Appearances can be deceiving, especially when it comes to refined high school girls hiding an arcade controller under their elegant uniforms. This Friday, the committee behind the animated adaptation of Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games (Tai Ari Deshita: Ojo-sama wa Kakuto Game Nante Shinai) released a vibrant second advance confirming the start of the battles for July 7. The challengers will take the late-night slots of several major Japanese TV networks, including AT-X, Tokyo MX, MBS, BS NTV, and Nagasaki Broadcasting Company.

The intensity of the combos needs a fitting soundtrack. The new video gave us a taste of the explosive opening “Inochi Mijikashi Tai Suru Otome yo!”, a song performed by the electrifying rock band Hanabie.. Adding a brutal level of immersion, it was confirmed that the respected real-life professional player and commentator, Aru, will lend his voice to the character of Flamberge, a famous fighting game commentator within the series’ universe.

The Challengers in the Arena

To embody these elite students whose sweet smiles hide a hyper-competitive and toxic spirit, the series brought together a top-tier cast of seiyuus:

• Ikumi Hasegawa as Aya Mitsuki.
  Famous for her incredible role as Vladilena Milizé in 86: Eighty-Six and Kita Ikuyo in Bocchi the Rock!
• Kana Ichinose as Mio Yorue.
  The unmistakable voice of Fern in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and Suletta Mercury in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury.
• Sayaka Senbongi as Yu Inui.
  World-renowned for voicing Haru in Beastars and Shuna in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
• Shino Shimoji as Tamaki Ichinose.
  Maha in The World’s Finest Assassin and Shirley in Shadows House.
• Maria Naganawa as Arisa Fujimiya.
  The adorable voice of Kanna Kamui in Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and Platelet in Cells at Work!

The Team Behind the Perfect Combo

The animation is handled by studio diomedea under the keen direction of Shota Ihata, while Wataru Watari oversees the scripts and Mayuko Matsumoto refines the character designs. To ensure the action flows with the precision of a real tournament, the production team enlisted the help of FAV gaming, Kadokawa’s professional squad specializing in Street Fighter 6, guaranteeing that the gameplay sequences breathe authenticity.

The story, born from the pen of mangaka Eri Ejima in 2020, follows Aya, a scholarship student who arrives at the prestigious Kuromi Academy seeking to emulate the untouchable Shirayuri. Reality hits when she discovers that her refined idol is, behind closed doors, a hardcore gamer who mercilessly destroys her rivals. After being announced in 2021 and enduring delays that pushed its original 2025 release window, the battle is finally about to begin.

What classic fighting game would you like to see referenced in these refined schoolgirls’ frenetic battles?