There were plenty of announcements at EVO 2019, and while we did cover them, there was one game that deserves a closer inspection. While the Blazblue Cross Tag Battle tournament had the fewest amount of participants out of the main games, the top 8 was still exciting to watch thanks to a roster consisting of over forty characters from four series (Blazblue, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In-Birth and RWBY).
In 2019, the number of series represented in Blazblue Cross Tag Battle almost doubled down to include representation from three other series. At the start of the year during EVO Japan 2019, we got one character from Arcana Heart and at EVO 2019, we got two more with Senran Kagura and Akatsuki Blitzkampf. While it will be fun to see what Yumi, Akatsuki, Neopolitan (RWBY) and Blitztank will bring to the game, it does leave quite a bit to consider for the roster. To go with these four characters, we also have another five that will be coming later this year. Who exactly is left to join the roster? And which series likely not see any new additions?
It is certainly a complicated matter to figure out, but one that we could still sort through as best we can. We got a good number of people to consider, so let’s take a look at the seven series of Blazblue Cross Tag Battle and see what we can find.
If we were to make a list of characters that have gone under the radar so far, look no further than the initial roster from the original. It seems so strange to consider that Taokaka, Litchi, and even Bang continue to go unrecognized as each of the three offer, rather interesting move-sets. Still, it could be perhaps due to Bang’s ability to set up nails, and Litchi’s staff that hovers by her that might be rather problematic. But for Tao… well, we did get Jubei, and while not exactly a 1:1 answer, it could be enough to skip Tao.
Funny enough with what we did list off above, that does not really leave too many other choices. Luckily, we can still consider characters from Chrono Phantasma to provide a case for a few more possible candidates. There is a good chance if we were to get another Blazblue rep, it could likely be Bullet, Kagura, or Kokonoe as each can provide something special to a team while having fun interactions with others in the roster.
Is there a chance any of these Blazblue characters could find their way into the game? It’s possible, although don’t hold your expectations too high since the other six series can still offer quite a bit.
Persona 4 Arena
It seems weird to look at the Persona 4 Arena reps we have and think if we already reached a possible limit of what to get from here. From a game that only had 13 playable characters, we do have eleven of them in as playable characters. The only two that are missing here would be Shadow Labrys and Elizabeth, but considering how one has a giant demonic bull by her side while the other is an OP elevator attendant, we likely will not see anyone else join from this game. With that said, what if we were to take Ultimax into account?
With Persona 4 Arena‘s expansion, we did get to have an additional eight possible characters and at least half of them would stand a fair chance of getting in. Rise would seem like an unlikely front runner, but considering her abilities when she fights, she could likely make for a great defensive character with mix-ups and zoning. Meanwhile, Persona 3 alumni: Junpei or Yukari could also work well in a team to help their partner. Finally, it would be fair to think that Adachi, Marie, and Ultimax‘s exclusive Sho (either with or without a persona) can make the cut and great additions to the roster.
So overall, if Persona were to get another rep, there are plenty of fair candidates to consider. Who knows if they will dip into Ultimax for more characters, but if they decide to bypass that, they can always take the “RWBY” approach and bring in a certain Fool to shine in yet another fighting game. Who knows if they have Joker from Persona 5 in, but it would be insane to see happen.
Under Night In-Birth
Under Night In-Birth continues to see some amazing support with the latest update to the game coming early next year. Until it arrives, it’s fair to consider the 11 characters that are currently in the game; 12 if we count Akatsuki, but since he has his own series in Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, we won’t count him here.
Source: Under Night In-Birth
It’s also hard to say if we would see Sion or Londrekia Light as one is also from a different series and the other has not joined Under-Night yet, so we have a small set of characters that could be apart of the upcoming DLC. These characters include Wagner, Enkidu, Byakuya, Nanase, and Phonon, but it is difficult to say which of these five would have higher priority. Still, be on the lookout for one of these five to likely come to Blazblue Cross Tag Battle soon.
A Quick Overview of the last four series
While there was plenty to talk about with the first three series, speculating the other four series all pose a fun unique set of challenges due to what little information we have to work with. As such, we will keep these sections brief and to the point since there’s a good chance these series could see at least one more representative come to the game’s update later this year. From here going forward, the speculations will be much more difficult to decipher.
RWBY
Source: Blazblue Cross Tag Battle EVO 2019 Trailer
For RWBY, it is likely fair to think that we will only see Neo and that’s it. There’s a fair chance we could have one more RWBY representative come into the game and be another brand new character, but who knows who it would be. Some think it could be Qrow, others might think it could be Cinder. Hell, some are even banking on Ramon getting his chance to shine with Neo already in the game. Whether if we see one more character out of RWBY or not, it’s nice to at least have someone from the series after it went one new character for over a year.
Arcana Heart 3
It feels weird to be talking about possible new characters for Arcana Heart 3 considering only one character from the game is in Blazblue Cross Tag Battle: Heart.
Source: Arcana Heart 3
Out of a cast of 23 characters, it does seem likely that we could get at least a 2nd character, but who that character will be specifically is difficult to say. In spite of so many ladies you can pick from, there’s a good chance that one of the ten from the original Arcana Heart. These include Saki, Kamui, Konoha, Maori, Mei-Fang, Kira, Lilica, Yoriko, Lieselotte and Fiona, but chances are the first few named characters could stand a better chance.
Senran Kagura
Source: Blazblue Cross Tag Battle EVO 2019 Trailer
It almost seems unreal to think to consider that out of all the series that would get into Blazblue Cross Tag Battle that we also have Senran Kagura. Now the thing to consider here is that the full title we got was “Senran Kagura: Estival Versus” which wasn’t really a fighting game as much as it was a “Dynasty Warriors” like beat ’em up that featured 34 playable characters.
Of course, that isn’t to say, “If it isn’t a fighting game, it shouldn’t be in this game!” since clearly the same can be said of RWBY, and look at how many characters we got there. As which of those characters would get in, you likely would be the best judge of who the main characters are. In fact, so many people did not hesitate to ask, “Where Asuka?” even though Yumi is known to be quite the popular character herself.
Akatsuki Blitzkampf
As the last of our series in Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, this one is… really difficult to say if you are unfamiliar with the title. Bear in mind that Akatsuki and Blitztank are both in, so who knows if we will see a third character announcement; let alone who it would actually be. With a cast of about 12 characters, who knows which of them will get their chance to shine. After all, if they put in Blitztank, who knows who else will make the cut.
Who will join the roster?
Are there any characters from the seven series you are on the lookout for? And most importantly of all: Can Blitztank be grappled? Until we get at least one of those answers, be sure to follow us here at Culture of Gaming for more articles on Blazblue Cross Tag Battle and other things in the gaming world.
The next wave of characters will arrive in Blazblue Cross Tag Battle on November 21, 2019.
