Dead or Alive
Team NINJA / October 9, 1997 / Rated Teen
Data last updated July 24, 2026
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Dead or Alive (Japanese: デッドオアアライブ, Hepburn: Deddo Oa Araibu) is a 1996 fighting game by Tecmo and the first entry in Team Ninja's long-running Dead or Alive series. It was released first in arcades, followed by home ports for the Sega Saturn in Japan, and later for the PlayStation in all regions.
Capitalizing on the success of Sega's Virtua Fighter fighting game series at the time, Dead or Alive takes influence from Virtua Fighter while adding unique gameplay elements of its own. The game also attracted attention for its presentation, which was more provocative than other mainstream 3D fighting games at the time.
Dead or Alive was a commercial success, helping Tecmo overcome their financial problems. The success of the game helped turn the series into a franchise, including several sequels and numerous spinoffs.
Dead or Alive is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo. The gameplay of the series is primarily composed of fast-paced hand-to-hand combat in a three-dimensional playing field that began with the first game released in 1996, followed by five main sequels, numerous updates, spin-offs, printed media, a film adaptation, and merchandise.
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