Fighting games are all the rage. Literally. The complex moves and characters going against one another have quickly found its way onto the competitive scene. There becomes a large gap between those who know all of the powerful combos and those who are just mashing buttons. You can't just pick up and play a fighting game. You have to take the time to get good at it.
However, that's not always the case. Where the intention for these games is for everything to be balanced and fair, developers have created some characters who are noticeably better than the rest of the cast. Those who then decide to pick up the character are given a severe advantage over everyone they play against. It can become so extreme that they are eventually banned from competitive events.
Believe it or not, this has happened in several video game franchises over the years. From Tekken to Super Smash Bros, there is no shortage of characters who are broken and overpowered. So if you're playing a fighting game and don't want to be the guy everyone hates, this list is for you. On the flipside, if you want to make everyone else have a sad day while you twirl your moustache, this list will benefit you as well.
Here are 15 terrible fighting game characters who are ridiculously OP. Seriously. Pick anyone but these guys.
15 Ivy - Soulcalibur 2
Soulcalibur 2 is one of the most balanced fighting games ever created. Despite the many different fighting styles, everyone has a fair set of strengths and weaknesses, if you exclude Ivy, that is. This fighter, remembered for more than her lack of clothing, utilizes a whip in all of her attacks. She can flick it out at opponents or even fling it around in a circle.
If this sounds great on paper, that's because you haven't fought her yet. Ivy's moves have incredible reach and high damage. She always manages to pull other fighters in and knock them out with a powerful grab attack. She's not very fast, but with that whip of hers, she doesn't need to be. Unfortunately, Namco decided that she was popular enough to include in the rest of the series, though she's been balanced in other installments.
14 Scorpion - Injustice: Gods Among Us
If it weren't for Scorpion making it into Injustice: Gods Among Us, that game would've almost been fair across the board. Translating fighting characters from one game to another is never an easy task. You have to rework their mechanics to fit the new game while still being true to their original fighting style. NetherRealm had their work cut out for them when they brought over Scorpion from Mortal Kombat.
They decided to take the route of being true to his moveset. Unfortunately, this meant that Scorpion can immediately teleport behind the other fighter to deal damage. Scorpion is extremely fast and can juggle any DC hero with brutal combos (which then feed his super move). Couple that with his rope dart having decent range and nobody is able to beat this demon without constantly being on their toes. Even then, that's not always enough.
13 Eddy Gordo - Tekken
No matter which Tekken game you're talking about, Tekken Tag Tournament or Tekken 3, there is one fighter who is extremely aggravating to fight: Eddy Gordo. This suave master of capoeira battles just as about as unique as you'd expect. He does all kinds of flips and hand spins to knock out an opponent's legs, as well as throw them all around the arena.
The problem with this is that the nature of his moves makes him extremely difficult to hit. He's almost always in a crouching position, from which he can immediately attack. He also combos extremely well, to the point where you could button mash and win just about any fight. Many of Eddy's basic attacks are also quick enough that you could just spam them until your opponent falls to the ground. If you want to show up your little brother, make sure that this character is off-limits.
12 Meta Knight - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl introduced a lot of characters to the series that had long deserved spots on the roster. Among them was Meta Knight. This speedy swordsman used his powerful sword Galaxia in order to outmaneuver his foes. From the always useful Mach Tornado to his broken teleport move, Meta Knight was bound to be a tough fighter in any situation.
Unfortunately, he was tough in every situation. He moved quickly, he hit hard and had such precision that he could keep anybody from recovering back to the stage. He also had the ability to fly, making him nearly impossible to defeat by falling. Perhaps his worst offense was that he could infinite grab into a down b. Meta Knight was such a good character that he was banned from all official tournaments.
11 Yoda - Soulcalibur IV
It seems so perfect that characters like Darth Vader and Yoda would be included in Soulcalibur IV, right? Well, it wouldn't be if you got the Xbox 360 version. Yoda was exclusive to Soulcalibur IV and quickly made an impact. Taking inspiration from his fighting style in the prequel trilogy, Yoda could utilize the force, flip around his opponents, and strike multiple times with his lightsaber.
However, just like in Star Wars, this made Yoda ridiculously OP. His small size made him unable to be hit by many attacks in the game, thus giving him the opportunity to strike as many times as he wanted. Furthermore, because he was able to flip around so quickly, it's very difficult to watch his moves and prepare for your next attack. It became a chore just to fight him. It's clear that Darth Vader is the much better option.
10 Superman - Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe
Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe is easily one of the franchise's worst games. Among the reasons why is because the game wasn't balanced very well. There were a few characters who were notably better than the rest of the cast, but Superman is the one who stands above all the rest. For the most part, his moves are much of what you'd expect from the Man of Steel, but those who got good with the character realized his true potential.
Superman's moves are strong and hit quickly, but the reason why he made this list was because of one move. He leans down and stomps the ground, which launches the opponent into the air. However, if you time the input just right, he'll hit the ground twice, keeping your foe in the air longer. Superman can then repeat this combo over and over again, leaving the other player helpless. You might as well throw your controller across the room.
9 Astaroth - Soulcalibur
While he was much better integrated into the series later on, Astaroth remains one of the cheapest characters in the first Soul Calibur game. He wasn't the fastest of the bunch, but his moves hit like a truck. A good swing of his ax could knock out half of the opponents health and that's not even considering how well he displaces other fighters.
Astaroth is insanely good, especially against newer players. He has many attacks that not only damage, but push opponents back, making him a go-to fighter if the stage had any edges where you could fall. Furthermore, when you're knocked down, that leaves Astaroth with just enough time to get another good hit in before you can fight back. Unfortunately, he was just one overpowered character in a game that was littered with a good handful of them.
8 Phoenix - Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
Jean Grey is one of the most powerful characters known to the Marvel Universe. Capcom knew this when putting her into Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and decided to make her extremely true to her character. Needless to say, she's easily one of the strongest characters in the entire game.
Her attack and defense stats aren't great normally, but she does have the ability to heal herself. She also the capability of becoming the Dark Phoenix once her Hyper Combo bar fills up and she's taken enough damage. From that point on, she gets a completely new health bar and her attacks are exponentially buffed. Combining these with her good coverage of close and ranged attacks, Phoenix is a frightening foe, even for the most seasoned of players. Let's hope that they choose to balance her for Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 4
7 Kratos - PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale does a lot of things right. Among them are making each character play like they do in their respective franchises. However, allowing this makes some much better than others, which makes this game horribly unbalanced. It's clear from the first battle who is better than others. Among the "God Tier" characters is Kratos, the God of War.
Using his blades of chaos, Kratos has long range and attacks as quickly as you'd expect if you've played God of War. He can also whip out his blades in midair, which makes it very difficult to even get close to him (if you're playing as somebody like Sly Cooper, you can understand why that's a problem). Kratos' special attacks are also some of the better ones in the game. Because of these factors, he is one of the most played characters in the game and we're not happy about it.
6 Shadow Mewtwo - Pokkén Tournament
Pokkén Tournament is a no-brainer game. We've gone too long without a fighting game starring our favorite characters. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of fighters put into the game and it instead follows many tropes of the genre as a whole. One of them is having a dark version of one of the playable characters be the final boss of the story mode. In Pokkén Tournament, that someone is Shadow Mewtwo.
If you meet certain conditions, though, you eventually unlock this powerful character to use in battle. However, excitement quickly turned to disdain as players discovered that Shadow Mewtwo was horribly broken. Not only were his attacks strong and his health large, but he had an infinite combo when the game was first launched. In all of the patches in the game's lifecycle, Shadow Mewtwo was nerfed each and every time.
5 Akuma - Street Fighter
Anybody who's played Street Fighter knows exactly why Akuma is on this list. Much like Shadow Mewtwo, Akuma is a dark version of existing fighters. In his case, it's Ryu. Because of this, Akuma uses a lot of the same attacks that Ryu has, but has several additions that stop him from becoming a clone character.
First of all, Akuma's attacks are insanely buffed. He's essentially a stronger version of Ryu. And, right off the bat, that makes for a bad time. Secondly, Akuma also has a few special attacks of his own that are unique to him. As you might expect, they're really good and have caused many players to throw their controllers in frustration. Fighting games need to find a way to bring more boss characters to the roster, but nerfing them so that they're not broken. If not, then somebody is going to have a serious advantage.
4 Metal Sonic - Sonic The Fighters
Sonic the Fighters isn't the most beloved Sonic game, but if you come in contact with Metal Sonic, you're going to hate it that much more. Being an unlockable character, Metal Sonic is definitely worth the effort (if you're into being cheap) and is, without a doubt, the strongest character in the entire game.
One thing to note is that Metal Sonic can break barriers faster than any other character in the game and many of his attacks are capable of doing it. Despite being a fairly small fighter, Metal Sonic also deals heavy amounts of damage without breaking a sweat. The range of his moves is just plain unfair and the handicap in the game only makes Metal Sonic stronger as he takes damage. If you think for a second that you should play that character, just ask yourself how much you value your friendships.
3 Sentinel - Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age Of Heroes
If you're looking to play a balanced and fair fighting game, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes should be the last game on your list. This title is focused entirely on being ridiculous and doesn't attempt to be balanced in the slightest. In the entire game, there are four characters who are much more powerful than the rest. Among them is the Sentinel from the X-Men comics.
The Sentinel is fairly fast, but that's not why he made this list. Many of his attacks deal a lot of damage and can't be blocked. That's right. Being methodical with your tactics isn't going to work on the Sentinel. He plows through just about any defense you can put up and that makes him an extremely hated character by the fanbase. Comic book fans love it, though.
2 Pet Shop - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage For The Future
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure began its life as a cute manga series. It stars the character Joseph Joestar as he embarks on crazy adventures through various periods in history. He's been to World War II, Japan, and so many more places. The popularity of the series led to a fighting game being made that was a celebration of the many characters that had been introduced.
However, the developers were so focused on the beauty of the franchise that they forgot to balance the game. Need more proof? Look no further than Pet Shop. This character is a falcon who was granted ice abilities by a powerful spirit. In the game, he uses these ice attacks to great effect. He can spam them until he wins, essentially. That's not even the worst part. Pet Shop, like Yoda, is incredibly small and therefore nearly impossible to hit. To make matters worse, if you get too close, then he is likely to pull off an infinite combo.
1 Bayonetta - Super Smash Bros For Nintendo 3DS And Wii U
Fans were shocked to hear that Bayonetta would be the final DLC character for Smash Bros Nintendo 3DS And Wii U. Despite how odd the choice was, Sakurai was intent on making the character true to her origins. Anybody that has played Bayonetta knows that the game is focused on stringing powerful combos and using all kinds of demon and witch powers to make your enemies feel the pain.
Unfortunately, her combos are just as good, if not better, in Smash Bros. Bayonetta was structured around juggling opponents and the results were frustrating at best. People who understood her mechanics were quickly able to combo another fighter off screen, whether they're at 0% or 100%. She has been nerfed in later patches, but she's still a huge pain to fight.