At Anime Expo 2025, Arc System Works gave me the chance to sit down with the upcoming fighting game, HunterxHunter NenxImpact, for half an hour of nonstop 3D fighting anime action. Even as someone who isn’t a fan of fighting games usually, but is a fan of this original anime series, it was a ton of fun.
The demo preview for HunterxHunter NenxImpact was pretty simple: there was a training mode and a free battle mode. The training mode was a neat place to really get into the nitty-gritty of how each of the playable characters works and what types of moves they have. I used this for a bit of time to get used to each person and their playset.
The game makes it quite easy to see how the moves work and get accustomed to the controls. Once I was done messing around here, I was able to jump into the free battles and use my newfound skills against the CPU and other players around the venue.
How Battles and Playable Characters Work
This is where the real enjoyment of HunterxHunter NenxImpact began. The battles in this fighting game are 3v3, allowing you to pick three different characters to go up against your opponents. For the purposes of this demo, there were only six playable characters to choose from.
The six characters that were available were Gon, Killua, Leorio, Kurapika, Hisoka, and Chairman Netero. It is likely that there will be plenty more characters beyond these six in the full release, especially since there were no villains with the exception of Hisoka (depending on how you look at him). You could even see the missing question marks for the other fighters in the character selection screen.
Each of the six characters has wildly different abilities and playstyles. In the end, Hisoka and Kurapika were my two favorites with Killua coming up after that. Characters like Kurapika and Killua have strong, longer-range abilities that can make fights more intriguing for shorter-range characters like Gon.
In addition, other characters like Netero are experts when it comes to juggling and ensuring that you have a long combo of whacking a foe around for some serious damage. Thankfully, though, the fights boil down to some pretty basic controls.
How the Controls Work
There are roughly three main attacks you can use to string up combos. Even as a beginner, I was able to mash away at the three main buttons and get some decent combos that were worthy enough of dealing some healthy enough damage.
You can then mix that in with some Nen charging that will have the character charge up their Nen powers for even better abilities. Then there are the bumpers and triggers, which you can use for special abilities and team-up attacks.
The team attacks are some of the best abilities you are able to use in the game. This is where one of the two reserve party members jumps in and uses a skill of their own to help out in the fight, or you are able to switch to them mid-battle.
There is something so satisfying about chaining up some attacks, then having one reserve character come in and use an ability, and then finishing off the foe with your ultimate. Speaking of the ultimates, each character has a unique cutscene for their attacks that uses some of the anime and manga lore for the attack.
For instance, you have Kurapika with his chains and Netero with the giant golden statue. Each of these attacks is so flashy and fun to see that it never got old even after using them a couple of dozen times in the window of time I was previewing this game.
HunterxHunter NenxImpact Is Absolutely Stunning
After all, HunterxHunter NenxImpact has such an incredible presentation. This is Arc System Works, after all, that revolutionized how an anime fighting game should look with Dragon Ball FighterZ. This is a bit more traditional with the 3D characters on the flat 2D plane, but the style is still impressive and unforgettable.
The HunterxHunter characters translate so well from their anime counterparts to 3D models that look great. The characters are so sharp in their designs and appear better than most 3D anime in existence. It helps, too, that the arenas are also a treat to look at.
For the purposes of this preview, there were only three arenas to pick from. There was a grassy terrain that was reminiscent of any general outdoor area in the anime and manga series, but perhaps was inspired by the Greed Island Arc.
There was also a more desert-looking area that reminded me of when Kurapika took on the Phantom Troupe, but this was in the daytime rather than nighttime. Finally, there was the welcome Heavens Arena, which was by far the most brilliant and interesting place to fight.
Characters move so smoothly, transitioning from each move animation to another with ease. This gameplay control is a bit faster than some other fighting games I have played in the past, so it was more appealing to me as a whole. At the same time, though, the faster gameplay doesn’t sacrifice the depth and potential for canceling out moves and the like.
I will say, though, that the speed of the attacks does mean you have to be precise in what you do. It takes some true skill and mastery to be able to quickly transition to canceling out moves and guarding. Worse still, it is very easy to chain up attacks and juggle foes so it is possible to get decimated with one fatal mistake in a fight.
Since the fights are 3v3, this does mean you essentially have three “lives” in a way. Once one fighter goes down, the battle is not over just yet. The next fighter will come out and no one wins the fight until all three characters of the opposing team are eliminated. This does add some potential, too, for comebacks if you switch characters at the right moment before they are defeated.
NenxImpact Is Appealing to Even Fighting Game Newcomers
In addition, HunterxHunter NenxImpact is one of the most welcoming anime fighting games I have played in a long time. As someone who doesn’t enjoy this genre often, this game has the right mix of depth and approachability to players of all skill levels.
I am by no means a good player at fighting games but I was still able to quickly learn without the steep learning curve that a lot of similar games in the genre have. If you are a fan of this series, there is no reason not to check this game out and see what it’s all about.
In fact, I now have plans to check out HunterxHunter NenxImpact upon its impending full release whereas this wasn’t the case at all prior to the demo at Anime Expo 2025. Fighting games just usually aren’t my thing, but this preview was enough to warrant me checking out the full experience.
This is especially so because I am interested to see what the full game offers upon release. These characters are great and all, but I certainly hope to see Meruem and members of the Phantom Troupe as fighter options. There are so many excellent characters that could make sense here.
In addition, I want to know more about the game modes that will be offered. A dedicated story mode retelling the events of the manga and anime series thus far would be a nice treat, but for now, it remains to be seen how deep the modes will be in the full game.
Regardless, HunterxHunter NenxImpact impressed me with how the gameplay feels just deep enough without overwhelming the player. The excellent 3D anime-style presentation coupled with how unique each character feels to play has me excited to play a fighting game again for the first time since Arc System Works’ other anime title, Dragon Ball FighterZ.
