You Can Actually Pinpoint the Second the New Guilty Gear Trailer Rips Fans' Hearts in Half

Arc System Works has been gradually rolling out the roster for its upcoming Guilty Gear game, and it features many of the faces you would expect from years of rocking. But the most recent character announcement set up a tease that had many fans eager for a long-anticipated returning fighter, only to get faked out.

A character trailer for May, the series' nautical brawler, ended with a New Challenger Approaching screen and a lone butterfly, fluttering across the screen. This seemed like an obvious tee-up for Anji Mito, but instead, Axl Low enters the frame.

Nothing against Axl Low, but Anji's been missing from Guilty Gear since Judgement, only appearing for a brief cameo in Xrd Rev 2. Axl has, meanwhile, been in plenty of Guilty Gear games dating back to the very first; though at least this time, he has traded in those weird jorts for a nice pair of pants.

Anji hopefuls were, of course, thrown by this sudden development.

Maybe the butterfly indicates more to come at the next character reveal, set for a couple weeks from now at the SEA Major 2019 in Singapore, from Oct. 12 through 13. There are a few series mainstays that fans are practically expecting to make the cut, but seeing an older pick-up like Anji would be neat. Maybe some more deep cuts like Testament could be on deck?

The next Guilty Gear, currently just called Guilty Gear, is set for 2020 and is looking to be a complete reconstruction of the franchise, something fans probably shouldn't be afraid of happening. Considering it's now been over two decades since the first Guilty Gear, it'll be interesting to see what a fresh take on the formula looks like.