LIST: My Top 5 Video Game Characters (Fighting Games)

 I saw this post on X/ Twitter and I was going to respond but I do not really use Twitter like that anymore so I decided to make it more my own thing and even add some context to my picks. So with that out of the way, here is My Top 5 Video Game Characters (Fighting Games).

5. Hazama (BlazBlue Series)

Coming in at number 5. First a confession. I do not play the BlazBlue series. I've always had a interest in them but at the time when it was super popular I was focusing more on KOF and Tekken. However despite not playing the games I always liked everything about Hazama. From the first time I saw him fly around the screen on green snake coils to his bali-song knives (in Australia we call them butterfly knives btw), everything about him just screamed cool. It does not help he also dresses like Michael Jackson and their is a million Smooth Criminal memes out there that celebrate the fact. Now with me in my anime fighting game stage of my life I am actually playing BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle (BB's latest installment) and I finally get to main him and he is challenging but fun to use.

4. King (Tekken Series)

Speaking of Tekken before; my eternal main character is King. Ever since Tekken 5 specifically, I have been a big King fan. I mean I love wrestling, I love luchas I love the fact he takes care of orphans and I love swinging people around and around and into things. Oh and I really like kneeing folks in the face too, shining wizard style. Now no matter the Tekken, I could probably pick up King and have a good time using him. You might noticed I used a older render of King above. Whilst I do not mind his Tekken 7 default with the cape and all, I am not a fan of his look in Tekken 8. It just looks way too busy. When I think King I think this classic image even tho I won't lie his NJPW Okada cosplay was pretty awesome and on point too.

3. Spectre (DNF Duel)

Okay, here me out. I know this is probably the honeymoon phase and King has been my homie since Tekken 5 but there is just something about Spectre that just ticks all my boxes for a fighting game character. She looks amazing, hits like a truck, wields a long katana, short katana and a wire expertly and just oozes charisma (or as the kids say... rizz). Oh and she casually speaks in Korean as well and I love me some Korean culture. I was interested in DNF Duel but the moment the Spectre trailer dropped I knew that she was the one for me and to be rewarded in terms of gameplay (she ticks my technical/ execution boxes too) and overall appeal, it is a perfect marriage. I have not bonded with a female character since my number 1.

2. Claudio (Tekken 7)

Coming in at number 2 and to no one's surprise who actually know me is Claudio from Tekken 7. Again folks will be like, King was your homie since Tekken 5, how can a guy who only technically been in one Tekken game rank much higher than King and to justify that to myself I realized that during Tekken 5 all the way to 7, if I ever played King I would always have other characters on the side. I enjoyed using King but I would always play other characters too to keep my interest in the game, especially competitively. However post season 2 and for the rest of Tekken 7's very long extend lifespan, I only really liked using Claudio in Tekken 7. The fact the roster kept growing and new cool characters like Leroy, Lidia or the classic characters like Julia came back and I still only wanted to use Mr. Serafino is a testament to him and he earns this spot because of that. Also nothing beats hitting someone point blank with a running 2 superman punch. It never gets old to me.

1. Leona (KOF series)

Ahh, if I ever had a first video game love it would be Leona Heidern from the King of Fighters series. Ever since KOF '96 and her introduction, Leona has always been my favorite fighting game character maybe even my favorite video game character of all time. Remember what I said above about Spectre ticking all my boxes? Leona did that back in 96. The style, the fact she is a bad ass, her signature blue hair and the fact she requires some real technical skill to get good with her. She truly is the landmark and it helps me understand why I always gravitate towards bad ass femme fatales over the cutesy girls. If a KOF has Leona, I am main her and there is never a doubt in my mind if I am going to have a amazing time playing her.

Well that's the first LIST. A new type of blog/ content coming to RANTS & RAVES. As promised in my previous blog, I hope to expand the content I put on her so look forward to more LISTs as time goes on.

AV