The world has become chaotic and disoriented since the tragic murder of Fame Douglas, the sponsor of the legendary Dead or Alive I World Combat Championship. Now it's up to you to ensure that the world returns back to a state of peace. With 12 characters to choose from, your mission is to win the championship and save the world from the Tengu Disaster that will take place at the end of the century. Your ability to battle using various fighting techniques will determine your character's fate.

The arcade conversion adds an improved tag feature, with new stadiums to fight in, new character moves to play with, and plenty of windows, walls and ledges to fall over and crash through. Unlike Tekken Tag Tournament, however, DOA2 also includes a single player mode, a dodge button (allowing you to move left and right away from attacks), and multi-level arenas.