River City Girls 2

River City Girls 2, known in Japan as Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun Gaiden River City Girls 2 (熱血硬派くにおくん外伝 リバーシティガールズ2^?) is a beat 'em up game featuring role-playing elements developed by WayForward and published by themselves in North America and Europe with publishing being done by Arc System Works in Asia. It is the direct sequel to River City Girls. The game was announced on June 14, 2021^[1] and would be released for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series X in Japan on December 1, 2022^[2] with the international version releasing on consoles and on Steam on December 15, 2022.^[3]

The game brings back all of the previously playable characters with updated movesets as well as adding two brand new ones. Many aspects of the first game were improved upon such as the combat having much more depth, exploration being expanded upon with players being allowed to branch off to different areas of the map in any order, the addition of hired assists, up to four players both locally and online, and more. Like River City Girls Zero, the game also has an option to play using the original English voiceover or the Japanese dub.

Limited Run Games would release limited-time physical editions of the game in North America while Arc System Works would handle the physical editions in Asia.

On April 24, 2024, Arc System Works would announce an upcoming update for the game that would include Billy and Jimmy Lee as playable DLC characters.^[4] A reveal trailer from WayForward would be released on the following day.

Development[]

Sometime after the success of River City Girls, development on a sequel would begin with Bannon Rudis being put in the spot of the game's director and Colleen Fannin as the game's producer. The goal for the game was to essentially add in and refine things they didn't have time for before such as online multiplayer, dynamic voiceovers rather than Misako and Kyōko being the only protagonists who spoke, having multiple paths that allow the players to choose the order of their adventure, and allowing the combat to be more expressive.^[5] Development progressed more smoothly when it came down to gameplay concepts, though online play became one of the biggest struggles in development as the first game was never built with it in mind, so the team had to rebuild the game from scratch with the programmers having to replicate what was done before to now account for online.^[6]

Despite WayForward approaching the first game under the assumption there wouldn't be a sequel, they held off from using more major character appearances in the first game such as Sabu, Ken, Ryūichi, and Ryūji so that if they did create a sequel, it's new cast wouldn't be filled with minor characters.^[7] The game would be written by both Adam Tierney and Bannon with the plot taking directly after the events of the first game. The intention was to have a story that was darker in the sense that there is more at stake, though still equally as silly as the first game.

Many of those who worked on the first game would return with Megan McDuffee composing a majority of the soundtrack and Dale North handling the manga cutscene tracks. Kay Yu would return as the game's lead animator and sprite designer while Priscilla Hamby (known as Rem) would once again serve as the lead illustrator and character designer. The game's intro was animated internally at WayForward with Kay Yu being put in charge of directing the scene. The team would decide to cut down on the scope of the boss intros and settle for ones with less animation overall. The intros were drawn by River City Girls Zero's artist David Liu and was internally animated at WayForward.

While many assets got to be reused from the first game, many returning areas and backgrounds would receive a visual overhaul to make it feel as if the city has undergone changes since the last game. An emphasis was put onto the game's visual effects and sound design to make it pop more than it did before. Bannon would host multiple livestreams during development on WayForward's Twitch channel to showcase the changes in combat, visual effects, sound design, and level design.

A playable demo of the game was made available at Limited Run Games' booth at PAX West in September of 2022.^[8] Players were able to play with up to three others until the first fight with Ken. Following the demo at PAX, the team would make some adjustments based off of player feedback. When the game first released in Japan, it was running off of the PAX demo which is able to be deducted by the fact that some signage added after PAX on Capital Ave to help new players with directions was not present. The Japanese version launched without the ability to play online, no support for more than two players locally, a missing manga cutscene after the fight with Provie, and an incomplete phase transition on the fight against Tsuiko.^[9] The international release would add these missing features, though both versions played at an incorrect framerate at launch. WayForward would put out a Steam beta to fix the game's framerate in offline play^[10], though a proper patch for all platforms would be released on June 1, 2023.^[11]

Plot[]

Directly following the events of River City Girls, Misako and Kyōko are seen walking alongside their boyfriends Kunio and Riki heading out to their burger date. Sabuko gets up after having fallen from the top of the Sanwakai Tower and gets ready to attack the girls after spotting them, though she is stopped by Ken and his entourage as he picks her up to visit their father Sabu in prison. With Sabu disappointed by his daughter's failure in leading the Sanwakai in his absence, he breaks out of prison and takes back the reigns of the Sanwakai as he then proceeds to take control over River City.

The protagonists later arrive back at school and rush to class as they're late. Ken shows up to their class with his personal bodyguards Ryūichi and Ryūji Hattori by his side. With the school now being under the Sanwakai's control, Ken expels the group and has them kicked out of the window. Having no interest in dealing with the current situation, the protagonists head to Kyōko's house and play videogames for the next two months. They are eventually told by her mother that the sequel to Vampire Punchers has been released with there only being a few copies remaining at the mall. Students were paid by the Sanwakai to wait outside the house and ensure that the group doesn't get in their way, so they fight their way towards the mall. While at the mall, the group gets sidetracked and go sees a movie, though coincidentally end up running into Ken.

After the defeat of Ken, the group receives a mysterious message asking them to meet up. They find Sabuko at the disclosed location who decides to team up with them so she can get back at her family. The protagonists then proceed to head throughout all of River City to cleanup the yakuza problem.

Gameplay[]

Before starting the game, players are able to choose whether they'd be playing offline or online. From there, the player picks one of three different save files to play on. When playing online, the player then decides whether they'd wish to host or join a two player or four player lobby. In this section of the menu, the player can toggle crossplay and adjust their preferred region for matchmaking. After this, the player selects which difficulty they'd like to play on and whether friendly fire is enabled. Hosting an online lobby has the additional option of dictating whether the lobby is to be public or private. Searching for lobbies will instead have the player choose to look through the server list for public lobbies or enter a code to join private lobbies. Story progress is based off of the host's save file while the guest only has their unlocked characters, items, and stats carried over. Lastly, players are then asked to choose their characters with Misako, Kyōko, Kunio, and Riki being available from the start. When playing offline, other players are able to join by pressing a button on their controller.

The core gameplay is mostly the same as before, though has received major improvements. The major changes pertain to the combat where nearly every move is able to link into each other, players have many more options about how they handle certain situations with there now being more of a focus put on aerial combat, and each character has received major changes to their moveset that make them stand out from each other with more distinguishable playstyles. Players are given more moves to start out with while many of the level unlocks grant each character their essential moves much sooner.

Other quality of life changes have been made to the game such as screenlocks being much less prevalent and shorter in length, shops no longer hide an item's information if it hasn't been bought yet with any first-time use stat buffs now displaying what stats are increased, dojos now displaying what type of move each listing is, players can now make use of an item box to transfer consumable items between characters, accessories no longer are tied to characters individually, recruiting common enemies is much more consistent, and more.

Pause Menu[]

Like the last game, pressing Start button pauses all action in the game and opens up an interactive menu using the character's phone. The menus have been changed to have the appearance of an actual phone application. A phone sprite has been added for each character to indicate that the player is paused. When playing in local co-op, only one player will be able to use the pause menu at a time. In online, the game will not stop any of the action with the menu being forcefully closed if the player is attacked. The player's current level, EXP, and required amount of EXP to level up is displayed on the bottom right of the main screen while the player's health and special meter is seen on the top left.

• Items: Displays the current character's stats and the list of consumable items they're carrying.
• Accessories: Allows the player to equip two different accessories from a list that they have gathered.
• GPS: Displays the player's current location on the map with any sections containing shops or a hideout being labelled. Story progression is marked by a red exclamation mark with sidequests being marked by a blue question mark. Rooms that have not yet been discovered are colored in gray, discovered rooms colored purple, and discovered rooms that still contain something to find whether it's for collectibles or a secret room are colored in pink.
• Snapr: A gallery containing various artwork from both this game and the first game. Artwork is unlocked through completing the story and sidequests.
• Honkr: A parody of Twitter that contains a list of messages received from various characters the player has met. Active quests will be visible by default, though all previous messages are also able to be sorted through.
• Move List: Displays all of the available moves for the current character.
• Settings: Displays most of the settings available from the main menu. The player's dialog partner is able to be chosen when playing solo with the difficulty and friendly fire settings being available while in a hideout.

Money[]

Main article: River City Girls#Money

Unlike the previous game, money will now only be lost on a game over if the player decides to respawn in the room they were just in. If the player chooses to respawn at a hideout, it will come at no cost.

Stats[]

Main article: River City Girls#Stats

Controls and moves[]

Main article: River City Girls#Controls and moves

Controls remain largely the same from the last game with some additions being added to a player's kit. With there now being two assist slots, assists are now summoned by pressing either trigger buttons with blocking now being bound to the right bumper. Players are now able to roll when getting up from the ground and can move into any direction of their choice. When playing in co-op, players are able to pummel an enemy from the front by rapidly pressing Light Attack while the other player has them grabbed from behind.

After unlocking the ability to do so, pressing the Jump button during a Light Attack combo will launch the player with the opponent into the air and allow them to perform a string of aerial attacks. Once the move to do so is unlocked, a glowing purple Guard Break meter will appear below the player's SP Meter. With at least one bar filled up, holding down the Heavy Attack button will perform the character's guard breaker which will inflict heavy stun damage and break the guard of any enemies blocking. The move can additionally be used to lift up enemies who are currently on the ground.

The ability to rebind controls have been added and can be done from the settings menu.

Accessories[]

The accessory system returns and works the same as before. Players are able to equip up to two accessories on their character and can obtain them by progressing through the story, buying them in shops, or by completing sidequests. Accessories are now shared across each character and no longer need to be individually purchased. The system has been given more of a focus this time around and now has more noticeable effects than before.

Accessory	Requirement/Location	Appearance	Effect
Eyeshadow	Vest Friends		Heavy attacks deal more damage.
Heart Earrings	Vest Friends		Assist meters fill up faster.
Deco Nails	Vest Friends		Restores health to the player at a combo count of ten and continues for every five.
Ribbon Bra	Vest Friends		The player will temporarily gain a shield before death that blocks incoming attacks.
Bomb Bra	Wardrobe		Thrown weapons have a chance of exploding on impact.
Power Mitten	Wardrobe		Weapons have a chance to shock enemies on impact.
Padlock Bra	Wardrobe, Swaggage		The velocity of thrown weapons is doubled.
Bomb Bottom	Wardrobe		Collecting cash will restore health.
Multitool	"Half Asleep, Half Alive", Sous-veniers		Weapon durability is greatly increased.
Music Player	Half Asleep, Half Alive		More health is restored from healing items.
Scissors	"Half Asleep, Half Alive", Plaid the Impaler		Attacks are made stronger at the cost of moving slightly slower.
Smart Watch	"Half Asleep, Half Alive", Sous-veniers		Grants a 5% discount on all shop items.
Teen Magazine	Swaggage, Sous-veniers		Parrying enemies will freeze them.
Fishnet Top	Swaggage		Special meter is recovered when being attacked.
Virtual Pet	Swaggage, Holodreck		Attacks are made stronger at the cost of moving slightly slower.
Choker	Spicy Subject		More damage is dealt when attacking knocked down enemies.
Goth Shirt	Spicy Subject, Jewel of the Vile		Attacks have a chance to poison enemies.
Knife Earrings	Spicy Subject		Weapons deal more damage.
Vampire Teeth	Spicy Subject, Jewel of the Vile, Plaid the Impaler		The player will gradually lose stamina, but regains stamina for each enemy defeated.
Clown Makeup	Suzy's		The player's guard break meter will fill up faster. Additionally, hits now make clown noises.
Glass Mouthguard	Suzy's		Attacks deal more damage at the cost of taking more damage in return.
Wool Socks	Suzy's		Heavy attacks have a chance to shock enemies hit.
Tuna Shirt	Suzy's		The player's stamina and damage increases per cat collected from Mihoko's sidequest.
Lantern	Jewel of the Vile		Players have a chance of being revived upon being knocked out.
Coin Purse	Jewel of the Vile, Plaid the Impaler		More money is picked up from defeated enemies.
Frost Sigil	Blaire's Beguiling Baubles		A player's ghost in co-op will float away slower and return to their body faster when being revived.
Trianon's Trinket	Blaire's Beguiling Baubles		Parries will now deal damage to enemies.
Sign Necklace	Blaire's Beguiling Baubles		The damage of aerial attacks are increased.
Witch Bottle	Blaire's Beguiling Baubles		Heavy attacks have a chance to burn enemies hit.
Frilly Bottom	Plaid the Impaler		Rolling knocks enemies over.
Lockpick Kit	Sous-veniers		Vending machines will drop two items rather than one for the player.
Wrestling Singlet	Holodreck		Grappling throws deal more damage.
Gamer Guide	Holodreck		Players are given a random XP bonus upon defeating enemies.
Pepper Spray	Holodreck		Recruits have a chance of healing themselves upon attacking.
Athletic Bottom	Attire Fire		Health is slightly regained while carrying enemies.
Athletic Top	Attire Fire		Heavy weapons will deal more damage.
Gym Shorts	Attire Fire		Stamina is slightly regained upon defeating enemies.
Spiked Knuckles	Attire Fire		More stun damage is dealt to enemies.
Bunny Button	Merlin's Mystery		Movement speed is greatly increased.
Tank Button	Merlin's Mystery		Damage is greatly increased, but movement speed is greatly hindered.
Fake Tattoos	Complete the dodgeball minigame as part of Yōko's sidequest.		The special meter is filled up faster.
Coach's Hat	Complete Godai's sidequest in Downtown.		Damage from recruit attacks are increased.
False Lashes	Beat Crash in a race as part of his sidequest.		Special attacks deal more damage.
Speed Runners	Complete the mysterious sidequest in the Witchy Woods at Flatirons.		Running speed is increased.
Makeup Kit	Complete Kuniko's sidequest at Technos.		Damage against female enemies is increased.
Military Belt	Complete Kaori's sidequest in Ocean Heights.		A grenade has a chance to drop upon being knocked down.
Love Letter	Complete Mr. K's sidequest at River City High.		Damage against male enemies is increased.
Muscle Charm	Complete Godai's sidequest in Crosstown.		Enemy knockback from the player's attacks is greatly increased.
Frilly Bra	Complete Mihoko's sidequest in Uptown.		The player is given more invulnerability and a damage boost upon getting up.
Wolf Locket	Complete Snap's sidequest in Flatirons.		The player is immune to enemy damage during night.
Heart Reactor	Find all of the hidden blueprints as part of Godai's sidequest at River City High.		The player is given infinite special meter.

Weapons[]

Like in the last game, weapons are able to be found scattered in the area and can be picked up and used at anytime. Weapons still have durability and will break after being used too much, though the player can still purchase books from the Book Bistro in Downtown to use weapons of a certain type indefinitely so long as the book is kept in the inventory. All weapons are now able to easily juggle enemies with heavy weapons also being able to hit on the ground enemies. Light weapons can also hit knocked down enemies if thrown and it lands on them. All weapons from the first game return with there being a few new additions.

Weapon	Type	Appearance	Description
Metal Chair	Household		Has a low flying trajectory.
Frying Pan	Household		When an enemy is hit by this weapon, they are now knocked down rather than being pushed forward like before. Throwing the weapon will knock down an enemy if it connects. The weapon lowers its trajectory in mid flight before falling on the ground.
Bench	Household		The heavy weapon with the longest range. It breaks easily.
Trash Can	Household		Heavy weapon, has short range when thrown, which leaves the character wide open to attack. The character can also get hit by the trash can as well by accident.
Mop	Household		When thrown, it continues flying ahead before it hits the floor, hitting enemies and piercing right past them.
Wrench	Construction		Enemies are now able to be juggled with this weapon and will no longer send them straight to the ground. Has a low flying trajectory.
Shovel	Construction		When thrown, it bounces off when it connects with another character, which can easily cause collateral damage.
Chain	Construction		A weapon that can be swung quickly and can hit knocked down enemies.
Wooden Plank	Construction		When thrown, the weapon slowly flies backwards in a lower trajectory in the direction of the character who threw it, so players must be careful not to throw it in mid range combat.
Wooden Crate	Construction		A heavy weapon, it has slightly more range than the Trash Can.
Baseball	Sports		This weapon is better used as a projectile. Characters perform a fastball, which knocks down any enemies in its oncoming path. Characters can be hit by the ball if they are too close when it bounces back.
Dodge Ball	Sports		A bigger ball than the baseball, it is thrown at a similar speed and has the same trajectory.
Baseball Bat	Sports		A mid range weapon similar to the Wooden Plank and Shovel. It breaks easily, but when thrown its return trajectory does not affect the player.
Magic Wand	Sports		When thrown, the wand continues flying forward and pierces through any enemies in its path. It drops its trajectory in mid-flight.
Boomerang	Sports		The player can catch a returning boomerang by pressing the block button at just the right time.
Beam Sword	Toy		This weapon has the longest use duration, players can use it for a long time before it breaks. When an attack connects, opponents are launched high into a wall. When they hit a wall, they bounce off from it.
Bicycle	Toy		A two-handed weapon, lasts longer than the bench.
Yo-yo	Toy		The favorite weapon of all righteous girl gangsters. When thrown it has a flying trajectory similar to the Wooden Plank, and can fly back and hit the character.
Guitar	Toy		When thrown, it acts similarly to the Mop and Wand, it flies straight and pierces through all enemies in its path. It does not drop its trajectory.
Fish	Toy		This peculiar weapon knocks enemies back. If they hit a wall, they will bounce off it. When thrown, the weapon continues floating awkwardly after it hits an enemy, which can cause collateral damage.
Saxophone	Toy		A short range weapon that will push enemies forward and play a sound on hit.
Molotov	???		A one-time use weapon that will explode on impact and set anyone hit on fire. Intended to be thrown.

Areas[]

The game has eight areas in total with six of them returning from the first game. While the previous areas are largely the same as before, the layout has been changed around as additional screens have been added with many returning ones receiving a redesign to help make it look like the city has undergone changes in the last two months. Many sections that were under construction in the first game have since been completed. The player briefly starts at River City High for the game's tutorial and is then given access to Crosstown, though upon defeating Ken the player is given the choice to go into Uptown or Downtown. The game will allow the player to take different routes for story completion, though progression will return to a linear format in Ocean Heights.

Like the last game, bus stations are able to be found across the map which will allow the player to easily move from one station to another once they have access to them. Each area has a single hideout the player can use to save their progress, adjust certain game settings, or to respawn with no cost on a game over. A secret room is able to be found in each area and will gradually reward the player with special hired assists for finding them.

• River City High School: The initial starting area of the game. The player starts at the school's entrance where they had previously fought Misuzu, in which the wreckage from the fight is still visible. At this time, the school has two halls with one being used to explain basic movement and the other explaining the blocking and parry system. The protagonists' classroom is seen as well, though it is unable to be explored and is only used for a cutscene. After the tutorial, the school is seen in a destroyed state and becomes accessible after clearing Ocean Heights. The area has one bus stop and one shop. The hideout is a locker room found inside of the gym. The player needs to defeat Ken in a rematch on the school's rooftop in order to gain access to the Sanwakai Tower.
• Crosstown: This area begins right outside of River City High. The area has two bus stops, ten shops, one of the dojos, and the training room. The hideout is Kyōko's house which has an additional two rooms that can be explored. The area is connected to Downtown via the Capital Ave Bridge while Uptown is connected through the mall. Entrances to both areas are able to be found in a parking garage. The area's boss Ken is fought in the movie theatre at the mall.
• Uptown: Players gain access to this area after clearing Crosstown. The area has one bus stop and six shops. The hideout is Burgh's Books, a library found on Tocca Street. The area is connected to Crosstown through the Shopping Entrance, Ocean Heights through the Outdoor Plaza, Technos through the Fashion District, and the Sanwakai Tower through Yokocho. The area's boss Provie is fought at Wes' Nightclub and will grant access to Technos upon being defeated.
• Downtown: Players gain access to this area after clearing Crosstown. The area has two bus stops and six shops. The hideout is Tex's Motel, a motel found in the Back Alley. The bottom section of the area has received an overhaul from the last game and no longer looks rundown, though the rest of the area has remained mostly the same. The area is connected to Crosstown through Hipster Street and Skid Street, Flatirons through the Subway Terminal, and Ocean Heights through the Freeway Tunnel. The area's boss Marian Kelly is able to be fought in the subway and will grant access to Flatirons upon being defeated.
• Technos: One of two new areas in the game, this area is accessible after clearing Uptown. It is a high-tech facility that pays tribute to Technōs Japan and it's history with many references to their games being visible in the backgrounds. The area has one bus stop and four shops. The hideout is a storage closet found in the Atrium. The area is connected to Uptown through the building's entrance and will be blocked off by Jack if the player has not cleared that area's boss yet. This area's boss Tsuiko is fought in her office that can be accessed in the Biosphere.
• Flatirons: One of two new areas in the game, this area is accessible after clearing Downtown. The left side of the area has an abandoned trainyard and zoo, an amusement park with a Ferris wheel set in reference to Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka, and a temple. The right side has haunted woods that act as a maze, a campground, and a graveyard with an accessible Skeleton Market. The area has two bus stops and seven shops. The hideout is the lion cages at the overgrown zoo. The area is connected to Downtown through the abandoned trainyard and Ocean Heights through the Ferryman outside of the campground. This area's boss Blaire is fought at their tree outside of the graveyard.
• Ocean Heights: Players can fully access this area after clearing both Technos and Flatirons. The area has one bus stop, six shops, and one of the dojos. The hideout is the Funhouse that can be found at the boardwalk. The area is connected to Uptown through the Beach Plaza, Downtown through the freeway, and the Sanwakai Tower through the boardwalk. This area's boss Primo is fought at their restaurant and will grant access to River City High upon being defeated.
• Sanwakai Tower: The final area of the game, players gain access to this area after clearing River City High for the second time. The area has one bus stop, one shop, and is the only area to not feature a hideout. Players are able to access the tower's lobby and casino like before, though much of the area takes place in an underground base rather than scaling up the tower. The area is connected to Uptown and Ocean Heights through the tower's entrance. The final boss Sabu is fought in the underground base.

Characters[]

All previously playable characters from the first game return and are available to play as from the start. The two new characters are unlocked after defeating them in their respective boss fight. Nearly all side-characters who appeared in the last game return with there also being a plethora of new original characters or existing characters from Technōs titles, WayForward franchises, or Arc System Works' other franchises.

Playable characters[]

Like the previous game, each character is designed to be unique with the way they perform their attacks and special moves, but they each have the same usage and will not differ in controls from each other. Certain moves and abilities are able to be learned from levelling up while others are only able to be purchased at the dojos. While players can still change character by using the game's drop-in and drop-out feature on local play, players are additionally able to change characters at any of the hideouts both locally and online. When playing online, guests will not be able to use any of the unlockable characters if they do not already have them unlocked on their own save file.

The characters speaking during regular cutscenes and on-the-fly bantering will be based off of who is being played. When playing co-op, the first and second player's characters will be used. In singleplayer, the player's chosen character will speak with the speaking partner being chosen in the settings menu. While the dialog is mostly the same between each character, certain lines are adjusted to make more sense if the character a player is speaking to is referring to one of the protagonists.

Misako[]

Misako retains her role as one of the two main protagonists. Kayli Mills returns as her English voice actor with Honoka Kuroki returning from River City Girls Zero as her voice actor in the Japanese dub.

Kyōko[]

Kyōko retains her role as one of the two main protagonists. Kira Buckland returns as her English voice actor with Sumire Morohoshi returning from River City Girls Zero as her voice actor in the Japanese dub.

Kunio[]

Kunio returns as a playable character now unlocked by default and will accompany the girls in their adventure. Greg Chun returns as his English voice actor with Makoto Furukawa voicing him in the Japanese dub.

Riki[]

Riki returns as a playable character now unlocked by default and will accompany the girls in their adventure. Kaiji Tang returns as his English voice actor with Chiaki Kobayashi voicing him in the Japanese dub.

Marian Kelly[]

Marian returns from her role as a shopkeeper in the first game to now being a playable character. Out on a mission in the forests of Flatirons after some supernatural crimes, she began to feel woozy and would pass out before she was able to figure out what was going on. Sometime after, she'd have her mind erased and was brainwashed into working for the Sanwakai by Blaire. Marian is unlocked for use upon defeating her in Downtown. She is voiced by Erika Harlacher in English and Marina Inoue in the Japanese dub.

Provie[]

Provie appears as a new character in the River City Girls continuity and originally appeared in River City Ransom: Underground as one of the playable protagonists. Having been unable to find her friend Chris, she suspects Ken was responsible for her disappearance and chases after him around the city. Provie is unlocked for use upon defeating her in Uptown. She is voiced by Destiny Parker in English and Akari Kito in the Japanese dub.

Supporting characters[]

Like the last game, the player will run into various characters who gets them started on the quests to progress the story.

• Kyōko's Mother: Seen after the prologue, she convinces the protagonists to go outside after they had been playing videogames for two months straight by informing them that the sequel to Vampire Punchers has recently released. She sames the same voice actors as Kyōko.
• Kaori: Returning from the first game, Kaori is first seen at the bridge in Crosstown where she marks the location of the videogame store at the mall onto their phones. She is later able to be seen at the beach in Ocean Heights as part of a sidequest where she will request help from the protagonists in dealing with Taiki Yamada who has been harassing her. Later in the story when Sabuko straps bombs to the group's friends to keep them away from the Sanwakai, Kaori helps out the protagonists by marking each of the locations on their map.
• Hikaru Saotome: Originating from Downtown Nekketsu March: Super-Awesome Field Day! and subsequently appearing as a frequent teammate on Hanazono High School's team in the sports titles, Saotome is reimagined to be angsty and nihilistic. He helps the protagonists in Downtown where he informs them that Marian will likely be able to help them in clearing out the yakuza. He later appears when power is restored to Downtown and points the group to the subway as he saw Marian leading a group of yakuza through the area.
• Williams: A guest character from the Double Dragon series, Williams helps the protagonists in Downtown by handing them a wrench and telling them to fix the three generators in the area in order to restore power so they can get into the subway. He later appears near the end of the game as one of the people who were tied up by Sabuko's men.
• Akane Kōzuki: Originating from Downtown Nekketsu March Super-Awesome Field Day! as the director of Reihō Academy's Broadcasting Division, she is instead changed to be the director of River City High's broadcasting division. She asks for the help of the protagonists in getting into the Sanwakai Tower as she was unable to get past the oni-looking goons blocking the entrances. She later appears in Ocean Heights to inform the group about Primo and will tell the group that the entrances to the Sanwakai Tower are no longer being blocked off after they rescue everyone who had been tied up by Sabuko's men.
• Mibobo: A guest character from the Double Dragon series, Mibobo appears as a bouncer at Wes' nightclub in Uptown and tells them to get a top five score on Ultra Dance You Light Up My Life Baby Remix VXX at the arcade if they want to get inside of the club. After completing this quest, Mibobo will be seen in Abobo's apartment in Downtown.
• Hiroshi: Returning from the first game, Hiroshi appears outside of the arcade in Uptown and informs the protagonists that the Sanwakai has changed all of the games to only accept Yakuza Coins. He tells the group to look for their coin machines around the area if they wish to play.
• Jack: A guest character from the Double Dragon series, Jack appears as a bouncer at the entrance to Technos. Upon spotting Provie, he will talk about how big of a fan he is of her and is persuaded by her into letting them inside of the building. Jack is seen in Abobo's apartment in Downtown afterwards.
• Skullmageddon: A returning guest character from the Double Dragon series, Skullmageddon appears at the graveyard in Flatirons standing in front of a gate covered in vines. He helps the protagonists get past the gate by handing them a ghost trap to catch literal ghost peppers and uses them to get rid of the vines after the group collected them all. He later appears near the end of the game as one of the people who were tied up by Sabuko's men.
• Burnov: A returning guest character from the Double Dragon series, Burnov appears as the bouncer outside of Primo's restaurant and refuses to let the protagonists inside despite having their emblems as he recognizes they don't look anything like Blaire or Tsuiko. When the group returns with face masks from Hibari, Burnov lets them inside the restaurant.
• Kōichi Shimizu: Originating from Downtown Nekketsu March Super-Awesome Field Day! and subsequently appearing as a frequent teammate on Hanazono High School's team in the sports titles, Shimizu helps the protagonists train by challenging them to a bench press competition.
• Enoki: A chef at Primo's restaurant, the protagonists notice him chained up, in which he explains that Primo keeps them chained to keep his staff focused. The protagonists offer to break him free which excites Enoki as he hands the group a keycard to Primo's TV studio. After the fight, Enoki appears as a clerk at his own foodtruck named Enoki's Smoky Mochi which will appear in a random location across the city.
• Thumby: A boiler mechanic at River City High, Thumby appears inside of the school's boiler room and tells the protagonists how to fix the boiler.

Hired Heavies[]

An extension of the recruit mechanic from the first game, there are now a selection of special assists that can be hired for a fee. They're found at their respective points at the map and can be talked to in order to place them into one of the recruit slots. They function the same as normal assists, though have higher damage and are unable to be selected from the safehouse. If a hired heavy is fully knocked out, they will need to be talked to again in order to select them as an assist.

• Paul: Originating from River City Ransom: Underground as one of the playable protagonists, Paul appears outside of the mall in Crosstown and will introduce the player to the hired recruits mechanic.
• Wes: Originating from River City Ransom: Underground as an unlockable character, Wes appears as the owner of his own nightclub in Uptown and will be seen inside.
• Abobo: A guest character from the Double Dragon series returning from the first game, Abobo is seen inside of his apartment in Downtown and is able to be hired once the quests pertaining to his brothers Jack and Mibobo are completed.
• Berserker: A guest character from The Combatribes, Berserker appears alongside his son at the amusement park in Flatirons.
• Chris: Originating from River City Ransom: Underground as an unlockable supporting character, Chris is the missing girl that is mentioned by Provie after her boss fight. She is able to be found outside of the training dojo in Crosstown after beating Provie.
• Hibari: Returning from the first game, Hibari appears at the shipyard in Ocean Heights and is convinced to create disguises for the protagonists to allow them into Primo's restaurant in exchange for them helping her load crates onto a boat. After this, she remains at the shipyard and is able to be hired.
• Alex: Originating from River City Ransom as a localized counterpart of Kunio, Alex returns from the first game and appears as the messenger for the tutorial prompts. Upon finding a secret room, Alex can be hired as an assist at the Capital Ave Bridge in Crosstown.
• Ryan: Originating from River City Ransom as a localized counterpart of Riki, Ryan appears as a hirable assist at the Dog Park in Downtown upon finding three of the secret rooms.
• Noize: Returning from the first game, Noize initially appears outside of her tour bus in Downtown while Ocean Heights is blocked off from the player. She is later able to be hired inside of Technos' recreation room upon finding half of the secret rooms. When summoned, she will heal all players in range for a large amount of health.
• Kebako: A guest character from WayForward's Cat Girl Without Salad: Amuse-Bouche, Kebako appears as a hirable assist at the Memory Field in Crosstown upon finding all of the secret rooms.
• Jam Kuradoberi: A guest character from Arc System Works' Guilty Gear series, Jam is able to be found as a hirable assist in Uptown upon collecting four of the gears in New Game+.
• Sol Badguy: A guest character from Arc System Works' Guilty Gear series, Sol is able to be found as a hirable assist in Ocean Heights upon collecting all of the gears in New Game+.

Enemies[]

Main article: River City Girls#Enemies

All enemies from the first game return with the addition of a few new enemies. They function nearly the same as they did in the first game, though enemies will always be put into a stunned state at low health if they are the last one in the area in order to make recruiting them easier. Recruited enemies will appear inside of the player's hideout and can be selected at anytime from there. When called out as an assist, the normal color variations will each perform the same attack while the strong and undead versions are given a unique attack.

New[]

• Luchadora: When called in to assist, the normal variant will run backwards before performing an elbow drop. The strong version will perform a series of slashes with the nightmare version performing an instant elbow drop with a burn effect. The variant names are: Estrella, Rosa, Valentina, Mariana, and La Llorona.
• LARPer: When called in to assist, the normal variant will ride their skateboard forward and knock down enemies hit. The strong version summons a series of ice projectiles while the nightmare version uses poison. The variant names are: Blaise, Fabian, Lucas, Wilmot, Caleb, Jareth.
• C.A.T.S.: When called in to assist, the normal variant will perform a crosskick. The strong version fires an electric ball while the nightmare version fires a series of fireballs in the air. The variant names are: CH-424, K4Y-L1, K1R-4, M3-G4N, K47H2YN, and ER-1N.
• Yokai: When called in to assist, the normal variant will attack using their cymbals. The strong version performs their underground spin attack while the nightmare version summons clouds of poison while walking in the air.
• Chin Taimei: A guest character from the Double Dragon series. When called in to assist, Chin will perform a flying kick forwards. His strong variant attacks using their nunchucks while the nightmare variant attacks with an upward kick before finishing with a divekick that both inflict burn. His variants are named Li Cheng and Yagyu.
• Kayo: Originates from Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun as one of Misuzu's lackeys. When called in to assist, she will perform a kick combo before flying upwards using her handbag. Her strong variant flies upwards and back down while her nightmare variant only flies down. Her variants are named Asuka and Nani.
• Martha Splatterhead: A guest character from The Combatribes, Martha returns from the first game and is now seen as a common enemy. When called in to assist, she will attack with an eye laser that shocks enemies hit. Her strong variant uses a ground smash with a second electric shock coming afterwards with her nightmare variant performing a shoulder bash with a series of electric shocks following her path. Her variants are named Empress Crushfist and Queen Earthbreaker.

Returning[]

• School Boy: When called in to assist, the normal variant will perform a forward kick while the two other variants will throw sand to stun enemies hit.
• School Girl: When called in to assist, the normal variant will perform two kicks while the two other variants will use a whirlkick.
• Cheerleader: When called in to assist, the normal variant will attack with a divekick, the strong one will perform a flip that inflicts burn, and the nightmare version will perform a cartwheel that freezes enemies hit.
• Tigerman: When called in to assist, the normal variant will perform a jumping roll, the strong one will instantly roll forwards on the ground and shock enemies hit, and the nightmare variant will perform a jumping roll that inflicts poison.
• Bad Cop: When called in to assist, all variants will throw tear gas that will stun enemies hit. The nightmare variant will spawn behind the player.
• Thug: When called in to assist, the normal variant takes a step back before doing a forward kick while the other two variants will do so instantly.
• Yakuza Male: When called in to assist, the normal variant performs a forward knee attack while the two other versions will fire an energy ball that shocks enemies hit.
• Yakuza Female: When called in to assist, the normal variant will jump into the air and throw three knives. The strong version will perform a three strike combo while the nightmare version will do a forward slash that inflicts poison.
• Cyborg: When called in to assist, the normal variant will perform a spin attack and a kick if any enemies are successfully hit. The strong version will punch using their extending arm while the nightmare version will launch a series of grenades.
• Waver: A guest character from Technōs' Sugoro Quest: Dice no Senshi Tachi. When called in to assist, she will perform a slash attack. Her strong variant will use a windup punch while her nightmare variant will throw a pair of dice.
• Linda: A guest character from the Double Dragon series. When called in to assist, she will perform an unblockable attack with her whip. Her strong variant will use a whip twirl while her nightmare variant will use an aerial whip attack that inflicts burn.
• Trash: A guest character from The Combatribes. When called in to assist, he will strike downwards with his hammer. His strong variant will spawn from the air while his nightmare variant will perform a long spin attack.

Bosses[]

Like in the first game, each area has one boss that needs to be defeated in order to progress with the story. With the exception of the final boss, bosses are only able to be fought once in a run without resetting story progress.

• Ken: Originating from Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka as the adoptive son of Sabu, Ken appears as the secondary antagonist of the story and is reimagined to be cocky, arrogant, and weak. He is fought for the first time at the movie theatre in Crosstown's mall and is fought for a second time on the rooftop of River City High. During his second fight, he is assisted by Ryūichi and Ryūji Hattori. He is voiced by Todd Haberkorn in English and Yūjirō Kakuda in the Japanese dub.
• Provie: A popular social media influencer known for her dancing, Provie has been chasing after Ken suspecting that he had something to do with the disappearance of her friend Chris. She fights the protagonists at Wes' Nightclub in Uptown under the assumption that they're Sanwakai goons. After the fight, she joins the crew as a playable character.
• Marian Kelly: Marian would have her mind erased and become brainwashed into working for the Sanwakai by Blaire. She fights the protagonists at the Subway Terminal in Downtown and has the spell placed onto her broken afterwards. She then decides to join the crew as a playable character.
• Tsuiko: Technical advisor at Technos hired by the Sanwakai and a popular social media influencer who's constantly trending. She is very rude, unattentive, brash, and will justify any action as long as it boosts her following. Tsuiko is fought at Technos in her office. During her phase transitions, she will teleport the protagonists into stages from various Technōs games on her phone. She is voiced by Brianna Knickerbocker in English and Rika Tachibana in the Japanese dub.
• Blaire: The witch of Flatirons, Blaire was hired by the Sanwakai to cast spells on anyone they requested. They are the one responsible for brainwashing Marian. Blaire is fought at their tree outside of the graveyard in Flatirons. They are voiced by Ryan Bartley in English and Madoka Yonezawa in the Japanese dub.
• Primo: A renowned chef hired by the Sanwakai who is the host of his own cooking show and the owner of a high-class restaurant. Primo is fought inside of his restaurant in Ocean Heights. He is voiced by Alejandro Saab in English and Hiroya Egashira in the Japanese dub.
• Sabuko: Returning from the first game, Sabuko tricks the protagonists into teaming up with her so she can regain the respect of her father while painting a bad look on Ken. After her betrayal, she appears as a mini-boss outside of the Sanwakai Tower inside of a helicopter. Xanthe Huynh returns as her voice actor in English and is voiced by Hiroko Kiso in the Japanese dub.
• Sabu: A recurring antagonist that originated from Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun, Sabu is the leader of the Sanwakai and appears as the main antagonist of the story. After hearing of Sabuko's defeat in the last game, he breaks out of prison to return as the leader of the Sanwakai and takes over River City in retaliation. He is fought in the Sanwakai Tower's underground base. He is voiced by David Lodge in English and Yasuhiro Mamiya in the Japanese dub.

Cameos[]

Nearly all cameo characters from the first game return with a handful of new additions also being included. These characters are generally from former Technōs Japan franchises, WayForward's franchises, or Arc System Works' other franchises. Some characters may be involved in sidequests while others may appear as store clerks.

New[]

• Megumi Aihara: The older sister of Shizuka Aihara who is temporarily sent to River City High by the Sanwakai as Misako's homeroom teacher. She appears during the prologue where she will scold the protagonists for being late to class. While this game is her first physical appearance, Megumi was a character that is known to have existed in writing as far as 1990 where she was planned to be a major character in the cancelled title Nekketsu Sensei Bōken Katsugeki ~Mamiya No Densetsu~.
• Ryūichi and Ryūji Hattori: Originating from Downtown Nekketsu Story as a pair of twin brothers who served as the game's semi-final boss and has subsequently appeared as prominent figures at Reihō Academy, the two appear as personal bodyguards for Ken and are first seen alongside him during the prologue where they throw the protagonists out of River City High's windows. They are later seen during as assists to Ken during the rematch fight against him on the school's rooftop.
• Aleister appears as a clerk at Spicy Subject in Uptown. He originates from River City Ransom: Underground as a generic enemy in the Warlocks, a gang made up of goth wizards loyal to Ether, a devout fanatic of Slick.
• Glen appears as a clerk at Swaggage in Uptown. He originates from River City Ransom: Underground as one of the playable protagonists.
• Tengu is a guest character that appears as a clerk at Soup'n'Sticks in Uptown. He originates from the 1993 Technōs arcade game Shadow Force as one of the playable protagonists.
• Hiruko is a guest character that appears as a clerk at Jewel of the Vile in Flatirons. She originates from Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone and Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones as one of the main antagonists.
• Crash appears as a clerk at the Yakuzi Jacuzzi in both Flatirons and next to the Sanwakai Tower. In Flatirons, he is additionally able to be challenged to a race to the campground as part of a sidequest.
• Shadow Billy is a guest character that appears as a clerk at The ShaDough Realm in Flatirons. He is an evil clone of Billy Lee that originated as a final boss in the Arcade version of Double Dragon II: The Revenge.
• Kaoru Sonokawa: Originating from Downtown Nekketsu Story as a common enemy at Senridai High School and later as the second player in games like Downtown Special Kunio-kun's Historical Period Drama!, Sonokawa is reimagined to be a former student at River City High who had recently founded Technos and has become a trillionaire because of it. He now has the appearance of a robot and will greet the protagonists upon entering Technos.
• Kuniko Ashino: Originating from Downtown Nekketsu Baseball Monogatari: Yakyū de Shōbu da! Kunio-kun as the replacement manager for Nekketsu High School's team and later in a more significant role in Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari EX, Kuniko appears as an intern at Technos who does charity work and extracurricular activities with the intention of improving her college applications. As part of a sidequest, she is first able to be found in the offices and will ask the protagonists to carry a few pieces of furniture back into the office while making up excuses as to why she cannot do it herself. Near the end of the game, Kuniko is one of the people that is tied up by Sabuko's men.
• Jake is a guest character that appears as a clerk at Holodreck in Technos. He originates from WayForward's horror game LIT as the main protagonist.
• Roxy appears as a clerk at Vegan & Out at Technos. She originates from River City Ransom as a localized counterpart of Kazumi Hasebe. In this continuity, she is a mirror of Hasebe with a different outfit.
• Mike appears as a clerk at Lucky Penne in Ocean Heights. He originates from River City Ransom: Underground as one of the playable characters.
• Patricia Wagon is a guest character that appears as a clerk at Plaid the Impaler in Ocean Heights. She originates from WayForward's Mighty series and is the main protagonist of the Mighty Switch Force! games.
• Mr. K: A localized counterpart of Kunio that originates from Renegade, the North American version of Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun. In this continuity, he is reimagined to be the principal of River City High. As part of a sidequest, he is able to be found inside of his office on the top floor of the school and offers a reward to the protagonists if they solve his mystery.
• Sonny Lee: A guest character from the Double Dragon series who originated from the Arcade version of Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone as a playable character and the presumed third brother of Billy and Jimmy Lee. He briefly appears near the end of the game as one of the people that is tied up by Sabuko's men, though the protagonists have no idea on who he is and don't believe him to be the brother of Billy and Jimmy.

Returning[]

Main article: River City Girls#Cameos

• Mr. Rudis: Makes a cameo appearance inside of River City High during the prologue and can later be seen inside of Burg's Books in Uptown and in the detention room at the destroyed version of the school. In the Japanese version, he is known as Noboru Kawakami, the math teacher at Nekketsu High School that was first featured in Downtown Nekketsu Baseball Monogatari: Yakyū de Shōbu da! Kunio-kun.
• Yōko: Appears at River City High's beanball court where she is training a group of students for an upcoming dodgeball tournament. As part of a sidequest, the protagonists are able to help her and will participate in a game of dodgeball against the students she's training.
• Susumu Godai: Appears in various parts of town and will hand the protagonists a handful of sidequests. In Crosstown, Godai will ask the group to take selfies at a specific location in each part of town. In Downtown, Godai asks the protagonists to clear out the yakuza at the basketball court as he's unable to play because they keep hurling basketballs at his face. Inside of River City High's auditorium, Godai leaves a posted note requesting pieces of his blueprints to be found across town.
• Jimmy Lee is a guest character from the Double Dragon series that returns as the trainer at Crosstown's dojo.
• Satomi Momozono returns as a clerk at Cream Dream in Crosstown.
• Mamoru Tōdō returns as a clerk at Merv's Burgers in Crosstown.
• Saori Gōda returns as a clerk at Amy's Candy in Crosstown.
• Reika Gojōin returns as a clerk at Vest Friends in Crosstown.
• Bullova is a guest character from The Combatribes that returns as a clerk at Wardrobe in Crosstown.
• Mihoko: Now into cats rather than dogs, Mihoko has given her dog to her sister and is now seen at the cat café. The cats have all escaped, so she asks the protagonists to help round them up. Near the end of the game, Mihoko is one of the people that is tied up by Sabuko's men.
• Kodani is a guest character from the Double Dragon series that returns as a clerk at Boy Toys in Uptown.
• Takashi Onizuka returns as a clerk at Pay Lots in Downtown.
• Braver returns as a clerk at Legal Drugs in Downtown.
• Naritaka Nishimura returns as a clerk at Book Bistro in Downtown.
• Katie returns as the clerk of the hidden Merlin's Mystery Shop in Downtown.
• Shinji returns as the clerk of Attire Fire, though the store has now moved to Technos.
• Billy Lee is a guest character from the Double Dragon series that returns as the trainer at Ocean Heights' dojo.
• Shizuka Aihara returns as a clerk at Chic Buffet in Ocean Heights.
• Kumiko returns as a clerk at Sands Sauna in Ocean Heights.
• Kenji: Briefly appearing near the end of the game as one of the people that is tied up by Sabuko's men, the protagonists rescue him at the mall in Crosstown. He attempts to get the group to guess his name again, though they refuse and quickly leave.
• Kazumi Hasebe and Mami Shimada: Briefly appearing during the ending of the game, the girls are looking to have a rematch against Misako and Kyōko, though the two are too late as the protagonists have already finished their adventure.

Other Characters[]

New[]

• Tommy and Kevin: The two appear as the clerks at TKO Music in Crosstown and in Flatirons. Tommy Sweet is credited as an audio designer and Kevin Samuels is credited as the game's lead audio designer.
• Paradolia and Insomnia-Chan: The two appear as the clerks at Half Asleep, Half Alive. Insomnia-Chan is the OC of Kay Yu, lead animator and sprite designer for both games.
• Shou-kun: A dog who replaces Skullmageddon as the clerk at the Pawn Shop in Uptown. He is voiced by Jacob "Alpharad" Rabon in English and remains uncredited in the Japanese dub.
• Suzy: The mother of the game's director Bannon Rudis who appears as a clerk at Suzy's in Downtown.
• Snap: A skeleton who appears at the Skeleton Market in Flatirons. He greets the protagonists as they enter for the first time and as part of a sidequest will ask them for help in finding his tarot cards after Blaire shot them across the woods with a T-Shirt launcher. In exchange for helping him out, he offers to give the group a big smile. He is voiced by Matthew "Matt McMuscles" Kowalewski in English and remains uncredited in the Japanese dub.
• Ferryman: Appears at the waterfall in Flatirons and is able to transport the protagonists to Ocean Heights. He is voiced by Jacob "Alpharad" Rabon in English and remains uncredited in the Japanese dub.
• Pop: A skeleton who appears as the clerk at Six Sweet Under in Flatirons.
• Colleen and Pryer: The two appear as the clerks at The Eclectic Elixir in Flatirons. Colleen Fannin is the producer for the game while Jeremy Pryer is the Quality Assurance Manager at WayForward.
• Chad: Appears as the clerk at Sous-veniers in Ocean Heights.

Returning[]

• Bannon Rudis: The co-director of the first game, director of this game, and the director of River City Ransom: Underground, Bannon returns as the clerk at Fasteez in Crosstown.
• Almas Gold: Almas returns as a clerk at Discount Sushi in Crosstown.
• Edwina: Edwina returns as a clerk at Tea Party in Crosstown.
• Kawaii Montagna and Kawaii Tomm: The two appear as the clerks at Cart Mart in Uptown. Tomm Hulett and James Montagna are both employees at WayForward.
• School Chef: Appears as the clerk of T-Rex Mex at Technos.
• Leopold: Appears as the clerk at The Donut Queen in Ocean Heights.
• Naritaka: Appears as the clerk at his own makeshift shop in River City High's bathroom named "Naritaka's Toiletries".

Codes, secrets and bugs[]

Merlin's Mystery[]

Returning from the first game, the hidden accessory shop originating from River City Ransom is able to be entered to obtain the Bunny Button and the Tank Button for a hefty price. While the shop is still in Downtown, it is now located at the West Tunnel and is marked by a wall of bricks with a yellow star spraypainted on it.

Secret Rooms[]

In each area on the map, a secret room is able to be found hidden away in the background. Inside of the rooms, an object is able to be collected that will reward the player with special hired heavies as they continue to find them. Alex will be unlocked after finding one secret room, Ryan after three, Noize after half, and Kebako after all of them are discovered. The rooms are entered like normal and can be found in the following areas:

• Crosstown: A golden horse is able to be found spinning around a carousel in the mall. Entering while it's in the foreground will teleport the player to the secret room.
• Uptown: At Skullmageddon's pawn shop, the vent in-between the two "Loan To $$$" signs is able to be entered.
• Downtown: In the Back Alley next to the hideout, a door is able to be found on the rooftop adjacent to the coffee shop's entrance. The rooftop is able to be accessed by walljumping onto the tightrope above the coffee shop's door or by making use of certain special moves with good mobility.
• Technos: Inside of the VR Room, punching the small shack to the right of the Cantina will drop a key that can be picked up. After picking up the key, the outhouse on the left of the screen can be entered.
• Flatirons: Inside of the waterfall near the campgrounds, some platforms completely hidden by the waterfall are able to be jumped onto. The third platform contains the door that can be entered.
• Ocean Heights: At the Sand Castle, a grating in-between the two tallest pillars is able to be broken and can be entered.
• River City High: In the post-tutorial version of the school, an olive colored door will be seen repeatedly opening and can be entered.
• Sanwakai Tower: At Mao Sushi inside of the tower, a hidden door is able to be found after jumping onto the second floor and walking down a beam on the left of the screen.

Gears[]

Upon starting New Game+, twelve gear collectibles will become available and will be hidden across the map. Collecting four of them will unlock Jam Kuradoberi as a hired heavy while collecting all of them will unlock Sol Badguy. The gears are able to be found in the following locations:

• Crosstown: One gear is able to be found on the second floor of the mall above Amy's Candy. A second is able to be found at the Crosstown Bank if the portrait on the right side of the screen is broken. The last one in the area is able to be found at the Parking Garage above a hanging sign.
• Uptown: One gear is able to be found above the entrance to the basement in the Toy District. The second gear is able to be found in Yokocho on a ledge that's reached by climbing a metal pipe on the right side of the screen.
• Downtown: In the Farmer's Market, a gear is able to be found after breaking the back door on a straight truck. In Junk City, a second gear is able to be found by climbing the ledges on the left of the screen. The last gear is found at Skid Street above the entrance to the Subway Terminal.
• Flatirons: A gear is able to be found at the pond at the Temple after all of the statues are destroyed. The second gear is able to be found at the exit of the Witchy Woods on the edge of the water stream. A third gear is found above the campground's sign near the firepit. The last gear is able to be found on the sunken RV in front of the waterfall.

Regional differences[]

Trivia[]

• In Arc System Works' reveal trailer shown at TGS 2021, some clips depicted Misako with blue hair similar to her appearance in other Kunio-kun titles. WayForward thought of including it as a subtle nod to the ending of River City Girls Zero where Misako talks about dying her hair blue again, though Arc System Works shot down the idea and insisted that they keep her hair black.^[12]
• Hasebe and Mami were planned to be playable characters, though the idea didn't pan out and they were instead relegated to a minor cameo.^[13]
  • Small remnants of them being playable are able to be found in the game's files. The two were given unused selfie art as part of the sidequest where the player is instructed to take photos at points across the map.

Gallery[]

External links[]

• Official Site (English)
• Official Site (Japanese)

References[]

Kunio-kun series
Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun series	Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun / Consumer version / SP • Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun: Bangai Rantō Hen • Shodai Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun • Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka / River City Girls Zero • Super Dodge Ball (Neo Geo) • Riki Densetsu • River City: Tokyo Rumble
Nekketsu Kōkō Dodgeball Bu series	Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club / NES / PC Bangai Hen • Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club – Soccer Story / PC / CD / MD / World Cup Hen • Nekketsu Kōkō Dodgeball Bu: Kyōteki! Dodge Senshi no Maki​ • Go-Go! Nekketsu Hockey Club Slip-and-Slide Madness • Kunio-kun's Nekketsu Soccer League
Downtown Nekketsu series	Downtown Nekketsu Story / EX / Rival Showdown • Downtown Nekketsu March Super-Awesome Field Day! / DX / ~All Stars Special~ • Downtown Special Kunio-kun's Historical Period Drama! / Downtown Nekketsu Jidaigeki • Surprise! Nekketsu New Records! The Distant Gold Medal • Kunio-kun no Dodgeball da yo Zen'in Shūgō • Downtown Nekketsu Baseball Monogatari: Yakyū de Shōbu da! Kunio-kun • River City: Knights of Justice • River City Melee: Battle Royal Special / Mach!! • Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san!: A River City Ransom Story • Kunio-kun no Sangokushida yo Zen'in Shūgō!
Super Nekketsu series	Super Dodgebal Brawlers • River City Super Sports Challenge • River City Soccer Hooligans
Other games	Nekketsu Fighting Legend • Nekketsu! Street Basketball All-Out Dunk Heroes • Kunio no Oden • Nekketsu! Beach Volley dayo: Kunio-kun • Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (pachislot) • River City Dodge Ball All-Stars!! • Nekketsu Kōkō Online: Yamada no Fukushū • Downtown SMASH Dodgeball! • Downtown Nekketsu Dodgeball
Spin-offs	Target; Renegade • Renegade III: The Final Chapter • Super Mad Champ • Super Dodge Ball Advance • Nijiiro Dodge Ball Otome-tachi no seishun • River City Ransom: Underground • Nekketsu Kōkō Huŏbàn-kei Tŏng Kōryaku! • Nekketsu Kozúqiú-zhéngbǎn Shóuquán Shŏu Yóu • River City Girls • River City Girls 2
Crossovers	CODE SHIFTER • Super Baseball 2020 • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate • Mighty Fight Federation • The Battle Cats
Mobile Games	Nekketsu Dodgeball Bu i • Nekketsu banchō fīa-hen • Nekketsu Taisen Kunio-kun X • Kunio-kun no Nekketsu Dodgeball ALLSTARS!! • Kunio-kun no Nekketsu Street
Compilations	Kunio-kun Nekketsu Collection 1 • Kunio-kun Nekketsu Collection 2 • Kunio-kun Nekketsu Collection 3 • Kunio-kun Nekketsu Complete: Famicom Hen • DOUBLE DRAGON & Kunio-kun Retro Brawler Bundle
Unreleased Games	Kunio-kun RPG • Crash 'N' the Boys: Ice Challenge • Nekketsu Kunio-Kun Zukan • Nekketsu Yakyuu Kozou • Crash 'N' the Boys: Baseball • Kunio-kun Polo / Kart Racing • Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun: Kowloon no Tsume • Kunio no Bike Racing: Nekketsu Bari Bari Kouttotai • Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari 2 • River City Nightmares
Other media	Ore wa Otoko Da! Kunio-kun • Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (4koma Manga Kingdom) • Kunio-kun! Nekketsu Game! • Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (TV series) • Ā, Nekketsu Kantai Gayuku! • Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun: Rantō Enbu-hen