Rumor: Bandai Namco Anime Getting Game Spin-Off

24.01.2024 - 04:49 / gamerant.com / Bandai Namco / Dominik Bo

Bandai Namco is working on a video game tie-in for the Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon anime, some recently surfaced evidence suggests. First released in 2020, Yashahime is a spin-off of the hit shojo anime Inuyasha.

Although its later seasons were met with a mixed reception from fans and critics alike, Yashahime was very much among the highlights of the fall 2020 anime lineup. Produced by Sunrise Inc., nowadays known as Bandai Namco Filmworks, the series follows the adventures of sisters Towa Higurashi and Setsuna after they get separated by time-travel shenanigans.

Bandai Namco has recently filed to trademark the term Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree. The classification of the January 22 filing, first spotted by Gematsu, corresponds to a typical video game trademark. Although the very term that the Japanese company is trying to secure doesn't outright confirm this to be a Yashahime spin-off, it contains two elements indicative of a connection to the 2020 anime. For one, there's the apparent mention of Towa herself, as there's only one prominent character with that name in Bandai Namco Filmworks' entire anime portfolio.

Secondly, the «sacred tree» mentioned in the trademark is likely a reference to the eponymous place that's an inherent part of the Inuyasha lore. Also known as Goshinboku, Tree of Ages, and the Era Tree, this sentient being was featured in both Inuyasha and Yashahime over the years. In light of those apparent references to Bandai Namco Filmworks' series, it seems plausible that Yashahime will be joining the ever-growing list of anime with video game adaptations.

Game

Release Date

Platform(s)

Inuyasha: Kagome's Warring States Diary

November 2, 2001

WonderSwan

Inuyasha

December 27, 2001

PS1

Inuyasha: The Sealed Scroll Picture

July 27, 2002

WonderSwan

Inuyasha: Kagome's Dream Diary

November 16, 2002

WonderSwan

Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale

December 5, 2002

PS1

Inuyasha: Naraku's Trap! Invitation to the Forest of Illusion

January 23, 2003

GBA

Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask

March 18, 2004

PS2

Inuyasha: Feudal Combat

June 16, 2005

PS2

Inuyasha

June 21, 2005

J2ME

Inuyasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel

January 23, 2007

NDS

And while Bandai Namco's 2020 spin-off series never received a video game tie-in to date, the anime that spawned it has a long track record of such adaptations. Specifically, ten Inuyasha games have been produced to date for everything from the GBA and PS2 to J2ME feature phones and the long-forgotten WonderSwan handheld. Despite that sizable library, the franchise has long been dormant in the gaming space, with its latest release arriving in the form of the Nintendo DS exclusive Inuyasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel, which launched 17 years ago to date.

When exactly Towa and the Guardians of the