Top 50 Most Iconic Fighting Game Characters - Part 9

Fighting games are very old in terms of video game age, and through these decades, we've seen hundreds of games with thousands of characters come and go. Some of these characters become fan-favorites, while the others are forgotten. But there also are those whose legacy will remain etched in the history of the FGC forever. This is the penultimate part of the new project that celebrates the Top 50 Most Iconic Fighting Game Characters.

However, it's essential to note that while this list aims to highlight some of the most iconic characters within fighting games, the inherent subjectivity of such rankings means that many other characters may not find themselves among these fifty names. Fighting games are as diverse as the amount of existing opinions, so pardon us if one your favorite isn't on the list eventually!

In today's edition, we have a diverse variety of iconic designs!

Rugal Bernstein

King of Fighters

Rugal Bernstein is possibly one of the most recognizable villains in the entire history of fighting games. He personifies everything great about cool antagonists – sound motivation, absolutely striking design, and hellish difficulty.

Those who played early King of Fighters titles on Arcades know just how many tokens were wasted in futile attempts to defeat him. Described to be the only character who truly represents the ultimate King of Fighters boss, his iconic status and popularity are hardly surprising. Just look at him – so suave, so regal, so tall, so… evil.

Dan Hibiki

Street Fighter

Dan Hibiki as a character is a joke that went out of hand, and we all benefited from it. Initially, he was created to be a parody of two famous SNK fighters – Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia, because Capcom felt those were ripping off Ryu and Ken. But after the initial release in Street Fighter Alpha, he got fleshed out more and more, and an initial parody fighter went on to become one of the most recognizable comedic characters.

He’s stupid, feeble, overconfident, rude, and arrogant, along with being quite weak compared to some of Street Fighter’s powerhouses. Additional spice to his character is added by his one-sided rivalry and hatred for Ryu and Ken, whom Dan views to be unworthy of attention and praise.

Juri Han

Street Fighter

Juri Han can be summarized in one word – fun. She first appeared in Super Street Fighter IV, and ever since then, she has captured the hearts of many players with her absolutely striking design, personality, and gameplay. Juri is a complete package as far as fighting game characters go.

She has a very notable personality, being a total sadistic rebel, relishing in inflicting pain on others. She‘s fun, and she hates those who get in the way of her having fun.

Juri is also notable for being the first practitioner of Taekwondo in the illustrious Street Fighter series.

Potemkin

Guilty Gear

Potemkin embodies the Gentle Giant archetype in the Guilty Gear universe. He’s hulking and menacing, instilling fear into his opponents just by his visage alone. Yet he’s incredibly smart, kind, and compassionate. He’s very measured and actually prefers not to fight unless completely necessary.

But he’s also someone who adheres to the rules and ceremony, and stupid and superficial behavior is how you get on his bad side.

When Potemkin does choose to fight, he’s a grappler that can take a great deal of punishment but returns it tenfold, especially to those hit with his signature Potemkin Buster.

Fulgore

Killer Instinct

A creation of Ultratech, Fulgore is an assault cyborg created as a successor to the much less advanced Killgore unit. Being one of the most iconic antagonists of the Killer Instinct series, he serves the role of the unfeeling, immovable, and merciless killing machine.

Constantly updated and upgraded, he serves to fulfill one mission only – kill Jago.

You wouldn’t expect it from a ruthless killing machine like Fulgore, but he’s an expert in hand-to-hand combat, and this is translated to him being a representative of the Shoto archetype of fighters gameplay-wise.

Join us next week to find out who the final five characters are!