Battle Arena Toshinden 2

Lore & Background

The plot follows the aftermath of the first tournament, where Gaia's rebellion against the Secret Society's ruler, the Master, failed. Gaia sought to use the tournament to gather allies against the Master, but his coercion and offers convinced no one. Uranus, another Divine Four executive, arrested Gaia, forcing him into exile. A year later, Uranus sends threatening invitations to the previous participants, demanding their return to uncover the truth.

Reader's Guide

Battle Arena Toshinden 2 is significant as a sequel that transitioned the series from home consoles to arcade hardware, specifically the Sony ZN-1. It refined the original's 3D movement by removing temporary invincibility from dodge rolls and adding ground attacks. The Overdrive meter introduced a new strategic layer. Critical reception was mainly positive, though reviewers noted insufficient advancement in gameplay and graphics over the original. An updated PlayStation version, subtitled Plus, was released in Japan with tweaks and graphical improvements. The game was followed by Battle Arena Toshinden 3 and a Sega Saturn-specific sequel, Battle Arena Toshinden URA.

Did You Know?

• The game was originally an arcade exclusive, unlike the first Battle Arena Toshinden which was released in arcades on Sega Model 1 hardware.
• New starting characters Chaos and Tracy were added, while former boss Gaia was demoted to a playable character without his armor.
• If both players fall out of the ring simultaneously, the result is a draw.