Arc System Works released a new trailer for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls on May 2, confirming that Black Panther and Hulk are part of the game’s roster and its “Fighting Avengers” team. While those aren’t the most shocking fighter announcements, what came as a surprise is that Shuri will be the Black Panther in the tag-team fighting game, not T’Challa.
In games like Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Marvel’s Avengers, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance, T’Challa version of Black Panther has been the one featured or playable. Black Panther is a mantle passed down through generations, though, so other characters have taken it up in the comics and movies. The in-development Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra will feature Azzuri — T’Challa and Shuri’s grandfather — as the playable Black Panther.
Following Chadwick Boseman’s death in 2020, Disney decided not to recast T’Challa and made Shuri the MCU’s Black Panther. This has basis in the comics, as the character took on the mantle for the first time in 2009 and has done so again on a few other occasions since. Now, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is the first console game to give Shuri a prominent role as the primary Black Panther.
In a PlayStation Blog post, Arc System Works confirms that Shuri is the ruler of Wakanda in the game’s universe, although she has only recently assumed that role. The developers also state they designed her to be a “sleek” and “acrobatic” character who moves quickly and excels at mid-range combat.
I really like the decision to make Shuri Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls’ Black Panther. It’s not only a clever bit of MCU synergy, but it also adds more gender diversity to a roster that very easily could become dominated by male superheroes and supervillains. I tend to enjoy faster characters in fighting games too, so I’ll definitely be adding her to my team during my first match. Hulk, also revealed in this latest trailer, looks like a lot of fun too.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls will be released for PC and PS5 on August 6. Black Panther will be playable later this May in the demo build available at Combo Breaker 2026 and Hong Kong Comic Con 2026.
