While I’ve heard the name My Hero Academia before, my limited (and quite dated) knowledge of anime from the last few decades means that for a game like this I don’t have a dog in the fight over how well it manages to honor the source of its inspiration. As a fan of great games, especially fighting titles that can manage to grab me quickly and feel fresh and fun though, I’m always more than willing to give things a spin. In the case of All’s Justice, I’d say I’ve walked away with a generally positive impression.

The one thing that I immediately appreciated, and it’s something that many titles in this space have tended to fall down on, is the game’s approach to getting new players on board. This comes from a combination of it being easy to find and follow the in-game tutorials (though some of the terminology can take getting used to), and what ends up being a surprisingly easy to pick up set of essential controls. The number of moves you’ll have at your disposal certainly feels more limited compared to some of the competition, but the more you play around with your roster of 3 characters you’ll be fighting with at a time, especially when you switch between them in the midst of your combos, it can still feel quite robust. Throw in the variety of very distinctive (and sometimes very weird) fighters you have to choose from, stylish visuals to spare, and the degree of over-the-top attitude of it all and even if you’re not familiar with the anime there’s still fun to be had here.

In that vein though I’d say one disappointment is that the game fails to capitalize on helping the uninitiated get better acquainted with the franchise in any way that’s helpful. There is a Story mode, but rather than attempt to give you much of any grounding in the overall world, it revolves around specific events that may be fun to revisit for fans, but won’t likely provide much insight to newcomers. That said, even if you don’t have someone to play with, you’ll discover plenty of modes to explore, with each offering their own flavor, putting you in the shoes of different characters and teams, and even including a bunch of arcade-style mini games that may not be amazing, but still serve as a nice distraction if you just want to unwind. While Academia fans are obviously the target audience here, for fighting fanatics who are simply looking for something with personality and some incredible visuals, it may still be fun to enjoy with your friends as you work it all out together.