Where Do BlazBlue Character Ideas Come From?

From Azrael to Yuki Terumi, the BlazBlue series has an interesting cast of characters. BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma for PlayStation 3 which is out now in North America adds a rushdown character who fights with scientific tools and a stylish stance changing character. We were curious where BlazBlue characters come from since the fighters aren’t from an existing series or designed to represent a country or martial arts style.

"Rather than looking at other game characters and saying this is an awesome style, I get more inspiration from manga," producer Toshimichi Mori answered.

"There’s this manga called Ajin in Japan. I like that one and for 3D action, I appreciate Attack on Titan. I also follow Medaka Box and I read a lot of Nisio Isin’s stories. I really enjoy those and the characters that show up in the Zerozaki series are really inspirational for me," Mori continued. "The characters Isin make stand out because of the way he presents them. Isin writes these characters and just from his words I can visualize what’s going on."

"Just like Star Wars I wrote out the story and if BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma sells I can finish the rest," Mori added with a laugh. Mori asked me if BlazBlue fans in the West like the series for the story. "Of course," I said, "I think the story is what fans are looking forward to and what makes BlazBlue unique."

"You know the BlazBlue Phase 0 novel? Chrono Phantasma has the Phase 0 story in it. If people are fans I can see if I can ask if it can get localized."