Bloody Roar: End Zoan

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  "Unleash your beast. — Official Tagline"

Bloody Roar: End Zoan is the sixth installment in the Bloody Roar series of fighting video games''. ''It is a reboot of the franchise and was developed by Ars Nova and published by Konami. The game will first be released in arcades as well as on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Ars Nova has given hints to a possible port to the PlayStation Vita, Wii U and 3DS at a future date. Like the previous game, this one will have an M rating for blood and violence and adult themes.

The game will once again focus on ‘zoanthropes’, warriors who can transform into half-man half-animal beasts. Characters from different installments will make an appearance in the game alongside new characters. The creators have said that ‘while the game is going to have instances of nostalgia, call backs and easter eggs from previous games this is an entirely a new look and direction. Not everything is going to be as you remembered it.’ To further the point they further said that Tylon Corporation is no more and has been replaced with Evolution Enterprises. The creators also said that the game will touch on themes of masks, racial tensions, scientific experimentation, and physical pain.

Gameplay
Bloody Roar: End Zoan is a fighting game in which players control characters with different fighting styles and special attacks, engaging in one-on-one combat to deplete their opponent's life gauge. The game features 3D graphics on a three-dimensional plane. Unlike the traditional fighting game design involving multiple rounds with regenerative life bars, Bloody Roar uses a scheme similar to the Killer Instinct and Injustice: Gods Among Us games. Each match consists of a single round with each player bearing two life bars. When one player loses their first life bar there is a pause before the fight recommences. The player to have his first life bar depleted will get back 50% of their beast gauge.

The game engine has been redone to create a faster experience with more emphasis on impacts from hits. The game uses a five button layout: Punch, Kick, Guard, Unique Attack, and Shift. Unique Attacks are attacks unique to characters and Shift allows characters to transform into their Beast forms. Through various timings and positions many moves can be unlocked. Transforming into Beast form also gives characters additional moves as well as changing the properties of moves from their human form.

Beast Mode, now known as Shifting, and animal forms have been redone from scratch. Below the health bar is the feral gauge. This gauge is broken into three sections. Both players start off with the gauge at maximum. When a player shifts into beast form one section of the gauge is used. Also shifting into animal form takes up some of the health bar when using a section of the gauge for the first time. Health is regained over time while in beast form to a certain point. The used gauge decreases each time the player takes damage. Once the gauge runs out a player shifts back to their human form. A player can shift back to human form by pressing the Shift button so as to not lose anymore of that sectioned gauge. Shifting between forms between moves and combos can create new devastating moves. Characters gain and lose certain properties between their forms. For instance Alice in her rabbit form gains a dramatic increase in her jumping ability and control of her air descent speed while Dragana gains increased defense and if attacked while guarding the opponent takes chip damage.

The feral gauge has more uses. New to the game are ‘Shifting Strike’, ‘Safeguard’ and ‘Blitz Drive’. Shifting Strikes are similar to enhanced attacks from Mortal Kombat. They use one section of the feral gauge and are unblockable attacks. Safeguard also costs one section of the feral gauge. Using this will stop any combo a player is stuck in and create distance between the player and opponent. The player that uses this is automatically taken out of beast form. There is also a time limit before a player can change back into beast form that extends for a longer duration with each use of Safeguard. Blitz Drive requires the use of two sections of the feral gauge. These attacks function as super moves seen in other fighting games. They are only accessible in the human form. Beast Drive makes a return and function the same way as the Blitz Drive, but only in beast forms. Beast Drives are more powerful and different from the character’s Blitz Drive but are usually easier to read. Each playable character has two Blitz and Beast Drives. When a character is picked they choose one Blitz Drive and one Beast Drive for the match.

Hyper Beast also makes a return. This mode uses the entire feral gauge and costs twice the amount of health from when shifting normally. It also continuously drains the player’s health bars till death or till they come out of Hyper Beast. Once used, the feral gauge takes a longer time to fill. In return for these penalties the character’s attack and speed are boosted in addition to whatever properties are in their beast form. Hyper Beast cannot be stopped by Safeguard. Startup and recovery time from moves are also shortened allowing for combos that wouldn’t be normally possible.

Game Modes
Arcade Mode: The player picks a character and goes through eight stages. The seventh stage is a fight between a rival character and the last stage is against the boss. With the right conditions a bonus ninth stage may be unlocked. This mode also features a story mode for each character detailing a point in their lives outside of or during the main story. This mode is done in picture frames and the game’s unique art style rather than CG video style of story mode. Extra colors for characters, extra art and videos, and extra information on characters are unlocked in this mode.

Story Mode: The main story of the game. This mode is similar to Injustice: Gods Among Us where the player will control or have a choice between different characters at certain points to further the story. The story is told in anachronic order and events are shown in their respective perspectives. Extra costumes, extra music, videos from story mode, and secret codes to change some of the game settings are in this mode.

Vs Mode: Local play between one or two players. Contains Single, Team, Time Attack, and Vs Time

Survival Mode: The player tries to defeat as many enemies as possible with increasing handicaps. There is also Time Survival which is how fast the player can go through 100 enemies with increasing handicaps.

Online Mode: Online play with players from around the world. Includes Vs, Team, King of the Hill, Spectator, and Trial modes

Practice: Where players can practice with characters. Includes Free Practice, Training, and Trial Modes

Options: To change the game settings. This mode has both Video Viewer and Juke Box to watch videos from the game and listen to the music of the game. You can adjust the game music settings for different songs to play. It also has Code Input where players can input codes found throughout the game. These codes change various settings of the game till it is taken off. Such things can be done such as Classic Mode, which turns the game graphics to PlayStation 1 era polygons much like the original Bloody Roar. Playground Mode turns all the characters into little kids. Anime Mode gives the game an anime look similar to what is seen in Bloody Roar Primal Fury.

Story
Zoanthropy. At its simplest it is the ability for a human to transform into a monstrous animal. Not much is known about Zoanthropy or Zoanthropes. Is this a genetic mutation or human evolution? Is this something recent in the era or has this been around since the beginning of human history? Many questions unanswered. There is one thing known for sure. Zoanthropes are dangerous.

Because of events such as ‘The Massacre at London’ and ‘The Peace Assassination’ human and zoanthrope relations are at its worse, with much of humanity calling to end all zoanthropes. In these dangerous times Yugo, a wolf zoanthrope, sets out to find the mystery of his father’s death. His search leads him to the corporation Evolution Enterprises and the words ‘N Zone’. To continue will only lead to tragedy, but Yugo persists.

The tale of beast warriors renewed. Blood will fall.

Terminology
Zoanthropy - Humans with the ability to transform into beasts. Despite being public knowledge for twenty years there is still very little known about the ability. Some see it as a disease or a curse that needs to be eradicated. Others see it as a blessing and joy while still others think it could be the next evolution of humanity. Others see it as a divergence in humanity, treating those afflicted as a different race or species. Those with this ability are known as Zoanthropes.

The Unmasking - Twenty years ago there was a terrorist attack and hostages were taken. During this attack two individuals would, as described by witnesses, ‘transform into a bird demon and some type of monstrous insect’. Film footage taken at the time shows the two creatures indiscriminately killing both terrorists and hostages. It came to a point where the terrorists teamed up with the police force to kill the insect monster. The body transformed back into a person and was identified. This caused a panic throughout the world and tactics were formed to find similar individuals. These Zoanthropes would also make themselves known, marking a new era of the world. The ‘bird demon’ escaped and has never been identified.

The London Massacre/Disaster - A tragedy in London that happened during a world conference between nations. While not the primary topic, one of the main topics was zoanthropy. The conference was going well and looked like it was going to be a breakthrough, but that all changed when a human ambassador’s daughter was killed. Asha Smriti was killed in front of the entire conference by her bodyguard who was then revealed to be a zoanthrope. What followed next was chaos between human and zoanthropes leaving 64 humans and 40 zoanthropes dead. This event would ripple across the world.

The Assassination of Peace - Following the events of The London Massacre hate groups against zoanthropes, like HOPE, gained more power. In reaction to this, zoanthropes and their movements became more tense and fervent in protecting their kind. Drastic and rapid efforts on both sides had to be done to maintain peace. Ohran Wilfred, a world leader of peace, headed the efforts. Though he made great strides in these high tension times it would not last. At the end of a peace conference he was assassinated. This would cause the fall of the ZFM and P4A and the rise of the ZLW. After the assassination it was reported a zoanthrope said ‘They didn’t just kill a man. They assassinated peace. There is no world for humans and zoanthropes.’. The assassin has yet to be found.

Zoanthropy Freedom Movement (Z.F.M)- The longest and largest movement for zoanthrope rights. They were an aggressive but nonviolent movement. Strong in passion, but lacking leadership they gained momentum when joining with P.4.A. All members were zoanthropes but they gave temporary sanctuary to humans who were persecuted, the sick and runaways. This group would eventually disband and reform into the ZLW.

Peace 4 All (P.4.A)- A group created by Ohran Wilfred. This group strove for total pacifism for everyone, not just zoanthropes. Rather than just focus on one group’s interest, they managed to pull all groups together like a family. The ZFM was the first and most loyal members to join them, but many other organizations eventually joined. With the assassination of Ohran, Peace 4 All slowly dissolved within the rising flames of anarchy.

Humanity’s Opposition Prevention and Extermination (HOPE)- A SWAT paramilitary and world law enforcement unit created by the U.S., British and Japanese governments to deal with the problem of Zoanthropes. The organization was created in reaction to The Unmasking. While it started out and still is a reaction and retaliation force to zoanthrope crimes, hate groups have influenced the ideology of the organization. The London Massacre was the breaking point that changed the group into more aggressive and suppression tactics. Originally called ‘The Preventers’, the organization’s name was changed to HOPE in tribute to Asha Smriti.

Zoanthrope Liberating World (Z.L.W)- The aftermath of the Assassination of Peace caused members of the P.4.A and ZFM to become disillusioned, disheartened, embittered, and enraged. These growing feelings would lead to the dissolution of the P.4.A and for a splinter group within the ZFM to rapidly grow. This splinter group would eventually overtake and absorb the ZFM, becoming the ZLW. They are an infamous group viewed as heroes and freedom fighters by many zoanthropes but terrorists by humans. All members are zoanthropes with zero tolerance to humans.

Evolution Enterprises - A corporation in all parts of the world that deals in the business of technology, genetics, medical, and communications. The company has earned a strong following for many of its great achievements such as eradicating rabies, asthma, and strains of ebola and its smaller breakthroughs such as a pill that can change a person’s hair and eye color for a few days. They also openly support zoanthropes. Despite all of this there are rumors of shady dealings, such as kidnappings, every once in a while. These rumors usually die out quickly. The CEO is Aldeer Darwin. Slogan: Enter Evolution / Go Beyond Human

Kāità zhě Manufacturing - The R&D department of Evolution Enterprises. They have a remarkable success rate in their findings and draw from all parts world. Top members of this department include: Ishii Mengel, Steven Goldberg, and Hajime Busuzima. Slogan: Vanguards of the Future / Evolution or Extinction

Wild Hunt - A group of mercenaries and hunters renowned for their ability to hunt and capture the most elusive bounties. They grew in public popularity for capturing rogue and convicted zoanthropes. They have also been criticized by humans and zoanthropes alike for treatment of their captives as well as killing some of their bounties. The group disappeared from public eye after being recruited by Evolution Enterprises. It has been split into two divisions: The Company Defense Force that works specifically under the CEO and the Human Resource Acquisition Department that works with the HR and R&D departments.

Grandis Hunter - An unofficial title given to those who hunt and kill zoanthropes without any affiliation to any governments or political agendas. Most of these lone wolves and single groups are the equivalent to big game hunters and poachers, doing it for the thrill of going after a dangerous animal. Others do it for more nefarious reasons. The title and people given these titles are very controversial. While many say these hunters are doing the world a favor exterminating pests, others say this is glorifying killers and perpetuating violence between species.

Characters
Bloody Roar: End Zoan features 14 playable characters with 6 returning characters, 6 new characters and 2 secret characters each with English and Japanese voice actors. The developers have stated that “the roster will be primarily from the first two Bloody Roar games, but characters from the entire Bloody Roar universe will make an appearance in the game. Any characters missing are due to story purposes and may make an appearance as DLC or in future games.”.

DLC skins will also become available in the future that will change the appearance and voice of some characters. 4 DLC characters were added to the roster that will be available in the future.

List
Returning Characters: Yugo the Wolf, Alice the Rabbit, Long the Tiger, Bakuryu the Mole, Reiji the Crow, Shina the Leopard

New Characters: Cuán the Hound, Vulpez the Silver Fox, Michaël the Silverback, Dragana the Ouroboros, Dieter the Humanity, Bart the Kraken

Special Characters: Mitsuko the Boar (Secret Character), Gado the Lion (Secret Character), Uriko the Evolution (Boss)

DLC Skins: Gregory the Gorilla, Hans the Fox, Fang the Wolf, Mashiro the Rabbit, Shirakumo the Tiger

DLC Characters: Langstrom the Man-Bat, Leonardo the Ninja Turtle, Zitz the Battletoad, Felicia the Darkstalker

Yugo Ogami
''“Trust me. You won’t get back up after this.”''

Known As: Yugo the Wolf

Age: 17

Occupation: Delinquent Student

Fighting Style: Boxing

Beast Form: Gray Wolf (white coat variant)

Rival: Cuán

Voiced by: Yuri Lowenthal

Whether it is due to his own personality or because he is a wolf zoanthrope, Yugo has always been a wild and trying child. His father, Yuji Ogami, did his best to satiate and direct his wilder nature in positive directions like learning boxing. This gave Yugo focus and not reliance on his feral nature when pressured. A retired soldier of the Japanese military, Yuji is suddenly unretired by the government and sent out on a mission. He never returned. Suspicious over the reasons of his father’s sudden mission and death, Yugo spends hours searching for clues and answers to this mystery neglecting other parts of his life. Two years have passed since his father’s death without any clue. Yugo was about to give up when an email is sent to him from a mysterious user called Lady Carmilla. In the email it said ‘Answers can be found at the N Zone. You may not like what you find. You may never find your way out. This is your only warning.’. This is all Yugo needed to ignite the flame in him. He sets off to find his answers.

Yugo is a Japanese zoanthrope and returns as the protagonist and unofficial mascot of the Bloody Roar series. The developers have said that “He’s similar to the original series but we’re going to play up on his brash and ‘lone wolf’ nature this time around.”. His appearance is the same but updated for the current times. The biggest change is his wolf form being white instead of grey. They also said that Yugo’s gameplay style is meant for beginners to easily get into the game, but it truly shines in the hands of an expert. His human form is the most balanced of all the human playable characters. In wolf form Yugo gains an increase in his offensive moves and speed turning him into a rushdown character.

Alice Tsukagami
“Don’t confuse gentleness with weakness.”

Known As: Alice the Rabbit

Age: 17

Occupation: Student

Fighting Style: Kickboxing

Beast Form: Florida White Rabbit

Rival: Shina

Voiced by: Hynden Walch

It is believed that people are born with zoanthropy, but when and where it occurs in a person is highly variable. Some may never turn into a zoanthrope. Others may turn before they are even a year old. Alice is one such case where her first transformation was right before being pulled out of her mother’s womb. The parents’ trauma of seeing their child come out as a beast affected them rest of their lives. They accepted Alice, but due to the young girl unable to control her transformations life was strenuous. The everyday wearisome battle of having a zoanthrope child eroded them quickly. On Alice’s fourth birthday they dropped her off at an orphanage and never looked back.

Despite this Alice grew up happy at the orphanage and made friends at school. She became friends with Yugo Ogami and his father taught her how to control her transformation. Alice is a person who wants to help and ease the pain of others. When her friend lost his father she could only watch helplessly as he slowly drifted away from everything. One day a spark ignited in him. ‘I’m going away.’ he said and disappeared. Alice would not leave things as they were. Hoping to save her friend from whatever dark path he walks, the girl follows him at a distance.

Alice is half Japanese and half German. Her story and appearance are greatly altered from the first game. The developers said “We decided to rework Alice’s story from scratch so that she would have a bigger part in the overall story. We also decided to combine some of her design elements from the first and fourth Bloody Roar games with some of our ideas to make a more up-to-date and fresh look.”. Fans have had mixed reactions to this change. Alice’s gameplay is closer to the defensive side. When she transforms her gameplay takes a big change. “She becomes a lot more dynamic and an air juggling monster.” the developers stated. Alice’s jump height becomes much greater and she can control her descent speed. Alice also gains a move called ‘Engel Schritt’ that allows her to bounce and ricochet off the ground and sides of the screen. This allows her to chain air combos and keep juggling the opponent.

Long Shin
''“Some people are strong. But I… I am terrifyingly strong.”''

Known As: Long the Tiger

Age: 26

Occupation: Teacher (previous), Chinese-English Translator

Fighting Style: Baguazhang

Beast Form: Siberian Tiger

Rival: Bakuryu

Voiced by: David Kaye

When one transforms a primal instinct begins seep into a person’s mind. How much of these feral instincts flow in differs between individuals. For some there is little or no apparent change in their personality. For some, like Long Shin, there will be times where they transform and lose complete control of themselves either not remembering or unable to control themselves. At the age of twelve Long had an unexpected transformation. It was like he blacked out and had no memory. When he came to though his sister lay huddled in a corner and his mother was shredded in pieces. Long’s father took care of him and his sister, but the brutal death of his wife at his son’s hand left him changed forever. No longer did he see his son as his child, but a monster he was chained to. As the years past their father grew bitter and became an alcoholic. He began to strike and berate his son. Long endured. In his mind he deserved it.

One night Long’s father struck his sister and the twenty-two year old would not endure it. He only wanted to scare his father into stopping his rage, but the beast in Long went on a frenzy. Long saw everything but could not control himself. He saw as he tossed on half of his father’s body across the room and the other half out the window. Even his sister was not safe as she lays sick in a hospital because of him. The zoanthrope would have committed suicide a long time ago if not for the desire to save his sister.

One day in the hospital he is approached by a woman in a red suit who works for Evolution Enterprises. ‘We have heard about your condition and your past. We have an offer...’ she said. It was simple. Evolution Enterprises ,always wanting to help zoanthropes, would continue to pay the medical expenses of Long’s sister and give him a stipend to live off of. All Long needed to do was come into their R&D department for experimental treatments that would cure his zoanthropy. Long agreed in a second. With each treatment he can feel the beast within him disappearing yet there are days where he sleeps for hours on end…

Long is a Chinese zoanthrope. “Long is a much more tragic character this time around.” the developers said at an interview. They stated that the change in his fighting style was for diversity in gameplay. Also they picked an ‘internal’ and ‘soft’ martial arts style to compare and contrast his internal struggle with the savage beast he becomes. The interview further revealed that Long ‘is very intelligent and would have went on to do great things if not for his tragedies’. Long is one of the most difficult characters to learn, but has great rewards if learned correctly with few weaknesses. His fighting style is meant to take advantage of the 3d field of the game, striking at angles. Developers also told fans “don’t worry. Even though it’s a different style his 6-way combo ring and multiple stances return.”.

Ryuzo Kato
''“Man or beast. It doesn’t matter. I’m beyond all of you.”''

Known As: Bakuryu the Mole

Age: 73

Occupation: Evolution Enterprises Company Defense Force

Fighting Style: Four Clans Style Ninjutsu

Beast Form: Star-nosed Mole

Rival: Long

Voiced by: Kevin Michael Richardson

It is said that Mount Kurama has been a home for demons for centuries. This myth may have come from the fact that a village of shinobi zoanthropes have lived there in secret. Ryuzo Kato, the infamous Bakuryu, belongs to one of the four clans. From a very young age Bakuryu was a genius in the art of ninjutsu and combat. He had the talent, ambition, and drive to make him one of the most powerful warriors in the world at a young age. Unfortunately these same traits in excess can lead to a twisted mentality. Bakuryu had no patience for failure. He killed his son, Bakuryu II, an exceptional shinobi in his own right, for failure of a mission.

As the years went by Bakuryu found he had reached the limits of his body and could no longer grow stronger. This realization made him obsessed with surpassing his limits and become the strongest warrior in the world. He took missions against clan orders and accidentally killed the head of his clan during a training exercise. Feeling the clans were restraining his strength, Bakuryu decided to take action. In the darkness of the night he killed two other heads of the clans, but was beaten by the head of the Tengu clan. ‘Fear the day I return. Because on that day I will have ascended to the ultimate warrior!’ Bakuryu yelled as he escaped from his village. The shinobi would disappear for a few years resurfacing as an assassin for Evolution Enterprises. The deal was simple. They would augment his strength and find him strong opponents and he’d eliminate these threats to the company. Bakuryu waits in the darkness for strong opponents to test and surpass his limits.

Bakuryu is Japanese and the oldest character in Bloody Roar. His human character design has gone through slight changes, but his mole design has taken an overhaul making him look different from the previous moles in the series. The developers have stated that Bakuryu is the most difficult character to learn due to the timing of his moves mixed with the difficulty to perform some of them. Developers said ‘the strength of his character lies in chaining together his special and striking moves with his special throws.’. They then showed a combo that led into his ‘Kingslayer’ special move that continued into the ‘Izuna Twister’ Blitz Drive.

Reiji Takigawa
“There’s nothing more soul fulfilling than killing a strong opponent!”

Known As: Reiji the Crow

Age: 16

Occupation: Runaway Ninja

Fighting Style: Tengu Clan Style Ninjutsu

Beast Form: Hooded Crow

Rival: Michaël

Voice Actor: Richard Ian Cox

If there are parents who are burdened by their children being zoanthropes then it is also true that there are zoanthropes who are burdened by their child being human. Reiji was the third child out of four. All his siblings were able to shift into a beast form at least once by the age of two. Reiji at the age of four had shown no signs of being a zoanthrope. This disappointed his father greatly. So much that on a trip to Mount Kurama he pushed Reiji over an edge and never looked back. Reiji lay at the bottom of a cliff broken and full of hate. Luckily the shinobi of the mountains found and took him in. Using a mystical stone and water the ninja found out that Reiji had the power of a bird zoanthrope within him, but it lay dormant and possibly may never show under normal circumstances. The shinobi took Reiji and he joined the strongest of the four clans, the Tengu Clan.

Reiji grew up within the world of shinobi but his anger and destructive tendencies never dissipated. He grew up admiring Ryuzo Kato and formed his own twisted ideology based on Ryuzo’s already corrupted outlook. For this reason the Tengu Clan would not trigger his latent zoanthrope abilities. Yet a convenient moment occurred when a silver haired man journeyed to the mountain in search of the stone. Reiji agreed to steal the stone if he could unlock his power. It was easy as there was only one leader left among all four clans and thus Reiji’s actions had gone unnoticed for a long time. He stole the stone and the silver haired man unlocked his power. This new power surging through him, Reiji killed two clan members as he left the mountain. His first destination was back to his home. The shinobi ruthlessly killed his father and older sibling laughing mad while doing it. His madness only stopped when shinobi of the four clans approached. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll be back one day to finish the job!’ Reiji yells as he flies away. Now an exile shinobi like the person he admires, Reiji searches for Bakuryu to be mentored by him so he can become stronger.

Reiji is a Japanese zoanthrope. The developers gave Reiji a new look closer to that of a ninja. “We wanted him to be a ninja, but we didn’t want to give him the same look as Bakuryu. So we added different elements to give him a punk urban ninja look.” developers said. Reiji’s human form is aggressive and ground based while his crow form is aggressive and aerial based. When transformed Reiji’s speed increases as well as gaining an all direction aerial dash that can be used twice. The developers chose to introduce Reiji in the first game because “he introduces and ties in other elements of the bloody roar series.”.

Cuán Corbett
“There is no place in life or death that I can’t hunt you.”

Known As: Cuán the Hound, The Beast of Lozère

Age: 23

Occupation: Evolution Enterprises Human Resource Acquisition Department

Fighting Style: Krav Maga

Beast Form: Hound hybrid

Rival: Yugo

Voiced by: Brian Drummond

Grandis Hunter is a term used for the greatest people who hunt zoanthrope kind. How ironic that one of the best hunters to earn that title is a zoanthrope. Cuán was a rebellious child with an independent nature. His family was happy when he ran away so they wouldn’t have to put up with his feral blood. Cuán disappeared and would reappear in Lozere, France where he hunted and attacked its citizens. Never appearing out of his beast form, the hunter became the hunted and was shot down by a man who was payed to hunt the beast. This hunter, realizing what he was dealing with was a young boy, took Cuán and gave him focus and a purpose. Cuán would go to school and learn many things from this hunter. Sadly none of this could soothe whatever haunted Cuán. After his graduation Cuán ran away. He gained public recognition for being able to hunt down bounties and zoanthropes all over the world, most known for finding a scent a few weeks old and hunting down a zoanthrope across two continents. Three years ago Cuán and his group disappeared from the public and began working for Evolution Enterprises. He now hunts and captures prey for them.

Cuán is dark skinned and of Irish descent. Developers have said he was one of the toughest characters to design due to the team having different perspectives. “We knew we wanted him to be similar and yet a contrast to Yugo. Because of that we had a lot of ideas in how to design him. Initially we wanted to make him a wolf-dog hybrid, but then his characteristics and moves started to look too much like Yugo so we scrapped it and started over. There’s a few of us who think we should have stuck with the wolf-dog hybrid as his beast.”. Cuán’s gameplay is what the developers have called ‘Hunt and Trap’. He is of intermediate difficulty where one needs to control their opponent’s movement. “We wanted his movelist to reflect his hunting ability” the developers said. Cuán’s beast form has the most balanced stats of all the beast forms.

Vulpez Bellerose
“Leave me alone or I’ll leave you in pieces...”

Known As: Vulpez the Silver Fox

Age: 19

Occupation: Fashion Designer

Fighting Style: Silat

Beast Form: Red Fox (silver coat variant)

Rival: Dieter

Voiced by: Carrie Keranen

Beauty can be a blessing and a curse. Vulpez has beauty in both her forms which made her isolated from everyone. The only person who truly knew and protected Vulpez was her grandmother. When her wealthy grandmother died things changed. The domestic workers refused to nurture a zoanthrope to be the future lady of the house. A hope came through for Vulpez when a millionaire and his son decided to pay for the manor and take her in till she came of age to control her fortune. She trusted them, but trust comes at a price. Their true intentions were to make sexual advances towards her, finding a woman zoanthrope to be ‘an exhilarating new discovery’. She escaped from the two, taking an arm from the millionaire, but her zoanthrope secret was now known to the world as father and son pursued her.

Vulpez found a peaceful place to hide with a middle aged couple. Even though Vulpez lost so much, the girl found that she could live on happily with a simple life. Happiness stopped when the middle aged couple showed their true nature. They made their living in skinning zoanthrope beast forms and using the material to make clothes and goods. Their kindness was a ruse to get her healthy and find a buyer before she met the same fate like so many others. Vulpez had to kill one of them before she could escape. Forever on the run Vulpez can trust no one. Through rumors she heard about a place called the ‘N Zone’ where there is a cure to zoanthropy. She hopes this cure will bring her peace.

Vulpez is a mix of French and Italian. The developers made Vulpez to be ‘so beautiful and exotic that it borders on being unnatural. That’s the thing that keeps drawing people to her.’. They then pointed to specific areas of design such as her red hair and silver eyes. Her gameplay is described as short ranged with high impact and high damaging one hit moves. “We made her with many evasive moves where she can create or close a lot of distance between the opponent. She’s a ‘Hit and Run’ type of character.” Set Gaebulg said. Her beast form is the fastest playable character in the game.

Michaël Angelos
''“In this world there are monsters far worse than any beast. Unfortunately you’ve come across one of those monsters.”''

Known As: Michaël the Silverback

Age: 34

Occupation: Reporter/Artist

Fighting Style: Sambo with some Wrestling

Beast Form: Eastern Lowland Gorilla

Rival: Dragana

Voiced by: Jamieson Price

Michaël Angelos is a present day Renaissance Man. A high level polymath, he is a painter, a philosopher, a mathematician, a scientist and a journalist. These are just a few of things Michaël does. Yet despite this he has a dark past. His oldest memory is hiding under a bed while men threw his mother on the bed and tore her clothes off. She fought against them while trying to fight the beast inside her, but one had to give. She transformed and went on a rampage but the numbers eventually got to her. Michaël watched as they shot her down and cut open her neck. The event was so shocking that it took four years before the boy could speak again. Yet in those four years a new person was born.

He grew learning multiple skills, hiding his zoanthropy and ironically joining up with zoanthrope hate groups. Not because of any hatred towards zoanthropes. Michaël couldn’t care any less about the war between humans and zoanthropes. But being in zoanthrope hate groups gave him access to his targets. Through their connections it only a took a year to find the men that killed his mother when he was a boy. After dismembering them, he shifted blame towards zoanthropes. And that has been his modus operandi. Kill a member of one group brutally and manipulate the facts to blame the other group. Then in the ensuing chaos kill his targets that will open the path to his next target. A continuous chain. Michaël learned a long time ago that the men that butchered his mother were only small gears to a much a greater machine. A world view. Therefore he will destroy this machine from the inside out, one gear at a time. His next target is a young girl who is lost due to an attack. The chaos that will ensue if the princess of the ZLW was killed by a member of one of those hate groups. It will surely push the ZLW and the world at war. And in that conflict the machine will lose many gears. Michaël sets out to spur chaos.

Michaël is a Greek zoanthrope. Michaël’s gameplay is a chain grappler. His special grapples like ‘Pieta Punishment’ have multiple and divergent combinations where an opponent has to guess the correct type of grapple to escape it. He also has counter moves that lead into grapples. In his beast form Michaël’s speed increases and depending on the stage he can use the ceiling or sides to swing and close the spacing between him and the opponent. He also gains two more counter air grapples as well as ‘Puig Roll’ which serves as an evasive maneuver as well as getting close to the opponent. The developers have said that Michaël’s name has multiple meanings. “Each character’s name is chosen for a reason. Michaël’s has multiple, but the one I don’t think fans would get is that his first name is taken from a gorilla that used sign language to relate his mother’s death from poachers. Much of Michaël’s backstory is based on the real life Michael’s story.”.

Dragana
“I don’t want to fight… but if I have to I’ll win.”

Known As: Dragana the Ouroboros

Age: 13

Occupation: ZLW Representative

Fighting Style: Enshin Kaikan

Beast Form: Armadillo Girdled Lizard

Rival: Dieter

Voiced by: Ashley Eckstein

The Zoanthrope Liberating World has as much animosity towards humans as any of the hate groups against their kind. Despite this not everyone among the ZLW feel it should be a ‘us or them’ mentality. Even after watching her parents ignited before her eyes, Dragana still holds on to the hope that humans and zoanthropes can come together one day. Known as the ‘Princess of the ZLW’ by its members she frequently finds her own way in bringing the children of humans and zoanthropes together, hoping to spur change with a new generation. Against her sibling’s requests, she puts herself in dangerous areas to try and make change. One such occasion an attack destroyed her transportation and hunters murdered her bodyguards. She was gagged and blindfolded. The next Dragana knew she was in glass prison with other children. With the help of another child she was able to escape. On the run from her captors, HOPE, and everyone else Dragana tries to find a way to get back to the ZLW safely, fearing the retaliation her siblings will take towards the world if she does not return.

Dragana is a Southeast Asian zoanthrope. Dragana’s human form is the fastest human character in the game. While she also does the least amount of damage in the game, Dragana has a lot of mixups and feints with a lot of free range movement. She is also able to counterattack both normal and special moves. When in beast form Dragana loses some of her speed and agility to get a major defense boost. She gains the moves ‘Aegis Spikes’, which further increases her defense as well as inflicting chip damage when Dragana attacks or is attacked, and ‘Ouroboros’ a rolling attack that can hit from multiple directions and has fake startups in those directions. Dragana is the only reptile zoanthrope in the game. Developers have said she was partially inspired by Talim from Namco’s Soul series.

- More to Come-

Ohran Wilfred
Voiced by: Paul Eiding

A pacifist who believed in the world coming together and everyone treated equally. He dedicated his life to trying to create total peace and formed the organization, Peace 4 All, in his attempt. When zoanthropy became known to the world and prejudice arose between zoanthropes and humans, he sought to mend their differences and bring them together. Ohran believed ‘no one should be left out of this world’. His constant work and charisma was one of the leading advances towards peace in the world. His assassination would set the world on a dark future.

Asha Smriti
Voiced by: Christina Puccelli

The daughter of an Indian ambassador, Asha never saw a difference between humans and zoanthropes. They both laughed and cried. They both have dreams and fears. Despite her young age she always treated her zoanthrope peers as equals. Her parents documented her behavior and showed it to the world to help promote peace and co-existence. Her innocent words and actions even impressed Ohran Wilfred. Asha soon found herself as the youngest peace ambassador. A symbol of peace, her death was the catalyst for disharmony. The developers have said that Dragana tries to emulate her.

Yuji Ogami
Voiced by: Lex Lang

A kind-hearted Japanese soldier, Yuji may have been a second-rate soldier, but his heart was second to none. One of his most notable actions was being able to stop a shootout from erupting between his division and a town of armed civilians. By just talking and risking his life in enemy hands he was able to tame the feelings of both sides. This action caught the attention of the legendary mercenary, Alan Gado. The two became brothers in arms from that day on. Years later a mission goes astray, killing many citizens. One of the citizens was Yuji’s wife. Disillusioned by the military, Yuji left  his life as a soldier behind and to raise his son. The government reinstated him into the military for one last special mission with Gado, Golan Draphan and a few other soldiers who have had experience with zoanthrope individuals. Yuji and the rest of the special task force died on this mission. The developers said they would give Yuji more characterization in this game and touch upon his relationship with Yugo.

Frañseza Shina
Voiced by: Jennifer Hale

A French soldier who worked as a combat medic. She met the mercenary, Alan Gado, while tending to his wounds against orders. Since then the two have been close even if they are not always on the same battlefield. When Frañseza became pregnant, she opted for a reserve position to spend time to raise her daughter. Combat and war made Frañseza see and do things she never wanted her daughter to experience. She did her best to steer her away from that life. Frañseza is called back as combat medic to aid as a supervisor of other medics on a mission. The mission went astray and Frañseza was killed in the conflict. Because of her death, Alan drowned himself in combat while Jeanne became lost on the battlefield.

Aldeer Darwin
Voiced by: Daran Norris

The CEO and creator of Evolution Enterprises. His grandfather became too old to run his company and named Aldeer as his successor. Using the skeleton of his grandfather’s company, Tylon Corporation, Aldeer created Evolution Enterprises in its ashes. A stern and mysterious man, Aldeer has been known to be aggressively passive. A visionary that looks far ahead into the future, not many can see the world as he does. The developers have said that Aldeer is a looming presence throughout the game, but one you don’t see or interact with. This can be seen with the viral marketing of the game and in-game scenes where you hear his voice in commercials and characters talk about him, but he is never seen.

Vera Baris
Voiced by: Laura Post

An Albanian high ranking executive in Evolution Enterprises and Aldeer’s left hand. She is able to grasp the CEO’s ideas and visions and able to execute his desires independently with little to no orders. A mysterious woman, no one can read what she’s thinking or what she’ll do next. Developers have stated that Vera stands in place of Aldeer who is never seen. She plays a vital role in some of the character’s backgrounds and what brought them to the present story.

Huntsman Team 03
Voiced by: River (Phil LaMarr), Ciel (Lara Jill Miller), Erden (Troy Baker), Ash (Erica Mendez)

A five man HOPE unit lead by Dieter Rask. The other members are River Dalton, Ciel Tolbert, Erden Fleischer, and Ash Bolivar. Each of them have past experiences with zoanthropes and joined HOPE for their own reasons. River is the longest member on the team, having worked with Dieter in different units within HOPE and military units outside of HOPE. The developers have given outside information on the team to further flesh them out. River is dark skinned and of British descent. He’s the most easygoing and lax of the group but can become cold in a heartbeat. Ciel is Canadian with a bubbly personality that always tries to keep a positive outlook. Erden is German. He is the newest member to the team and hard headed. He is very adamant in his beliefs and his ideas. Ash is a Spaniard with a hot temper and a trigger finger. She is the first one to jump into a fight. Each member has a small patch on their uniform that is homage to another series. River has a Foxhound patch (Metal Gear Solid), Ciel has the witch, Charlotte, as a patch (Madoka Magica), Erden has a Wings of Freedom patch (Attack on Titan), and Ash has a patch of a red and purple scissor blade crossing each other (Kill La Kill).

Lin Li Shin
Voiced by: Lara Jill Miller

Long Shin’s younger sister. She has lived a distressful life due to her brother’s zoanthropy. Her feelings towards him are complicated. Lin Li rests in an advanced hospital with all her expenses being paid for by Evolution Enterprises. She battles for life against an unknown disease contracted from a zoanthrope.

Enemy Fighters
These are characters who show up as enemies during Story and Survival modes. These characters are not playable and only have stripped down movesets of playable characters. They have only one Blitz Drive and no Beast Drive or Hyper Beast mode.

Grasshopper - A well dressed person in a top hat, a monocle and carrying a pocket watch. They use a shallow moveset based on Alice. Has both male and female versions. The female has a different type of pants and a noticeable bust. Comes in a six color variant with enemy designations of [ZLW], [EE] or [Enemy]. Only the [ZLW] and [EE] variants have a Blitz Drive. Grasshopper is the only insect zoanthrope in the game.

Gold Jackal - A young person with two-toned hair wearing a small scarf around their neck. Their beast form is a smaller, sleeker furred version of Yugo’s with a slightly longer snout. Has both male and female versions. The male version has long hair with the toned colors reverse of the female. They use a shallow moveset based on Yugo. Comes in a six color variant with enemy designations of [ZLW], [EE], or [Enemy]. Only the [ZLW] and [EE] variants have a Blitz Drive.

Trumpet Swan - A person with light blue hair wearing white gloves and a wireless headset. Their beast form is a longer necked version of Reiji’s with a blunt beak, rounder eyes, webbed feet and a slightly larger wingspan. Has both male and female versions. The male has a mop head of very curly hair and a short jacket while the female has curly mohawk and long coat. They use a shallow moveset based on Reiji. Comes in a six color variant with enemy designations of [ZLW] and [Enemy]. Only the ‘Black Feather/Red Bill’ and ‘Black Neck’ color variation have a Blitz Drive.

-More to Come-

Stages
Bloody Roar: End Zoan features 12 stages initially with 5 more unlockable stages and 4 DLC stages bringing a total of 21. Many stages feature breakable objects and multiple areas. All areas have a day and night look that can be picked in stage select. Stages, like the characters, also take damage that remains till the end of the battle. Cracked concrete or claw slashes in buildings can prominently be seen. This is also dependent on the character inflicting damage. Where Yugo and Shina would leave claw and bite marks on the environment, Michaël leaves fist imprints and Bart’s tentacles leave bands and whip like wounds on the area.

Warrior Born - A modern day urban street that is outside of a dojo, a few other stores and a park. In the background teens and kids can be seen skateboarding and watching the players fight. A character can be knocked through the window and fight in ‘Warrior Born’ dojo. The stage features breakable objects like lamp posts, street signs, punching bags, glass and other things. This is the dojo that Yugo and Alice learned martial arts. Yuji Ogami knew a few war buddies that ran the dojo whom gladly took Yugo and Alice as students.

Kuniumi High School - This stage takes place behind the school gate but outside the school. There are cherry blossom trees in the area with petals falling. Students hide behind the trees and run away as players get closer. Some of the trees and the school gate are breakable objects and show battle damage. A character can be knocked into the first floor of the school which has  rows of lockers. Students peep out of a classroom and the hallway to see the action. Some lockers are also breakable and take damage. Hinata Wakaba from Rival Schools makes a cameo appearance in the background. Alice and Yugo attend this school.

Graham Street Market - A stage that is bustling with people and carts. People can be knocked down and different carts take damage. Broken carts will spill their goods around the arena and civilians walking by can slip on them. Interestingly bodies don’t disappear when knocked down so the body count can get high. A character can be knocked through the crowd to a circular field that is mud and dirt. A few chickens run around this field and can be hit into the air. Long lives somewhere in this area.

The Train Station - An elevated station with trains running by between three tracks, characters fight on the narrow platform. Pillars and a garbage cans are breakable objects. Player can be slammed into a train that stops causing the train to speed off. If a player is knocked through the doors the fight will continue on the train. This field is narrower than the platform reducing the 3D elements of the stage. While on the platform you can also knock the player downwards through the platform into a wider stage area under the train station. This area is much wider than the platform and train with more breakable objects. It is one of the few stages to have three areas. The stage is set at night. Bakuryu uses the elevated train system to stalk and eliminate targets from all around the city.

The Cage - There is a nightclub called Impulsive Pleasures where carnal desires and fun happens. In the underground floor there is a large cage in a pit where people watch bloodsport between humans and zoanthropes. The cage is a medium sized octagon without any breakable objects inside. This is also one of the few stages with only one area. When a character loses his first lifebar the cage is lifted from the pit to hang in the air for everyone to view. The background consists of well dressed people throwing money, refreshments and generally partying. There are also two large screens showing the fight. Reiji is a frequent participant in the cage and as of now is undefeated.

Blackwood Forest - One of the few stages to be set at night. It is a forest with medium to very tall trees. All with black leaves. The leaves on some of the trees fall. Trees take damage and some of them can be knocked down. During the night it is a full moon and the day is high noon. The barks of dogs and wolves can be heard. The wolves howl during the night and hounds howl during the day. In the background you can see wolves, dogs, foxes, pumas and other game animals running or flying back and forth. A few hunters peep from behind trees every few seconds. A character can be knocked into an area with a lake and stream. In this area is one thick tree with white leaves in the background with a giant snake wrapped around it. Legendary creatures like a unicorn and tsuchinoko make a rare appearance in this area. Hounds and a hunter can be seen in the background opposite the tree fighting a mothman like creature. This is where Cuan perfected his hunting skill.

Bellarose Manor - A great house on a large piece of land. The great house is desolate and deteriorating. Players fight outside by a spiral stairway that leads to a balcony inside the house. There is also a wall with graffiti and a drawing scribbled across it. The drawing is fox being hanged. On the other side is a garden with plants growing wildly. There are a few noticeable giant roses with large thorns. A player can be knocked up the staircase and through the balcony doors to fight inside the mansion. The inside is narrow with glass doors showing outside and how vast the manor is. In the background you can see how far the garden goes as well as a greenhouse, a stable for horses, and other things. A player can be knocked through the railings down to the ballroom. This area is large and rectangular. There is an old chandelier hanging above with and candles around the area have all been blown out. Some of the paint on the walls is torn, with many cobwebs. The area is dreary. At night you can see yellow eyes looking into the area beyond a door. This used to be Vulpez’s home.

Parking Garage - A darkly lit area that has a low ceiling and cuts off the height of a player’s jump. The stage is darkly lit, with lights in some parts flickering on and off. The area is slightly narrow and as players move back and forth the screen moves to give the feel of going up and down a spiral. In this area there are no breakable objects and only one person watches the fight leaning up on a wall in the background. A character can be knocked through the ground to the area below. This part is a larger, rectangular field with automobiles as breakable objects. Three people in the background sit around a car watching the fight. A baby blue Lamborghini Huracan makes a rare appearance in this area. This is one of the many places Michaël meets with people to get information.

The Yard - This stage is set at night at cargo unloading area next to a dock. In the background are Evolution Enterprises workers helping to unload and load cargo. Workers with guns force blindfolded people to march. On one side there is a ship, The Dreadnought, unloading cargo in the background. There is a crane taking a large container off the ship marked ‘5P-F06 URANUS’. On the other side of the stage is a train unloading cargo. Workers help load on a large container marked ‘5P-C03 EREBUS’ also by crane. A character can be knocked on a large freight elevator that changes the area to an underground facility. Workers armed with guns and scientists taking notes escort blindfolded people and people in large tubes. Canisters and small containers are breakable in this stage. Hajime Busuzima can be seen in the background escorting a tube with ‘LS028’ marked on the front. This is where Dragana escaped.

-More to Come-

Development
-More to Come-

[60% Complete - Music]