Breakers

Breakers (ブレイカーズ, Bureikāsu) is a 2D fighting game released by Visco on December 17, 1996 for the Neo Geo. It received an updated version entitled Breakers Revenge (ブレイカーズ・リベンジ, Bureikāsu Ribenji) on July 3, 1998.

The game is rather obscure in the arcade and Neo Geo scene, likely due to its somewhat uninspired visuals and character designs, but it has gained something of a cult following thanks to its solid gameplay.

In 2015, Visco launched through a French distributor a limited edition of Breakers Revenge for the Neo Geo AES. In 2017, the original Breakers received an official Dreamcast release.

A collection including the two games, titled Breakers Collection, has announced for consoles and PC, coming in 2020, but later postponed to 2022 and finally released on January 12, 2023.

When both players begin a fight with the same character, the challenger's character will receive a different name. For instance, Sho's double will be named "Jin Sawamura". This usually occurred in the game's arcade mode with a human opponent facing the computer.

Characters

 * Sho Kamui (神威 翔) - the main protagonist of the game and Dao-Long's rival. Hailing from Japan, he wants to prove the strength of Karate against strong opponents.
 * Lee Dao-Long (李 刀龍) - Sho's rival and senior. A young Korean who practices a Chinese martial art called the "Empty Fist."
 * Pielle Montario (ピエール・モンタリオ) - a rich French aristocrat who parades around in Zorro-like fashion. With his fencing skills, Pielle seeks to deliver justice for Bai-Hu's cruelty.
 * Condor Heads (コンドル・ヘッズ) - a Native American wrestler. After experiencing a vision from his lion spirit, Manitor, Condor enters the tournament to find what's lacking in his life.
 * Rila Estancia (ライラ・エスタンシア) - a wild and savage-looking woman who was born in Brazil. She is searching for a way to protect her jungle home.
 * Tia Langray (ティア・ラングレー) - a young and petite female Muay Thai fighting champion, she is looking for her missing brother.
 * Alsion III (アルシオンIII世) - seems to be a resurrected Egyptian pharaoh. Using various deities and his stretching limbs, Alsion III is trying to create his own empire.
 * Sheik Maherl (シーク・マハール) - an Arabian swordsman who can summon a fiery djinn during fights. He enters the tournament to confirm the whereabouts of his missing friend.
 * Saizo Tobikageno (飛影 才蔵) - an exclusive new character added in Breakers Revenge. Saizo is a ninja who wants to avenge his village.
 * Huang Bai-Hu (黄 白虎) - the final boss and main antagonist of the game. Possessed by an evil spirit, Bai-Hu organizes the FIST tournament to finish off his competition.

Trivia

 * Breakers was originally announced in 1993 under the title Tenrin no Syo Chicago (天麟の書　死嘩護), the game was named as Crystal Legacy outside of Japan.
 * Breakers Revenge was one of the first "Giga Power" games for the Neo Geo.
 * The character Saizo should not be confused with the character Saizo Hattori from Power Instinct, though both characters are ninjas.