Countdown | 3 Series We Need in Jump Force

What series do you want to see? With Jump Force open beta weekend over fans could not be more excited for the game’s official release. With the game scheduled for release on February 15th, fans eagerly await confirmation on the final roster. As of now there are over 30 confirmed. This actually includes popular franchises such a One Piece and Dragon Ball, as well as classics like Rurouni Kenshin and newcomers like Boku no Hero Academia. Jump Force has set out to more than please its massive anime/gaming fanbase and is so far exceeding expectations. With surprise inclusions like Yugi and Boruto joining the fray, we can’t help but wonder what other surprises await.

With less than a month to go, we’re taking a look at the series we really hope make the cut. As the game is exclusively Shonen Jump titles, we won’t even glance series not under the label. This means fan favorites like Fairy Tail, One Punch Man or Tokyo Ghoul are out. We’ve scanned Shonen Jump’s long history of successful titles and pulled out a few that were born for this game. Lets see who deserves a shot at going toe to toe with the likes of Naruto and Gon.

Series Number 3: D. Gray-Man

Could we start the list anywhere else? First published in Weekly Shonen Jump back in May 2004, D. Gray-man was without a doubt one of the most popular series of that time. The series follows main protagonist Allen Walker as he joins the Black Order exorcists. The Exorcists fight against the deadly Noah Family and their Akuma with the use of their holy weapons the innocents. D. Gray-man was a bestseller in Japan and the New York Times for consecutive years. With its unique take on fantasy and religion, it’s no wonder the series took off as it did. It easily lands itself in our Top 3.

As an action based series like so many other, D. Gray-man has no shortage of viable candidates to join the Jump Force roster. The obvious choice would of course be Allen Walker himself who is at the series core. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see Allen’s Crown Clown clash with Ichigo’s Zangetsu? His mid ranged combat abilities makes him versatile and seeing him in Unreal graphics would be quite the treat.

Allen isn’t the only one we’d love to see. The ever essential swordsman Yu Kanda is a must. Allen’s primary rival and an absolute savage with his innocence sword Mugen and regenerative abilities, he seems like a mush. Kanda is more than ready to go toe to toe with Zoro and master samurai Kenshin.

And lest we forget a little female representation in the form of our D. Gray-man best girl Lenalee Lee. I’ll be the one to say it . . . . have you seen the legs on that girl? As if her innocence Dark Boots wasn’t deadly enough, Lenalee is one of the few female supporting characters in shonen genre series with real time spent in the spotlight. Lenalee has had many a battle and, like Allen and Kanda as well as Lavi, has had her innocence evolve. Though recently she has been seen less, fans would love to see Lenalee’s footwork on the Jump Force battlefield.

Series Number 2: Katekyō Hitman Reborn!

How could we not choose Katekyō Hitman Reborn! It was an epic in its own right. The series stood toe to toe with the Big 3 at the peak of its 2006 to 2010 run. When a literally baby in a suit shows up and tells veritable nobody Tsunayoshi Sawada that he’s been chosen as the tenth boss of the Vongola mafia family we were all hooked. While it started off a bit more comedic than most, Reborn launched into an action/adventure epic and never slowed down. From the moment Tsuna and his ragtag band of would be family members are forced to face Makuro and his delinquents, things took off. Reborn! grew with Tsuna as he made friends, confessed to the girl of his dreams and accepted his role as the 10th Family Boss.


How could we not want to see the Vongola hard hitters come out to play in Jump Force? The thing about Reborn! is that there are just so many characters to choose from. From main protagonist Tsuna and his trusty mentor Reborn himself to his chosen Vongola guardians. How are we supposed to decide? Gokudera and his firepower, Yamamoto and swordsmanship, mad boxer Ryohei or my personal favorite Kyoya Hibari and all his hyper aggressive savagery, the options are way too much. Tsuna himself would be the prime pick for certain. With his fighting style being an off kilter mix between melee and ranged as his weapon of choice, a pair of gloves, also allows him to fly – sort of – and shoot energy, he’d make for some interesting match ups for sure.

But let’s be real, if we could, we’d take the entire 10th Vongola Family Guardian set. If we could we’d also take the Varia, Dino and of course, the ever beloved Arcobaleno. Bonus points if we get both their baby and adult forms.

Honorable Mentions

Before we reveal our Number 1, I personally want to take a quick look at a few series that didn’t make the list but should definitely be given some consideration.

Beelzebub

It’s very rare these days to have a conversation about anime these days without it eventually drifting to the phrase “have you seen Beelzebub?”. One of the better known titles in recent history with a run from February 2009 to March of 2015, Beelzebub deserves some consideration if it hasn’t already been given. We’d love to see budding High School delinquent / Demon Lord Tatsumi Oga and Baby Beel.

Gintama

There’s not much to say really. Gintama is a unique series with a unique premise that has stood the test of time. Part of the Weekly Shonen Jump publication from 2003 right up until last year when it moved to Jump Giga, the series longevity speaks for itself. For all his parodic humor, Gintoki Sakata is worth consideration for a seat at the Jump Force table.

Bobobōbo Bōbobo

GIVE THE MAN A SEAT AT THE TABLE. Between 2001 to 2005 this magical series ran as part of the Weekly Shonen Jump publication. There was even a hilarious anime to follow in 2003. Fighting with the ever powerful Fist of the Nose Hair,  Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo would make an amazingly unique entry to Jump Force. With his huge yellow afro and even larger personality Bo-Bobo deserves his chance to shine. I mean, if Yugi can make the cut, anyone can

Medaka Box

If not solely by virtue of being on of the few shonen female leads to carry a series, then how about the fact that she’s an epic badass? Medaka Box ran from 2009 to 2013 and it was such a trip. It lured us all in with the promise of a slice of life story of a girl taking over her high school student council before taking a hard left into the action and adversity of the Specials, Abnormals, Minuses and Not Equals. While we all eagerly await the return of the anime for a 3rd season which will hopefully take us to the end of the manga’s story, we’d quite easily settle for Kurokami Medaka making an appearance in Jump Force. Bonus points if everyone’s favorite loser Misogi Kumagawa comes with her.

Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma

Strictly because of its surprising popularity, especially in recent years , we’ve go to pay some mind to Soma and the Totsuki chefs. Going strong since November 2012, Food Wars has hit home with countless fans world wide. I’m not going to pretend this one is driven by anything other than personal desire. Could we really see Soma clashing knife to sword with Kenshin? Not really, but seeing as the game is set to have a comprehensive story mode, wouldn’t it be fun to see Soma and company as non playable NPCs? Hell, we’d even settle for a bit of Totsuki spliced into one of the arena backgrounds.  To have a title this popular and not include it in the biggest game under your label in some shape or form would be more than just criminal but also a massively missed opportunity.

Number 1: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

Way back in 1987 this little gem came into existence. Although it left the Weekly Shonen Jump publication in 2004 the manga still lives on today. With a thriving new anime, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind which launched last October, it seems like a no brainer that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure not only make our list. JoJo’s is without question one of the series with a powerful cult following, from cosplay to references. It’s near impossible to go out and not meet a JoJo’s fan even outside of anime conventions and for that reason we had to give it the Number 1 spot.

The series follows the story of the Joestar family who are destined to take down supernatural foes with their varying unique powers. The manga, and by extension the anime, is split into 8 different parts giving the story various main protagonists to choose from. With that, there is no easy pick for the Jump Force roster other than – why not all of them? Jonathan and Joseph are the OGs but there’s also Jotaro and Josuke. All these guys would bring something to the arena and set fan’s hearts ablaze. JoJo’s also features an interesting mix of antagonist and support characters that would more than gel into this over the top fighter where worlds collide.

At the time of writing this some leaked images may have just confirmed Jotaro and Dio’s inclusion in the game. That said however, without an official announcement we’re left to wonder if they will in fact be playable or, like Light and Ryuk, just a dose of fan fodder.

Are there any series you’d like to see featured in Jump Force that we missed? Who’s your favorite in the roster so far? Jump Force officially drops on February 15th 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In the age of digital content, DLC is always an option but wouldn’t it be great if the opening roster delivered all on its own? Be sure to check back for more Jump Force updates.

Adrian Moses

A massive biggest One Piece fan who just wants to spend his days on a world adventure.