Dead or Alive 5 roster now includes… Akira from Virtua Fighter?! (Hint: yes)

Sega and Tecmo have only gone and snuggled up for a crossover deal that sees Sega’s flagship fighting game character Akira Yuji star in Tecmo’s upcoming Dead or Alive 5 — with all his signature VF5 combat style fully in tact. Here’s the video to prove it…

Dead or Alive games always look pretty nice, but now that I can play DOA5 it with the greatest martial arts badass in the history of gaming, my interest just skyrocketed.

It was once pretty unthinkable that the rival series would collaborate in this way, although it is worth remembering that departed Team Ninja leader Tomonobu Itagaki often showed admiration for the VF series (while brutally ripping into others, such as Tekken), so who knows how long this may have been on the cards.

DOA5 is out later this year and a demo is included in teh special edition of Ninja Gaiden 3, which is out later this month. The latest iteration of Virtua Fighter 5 - Final Showdown - is also coming to PSN and XBL in the summer.

Happy times for followers of “Kikizo Classic“. :]