Fighting games have always been a rich environment for crossover characters, and the Dead or Alive series is no exception. Although they never got a Star Wars hero in the game – and who has, besides Soul Calibur? – past Dead or Alive titles have featured playable characters from Team Ninja sister series Ninja Gaiden and Bungie’s Halo, the latter in the form of a female Spartan created specifically for Dead or Alive 4. With the Halo money so far going to Killer Instinct and its upcoming release of the Arbiter as a downloadable character, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is reaching closer to home, importing Naotora Ii, a character from publisher Koei Tecmo’s hack-and-slash title Samurai Warriors 4.
In her home environment, Naotora is the leader of the Ii samurai clan in the Japanese historical era of the Warring States. Since Dead or Alive titles are restricted to unarmed melee combat, her in-game fighting style will feature an array of kicking attacks appropriately entitled “Ii Style Leg Strikes.” As a base character, she will be available to download on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Steam on March 17th for $5.99, while purchasing with her debut costume bundle will cost $7.99 and purchasing with a larger bundle of unspecified content will cost $11.99. Additionally, Team Ninja is reintroducing the Azuchi Castle stage, previously featured in Dead or Alive 3, for free.
Naotora’s introduction to Dead or Alive is no coincidence, being the most visible component of a broader marketing push for Samurai Warriors 4 Empires, a new expansion for Samurai Warriors 4 releasing on March 10th in Europe and March 15th in the United States. Several Samurai Warriors-themed DLC costumes will be available for purchase on March 29th, although the characters and prices in question are yet unannounced.
Would you like to see more Samurai Warriors characters in Dead or Alive? Let us know in the comments.
