As a fan of Halloween and the general spooky spirit of the season, I've always loved the traditional aesthetic and familiar sights of the holiday. Whether it's skeletons, ghosts, Frankenstein's monster, mummies, witches, vampires, I'm into all of those freaks and creeps. As you'd expect, Capcom's famed fighting game series Darkstalkers has always interested me, since that whole franchise is centered around these established pop culture monsters. Believe it or not, I've never actually played any Darkstalkers games, but ever since I first learned about the series, they've been on my list to check out.
While the series doesn't receive new games anymore, Darkstalkers has remained relevant in the gaming scene for thirty years. Most people know the franchise from the iconic video games, but the series did expand into other forms of media as well. There are a few different comic books, manga and novels, with many of them being exclusive to Japan. There was also a poorly received American cartoon series, and an acclaimed Japanese OVA series. For our 2025 series of Halloween articles, I decided to watch and review the OVA series. I don't anticipate it being a lengthy review, as the entirety of the series was only four episodes.
Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge was produced in 1997 and served as an anime adaptation of the video game of the same name. The series was handled by famed studio Madhouse, and supposedly many of the staff working on Mobile Suit Gundam Wing did work on this OVA. If that is true, I'd believe it, as the animation in this show is absolutely breathtaking. Starting as a fighting game series, you'd hope that any adaptation would ensure to accurately capture the dynamic, fast-paced fighting showcased in the video games. I'm happy to report that is top-notch in every way. Every single fight scene is riveting and fluid, and I found myself on the edge of my seat as the various Darkstalkers duked it out on screen. The last couple of episodes had several wild fight scenes involving the chief antagonist Pyron that left me in awe, just in total admiration of the art and the quality of the animation.
The story was the weakest element of the series for me, which was disappointing given the fascinating universe and expanded lore present in the video games. I had to do some research after finishing the show to get more context on the wider story and who these characters are. To summarize it briefly, Darkstalkers' story spans across both Earth and a demon realm called Makai. These two planes are converging and it's causing Darkstalkers (essentially just mythological creatures from legends and folklore) to enter into the human world. The humans are understandably horrified at the sudden appearance of all of these monsters from fairy tales, especially because it seems like the Darkstalkers generally despise humanity.
The plot follows a few different stories, each involving familiar faces from the Darkstalkers franchise. Unfortunately, this approach didn't really allow for any sort of meaningful story to unfold across the show's already limited run time. The closest thing we have to a protagonist is the dhampir (half human/half Darkstalker) Donovan, a Buddhist monk who strives to wipe out all of the Darkstalkers from the universe, and overcome the evil that he feels in his own blood. Donovan's portrayal is excellent and he's a capable, believable star for the story, it just didn't feel like the story was structured in a way to really let him shine. We also see franchise icons like Felicia (the blue-haired cat girl), Demitri and Morrigan (arguably the face of the franchise), as they each pursue their own missions. Eventually, Pyron (an alien who looks like a giant flaming humanoid with horns) comes to Earth and aims to wipe out all life. The powerful Darkstalkers are the only ones who can potentially stop him.
I think they tried to convey the lives and relationships that each of the various Darkstalkers have with each other and with the wider world; pulling from the character-focused stories showcased in the video games. Again, this unfortunately wasn't handled well with such a limited runtime. It leads to a somewhat disorganized, confusing plot that bounces around trying to cover too much in too little time. We also didn't even get to see several different characters get any focus whatsoever. My favorite characters, Sasquatch and Anakaris, were only shown briefly as Darkstalkers that Pyron annihilated. I think they could've centered the story around Donovan and his internal and external struggles, and then have a B plot focused on Morrigan and Demitri, since they're so prevalent in the franchise, and fans would probably want to see them more than anyone. Then you would unify the storylines in the face off against Pyron. That could've helped it feel like a more cohesive, traditionally told story.
A common complaint with this series is that the anime misinterpreted the tone of the Darkstalkers series. While the games have a dark, gothic setting with horror-themed characters, it isn't really all that serious in nature. People often say that the series has a Looney Tunes quality to it, with goofy slapstick elements that keep the series from getting too dour with its otherwise gloomy aesthetic. My limited exposure to the franchise kept this from bothering me too much, and I think it actually fit the energy of the show, with its focus on Donovan's troubled existence and the turmoil of humankind as their worst fears were coming into realization. But, I could see why an existing fan of the franchise could be annoyed by this change in the overall tone of the setting.
As a fan of retro anime, I'd definitely recommend Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge. Even if you're not enjoying the disorganized plot, the series is a brief, fun watch with some seriously breathtaking visuals and action sequences. The spooky setting is the perfect watch during this Halloween season.
VERDICT: Recommended
Post a Comment