Guilty Gear Strive Anime Trailer Debuts at Anime Expo

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During Anime Expo, Arc System Works presented the world premiere trailer for its upcoming Guilty Gear anime, Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers, which is set to release next year.

Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Riders is a 3D CG adaptation of the fighting game of the same title, animated by SANZIGEN. While the teaser didn’t give much away in terms of plot, the trailer did show off the long-running fighting game’s lead characters, Sol Badguy and Sin Kiske. The trailer, which is styled in a similar way to the game’s cinematics, pits the pair against a mysterious modern enemy named Unika, who has a grudge against Gears.

Guilty Gear stands head and shoulders above other fighting game series, in part because it is one of the most visually stunning anime games of all time. As such, Guilty Gear also has a reputation for being one of the the hardest timelines to track in historyCase in point, the story mode of Strive’s predecessor, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, is essentially an uninterrupted, hour-long anime in itself. For those wondering where Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Riders will fit into the series’ history, here’s a synopsis of the series’ plot:

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“After the collapse of once-powerful fields of science and technology, a new energy source known as magic powers the modern era,” the official description reads. “Humanity creates a forbidden biological weapon: Gears. These Gears eventually rise against humanity in a rebellion. Although they emerge victorious in a battle for survival known as the Crusades, humanity’s losses are so great that even decades later, their emotional wounds have yet to fully heal.

“Sin Kiske, the child of a human and a Gear, attends the wedding ceremony of her father Ky and mother Dizzy. Their wedding breaks the ultimate taboo: the union of a human and a Gear. Even with the world at peace, it has taken years for such a ceremony to take place. Despite the complex array of emotions surrounding it, the wedding ceremony is met with a blessing. When a mysterious girl suddenly appears… A destined child inheriting the Gear blood – and a mysterious girl who despises Gears. Their meeting would shake the world.”

IN our review Guilty Gear Strive, we gave the game a 9/10, saying, “Guilty Gear Strive sets a new standard for anime-style fighting games with its visuals, excellent netcode, and a flexible combat system that encourages and rewards creativity.”

Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow them on Twitter @ShinEyeZehUhh.

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