Zatch Bell!, known in Japan as Konjiki no Gash!!, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Raiku. It was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday between January 2001 and December 2007, with its chapters collected in thirty-three tankōbon volumes. The series follows the title character Zatch Bell, a mystical being called a Mamodo, who is partnered with a 14-year-old schoolboy Kiyo Takamine for a once-a-millennium tournament on Earth that determines the right to rule the Mamodo world as king. During their adventure, Zatch and Kiyo encounter and battle various Mamodo and their human partners, and meet allies who aid Zatch in his quest to become a kind king.
Makoto Kawada, known by the pen name Makoto Raiku, is a manga artist known for creating the Zatch Bell! franchise. Starting off an assistant for Kazuhiro Fujita on his manga Ushio & Tora, he began creating several one-shots for the Weekly Shōnen Sunday shōnen manga anthology such as Bird Man, Hero Ba-Ban and Genmai Blade. By 1999, he had created the series Newtown Heroes, which was published in Shōnen Sunday Super, a seasonal publication featuring upcoming manga artists and one-shots from the main Sunday book.
Kiyo Takamine, known in the original version as Kiyomaro Takamine and his Mamodo partner Zatch Bell, known in the original version as Gash Bell, are fictional characters in the anime and manga franchise Zatch Bell! by Makoto Raiku. Mamodos are beings from another world with supernatural powers. The series begins when Kiyo, by the request of his father, is told to take care of Zatch. Eventually, they become involved in a tournament between Mamodos where the winner becomes king of the Mamodo World.
Naruto: Clash of Ninja is a 3-D cel-shaded fighting game developed by Eighting and published by D3 Publisher and Tomy. It is based on the popular anime and manga series Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto, and the first installment of the Naruto: Clash of Ninja video game series. In the game, players pit two characters from the Naruto manga and anime series against each other, using basic attacks and special techniques to defeat their opponent in one of the game's modes.
Fighting Mania: Fist of the North Star, released in Japan as Punch Mania: Hokuto no Ken, is a boxing game based on the manga series Fist of the North Star released by Konami in 2000 as a coin-operated arcade game.
Battle Stadium D.O.N (バトルスタジアムＤＯＮ) is a 2006 Japanese crossover fighting game developed by Eighting and Q Entertainment and published by Namco Bandai Games for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. The "D.O.N." in the game's title is derived from Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, and Naruto, the three manga series published by Weekly Shōnen Jump upon which the game is based. Both versions of the game received a rating of 26 out of 40 from Weekly Famitsu.
Zatch Bell! Mamodo Fury is a fighting game released on the PlayStation 2. The original Japanese version was published by Bandai at the end of 2004, after merging with Namco but before the formation of Namco Bandai Games. The subsequent international releases and the GameCube versions were published under Namco Bandai Games. The game is based on the Zatch Bell! franchise.
Naruto: Clash of Ninja, released in Japan as Naruto: Gekitō Ninja Taisen!, is a series of 3D cel-shaded fighting games based on the manga and anime series Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto. They are developed by Eighting and published by D3 Publisher and Tomy. The series began with four GameCube games, with the first two available internationally and the last two released exclusively in Japan, before splitting into two parallel Wii-exclusive follow-up series: the Gekitō Ninja Taisen EX tetralogy released exclusively in Japan and its international counterpart, the Clash of Ninja: Revolution trilogy. The two Wii series share the same gameplay mechanics, but differ with respect to content and characters, with the international Revolution series being based on a localized version of the Naruto anime series. The first half of the original series and the entire Revolution trilogy are available in North America and Europe, the first two Revolution games are available in Australasia and all games in the series except the Revolution trilogy are available in Japan.
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja, known in Japan as the Naruto: Narutimate Series, is a series of fighting video games, based on the popular manga and anime series Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto. It was developed by CyberConnect2, and published by Bandai and later Bandai Namco Games. The first game was released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2, and was followed by four more titles for the system, as well as five spinoffs for the PlayStation Portable. A follow-up for the PlayStation 3, titled Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, was the first to feature three-dimensional battles, and began the long-running Storm sub-series. While starting out as a series exclusive to the PlayStation family of systems, the series has also been present on Xbox and PC platforms since the release of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 for the Xbox 360 and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst for Windows, respectively. Latest releases were also ported to the Nintendo Switch. The Naruto: Ultimate Ninja series sold over 20 million copies worldwide as of December 2019.
Bleach: Heat the Soul is a series of 3-D cel-shaded fighting games for the PSP based on the manga and anime series Bleach by Tite Kubo. Each installment was developed by Eighting and published by SCEI. All installments have been released only in Japan.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, released in Japan as Dragon Ball Z: Sparking!, is a series of fighting games developed by Spike based on the Dragon Ball manga series by Akira Toriyama. The series was published by Namco Bandai Games in Japan and Europe, and by Atari in North America and Australia until 2008. Since Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Bandai Namco has handled Dragon Ball game publishing in all regions, effectively ending Atari's involvement.
Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors is a series of fighting games based on the Dragon Ball franchise. The first game was developed by Arc System Works and Cavia and was released for the Game Boy Advance on June 22, 2004. A sequel, Supersonic Warriors 2, was released in 2005 for the Nintendo DS.
The first season, retroactively titled level 1, of the Zatch Bell! anime series was directed by Tetsuji Nakamura and Yukio Kaizawa and produced by Toei Animation. Based on the manga series by Makoto Raiku, the plot follows the adventures of Zatch Bell, a Mamodo who is sent to Earth and partnered with the human Kiyo Takamine for a battle that adjudges the new monarchy of the Mamodo world. The first season of the TV series, known formally as Konjiki no Gash Bell!!, ran from April 6, 2003, to March 28, 2004, on Fuji TV. The season adapts volumes 1 through 11 of the manga, and also features original, self-contained subplots.
The second season, titled level 2, of the Zatch Bell! anime series was directed by Tetsuji Nakamura and Yukio Kaizawa and produced by Toei Animation. Based on the manga series by Makoto Raiku, the season follows the Mamodo Zatch Bell and his human partner Kiyo Takamine as they stand against the devious Mamodo Zofis and a legion of past-generation Mamodo. The second season of the TV series, known formally as Konjiki no Gash Bell!!, ran from April 4, 2004, to March 27, 2005, on Fuji TV. The season adapts volumes 11 through 18 of the manga, and features several self-contained story arcs and an episode special.
The third and final season, titled level 3, of the Zatch Bell! anime series was directed by Tetsuji Nakamura and Yukio Kaizawa and produced by Toei Animation. Based on the manga series by Makoto Raiku, the Mamodo Rioh brings Faudo into the tournament, presenting an existential threat to Zatch Bell, his human partner Kiyo Takamine, and all their friends; and Zatch confronts his begrudging twin brother Zeno Bell. The third season of the TV series, known formally as Konjiki no Gash Bell!!, aired in Japan from April 3, 2005, to March 26, 2006, on Fuji TV. The season adapts volumes 18 through 22 of the manga. Toei proactively scripted a portion of the season's plot as a delay resulted in the manga lagging behind the anime; this truncated plotline is roughly parallel to volumes 23 through 29.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, known in Japan as Naruto Shippuden: Narutimate Storm 2 is a fighting game developed by CyberConnect2. It is the second installment in the Ultimate Ninja Storm series, and the sequel to Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm published by Namco Bandai Games. It is based on the anime and manga series Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto, and was released in late-2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. As a sequel to Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, the story and cast are based on their Part II manga appearances, known in the anime as Naruto Shippuden. The game mainly stars title character Naruto Uzumaki, a teenage ninja, and his fights against the Akatsuki terrorist organization.
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage, originally released in Japan as Hokuto Musou, is a 3D beat 'em up for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by Omega Force and published by Tecmo Koei. It is a spin-off of the Dynasty Warriors series based on the manga franchise Fist of the North Star by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara. It was first released in Japan on March 25, 2010, and it was released in North America on November 2, 2010 and in Europe on November 5. A sequel, Ken's Rage 2, was announced with a surprise trailer at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June 2012. New playable characters and story arcs are featured, and the game was released in Japan on December 2012.
