On August 8, Arc System Works announced at the beginning of the Guilty Gear Strive Top 8 finals at Evo 2022 that Bridget is the next character joining the game as DLC. Just like Testament, Bridget was not playable in Xrd. And seeing the insane amount of newer players outside Japan that Strive brought to the table, this is the first time newer fans discover him. Bridget will be released on August 8, 2022. He’s the first of the four new characters planned in the GGST Season Pass 2.
As re-explained in his new official profile for Guilty Gear Strive, Bridget has a twin brother, and they were born in a village that believed in a certain superstition: twin brothers will bring forth a catastrophe. To avoid getting him killed or exiled, Bridget’s parents made him pass as a girl, and he’s always been wearing girls’ clothes.
In Japanese culture, Bridget is a typical otokonoko (男の娘) character. A recent example is Okino Tsukasa in 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, a game that was highly praised by many including Yoko Taro and Masahiro Sakurai. You should definitely play it.
Bridget’s design in GGST is quite similar to his past appearances, keeping his iconic blue and white nun outfit, the mini-skirt, spats shorts, the teddy bear, and the giant handcuffs. He looks cuter and smugger than ever thanks to the Strive artstyle and will make you feel all warm and fuzzy, inside.
Bridget Is Voiced by Manaka Iwami In GGST
In Japanese, Bridget is voiced by Manaka Iwami, a relatively new seiyuu who’s been pretty popular lately thanks to voicing a few characters in viral gacha games. She’s most notably Amber in Genshin Impact and Rice Shower in Uma Musume. Manaka Iwami also voiced Tohru Honda in the Fruits Basket 2019 anime remake and Nadia Rayne in the Kiseki/Trails series, who’s making a playable comeback in Kuro no Kiseki 2.
Simultaneously, Arc System Works also announced Guilty Gear Strive has now sold over 1 million copies worldwide, which is incredible for a 2D fighting game in our era.
As a side note, Bridget is one of the sole characters you’ll ever see that fights with Yo-Yo and yet isn’t a direct reference to Saki Asamiya from Sukeban Deka. The heroine of Shinji Wada’s classic manga, launched in January 1976, popularized the weaponization of Yo-Yo in (Japanese) media. TV anime series Combattler V also greatly contributed to the cause a few months later when its run started in April 1976.
You can find the English dubbed version of the Bridget trailer below. Last but not least, a 1st year anniversary music video for GGST was also published by Arc System Works. Watch it below.
