow for free roam. Side quests could flesh out popular-but-unimportant side characters like Mei Hatsume or the entirety of Class 1-B. Main character Izuku "Deku" Midoriya would be playable, but a Kakarot approach could put players in the boots of others. Everyone's favorite trash boy Bakugo could get a turn, and there could even be small sections that let players play as adult pro heroes like Eraser Head or Hawks.
The other direction a My Hero Academia RPG could take is becoming a Persona-lite. This version would see players take control of Deku only but get a deeper dive into U.A. life. They could be responsible for having Deku attend class and do well in his studies, building his stats as he learns. They could also build Deku's team of heroes from a small cast of Class 1-A favorites like Uraraka and Todoroki. Maybe there could even be a bonds system that lets Deku have a romance and settle the ship wars once and for all (okay probably not, but this is a fantasy).
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was a nice surprise. Fans weren't really expecting a Dragon Ball game that fleshed out its world or took such deep dives into lore. Now that it exists, however, it opens the door for similar adaptations of other anime. So please, Bandai Namco, let My Hero Academia games take a break from the arena and be an RPG instead.