With EVO 2026 closing out its final day in Las Vegas, the timing could not be better for the FGC to get its own anime. Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games (Japanese title: Taiari: Ojōsama wa Kakūtō Game Nante Shinai) premieres on Crunchyroll on 7 July 2026 — and it comes with an official Street Fighter 6 collaboration baked right into the adaptation.
Secret Arcade Sticks in an Elite Academy
The premise: Aya Mitsuki earns a scholarship to Kuromi Girls’ Academy, a prestigious institution where gaming is quietly understood to be beneath the student body. She soon discovers that Mio Yorue — the school’s universally admired “White Lily,” a student who seems almost too composed to be real — has been secretly destroying opponents in a competitive fighting game in an empty classroom after hours.
Neither girl can quite let go of what she saw. What unfolds is a rivalry, an unlikely friendship, and an underground tournament scene that the academy’s image managers would strongly prefer to remain invisible. The original manga by Eri Ejima has been running in KADOKAWA’s Monthly Comic Flapper since January 2020 and now spans 11 volumes — Seven Seas Entertainment holds the English-language rights for anyone who wants to read ahead before the simulcast.
Street Fighter 6 Is Literally in the Show
Here is the detail that sets this adaptation apart. In the source manga, the girls compete in a fictional game called Iron Senpai 4. For the anime, Diomedéa struck an official licensing deal with Capcom and replaced that entirely with real Street Fighter 6 gameplay footage — actual character-select screens, actual match UI, actual move animations. Each of the four main characters has a specific SF6 main: Aya plays Luke, Mio plays Ryu, Yū plays Ken, and Tamaki plays Juri. It is a level of integration that goes well beyond a casual cameo or a logo on a cabinet.
HORI and Mad Catz are both listed as cooperation partners on the production, which suggests exactly the kind of peripheral close-ups that FGC fans will recognise from their own setups.
Cast and Crew
The adaptation is produced by Diomedéa (Himouto! Umaru-chan) and directed by Shōta Ihata, with series composition by Wataru Watari — the same writer behind My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU. Main cast:
- Aya Mitsuki — Ikumi Hasegawa
- Mio Yorue — Kana Ichinose
- Yū Inui — Sayaka Senbongi
- Tamaki Ichinose — Shino Shimoji
Crunchyroll screened a sneak-peek episode as part of its Anime Nights theatrical programme in June, ahead of the simulcast launch. Early viewer response has been largely positive, with advance coverage noting that the premiere episode delivers on its premise without overselling the drama.
On Crunchyroll from 7 July
Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games begins simulcasting on Crunchyroll on 7 July 2026, day-and-date with the Japanese broadcast on AT-X, Tokyo MX, MBS, BS NTV, and NBC. Singapore Crunchyroll subscribers can watch on day one. It joins a strong summer 2026 anime lineup — and as the only show this season where actual competitive fighting game matches are woven into the main drama, it is a natural follow-on watch for anyone who has spent the past few days glued to EVO 2026.