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Dead or Alive is a media franchise of video games and films developed by Team Ninja and produced by Koei Tecmo; formally Tecmo.

Primarily, Dead or Alive is composed of fast-paced fighting games. The first Dead or Alive was released in 1996 for arcades, which was well-known for its advanced graphics for that time.

Today, the Dead or Alive series consists of six main fighting games, ten remakes and ports, three beach volleyball-based spin-off titles, and a blackjack spin-off across thirteen different video game platforms. It has also spawned various printed media, various merchandises, and a critically panned feature film, DOA: Dead or Alive, which is loosely based on the game series.

The story and characters of Dead or Alive are the creation of Tomonobu Itagaki, who also "rebooted" the Ninja Gaiden series. Although Itagaki left the Tecmo company in 2008 due to business issues, Team Ninja was taken over by Yosuke Hayashi and the series was able to continue.

Over the years, Dead or Alive has been well praised for its impressive fighting system, beautiful graphics, and interactive environments; however, it has also been the subject of controversy due to how the sex appeal of its female character is viewed and used in the series. As of 2019, the franchise has sold over 10.05 million units worldwide.[1][2] The franchise sales and free-to-play downloads combined totaled over 24.05 million units.[3][4]

Plot Overview[]

Logo

The original series logo.

Dead or Alive is set in a world similar to real life, however humanity has an advanced understanding and development in science, where organizations can gain the technology for genetic experiments, and create high-tech weaponry and transport. In addition, traditional and archaic ways of life - such as the ways of the shinobi - are still present in certain places of the world, and supernatural creatures from folklore are real living beings.

The series features a cast of martial artists of various combat styles, nationalities and backgrounds, who take part in a worldwide tournament called the "Dead or Alive World Combat Championship", held by the Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee, whose corrupt Head of the Development Victor Donovan secretly uses as a way to find specimen for the creation of "the ultimate fighter" - a humanoid bio-weapon - through genetic experiments.

The main plot revolves around the growing war between DOATEC and the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan, who seek to destroy the committee for years of abductions and unwilling experimentation. After the fourth tournament, the rightful Head of DOATEC, Helena Douglas was able to reform the committee, though the feud still continues with Donovan's new organization MIST.

Following the revival of the Ninja Gaiden series in 2004, both Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden were given a shared universe with the latter canonically becoming a prequel series to the former.

Development History[]

Kasumi03

Early concept art of Kasumi, who is now seen as the official "poster girl", "character mascot" and main protagonist of the series.

1992-1998 - Conception and First Release[]

The Dead or Alive series was created by Tomonobu Itagaki, who is regarded by the game development community for his outspoken and stubborn nature in the development of the series.

Before the release of the Dead or Alive, Itagaki was hired as a graphics programmer for Tecmo in 1992, which was in need of brand of video games to establish a sufficient market. In this vein, Itagaki made a wager with the management of company, particularly the vice president later turned president of the company, Junji Nakarmura, assuring the president he would create a video game that would garner a competent fan base.[5]

Sisters00

Concept art of Kasumi and Ayane for the PlayStation remake of Dead or Alive.

Because of the pressure placed on game, Itagaki named it "Dead or Alive" to demonstrate that the company's future rested on the game's success, and proceeded to form a division in the company named "Team Ninja" in 1995 to give Tecmo an identity and be recognized as an elite team.[5]

Itagaki's inspiration for the series would come from Sega's Virtua Fighter series as the management asked Itagaki to create a game similar to Virtua Fighter. Itagaki was a fan of Virtua Fighter, but he wanted Dead or Alive to stand out among the competition. This resulted in an emphasis on being fast-paced and on being provocative, as Itagaki believed entertainment needed both violence and sexuality to truly be entertainment.[5]

The series also derived from the Fatal Fury series from Japan, and the American Mortal Kombat series. During development, he based the game's fast gameplay and sexual appeal from the former, and the series' ability to knock opponents off landscapes from the latter:
"I wanted to do something that would attract people's attention as I worked on the DOA game. Of course, DOA is known for its bouncing breasts. Well, I didn't come up with that idea originally. I actually got the idea from one of SNK's 2D fighting games "Garou Densetsu". Of course, when I applied it to a 3D game, it was almost too much for people. And of course, it hurts to fall off from high places in DOA, but the idea came from "Mortal Kombat". In the case of "Mortal Kombat", the 2D fighter, the character falls off and he simply dies. That ends the game. That's it. But we figured it would be more interesting to have the character continue to fight after the fall. And that's what we did..."

On Itagaki's view on how he wished the series to contribute to the fighting genre, he replied:
"...I want people to remember DOA as a game that was very aggressive and combative. As to the first question - how it contributed to the fighting genre - I look at it as something similar to how sushi was released in this country and became mainstream. You know, like, some people like graphics, some people like animation, some like flashy character design and so forth. Through DOA, we want to reach out to those people and become somewhat of a mainstream game.

Dead or Alive was released in 1996 as an arcade game, running on Sega's Model 2 hardware. Dead or Alive was a commercial success, helping Tecmo overcome their financial problems.[5] It was very successful in Japan, but not in the West. This was possibly due to competing against Tekken, which was already a popular fighting game series for the PlayStation.

Dead or Alive was later ported to the Sega Saturn in Japan on October 9, 1997, and a improved version was later released on March 12, 1998. The PlayStation version was released in North America on March 31, 1998, and later in Europe on July 1998. Tecmo also released Dead or Alive++ for the arcades in Japan, based on the PlayStation version with an even slight updated gameplay that later expanded for the sequel.

1999-2000 - Dead or Alive 2[]

Following the success of Dead or Alive, a sequel called Dead or Alive 2 was released for arcades in 1999, running on the Sega NAOMI hardware, and was later ported for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 in 2000.

After the arcade release, Team Ninja immediately started working on the console version as Tecmo planned to be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in March 2000. Since the development environment for the Sega Dreamcast was very convenient and the NAOMI hardware being the same as the Dreamcast, the team manage to complete the Dreamcast port in February 2000 as planned.[6]

For the Sony PlayStation 2, Itagaki and his team were only given two months initially to produce the first PlayStation 2 port. Itagaki was greatly disappointed in how the PlayStation 2's development environment was not as convenient as the Dreamcast's and felt that he couldn't complete the PlayStation 2 version as planned in March 2000. Itagaki tried to postpone the game, but Tecmo executives insisted on releasing it on time. At the end of this, one of Itagaki's managers asked to borrow a copy to play, but instead sent it to a production factory. After its release, the PlayStation 2 version had bugs that could cause crashes, leaving players disappointed. Itagaki was upset by not being able to finish the game on his own terms and fell into a depression during which he briefly considered quitting the industry.[6]

Dissatisfied with the release versions of Dead or Alive 2, Itagaki and Team Ninja continued enhancing it on both the Dreamcast and the PlayStation markets as they worked towards their vision of the ultimate fighting game. On October 25, 2000, Tecmo released a last major update titled Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore for the PlayStation 2. Even with all the changes, Itagaki was still not happy with Hardcore. He is quoted as saying in the DOA3 booster disc video: "They wanted a launch title in 3 months. I needed 4." Despite this, Dead or Alive 2 was a critical and commercial success, gaining over a $2 million profit in sales.[5]

2001-2002 - Dead or Alive 3[]

Following the success of Dead or Alive 2, the sequel Dead or Alive 3 was released for the Xbox in North America in 2001, and Japan and Europe in 2002.

As Team Ninja where looking to continue the series, Itagaki was approached by Microsoft, offering him a deal to develop Dead or Alive 3 as an exclusive game for their recently announced Xbox console. During the console's development, Microsoft was in need of exclusive, high-profile games to show off the technical capability of their product. Itagaki accepted the offer as he noted how the specs of Xbox were much higher and more powerful than other systems such as the PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast, and the offer fit his design philosophy of always targeting the most powerful console available for the development of the Dead or Alive games. Team Ninja noted how developing solely for one system was easier and how the Xbox's developing environment was as convenient as the Dreamcast's, and was much more convenient than the PlayStation 2's.[6][5]

An official arcade release was also planned for the game as Team Ninja looked into utilizing either Sega's NAOMI 2 hardware or their Chihiro hardware that was based on the Xbox's architecture. The official arcade release was eventually skipped due to the arcade's declining popularity in America and Japan.[7][5]

Upon release, Dead or Alive 3 was a critical and commercial success, selling over 1 million units worldwide in the first five months and went on to sell over 2 million units.[5][8][9]

2003 - Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball[]

Following the success of Dead or Alive 3, the spin-off game Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball was released for the Xbox in 2003.

During Dead or Alive 2's development, the fan base requested Itagaki and Team Ninja add beach volleyball as a mini game since other fighting games had similar mini games. After Dead or Alive 3's release, the staff decided to create the beach volleyball game as a standalone game.[5] Itagaki cited spending time on a beach resort as one of his main inspirations for the game and also cited Final Fantasy X-2 as another inspiration. Itagaki and Team Ninja designed the game exclusively for fans of the series, knowing it wouldn't be understood by others who viewed making things for fans as negative. Itagaki expressed that there wasn't anything wrong with that practice.[10]

Making a traditional sports game was also a big point of contention since the fixed camera was how they made fighting games and the overall goal was to create a game easy to play with cool movements. Only the female characters are playable and the game's development was scheduled after Dead or Alive 3 due to the amount of work required to develop it and the small number of women in the series since having less than 8 playable characters in a game was considered boring.[10]

Dead or Alive Xtreme was later followed by Dead or Alive Xtreme 2, released for the Xbox 360 in 2006, and Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, released exclusively for the Asian market in 2016. According to Amos Ip, the senior vice president of Koei Tecmo, the west currently prioritizes the mainline fighting games over the Xtreme games.[11]

2004 - Ninja Gaiden revival[]

The success of Dead or Alive sparked a renewal interest in Tecmo's classic (but at that time long dormant) Ninja Gaiden series.

After Ninja Gaiden was revived in 2004 by Itagaki and his team, they began linking it back with Dead or Alive, setting the franchises canonically within the same universe with overlapping characters and events. As it was a complete reboot of the series and did not continue the canon of any previous Ninja Gaiden titles, the developers were free to do with the universe and its characters as it saw fit, and so the game was implemented into the Dead or Alive universe, setting up Ninja Gaiden I, Dragon Sword and Ninja Gaiden II as prequels to the first Dead or Alive. In addition, Ninja Gaiden protagonist Ryu Hayabusa, who had already been on the roster of every Dead or Alive fighting game since the beginning, plays a major role in that series' overarching storyline, which has been fleshed out during the development of the subsequent Ninja Gaiden titles.

Having featured Ryu in most of Dead or Alive games during development of the Ninja Gaiden reboot, Team Ninja then included the characters Ayane and Kasumi in most of the Ninja Gaiden games. Conversely, several characters from Dead or Alive have roles in the rebooted Ninja Gaiden series, initially only appearing during story sequences but becoming fully playable characters in special modes in the later games. Rachel and Momiji, characters originating from the Ninja Gaiden series, appear in updated versions of Dead or Alive 5.

2008 - Itagaki's Departure from Tecmo[]

After Dead or Alive 4's release, Itagaki stated in 2006 that he had a new Dead or Alive game planned, but in a 2008 interview he said about the series: "This is another area that my closest colleagues and I all agree that we were able to achieve the definitive fighting game with DOA4. So we're not looking to extend the series at this point."

On June 3, 2008, Itagaki announced that he was resigning from Tecmo and was suing the company for withholding a bonus promised for his previous works. He was also suing Tecmo's president Yoshimi Yasuda for damages based on "unreasonable and disingenuous statements" made in front of Itagaki's colleagues.

Itagaki stated that this would unfortunately lead to the end of production for the series. However, Tecmo replied with the announcement that Team Ninja would not be dissolved upon Itagaki's departure, stating that both the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises would remain in production and that some projects were already underway.[12]

2009-present - Merger with Koei and continued releases[]

Soon after, Tecmo would merge with fellow video game publisher, Koei, to form Tecmo Koei Games, now known as Koei Tecmo Games. Yosuke Hayashi was made the new head of Team Ninja while Yohei Shimbori was made director of the series. Dead or Alive 5 was created in partnership with Sega AM2 of Virtua Fighter, featuring several guest characters from that series. Free-to-play versions of the games Dead or Alive 5 and Dead or Alive 6 were release to attract new fans to the series and to introduce more people to the fighting genre, hoping to help to bring back the fighting games' golden era of the 1990s. As of 2019, the series continues more than two decades in, making it one of the longest-running fighting game franchises to still receive new installments. On March 31, 2021, director Shimbori announced his departure from Team Ninja to pursue other opportunities while his position was taken over by Hayashi.[13] In 2022, Hayashi would step down as Team Ninja head to become the Koei Tecmo entertainment division's general manager, with Fumihiko Yasuda serving as Team Ninja's current head.[14]

Gameplay[]

Ryu vs Lei Fang

A screenshot of Ryu Hayabusa and Leifang from the first Dead or Alive

The Dead or Alive series focuses on fast-paced gameplay in a three-dimensional playing field. In comparison to other fighting series in its genre, such as Virtua Fighter, the series places emphasis on striking characters quickly and efficiently. There is an emphasis on "juggling", since countering and fast recovery times make striking risky at times, which prevents slow, technical sets of moves in most instances.

One of series' most innovative additions to the genre is its countering system, officially known as the Triangle System. Beginning from the original Dead or Alive, players could input a backwards directional input in co-operation with the respective guard button to defend against a character's attack while dealing significant damage to the victim's life bar. Counter holds must be timed correctly with an attack, and also must be executed correspondingly with the area of attack. For example, a character that successfully counters a low kick attack from another player must time the input as well as place a downward directional push on the joystick.

The series is also known for its environmental hazards, known as Danger Zones. Fighters can knock their opponents into hazardous areas. Fighters caught in a danger zone take extra damage giving the attacker a slight advantage. These environmental hazards can be anything from falls to explosives to breakable structures.

Dead or Alive 4 Screenshot 4

A screenshot of Tina Armstrong and Lisa Hamilton as "La Mariposa" from Dead or Alive 4.

Like other modern fighting games that attempt to emulate the real life martial arts, the input system in Dead or Alive is modeled on the controls to correspond to the actions being carried out by the avatar; a forward directive punch would most likely be executed with the punch input and the pressing of the directional pad in the appropriate direction.

The series controls also make the instances of speed and simplicity more congruent with the focus of timing and combos in mind, as the commands for basic attacks are widely considered more straightforward than most video games. There is only one button for punch, kick, throw and guard, with the player rarely having to combine more than two different input schemes together at a time. There is a general "rock-paper-scissors" element to the game and essentially boils everything down to timing and ability to read the enemy's style.

In Dead or Alive 2, the series implemented its tag fighting system, allowing characters to switch back and forth for combo attacks and even attack simultaneously when timed correctly. The tag mode also included special throws unique to certain pairs of characters and allows for the participation of four players, something not common in the genre. Dead or Alive 3 introduced Attack Change, a feature in the tag battle mechanics where the fighting character can switch places with a partner, in which the character jumping in can then unleash an attack at the same time. Since Dead or Alive 3, tag battle can be used in the other game modes.

Games[]

Main Series[]

So far, there have been six main Dead or Alive titles. With the exception of the third and fourth titles, a number of ports and remakes have been produced of these games.

Dead or Alive[]

  • The logo of the first Dead or Alive.
    Arcade release: November 26, 1996
  • Sega Saturn release: October 8, 1997 (JAP)
  • PlayStation release: March 12, 1998 (JAP); March 31, 1998 (NA); July 1998 (EU)

Originally released for the arcades, Dead or Alive was released worldwide in November 1996 and was the first installment to the franchise. Running on Sega's Model 2 engine, the game was proven a success in Japan and became known for its speed, its unique countering system, its danger zones and the “bounciness” of the female characters' breasts. The game introduced the first seven recurring fighters of the series: Bayman, Gen Fu, Jann Lee, Leifang, Kasumi, Tina Armstrong, Zack, and the star of the Ninja Gaiden series, Ryu Hayabusa.

On October 8, 1997, a port of Dead or Alive for the Sega Saturn was released in two versions; a regular edition and a limited edition that included the game, a specialized box, a Kasumi CD print and an artbook. Due to the Saturn’s lack of a 3D chip, the character models were edited down and the background stage images were pre-rendered. However, the character moves were adjusted in comparison to the Arcade variant. The game's final boss, Raidou was also made into a unlockable character.

In 1998, Dead or Alive was released for the PlayStation console with several improvements with graphics, and included remixed stage designs, additional costumes, and two additional characters; Ayane and Bass Armstrong.

The PlayStation version was turned into a arcade title named Dead or Alive ++, and was released in July 1998 in Japan. Dead or Alive ++ ran on a graphics board similar to the PSX System 11/12, however despite being overall visually similar to the PlayStation release, the stage backgrounds had been replaced with 2D art, and many consider the original arcade title to be superior.

Dead or Alive 2[]

The logo for Dead or Alive 2.
  • Original Arcade release: October 16, 1999 (JAP)
  • Millennium Arcade release: January 2000
  • Dreamcast release: February 29, 2000 (NA); July 14, 2000 (EU); September 28, 2000 (JAP)
  • PlayStation 2 release: March 30, 2000 (JAP); October 25, 2000 (NA); December 15, 2000 (EU)

Running on the Sega NAOMI arcade board, Dead or Alive 2 for the arcades possessed richer and faster gameplay over its predecessors with CG cutscenes and endings, as well as a better game engine allowing for more detailed characters and environments. The innovation of the multi-tiered stages (first seen in Samurai Shodown 64) were improved and popularized by this game. Four new characters were added to the series' main roster: Ein, Helena Douglas and Leon. Final boss Bankotsubo was also available as a unlockable character.

In January 2000, an updated arcade variant, Dead or Alive 2 Millennium Edition was created to coincide with the onset of the new millennium, and featured additional costumes for the characters.

The Dreamcast version of Dead or Alive 2 is a direct conversion of the original arcade version; successfully converted due to the similarities between the Dreamcast’s architecture and the NAOMI arcade board. The European and Japanese releases weren’t actually created until after the release of Dead or Alive 2 for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. While the European release was similar to the North American version, the Japanese release of Dead or Alive 2 on the Dreamcast featured sharper graphics, extra stages and costumes pulled from the original Dead or Alive games. Two editions were released for the Japanese version; a regular edition and a limited edition with the limited edition possessing a CD print and CG gallery.

Based on the Dead or Alive 2 Millennium Edition, the PlayStation 2 port of Dead or Alive 2 suffered poor anti-aliasing and screen resolution as well as possessing certain glitches that could cause the game to lock up in Versus Mode. Despite that, however, the game possessed deeper color depth and was released with both a regular version and a limited edition version; which entailed variant packaging.

A revised edition of Dead or Alive 2 for the PlayStation 2, Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore was released in Europe and North America, and possessed the best gameplay, graphics and extras out of all of the Dead or Alive 2 ports. In the European release, the game it was simply known as Dead or Alive 2.

Released on December 14, 2000 in Japan, and possessing even more extras over the North American and European versions of Hardcore, Dead or Alive 2: Hard*Core possessed additional cinematics, costumes, and a turbo option.

Dead or Alive 3[]

Dead or Alive 3 logo High Quality
  • Released: November 15, 2001 (NA); February 22, 2002 (JAP); March 14, 2002 (EU)

Released as a launch game for the Xbox console, Dead or Alive 3 uses the power of the Xbox to create graphics and gameplay in superior detail to that of its predeceasing games. New characters introduced in this game were Brad Wong, Christie, Hayate, Hitomi, and the unplayable boss Omega.

An Arcade Stick for Dead or Alive 3 made by Japanese video game peripheral manufacturer Hori was released exclusively for the Xbox on February 22, 2002 to coincide with Dead or Alive 3 and the Xbox launch in Japan.

The Japanese version (known as "Dead or Alive 3.1" by the community) included some new attacks, move properties and better free step movement, while in the European version ("Dead or Alive 3.2") some issues with overpowered moves in the 3.1 version were fixed, resulting in 3.2 becoming the preferred version of the three for video game tournament usage.

The Japanese and European versions also came with additional FMV's and costumes which the North American version could only get through either the booster content on the Xbox Exhibition Vol. 1 disc, the OXM’s booster disc, or through unlocking the "booster pack" in Dead or Alive Ultimate.

Dead or Alive 4[]

DOA4logo
  • Released: December 29, 2005 (NA); December 29, 2005 (JAP); January 27, 2006 (EU)

Released as a launch game for the Xbox 360, Dead or Alive 4 has a more refined, and some say difficult, combat system in comparison to its predecessors. Dead or Alive 4 introduces the bounce combo system. The game introduced Eliot, Kokoro, and the unplayable boss Alpha-152 to the cast, and Lisa Hamilton, who previously appeared in Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, made her fighting debut in Dead or Alive 4 as "La Mariposa". The game also featured a guest character to celebrate the Halo franchise, Spartan-458.

An Arcade Stick for Dead or Alive 4 made by Japanese video game peripheral manufacturer Hori was released on February 4, 2006 exclusively for the Xbox 360.

A demo version of Dead or Alive 4 was made available for free download on Xbox Live in 2006.

Dead or Alive 5[]

DOA5 Logo
  • PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 release: September 25, 2012 (NA); September 27, 2012 (JPN); September 28, 2012 (EUR)
  • PlayStation Vita release: March 19, 2013 (NA); March 20, 2013 (JPN); March 22, 2013 (EUR)

Dead or Alive 5 was released in 2012 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It is the first Dead or Alive game to have a multi-platform release since Dead or Alive 2 as well as the series' first installment that was released for the PlayStation 3.

Although the game had been rumored since 2006, Dead or Alive 5 was officially announced by Team Ninja during a press event in September 2011 at the Tokyo Game Show.

The fighting gameplay is based on that of Dead or Alive 4, with several changes such as the introduction of the Power Blow and Cliffhanger. Fights take place in now more highly-destructive arenas. The game's characters are rendered in much more realistic visual style than in the previous titles in the series, including new details such as the fighters getting sweaty and their clothes getting dirty during the fights, costume-specific breast physics and semi-transparent clothing. This title introduced Mila and Rig to the roster, has Alpha-152 as a unlockable character, and 3 guest protagonists from Virtua Fighter (Akira Yuki, Sarah Bryant and Pai Chan).

In March 2013, a port named Dead or Alive 5+ was released for the PlayStation Vita. It introduced new training options and featured cross-platform abilities, enabling the users of different PlayStation systems to fight online matches, to share downloadable content from the PlayStation Store with the original version, and to swap the save data between the PS3 and Vita.

In addition to the normal control system, Dead or Alive 5+ features optional touchscreen-based moves, where the fights are seen via a first-person perspective view and the players touch, flick, and pinch the screen to attack their opponents.

Dead or Alive 5 Updates[]
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate[]
DOA5 Ultimate Logo
  • PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 Release: September 3, 2013 (NA); September 5, 2013 (JPN); September 6, 2013 (EUR)
  • Arcade Release: December 24, 2013 (JPN)

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate is an expanded and improved edition of Dead or Alive 5 which, besides having fixed all known bugs from the previous version, adds training modes from Dead or Alive 5 +, a new gameplay feature called the Power Launcher, two-on-two tag battles in online multiplayer, and new combos for recurring characters.

Eight new characters are introduced, three as paid downloadable contents: Marie Rose, Phase 4 (first introduced as an NPC in the original Dead or Alive 5) and Nyotengu. Momiji and Rachel of Ninja Gaiden were also included, alongside the fourth and last guest protagonist of Virtua Fighter, Jacky Bryant. It also features the return of Ein and Leon.

A free-to-play cut version titled Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters was released on the PlayStation Store alongside the retail game. The arcade edition Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Arcade was released in December 2013.

Dead or Alive 5 Last Round[]
DOA5 Last Round Logo
  • PlayStation 3/PlayStation4/Xbox 360/Xbox One Release: February 17, 2015 (NA); February 19, 2015 (JPN); February 20, 2015 (EUR)
  • PC Release: March 31, 2015

Dead or Alive 5 Last Round is the third and final version of Dead or Alive 5. It is the first title for eighth generation consoles, released on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as well as the PC.

One new character named Honoka is added along with the return of Raidou. Two new guest characters not from Virtua Fighter are exclusively included as paid DLC (outside PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 due to their DLC limits), namely Naotora Ii from Koei Tecmo’s 2nd-party game by Omega Force, Samurai Warriors, and Mai Shiranui from SNK’s fighting series. New additional stages are exclusives for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Dead or Alive 6[]

DOA6 Logo
  • PlayStation 4/Xbox One/Microsoft Windows release: March 1st, 2019
  • Arcade release: July 18, 2019 (JPN)

Dead or Alive 6 was released in 2019 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and Arcade. It introduces both costume customizations, and gauge systems. Players can customize the characters’ sunglasses and their existing costumes’ colors. The gauge system consists of the "Break Gauge", which allows numerous special moves to be performed depending on how full the gauge is. The game also features more pronounced sweat effects, along with cosmetic injuries and and an enhanced ground bounce system.

Dead or Alive 6 also marks the first game to have a recurring guest character, with Mai Shiranui from SNK’s fighting series, who previously appeared in Dead or Alive 5 Last Round, returning as a DLC character. Additionally, a second SNK guest fighter, Kula Diamond was added. Newcomers NiCO and Diego are also introduced. It is the second mainline game to include a fighter who debuted in the Xtreme sub-series, in this case, Tamaki from Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation.

Spin-offs and Related Titles[]

As well as the main titles, Dead or Alive has also produced remakes of previous titles and spin-offs, the most well-known being the Dead or Alive Xtreme sub-series.

Xtreme series[]

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball[]
The logo for Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball.
  • Released: January 23, 2003 (JAP); January 23, 2003 (NA); March 28, 2003 (EU)

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball was the first spin-off from the mainstream Dead or Alive fighting games, with the focus on a tropical holiday simulation. Gameplay included beach volleyball, item collection and mild social relationship simulation between the female cast members of the series. Unlike the original soundtracks of previous games, this title featured a soundtrack of songs from various popular artists.

Due to the gravure movies and risqué swimsuits, many considered the game to be perverted. However it was also praised for the beach volleyball mechanics and overall performance as a simulator.

Dead or Alive Xtreme 2[]
DOAX2 Logo
  • Released: November 15, 2006 (NA); November 22, 2006 (JAP); December 8, 2006 (EU)

Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 is the direct sequel to Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, released for the Xbox 360. While retaining much of the activities shown in the previous game, the game included new minigames such as Marine Racing and various beach and pool novelty games.

Despite possessing superior graphics and gameplay engine, the game received far more negative reviews than in comparison to its series predecessor due to a combination of possessing even more risqué swimsuits then before, a unlockable pole dancing scene, and the independent “Breast Physics” for the characters. It should be noted, however, that most of these reviews were based on personal taste and very few focused on an objective viewpoint of the game’s performance as a simulator. The Japanese limited edition came with a set of playing cards.

Dead or Alive Paradise[]
DOAP Logo Black
  • Released: March 2010 (NA); April 2, 2010 (JAP); April 2, 2010 (EU)

Dead or Alive Paradise was a port of Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 for the PlayStation Portable handheld console. As with the previous Dead or Alive Xtreme titles, Paradise is a holiday island simulation. However, due to a comparatively smaller game engine, the selection of activities were limited to volleyball, item collection, photo taking, pool hopping and gambling simulators. The game also featured a guest appearance of Rio from the Super BlackJack franchise.

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3[]
DOAX3 Logo
  • Fortune/Venus Release: March 24, 2016
  • Scarlet Release: March 20, 2019

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 (also known as DOAX3, DOA Xtreme 3 or simply Xtreme 3) is the 18th game in the series overall, as well as the fourth game in the Xtreme series. The game comes in three named versions: Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Fortune for the PlayStation 4, Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Venus for the PlayStation Vita and Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Scarlet for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. This marks the first Xtreme title to be put on a PlayStation home console. However, this is the second Xtreme title to appear on any PlayStation platform since Dead or Alive Paradise.

Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation[]
DOAXVV Logo
  • DMM Release: November 15, 2017
  • Steam Release: March 26, 2019 (ASIA); August 19, 2020 (JAP)
  • Johren Release: June 15, 2021

Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation (also known as DOAXVV, DOA Xtreme Venus Vacation or simply Xtreme Vacation) is the 19th game in the series overall, as well as the fifth game in the Xtreme series. While exclusively for PC and macOS, it serves as a free-to-play gacha equivalent Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, having utilizes a same models and graphics which are seen in Xtreme 3, including Dead or Alive 5 and its updates. However, the gameplay itself is different than the previous Xtreme entries. It is the second Dead or Alive game to be on PC, as well as the first Xtreme title to be on the PC.

Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme[]
VVPDOAX Logo
  • Released: Early 2025

Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme (also known as VVP) is the 20th game in the series overall, as well as the seventh game in the Xtreme series. The game is exclusively for Asian regions. While also being announced to be on PlayStation 4 and PC, it is also the very first Dead or Alive game to be natively on PlayStation 5.

Compilations[]

Dead or Alive Ultimate[]
The logo for Dead or Alive Ultimate.
  • Released: October 26, 2004 (NA);November 3, 2004 (JAP);February 18, 2005 (EU)

The compilation of Dead or Alive Ultimate compiles of an enhanced port of the Sega Saturn version of Dead or Alive, and a revamped version of Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore which uses the graphics engine of Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and gameplay mechanics from Dead or Alive 3. With its online multiplayer capabilities through Xbox Live, the game was among the first fighting games to offer online play.

The game was released with a regular edition and various collector editions, including one that came with two random trading cards for North America, a Japanese pre-order that came with a Kasumi figurine and a bonus material disc known as the Digital Venus that featured character voices and sprite and CG galleries, and two Xbox console bundles; one released in Japan which featured a crystal blue ‘Kasumi-chan’ Xbox and controller, the game and an inflatable Kasumi pillow, and one in Europe which simply featured the game plus a regular Xbox and controller. As of April 15th, 2010, Dead or Alive Ultimate's online features were shutdown along with other Xbox online titles. They were later revived through Insignia, an unofficial replacement service for the original Xbox Live.

Dead or Alive: Dimensions[]
The logo for Dead or Alive: Dimensions
  • Released: May 19, 2011 (JPN); May 20, 2011 (EUR); May 24, 2011 (NA); May 26, 2011 (AUS)

Dead or Alive: Dimensions is a compilation game and a Nintendo 3DS title, created to pave the way for more Dead or Alive titles without Itagaki. The compilation covers the whole of the main series plot, attempting to fill in additional details that where missed in the previous games, and even re-write some of the minor events. It re-used much of the material (i.e. costumes, locations) that was used in the previous games too, but were improved with 3D, high definition graphics. Boss characters from previous games, Kasumi α, Genra, and Alpha-152 are made playable for the first time as unlockable characters. Shiden who first appeared in Dead or Alive Ultimate makes his first playable appearance as an unlockable boss character. This was the first Dead or Alive fighting game for a handheld device, and the first game in the whole series for a Nintendo console.

Miscellaneous[]

Girls of DOA BlackJack[]
  • Released: June 10, 2009

Girls of DOA BlackJack is a spin-off blackjack game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. There is currently only one version of the game, featuring Kasumi as the dealer of a blackjack table. The player is able to unlock various costumes for her to wear in game. The title suggests that more versions of the game featuring other female characters from the series may have been planned, but no plans for future installments are known for certain. In February 2010, Apple Inc. removed this game from the App Store, due to new censorship rules; Kasumi's bikini costume broke the rule of no sexual content.

Reception[]

The Dead or Alive games have been mostly well received. The fighting series has received positive reviews, with Dead or Alive 2 having the highest ratings out of the numbered games, and Dead or Alive 5 having the lowest except its Plus version for the Vita. Dead or Alive is considered one of the greatest fighting game franchises of all time. The franchise has received numerous awards and many nominations.

Other developers and critics have expressed opinions on the series. Sega developer Katagiri, gave praise to the series, stating that "the uniqueness of the defense and offense mechanics and the original elements of things like the danger zone were enjoyable and gave me an overall image that it was "a series that has evolved in its own way". Namco on the other hand, ran radio commercials insulting the series, prompting creator Tomonobu Itagaki to place Namco's Tekken on his dislike list. Watchmojo included the franchise in their "Top 10 Tournament Fighting Game Franchises", ranking it 8th, calling the series special for its focus on striking characters efficiently and quickly, and performing gravity defying air juggles and combos. Chance Asue of Gaming Illustrated expressed love for the series, stating, "This game, more than any other fighter, feels fun and exciting without having to invest my entire life into analysing it". Asue called Dead or Alive a perfect balance between accessibility and depth, and called the fighting system a beautiful system that you won't find in another game. GameRevolution included it in their "Top 10 Fighting Game Franchises of All Time". Jeb Haught of GameRevolution always loved the series and its interactive environments, smashing opponents into environmental hazards for extra damage. Screen Rant included it on their "10 Toughest Fighting Games To Master" and Dunia Games ranked it 4th toughest fighting game in their "10 Toughest Fighting Game Franchises of All Time", as both stated how its simple fighting system makes it easy to get into the gameplay, but its additional aspects such as fast combos, efficient attacks and counter system makes Dead or Alive a fighting game that is difficult to master. Link Cable Gaming.com ranked the franchise in 10th place in their "Top 10: Fighting Game Franchises". Gaming.net placed it in 7th place in their "7 Best Fighting Game Franchises of All Time". Play Legit.net included the franchise in their "Best Fighting Game Franchises" and Stuff.tv included it in "10 Of The Best Fighting Games Ever".

Sex Appeal Controversy[]

The Dead or Alive series' use of female characters to attract attention is viewed by some as controversial. Toby Gard, the creator of Tomb Raider and its female protagonist Lara Croft noted his view on the sex appeal of Dead or Alive. In response to a query that supported Lara was a large part of introducing sex appeal into video games and how this had an impact on the gaming industry, Toby replied:
"...I don't think it’s wrong or bad in any way, really, it just seems to be getting out of hand with the old Xtreme Beach ball scenarios. I think that's going a tad too far. That's not really empowering anyone."

In Other Media[]

DOA Title

The DOA: Dead or Alive title logo.

DOA: Dead or Alive[]

Dead or Alive hit the big screens in 2006 with a live action film, DOA: Dead or Alive, loosely based on the game series. The film was panned by critics as well as fans of the series, and was voted #10 in Gametrailers's "Top Ten Worst Video Game Movies".

In Popular Culture[]

Fandom[]

Doa-cosplayers-anime-expo-2010

Dead or Alive cosplayers at Anime Expo 2010.

Fans of the Dead or Alive series have made artwork, books, manga, fan fiction, fan videos, cosplays, gaming conventions and various other works about the series. A number of fan games have been inspired by the game mechanics of the Dead or Alive series.

The fanbase includes a number of community sites and groups, of which Free Step Dodge is notable for being the largest and oldest Dead or Alive community website.

Between 2015 and 2019, Team Ninja held annual Dead or Alive Festival events where fans could compete in fighting game tournaments, along with cosplay, photo and illustration contests, and could either win or purchase merchandise of the series. Team Ninja would also hold costume design contests where various fan-made costume illustrations for specific characters were submitted to the producers and the winners would have their costume designs featured in the games.

Several notable fans and players of the series include Emmanuel Rodriguez (MASTER),[15][16] Kat Gunn (Mystik),[17] Vanessa Arteaga (Vanessa),[18] Adande Thorne (sWooZie),[19] Carl White (Perfect Legend),[16] Luke Hess (The High Guy),[16] Daniel Roberson (Final Boss),[16] Reginald Wysinger (ElectrifiedMann),[20] and Phil Joseph,[21] most of whom have competed in the Evolution Championship Series (Evo),[16] World Cyber Games (WCS),[22] and Championship Gaming Series (CGS) esport leagues,[23] and have credited Dead or Alive for launching their careers in the gaming industry.[15][18]

Dead Fantasy[]

Kasumi, Ayane, Hitomi, Hayate, Helena, and Ryu – with Ninja Gaiden characters Rachel and Momiji – went head-to-head with a select cast of characters from Final Fantasy in the late Monty Oum's CG movie series, Dead Fantasy. While Dead Fantasy is an unofficial, fan-made series, the movies have gained great internet success, and have been shown in various official video game conventions such as E3.

Trivia[]

  • Dead or Alive holds the Guinness World Record of being the "First video game series with a multi-point counter system".[24]
    • The series also holds the record for the "Most female characters in a 3D fighting video game series", tied with Tekken.[25]


v · e · d
The Dead or Alive series
Games
Main series Dead or AliveDead or Alive 2Dead or Alive 3Dead or Alive 4Dead or Alive 5Dead or Alive 6
Xtreme sub‑series Xtreme Beach VolleyballXtreme 2ParadiseXtreme 3Venus VacationVenus Vacation Prism
Update titles Dead or Alive++DOA2: HardcoreDead or Alive 5+Dead or Alive 5 UltimateDead or Alive 5 Last RoundDead or Alive Xtreme 3 Scarlet
Spin-offs and related titles Dead or Alive UltimateDead or Alive OnlineDOA Paradise (mobile)Girls of DOA BlackJackDead or Alive Dimensions
Canceled games Dead or Alive: Code ChronosProject Progressive
Related series Other Koei Tecmo series Ninja Gaiden seriesWarriors seriesFatal Frame seriesSuper Swing GolfDeception series
Third-party Crossovers Virtua Fighter seriesSNK MultiverseSenran Kagura seriesAzur Lane series
Characters
Playable characters Main cast KasumiZackRyu HayabusaBaymanLeifangGen FuTina ArmstrongJann LeeBass Armstrong/Mr. StrongAyaneHelena DouglasLeonEinHayateHitomiBrad WongChristieLa Mariposa/Lisa HamiltonKokoroEliotRigMilaMomijiRachelMarie RosePhase 4NyotenguHonokaTamakiDiegoNiCO
Secondary Kasumi αShidenFalse Kasumi
Final bosses RaidouBankotsuboGenraAlpha-152
Xtreme only MisakiLunaFionaNagisaKannaMonicaSayuriPattyTsukushiLobeliaNanamiEliseKoharuAmyShandyYukinoShizukuReikaMeg
Guest characters SPARTAN-458Rio Rollins TachibanaAkira YukiSarah BryantPai ChanJacky BryantNaotora IiMai ShiranuiKula Diamond
Non-playable characters Main series Alicia ArmstrongAnastasiaAnneAyameBuraiChenFame DouglasGoldieHitomi's fatherIrene LewIsabellaKuramasan MaousonLaurenMariaMei LinMiyakoMuramasaNikiVictor Donovan
Guest characters RidleySamus Aran
Non-canon characters Max MarshWeatherby
Miscellaneous characters Toreko
Terms
Gameplay modes StoryVersusArcadeTime AttackSurvivalTag BattleTeam BattleTrainingOnlineSpectatorAlbumMoviesFight RecordTitlesHelp & OptionsMusic
Gameplay terms AttacksAttack ChangeBoss BattlesCharacter SelectCliffhangerComboCounter BlowCritical HitDanger ZoneGame OverHoldsKnocked OutMatchMove DataPower BlowPower LauncherReplaySide SteppingSpecial MovesStagesStancesTag ThrowsTriangle System
Plot subjects DOATECDead or Alive World Combat ChampionshipMugen Tenshin clanNinpoNukenin (missing shinobi)Project AlphaProject EpsilonShinobiTengu
Other terms CreditsCutscenesEndingsGlassesOpeningsSystem VoiceTournament Winners
More information and archives
ActorsCanon timelineCommand ListsCostumesFandomGameplayItemsLocationsMartial artsMediaMerchandiseMoviesMusicSoundtracksStaffTag Throws
  1. Nikkan Sports - SLOT Dead or Alive 5 Announcement - Pachinko News: Nikkan Amusement
  2. [1]
  3. SA Gamer - Dead or Alive 6 counters with this combat and features trailer
  4. EventHubs - Rachel now available in Dead or Alive 6 along with Santa bikinis, a free Hayate costume and bonus character for PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live users
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 G4 - "Dead or Alive Episode #311"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 udn game corner - From "Dead or Alive" to "Ninja Gaiden", the adversity and peak of Itagaki Tomonobu's career
  7. Dead or Alive 3 - "Weekly Dreamcast Magazine 4/27・5/4 issue (2001-vol.12)"
  8. Gematsu - Dead or Alive and modern Ninja Gaiden creator Tomonobu Itagaki establishes Itagaki Games [Update]
  9. Full Tomonobu Itagaki 2021 Bloomberg Interview (shared via Facebook)
  10. 10.0 10.1 Dead or Alive history: Team Ninja Freaks, p. 115
  11. http://www.siliconera.com/2018/04/09/koei-tecmo-focusing-dead-alive-fighter-xtreme-volleyball-west/
  12. GameSpot - "Tecmo affirms Itagaki departure – Xbox 360 News at GameSpot"
  13. Gematsiu - "Dead or Alive series director Yohei Shimbori leaves Koei Tecmo"
  14. TheGamer - "Yaiba And Ninja Gaiden 3 "Weren't Right For The Series" According To Team Ninja's Fumihiko Yasuda"
  15. 15.0 15.1 Xbox - How an Esports “Master” Landed His Dream Job at Team Ninja to Help Players Be Great
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 EVO2k - "EVO 2006 Championship Series, powered by Yaris"
  17. Kat Gunn -- About
  18. 18.0 18.1 Kotaku - Ten Years Ago, Dead Or Alive Launched The Careers Of The Highest-Paid Women Pro Gamers
  19. Los Angeles Times - Ready to fight to the virtual death
  20. Guinness World Records - "Fastest "Time Attack" completion on Dead or Alive 4 ("Very Hard")"
  21. Dead or Alive 5 Website - "News Flash"
  22. WCG - "WGC 2007 Official Games"
  23. CGS - "Champion Gaming Series Games"
  24. Guinness World Records - First video game with a multi-point counter system
  25. Guinness World Records - Most female characters in a 3D fighting video game series
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