The world of Denshattack! is a climate-ravaged Japan split between dome-dwelling elites and underground rebels. Emi Araki goes from ramen delivery girl to legendary Denshattacker. This is the story — spoiler-light overview only.
A massive climate catastrophe has reshaped Japan. The air outside the major cities has become toxic enough that the wealthy elite have sealed themselves inside air-purifying domes — massive structures that keep the population of Japan's major cities breathing clean air.
Outside the domes, the rest of humanity survives in the wastelands. No dome. No VACTRAIN. Just the ruins of the old Japan — including the legacy railroad network, now abandoned and decaying.
The Miraidō Corporation controls much of daily life in the domed Japan. They built and operate the VACTRAIN — a hypersonic vacuum-tube transport network that connects the domed cities, bypassing the surface entirely. While dome citizens travel at hypersonic speeds above, those outside are left with nothing.
Miraidō represents the corporate villain at the heart of Denshattack!'s story — a megacorp that has effectively purchased Japan's future while locking out the majority of its population. Dismantling them is the game's central goal.
In the wastelands, a rebellious movement known as Denshattack has emerged. Underground gangs have reclaimed the abandoned legacy railroad tracks, rebuilt broken sections, and transformed them into arenas for extreme train-based competition.
Performing tricks on trains isn't just sport — it's political. Every ollie, grind, and drift is an act of defiance against the sterile, corporate-controlled VACTRAIN above. Style and skill are the currency of reputation. Territory is won through trick duels, not weapons.
Emi Araki works as a ramen delivery girl — a skilled train operator, but operating within the system rather than against it. She's competent, fast, and good at what she does, but entirely outside the Denshattack world.
Emi discovers the underground world of Denshattack and gets recruited — leaving her delivery job behind to compete. From the first moments, the narrative is less about hard-hitting emotional drama and more about escalating, bizarre set pieces that use the story as a vehicle for increasingly outlandish gameplay scenarios.
Starting in Kyushu, Emi travels north toward Hokkaido — meeting underground gang members, challenging local leaders, and earning their respect by out-tricking them on the rails. Rivals become allies as she proves her skill.
As Emi's reputation grows, the story escalates toward a confrontation with the Miraidō Corporation — whose government Task Force (led by Brian Ishida, voiced by CDawgVA) is actively trying to stop the rising Denshattack movement. The corporation sees the underground as a threat to their control.
The game's stated arc: journey from naive beginner to seasoned pro, ultimately striving to "race the fastest train in existence" and become a legendary Denshattacker. What that means in full — and where "and beyond" takes Emi — is for players to discover.
Regional gang leaders control each area of Japan. Each has their own visual identity, personality, and signature technique. Defeating them earns their respect — and turns them into allies for the larger fight against Miraidō. Each gang leader is also a boss fight with a unique set-piece encounter.
The megacorp behind Japan's domed future. Operates the VACTRAIN hypersonic network and controls the air-purified elite cities. Has assembled a government Task Force — headed by Brian Ishida — to suppress the growing Denshattack movement before it threatens their control.
A government-backed operation put together specifically to stop Denshattack! activity. Brian Ishida (voiced by CDawgVA) heads this group. They represent the "official" side of Japan's power structure — working in service of Miraidō's interests even if not explicitly part of the corporation.
A "vibrant pack of outcasts" assembled as Emi travels. Confirmed crew members include Fernando Tamashiro — and others not yet revealed. The crew grows as rivals become allies across each region. Full roster details post-launch.
The narrative is consciously less concerned with "hard-hitting emotional plotlines" and more interested in escalating bizarre story beats that double as genuinely fun gameplay scenarios. Multiple previews compared it to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's confident absurdism and Shōnen anime's friendship-and-growth structure.
In five minutes of the demo: balanced atop a giant rampaging Ferris wheel, then chasing a rival inside an active volcano. The story exists to give you permission to experience increasingly unhinged scenarios — and it delivers them with full commitment and stellar voice acting in both English and Japanese.