Summer 2026 has a bunch of heavy hitters, but one of the shows we’re most interested in is Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games. As its title implies, this series is centered around two students who love playing fighting games.
Ahead of the show’s premiere this July, we got to watch the first episode. While it’s still way too early to give a proper verdict, we can say that this show should be a must-watch for fighting game fans, especially for those who love Street Fighter 6.
[NOTE: There are minor spoilers for Episode 1 in this article.]
Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games follows Aya Mitsuki, a scholar in a prestigious all-girls boarding school. The first episode shows some of her struggles fitting in with classmates, as most of the students in this school are part of the elite. She also has a chance encounter with Mio Yorue, aka White Lily, the most popular girl in the school, who is best known for her prim and proper disposition.
While she is also in awe of Mio, Aya gets another unexpected encounter with her, and this one is not what she expected at all. Aya goes inside a classroom and happens upon Mio playing Street Fighter 6 on her laptop while using an arcade fight stick, all while displaying signature gamer rage.
In response, Mio asks Aya to keep this a secret, as playing games like this is prohibited in their school. Soon, Mio also discovers that Aya is also a big fan of fighting games, though Aya says that she stopped as she wants to be a “proper lady.” In her mind, a proper lady doesn’t play fighting games.
I won’t go into much detail about the other events in the first episode, but what I can say is that the combo of an elite boarding school and Street Fighter 6 is quite crazy. It somehow works, though, as it’s clear that the show (and the manga that it’s based on) was made by people who really love fighting games. This is apparent in the moments where they discuss specific fighting game terminology.
Aside from featuring proper fighting game deep-dives (which should delight fans), the fact that Street Fighter 6 gameplay is shown is quite fun. I expected that they’d make their own fighting game to avoid copyright issues, but it’s a much better choice to partner with Capcom so that an actual fighting game is used.
Based on the first episode, this show won’t just be all about fighting games, as the two main characters also have interesting backstories and personalities. Plus, even though we’re just one episode in, it’s clear that this anime will have some yuri elements. So yes, this is essentially a fighting game yuri student anime, which is a combination that has never crossed our minds.
On a side note, the two main characters are voiced by Ikumi Hasegawa and Kana Ichinose in the Japanese dub. Based on the first episode, we’re already enjoying their performances and can’t wait to hear more.
Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games Review – Initial Verdict
After the first episode, we can say that we’re already hooked, as Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games feels like an anime that will delight fighting game fans. This might also be worth watching for yuri anime fans, even if they don’t play fighting games much, as the FGC terms are explained fairly well.
Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games Episode 1 will be streamed on Crunchyroll on July 7, 2026.