Inazuma Eleven Eiyuutachi no Victory Road (イナズマイレブン
It was formerly announced under the name of Inazuma Eleven Eiyuutachi no Great Road (イナズマイレブン
Info[]
Level-5 was originally developing the Inazuma Eleven Ares no Tenbin game, but after numerous delays and issues during production, the game was scrapped. In September of 2019, just before the airing of Inazuma Eleven Orion no Kokuin's final episode, Hino announced they decided restarting their game project, instead making a game called Inazuma Eleven Eiyuutachi no Great Road, which would add more story of the characters outside the Inazuma Eleven Ares no Tenbin series, and planned to release it on Spring 2020.
Eiyuutachi no Great Road[]
On April 1st, 2020[1], Hino announced an upcoming plan for the new game. Instead of following the Ares no Tenbin story as originally planned, the game would have a completely new storyline and would be a remake of the Football Frontier arc from the original Inazuma Eleven, and would feature characters from both the GO series and the Ares no Tenbin series as part of the same timeline. The story will focus on the new protagonist, Sasanami Unmei, a soccer-loving boy with a mental trauma which makes him unable to play soccer, who decided to join Raimon's soccer club as a manager after he met Endou Mamoru. The game was expected to release in 2021.
After a year with no update on the game, on April 2nd, 2021[2], Hino posted an update video[3] on his blog. The video contained some new in-development footage of the game with several major characters from all three series appear in the background. The building and character model were changed from the more realistic scale, seen in the early development of Ares no Tenbin and AC games, to the smaller scale and less detailed, similar to GO games. The game was now delayed to 2023.
Eiyuutachi no Victory Road[]
2022[]
On July 15th[4], Hino announced the former blog for Inazuma Eleven Eiyuutachi no Great Road would be updated on the next week, releasing a piece of artwork depicting Sasanami getting intimidated by a new character.
On July 21st[5], Hino announced Inazuma Eleven's latest work, redirecting to the new site and, releasing the logo for Victory Road and a new piece of artwork depicting Sasanami holding on to a new character.
The refurbished development blog was updated after a year of absence. Hino announced that the game would be receiving a title change from Great Road to Victory Road to fit better with the new main story of the game. The original plan for the Great Road game was to focus on Sasanami building a team of past characters but was eventually changed to an original story separate from other Inazuma Eleven series.
On August 22nd[6], Hino quote retweeted an illustration made for Inazuma Eleven's 14th anniversary, mentioning Victory Road news would be nearing. On the same day[7], Hino released a game movement screen and three storyboard roughs, assuring there would be crucial news by the end of the year.
On December 1st[8], Hino released an image of various character models wearing a new uniform to celebrate the Japanese national team advancing to the knockout stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
On December 23rd[9], Hino assured the aforementioned crucial news would arrive five days later. On December 28th, 2022[10], Hino announced the promised news, redirecting to the game's website. On the affiliated blog, Hino attached a video[11] detailing how the Match System will work. At the end of the video, more news are stated to come on February, 2023, wherein Level-5 plans to release new information about the overview of the story, game systems, characters, animations, and additional undisclosed information. Lastly, a new artwork[12] depicting Sasanami gazing at a new character was released, with Hino stating he reigns supreme as a soccer player and stated the storyline had a major change to also revolve around him.
2023[]
On February 4th[13], Hino released a new artwork of Sasanami, stating the news would come at the end of the month in Level-5's online event. On February 21st, 2023[14], Hino announced the postponing of Level-5's online event to March 9th, 2023.
On March 9th[15], during Level-5's online event, Hino released Victory Road's trailer, wherein it revealed its set place and the names of previously revealed characters, like Shisendou Garyuu and Endou Haru. It also revealed the game would feature 4500 characters from all Inazuma Eleven series in its Chronicle Mode, detailing how the player would be able to access the Chronicle taisen route, how the new recruitment system would work and showed an unnamed combination shoot hissatsu technique performed by Shinohara Raika and Sakurazaki Jouji. At the end of the event, Hino assured the games presented would be slated for a worldwide release, with Victory Road maintaining its release date for 2023 and more news would come sometime around summer.
On August 22nd[16], on Inazuma Eleven's 15th anniversary, Hino released a blog post in which he details the updated match system, as it didn't meet other current game's mechanics, the V Plan, wherein Level-5 intends to introduce multiple mechanisms for online play and make the game be playable for a long time, the auditions for Sasanami and Haru's respective seiyuu, and a new character said to have a deep connection with someone from the past. Hino later informed the next news would come out 9 days later and that fans can play the new match system during the September TGS.
On August 31st[17], Hino released a blog post wherein he shared a promotional video for Victory Road, showcasing the ins and outs of its new gameplay system, detailing how he and Level-5 felt about the changes implemented. At the end of the promotional video, news about Victory Road's Story Mode are slated to be released on September 16th.
On September 16th, as promised, a promotional video was released, revealing various plot points and new characters like Tsukikage Ren. On the accompanying blog post[18], Hino discerns the difficulty on writing the theme song of the game, reassuring fans on the information unveiled of previous news, and informing Victory Road might have to be delayed.
On September 20th, a video was released detailing the controls and gameplay for the demo version of the game that would be playable at TGS. It also provided new information the the Zone mechanic, where the defending team is able to move their goalkeeper and defenders to guard areas and block shoot courses. It was revealed that characters can have up to 6 hissatsu techniques, with them being in sets of 2 that can be unlocked via training or story events. The last detail was about a new mechanic, the Keeper Power. There was also an accompanying blog post[19], giving Hino's comments on the video.
On September 23rd, there was a live Inazuma Walker at TGS. It played the Chronicle Mode before introducing several voice actors for the main cast, with the voices of Sasanami and Haru on stage. More details about the game were also revealed, such as the ability to recruit all the players in the game in a save file. The character rarity system teased in earlier videos was officially shown and explained, with characters able to become all rarities through training. It was stated that despite being able to recruit multiple versions of a character, the game will not feature gacha mechanics. Strategies about team composition were also discussed, with characters all having skills that aid other teammates and how certain groups of player's skills synergise well with each other. On September 24th, another live presentation was held, showcasing gameplay of the Story Mode. It consisted of Sasanami walking around Nagasaki and Nagumohara's school grounds. This showed minor details like character names, tasks, icons above NPCs, and items able to be picked up off the ground as sparkles.
On November 29th, the promotional video was revealed on the Level-5 Vision 2023 presentation, confirming the game would release simultaneously worldwide. It featured gameplay of characters voicing their hissatsu techniques for the first time and the return of past features like Shoot Chains, Shoot Blocks, Long Shoots, and hissatsu tactics. The gameplay also showed off the new Attack and Defense Values for player interactions and hissatsu techniques, mechanics like the ability to gain items through Focus duels as well as updated interfaces. Voiced cutscenes were also shown, with a tease of a new "Focus Battle" mechanic.
The promotional video ended with the reveal of a worldwide beta test for the game, releasing in March 2024. This beta test will be free to play and will include single player matches, online PVP, and the first chapter of Story Mode, which will have continuous updates. The beta is planned to continue running until the full game is released. Whilst the beta runs, they will also provide Inazuma Post as a service where the player can provide feedback for the game. Alongside the promotional video, a cutscene that would appear in the game was also shown off. This cutscene showed an in-depth discussion between Sasanami and Haru about tactics for an upcoming match and goes over various strategies and mechanics used in the game.
On December 4th, the game's supported platforms was updated to provide a Steam release for the game.
2024[]
On January 26th, a video detailing the characters available the the game's beta was revealed. The characters present where announced as 3 teams, Inazuma All Stars, Japan Dreams, and Aliea Masters.
On March 21st, a new promotional video was released, showing new footage from the beta and its release date, being March 28th for the Nintendo Switch. Alongside the video, the game's website was updated, explaining different player passive abilities, how to increase player rarities, and the Victory Gallery feature. It also mentioned the Victory Road mode will be available from the start, while the Story Mode will be provided in a later update. Outside of Japan, it marked the first time footage used different languages and first mention of the 3 teams available in the beta.
Following its release, Hino promised to eventually release the beta on other platforms when the Nintendo Switch's eShop delisted the beta. On July 17th, a promotional video was released, informing it would be released on July 18th on Steam, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4, alongside the full content of Chapter 1.
On September 1st, during the tournament of the game's beta, new information about the game was revealed. Firstly, Inazuma Eleven The Movie 2025 was announced wherein it would be composed of Inazuma Eleven the Compilation Movie: The Legendary Kick-Off, a recapitulation movie of the first season of the Inazuma Eleven anime, and Inazuma Eleven the Movie: The Prologue to New Heroes, a movie using the games animated cutscenes of its first chapter with some additional scenes, slated to be released on December 27th. Information on the Manager AI Mode divulged, going over the ability to designate predetermined playstyles for players as well as more precise orders during the match, acting like a coach. There would also be an option to autoplay matches, with all these features being available in every game mode. It was mentioned that more news about the game, like its release date or new gameplay systems will be revealed on September 24th during Level-5 Vision. A new demo for the game was also mentioned to be playable at the TGS through September 26th to 29th, where the AI mode will be playable in a match between Second Raimon and The Genesis. The event also announced the beta had reached over 2 million downloads across all platforms as well as the results of the popularity poll.
On September 24th, Hino announced new information regarding Victory Road, scheduling it to be released worldwide somewhere in June of 2025. The amount of players in the game would increase from 4,500 to 5,200, the Commander AI Mode would work on all game modes, and training one's players through the Abilearn Board and Kizuna Link. Hino would also announce the Kizuna Town Mode, where the player can create their own Avatar and train them and gather items and players to their town by playing the various game modes.
On October 17th, a meeting with the Level-5 Creative Community Club discussed a new possible control mode for the game, Draw AI Mode. This mode would allow the player to control groups of playable characters at once using touch controls, having been revealed in the trailer of Inazuma Eleven RE. The ability to alter the camera angle in Scramble and Focus was also discussed. Neither were decided to be fully implemented and are still being considered for the game's release. Official artwork of Raimon, Hokuyou Gakuen, and Fuwa were publically released.
2025[]
On March 3rd, Hino announced in the new blog that Level-5 will be hosting an online presentation on April 11th titled Inazuma Eleven V HEROES SHOWCASE 2025 (イナズマイレブンＶ ヒーローズショーケース ２０２５, Inazuma Irebun V Hīrōzu Shōkēsu 2025), showing yet-to-be playable features and revealing its final release date, stating the latter to have been delayed slightly further than June 2025 due to the delay of Fantasy Life i. Additionally, Hino declared that the gameplay systems were improved upon from its 2024 beta test demo ones and that pre-orders for certain platforms will become available shortly after the presentation is over.
On April 9th, it was announced the beta would terminate its distrubution on the 11th[20], making downloads unavailable and disallowing offline play following that date on all then-supported platforms. Furthermore, the time slated for the Inazuma Eleven V HEROES SHOWCASE 2025 was revealed[21], as well as a special broadcast radio show titled Kick-Off Radio (キックオフラジオ, Kikku-Ofu Rajio; dub: Kickoff Radio)[22], featuring the voice actors of Unmei, Haru, Raika, and Ren an hour before the online presentation wherein they will share and discuss their feelings towards the game.
On April 11th, the Inazuma Eleven V HEROES SHOWCASE 2025 was held, tallying in a 39 minute presentation featuring a 19 minute trailer and a 2 minute promotional video. The trailer was split into 5 different sections, providing the final specs on each of the different modes as well as its Player-Friendly Systems.
Chronicle Mode showed a new cutscene for its story, identifying the mysterious boy for the mode as V, Arno's grandson. It also revealed returning characters like Arno himself as well as Wandaba and Fei. A new character, Misty was also shown as a tourguide to aid V. Outlines for the story, needed to go through the series' history to find the spacetime strongest eleven, and awaken the ultimate Keshin to save humanity from the threat known as the Mind Eater. Chronicle Mode was revealed to feature every full match from the anime series, fulfilling conditions to recreate the events from those matches. More than 150 teams would return for this mode and feature various commentators from the story.
Story Mode featured various types of Focus Battles as well as a new auto mode for them, as a direct response to feedback made in the Inazuma Post from the game's beta. The Inacord was shown as a way to see characters interact, similar to the Inalink from previous games. Previously shown features, like the Strategy Meetings and Special Training Systems received new looks. Match-Operating Practice Mode (試合操作練習モード, Shiai Sōsa Renshū Mōdo; dub: Match Practice Mode) features ways to practice controls for each match and the Special Training Phase allows the player to freely train and practice scoring. 5v5 Soccer Battles were shown as well as Practice Matches (練習試合, Renshū Shiai; dub: Friendly Matches) which would help advance the story. A new Photo Mode (フォトモード, Foto Mōdo) was shown, allowing pictures to be taken within the world and in matches with a free-moving camera. The new Scout System was shown off, allowing the player to scout any student from the school by collecting Kizuna Clovers (キズナクローバー, Kizuna Kurōbā, lit. Bond Clovers; dub: Bond Clovers) by meeting certain conditions. A series of new hissatsu techniques like Gravity Desert, Sunshine Blade, and Tenkuu Thunder were shown for the first time. The remaining characters to join Nagumohara were also revealed, being chosen in a new Select Chara System (セレクトキャラシステム, Serekuto Kyara Shisutemu; dub: Selectable Character System), with 10 possible characters to choose from and only 5 available to pick for the story. Each character will play an active role in the game's story and storyline conversations for the first time, and the remaining characters can only be selected after beating the story. The characters were all voiced by various Japanese internet celebrities. New characters for the story mode were shown like Senno, Manbe, and Makino, the latter being a character introducing various motion-captured dances to the gameplay. 9 theme songs were shown to be for the game, by T-Pistonz - these alongside past themes and background music from the series will be selectable to listen to during Special Training. Brief looks at 4 new rival teams were also shown off as opponents in the game's story.
Competition Mode featured various new details about the gameplay and online features. Real Skills is a new gameplay mechanic where characters can use real soccer techniques in Focus. Coach AI Mode (監督ＡＩモード, Kantoku AI Mōdo; dub: Commander Mode) was highlighted as a way to focus on strategy and support as the characters are controlled by AI. The Match Spectating Feature (試合観戦機能, Shiai Kansen Kinō; dub: Spectator Feature) was shown as a way to watch other people's matches. Keshin, Keshin Armed, Mixi Max and Souls were all shown to return, under the new term of Hyperdimensional Strengthening (超次元強化, Chōjigen Kyōka; dub: Hyper Power-Up), alongside 2 new types: Kizuna Trans (キズナトランス, Kizuna Toransu, lit. Bond Trans; dub: Bond Transform) and Awakening Power (覚醒パワー, Kakusei Pawā; dub: Awakening). Kizuna Trans allows a player to inherit a teammate's power by transforming into them. Awakening Power brings out the latent abilities of players. The Abilearn Board was shown as a way to strengthen players, with different paths through which you can upgrade them in their original style or forge a new path for them.
BB Stadium (
Kizuna Station revisited Kizuna Town and the various items the player can collect as rewards to place in the town alongside characters. Avatars were shown to be playable in all game modes. Kizuna Town allows players to interact with each other by chatting and sending emotes, as well as playing Competition Mode features like 2P Tag Mode.
The Player-Friendly Systems featured the Advent Calendar, which featured daily login bonuses, tournament schedules, and various other new content. There's also a Gallery, similar to how the beta worked, where points can be collected to unlock game artwork. The game was shown to have support for all platforms, with the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X & S being added to the compatible systems. Each platform has its own drop rates for rare characters. The Nintendo Switch 2 version will feature improved resolution and framerate support the mouse controls and have GameChat support. All platforms will feature cross-play and cross-save support. The games will have a simultaneous worldwide release, and will only be released digitally, with regular updates. Inazuma Post was shown to continue being active during the game's release, allowing for continuous feedback after launch.
The game's release date was revealed to be August 22nd, 2025. More details alongside the presentation were shown about the game's release like the preorder bonuses and the Deluxe Edition, which both became available to preorder after the presentation. The PlayStation and Xbox platforms will get early access and the Steam Version featured Advance Access. A Post-Launch Roadmap was shown, showing the various updates the game will receive after release. eshin, the winner of the Inazuma Eleven Eiyuutachi no Victory Road beta tournament was shown off as a character for the game. A PV Release Schedule was shown with a Making-of Trailer for the end of May featuring cast interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, a Story Trailer at the end of June revealing the ending theme and its artist, and a Final Trailer at the end of July.
Platform-specific bonuses were also confirmed, providing increased drop rates for the members of specific teams depending on the player's platform. Switch receives a bonus for Prominence, Diamond Dust, and Zanark Domain. PlayStation receives a bonus for Protocol Omega, Protocol Omega 2.0, and Protocol Omega 3.0. Xbox receives a bonus for Zeus, Little Gigant, and Dragonlink. Steam receives a bonus for Ogre, Unlimited Shining, and Ancient Dark. Using cross-save, players will receive the increased drop rate for each platform they own on all of their platforms (for example, a player with PlayStation and Xbox linked to cross-save will receive both sets of bonuses on both platforms, regardless which is being played).
On April 16th, due to player feedback, the platform-specific bonuses were altered. Each platform will cycle through a group of teams every 2 weeks, with the first boost lasting for 3, going in order from Group A > B > C > D. The groups consist of the original platform bonuses (Group A is Switch, Group B is PlayStation, Group C is Xbox, Group D is Steam), with each platform launching with their specific group being boosted.
On May 2nd, information that was unable to be covered in the presentation was provided to the Level-5 CCC members to share with the public. This featured various changes to gameplay mechanics to resolve issues and exploits displayed in the beta release of the game. One of these is implementing a new time-wasting detection system where the spectators begin booing if the ball is being held for too long, causing Tension to decrease and passing success rates to be lowered. The Hyperdimensional Gauge (超次元ゲージ, Chōjigen Gēji) was shown off, being a bar that the player fills up during the match and once full, 2 types of Hyperdimensional Strengthening can be used before needing to refill it. Secret Manuals have been replaced with Secret Stones (秘伝石, Hiden Ishi) and Hyperdimensional Stones (超次元石, Chōjigen Ishi), which can be used in the Abilearn Board. The Abilearn Board was explained more, with the first 3 slots having fixed hissatsu techniques, and the rest being customizable. Real Skills take up spaces where hissatsu techniques can go, being added to make up for the lack of techniques at the start of the game. Hissatsu technique evolution returns with a new system wherein techniques can be evolved by learning techniques multiple times on the Abilearn Board, becoming stronger with each addition. Mode Change (モードチェンジ, Mōdo Chenji) was shown as another method of Hyperdimensional Strengthening, similar to the Chara Change system by having certain players switch forms. The number of hissatsu techniques featured in the game was addressed to include every technique significant to the anime, with the number of non-anime techniques still undecided. The Avatar editor was updated to include a wider variety of skin and hair colors, as well as additional styles added for the way Avatars wear their uniform.
On May 30th, the previously announced "Making-of Trailer" was livestreamed on YouTube as the Inazuma Eleven V HEROES SHOWCASE 2025: Aftertalk, which was to give an update on the game's development, talks with the voice cast, and an update on details not mentioned in the previous trailer. Firstly, the number of techniques in the game was stated to be over 550, the highest in the series' history. This number is only for the number of techniques at launch, being the most significant techniques in the series, with more being planned to be added in later updates. Adjustments to the game's speed were made after feedback from the beta mentioned that it felt too fast. Now Focus will have a 1 section pause before starting to help players plan their movement. The dash mechanic was also changed to become easier to use. A new mechanic called Catch Bomb (キャッチボム, Kyacchi Bomu; dub: Focus Field) is in testing, creating a much larger area for players to initiate a Focus interaction.
The character selection system for Nagumohara's teammates was also addressed, being emphasized to be a way to interact with a meet a wide variety of different personalities. Concerns about the internet personalities hired to voice these characters were addressed, being stated that they were chosen to provide this type of variety, with Hino assuring the cast are well-versed and skilled enough to provide a good performance. More feedback given was fans asking for more veteran voice actors from the series to be involved in the game, which led Level-5 to add 5 more selectable characters to the game, bringing it to a total of 15. A new PV was shown introducing all of the selectable characters, as well as small information about them.
The voice actors for Unmei, Sakurazaki, Kisoji, Raika, Haru, Ren, Koteuchi, and Hamana participated in the interviews, providing their thoughts on being cast for the game, their characters, the series, and what goes into them fulfilling their roles.
On June 30th, the previously announced "Story Trailer" was released, with a bigger focus on the ending theme, Michi Shirube, rather than the story as advertised, featuring new scenes of Nagumohara playing soccer.
On the following day, July 1st, it was officially announced Kaji Yuuki's voice synthesis software and AI-Tuber persona, Soyogi Soyogi, will be featured in the game, with the voice acting being handled by the software.
On July 18th, Level-5 uploaded a video notice announcing the release date would be postponed to November 14th (or 13th, depending on regions) due to newly-recorded voicelines, accommodating for the various localizations, and improving upon other gameplay aspects. The game is said to include both Japanese and English voices, with the Japanese version having over 50,000 lines from more than 250 voice actors and the English one having less, catering only for the Story Mode and in-match commentary. Additionally, a feature to switch over between Japanese and localized names of characters is said to be planned owing to the feedback provided on Inazuma Post, giving out a Kizuna Object, Endou Mamoru Statue (Huge), to everyone who purchases the game as a token of apology. Moreover, several match enhancements were revealed wherein they slowed down the tempo, simplified complex controls to make gameplay more intuitive, and reworked the defensive gameplay to be easier with the Catch Bomb mechanic, showcasing the first match between Raimon and Teikoku Gakuen in Chronicle Mode.
On September 12th, new footage was released for the game in a Japanese Nintendo Direct and online, featuring footage of Gou no Issen for the first time. Multiple magazines also featured images for 5 more new hissatsu techniques, God Hand Tiger, The Fort, Penguin The Parade, Cheat Blaster, and Empress Shadow.
The game was featured at TGS 2025, with a new artwork featuring characters from across the series being displayed at its booth. The booth featured a demo for the game, featuring a tutorial by Daisuke and a Chronicle Mode match between Raimon and Teikoku Gakuen. During the event, the opening video for the game was played on monitors at the booth. On September 25th, a livestream was held with Yoshioka Mayu, Komura Shou, Kaji Yuuki, and Hanabusa Lisa, which featured them playing a special exhibition match, as well as the debut of the 8th PV for the game.
On October 10th, Hino informed there would be a small announcement on October 14th about the game[23], featuring a screenshot of the new animation for Heaven's Time. On October 14th, the small announcement was revealed to be about INA-DAI, a one-hour broadcast for the game on October 21st which would provide all information needed before its release, going over its Story, Chronicle, and Competition Modes.
On October 21st, INA-DAI was broadcast, with Hino starting off by stating that certain gameplay elements had been slowed down so new players could properly perceive and understand all actions, creating new mechanics to accommodate this change, such as Catch Bomb, allowing the player to enter Focus more quickly while defending, Sweet Spot, allowing the player to make passes by hitting the goalpost, and Surprise Attack, increasing the character's regular shoot power in 1-on-1 situations with the goalkeeper, with the latter two mechanics being able to be used simulatenously. The tutorial shown off at TGS 2025 will be included in the full game as a separate tutorial mode, giving the player the chance to have a match with Young Inazuma by the end of it.
Coach AI Mode was revamped to accommodate the slower gameplay elements, showing the numbers of AT and DF during Focus as well as allowing the player to oversee their characters and take multiple screenshots of them. Stylus controls and portrait view were ultimately scrapped from the game as both features were made with the Nintendo Switch in mind, not accounting for other platforms. Hino details Level-5 wanted all platforms to remain relatively similar in terms of controls, but in the end, mouse controls weren't scrapped, remaining an initial feature for the Nintendo Switch 2 and PC, with a planned update for the PS5.
In Story Mode, Hino wanted the player to have a sense of immersion in both the characters and the world they're in, as well as be able to grow with them, having Unmei set a Special Training quota the player will have to fill in order to progress. Hino informed the Selectable Characters will change small details of the story, being able to experience them anew thanks to RE: Story, a NG+ feature unlockable after clearing the Story Mode. Minor tweaks were also done to accommodate for easier accessibility, such as making the world map more intuitive, increasing the pace of Focus Battles, and items from Soccer Ball Chest being drawn towards the player.
In Chronicle Mode, Hino mentions that while every match from the original trilogy up to the Inazuma Eleven GO Chrono Stone series will be available at launch, the ones featured in Inazuma Eleven GO VS Danball Senki W won't as Level-5 has yet to clear issues regarding legal rights, assuring they would eventually be added onto the game in an update. Inazuma Eleven GO Galaxy DLC is scheduled to be released a month following the game's launch, while the Inazuma Eleven Ares no Tenbin and DLC is scheduled three months after.
The UI underwent some changes in order to swiften the process of increasing the Rarity not only of a single character, but of multiple of them. The Abilearn Board's customizability was also shown, with Hino assuring players they can solely level up their characters to acquire different passives, skills, or techniques, but suggested checking its different routes for a specific type of build. A new item called New Possibility was created in order to cater for a higher customizability, using it whenever a slot is already filled by something the player finds undesirable. Hino also explains that players can store their characters in Player Bank due to difficulty in recruiting every single character in the game, being able to be sent over to an eventual game in the foreseeable future.
In Competition Mode, BB Stadium was expanded to feature unique dialogue for teams that had never faced each other before, showing the captain interactions between The Genesis and Protocol Omega 2.0, while 2P Tag Mode will have a future update wherein 4 players in teams of two can play against each other.
In Kizuna Station, Hino expressed how Level-5 wanted to make it more communication-focused as opposed to the initial pitch of Kizuna Street where it would focus on building their town, saying Kizuna Station would serve as an online hub where players could also battle each other. Kizuna Town will feature renowned assets and setpieces from locations within the series, and will have the player choose the atmospheric theme for their town. Hino also details how Level-5 made the Avatar creator highly customizable, telling the player's Avatar can also be used in Chronicle Mode.
Hino recommended the player to clear Story Mode first and then play the game's Chronicle Mode as the player won't be able to use their acquired characters in the latter until they reach the ending of Story Mode, warning of how lengthy it will be. Hino also assured there won't be any microtransactions at launch, but it's something Level-5 is still considering having. Additionally, pre-order and Deluxe edition bonuses were also changed, from 5 Special Training Beans of each type to 30, accommodating for the new amount of Beans required to spend on a character, as well as the Legendary Spirits for Fei, making it so the player would choose one of the eight characters between Kazemaru, Someoka, Fubuki, Hiroto, Fudou, Kirino, Fei, or Kinako, telling pre-orders for both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 platforms would soon start.
Hino also stated how Level-5 asked Yabuno to draw and direct the manga adaptation of the game, expressing their desire to bring the darker story of the game into his trademark lighter tone, sharing the storyboard for its first chapter as well as a special commemorative illustration of Unmei. Hino also shared the music video of Michi Shirube, which had been previously postponed.
Hino details Level-5 decided to create a player-searching system called Inagle (イナグル, Inaguru; dub: Inazugle) for higher accessibilty, exclusively for Victory Road, launching on October 22nd, with certain details being hidden until they're available to the general public, showing several features such as its built-in model viewer and its team builder.
Thereafter, Hino announced a 4-hour direct called Inazuma Eleven New Era - Kick-Off Eve: 4-hour Live Broadcast SP (イナズマイレブン新時代 キックオフ前夜祭 ４時間生放送ＳＰ, Inazuma Irebun Shin Jidai - Kikkuofu Zenyasai: 4jikan Namihōsō SP; dub: Inazuma Eleven: A New Era – Kickoff Eve 4-Hour Live Broadcast Special) broadcast on November 10th, a day before the early-access release of the game, promising viewers will be able to immerse themselves as multiple people who have worked on the series will be in it. Hino then proceeded to show the final trailers of Story and Chronicle Modes, as well as another video summarizing improved and tweaked features, ending the direct with a special ending showing every game in the series with Aitsu wa Taiyou Boy! playing.
Features[]
The game's theme song is Egao ga Goal!, but during the game's demo, Sekai ni Kizame! Inazuma Mark takes its place.
The game is said to be divided into three modes: Story Mode (ストーリーモード, Sutōrī Mōdo), Chronicle Mode (クロニクルモード, Kuronikuru Mōdo), and Victory Road (ヴィクトリーロード, Vikutorī Rōdo).
Story Mode[]
The Story Mode is said to be focused on Sasanami's story, a boy who can't play soccer, but instead scouts other players and creates his own football team with him as their commander. He and his friends will build their own 'victory road' as the characters are stated to not be as strong as players but they face their problems, work and train hard to overcome them to find a way to win, eventually facing Raimon in the finals.
The story will be set 25 years after the Inazuma Eleven game, with no past characters appearing, in a new school called Nagumohara located in Nagasaki, Kyuushuu.
Hino mentions the process to creating a full team of players will be a lot longer than past Inazuma Eleven games and that the soccer battle events that take place before actual matches will be made more fun and strategic to liven up the mood before a full scale match.
Chronicle Mode[]
The Chronicle Mode is said to be where the player will collect, battle, and build teams with previous characters from the Inazuma Eleven franchise, even being able to face the worst, strongest, and most fearsome of enemy teams. It will be unlocked from the start with no additional requirements.
It will be accessible through the Inazuma V Caravan (イナズマ
Hino details how challenging the addition of 4500 (then changed to 5200) characters to the game was, explaining the data from the Nintendo DS titles couldn't be used in its state, which enabled Level-5's programmers to instruct an AI program to create high-quality polygon data from character illustrations and previous data.
All teams will have varying difficulties in both the Story Mode and Chronicle Mode, having 4 levels in total and rewards being better at higher difficulties. Several of these items were also shown, called Hero Tokens, which would serve as currency to buy items like equipment.
Victory Road[]
Victory Road is said to be the game's designated online mode, where the player will be able to play with other players online, as well as compete in a Football Frontier with other players.
In this Football Frontier, the qualifiers are open to everyone, determined by their play evalutions (プレイ
Seasonal and Eternal Players[]
In this Football Frontier, a team must contain six Seasonal Players (シーズナル
Seasonal Players are players who can only be exclusively acquired in their designated season and can be used for 3 whole seasons. It is also said it will prominently feature scout characters and occasionally main characters. A Seasonal Player is highlighted in a blue rectangular border around the player, as well as an icon above their profile.
Eternal Players are players who are acquired through other modes and can be used indefinitely. A Seasonal Player can become an Eternal Player once the 3 season quota has ended.
Gameplay[]
- Focus (フォーカス, Fōkasu): A mechanic made for players to act quickly during command battles.
- Zone (ゾーン, Zōn): A mechanic made for when the player is in front of the goal. Time slows down, letting them decide whether to shoot or pass to other players. Goalkeepers can also move and command defenders to move and create Castle Walls to block shoot courses.
- Scramble (スクランブル, Sukuranburu): A mechanic made for the player to either keep the ball or make a direct heading when emerging successful from a command battle.
- Tension (テンション, Tenshon): A mechanic made to replace the old TP system which will be used by all team members, requiring the player to accumulate Focus points.
- Keeper Power (キーパーパワー, Kīpā Pawā): A mechanic similar to Shibire Gauge. With each save performed by a goalkeeper, Keeper Power depletes and eventually allows any player to score when they lower it enough. It recharges when the opposing player's team scores a goal.
- Shoot Chain (シュートチェーン, Shūto Chēn): A mechanic where the player can use a shoot hissatsu technique to pass the ball to another player, where they can use their own shoot technique on top of another teammate's shoot hissatsu technique, boosting the power of the shoot.
- Shoot Block (シュートブロック, Shūto Burokku): A mechanic where the player is able to stop or weaken shoots using defensive hissatsu techniques.
- Long Shoot (ロングシュート, Rongu Shūto): A mechanic where the player can shoot from their own half, which can also be activated during Zones.
- Real Skill (リアルスキル, Riaru Sukiru)
- Catch Bomb (キャッチボム, Kyacchi Bomu; dub: Focus Field)
- Fierce Dash (猛ダッシュ, Mō Dasshu; dub: Power Dash)
- Counter Shoot (カウンターシュート, Kauntā Shūto)
- Sweet Spot (スウィートスポット, Sūwīto Supotto)
- Surprise Attack (不意打ち, Fuiuchi)
- Hissatsu Tactics (
必殺 タクティクス, Hissatsu Takutikusu): A mechanic where glyphs appear on areas of the field, giving special effects for strategic advantages. - Hyperdimensional Strengthening (超次元強化, Chōjigen Kyōka; dub: Hyper Power-Up): A mechanic where a player's ability can be boosted for a short time, consisting of seven different types both new and old:
- Keshin (
化身 , lit. Avatar; dub: Fighting Spirit[24]) - Keshin Armed (
化身 アームド, Keshin Āmudo, lit. Avatar Armed; dub: Armourfy) - Mixi Max (ミキシマックス, Mikishi Makkusu; dub: Miximax)
- Soul (ソウル, Souru; dub: Totem)
- Kizuna Trans (キズナトランス, Kizuna Toransu, lit. Bond Trans; dub: Bond Transform)
- Awakening Power (覚醒パワー, Kakusei Pawā; dub: Awakening)
- Mode Change (モードチェンジ, Mōdo Chenji)
- Keshin (
Cancelled features[]
It was detailed the struggle of finding a good control scheme for the Victory Road game as Level-5 were trying to achieve the touch screen controls of the previous Inazuma Eleven main line games without touching the screen. There was also the attempt at using traditional football game controls, but they were too standard and not very beginner-friendly.
After a lot of trial and error, they settled on the Free Soccer Interface (フリーサッカーインタフェース, Furī Sakkā Intafēsu), a customizable gameplay style allowing the player to switch between the traditional style of drawing arrows on their characters to move or using a controller and buttons for those inputs. Hino also discussed the possibility of launching a dedicated stylus alongside the game.
The camera positions during matches can also be changed. Using a Nintendo Switch undocked allows the player to rotate their screen vertically or horizontally to view the pitch and play the game. The player can also switch the camera of the gameplay from viewing the pitch from left to right or top to bottom, alternating between a traditional handheld Inazuma Eleven game view or a Inazuma Eleven Strikers style view. However, Hino also states Level-5 are considering adjustments to this customizable gameplay when playing against another player.
This feature was cancelled for the release of the game, stating issues with crossplay and balancing between the other platforms being the reason for it's removal. As a compromise, mouse controls for shot aiming and menu navigation were added on the Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam editions of the game, with the PlayStation 5 being stated to get it through a later update.
Passwords[]
| Rewards | Passwords |
|---|---|
 Jii-san (dub: Spirit "Grandpa Danger") |
JRCPFXTJKSZE |
| Corodra Shoot (dub: Baby Corodragon) |
HPKCYJVQWTWX |
| (dub: Forked Floodlight) | カハワヒコツイノモメオサ (kahawahikotsuinomomeosa) |
| (dub: Flash Training Facility) | モトネタヤイカントリキノ (motonetayaikantorikino) |
| (dub: Bench) | ヤホンイヨメイシントアワ (yahonniyomeishintoawa) |
| Kizuna Star x50 Inazuma Flower x5 God Hand Herb x5 |
SKBMYLCKRKJZ |
Chapters[]
- Chapter 1: You Can Play Soccer (
第 １章 君 はサッカーができる, Daīsshō: Kimi wa Sakkā ga Dekiru; dub: Chapter 1: You Still Have Football) - Chapter 2: From Rock Bottom to the Top (
第 ２章 どん底 から最高 へ, Dainishō: Donzoko Kara Saikō e; dub: Chapter 2: From Zero to Hero) - Chapter 3: The Day Soccer Changed (
第 ３章 サッカーが変 わる日 , Daisanshō: Sakkā ga Kawaru Hi; dub: Chapter 3: The Day Football Changed) - Chapter 4: The Soccer Monster Invades!! (
第 ４章 襲来 サッカーモンスター！！, Daiyonshō: Shūrai, Sakkā Monsutā!!; dub: Chapter 4: Invasion of the Football Monster!) - Chapter 5: The Crybaby Rival (
第 ５章 泣 き虫 ライバル, Daigoshō: Nakimushi Raibaru) - Chapter 6: Become One, Nagumohara (
第 ６章 南雲原 よ ひとつになれ, Dairokushō: Nagumohara yo, Hitotsu ni Nare; dub: Come Together, Football Club!) - Chapter 7: The Keshin Within the Storm (
第 ７章 化身 は嵐 の中 に, Dainanashō: Keshin wa Arashi no Naka ni; dub: Chapter 6: Keshin in the Storm) - Chapter 8: Alice's World (
第 ８章 アリスの世界 , Daihasshō: Arisu no Sekai; dub: Chapter 8: Alice's Wonderland) - Chapter 9: The Sun Peeking Out from the Clouds (
第 ９章 雲 から太陽 はのぞく, Daikyūshō: Kumo Kara Taiyō wa Nozoku; dub: Chapter 9: Sunshine Through the Clouds)
Theme songs[]
The game has a total of 9 theme songs, with several tied to specific modes of the game.
- Egao ga Goal! (笑顔がゴール！, Egao ga Gōru!; dub: A Smile is Our Goal!) - opening theme.
- The Victoriiyo! (ザ・ヴィクトリーヨ！, Za Vikutorīyo!; dub: The Victoreeyo!) - second opening theme.
- Sakuretsu Orera no Aoi Haru (
炸裂 俺 らの青 い春 ; dub: Blazing Blue Youth) - Story Mode theme. - Dai-Dan-En (
大 ・団 ・円 ; dub: Grand Finale) - Chronicle Mode theme. - Bibiru na! (ビビルなっ！; dub: No Fear, Got It?!) - Competition Mode theme.
- Michi Shirube (道標; dub: Guidepost) - Story Mode ending theme.
- Sekai ni Kizame! Inazuma Mark (世界に刻め！イナズママーク, Sekai ni Kizame! Inazuma Māku; dub: Leave Your Inazuma Mark on the World!) - beta ending theme.
- Gangan Gagan! (ガンガンガガン！; dub: Bang Bang Ba-Bang!)
- Yuusha no Tamashii (勇者の魂, Yūsha no Tamashī; dub: Souls of the Brave)
Trailers[]
| Gallery |
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 『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』試合システム  【PV】『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』ティザーPV（LEVEL5 VISION 2023 Ver.）  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』進化した試合システム  【PV】『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』PV3  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』TGS 2023 体験版操作ガイド  【PV】『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』PV4  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』作戦会議「VS東風異国館」  『イナズマV』「ベータテスト体験版」参戦選手発表PV  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』PV5  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』ベータテスト体験版「ストーリーモード」配信告知PV①  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』ベータテスト体験版「ストーリーモード」配信告知PV②  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』ベータテスト体験版「ストーリーモード」配信告知PV③  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』ベータテスト体験版 パッチ＆ストーリーPV  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』PV6 - PS5-PS4-Steam  【PV】『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』PV7  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』TGS 2024 体験版操作ガイド  【PV】『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』ストアPV  【PV】『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』最終スペック公開映像  【PV】『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』出演者インタビュー（メイキング編PV）  【PV】『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』セレクトキャラ紹介  【PV】『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』エンディングテーマPV「道標」  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』発売日に関する重要なお知らせ  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』PV8  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』ファイナルトレーラー 1  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』ファイナルトレーラー 2  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』ファイナルトレーラー 3  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』冒頭30分プレイ動画  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』クロニクルモード「黒の騎士団」戦 プレイ動画  『イナズマイレブン 英雄たちのヴィクトリーロード』無料大型アップデート「ギャラクシー・イナダンDLC」PV
INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – Teaser Trailer (LEVEL5 VISION 2023 Ver.)  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – Newly Evolved Game Systems  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road –PV3  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – TGS Trial Version Guide  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – PV4  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – Strategy Meeting “VS Eastwind Peregrine”  『INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – PV5  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – Beta Test Demo "Story Mode" Update Trailer ①  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – Beta Test Demo "Story Mode" Update Trailer ②  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – Beta Test Demo "Story Mode" Update Trailer ③  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – Beta Test Demo Patch & Story Trailer  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – PV6 - PS5-PS4-Steam  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – PV7  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – Promotional Video  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – The Final Specs Reveal  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – Selectable Character Showcase  Inazuma Eleven- Victory Road – Final Trailer 1  Inazuma Eleven- Victory Road – Final Trailer 2  Inazuma Eleven- Victory Road – Final Trailer 3  Inazuma Eleven- Victory Road – First 30 Minutes of Gameplay  INAZUMA ELEVEN- Victory Road – Chronicle Mode VS Black Templars  Inazuma Eleven- Victory Road – Free Major Update "Galaxy & LBX DLC" Trailer |
Trivia[]
_Victory_Road.png){kind=link}
Key visual referenced in Downer Onee-san wa Asobitai.
- The game has a motif of clouds, being present in its logo, in the new school name and in the main character's name. Hino has stated that this is to signify the sky and clouds before lightning (Inazuma), which metaphorizes the troubled characters as 'smouldering clouds' who may turn into tempestuous lightning in the future.
- The protagonist team and the three teams they face in the Kyuushuu preliminaries are named after cardinal directions. Nagumohara represents south, Hokuyou represents north, Nishinomiya represents west, and Toufuu Ikokukan represents east.
- Its initial key visual is referenced as the cover for Chapter 9 of Downer Onee-san wa Asobitai, which covered various parts of the Inazuma Eleven series[25].
- The game was featured in a promotional music video for the PlayStation 5's top 15 most anticipated games[26].
- The game's English localization renames several hissatsu techniques, including Dragon Blaster, Heat Tackle, Lightning Accel, Illusion Ball, Spiral Draw, Ignite Steal, Kattobi Defense, Corodra Shoot, Judge Through, Judge Through 2, Judge Through 3, Naraku Otoshi, Fortissimo, Go To Heaven, and Go To Hell.
- To celebrate the release of the game, a special limited-time emoji was added to Twitter, featuring Unmei on specific hashtags[27].
- Promotional codes originally intended for the cancelled Inazuma Eleven Ares no Tenbin game were made usable in Inazuma Eleven Eiyuutachi no Victory Road.
_Initial_key_visual.jpg){kind=link}
References[]
- ↑ Tweet of Great Road's rebranding.
- ↑ Great Road development report.
- ↑ Video of Great Road's development report.
- ↑ Victory Road teaser.
- ↑ Tweet of Victory Road's rebranding.
- ↑ Hino Akihiro anticipating Victory Road news.
- ↑ Tweet of Victory Road news.
- ↑ Hino Akihiro pleased by Japan advancing to the knockout stage.
- ↑ Hino assuring crucial news.
- ↑ Crucial 2022 news.
- ↑ Match System video.
- ↑ Sasanami gazing at the new character.
- ↑ Hino assuring the February news.
- ↑ Hino postponing the online event.
- ↑ LEVEL5 VISION 2023 鼓.
- ↑ Hino's blog post on Inazuma Eleven's 15th anniversary.
- ↑ PV 2's blog post.
- ↑ PV 3's blog post.
- ↑ Demo guide blog post.
- ↑ Twitter post of the beta termination notice.
- ↑ Twitter post revealing the slated time for the Inazuma Eleven V HEROES SHOWCASE 2025.
- ↑ Twitter post announcing the Kick-Off Radio broadcast.
- ↑ Twitter post of Hino's small announcement.
- ↑ Additionally referred to as "Keshin" on the official site.
- ↑ Downer Onee-san wa Asobitai - Chapter 9.
- ↑ Promotional music video for the PlayStation 5's top 15 most anticipated games.
- ↑ Announcement of the Unmei emoji attached to hashtags.
- ↑ Announcement of the God Hand like animation.
_Haru_and_Unmei.jpg){kind=link}
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