A calligraphy fighting game where the shape and technique of one hand-drawn Japanese character determine its health, attack, defense and speed. Sweeps attack, flicks extend combos, stops guard, and individual strokes physically break away during each bout.
Kakizome Fighter turns Japanese brush writing into a tiny physics brawler. You draw one kanji on a sheet of virtual paper, the game grades the result and converts every stroke into a jointed fighter. Then that handwritten character steps into a ring against another kanji. Damage is visible rather than abstract: strokes loosen, fall away and remain on the floor as usable pieces.
The title refers to kakizome, the Japanese custom of making the year's first calligraphy. The joke is that careful New Year brushwork becomes combat anatomy. A long sweep gives the fighter more attack, a hooked flick supports combinations, a firm stop improves defense, and the amount of ink becomes health. Stroke count, balance and writing quality also shape the appraisal shown before a match.
Kei Games publishes the original at dezapatto.com and identifies the project in sharing text as @keigameslog. The source already contains complete Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese text. This hosted copy therefore defaults to that author-written English locale instead of layering on a replacement translation, and keeps the globe menu so every original language remains available.
How to play Kakizome Fighter
- Choose a solo bout or a local two-player match. On the writing screen, use a mouse, finger or stylus to draw one Japanese character. Brush size controls change the weight of the line; Undo removes the latest stroke and Clear starts the sheet again. A faint model can provide a character to trace when you want guidance.
- Press Done when the character is complete. Recognition offers several possible kanji, each with an English meaning. Pick the intended one or choose the question-mark option if none fits. The appraisal reports HP, attack, defense, speed, stroke count and the balance of stops, flicks and sweeps before revealing the opponent.
- In a fight, move left and right, attack and guard. On desktop the arrow keys move, Z attacks and X guards. The same actions are large holdable buttons on the canvas for touch play. Attacks have recovery, and guarding at the right time matters more than repeatedly pressing everything.
- Knock off every rival stroke to win. Detached strokes remain physical objects in the arena. Touching one can add it to your fighter and transform the kanji into a new character, changing both its silhouette and the match. Solo play continues through a run of increasingly elaborate opponents and records a win streak for the current session.
Controls: Choose solo or two-player, draw a single kanji stroke by stroke, then confirm the closest character. In battle use left and right to move, Z to attack and X to guard, or hold the matching on-screen controls. Knock every stroke off the rival; pick up fallen strokes to transform your character.
Click Fullscreen above the game for the largest play area. If the game does not load, use Open in new tab to play it directly from our copy.
Why it's worth your time
The drawing is not cosmetic. The game analyses each stroke's direction, ending and ink coverage, then builds a body from that exact geometry. Two people can choose the same kanji and still produce fighters with visibly different proportions and statistics.
Combat makes written structure legible. A character with only a few broad strokes is easy to read but has fewer pieces to lose; a dense character has more material and can become a chaotic collection of limbs. The boss roster escalates toward notoriously complex kanji, including characters composed of multiple horses, deer or dragons.
Everything visual and audible is generated in the browser. Matter.js drives the detached strokes and collisions, while the paper, ink, interface, animation and synthesized sound effects are created by code. The hosted copy includes those scripts and the required fonts locally, so normal play does not depend on an API, account, leaderboard or remote game server.
The language system is unusually thorough for a small joke game. Canvas labels, live battle commentary, character meanings, result screens, sharing prompts and accessibility-facing page text all pass through the same locale table. Because the original author already did that work, preserving it is both more accurate and more respectful than maintaining a separate translation fork.
The attribution drawer inside the mirror names Kei Games, links the original game and offers a takedown contact. The copy is non-commercial and does not assert an open-source or redistribution licence.
How it was made and where it lives
Hosted on the author's own page. The author publishes as Kei Games (@keigameslog). Original: https://dezapatto.com/baka/kakizome/. The Play button runs a non-commercial hosted copy using the complete English locale supplied by the original author. The language selector, generated art, combat system and original credits are preserved, with the source page and takedown contact linked inside the game.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to know Japanese?
- No. The author's English mode explains every screen and displays an English meaning beside recognised kanji. Tracing a model character is also available if you do not know what to draw.
- Does my handwriting change the fighter?
- Yes. Stroke geometry, endings, ink amount and writing quality feed into the body and statistics. The selected kanji also determines how detached or collected strokes can transform the fighter.
- Can two people play?
- Yes, as a local two-player mode on the same screen. Each player draws a character and uses their own side of the on-screen controls during the match.
- Does it work on a phone?
- Yes. Drawing and battle controls use pointer input and the canvas scales to portrait screens. A stylus is optional; one finger works.
- Is this a machine translation?
- No. The game source includes its own complete English locale. This mirror selects that locale by default and keeps the original language menu.
- Does it need the internet after loading?
- No for ordinary play. The mirror contains the game scripts and fonts locally. Posting a result to X naturally opens the external X site.
- Is Kakizome Fighter free to play?
- Free to play with no account or download. This hosted copy is non-commercial and defaults to the author's own English translation.
- Can I embed this game on my own website?
- Yes — copy the snippet below. The embedded player links back here, which is how we ask to be credited.
Embed Kakizome Fighter on your site
Paste this where you want the game to appear:
