Guile Guides

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 our sixth 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 this entry, we have the stereotypical characters!

Guile

Street Fighter

Guile is one of those characters that plays into a stereotype but does it well. Created by Akira “Akiman” Yasuda, he was to be an all-American American to appeal to the Western audience. But along with this, he was also inspired by JoJo's Bizarre Adventure character Jean Pierre Polnareff, and it shows. He’s wearing military attire, has the most ridiculous, yet iconic, flattop hairstyle, and always looks highly displeased.

His gameplay and story are also fan favorites, but something that literally anyone who’s ever played video games knows about is his musical theme. Text can’t convey sound, but we bet it’s already playing in your head.

Geese Howard

Fatal Fury, King of Fighters

It wasn’t easy to pick one character between Rock Howard and his father, Geese, but we ultimately went with the latter. Geese is what every antagonist should strive to be. He’s intimidating, powerful, yet incredibly charismatic, and most importantly, fleshed out. He has his priorities straight – power, immortality, and wealth, but at the same time, he’s not just an immoral villain. He has dignity and grace, however perverse, and a good deal of respect towards his opponents.

Geese is also the original weeaboo. He’s American, but he’s so fascinated by the culture of Japan that he incorporates it into everything he does.

Haohmaru

Samurai Shodown

There is a stereotypical portrayal of an easygoing vagabond, a wandering ronin, in Japanese media. It’s an archetype that exudes charisma; it’s easy to root for the guy who fights for what’s right without picking sides. Haohmaru from Samurai Shodown is a perfect example of this.

Like many before and after him, Haohmaru is based on Musashi Miyamoto, a historical figure who found his way into folklore.

Haohmaru is easygoing, loves food and drink, and dedicates the rest of his time to seeking perfection and enlightenment. He fights with a power-based style, prioritizing devastating swings over precision and grace. He even resorts to somewhat dirty tricks when needed. After all, he’s a wandering ronin, not an honor-bound samurai.

Ragna the Bloodedge

BlazBlue

Ragna the Bloodedge might as well be an anime protagonist. Everything about him screams “shounen main character” – look at his design, it easily passes the “spot the main character” eye test, his story is dark and filled with pain and loss, and his personality is that of a traditionally portrayed delinquent: rude, abrasive, and sarcastic.

But that’s just a front created to shield both himself and the others, as the path he has chosen to walk in life involves revenge.

If anything makes Ragna the Bloodedge even more of a shounen protagonist, it’s his undying will and his refusal to give up even in the most dire of circumstances.

Valentine

Skullgirls

We honestly could have picked any Skullgirls character to be represented here, as they’re all so unique and iconic. But we chose Valentine for her visuals, narrative, and overall style.

Valentine is the last surviving member of the Last Hope unit and an antagonistic figure in the Skullgirls universe. She embodies two popular archetypes at once – scary-yet-seductive nurse, and a deadly ninja.

Valentine has a sadistic side to her, as well as a deep interest in dissecting things in the name of science, but deep inside, she’s a good person forced by circumstances to make bad decisions.

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