Jump Force Original Characters Let People Be Creative And Fill Roster Gaps

One of the things that Jump Force does get right is its original characters. You get multiple character slots for your avatars and can build a foundation based upon certain sorts of characters, like ninjas or Saiyans. As you go through the story, you open up new outfit options and skill possibilities for characters in the shops or earn them through certain missions. It ends up being a good way to make an original character or fill in what someone might consider a noticeable hole in an otherwise well-rounded roster.

The original character option is pretty open once you first begin, letting you get settled with an initial skill set based on characters from series like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and One Piece. You get to customize facial features, hairdos, body types, eyes, voices, and other elements to set the person apart. It ends up resulting in characters who, at times, can look better than the actual Shonen Jump characters we see throughout Jump Force. In fact, since you can go back and tweak some facial accents and hairdos, you can always be adjusting and perfecting until your OCs are perfect. Getting to constantly acquire new skills and clothing options make it even better. The fighter you make is always in flux.

But the opportunities that come from continuing to play make for even better opportunities. There are areas in which Jump Force is lacking. Namely, a number of obvious heroines are absent, like Videl from Dragon Ball Z, Sakura from Naruto, Nami from One Piece, and Chitoge from Nisekoi. But with a little work and grinding, these characters could find their way into the game. (Okay, Chitoge might be a little bit difficult, since you need that exact hair, but Kosaki could probably be in there!) As you progress, you earn access to shops and money to spend on new accessories and items. Once the shop first opens, there’s not much, but more is added after plateaus. Plus, group-specific shops sell additional specialized items.

So, say you’re in the main hub after getting through the initial chapter. You have the option to start unlocking people like Dai, Jotaro, and Yusuke. But instead, you look at the shop in this initial area. You see pieces that can be pulled together for main character outfits. For example, the Headband 02 accessory, Track Suit Top (Female) 01, and Capri Pants 03 can all be pulled together to make a Sakura outfit. If you wanted to make Nami, you would acquire the Swimwear Female 01, Denim Pants (Female) 01, and use either the appropriate short or long hairstyles everyone has the option of starting with. For someone like Chitoge or Kosaki, School Clothes Top (Female) 02, School Clothes (Female) 02 would be close enough to their school uniform. There are absolutely Yoruichi, Bulla and Android 18 hairdos among the default options.

Jump Force is also good about providing obvious cosplay costumes for custom characters. It will lost them as “Costume Set #,” but it is incredibly obvious where each one is taken from. We have additional an additional Sasuke option almost right away. In a way, it might feel a bit easy to have a Sabo hat or Kakashi wig, considering these characters are already there. I would have appreciated Froppy goggles and a bodysuit instead, for example. (There is a full-body frog costume, but it is more of a mascot outfit.) When going through options, it became necessary to sort of cobble together Gintama Kagura attire with a hairstyle that didn’t get the buns just right and a generic top.

The character creator in Jump Force can really be quite fun to work with. There are a lot of options here, especially when making a character for the first time. You lose access to these options once you actually get to the hub and might have to make do as best you can when creating replicas of other characters or the original character you have in your head. Still, there are a lot of hairstyles, outfit pieces and accessories taken from Shonen Jump series that represent characters who did not make it into the game. With a lot of grinding to purchase each part, since some outfit pieces can be at least 5,000 gold, you can bring characters you loved into the game.

Jump Force is available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.