Join the Flock
Arc System Works, in association with publisher CyGames, has released the first gameplay trailer for the adorable Anila, the first new character announced for anime scrapper Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising. Anila was first revealed in a teaser last week, but now we can finally see the sexy shepherd in action.
Anila, who is classed as “Queen of the Sheep and ruler of the South-Southwest” is an incredibly fun-looking character, who will step forth into battle armed with her trusty polearm and supported by a huge flock of obedient wool-bearers.
Anila herself sports a pair of ram horns, as well as a thick woolen gown and a luscious lock of blonde hair. She’s also pretty sleepy, which comes with the territory. I legitimately think that she’s one of the most fun designs to grace fighting games in some time. And I’m surprised that it’s taken this long for a shepherd gimmick to make its appearance in the typically wacky genre.
As you can see from her trailer, Anila is something of an all-round character, afforded decent range thanks to her polearm, (check out that half-screen sweep!), some smothering chains, and even some basic zoning capabilities… thanks to her fuzzy friends. Anila can send out her flock as ground-based projectiles, and even ride them into battle in order to close the distance at great speed. Anila’s amusing super sees the opponent stampeded in a flurry of wool and hooves. You don’t need to count sheep when they’ll gladly send you into the land of slumber the hard way.
While Anila’s release date has been somewhat confusing, it seems clear that she is destined to make her debut in Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, the updated edition of the original 2020 fighter, complete with new modes and mechanics, as well as a fresh rebalance for its attractive and engaging roster. While the details are still strangely sketchy, one would assume that Anila will be available as paid DLC for the vanilla edition of Versus, while Rising will be made available complete with several additional fighters. CyGames will reveal the next new character at EVO 2023, which is scheduled for August of this year.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising will release later in 2023 on PlayStation and PC.
