Dead or Alive 6, the supermodel simulator

The Dead or Alive series of fighting games is what you'd get if your favorite soap opera were all about martial arts. Sexy is the name of the game, and all of its characters look like they also model for international fashion brands.

Dead or Alive 6 is no different, bringing a growing roster of beautiful people together as they beat each other senseless. It's nothing new for fighting games to release new outfits and skins for its roster regularly. Street Fighter V and Mortal Kombat 11 are two excellent examples, but in the case of Dead or Alive 6, costumes are more than just a fashion statement. Why else would fans shell out one and a half times the cost of the base game for a single Season Pass?

As much as the Dead or Alive franchise is known for its good graphics, gorgeous characters, cool counter mechanic, and adjustable bust size, what really brings in the cash is its seemingly endless supply of character costumes. In this game, the priority is looking good.

The game's predecessor, Dead or Alive 5, was released in 2012 with 114 costumes available either by default or unlockable through gameplay. Three other versions of the game were released across multiple platforms, Dead or Alive 5+, Dead or Alive Ultimate, and the mobile spinoff developed for the Chinese market, Dead or Alive 5 Infinite. The final iteration of the game, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round, launched in 2015 with 423 costumes for its roster of 32 fighters. By December 2017, when Team Ninja announced the end of their support for the game, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round had accumulated a total of 1,260 costumes from six seasons of DLC content.

The sixth installment of the franchise arrived on March 1, 2019, with 365 costumes already announced for it. Some of them are brand new designs, others from collaborations and a couple of returning costumes, like the Alluring Mandarin Dresses Set. Here's a closer look at Dead or Alive 6's DLC.

Season Pass 1

Launched on March 1, 2019, Season Pass 1 officially includes 62 costumes and 2 new characters, Mai Shiranui from Fatal Fury 2 and Kula Diamond from The King of Fighters 2000. The DLC content was released through March to June and also featured some wedding and pirate-themed outfits, along with two bonus costumes in addition to the original 62.

Regular Content

• Happy Wedding Costumes Vol.1 - 13 costumes (male & female)
• Happy Wedding Costumes Vol.2 - 13 costumes (male & female)
• Pirates of the 7 Seas Costumes Vol.1 - 13 costumes (male & female)
• Pirates of the 7 Seas Costumes Vol.2 - 13 costumes (male & female)
• Mai Shiranui DLC character
• Mai Shiranui debut outfits - 5 costumes
• Kula Diamond DLC character
• Kula Diamond debut outfits - 5 costumes

Bonus Content

• NiCO Technomancer Gear - 1 costume
• Nyotengu Wrestling Costume - 1 costume

Season Pass 2

Season Pass 2 was released on July 23, 2019, and ran till September the same year. This collection included 72 costumes, 12 BGM tracks, and a single character, Momiji. The Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword character made her Dead or Alive debut back in 2013's Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate. The second Season Pass also includes two bonus costumes for Marie Rose and Honoka in addition to the 72 mentioned above.

Regular Content

• Seaside Eden Costumes - 26 Costumes (male & female)
• Vacation to Paradise BGM Set - 12 Tracks
• Summer Breeze Collection - 15 Costumes (all female)
• Momiji DLC character
• Momiji debut outfits - 5 Costumes
• Morphing Ninja Costume - 26 costumes (male & female)

Bonus Content

• Marie Rose Little Devil Maid Costume - 1 costume
• Honoka Makeover School Uniform Costume - 1 costume

Season Pass 3

The third Season Pass was released from October 29, 2019, through November 2019. Apart from two additional costumes for Ayane and Kasumi, Season Pass 3 also included another Ninja Gaiden character, Rachel. She also made her Dead or Alive debut with Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate.

Featuring 55 costumes in total, the Season Pass gives two themes a sexy facelift, Halloween with the Witch Party Costumes, and Christmas with the Santa Bikini set. The latter comes as no surprise as the franchise spawned a volleyball spinoff, which started with Extreme Beach Volleyball back in 2003. That series has the characters all dressed in skimpy beachwear as they use their immense fighting prowess to play volleyball.

Regular Content

• Witch Party Costumes - 16 Costumes (all female)
• Energy Up! Training Wear - 16 Costumes (all female)
• Santa Bikini - 16 Costumes (all female)
• Rachel DLC character
• Rachel Debut Costume Set - 5 Costumes

Bonus Content

• Ayane exclusive costume - 1 costume 
• Kasumi exclusive costume - 1 costume

Season Pass 4

Season Pass 4 was released on January 21, with the final piece of the collection due by the end of March 2020. This most recent season features 50 costumes, the new upcoming character Tamaki from the spinoff Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation, and two bonus costumes for Kasumi and Marie Rose. The Design Contest 2019 Costumes are still pending, but fans also get their hands on some questionable 2020 glasses.

Regular Content

• Nova Sci-Fi Body Suit - 20 Costumes (male & female)
• Atelier Ryza Mashup Costumes - 3 Costumes (Honoka, Marie Rose, NiCO)
• Gust Mashup Costumes - 16 Costumes (all female)
• Design Contest 2019 Costumes - 6 Costumes 
• Tamaki DLC character 
• Tamaki Debut Costume Set - 5 Costumes 

Bonus Content

• Kasumi Gorgeous Dress Costume - 1 costume
• Marie Rose Gorgeous Dress Costume - 1 costume
• 2020 Glasses (in red & gold colors)

Revival Costumes

Making the jump from one Dead or Alive game to the next means, leaving all your glorious costumes behind, which can be a bummer. Fortunately, fans have the opportunity to purchase some of the more popular costume sets from previous games. There are presently only five "Revival" costume sets available in Dead or Alive 6. 

• Sexy Bunny Costume Set - 16 costumes (all female)
• Hot Summer Costume Set - 16 costumes (all female)
• Santa’s Helper Costume Set - 28 costumes (male & female)
• Maid Costume - 17 costumes (all female)
• Alluring Mandarin Dresses - 17 costumes (all female)

Digital Deluxe Edition

Fans that buy the Dead or Alive 6 Deluxe Edition get their hands on a variety of extra content, including the Deluxe Costume Set. Here's the full list of all the goodies in this version of the game. 

Digital Deluxe Edition

• Dead or Alive 6 base game
• Phase 4 DLC character
• Deluxe Costume Set - 25 costumes (male & female)
• Deluxe BGM - 3 tracks

Bonus Content

• Digital Deluxe Kasumi Costume - 1 costume 

Dead or Alive 6 is one part fighting game and another, supermodel simulator. The fact that Koei Tecmo drops a new collection every quarter with no signs of stopping proves that they've been onto something great since the previous game. However, looking at how the game receives one new character in comparison to around 50 costumes every Season Pass, it's a testament to where fan priority lies.

Nowadays, the game seems to lean more towards the dress-up side of things, with the actual fighting playing second fiddle. In an age when the more popular fighting games have a steady release of new characters, frequent patches to freshen up the gameplay, and exciting esports offerings, Koei Tecmo has truly set themselves apart with Dead or Alive 6.

The developer hasn't revealed how many costumes they plan to release for the game, but it wouldn't be much of a surprise if they aimed for something higher than Dead or Alive 5's 1,260 costumes. Considering some of the current game's DLC go for $90 a season and we only have a total of 365 costumes confirmed so far, Dead or Alive 6 is fast becoming as huge an investment as the previous game was. At least, for the biggest fans.

In the fight to be stylish and cool, the characters of Dead or Alive 6 will continue to counter its players to get at their purse strings.