Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls wishlist: Our most wanted characters

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is set to be PlayStation’s first big fighting game, and from the fighters we’ve seen so far, it’s going to be fast-paced and exciting.

Since it’s a tag-fighter, we’re going to expect a big roster that covers all corners of the Marvel canon, including comics, films, and TV shows. With so many characters to choose from, and not all of them fit for purpose (I don’t anticipate M.O.D.O.K being a fun character to main, for example), we’re going to be laying down the top Marvel Tōkon fighters who make sense within the constraints of the game.

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is a 4v4 tag-fighting game developed by Arc System Works, the studio behind Guilty Gear: Strive and Dragon Ball FighterZ. The studio’s games are typically fast-paced 2D fighting games, and it seems Marvel Tōkon will be no exception. The studio is also working with PlayStation Studios and Marvel Games. 

Tōkon will be PlayStation’s first big commitment to a fighting game in recent years. The announcement of the “Project Defiant” fighting stick, a first for PlayStation, speaks volumes.

One of the most innovative mechanics is that of the “Crossover”. This mechanic allows your team leader to call in assistance from other fighters in the roster, temporarily making use of their attacks and abilities.

There are eight confirmed combatants on the roster so far, with popular favourites including Spider-Man, Captain America, Star-Lord, Ghost Rider, and Doctor Doom. We have an encompassing list of all Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls characters announced so far in detail.

Why She-Hulk? She has much more control over her transformation state than Bruce Banner’s Hulk, which could, in turn, offer more flexibility in fighting styles and dialogue.

On the current Marvel Tōkon fighters roster, there’s an apparent lack of heavy tank and brawler characters – a staple of fighting games. She-Hulk steps into this role perfectly. Having spent time on screen in the Marvel Studios Television show, Jennifer Walters is a fantastic choice to offer a blend between heavy hits and law-based technical moves: I’m anticipating an Ultimate Skill that has her calling a Phoenix Wright-like “Objection!” mid-battle.

Why Green Goblin? Equipped with his Goblin Glider and pumpkin bombs, he offers some real potential. That’s to say nothing of his martial arts skills and pyrotechnics, Arc System Works has an inspiring creative opportunity to pull out all the stops with this potential fighter.

Aside from having the coolest design in the entire Marvel universe, there are plenty of reasons to include Green Goblin in this game. Since it’s a 4v4 fighting game, there will be a need for characters to enter the stage fast, fire projectiles, and exit before there’s a chance to counter.

Why Moondragon? Her unique transformations would encourage her to become a well-balanced Marvel Tōkon fighter, though she’s not a particularly well-known or popular character. 

Moondragon is quite a unique character in the Marvel Universe. She can transform into a dragon, which grants her flight and flaming breath. Alongside this, she is telekinetic and possesses supreme martial arts fighting skills.

Why Magik? Armed with time travel, sorcery, exorcisms, energy manipulation, and sword combat, Magik’s a perfect fit for Arc System’s upcoming fighter, particularly if adapted to the Neo-Japanese art style. 

The Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls trailer emphasizes a focus on magic, projectiles, and a range of distance and hand-to-hand combat, suggesting Magik would fit into this system with ease. Oh, and she’s also, possibly, related to Rasputin.

Why Knull? His ability to control and command symbiotes also fits into the tag-fighting elements of the game, and characters like Venom, Carnage, and Toxin would pair nicely with the character, especially with the “Crossover” mechanic. 

Likewise, Knull could also offer a tactical advantage when fighting against other symbiotes, as he could even take control of them. Knull, Venom’s arch-nemesis, is the god who created the planet Klyntar and the rest of the symbiotes. He also wears armour made of a symbiote. This character is one of the most powerful in the entire Marvel Universe, and he seems a perfect fit for the fast-paced fighting style that Marvel Tōkon will demand.

Why Nightcrawler? This mutant is here because of his dynamic movement abilities. The main one to note is teleportation, which would offer up engagement and escape options, while his athleticism and acrobatic fighting would allow players to apply mounting pressure to enemies. Likewise, these movement abilities play into the tag-fighting elements of the game.

Nightcrawler is also well-trained in swordsmanship and uses the Soulsword (forged by Magik), which he can summon and disperse at will. Likewise, he also possesses the Hopesword, a weapon that unlocks a demonic, violent, and aggressive side to the mutant.

Why Mephisto? His insidious magic abilities offer up the potential for misdirection and manipulation. Like Lei in Tekken 7, who has 13 different stances, Mephisto’s shape-shifting abilities allow him to bait opponents with changing fighting styles, morphing character models, and body duplicates.

Mephisto hasn’t properly appeared in the MCU just yet, though his name has been mentioned. Regardless, the character remains one of the most important in the comics, crossing paths with Doctor Doom, Strange, the Silver Surfer, and Ghost Rider, among others. Though the chances of his inclusion are slim, the potential is limitless.

One of Mephisto’s signature abilities is his ‘pacts’, where souls are bargained for power. In terms of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, this seems an incredibly appropriate ability. Fighters could trade health or other statistics for increased speed or power.

Since Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is going to be a 4v4 tag-fighter, we’d expect quite a large roster. Thankfully, the catalogue of Marvel characters is absurdly expansive – in fact, Arc System Works might have a tough time narrowing down the list. More fighters will be confirmed as we get closer to the Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls release date.

We’ve curated a Marvel Tōkon fighting character wishlist which covers brawlers, magicians, martial artists, and weapons masters, but have left out big names like Hulk, Thor, Wolverine, and the Fantastic Four. We’d imagine these characters will make it into the game in some way or another, especially considering the easter eggs we’ve seen so far.