ARMS was a new IP that Nintendo created just for the Switch. Despite having some great motion controls, diverse characters, and an awesome soundtrack, it didn't quite get the excitement that Splatoon had. With no future updates for the game and the Party Crashes recently ending, it seems that ARMS will bow out as an obscure Nintendo franchise of the past.
The game has a healthy roster of 15 characters each with their own strengths and weaknesses. As with most fighting games, it's easy to rank them based on how effective they are in battle. Here is every fighter in ARMS ranked from weakest to strongest.
15 MISANGO
Misango was one of the fighters added later to the game. His specialty is that he has a mask that will change colors throughout the match. Depending on what color it is, players can activate a special ability to give Misango a boost.
However, the color changes so quickly that it can be difficult to time a boost right, leaving yourself open to more attacks. He lags a lot compared to the other fighters.
14 BYTE AND BARQ
Byte and Barq can be quite nasty in the right hands. However, people who know how to deal with them will have no trouble getting around it. Their entire gimmick is that there is a little robot dog who will occasionally throw out extra punches.
If an opponent is paying attention, Barq will be no problem to counter. Once Barq goes down after one punch, Byte is essentially wide open, having no special skills to counter other fighters.
13 MASTER MUMMY
Master Mummy can take a lot of hits and punches quite hard. He doesn't recoil on certain punches, making it easier to perform a counterattack. However, Master Mummy still struggles compared to the rest of the roster. He is extremely slow and very big, making him an easy target. He may not flinch on certain attacks, but he still takes damage. Other fighters can easily chip away at his health to win the match.
12 MECHANICA
Mechanica is a little girl with a lot of technical know-how. She created a suit that could compete in the ARMS tournament. The suit allows her to hover and can even tank hits without recoiling. That said, the hover doesn't help Mechanica much other than making her move slowly to the left or right while in mid-air. In some ways, she's a slightly more mobile Master Mummy, which makes it easy to counter her when playing other characters.
11 LOLA POP
Lola Pop was the second DLC fighter in ARMS, and she has a useful ability. When Lola Pop charges, she turns into a giant ball. She can then leap high into the air to either dodge or throw out some attacks from on high. She also has some difficult arms to fight against, like the clapback, which reflects punches to hit the attacker. That said, she still falls short when compared to most of the cast.
10 RIBBON GIRL
Ribbon Girl is one of the more famous characters in ARMS, even getting a Mii costume in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Ribbon Girl's special ability is that she can jump twice. She can also change direction in between those jumps, making it difficult to counter her if you're not prepared for it. With Ribbon Girl jumping around so much, you'll have to fight on your toes and constantly be ready for an attack at any moment.
9 NINJARA
Ninjara is one of the most popular characters in ARMS online, and he's not bad either. Ninjara is quick, and his special ability allows him to quickly teleport instead of dash. During that teleport, Ninjara is intangible, meaning he can't be hit. When blocking, Ninjara will respond by dodging the attack rather than just soaking the punch. The only downside is that Ninjara has a difficult time countering rush mode.
8 HELIX
Helix is easily the weirdest ARMS character. He's essentially a walking pile of sludge (think Flubber). Helix can charge by turning into a puddle with its fists out or can stretch its body to punch around corners and avoid incoming attacks.
With Helix having such unique movement, it can be difficult to predict what it's going to do next. It can also be a challenge just to hit Helix.
7 SPRINGTRON
Springtron is a robotic Spring Man, so it makes sense that the two would play similarly. The big difference with Springtron is that it's harder to use than its real-world counterpart.
Instead of the deflect wave that Spring Man uses, Springtron can charge a shockwave that disables foes. However, it's a bit more challenging to use as well as to connect. Otherwise, the two characters are the same, and the original comes out on top.
6 KID COBRA
Kid Cobra doesn't look like much, but he can be extremely nasty. Kid Cobra's special ability is being able to slide. This slide not only allows him to dash around quickly, but he can use it to block attacks as well. This comes at the cost of air dashing speed, but Kid Cobra makes up for it quite well. All it takes is a well-timed slide, and Kid Cobra essentially gets a free punch or grab.
5 MAX BRASS
Max Brass is a combination of Spring Man and Master Mummy, and it makes him a strong character. He is the champion of the ARMS Grand Prix, so it makes sense that he'd be quite powerful.
Max Brass has the deflect of Spring Man while getting massive like Master Mummy at low health. He deals powerful hits and can take damage well. His only downside is that he's not very fast, preferring to stand his ground.
4 TWINTELLE
Twintelle is a fan-favorite ARMS character. Instead of having fists, Twintelle has magical hair that comes out as boxing gloves.
With Twintelle being a mystical character, it makes sense that she'd have some excellent abilities as well. Not only can Twintelle float in the air (better than Mechanica), but can use a wave to slow down time around her, making it easy to respond to incoming attacks.
3 MIN MIN
Min Min is a character based on ramen. Need we say more? This character loves noodles so much that her arms are essentially made of them. While that makes her good for a laugh, Min Min is a tough character to beat.
When she dodges in the air, she kicks at the same time, which blocks any attacks that are coming to her at the time. Min Min also has all-around good stats that make her easy to learn.
2 DR. COYLE
Dr. Coyle is the last character added to ARMS and the antagonist of the game. As such, she is quite the nasty opponent. Dr. Coyle's abilities make her a serious threat regardless of who you're playing.
She is always floating and just increases and decreases her height depending on the situation. She can also charge to have three arms in battle as well as being able to turn invisible for a time. She is dangerous.
1 SPRING MAN
It makes sense that the face of ARMS might be one of the best characters in the game. Spring Man has good stats and is an all-around easy to understand fighter.
He is standard fare for the most part, but his ability is what sets him apart from the rest of the cast. He has a deflect that can be easily executed to punish foes. When low health, Spring Man's arms also stay permanently charged, allowing for some intense comebacks.