These are the Best Guest Characters in Fighting Games

There have been many exciting guest characters in fighting games over the past decade or so. From the most requested character Sora from Kingdom Hearts joining Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, to the surprising introduction of The Walking Dead’s Negan in Tekken 7, there have been some shocking inclusions in fighting game history.

When considering the best guest characters, we determine if they fit the game well, whether their moveset is exciting, and how much of an impact it made with fans of the series they come into. Here are the best guest charaters in fighting games.

7

Jason Voorhees in Mortal Kombat X

Time for some spooks

When you think of Mortal Kombat, you’ll likely picture a gruesome fatality, so it makes sense to have horror movie icons like Jason Voorhees and Leatherface join the series. Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees, in particular, is a special pick for Mortal Kombat X’s roster. He is known for picking up his victims and breaking them in the most horrendous ways possible. His machete is thrillingly used in combat as you slowly walk up to your foes and combo them. The X-ray looks sick too, as he lunges his machete into someone’s neck and then their stomach, cracking both parts of the body.

6

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Injustice 2

Cowabunga, Dude!

NetherRealm does an excellent job of adapting the source material into their games, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are represented perfectly in Injustice 2. Their cheeky 90s attitude is intact as they quip against the various DC heroes and villains in the game. Each of the turtles use their chosen weapon in a stylistic way, while utilizing even a skateboard to throw their opponents backwards. As you’d expect, the Turtle brothers help each other out to extend combos and assist in grabs. Their super also has them tagging together to shellshock their opponent in an epic fashion. Cowabunga!

5

Cloud Strife in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS

He Also Appeared in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Alongside Sephiroth

Final Fantasy VII is an infamous game for many Nintendo fans, at least back when Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS was released. It was the first Final Fantasy in the series to jump ship to PlayStation systems after the Nintendo 64 stuck to the archaic cartridges rather than CDs. However, time has passed, as Cloud Strife became a popular Super Smash Bros. DLC character for the fourth Super Smash Bros. entry.

It was a dream come true for many. Cloud utilizes his huge Buster Sword to take down foes. When Cloud builds his Limit meter to full, he can use a powered-up version of his moves in Super Smash Bros. For example, if he uses the Limit Break version of the up special Climhazzard, he can get a much better recovery. His Final Smash attack Omnislash is also epic to see as he slams his sword down on opponents like Mario and Link.

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In addition to his illustrious moveset, Cloud also brought a wonderful stage, Midgar, with him. It looks incredible as you see the city in the background and the stage splits a part in half due to the summons. Nobuo Uematsu’s electrifying music was also brought into Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, with much more added when Sephiroth was added as DLC for the subsequent Smash game.

4

Snake in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Snake? Snaaaaaake!

When Super Smash Bros. Brawl was announced, the introduction of Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series, joining the game as a guest character, changed the game forever. Even though he is from a mature-rated series and a different company, Snake was able to join the roster of Kirby, Captain Falcon, and Luigi. It sparked a conversation over who could get in. His moveset revolves around his gadgets in his original Konami series. He can place mines around the ground, throw grenades, and use his melee skills to take out opponents in a jiffy. He is surprisingly fun to play, despite being a stealth-focused character in his games.

He can even bring out a box to hide in, so that slightly goofy side of the Metal Gear Solid series remains intact in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and other installments. The Shadow Moses Island stage, alongside the music selections, is also amazing. Additionally, Snake can contact his colonel and other MGS operatives in a codec call, getting intel on different characters in the game. It usually leads to hilarity.

3

Darth Vader in Soul Calibur IV

AI Not Included

Despite a few rocky films and TV shows along the way, Star Wars is arguably one of the most iconic film brands known to mankind. Darth Vader is a popular villain that is recognized by many around the world and was used as a guest character in Soul Calibur IV to help promote Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. He fits the Soul Calibur series very well as the game is weapons-based rather than melee-focused. He swings his saber in a threatening manner, taking out anyone who gets in his way. He can also utilize his Force powers, frying his foes with electricity and grip his opponents’ throats just like the movies.

The sound effects are spot on as you hear the swipe of the lightsaber moving to and fro, and his cold breathing in the background as he strikes. Additionally, the Death Star stage is brilliant as you see Imperial ships flying by the action.

2

Sora in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

A Dream Come True

Back during the Wii U and 3DS era, Nintendo held a poll on which characters that fans would like to see in the Super Smash Bros. series. Many hoped that Sora would get into the game, and likely due to licensing issues, Nintendo could not get it done and elected to choose Bayonetta instead. It was revealed that Sora was the #1 pick for the game and was finally added as the final DLC character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. His inclusion is incredible and was highly unlikely due to the licensing hell the character is in between Disney, Square Enix, and series creator Tetsuya Nomura himself.

Sora’s a fun character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as he uses three different spells from the original games, has all kinds of different outfits throughout the series, and has a thrilling stage based on Hollow Bastion from the first game.

1

Link in Soul Calibur II

The Master Sword Slayin’

The grandest guest character in fighting game history is Link in Soul Calibur II. This changed the game and helped solidify the practice of introducing cameo characters into fighting games today. Based on his Ocarina of Time appearance, he elegantly swings his Master Sword in between throwing bombs and shooting arrows towards his opponents. He was a GameCube exclusive, and despite the console not selling as well as the Xbox or PS2, the GameCube version was the most played out of all three ports.

Link fit into the Soul Calibur series like a glove, and hopefully one day he can return in a future game in the series. Thankfully, we can play as Link again in Soul Calibur II when the GameCube Nintendo Switch 2 app releases alongside the console.

Next

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