BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is a crossover tag team fighting game consisting of characters from the licensed fighting games series which Project BB Team is involved in: Arc System Works' own BlazBlue, Atlus' Persona 4 Arena and its sequel, French-Bread's Under Night In-Birth and Rooster Teeth's anime-styled web animation RWBY, followed by Team Arcana's Arcana Heart (formerly co-owned by Examu as of the end of February 2020), Marvelous' Senran Kagura, and Subtle Style's Akatsuki EN-Eins in Season 2.

The character art for this game is drawn by Higuchi Konomi who previously worked as a character designer for the XBlaze series.^[6]

Plot[]

Prologue[]

Ruby makes a brief cameo when the System XX begins observing and searching potential catalyst samples from all four different worlds.

Episode BlazBlue[]

In Chapter 2, Ruby Rose and Blake Belladonna attempt to ambush Ragna the Bloodedge to steal his Keystone but fail. Ruby introduces herself and Blake to Ragna and Gordeau the Harvester and becomes excited to see their weapons. After Blake demands Ragna's Keystone, Ruby challenges him and Gordeau to fight. After Ruby and Blake lose the battle, Ragna tells the two that if they are going to be his enemy, then he will not be holding back, prompting Blake that they will remember that. But before Ruby can ask Ragna questions about his weapon, Blake tells her that they need to retreat, much to Ruby's disappointment.

In Chapter 7, Weiss Schnee teams up with Orie Ballardiae to receive Ragna's Keystone but fails. The girls then fight Ragna and Hazama but lose, prompting the System XX to transport them to another location.

Episode P4A[]

In Chapter 6, Ruby and Weiss launch a surprise attack on the Investigation Team and Ragna to steal their Keystones, under the false assumption that they are all villains who are aiming to destroy the world with the stones. After they lose to Yu Narukami and Ragna, Ruby and Weiss learn that they were tricked by their Keystone and that the other fighters are simply trying to find a way back to their worlds. The girls are then suddenly ambushed by Es, who steals their Keystone and transports them away.

After Yu and Yosuke Hanamura defeat the awakened Keystone, Ruby appears in the newly created Phantom Field as one of the new transfer students at Yasogami High School.

Episode Under Night In-Birth[]

In Chapter 2, Ruby gets caught in Yosuke's bike accident and is stuck under him until Chie Satonaka notices her and urges her friend to get up. As Ruby recovers, they are approached by Hyde Kido, who mistakenly believes that Ruby is being bullied by Yosuke and Chie. He then summons Insulator, causing Ruby to get all excited and fervently ask Hyde about his sword. When the misunderstanding is cleared, they are prompted by the System XX to battle each other. At first, Ruby is against it but is later eager to battle Yosuke and Chie with Hyde when the System XX tells her that the Yasogami students have amazing weapons. After she and Hyde win, Ruby fervently pursues Yosuke and Chie as she wants to learn more about their Personas.

In Chapter 3, Blake follows Hyde to steal his Keystone but is forced to reveal herself when Hyde calls out to her to stop hiding. After Hyde tries to explain his suspicions to her about the tournament and that they shouldn't be fighting, Blake refuses to cooperate with someone she just met and prepares herself to take the stone from him. When Makoto Nanaya appears, Blake mistakes the demi-human for a Faunus, and the two of them begin to bond over their shared sufferings of discrimination and their favorite foods. But as Hyde interrupts them, Blake joins forces with Makoto against him and Gordeau. After they lose, the girls are forced to retreat.

In Chapter 4, Weiss is attacked constantly by Azrael until she is rescued by Hyde. When Carmine Prime demands Hyde hands over the Keystone and gives his desires to stay in the Phantom Field and torment Hyde, Weiss ridicules him for being nothing but an animal. She then teams up with Hyde to fend off Azrael and Carmine and they escape once they find their chance. After thanking Hyde, Weiss wishes him good luck as she parts ways with him.

After Hyde and Linne destroy the Keystone's true form, Ruby appears with Yu in the Kanzakai Scramble Tag Battle Tournament and later challenges Aegis upon seeing the robot's arsenal of weapons.

Episode RWBY[]

After the System XX informs Team RWBY about the rules of the tag battle tournament, the girls decide to split into two groups to cover more ground and find the Keystones.

In Chapter 1, Ruby and Weiss stumble upon Noel Vermillion and Makoto and discover that they have a Keystone. They try to launch a surprise attack but are quickly discovered by the demi-human. When Ruby and Weiss ask for Noel and Makoto to hand over the Keystone, the latter makes an accidental slip that they have a stone of their own. As they are prompted to battle, Ruby and Weiss fight and defeat Noel and Makoto, causing the latter two to retreat with their Keystone. Weiss then becomes suspicious of the tournament and parts ways with Ruby to investigate.

In Chapter 2, Ruby finds Hyde with a Keystone and prepares to fight him for it when the System XX tells them that they can only fight in a tag battle. Upon Hazama's sudden arrival, Ruby teams up with him against Hyde and Carmine and emerge victoriously. She then receives Hyde's Keystone from Hazama before he takes his leave.

In Chapter 3, Ruby has a run-in with Rachel Alucard, who is fleeing capture from Platinum the Trinity and Vatista. After learning from the latter two that the vampire knows something about the Phantom Field, Ruby is forced by Rachel to be her tag partner against Platinum and Vatista. After their victory, Ruby asks Rachel about their current environment and reveals her quest to collect the Keystones. She receives no answer but is instructed by the vampire to come to her after she collects all of the stones. When Rachel suddenly disappears, Ruby resolves herself to get the Keystones and get her team and herself back to their world.

In Chapter 4, Ruby is suddenly attacked by Hakumen, who demands her Keystone. She is then approached by Iron Tager and is warned by him about using the stones to return home. When Ruby tries to defend her actions and says Rachel's name, she is forced to face both Hakumen and Tager. She tries to run but is stopped by Hakumen when he shows her the Keystone that Noel had before. Upon Waldstein's sudden arrival, Ruby teams up with him against the samurai and devil. After winning the battle, she steals the Keystone Hakumen has and makes her escape.

In Chapter 5, Ruby reunites with Weiss and shows her all of the Keystones that she has collected so far. They are then confronted by Orie, who demands they hand over the stone that was taken from Hyde. Weiss argues that they had worked hard to collect the stones, and it will be a waste to return them back. When Orie reluctantly teams up with Gordeau, the Huntresses prepare to fight them. After they win, Ruby and Weiss walk away when Orie and Gordeau start to argue. At a safe distance, Weiss reveals her suspicions to Ruby about the tournament and they begin to worry about collecting the Keystones. Ultimately, Weiss decides that they should go ahead and find the last stone. When Ruby protests that something bad might happen, Weiss reminds her to believe in her teammates. They part ways with Ruby searching for the last Keystone and Weiss rounding up Blake and Yang.

In Chapter 6, Ruby finds the last Keystone in the hands of Yosuke and Yukiko Amagi. When she challenges them to a fight for the stone, she becomes excited when she mistakes them for a ninja and geisha. Upon remembering that she cannot fight alone, she is suddenly approached by Es, who offers her assistance.

In Chapter 7, Ruby collects the last Keystone but is later surprised when Es suddenly transports Yosuke and Yukiko away. She is further shocked when Es turns on her and demands the Keystones without giving a reason why. When Ragna suddenly appears and reveals that Es and Rachel are both hiding something about the Phantom Field, Ruby shares with him about the vampire's instructions to go to her with all of the stones with no information about the world and the tournament they are in. She is later surprised when Ragna makes himself her tag partner in order to battle Es and get the information they need from her. Ruby tries once more to just talk with Es but to no avail, prompting her to team up with Ragna. A Seithr clone of Ruby is made by Es to even the battlefield.

In Chapter 8, Ruby and Ragna demand answers from a defeated Es, who reveals that the Keystones are the core of the Phantom Field and that Rachel is the only one who can seal away the stones so that the world will collapse and return everyone to their worlds. Ruby then urges everyone to start searching for Rachel but is stopped by Hazama, who has become suspicious of the System XX who has been guiding Ruby. They all learn that the System XX has been gathering battle data thanks to Ruby holding the Keystone, and now plans to use the Huntress as a catalyst to shift the Phantom Field into the world of Remnant. Ruby is then attacked by the System XX but is protected by Ragna who takes the blow for her. As the Keystone reveals its true form, the Huntress confirms with Es that the only way for everyone to return to their worlds is to now defeat the stone. With both Ragna and Es too injured to fight and Hazama suddenly missing, Ruby worries about fighting the Keystone on her own when her teammates suddenly arrive. With her friends now by her side, her confidence is restored and she decides to take down the Keystone together with her team. Worried about Ragna and Es, Ruby directs Blake and Yang to protect them while she and Weiss fight the Keystone. Upon learning that Ragna protected Ruby earlier, Yang thanks him for saving her younger sister. Ruby and Weiss then prepare themselves to battle the Keystone.

After Ruby and Weiss destroy the Keystone, Team RWBY revels in their victory and the hope of returning home. When Hazama suddenly reappears, Ruby receives the red Keystone from him as everyone is returned to their respected worlds. She then wakes up in Team RWBY's dorm room and finds the Keystone in her hand, causing her to panic and searching for a way to dispose of it. Her teammates then enter the room and are shocked to find her in possession of the Keystone. The stone fervently apologizes to the team for its actions and assures them that it can now only maintain its physical form. Ultimately, Team RWBY decides to keep the stone to keep an eye on it and prevent it from doing anything suspicious. Ruby then gives a cheer for the team to fight for justice and to save people, to which they all happily agree.

Cooperative Ending[]

In Chapter 2, after Ruby and Blake lose to Ragna and Gordeau, they listen to the Grim Reaper's suspicions about the tournament and his conclusion that they might not even have to compete for the Keystones and that they should stop fighting each other. While Blake is unsure of Ragna's assumptions due to the lack of evidence, Ruby believes him and allows him to handle the stones, much to Blake and Gordeau's surprise. Ruby shares with Blake her belief that there is a chance that risking their lives for the Keystones will be pointless in the end, and she wants to fight for something that she is absolutely sure of. Ruby then asks Ragna to keep his Keystone safe before she and Blake take their leave.

In Chapter 9, Ruby and Weiss appear in the final stage with several fighters from the other three worlds. The Keystones then disappear from their possessions as the System XX reveals its final form. After Rachel reveals the nature of the System XX and concludes that the only way to stop it is to destroy it, Ruby, Weiss and everyone else rally Ragna to fight, despite the uncertainty of whether or not they will make it back to their worlds. Ruby then teams up with Ragna, Yu and Hyde and they destroy the Keystone together. Afterward, they all return to their original worlds.

Extra Episode[]

The four members of Team RWBY, along with fighters from other worlds, are warped into the Phantom Field by System XX, and they are tasked with collecting five stamps to reach a goal where they can have one wish granted by a "Grand Power". The stamps are collected either by battling against System's gatekeepers, or by completing a game.

In Chapter 2, Blake and Yang make their way out of a garden maze. As they about to stamp their cards, the pair encounters Naoto Kurogane and Yuzuriha. After System XX reveals that the stamps can only be once, Blake and Yang decide to fight Kurogane and Yuzuriha for the stamps. The two girls put up a decent fight, but they lose their chances to stamp their cards when Yuzuriha easily fools them and steals the stamps. After the shrine guardian takes her leave, Blake and Yang gang up on Kurogane to steal his stamped card but end up losing him in a chase.

In Chapter 4, Weiss is paired with Jin Kisaragi on Team Red to compete in a three-legged snow race, going against Teddie and Yumi of Team White. Despite not getting along with her partner, Weiss coordinates well with Jin to give them a head start in the race, using her Glyphs to steer them as the major uses his arg magus to create an ice block for them to ride on. But they are soon challenged by Team White when Teddie summons his Persona and runs backwards on it for him and Yumi to catch up. To throw Team White off, Weiss amplifies Jin's attacks with her Glyphs, but they are constantly blocked by Yumi. Changing strategies, Team Red creates a giant wall of ice between themselves and Team White. But once again, their efforts are thwarted as Teddie commands Kintoki-Douji to destroy the ice wall, and Weiss and Jin end up losing the race to Teddie and Yumi.

In Chapter 13, Ruby comes to aid of Kurogane, Yumi, Celica A. Mercury, and Heart Aino, as they face the gatekeepers of the final checkpoint: Hilda the Paradox and Gordeau. She reveals that she met Rachel shortly after she was warped into the Phantom Field, and was tasked by the vampire to find Kurogane and help him reach the goal. Ruby then teams up with Celica to fight Hilda and Gordeau, as the two girls both have four stamps and defeating Amnesia will earn them their final one. As Kurogane, Heart and Yumi continue to the goal, Ruby and Celica hold their own against the gatekeepers. But to their surprise, the girls are given their final stamp by Hilda, who sees their talents and asks them if they want to join Amnesia. Ruby and Celica quickly decline and make their escape. As they make their way to the goal, Ruby assures Celica that Kurogane will be alright because he will receive even more help from Ragna, implying that she has also met the Grim Reaper.

In Chapter 14, Neo appears as an elevator attendant with Elizabeth, guarding the elevator that leads to the final goal. The "Elevator Girls" are challenged and defeated by Heart and Yumi, and the attendants allow the heroes to continue onto the goal. Afterwards, Neo and Elizabeth wait for other contestants to arrive.

In the finale, after Kurogane and Ragna defeat an incomplete Susano'o clone, Team RWBY arrives with the other contestants to start battling each other so that System XX can regain her strength and send everyone back home.

Playable Characters[]

There are 20 default characters (21 in PC) and 20 Season 1 DLC characters (19 in PC), totaling of 40 characters in the current rosters.^[7] It was confirmed on ARC Live by ArcSys Work's President, Minoru Kidooka, Season 2 has been planned, starting from Arcade Edition release at 2019.^[8]

Bold Italic font for downloadable playable characters.

RWBY[]

BlazBlue[]

Persona 4 Arena[]

Under Night In-Birth[]

Arcana Heart[]

• Heart Aino (S2 DLC pack 7)

Senran Kagura[]

• Yumi (S2 DLC Pack 8)

Akatsuki EN-Eins[]

• Akatsuki (S2 DLC Pack 8)
• Blitztank (S2 DLC Pack 8)

Non-Playable Characters[]

Original characters[]

System No. XX (First Appearance)[]

System No. XX is the main antagonist and final boss of BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. It is a machine originally designed by Clavis Alucard to create new possibilities. However, a flaw in its design led to the machine invading the worlds it observed and using them as power bases. To prevent the machine from destroying worlds to create new ones, Clavis sealed the System away using the Keystones of the four selected universes (BlazBlue, Persona 4: Arena, Under Night In-Birth and RWBY).

However, the seal on System No. XX was accidentally undone by Clavis Alucard's daughter, Rachel Alucard, leading to the machine summoning warriors from the four selected worlds and having them fight in Tag Battles in the "Keystone Tag Battle Tournament" inside the Phantom Field, telling them lies as they need to collect the 4 Keystones in order to escape and go back home to their universes.

She is voiced by Carrie Keranen.

Gameplay[]

The game is a 2-on-2, two dimensional, tag-team fighting game, which allows the player to switch between characters during a fight. Each character from both players has their own health bar.

Modes[]

This game also features an original story of all four initial franchise's perspectives of RWBY, BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, and Under Night In Birth called "Episode Mode".^[9]

Episode Mode: An original story unfolding in a singularity called the "Phantom Field", where the four worlds represented in the game collide.

Tactics Mode: The players can learn new techniques while playing a new system of the game.

Survival Mode: A mode where the player has to defeat waves of enemies.

Training Mode: A mode where the player can practice handling different kinds of combat situations.

Gallery Mode: A mode that in which all of the illustrations can be viewed.

Replay Theater: A mode where you can check recorded replay of your previous battles.^[10]

Casual Lobby Mode: A mode where players can choose their favorite character as their avatar and socialize, and battling other players.^[11]

Battle Themes[]

RWBY[]

• Ruby Mix (BBTAG Special) (This Will Be the Day / Red Like Roses / EP 8 Score - Players and Pieces / Red Like Roses Part II)
• Weiss Mix (BBTAG Special) (Mirror Mirror / It's My Turn / This Life is Mine)
• Blake Mix (BBTAG Special) (From Shadows / Like Morning Follows Night)
• Yang Mix (BBTAG Special) (I Burn / Armed and Ready)
• Red Like Roses Part II (Full version)
• Neo's Theme (One Thing)

Development[]

Before BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle's reveal, Rooster Teeth teased at RTX 2017 the possibility of something RWBY affiliated being revealed at Evo 2017.^[12] During the Evolution Championship Series, it was announced that Ruby Rose is going to be in a crossover fighting game created by Arc Systems Works and will include characters from BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In Birth and RWBY. The game was announced to be released in 2018.^[13] A demo of Ruby in the game was tweeted by Gray Haddock on October 3rd, 2017. On October 6th, 2017, Arc Systems Works released an early demo gameplay trailer of the crossover fighting game featuring the seven then-confirmed playable characters.^[14]

On October 15th, 2017, Weiss Schnee was confirmed to be in the fighting game in the second character introduction trailer of BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. The game was announced to be released on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Steam.^[15]

On January 13th, 2018, Blake Belladonna was confirmed to be in the fighting game as one of 20 confirmed DLC characters on the Arc System Works Fighting Game Award 2017 show for BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle.

The game was released on May 31st, 2018 in Japan and June 5th, 2018 in North America.^[16]

On February 7th, 2018, Yang was confirmed to be in the fighting game as one of 20 confirmed DLC characters in the EVO 2018 Special Promotion Trailer for BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. She and Blake were confirmed as free DLC, specifically.^[17]

Downloadable Content[]

20 Season 1 DLC characters can be purchased as a pack called "Additional Character-in-One Pack". The download code for the pack was included in the BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Limited Box only available as an exclusive in Japan.^[18]

Season 2 characters will also be released at a time after Arcade version's launch. This features Arcana Heart, Senran Kagura, and Akatsuki EN-Eins. At EVO 2019, Neo was confirmed to be one of the nine new characters featured in the 2.0 version of the game. The "Ver. 2.0 Expansion Pack" will be release on November 21st, 2019.^[19]

Limited Edition Bonuses[]

Arc System Works America revealed the Collector's Edition for BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle that was available in North America. The Collector's and standard editions of the game came with a 7-track mini-OST with pre-orders. It was available for pre-order on May 4th, 2018.^[20]

• BlazBlue Cross Bag Battle high-quality box with a steel book
• Original soundtrack CD
• BlazBlue Cross Bag Battle Soft Cover Art Book (52 pages)
• A set of acrylic stands of Ruby Rose, Ragna the Bloodedge, Yu Narukami, and Hyde Kido.

Soundtracks[]

The original soundtrack CD to BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle includes 15 tracks.

References to RWBY[]

Main article: BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle/References

Trivia[]

• Prior to release Team RWBY defaulted to English vocals in all versions. After launch, all vocals default to the regional language. However, they can still be set individually.
• RWBY is the only franchise whose English voice cast is credited.
• RWBY is the only franchise whose characters announce the title screen in English.
• Neo was announced before her official name was given as Neopolitan in The World of RWBY: The Official Companion. Her name is shown as Neo Politan in the game, shortened to Neo.
• Team RWBY appears as silhouettes at the end of the EVO 2018 Special Promotion Trailer similarly to appearing as silhouettes in the show proper's original four trailers.
• The English version of the RWBY Highlight Trailer shows a preview of Ruby's Astral Finish; while the Japanese version shows Yang's.
• Color Palette 13 for both Weiss and Blake are based on the Disney versions of the fairy tale characters they allude to - Snow White and Belle respectively. Color Palette 13 for Ruby and Yang are based on their mothers since they have similar appearances. Color Palette 13 for Neo based on one of Disney characters from Alice in Wonderland, Cheshire Cat.
• When asked if he had plans to add more RWBY characters in wave 2, Mori stated that he planned to do so; but needed fan support.
  • Mori would like to add Adam Taurus; however, the other staff members would prefer Penny Polendina.^[21] When asked if Qrow Branwen would be added, he said he would do his best.^[22]
  • In the datamine, there are some announcer voice clips that calls for Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Sun Wukong, Adam Taurus, Emerald Sustrai, Roman Torchwick, and Cinder Fall's names; which may be a signal that these characters may be joining in the future.
  • Neo was not amongst the RWBY characters that Arc Systems had pitched when they had approached Rooster Teeth about who to add next, and she was pitched and made it in at Rooster Teeth's insistence.^[23]
• This game was featured as one of the video games Ruby plays on RWBY VTubing

Links[]

• Official Website
• BlazBlue Offical Twitter
• BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Wiki

References[]

Media

Series RWBY • RWBY: World of Remnant ▾ Image Gallery • RWBY Chibi ▾ Image Gallery Inconsistencies • RWBY: The Grimm Campaign ▾ Image Gallery • RWBY: Fairy Tales ▾ Image Gallery • RWBY: Ice Queendom ▾ Image Gallery • RWBY Volume 9: Beyond Books RWBY: After the Fall • RWBY: Before the Dawn • RWBY: The Session • The World of RWBY: The Official Companion • RWBY: Fairy Tales of Remnant ▾ Image Gallery • RWBY: Roman Holiday Comics and Manga RWBY (2015 manga) ▾ Image Gallery • RWBY: The Official Manga ▾ Image Gallery • RWBY: Official Manga Anthology • RWBY (comic) • RWBY x Justice League • RWBY: Ice Queendom (manga) • DC/RWBY Soundtracks RWBY: Volume 1 Soundtrack • RWBY: Volume 2 Soundtrack • RWBY: Volume 3 Soundtrack • RWBY: Volume 4 Soundtrack • RWBY: Volume 5 Soundtrack • RWBY: Volume 6 Soundtrack • RWBY: Volume 7 Soundtrack • RWBY: Volume 8 Soundtrack • RWBY: Volume 9 Soundtrack • RWBY: Best Vocal Album • RWBY: Ice Queendom Original Soundtrack • RWBY: Arrowfell Original Game Soundtrack Games RWBY: Grimm Eclipse ▾ Image Gallery • RWBY (mobile game) ▾ Image Gallery • RWBY: Amity Arena ▾ Characters Image Gallery Quotes Trivia • RWBY: Crystal Match ▾ Image Gallery • BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle ▾ References Image Gallery Color Palettes • RWBY: Combat Ready ▾ Image Gallery • RWBY Deckbuilding Game • RWBY: Arrowfell ▾ Image Gallery • Weiss Schwarz Openings Volume 1 Opening ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 2 Opening ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 3 Opening ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 4 Opening ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 5 Opening ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 6 Opening ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 7 Opening ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 8 Opening ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 9 Opening ▾ Image Gallery • Ice Queendom Opening ▾ Image Gallery Trailers Volume 1 Trailer ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 2 Trailer ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 3 Trailer ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 5 Trailer ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 6 Trailer ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 7 Trailer ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 8 Teaser ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 8 Trailer ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 8 Midseason Trailer ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 9 Teaser ▾ Image Gallery • Volume 9 Trailer ▾ Image Gallery Other RWBY Merchandise • RWBY in Other Media • Commentaries ▾ Volume 1 Directors Commentary Volume 2 Directors Commentary • Leitmotifs ▾ By Episode By Song • Inconsistencies • RWBY Complete • RWBY Live-Action Specials • Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen (Part One/Part Two) ▾ Part One/Image Gallery • RWBY VTubing