Courtesy of SEGA, AMN was able to get their hands on Bleach, Shonen Jump’s increasingly popular anime franchise turned video-game. The GameCube version was just one of the few titles available on the show floor for the system, but the exclusive art direction of the game was evident with its heavy emphasis on cel-shaded 2D fighting.

Everyone from the Bleach universe is represented here, including our favorite hero Ichigo. The battle system is simple, and comparable to most manga-based fighters, with a control scheme utilizing only two attack buttons (strong and weak attack), jump, and block. Characters will be able to block in mid-air, utilizing the L-button to “zip” past an opponent’s initial attack. In addition, several ground-level/low-blow moves were added to blend the mix of attack combinations. While the battle system won’t win any awards in the future, the general audience for this game shouldn’t have a problem adjusting to the changes made in fighting controls. Also exclusive to the game is the Bankai mode, which is a slo-mo mode during the course of the battle, allowing characters to deal more damage in dynamic fashion.

Bleach is a Japan-only title, slated for release in 2006.