The List

7 Anime Casts That Need Their Own Arcade Game

Plenty of shonen anime titles make the predictable cross-over into the console battling arena. Series like One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, and Dragon Ball Z are obvious choices with casts full of super-powered characters ready to punch one another in the face. Some series haven't gotten their big beat-em-up in the sky despite an aggressive cast of characters while others just need a little imagination.

7. Ikki Tousen The girls of Ikki Tousen already received a clothes-destroying beat-em-up for the PlayStation 2. Yet, for reasons I cannot understand, the franchise hasn't been adapted into a series of arcade-style fighting games. Developers could keep the disappearing clothes gimmick as damage, incorporate the individual character's special abilities, (Hakufu's ability to read Chi could translate into a timed invulnerability) and throw these fighters at each other.

6. Shakugan no Shana Shakugan no Shana received both a Nintendo DS and a visual novel/action RPG hybrid game adaptation. The turn-based RPG only allows characters to play as Shana, which is unfortunate when some of the other characters would be equally, if not more fun. Margery Daw and her magic and werewolf abilities or sending out Khamsin and his golums would be tons of fun to control in battle.

5. Black Lagoon Black Lagoon's large cast of gun-wielding mercenaries and criminals would work best as tactical arcade fighter, since so much emphasis is placed on weaponry instead of magical abilities. The cast would also need trimmed to the most unique: Revy, Mr. Chang, Shenhua, Hänsel and Gretel, Sawyer the Cleaner, and Claude "Torch" Weaver to name a few.

4. Madoka Magica Honestly, I'd be surprised if a genuine Madoka Magica fighter was made, since it's not really in the spirit of the series to have Homura beat the crap out of Madoka. On the other hand, Sailor Moon got its arcade-style fighter (and puzzle game, and RPG) where the Sailor Soldiers duke it out, so why not? I'd be especially interested if witches were unlockable characters. After taking so much damage, Charlotte could transform into her larger caterpillar form and "finish her" in one large gulp.

3. Shuffle! Shuffle! isn't an obvious choice, but it lends itself perfectly to an arcade fighter. The girls can lay it all on the line for Rin's affections while also showing off their supernatural abilities. Sia can activate "Kikyou" mode when her HP gets too low, Nerine houses a destructive power and singing voice, and Kaede can attack her foes with a spatula after entering her berserker yandere rage.

2. Hetalia - Axis Powers Hetalia is full of pretty boys, but its pretty boys are ALSO anthropomorphisized versions of World War II era countries. It could easily be adapted into a gag-fighter, with Russia sending out an IS-2 tank against Germany's sturmpistole. It would be entirely tongue-in-cheek and adorable. On another note, I'm even more surprised a console or PC version of Risk with Hetalia characters isn't on the market.

1. Angelic Layer There's so much opportunity with Angelic Layer! Customizable dolls! Tournament-style battles! Training to improve stats! Konami basically repackaged this idea with Busou Shinki but it lacks CLAMP's cute character designs. The battle dolls in Angelic Layer have plenty of unique abilities to choose from, like speed, wind, flight, energy attacks and so forth. A format like Pokémon Stadium with updated graphics would lend itself nicely to an Angelic Layer game.

The new poll: A few weeks ago I asked which adorable anime orphan you'd adopt. This week, we're switching the roles in your favor: Which set of anime parents would you like to adopt you? Vote Here!

The old poll: Last week's poll had readers weigh in on their favorite unconventional anime club, and it came as little surprise that most would join Haruhi's crew in the SOS Brigade. Personally, I think dealing with a president like Haruhi would be a pain in the butt, but I guess the supernatural powers are worth it. Here's the full results:

1. SOS Brigade (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) 32.1%
2. Host Club (Ouran High School Host Club) 19.9%
3. Robotics Club (Robotics;Notes) 10.5%
4. Light Music Club (K-ON) 9.6%
5. Game Club (Higurashi: When They Cry) 7.1%
6. Living Assistance Club (Sket Dance) 6.9%
7. The Neighbors Club (Haganai) 6.8%
8. Paranormal Investigations Club (Dusk Maiden of Amnesia) 5.1%
9. Boys Ping Pong Club (Ping Pong Club) 0.9%
10. Light Club (Lychee Light Club) 0.9%