Tatsunoko vs. Capcom

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
It came Across The Border

Sometime in 2008, Capcom decided to make a return to the gameplay of the Marvel series, except that they had no idea which company they should crossover with, until anime studio Tatsunoko Productions phoned them in and asked them to make a Licensed Game based on their characters. Naturally, Capcom agreed... and merged the request with their own plans, thus resulting in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generations of Heroes, developed by 8ing (otherwise known for the Naruto Clash of Ninja series).

Initially starring Ken the Eagle, Jun the Swan, Neo-Human Casshern, Tekkaman, Yatterman-1 and his Stripperiffic nemesis Doronjo, Hurricane Polymar, Karas and Gold Lightan in the Tatsunoko side; (plus Hakushon Daimaou and Ippatsuman in the Wii version) and Ryu, Chun-Li, Alex, Batsu, Morrigan, Soki, Mega Man Volnutt, Roll (with a completely different moveset from her Marvel self) and the PTX-40A Vital Suit from Lost Planet representing Capcom (plus Saki, from Quiz Nanairo Dreams, and Viewtiful Joe in the Wii version, and the Big Bad of Okami as the game's boss in both the Arcade and Wii versions, for bonus fanservice), the game marks a return to the series' roots of frenetic two-on-two tag-team action - but with 3D graphics (though the game still plays on a 2D plane) and the combos ramped up big time. New mechanics introduced include the Mega Crash, which is akin to Guilty Gear's Burst (although the term itself originated from Capcom's Pocket Fighter, the mechanics and cost are essentially the same) and Baroque, which allows you to sacrifice your red life to cancel your current attack and gain a proportional, temporary power boost. The story is even more non-existent and laid out to you by the anime intro sequence (provided by Tatsunoko, of course): The characters all live in a TV show and and only exist to (surprise, surprise) beat the stinking crap out of each other.

On January 26, 2010, an Updated Rerelease to the game, entitled Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, was released in North America, with an international release to follow. Among the changes are the addition of online play, character balance tweaks, the removal of Hakushon Daimaoh (because his European licensors were quite stringy over him), still endings done by UDON Comics rather then the animated ones from Tatsunoko (due to licensing issues; those outside of Japan were not happy about that) and the addition of five new characters: Tekkaman Blade, Joe the Condor and Yatterman-2 in the Tatsunoko side, and Frank West and Zero in the Capcom side. The plot has also been updated. Why the heroes have to fight in order to defeat the Big Bad is still a guess however.

The home port is exclusive to the Wii - at least for now - mostly because the arcade machine used Wii-based hardware.

If you want a quick information about the characters in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Jew Wario of That Guy With The Glasses has provided a video for a quick but informative information about the company and the characters. Also, GamesRadar compiled their stories and the Tatsunoko character's anime intros.

On a serendipitous note, Marvel has recently entered into an agreement with Tatsunoko to make what appears to be a crossover anime between the two companies. Capcom, you know what must be done...


Tropes used in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom include:

PERFECT!

Alex when winning against Gold Lightan: "Gonna need to ice my hands after punching you so many times. You made of steel or somethin'?"
Kaijin No Soki when winning against Gold Lightan: I... WIIIIIIIN! Owww! My hands still quaver with pain!

(after winning against Ken The Eagle) "So you guys are ninjas who use science? I don't get it. What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"

Gold Lightan: You threw me! You really threw me! Are you human?!
PTX-40A pilot: Never thought I'd meet a person that could throw Ivan here. I don't know whether I should laugh or cry...

  • Practical Taunt: Polimar can charge up his attack power by taunting. This is represented by three Polimar emblems on the bottom of the screen; one lights up each time he taunts.
  • Public Domain Soundtrack: A remixed version of Offenbach's "Can-Can" plays during the credits roll of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (except when you win as Roll).
  • Rage Quit: Perhaps a bug of the game, but if someone ragequits a match online, it counts for a loss for the person who didn't quit.
  • Reunion Show: Or rather, reunion game for the Tatsunoko VAs. Come on, nearly all of the actors on the Tatsunoko side are the original cast! Heck, with Hakushon Daimaou (who voiced Dr. Nambu), Ken the Eagle and Jun the Swan (all of them in Cross Generation of Heroes, the genie gets replaced by Joe The Condor in Ultimate All-Stars), you pretty much have a Gatchaman reunion of sorts!
  • Rickroll: Referenced in the training stage rap song in the Japanese version. "I keeps it real, son! Not the type to Rick Roll ya."
  • Ryu and Ken: Averted. Playing with Name's the Same, Ken the Eagle plays differently from Ryu but he still serves as the poster boy for his company. Let's not forget about the Tekkamen. Very similar movsets, but wildly different executions.
  • Shout-Out: Check the page.
  • Spiritual Successor: This series is pretty much a follow-up to the Marvel vs. Capcom series.
  • Super Move Portrait Attack: The game has a special case where the portraits are really zoomed-in images of the models that actually move in accordance to the hyper move being done.
  • Tag Team
  • Title Scream
  • Trapped in TV Land: What seems to be the premise behind both games.
  • Updated Rerelease: Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars, as detailed in the opening paragraphs.
  • Video Game 3D Leap: This game is the first 3D fighting game of the whole Capcom vs. Whatever series.
  • Videogame Dashing
  • Wrote the Book: Joe The Condor's victory quote against Zero:

You've got speed, I'll give you that. But your textbook fighting style isn't gonna work on the man who wrote the book!