Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers is a new anime looking to deepen the world Arc System created with Strive. While GG is a well-loved fighting game series, the anime feels precisely like the narrative moments that pop up between fights. Dual Rulers is just like playing Guilty Gear: Strive. Just with none of the interactivity of playing the game. Let’s get into it.
Dual Rulers has the look down pat. The mixed, clunky steampunk-cyberpunk hybrid aesthetic is on full blast. Characters who look like created players are a part of what makes GG so alluring to begin with. Why does Sin Kiske wear a patch? No idea, but it’s provocative, gets people going, you know? Some very beautifully designed parts of each episode are mixed medium – a 2-D, hand-drawn, textured overlay over some settings that make the world feel more lived-in.
Cel shading and very crisp animation are what makes the Guilty Gear IP stand out (a signature and staple of Arc Systems). The fight scenes are easy to read, but the narrative threads holding the story together don’t have enough weight for anything to feel earned. Dual Rulers suffers from the polar opposite kind of aura farming (intentionally trying to make things look effortless) that Solo Leveling has mastered. Unless you’ve played a slew of Guilty Gear, you might not be able to keep up with what is already a paper-thin storyline. The reverse aura farming shows up in two ways; first, all the damn posing. Everyone strikes a very typical anime-style pose for about a second too long, and it reads as corny. Second is the Ken Burns-type beat sliding ‘introduction’ each character gets when they appear for the first time. In-game, that little bit of movement and drama is kind of cool and edgy. In an anime where there are a whole bunch of characters, the novelty wears off very quickly. For me, it was the middle of the first episode. It takes away from the frenetic pace of things.
Dual Rulers takes place throughout the happenings of Strive. The story unfolds further in the game as more DLC characters pop up, so it was never the drawing point to the game. The anime follows suit as it tries to get audiences to engage with Sin Kiske, having no idea he exists. His design makes him look older than his father (fan fave Ky Kiske) and more like his adopted father (actual fan fave Sol Badguy). Dual Rulers is confusing for anyone who isn’t a die-hard Guilty Gear fan. But for the Guilty Gear initiated, Dual Rulers is a gem that brings all of the characters players have spent countless hours mastering to life in a new way.
Yes, it’s fan service centered but Bast dammit it’s intentional. You have to appreciate that Arc System would go out of their way to fund a full animated production just to please their day-one fans. Dual Rulers is truly and honestly a love letter to a niche group of gamers who are going to lose their minds seeing their fandom in action. Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers airs on Crunchyroll, and the first episode dropped earlier this month. If you’re into nonstop action and dope character design, get more background information and narrative details at their website.
Cover image via Guilty Gear: Dual Ruler Official Website
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