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Jump Force Game Adds Rurouni Kenshin's Kenshin Himura, Makoto Shishio as Playable Characters

This year's 51st issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine revealed on Monday that the characters Kenshin Himura and Makoto Shishio from Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin manga are joining Bandai Namco Entertainment's Jump Force crossover game.

Spike Chunsoft is developing the game, which will launch on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam on February 15 in the Americas and Europe and on February 14 in Japan. Those who pre-order the game will get a new Dragon Ball lobby vehicle and three costumes. The game's collector's edition in Europe will feature a diorama, three art boards, and a steelbook case.

Previously confirmed playable characters in the game include:

• Naruto and Sasuke (Naruto)
• Goku/SSGSS Goku, Frieza/Golden Frieza, and Vegeta/SSGSS Vegeta (Dragonball Z)
• Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Blackbeard, and Sabo (One Piece)
• Ichigo, Rukia, and Aizen (Bleach)
• Gon, Hisoka, Killua, and Kurapika (Hunter X Hunter)
• Yūgi Mutō (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
• Yūsuke Urameshi and Younger Toguro (YuYu Hakusho)
• Pegasus Seiya and Dragon Shiryū (Saint Seiya)
• Ryo (City Hunter)
• Kenshiro (Fist of the North Star)

Light and Ryuk from Death Note will also appear in the game. Dragon Ball's Akira Toriyama designed some original characters for the game, and players will be able to create their own avatar characters in the game. The game's season pass will allow players to access nine additional characters.

Bandai Namco Entertainment describes the game:

Universes collide as legendary manga heroes and villains are transported to our reality. Massive battles fill epic locales as good and evil clashes, while humankind hangs in the balance.

The game's producer Kōji Nakajima noted in an interview at E3 that the game will contain characters who will have their first video game appearance. The game will also draw primarily from Weekly Shonen Jump franchises that are based on "heroes" with "superpowers;" Nakajima downplayed the possibility of the appearance of franchises such as The Prince of Tennis and Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma.

Spike Chunsoft previously worked on the J-Stars Victory VS+ game. Like Jump Force, that game is also a crossover featuring characters from Weekly Shonen Jump characters. That game shipped in Japan for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2014, and in the WEST. for the same platforms as well as the PS4 in 2015. Spike Chunsoft also developed the One Piece: Burning Blood game, which shipped in 2016.

Source: Weekly Shonen Jump issue 51