Marvel Tokon: Fighting Soulsis the newest Marvel title to take center stage. First unveiled duringJune’s State of Play, the 4v4 tag team fighter has been turning heads for its eight-character roster and stunning anime-style visuals. Developed by Arc System Works, known for their work on flagship titles likeGuilty GearandDragon Ball FighterZ, it’s no surprise that expectations are high.
WhileMarvel Tokon: Fighting Soulsenjoys the tag-fighter limelight following its reveal trailer,Marvel Rivalsis finding success with its Season 2 midseason update. As a fellow Marvel Games title, with a recognizable cast of characters at their disposal, the similarities between the two games are hard to miss. Notably, there are several visual parallels betweenMarvel Tokon: Fighting Souls' andMarvel Rivals' Spider-Man designs.
Spider-Man Stands Out in Both Marvel Tokon and Marvel Rivals, Despite Their Differences
Spider-Man’s Design in Marvel Tokon Draws From Various Sources
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Soulscurrently features an eight-character roster, includingDoctor Doom as a playable character:
When the 4v4 fighting game debuted, it quickly made headlines for its smooth animation, Japanese dub, and distinct anime-like appearance, for which Arc System Works is known for. To illustrate,Iron Man’s suit inMarvel Tokon: Fighting Soulsmakes an impression because of its clear inspiration from Japanese mecha designs, giving it a distinctlyGundam-like andKamen Rider-esque effect. This change has been somewhat controversial among Marvel fans, with some excited about the mecha elements and others dissatisfied with how Iron Man differs from his more traditional Western appearances.
Similarly, Spider-Man’s base suit appears to draw from a variety of sources and media while retaining the traditional blue and red color scheme. One of the most prominent influences is the 1978 Japanese tokusatsu live-action series, particularly with the Spider Bracelet, which houses Spidey’s web-shooting fluid. Often referred to asToei Spider-Man or Japanese Spider-Man, this version of the character featured a recognizable set of gear, including the suit itself, the bracelet, Spider Strings, and a Spider Net.
Other references appear to be pulled fromThe Amazing Spider-Man(2012) and Insomniac’s Spider-Man suits, with the broader and more prominent spider logo displayed on the chest. The logo and wide animated lenses of his mask are also reminiscent ofBen Reilly, the Scarlet Spider. Both these features can also be found in NetEase Games' superhero shooterMarvel Rivals.
How Spider-Man’s Design Compares In Marvel Tokon and Marvel Rivals
It’s possibleMarvel Tokon: Fighting Souls' Spider-Man took cues fromMarvel Rivals’version, with striking similarities seen in the web patterning along the arms, large expressive lenses, and blue fingerless gloves. The web design is subtler in the fighting games’ version, whileMarvel Rivals’ Spider-Man suitis much bolder, despite both being modern redesigns of the same character. Additionally, the white soles on the sneakers ofMarvel Tokon: Fighting Souls’ suit sharply contrast with the red boots ofMarvel Rivals, which work to seamlessly blend into the rest of the suit.
Moreover, both feature expansive black spider designs on the torso. However, Arc System Works’ redesign adds a small red arachnid on the back as a potential nod to Spider-Man Ultimate costume, while NetEase Games’ design remains entirely black. Other significant distinctions appear in the color palette.Marvel Rivals’ costume primarily sticks to red and blue, with black accent lines. In contrast,Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls' Spider-Man garners attention with striking white and yellow accents around the hips and biceps, a splash of blue around the neck, and the absence of the web cartridge belt seen in older, more traditional suits.
