Naruto and Black Clover Studio Created an Underrated 2000s Anime Gem That Fans of Smash Bros Will Recognize

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Not many anime fans may know this, but the worlds and characters animated by Studio Pierrot not only include Naruto and Black Clover, but also a Power Stone video game adaptation from 1999. Coinciding with the release of the games for the Sega NAOMI arcade setup and ported to the Dreamcast, the series spawned one sequel while avoiding being doomed to obscurity, even being revived in 2025 as part of Capcom Fighting Collection 2. Pierrot's anime, like many shows from 1999 and the surrounding decade, inject enthusiasm and heart into its production for nostalgic fans to enjoy.

Power Stone is an uncommonly obscure anime despite it being about a Capcom franchise, with it being largely unavailable to stream and DVDs for the series being tricky to find at online retailers. The series even had a limited release in North American markets, with Canada getting it broadcast in 2003, well past the lifespan of Power Stone, Power Stone 2, or the Dreamcast. Still, it provides a hilarious and youth-oriented glimpse at one of arena fighting games' earliest staples, with each main character a pastiche on genres ahead of franchises that would soon dominate the medium.

Power Stone Anime Ages Well as a Fighting Game Adaptation

Pierrot's Animation Makes Up for a Simple Story and Basic Visuals

Power Stone centers on Edward Falcon, heir to the Falcon family, whose call to adventure comes after his father gifts him one of the eponymous Power Stones. While Falcon is largely uninterested, wishing instead to become a boxing legend to rival the likes of his idol, Valgas, he quickly learns the gem's value, bestowing him strange powers to fight off thieves who would stand to steal it. This prompts Falcon to search for his father, who went abroad to investigate the mystery of the Power Stones, with Falcon's being the first of seven scattered around the world.

Long ago, from the land where legends are born, it is said that one strange and special night, a night shrouded in mystery, seven sacred stones received a magical burst of energy. The stones grew so powerful that nothing could contain them. When these seven stones are reunited, a new age of miracles and wonders will occur.

-Power Stone opening narration

The concept of Power Stone is rather simple. Still, it paces out its introduction of memorable characters from the first game quite well, with viewers growing comfortable with Falcon as the blonde-haired, flirtatious boxer in a pilot getup. Soon, the fighting game qualities come about as Falcon meets others who seek the Power Stones, such as fortune-teller Rouge, samurai Ryoma, the ninja Ayame, martial artist Wang-Tang, the deranged Jack Winslow, bounty hunter Galuda, and pirate Kraken. Each character gets a corresponding transformation based on their "theme" with exciting results.

However, perhaps the most impressive aspect of Power Stone is its animation, which creatively uses each character's transformed states to resolve various issues or cleverly dispatch their nemeses. The opening sequence is mesmerizing, even if the English dub opening song lyrics are about as aggressively "nineties" as possible. The fighting animation is strongly satisfying, especially in terms of Saturday morning cartoon entertainment. Viewers can reasonably watch Power Stone and come out of it picking a favorite character they'd wish to play, which is likely the intended point of the anime.

90s Kids and Sega Fans Will Find Power Stone Anime Deeply Nostalgic

A Beloved Bygone Era of Video Game Adaptations

The 1990s were chock-full of anime adaptations of popular franchises, particularly video games such as Medabots or Monster Rancher. Power Stone was as much for the fans as any other franchise. The anime aired in limited capacities in subsequent years, such as on Canada's YTV network or Globo in Brazil, potentially a last hurrah for Power Stone fans as the game faded into relative obscurity. But, with Power Stone's limited presence as an arena fighter, especially dwarfed in popularity by Super Smash Bros. and on a platform whose market share was nonexistent, the anime became a distant memory for viewers.

One Of Pokemon's Best Imitators Was A Forgotten 90s Anime With Absolute God-Tier Animation

The 1990s anime boom included massively successful kids' franchises to build on popular video games like Pokemon, with Medabots being a later example.

Still, this doesn't deter intrepid anime aficionados from seeking out properties like Power Stone to enjoy the series from their youth, and with great reason. Immortal Grand Prix, Toonami's first original anime, is only slightly more accessible thanks to its first season being available to stream on the Adult Swim website, yet for those seeking its original microseries or season 2, they'll similarly need to seek out the DVDs or Blu-rays. In the case of Power Stone, with twenty-six episodes available across six DVDs, the series is a collector's item that surely deserves a remaster.

Since then, Pierrot has adopted a more seasonal and selective anime model. Power Stone is a remnant of Pierrot's once more prolific past, predating its biggest hits like Naruto or Black Clover. The series presents an original roster of characters that pay homage to a broad spectrum of pop culture, action, and adventure genres with aesthetics from across the globe. It's no surprise that Power Stone's anime will appeal to fans of the battle shōnen genre, as it boasts pastiche like those that aren't easily found in other anime without feeling painfully derivative.

Power Stone Had Something For Naruto, One Piece, and Dragon Ball Fans

Different Favorite Characters Could Influence Future Favorite Anime

Each of the main characters in Power Stone had a gimmick corresponding with their playable character in the video game. Once they activated a Power Stone, they could transform into a persona themed after their genre inspiration. This meant characters like Falcon would become an anachronistic jetpack-wearing superhero, resembling something from The Rocketeer or a Tokusatsu action series. Ryoma's transformed state looked like a silver-clad character of Ronin Warriors, Ayame was a hot pink-clad kunoichi with a massive shuriken on her back, and more.

Each character in Power Stone would typically have their transformations revealed several episodes apart, pacing out their powers to the point where Galuda's introduction and awakening wouldn't come until the latter half of the series. Perhaps the most recognizable pastiche among the Power Stone cast is either Wang-Tang's Super Saiyan-esque transformation, complete with a clear Spirit Bomb reference, or Gunrock's Marvel inspiration showing, turning into The Thing, essentially. Crucially, unlike other anime of the era, each attack was surprisingly well-animated and tailored to the given situations in which they're used.

Aside from coming out of an underappreciated arena fighter before the 2000 release of a sequel that'd perfect it, Power Stone's greatest misfortune is that it came along before anime was truly mainstream on a broader scale. The series is fun, and it's interesting to see the video game characters interacting in diverse manners with certain dynamics being more interesting than others, such as Rouge's chemistry with Ryoma, or Ayame's initial thieving mendacity and budding affection for Falcon. Power Stone is a special, if obscure, anime that has left many fans hoping to see more of the franchise.

Source: Sylo on YouTube