The Animation of Guilty Gear Xrd & Dragon Ball FighterZ

Summary

This video explores how Arc System Works, a renowned game studio, successfully replicated the hand-drawn anime aesthetic in 3D games, focusing on their groundbreaking techniques in 'Guilty Gear Xrd.' The studio, famous for its anime fighting games, faced the challenge of maintaining the 2D look while utilizing 3D technology. Through custom shaders, unique lighting, and meticulous animation techniques, ArcSys created a visually stunning 2.5D fighter that captured the essence of traditional anime. The video also highlights the studio's continued innovation with other titles like 'Dragon Ball FighterZ' and 'GranBlue Fantasy Versus,' setting a new benchmark for anime-inspired game animation.

Takeaways

• 😀 Replicating the look of hand-drawn anime in 3D is a difficult challenge, with many CG anime productions falling into the uncanny valley.
• 🎮 Arc System Works has pushed the boundaries of 3D animation in anime games, achieving a unique 2.5D fighter style that retains the look of traditional 2D sprite animation.
• 🕹️ The studio's first major success with this approach was Guilty Gear Xrd, which combined 3D character models with highly customized shaders to replicate the anime style.
• 💡 Arc System Works applied 3D tools that were already part of their workflow from 2D games, such as using 3D models as references for pixel art characters in BlazBlue.
• 🔧 The studio used a variety of innovative techniques to maintain the hand-drawn aesthetic, including custom cel shaders, individual lighting for each character, and frame-by-frame adjustments.
• 🌟 The animators treated 3D models like 2D drawings, using techniques such as 'stepped keys' and 'held keys' to replicate limited animation typically used in anime TV shows.
• 🎨 The team focused on imperfections in their animations to make the characters appear hand-drawn, adding subtle variations in expression and body proportions.
• 🖥️ Every animation, including effects like dust clouds, was manually crafted to avoid the 'too perfect' look of computer-generated graphics.
• 🔥 Arc System Works didn't just recreate anime aesthetics—they aimed to improve on them, making their 3D games look more visually appealing than the original 2D counterparts.
• ⚡ With the success of Guilty Gear Xrd, Arc System Works expanded this approach to Dragon Ball FighterZ, where they replicated the iconic Dragon Ball aesthetic with even more precision.
• 🎮 The studio’s innovative techniques have raised the bar for anime-style 3D games, and their future projects, like GranBlue Fantasy Versus and Kill la Kill, promise further advancements in this approach.

Q & A

What challenge does Arc System Works face when transitioning from 2D to 3D for their anime-inspired games?

Arc System Works aims to replicate the look of traditional hand-drawn anime in a 3D environment. The main challenge is avoiding the 'uncanny valley' effect, where 3D visuals feel awkward or 'wrong' compared to the stylized nature of anime.

Why do many anime video games embrace their distinct 3D look instead of attempting to replicate 2D anime?

Most anime games embrace their 3D look because replicating traditional 2D anime in 3D is incredibly difficult. Successful 3D anime games often focus on evoking the style of anime rather than attempting to perfectly mimic the hand-drawn aesthetic.

How did Arc System Works use their experience with 2D animation to help with their 3D transition?

Arc System Works leveraged their long history in 2D anime fighters, bringing their deep understanding of anime's visual style to the 3D realm. They were already familiar with using 3D tools in their 2D animation pipeline, which helped streamline the process.

What was the main reason for transitioning *Guilty Gear* to 3D in the 2010s?

The transition to 3D for *Guilty Gear* was aimed at modernizing the game while maintaining its distinct visual style. The 3D models allowed for higher resolutions, smoother animations, dynamic camera movements, and greater creative flexibility.

How did Arc System Works ensure the 3D character models in *Guilty Gear Xrd* retained the traditional anime look?

Arc System Works achieved the anime look by using custom cel shaders, clever texture mapping, and individual lighting for each character. These techniques helped replicate the way light and shadows would fall on hand-drawn characters, preserving the traditional anime aesthetic.

What is 'Limited Animation,' and why is it important in replicating anime visuals in games?

Limited Animation is a technique used in anime to save time and costs by using fewer frames per second while still conveying the necessary actions. It is essential in replicating anime in games because it mimics the characteristic stillness and stylized movement seen in traditional anime.

What unique approach did Arc System Works take in animating their 3D characters for *Guilty Gear Xrd*?

Arc System Works avoided standard 3D animation methods and treated each pose as a hand-crafted 2D drawing. This technique, similar to 2D animation workflows, ensured that the characters' movements felt like they were part of a hand-drawn animation, not smooth computer-generated interpolations.

How did Arc System Works integrate imperfections into their 3D animation to make it feel more like traditional hand-drawn animation?

To maintain the illusion of hand-drawn animation, Arc System Works introduced subtle imperfections in the animation, such as slight variations in expression, body proportions, and animation timing. These imperfections helped replicate the natural flaws found in traditional 2D animation.

What was the effect of using over 500 animatable joints in the characters of *Guilty Gear Xrd*?

The use of over 500 animatable joints allowed the animators to deform and shape character models with extreme detail. This level of control enabled them to exaggerate proportions and add stylized imperfections, giving the characters a more dynamic and expressive appearance.

How did *Dragon Ball FighterZ* differ from *Guilty Gear Xrd* in terms of animation style?

*Dragon Ball FighterZ* focused more on speed lines and smears, reflecting the classic animation style of the *Dragon Ball* series. It also prioritized a slightly lower animation fidelity to match the original anime's aesthetic, whereas *Guilty Gear Xrd* had smoother and more exaggerated animations.