Sony and developer Arc System Works have revealed Savage Hulk and Shuri as Black Panther as the latest additions to Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls‘ 20-character starting roster – announced this weekend at EVO Japan, and completing the Avengers side of the lineup. It’s a genuinely significant double reveal for a game that’s shaping up as the spiritual successor to the beloved Marvel vs. Capcom series, and both characters bring meaningfully different playstyles to the table.
Savage Hulk arrives with a rich in-game backstory: S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America have exiled him to the Savage Land due to his “overwhelming power and instability,” which explains the striking dinosaur bone armor. Mechanically, he centres around a Gamma Gauge that players build through the match to trigger Gamma Rage mode – unlocking devastating one-shot attacks that will make him a high-risk, high-reward pick. Shuri, by contrast, is built for speed and reach – she wields the Spear of Bashenga for long-range pressure and deploys a Bast’s Blessing mode to dash in multiple directions across the map, making her look like an absolute handful to pin down.
With those two confirmed, the Avengers squad – rounding out alongside Captain America and Iron Man – is now fully locked in. The Guardians and X-Men teams are complete too, leaving six characters still to be revealed before the August 6 launch. Doctor Doom has already been confirmed as a villain representative, but heavy hitters like Thanos, Apocalypse, and Carnage remain on the table – and a symbiote tease at the end of the latest trailer has the community buzzing about a possible Cletus Kasady slot. Four additional characters are also confirmed for post-launch DLC.
This is Arc System Works’ first Marvel collaboration, following their acclaimed work on Dragon Ball FighterZ, and the 4v4 tag format has fighting game pros genuinely excited about its potential depth – similar to the hype cycle that surrounds major character announcements in other marquee fighters. The PS5 exclusivity sharpens that focus considerably, positioning Marvel Tokon as a tentpole release for the platform in a year where PlayStation’s exclusive lineup is under close watch. The August 6 slot – landing after Spider-Man: Brand New Day and just before Avengers: Doomsday – looks deliberately calculated to ride that Marvel wave at its peak.
Community reaction out of EVO Japan has been strong, with particular excitement around Savage Hulk’s visual design and theorycrafting around the remaining villain slots. The symbiote tease is dominating forum discussion, with fans debating whether it points to Carnage or a full Cletus Kasady/Symbiote duo – not unlike the speculative frenzy that followed recent shifts across the broader Marvel gaming landscape. Six characters left, and the villain squad is clearly where the biggest reveals are still hiding.
Are you more excited to smash through matches as Savage Hulk or outmanoeuvre opponents with Shuri? Let us know in the comments below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more breaking gaming news and Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls coverage.
