The FGC Is Getting a Rom-Com Anime Featuring Street Fighter

As esports has grown in pop-culture presence throughout the 2010s, related media have emerged. Esports-themed C-dramas ‘Falling Into Your Smile’, ‘Love 020’, and ‘Gank Your Heart’ have all gained legions of fans, and development studios are releasing titles like ‘Esports Manager 2025’, in which players can simulate their own teams.

Now, the Fighting Games Community (FGC) will enter the spotlight with an esports anime, titled “Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games – Tai Ari Deshita.” Based on an existing manga, the show will follow young gaming prodigy Aya as she strengthens her gaming skills. Plus, it will reportedly include a collaboration with Capcom and Street Fighter 6. Let’s explore everything about the series, including its plot, release date and more.

Plot Summary (No Spoilers!)

In real life, many esports players are familiar with the collegiate and high-school scene, where they can earn recognition from their in-school gameplay. However, in the ‘Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games’ world, propriety and class are above all at the prestigious Kuromi Girls’ Academy, and there’s no room for gamer rage. Protagonist Mitsuki Aya enters the school with a hefty scholarship and must live up to its strict reputation.

Aya soon meets “Shirayuri-sama” Mio Yorue, a beautiful, intelligent and graceful classmate. The entire school idolizes Shirayuri, and Aya immediately admires her and wishes to be just as elegant. One day, Aya finds her playing a fighting game after school, hitting insane combos and trash-talking opponents. Shocked, Shirayuri challenges her to a duel, and the two begin to bond over their mutual video game obsession.

As Aya and Shirayuri grow closer, they practice and develop their fighting game skills while battling with relatable issues like studying and exams. If the school discovers their secret hobby, the two will be expelled, so they must keep it closely under wraps. Aya and Shirayuri begin to enter FGC esports tournaments together. They also attend an expo from the Evolution Championship Series Japan (Evo). This real-life tournament is the largest fighting game event in Japan. Evo 2025 recently announced a collaboration with the series, offering special stickers with its characters and further legitimizing its FGC connection.

Related Article: Evo Japan 2025 – Full Results Recap, Tekken 8 and Guilty Gear Reveals

In addition, the show’s teaser introduces a collaboration with popular fighting game studio Capcom. Specifically, ‘Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games’ will feature Street Fighter 6. Scenes from the title pop up between montages of Aya and Shirayumi competing, and the anime will likely directly reference SF6 as the game they play instead of the manga’s fictional ‘Iron Senpai 4.’

Genre and Production Info

‘Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games’ is a Yuri-Comedy anime. This means it includes a love story. However, its gaming arc is the main focus, and the romance is wholesome and builds upon mutual respect. Readers (and watchers) can expect detailed game-mechanic explanations, accurate FGC battles and an overall realistic esports experience. There is also plenty of slice-of-life content.

The upcoming ‘Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games’ anime is based on a manga by Ejimi Eri. It is reportedly produced by Diomedéa (formerly Studio Barcelona).

‘Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games’ will reportedly release sometime in 2025. However, no exact release date is currently public. Since Diomedéa just released the show’s first trailer on May 8 2025, additional information will likely arise in the next few weeks.

Before its anime adaptation, ‘Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games’ had strong reviews on its manga. Many gamers praised its authenticity and attention to detail, with one MyAnimeList user @plsluvenki stating:

“This manga is the best representation of the FGC experience. As someone who has only been a part of this niche group of gamers for a bit over a year, the story captures the eccentricity and dedication of its members. […] Seeing a character have a pop off moment, get extremely depressed after a loss, or yell in excitement after winning a tough match, were the best moments to me.[…] I don’t think there is a story that I’ve ever read that really ties its fictional video game to its characterization and character development as much as this one.”

Netizens reacting to the series’ teaser trailer seem equally enthusiastic. YouTuber @zalada3rd replied saying, “The pop offs in this show will be in groupchat reactions for decades to come.”

Users are having mixed reactions to the Street Fighter 6 collaboration, with some excited to see an actual game in the series and others worried it will retcon some aspects of its plot. On X.com, @britishboxking writes:

“Never thought it would purely be about Street Fighter IP specifically […]
Yes the game in the manga is SF like but I thought there’s intrigue in characters playing an SF game thats visually different from what we know […] I’m willing to see how it goes.”

Meanwhile, others like @JoshuaWill39033 mention the Street Fighter collab is the main reason for their interest in the show.

The anime and gaming worlds are already quite interconnected. FPS titles like Fortnite have collaborated with shows like Jujutsu Kaisen and Cowboy Bebop, and Overwatch’s DokiWatch skin line pays homage to Magical Girl anime like Sailor Moon. However, it is far less common for collaborations to cater specifically to the esports community. ‘Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games’ will likely bridge the gap between casual and competitive FGC gamers, offering an approachable way to learn about the tournament scene.

In addition, the show will introduce a new audience to the FGC scene. Non-gamers might pick up the show and become interested in its competition arcs, growing the community and attracting fresh faces. The series could also raise awareness of real-life tournaments like Evo, further distinguish them from FPS and MOBA circuits and help them gain more participants.