Dead or Alive is a 1996 arcade fighting game by Tecmo for the Sega Model 2 (2A CRX and 2B CRX) arcade hardware and the first game in their Dead or Alive franchise. It was ported to the Sega Saturn in 1997. A limited edition was also released for the Saturn which came with an art book. An enhanced port including new characters was released for PlayStation, and later backported for arcade under the title "Dead or Alive++".

A massive corporation known as DOATEC (Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee) host a fighting competition called the Dead or Alive World Combat Championship, where fighters from all over the world can compete for the title as champion and a vast amount of money.