Melty Blood Actress Again is the first game of the Melty Blood series which can be considered a sequel rather than an expansion or port of a previous game. It is an arcade game, and was released in September, 2008. It features many drastic new mechanics, two new characters, and 3 different fighting styles for all characters known as, Full Moon Style (Power), Crescent Moon Style (Speed) and Half Moon Style (Simple). Half Moon and Crescent Moon Style stands out for Act Candenza veterans, while Full Moon gives those in the previous installments the most tweaks to the characters moveset(e.g. Tohno Shiki can use one of Nanaya Shiki's attacks in his Full Moon version). A new boss known as the Dust of Orisis now appears as a boss in certain characters' arcade modes, and in the console version, G-Akiha returns in Boss Rush mode with new attacks and somewhat increased difficulty.

A new arcade version released somewhere in 2009-2010 became known as Melty Blood Actress Again: Current Code. As an arcade port of the original PS2 version, new changes involved character tweaks, new intermission skippings (e.g: skipping the vs. screen and intros), new special effects for Heat and Blood Heat mode, and the inclusion of Ryougi Shiki, Seifuku Akiha, Mech Hisui + Kohaku, and Mech Hisui + Neco Arc, from the console versions as well as the removal of ArcheType Earth due to imbalance and only appears as hidden boss.

As of May 18, 2011, a new character named 7th Heaven/Powered Ciel (Ciel's boss form from Melty Blood: Re-ACT) is confirmed in the latest version of Current Code known as Melty Blood Actress Again: Current Code v1.05, complete with new sprites and animations for said character, with own Story Mode and Ending.

A last upgrade for Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code is set to be released in beginning of October 2011, renamed to Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code Ver. 1.07 with a last character, a complete version of Arche-Type Earth (Princess version of Arcueid Brunestud) with new sprites and moves for her (with 3 Moon Styles) and also her own story Mode and ending. Neco & Mech and Koha & Mech also gained story modes and endings. Riesbyfe Stridberg also gained a new story mode that takes place after the main event of Melty Blood Actress Again, where she has to protect Neco-Arc.

In ending of December 2011, a PC port of Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code Ver. 1.07 is set launched as extra bonus in Volume Box 3 of OVA Carnival Phantasm.

Gameplay changes:

• Three different versions of each character, including new moves for each. (Crescent Moon and Half Moon tend to be the arranged version of previous characters' Act Cadenza versions, while Full Moon tends to be a new moveset all together.)
• Larger stages, including both new and alternate versions of stages from Act Cadenza. There are also newly rearranged versions of some of the classic tracks from the first two games.
• A Guard meter which depletes upon blocked attacks and results in a 'Guard Crash' vulnerability state upon depletion.
• Aerial Circuit Sparks (Available in all Moon styles).
• New alternate air throws (Featured in Current Code v1.05)

New playable characters introduced in Actress Again are:

• Riesbyfe Stridberg
• Michael Roa Valdamjong (Near-Side version)
• Shiki Ryougi (exclusive character for Playstation 2 port and Current Code)
• Seifuku Akiha (exclusive character for Playstation 2 port and Current Code)
• Mech Hisui & Kohaku (exclusive character for Playstation 2 port and Current Code)
• ArcheType Earth (exclusive character for Playstation 2 port, return in Current Code as hidden boss and will come back as complete new character in Current Code Ver. 1.07 and PC port)
• Mech Hisui & Neco-Arc (exclusive character for Playstation 2 port and Current Code)
• 7th Heaven/Powerd Ciel (exclusive character for Current Code v1.05 and PC port, technically returning from Melty Blood Re-ACT)

Characters involved with the main storyline of Melty Blood Actress Again (The reperformance of Hologram Summer of The Night of Warachia/TATARI in Misaki Town, performed by Dust of Osiris):

• Shiki Tohno
• Sion Eltnam Atlasia (Sion TATARI)
• Arcueid Brunestud
• Ciel (Powerd Ciel)
• Akiha Tohno (Akiha Vermilion)
• Hisui & Kohaku
• Kohaku
• Night of Wallachia/TATARI
• Nrvnqsr Chaos
• Red Arcueid
• Mech-Hisui
• Shiki Nanaya
• Satsuki Yumizuka
• White Len
• Aoko Aozaki
• Kouma Kishima
• Riesbyfe Stridberg
• Michael Roa Valdamjong
• Shiki Ryougi
• Archetype: Earth

Characters with their own storyline that happen after the events occurred in main storyline of Melty Blood Actress Again:

• Shiki Tohno (Boss Rush Story Mode)
• Hisui
• Miyako Arima
• Neco-Arc (2 routes)
• Neco-Arc Chaos
• Seifuku Akiha
• Neco & Mech
• Koha & Mech
• Riesbyfe Stridberg (special route of Current Code)