Technōs Japan released 熱血高校ドッジボール部 (Nekketsu Kōkō Dojjibōru Bu) in Japanese arcades in November 1987; in North America Leland Corporation published it as Super Dodge Ball. It is a spin-off of Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, the Japanese version of Renegade, and the second game starring Kunio-kun. Hiroshi Sato designed it, and Kazuo Sawa wrote the music.
Home versions followed on the X68000 in September 1988 and on the PC Engine on 30 March 1990. The NES version of 1989 is not an exact port: it adds special moves, individual stats, two extra teams (India and the USSR) and a Bean Ball mode. Its Japan stage plays "Sakura Sakura", the England stage mixes two Beatles songs, and the trophy presenter is a parody of Superman.
Hamster re-released the arcade game in its Arcade Archives line on PlayStation 4 in 2015 and on Nintendo Switch on 27 August 2020.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Super Dodge Ballreworked home version; the Japanese Famicom original came first, but its date was not confirmed in the sources used | NES | 1989 | — | 1 |
| NA | Arcade Archives Super Dodge BallArcade Archives | PlayStation 4 | Nov 10, 2015 | Hamster | 2 |
| JP | 熱血高校ドッジボール部Nekketsu Kōkō Dojjibōru Bu | Arcade | November 1987 | Technōs Japan | 1 |
| JP | 熱血高校ドッジボール部near-exact arcade port | X68000 | September 1988 | — | 1 |
| JP | 熱血高校ドッジボール部developed by KID | TurboGrafx-16 | Mar 30, 1990 | Naxat Soft | 1 |
| JP | オレたちゲーセン族 熱血高校ドッジボール部arcade re-release | PlayStation 2 | Jan 26, 2006 | — | 1 |
| JP | —Arcade Archives | PlayStation 4 | Jul 31, 2015 | Hamster | 3 |
| WW | Arcade Archives Super Dodge BallArcade Archives | Switch | Aug 27, 2020 | Hamster | 2 |
Also known as: 熱血高校ドッジボール部 JP1Nekketsu Kōkō Dojjibōru Bu JP1オレたちゲーセン族 熱血高校ドッジボール部 JP3Arcade Archives Super Dodge Ball WW2
Box art by region
NA Super Dodge Ball
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
-
GameplayFamicom/NES
The Famicom version is a rearrangement rather than a straight port: every player has individual stats and special "magic" shots, and there is a two-player versus mode plus a four-player practice mode with a multitap. Each side has at most three players inside the court.3
-
ContentNES (NA)
The NES version adds two teams, India and the USSR, a "Bean Ball" mode and stage music specific to each country.1
-
ContentNES (NA)Famicom (JP)
In the NES version the final opponent is the USSR rather than Japan, which moves to the semifinal, and the African team is named Kenya.3
Where to play legally today
-
Nintendo Switch Online Subscription
-
Arcade Archives Purchase
Reception
Game Machine ranked the arcade game Japan's second most successful table arcade unit in its 1 January 1988 issue, and the game had sold more than 500,000 copies by October 1989.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.