Rival Schools 2. High school teams, team assists, and story modes for every school. Dreamcast's most complete fighter.
Project Justice — Moero! Justice Gakuen in Japan — was developed by Capcom and released for Dreamcast in 2000 — the sequel to Rival Schools: United by Fate. The game featured teams of three fighters from competing high schools, with team-assist mechanics that could call in partners mid-combo or set up powerful tag moves. Each school had its own story mode with distinct narrative stakes, increasing the total story content significantly beyond the original. The character roster expanded to twenty-one characters. Project Justice sold modestly but is cited as one of Dreamcast's strongest fighting games, with its character variety and school-based narrative design distinguishing it from Capcom's fighting contemporaries.
About this game
Released in December 2000, Project Justice is the sequel to Rival Schools: United by Fate and the last major Capcom fighting game exclusive to the Dreamcast. Teams of high school students representing different schools — athletes, delinquents, student council members, teachers — battle in 3D arenas using school-themed combat. The game expanded the original's team mechanics, added new characters, and introduced a double team system letting two characters combine attacks. It was one of the final substantial Dreamcast releases before Sega's withdrawal from the hardware market.
Key Features
Three-on-three team fighting with school-themed characters from competing academic institutions, a double team system triggering powerful cooperative attacks between team members, a Burning Vigor system for desperation moves when health is low, an expanded roster beyond the original Rival Schools, and 3D environments reflecting the distinct personalities of each school represented.
The Story Behind
Project Justice appeared in December 2000, just months before Sega announced the discontinuation of the Dreamcast in January 2001. Its release represents a moment when Capcom, one of the Dreamcast's most loyal third-party supporters, was still producing ambitious original titles for the platform even as the market was contracting. The game ran on the Naomi arcade board, which shared architecture with the Dreamcast, allowing near-arcade-perfect conversion. The school-fighting theme — unique in the genre — gave the game a distinctly Japanese cultural flavour that resonated with domestic audiences.
Tricks & Tales
Project Justice used the Naomi board's shared architecture with the Dreamcast to achieve a very faithful home conversion — one of the closest arcade-to-home ports in Dreamcast history. The game includes a 'Chronicle' mode where individual characters' backstories and motivations are explored outside the main team battle format. Several characters from the original Rival Schools appear in new costumes and with expanded move sets. The game was the last entry in the Rival Schools/Project Justice series; despite being well-reviewed, Sega's withdrawal from hardware and the shifting market meant the series was never continued.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The Dreamcast enforces a regional lockout by software, with discs manufactured for Japan (NTSC-J), North America (NTSC-U), and Europe (PAL) each restricted to their respective consoles. Most Japanese Dreamcast games output at 60 Hz over composite or S-Video, which works on NTSC televisions worldwide; VGA output bypasses the TV standard entirely and is supported by the majority of titles, making a VGA box or HDMI adapter a practical solution for overseas buyers. PAL-specific titles are the exception: a minority of PAL games do not support VGA or force 50 Hz, so checking compatibility lists before purchasing PAL software for use on a Japanese console is advisable.
Maintenance Tips
The GD-ROM drive is the Dreamcast's most common point of failure — the laser lens wears out faster than those in most contemporaneous CD players. If games freeze, fail to load, or the drive makes repeated seeking sounds, the lens is the first thing to check. Clean it gently with a cotton swab lightly dampened with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol; do not press hard or use high-speed cleaning discs, which can scratch the lens. Compressed air is useful for blowing dust out of the drive bay and the fan area. The console's internal clock is maintained by a rechargeable ML2032 coin cell — the correct replacement type is ML2032 (not CR2032, which is non-rechargeable and can be damaged by the console's charging circuit).
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Project Justice copies regularly.
Will this Japanese Dreamcast game work on a North American or European Dreamcast?
No, not on unmodified hardware. The Dreamcast enforces regional lockout via the console BIOS — Japanese GD-ROMs will not run on Western consoles. Options include a boot disc (such as Utopia Boot Disc or DC-X) that bypasses region protection without hardware modification, a BIOS replacement, or a Japanese Dreamcast. The Dreamcast's regional protection is widely considered one of the easiest to bypass among disc-based consoles of its era.
Do I need a VMU (Visual Memory Unit) to save game progress?
Yes. The Dreamcast has no internal save storage. A VMU must be inserted into the controller's memory card slot to save game data. Each VMU holds 200 blocks; most games use 1–20 blocks per save file. The VMU also has a small LCD screen and can run mini-games independently of the console. Third-party memory cards are available, but the official Sega VMU is recommended for reliability.
How should I handle and care for a Dreamcast GD-ROM disc?
The Dreamcast uses GD-ROM, a proprietary high-density disc format. Handle by the edges and center hub, avoiding the data surface. Clean by wiping from the center outward in straight radial strokes with a soft lint-free cloth — never in a circular motion. If the console struggles to load an otherwise intact disc, the Dreamcast laser may need cleaning or adjustment, which is a common maintenance issue in aging Dreamcast hardware.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Project Justice
A short checklist for buying a used Dreamcast disc wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Check the disc for scratches
Deep scratches on the playing surface cause freezes and read errors. Light surface marks are usually fine.
Ask for a clear photo of the disc's underside. A seller who tested it will confirm it loads and plays through.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese Dreamcast GD-ROM. The Dreamcast is region-locked, so a Japanese disc generally needs a Japanese console.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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Saves use a VMU — no disc battery
Dreamcast games save to a VMU memory card; the disc itself has no battery.
Make sure you have a VMU with a working battery and free blocks.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
See what it's selling for on eBay →Unexpected Discoveries
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