[4][2] The U.S. and European releases of Toshinden 3 feature several game play differences from the original Japanese release including: With the Secret Society, the sponsors of the two previous Battle Arena Toshinden tournaments, finally defeated, it would seem that the world would now be free from the grip of the conspiratorial heart of the multinational megaconglomorate, the Gerard Foundation.

Called by the Secret Society "those who the world must be protected against" and "those who practiced the ancient religions of old",[6] [7] unbeknownst to the Toshinden fighters, a new enemy would now make their move.

A globally spanning cult that dated back beyond even the Secret Society, the Organization centered around the worship a forsaken god of conflict and combat known as Agon Teos.

A collective of sacrificial black magic practitioners, cold blooded assassins, slave traffickers, and those who aligned themselves with the savages of human history, the Organization was long opposed since the conception of the Secret Society and the Gerard Foundation in the 16th Century.

Finding by Vermilion's intel that the Toshinden fighters of the most recent tournaments are those deemed "the strongest", Abel sends ultimatums of participation and assassins and headhunters upon them to know of his demands, else the Organization will forever hunt them down.

With the original Legend of the Fighting God ritual having proven unsuccessful in the past, Abel then sought out Master, the ruler and leader of the Secret Society, learning from experiments and divinations that only those "pure of heart" will be able to behold Agon Teos's immense spiritual power.

He cited the single-round combat, super moves, enclosed arenas, and character unlocking, and concluded, "If you were one of the many who thought Toshinden was neat, but far too dull, this game may have what it takes to turn your viewpoint around.

While he agreed that the character unlocking is a good feature, he argued that the enclosed arenas in effect sacrificed the strategic element of ring-outs for the lesser trade-off of improved frame rate.

[4] IGN in its review wrote that despite having improvements, the first Battle Arena Toshinden from 1995 "looks better" and that the game plays "choppy" and not as good as Soul Blade or Tobal 2.

[14] Edge wrote that "it's clear that the emphasis remains on scrubby pyrotechnics and link-anything combos rather than balance or finesse", but concluded that it is "rather more fun" than some would claim.