BlazBlue (Franchise)

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BlazBlue (ブレイブルー) is a 2D fighting game series that first released in Japan on arcades on November 20, 2008, as BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger. Since then, the BlazBlue series has released a variety of games and evolved into a multi-media franchise, producing novels, comics, animation, and theater.

Overview

The earliest release date regardless of region is used for consistency.

C-Series

The main part of the BlazBlue series is named the "C-Series" because the subtitles of the main games in this series all start with the letter C. The series focuses around the life of its protagonist, Ragna the Bloodedge.

BlazBlue: Phase Shift

Consisting of the four BlazBlue: Phase Shift novels, numbered simply from one to four, and sometimes including a fifth book, BlazBlue: Phase 0, all of which are set during the Dark War.

  • BlazBlue: Phase Shift (2011)
    A series of four novels that follow the Six Heroes and Celica A. Mercury through the Dark War.
  • BlazBlue: Phase 0 (2010)
    A standalone novel that details the Dark War during the very first loop of the Looping World. Due to the similarity of its title to those of the Phase Shift series, it is often lumped together with them.

BlazBlue: Remix Heart and BlazBlue: Variable Heart

Two series of manga that focus around protagonist Mai Natsume during and shortly after her time in the Military Academy.

  • BlazBlue: Remix Heart (2013)
    A lighthearted manga that showcases the Military Academy as Mai becomes fast friends with Tsubaki, Noel, and Makoto.
  • BlazBlue: Variable Heart (2016)
    The sequel to BlazBlue: Remix Heart but no longer set within school bounds, which picks up shortly before graduation, just as the Ikaruga Civil War ends.

BlazBlue: Bloodedge Experience

  • BlazBlue: Bloodedge Experience (2014)
    A series of novels set in an alternate universe to the mainline C-Series, following the protoganist Naoto Kurogane and the troubles of his Drive, Bloodedge, through a close-to-modern time period.

XBlaze

A couple of visual novels set in an earlier alternate universe to the mainline C-Series. It introduced the Mitsurugi Agency and was the first to focus heavily on Drives.

  • XBlaze Code: Embryo (2013)
    The first game in the XBlaze series, following Touya Kagari and his misadventures with Es and other lively characters surrounding the mysteries of the Wadatsumi Incident.
  • XBlaze Lost: Memories (2015)
    Following the unnamed protagonist as she searches for her younger sister and is pulled into a mysterious space known as the "Phantom Field".

BlazBlue Alternative: Dark War

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle

  • BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle (2018)
    A spin-off tag-team fighting game that crosses over the BlazBlue universe with those of fellow fighting game series Persona 4 Arena and Under Night In-Birth and the 3DCG animated series RWBY.

Miscellaneous

  • Eat Beat: Dead Spike-san (2015)
    A simple rhythm game for Android and iOS, which was ported to Nintendo Switch in 2018.
  • BlazBlue Radio
    A companion, animated, Japanese-language web radio show that brings on various voice actors to have a generally good time and share news. From the eighth season onwards episodes are subbed officially in English, Simplified Chinese, and Korean.
  • BlazBlue Cats
    A series of short animated videos featuring characters from the BlazBlue cast as cats.

Creation & Development

Name Origin

The series experimented with different titles before it was finalized as BlazBlue. The story was set to be about the "Azure," so staff wanted to include the word "Blue" in it no matter what. The Blue Blood was the first idea, but became Blue Bloods to shorten the length. Other logo variants included Blue Blood and Vergatorion: The Blue Blood. From there the word "riot" was incorporated, first as Riot: The Blue Blood, then RiotBlue. RiotBlue: Calamity Trigger almost became the decided title, but had to be changed due to a potential copyright issue; the final title was changed to BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger just two days before the official release. Mori Toshimichi mentions that upon the sudden name shift, a designer suggested that the "Blaz" in BlazBlue be pronounced "blay." The title of the Genesis of the Azure Flame artbook suggests that "BlazBlue" may in fact a play on the word "sapphire" (saph-fire), written in Japanese as 蒼炎 (safaia) using kanji meaning "azure flame."[1]

History

Date of Release Title Visual
2008
November 20, 2008 JP ARCADE
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
BlazBlue Calamity Trigger Logo.png
2009
April 9, 2009 WEB RADIO
BlazBlue Radio
Blue Radio Logo.png
June 25, 2009 JP
June 30, 2009 US
PS3, XBOX 360
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
November 20, 2009 JP ARCADE
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
BlazBlue Continuum Shift Logo.png
2010
January 27, 2010 JP NINTENDO DSIWARE
BlayzBloo: Super Melee Brawlers Battle Royale
(BlazBlue: Battle X Battle)
BlazBlue Battle X Battle Logo.png
February 20, 2010 EVENT
BlueFes 2010 -Spring Raid-
at Shinagawa Stellar Ball
BlueFes 2010 -Spring Raid- Logo.png
February 25, 2010 JP PSP
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
July 1, 2010 JP
July 27, 2010 NA
December 3, 2010 EU
PS3, XBOX 360
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
August 7, 2010 EVENT
BlazBlue Streaming
at Shibuya AMG Hall
BlazBlue Streaming Logo.png
August 19, 2010 JP MOBILE
BlazBlue: Mobile Battle
BlazBlue Mobile Battle Logo.png
August 20, 2010 JP NOVEL
BlazBlue: Phase 0
BlazBlue Phase 0 Cover.jpg
August 26, 2010 JP PC
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
September 9, 2010 EU PS3, XBOX 360
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
December 9, 2010 JP ARCADE
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II
2011
January 22, 2011 LIVE
Guilty Gear X BlazBlue Music Live 2011
at Kawasaki CLUB CITTA'
Guilty Gear X BlazBlue Music Live 2011 Logo.png
February 14, 2011 JP COMIC
BlazBlue: Chimelical Complex
March 31, 2011 JP
May 31, 2011 NA
Nov 4, 2011 EU
PSP, 3DS
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II
April 20, 2011 JP NOVEL
BlazBlue: Phase Shift 1
BlazBlue Phase Shift 1 Cover.jpg
July 1, 2011 NEWS BROADCAST PUPPET SHOW
BlazBlue Play
BlazBlue Play Logo.png
December 17, 2011 JP PS3, XBOX 360, PS VITA
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend
2012
February 14, 2012 NA PS3, XBOX 360
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend
February 14, 2012 NA
February 22, 2012 EU
PS VITA
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend
March 24, 2012 TOURNAMENT
BlazBlue Revolution
at Differ Ariake
BlueBlue Revolution Logo.png
May 31, 2012 JP PSP
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend
August 5, 2012 EVENT
BlueFes 2012 -Riot Summer Again-
at Shinkiba Studio Coast
BlueFes 2012 -Riot Summer Again- Logo.png
November 11, 2012 JP ARCADE
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma
BlazBlue Chrono Phantasma Logo.png
December 21, 2012 JP WINDOWS 8
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
December 26, 2012 JP 3DS
BlazBlue: Clone Phantasma
BlazBlue Clone Phantasma Logo(Japanese).png
2013
January 19, 2013 JP NOVEL
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger - Part 1
BlazBlue Calamity Trigger Novel Part 1 Cover.jpg
February 7, 2013 JP COMIC
BlazBlue: Remix Heart
BlazBlue Remix Heart Volume 1 Cover.jpg
May 19, 2013 EVENT
Arc System Works Festival
at Pacific Yokohama
September 20, 2013 JP NOVEL
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift - Part 1
BlazBlue Continuum Shift Part 1 Novel Cover.jpg
October 8, 2013 ANIME
BlazBlue: Alter Memory
October 9, 2013 JP COMIC
BlazBlue
October 24, 2013 JP PS3
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma
October 24 - November 10, 2013 EVENT
BlazBlue Museum
at Akihabara Gamers
2014
March 3 - March 9, 2014 STAGE
Live Act ''BlazBlue'' ~Continuum Shift~
at The Galaxy Theatre (Tennōzu)
BlazBlue Live Act Logo.png
March 25, 2014 NA PS4, PS3, XBOX ONE
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma
April 24, 2014 JP, NA PS VITA
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma
June 20, 2014 JP NOVEL
BlazBlue: Bloodedge Experience - Part 1
BlazBlue Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Cover.jpg
July 12, 2014 LIVE
Guilty Gear X BlazBlue Music Live 2014
at Kawasaki CLUB CITTA'
Guilty Gear X BlazBlue Music Live 2014 Logo.png
October 9, 2014 JP ARCADE
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Ver 2.0
December 11, 2014 STEAM
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
2015
January 7, 2015 JP
February 23, 2015 NA
March 23, 2015KR
APP
Eat Beat: Dead Spike-san
Eat Beat Dead Spike-san Logo(English).png
March 29, 2015 LIVE
BlazBlue Music Live 2015
at Zepp Tokyo
BlazBlue Music Live 2015 Logo.png
April 23, 2015 JP
June 30, 2015 NA
July 28, 2015 NA (PS Vita)
October 23, 2015 EU
PS4, PS3, XBOX One, PS VITA
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend
BlazBlue Chrono Phantasma Extend Logo.png
July 12, 2015 EVENT
Blue Fes 2015 -Lord☆Ultimate~-
BlueFes 2015 -Lord☆Ultimate~!- Logo.png
November 19, 2015 JP ARCADE
BlazBlue: Central Fiction
BlazBlue Central Fiction Logo.png
2016
March 2, 2016 STEAM
BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend
August 10 - 14, 2016 STAGE
Live Act BlazBlue ~Continuum Shift~
at Shinjukumura Performing Theater
October 6, 2016 JP PS3, PS4
BlazBlue: Central Fiction
October 20, 2016 JP NOVEL
BlazBlue: Spiral Shift – Hero of the Frozen Blade
BlazBlue Spiral Shift Cover.png
December 12, 2016 JP COMIC
BlazBlue: Variable Heart
BlazBlue Variable Heart Volume 1 Cover.png
2017
April 27, 2017 STEAM
BlazBlue: Central Fiction
August 3, 2017 JP ARCADE
BlazBlue Central Fiction Ver 2.0
2018
March 22, 2018 JP, NA NINTENDO SWITCH
Eat Beat: Dead Spike-san
March 31, 2018 JP
June 5, 2018 NA
June 22, 2018 EU
PS4, NINTENDO SWITCH, STEAM
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle Logo.png
November 20, 2018 BlazBlue 10th Anniversary BlazBlue 10th Anniversary Logo.png
2019
February 7, 2019 JP, US
February 8, 2019 EU
NINTENDO SWITCH
BlazBlue: Central Fiction Special Edition
BlazBlue Central Fiction Special Edition Logo.png
April 25, 2019 JP ARCADE
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
November 21, 2019 PS4, NINTENDO SWITCH, STEAM
BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle Ver 2.0
2021
February 16, 2021JP MOBILE
BlazBlue Alternative: Dark War
BlazBlue Alternative Dark War Logo.png

External Links

References

  1. BlazBlue: Original Setting Material Collection - Genesis of the Azure Flame, Chapter 1 - Phenomena: Dawn (事象:黎明), BLAZBLUE Title & Logo Transition