Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters Review – Big Anime Energy, but the Match Doesn't Always Flow

There are certain games where you don't need much time to understand what they're trying to do. Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters is definitely one of them.

If you've ever watched the anime or read the manga, you already know what you're getting into: impossible shots, ridiculous dribbles, players performing moves that would probably get them banned from professional football, and a story where every match feels like the fate of the world depends on it.

The sequel expands on the original game and moves the story toward the World Youth Arc, bringing the action to an international stage with U-20 national teams from around the world. It also introduces a custom protagonist, allowing you to become part of the story rather than simply following the established characters.

The result is a game that gets a lot right, especially when the ball is actually rolling, but occasionally struggles with everything that happens between those matches.

A New Character in a Very Familiar World

The biggest addition to the story is the custom character.

You get to create your own player and decide how they respond during certain situations. The idea sounds promising because it gives you a personal connection to the story, but there is one problem: the character doesn't really have much personality of their own. Since most of their dialogue and reactions are determined by the player, they end up feeling more like a vehicle for the story than an actual character. That becomes even more obvious when they're surrounded by the cast from the manga. Characters like Tsubasa and the rest of the familiar faces naturally have much stronger personalities, so they end up carrying most of the narrative weight. Still, I appreciated how the game uses the original manga material. A lot of recognizable moments have been turned into playable sequences, while additional conversations and side events give you more opportunities to interact with the characters. The game also unlocks additional teams and content as you progress, which gives you a reason to keep going after the main story.

The Story Sometimes Gets in Its Own Way

My biggest issue with the Story Mode is not the story itself, but how often the game stops you from actually playing.

I like seeing scenes from the manga recreated in the game. That's part of the appeal of Captain Tsubasa. But when you're constantly going from match to cutscene, then from cutscene to dialogue, then back to another scene before you can properly get into the next match, the pacing starts to suffer. There were moments when I just wanted the game to let me play football. The problem becomes more noticeable as the campaign progresses. The story takes quite a while to reach the actual playable sections, loading screens appear surprisingly often even on a PS5, and some conversations begin to feel repetitive. The player choices don't help much either. Although you are technically making decisions, they rarely feel important enough to change what happens. I never really felt like I was shaping the story – I was mostly selecting different lines before the game continued along its predetermined path. It's a shame because the basic idea is good.

When the Match Starts, Things Get Much Better

Fortunately, once you're actually on the pitch, Captain Tsubasa 2 becomes considerably more fun. The controls are straightforward enough to pick up quickly. You can pass, dribble, tackle and shoot, while special abilities turn ordinary football into the kind of spectacular nonsense that fans of the series are here for. And honestly, that's where the game shines. Pulling off one of the game's special moves for the first time is still satisfying. The animations are flashy, the effects are suitably ridiculous, and the whole thing captures that over-the-top anime feeling surprisingly well. The problem is that the same spectacle eventually loses some of its impact. When you've seen certain animations play out again and again, they stop feeling special and start feeling like something you have to sit through before getting back to the actual match.

Still, the overall gameplay is an improvement over the previous game, and I found the Normal difficulty to be a good middle ground. It provides enough challenge to keep you paying attention without turning every match into a frustrating experience.

Scoring Is More Than Just Shooting at the Goal

Scoring isn't as simple as pressing a button and hoping for the best. Shots need to be charged, and depending on how much power you've built up, you can trigger different special shots. Goalkeepers have their own stamina/health meter, meaning that wearing them down eventually makes them much less effective. It creates a nice little back-and-forth during matches, although goalkeeping itself is not quite as enjoyable. When you need to defend a shot, the game gives you a short directional prompt at the bottom of the screen. You have to react quickly and choose the correct direction. Sometimes it feels tense. Other times it feels like you're just guessing. That's particularly noticeable when the outcome of a save seems more dependent on your reaction to the prompt than on any meaningful defensive positioning.

Anime Football Goes All In

The game's special move system is where Captain Tsubasa 2 really embraces its source material. Max Actions and Super Moves can trigger special sequences for passing, dribbling, tackling and shooting. Then there are Miracle Moves, which take things even further. Some of these are connected directly to story events, while others can be activated by performing specific actions during matches. Each episode also comes with objectives to complete, which can unlock additional content and gives you something else to focus on besides simply winning. It's a nice way of encouraging you to experiment with different players and abilities rather than approaching every match in exactly the same way.

There's More to Do After the Story

Once you've finished with the main campaign, there are several other options available. You can play VS Battles against the CPU offline or challenge another player. Online matches are also available, although the multiplayer offering is fairly limited since online play is focused on private rooms. That makes it difficult to see the multiplayer becoming a major long-term selling point. There are also plenty of collectibles and unlockables, including music, artwork and movies. Fans of the series will probably appreciate having all that additional material to work toward.

The Characters Look Great. The Stadiums? Not So Much.

Visually, the character models do a good job of recreating the anime aesthetic. The players look good, the special moves are full of flashy effects, and close-up shots during matches can look genuinely impressive.

The environments are another story. The stadiums often feel strangely empty and lifeless, while the surrounding environments are relatively bland. It creates a noticeable contrast between the detailed characters in the foreground and the much less impressive world around them.

I was also pleasantly surprised by how clean the game looked on PS5 Pro. I didn't notice any major image-quality problems such as distracting aliasing, and overall the presentation was quite sharp. It's just a shame that the stadiums don't receive the same level of attention as the players.

Conclusion

Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters is a better sequel than its predecessor in several important ways. The football itself is entertaining, the roster is packed with familiar faces, and the special moves capture the ridiculous energy of the anime surprisingly well. Unfortunately, the game has a tendency to interrupt that fun.

The Story Mode is far too slow at times, with lengthy dialogue sequences, frequent loading screens and cutscenes that repeatedly break up the flow. The custom protagonist is also difficult to get attached to because they lack a strong personality, while the choices you make rarely feel meaningful. The multiplayer is another missed opportunity. Having online battles is nice, but limiting them to private rooms makes the feature feel more like an extra than a serious competitive mode.

Still, if you're a Captain Tsubasa fan, there's plenty here to enjoy. The game clearly respects its source material, recreates iconic moments, and gives you plenty of characters and special moves to play around with. Just don't expect every match to flow as smoothly as the football itself.

Score: 7/10

The game was played on PS5.

Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters is published by Bandai Namco Entertainment and developed by TAMSOFT CORPORATION. A review code was provided by the publisher.