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1[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/breakers_ad.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:250:"Kurenai Sandan Geri!"]]
3''Breakers'' is a 1996 FightingGame developed by Visco for the Platform/NeoGeo platform. It's yet another game influnced by the spectacular success of Creator/{{Capcom}}'s ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'', though its gameplay is more close to Creator/{{SNK}}'s ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters''. The game was originally annouced in 1993 under the name ''Crystal Legacy'', before it went through a total overhaul to become the game we got. Visco later published an UpdatedRerelease of the game titled ''Breakers Revenge'' in 1998, which added a new character to the roster, made the final boss playable via a secret code, and intoduced some adjustments towards the gameplay balance.
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5The [[ExcusePlot story]] is not too dissimilar from other tournament-style fighting games. Somewhere in Hong Kong, a mysterious competition known as FIST (The Fighting Instinct Tournament) is held every year, inviting martial artists around the globe to determine the strongest in the world. However, it's said that the champion gets a chance to fight the organizer of the tournament, only to be never seen again. Unsurprisingly, this turns out to be a trap set by an evil spirit named Bai-Hu, the sponsor of the competition who wants to possess the body of a strong martial artist to raise his dark power. Not knowning what's waiting ahead, another group of fighters arrive at the tournament, and the battle is about to begin once again...
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7Although ''Breakers'' ultimately failed to make a wake against contemporary games, it still maintains popularity in the internet competitive scene and is generally thought as one of the better fighting games from the era. Its cult favorite status eventually led to 2017's re-release for Platform/SegaDreamcast (being based on the original version rather than the ''Revenge'' update). It also has a big following in some casual Japanese tournaments such as Mikado Arcade.
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9''Breakers Collection'', which includes both ''Breakers'' and ''Breakers Revenge'', was released on current gen platforms (Platform/PlayStation4/Platform/XboxOne/Platform/NintendoSwitch and PC[=/=]Platform/{{Steam}}) on Janurary 12, 2023. The collection features rollback netcode along with [[https://twitter.com/qubytegames/status/1598787547047505920 crossplay on all platforms.]]
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11This game has nothing to do with ''VideoGame/DawnOfTheBreakers'', known in Japan as ''Breakers: Dawn of Heroes'', nor does it have any relation to the Creator/SynapseSoftware electronic novel "Breakers".
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13!!''Breakers'' provides examples of:
14* AlternateCompanyEquivalent:
15** Rila is essentially Visco's answer to Capcom's [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Blanka]]. Likewise, Condor is the one to the same company's T. Hawk.
16** As pointed out by Fighter's Generation, Tia has elements of SNK's [[VideoGame/ArtOfFighting Yuri Sakazaki]] (converse) and Capcom's Chun-Li (lighting kicks, victory pose, possibly leggings), Guile (firing Sonic Boom-like projectiles), M. Bison (her Psycho Crusher wannabe), and of course, every Shoto to have existed at the time (her dragon punch). She also takes some cues from [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]] with her forward flip kick special.
17** Alsion III can be seen as an analogue to Dhalsim since both characters can stretch their limbs, teleport, and breathe elements to attack (poison for Alsion, fire for Dhalsim).
18* ButNotTooForeign: Dao-Long is supposed to be Korean, but everything about him suggests he's a Chinese character (his given name is definitely not of Korean origin, for one). Seeing that he also practices a Chinese martial art, perhaps he's of Korean ancestry but was raised in China.
19* {{Camp}}: The game has many elements that make it look like AffectionateParody, blending various fighting game stereotypes to create some memorable characters and taking a page from pop culture like Hong Kong action cinema.
20* CaptainErsatz: Pielle is as about the closest to Franchise/{{Zorro}} as he can without actually being Zorro.
21* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Tia's stage has a monk cheering for the fighters who, once the winner is decided, starts madly bouncing on a lily pad.
22* ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: Inverted: [[spoiler:[[BigBad Bai-Hu]] and [[TheRival Dao-Long]] are [[LukeIAmYourFather father and son]], and [[TheHero Sho]] has no personal connection]].
23* JapaneseRanguage: Pielle is almost likely an alternative spelling of "Pierre."
24* MirrorMatch: If the opponent is using the same character as yours (which always happens in arcade mode), their character's name will change into completely different one. For example, Sho becomes "Jin" when he's a clone of the character. Some of these alternative names are based on those from the unreleased prototype ''Crystal Legacy''.
25* UpdatedRerelease: ''Breakers Revenge'', released two years after the original release, adds a new character named [[{{Ninja}} Saizo]] to the roster while also making the final boss Bai-Hu playable via a secret code.

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