Arc System Works has released a new MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls gameplay trailer, revealing Blade, Loki and Deadpool as the final three characters joining the launch roster. The trio joins Robbie Reyes’ Ghost Rider to form the Samurai Outriders, the fifth and final team participating in the Challenge of the Champion.
Revealed during EVO 2026, the trailer gives us a first look at each character’s combat style while also introducing Asgard as a new multi-area stage. It also confirms that an open beta will take place shortly before the game launches on PlayStation 5 and PC.
Blade, Loki And Deadpool Join The Samurai Outriders
The Samurai Outriders bring together four characters who do not immediately look like a functional team. Ghost Rider, Blade, Loki and Deadpool all operate according to their own motives, and the official description makes it clear that they will not begin the story as a united group. Their relationship will develop through the game’s Episode Mode as they face a growing threat to the Marvel Universe.
It is a deliberately chaotic lineup, but that also makes it one of the most interesting teams revealed so far. Each member brings a completely different personality and fighting style, ranging from Blade’s direct aggression to Loki’s illusions and Deadpool’s unpredictable fourth-wall-breaking attacks.
Blade Is An Aggressive Close-Range Hunter
Blade appears to be the most straightforward attacker in the new MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls trailer.
His version of Eric Brooks has completed additional training in Japan and now carries Muramasa, a demon-slaying sword with enough power to cut through gods. The sword normally remains sealed, limiting its full strength. However, Blade can awaken its power during battle, causing the weapon to glow red and improving his sword-based techniques.
His fighting style focuses on aggressively closing the distance and preventing opponents from escaping. Blade can use swords, guns and glaives, giving him options at several ranges. However, his main objective appears to be getting close enough to apply constant pressure with fast and powerful slashes.
One of his unique abilities is Heartstopper, which allows him to throw a stake that pins his opponent in place. Blade can then rapidly close the distance and continue his attack. Successfully landing the move also activates Muramasa’s red glow, strengthening Blade’s sword skills and rewarding players for maintaining offensive momentum.
Of the three newly revealed characters, Blade currently looks like the easiest to understand. He is built around pursuing opponents, controlling space with weapons and converting a successful opening into heavy damage.
Loki Relies On Illusions, Counters And Misdirection
Loki takes a very different approach. Rather than overpowering opponents directly, the God of Mischief uses illusions, feints and counters to force players into making mistakes.
His attacks include magical projectiles, ice-based abilities and unusual movement options. The trailer also shows Loki using copies of himself to disguise his real position and create pressure from unexpected angles. This should make him one of the more technical characters in the roster.
Loki’s greatest strength appears to be his ability to manipulate an opponent’s expectations. He can present what looks like an obvious opening before responding with a counter or disappearing behind an illusion.
However, Arc System Works has also warned that Loki may be heavily punished when opponents successfully identify his tricks. That risk-and-reward structure suits the character. Loki should be extremely frustrating when controlled by someone who understands their opponent’s habits, but his deception may become much less effective once his patterns are recognised.
The game’s version of Loki is also attempting to leave his villainous past behind and become a hero. Whether the rest of the Samurai Outriders believe him is another question.
Deadpool Brings Fighting Game References And Reckless Attacks
Deadpool may be the most unusual character shown in the trailer. Wade Wilson fights using his familiar combination of swords, guns and explosives, but his healing factor allows him to use attacks that would be too dangerous for anyone else.
Several of his techniques involve intentionally taking damage or placing himself in risky situations. This suggests that Deadpool may reward players who are comfortable sacrificing health or position in exchange for stronger attacks.
His moveset also takes the character’s fourth-wall-breaking humour much further. In MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, Deadpool has somehow obtained a strategy guide from outside the game’s universe. The guide gives him access to techniques inspired by famous fighting games, allowing Arc System Works to include references to the wider genre directly within his moveset.
The trailer appears to show him copying or parodying recognisable fighting game attacks while commenting on the battle around him, which is a very Deadpool approach to character design. Instead of treating him as another sword-and-gun user, Arc System Works has built his personality into the actual mechanics. His unpredictability does not come only from random jokes but from attacks that deliberately ignore the normal rules of the game.
Nolan North also returns as the voice of Deadpool, which should make the character feel familiar to players who remember his previous appearances in Marvel games.
Ghost Rider Completes The Team
Ghost Rider was already part of the original MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls announcement, but the new trailer finally reveals the characters who will fight beside him. Robbie Reyes leads the Samurai Outriders and brings his supernatural flames, chains and Dodge Charger into battle. His position as the team leader gives the group a central figure, although managing Blade, Loki and Deadpool is unlikely to be easy.
The team also has a clear supernatural theme. Blade hunts vampires, Loki brings Asgardian magic, Ghost Rider channels the Spirit of Vengeance and Deadpool survives almost anything thrown at him. They may not be the Midnight Sons, as Arc System Works jokingly points out, but the Samurai Outriders still feel like the game’s closest equivalent to a supernatural antihero team.
Asgard Becomes A Five-Area Battle Stage
The trailer also reveals Asgard as a new playable stage. Rather than acting as a single static background, the stage is divided into five different areas:
- Observatory
- Bifrost Bridge
- Throne Room
- Treasure Vault
- Yggdrasil
Stage transitions have been an important part of MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls since its reveal. Battles can move between connected locations, changing the background and potentially affecting how each team approaches the match.
Asgard appears designed to showcase that system on a larger scale. The Bifrost Bridge and Yggdrasil provide the expected iconic locations, while the Treasure Vault and Throne Room allow the stage to explore areas associated with Asgardian history and power.
The environment also gives Loki a natural home stage while providing plenty of opportunities for Marvel references in the background.
The final launch roster now has 20 characters
Blade, Loki and Deadpool complete the fifth and final launch team, bringing the initial MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls roster to 20 characters. The roster is divided into five teams, including heroes, villains and antiheroes from across the Marvel Universe:
- Unbreakable X-Men
- Amazing Guardians
- Fighting Avengers
- Knights of Doom
- Samurai Outriders
Instead of organising every team according to traditional comic book affiliations, the game places familiar characters into new groups created specifically for its story.
The Samurai Outriders are probably the clearest example of this approach. Ghost Rider, Blade, Loki and Deadpool are not normally presented as a regular team, but their conflicting personalities should give Episode Mode plenty of material to explore. The unusual lineup also gives players four very different gameplay styles within a single group.
Blade Will Be Playable In The July Open Beta
Arc System Works has confirmed that a global MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls open beta will run from July 24 to July 26 on PlayStation 5 and PC. Blade will be available as a playable character during the beta.
Further details about the available roster, stages, modes and registration process will be announced closer to the event. A PlayStation account will be required to participate, including for the PC version.
The beta arrives less than two weeks before the full release, giving players one final opportunity to test the combat system and online performance ahead of launch. It should also provide a much clearer picture of how Blade’s Muramasa mechanic works during actual matches.
Character Guide Trailers Are Coming Before Launch
Arc System Works plans to release individual character guide trailers for every playable fighter. These videos will offer a more detailed look at each character’s normal attacks, special skills, super moves, ultimate abilities, colour options and assist type.
The team reveal trailer establishes the overall identity of Blade, Loki and Deadpool, but the upcoming guides should explain exactly how their mechanics function within the game’s 4v4 system.
This will be particularly important for Loki and Deadpool, as both characters appear to use unconventional mechanics that may be difficult to understand from a fast-paced reveal trailer alone. Dedicated breakdowns should make it easier to see how Loki’s illusions and Deadpool’s self-damaging attacks can be used competitively.
Marvel Tōkon’s Final Team May Be Its Strangest
The Samurai Outriders trailer ends the roster reveals on a strong note. Blade looks fast and aggressive, Loki brings a more technical deception-based playstyle, and Deadpool appears to be a collection of fighting game jokes turned into a fully playable character. Combining them with Ghost Rider creates a team that should be entertaining both in combat and throughout Episode Mode.
The trailer also reinforces what makes MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls stand out from other Marvel fighting games. Arc System Works is not simply adapting familiar comic book designs. It is reinterpreting the characters through its own visual style and building new mechanics around their personalities.
With the 20-character launch roster now complete, the main question is how well all five teams will interact within the ambitious 4v4 battle system. MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls launches on August 6, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store.
