Jump Force Info – Everything You Need to Know

Here’s one for you: Goku, Yugi Moto and Naruto Uzumaki walk into a bar (or should that be battle arena?). Aghast, the bartender looks up and says, “Is this some kind of joke?” Not exactly. Rather, it’s the core premise behind Jump Force, the manga extravaganza from Bandai Namco and developer Spike Chunsoft, who have left no stone unturned in the quest to assemble one of the greatest character rosters in fighting game history.

Don’t believe us? Bandai’s far-ranging selection process has resulted in the likes of Frieza and Goku from Dragon Ball Z and Sanji and Blackbeard from One Piece all under one roof. It’s pretty impressive stuff, and further proof that Jump Force really ought to be on your radar by now. If not, don’t worry; we’re here to clue you in on what promises to be one of 2019’s first true heavy-hitters.

With that in mind, we’ve combed the four corners of the Internet (and the PSLS archives!) to present to you the perfect primer for Bandai’s Jump Force.

Everything You Need to Know About Jump Force

Jump Force makes a beeline for the PS4, Xbox One and PC on February 15, 2019. That’s the same day Far Cry New Dawn and Metro Exodus debut. But the question remains: which title, if any, will you be buying come Friday?

Essential Reading:

Jump Force info dump

Jump Force – EYNTK

The 411 on Bandai's manga mash-up.
What is Jump Force?

Jump Force is, in essence, a manga lover's dream. It plucks big-name characters from Naruto, Dragonball Z, and countless other franchises and dumps them into a single battleground, all in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Weekly Jump Magazine.

Per Bandai:

For the first time ever, the most famous manga heroes are thrown into a whole new battleground: our world. Uniting to fight the most dangerous threat, the Jump Force will bear the fate of the entire human kind.

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the famous Weekly Jump Magazine, Jump Force is also making the most of latest technologies to bring characters to life in a never-seen-before realistic design.
What's the Story?

The story goes that the Shōnen Jump universes collide with the real world, resulting in the likes of Goku et. al descending on New York City–just in time to see the villainous Frieza lay siege to the Big Apple with an army of Venoms.

But there's another, more sinister force at play, and it may be using both the Venoms and the Jump Force in "an attempt to gain a mysterious artifact and merge all worlds into one."
How Does it Play?
It's a 3-on-3 tag team fighting game, meaning people who play Marvel vs. Capcom and Dragon Ball FighterZ style games should feel right at home with Jump Force.

More details on the specific gameplay elements can be found here, while Bandai's official intel is below.
- A unique setting, merging the Jump World and the Real World.
- The Jump Force, an alliance of the most powerful manga heroes from Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto and much more
- Realistic graphics bring manga characters to life like never before
- Xbox One X Enhanced / PS4 Pro Support
A Character Roster For the Ages

It's not too much of a stretch to say that Bandai Namco and developer Spike Chunsoft pulled out all the stops when assembling the incredible character roster for Jump Force.

At launch, the brawler will feature 42 playable characters (two of which are original) from a staggering 16 game franchises. Director Glover and the Navigator are the two original characters, and let's just say they're up to no good...
Introducing the Baddies

You'll be going up against Galena and Kane as the Jump Force story unfolds. As this trailer attests, they mean business.
Custom Fighters Inbound

You'll be pleased to hear that Jump Force features a character creation tool, allowing you to personalize your brawler right down to their unique voice.
Worlds Collide

Like the story trailer suggests, Jump Force begins as the Shōnen Jump universes begin to invade our own, resulting in real-world locations—like Times Square, for instance—falling prey to the Venoms.
Multiple Arenas

From the Matterhorn to Marineford, Jump Force's battle arenas are as rich as they are varied, as the game features a slew of areas inspired by real-world locations.
The Awakening Meter

Think of it as a form of a comeback. Should your back be against the wall, the Awakening meter is a mechanic that gifts you the upper hand. Granted, there is still much we don't know about Jump Force's ultimate attacks, but rest assured, they'll shake up the battlefield.
Supers

Speaking of which, a number of Jump Force fighters will come packing their iconic transformations, meaning Goku can go full Super Saiyan, Luffy can unleash Bounce Man, and Naruto will be able to summon Kurama, the Nine-tailed Demon Fox.
A Big TGS Showcase

With Jump Force expected to hit Japan first on February 14, 2019, it's only fitting that Bandai's manga mash-up enjoyed a big showcase at TGS 2018.
Beta Problems

Initially launched back in January, the Jump Force open beta was taken offline after just two sessions, prompting fears that Bandai's title will experience issues at launch.

Never fear. According to the studio, any problems that plagued the open beta have since been ironed out, as the "hardware is more or less the same but the software part and the settings are not. This part of the game needs as much [more] testing and debugging than the others."
Gameplay Footage

Curious to see Jump Force in action? You can have a gander at the story trailer here and some gameplay footage here.
Preorder Perks

From avatar t-shirts to 30cm dioramas and early access, there are a host of preorder perks for Jump Force. You can find our own breakdown of each incentive right here.
Robust DLC Plans

While 42 characters will be available from day one, Bandai already has plans for nine additional fighters (!) as part of the game's DLC plans. Expect more details to emerge soon after release.
Collector's Edition
At $260, the Jump Force Collector's Edition is really the premium version of Bandai's brawler. But it does pack some interesting perks, including:
- A copy of Jump Force.
- Season Pass, which includes 9 additional characters, that are also purchasable separately.
- 30cm exclusive Diorama of Naruto, Luffy and Goku.
- Jump Force Steel Book
- 3 Art Boards (28x28cm)
Our Final Verdict

The Jump Force review embargo is expected to lift just prior to release, by which point you'll be able to pore over PSLS' official verdict.