Virtua Fighter was never known for an amazingly varied cast. The characters were always few but noticeable. Characters were developed to accurately portray a martial art and fill a character archetype gap in the fighting game genre. The franchise has only improved with time, and AM2 Studio was always very careful not to add a character that would play like one already in the game.
All characters in the game feel very different from each other. Besides, they can all be used at a competitive level. The franchise has always tried to be as balanced as possible. Although balance was somewhat accomplished, there will always be some characters that are perceived as better than others.
10 Kage Maru
Kage Maru is Virtua Fighter's ninja. He has a lot of unrealistic movements and some of the best-looking special moves. It is said that Kage Maru's martial art is a combination of Tegoi and Hagakure. Together, they become Kage's Hagakure-ryū Jū-Jutsu. Canonically, he is one of the three characters to have won Virtua Fighter tournaments.
Because his fight style is so unusual, the ninja can be quite unpredictable. Kage also has access to good throws, including one that can easily lead to juggle combos and ring-outs.
9 Jean Kujo
The French newcomer is Virtua Fighter's Jojo reference. Jean is tall and noticeably strong. The game's lore presents him as a full-contact karateka. Although his fight style is karate, the game does not specify what kind. Many believe it to be a mix of various sub-styles.
Jean has a weak throw game, but it does not make him a weak character. He is tall, quick, and has many charge attacks to pierce through his adversary's defense. Besides, jean is not as hard to start with as Akira and has excellent high damaging combos.
8 Shun Di
Shun Di is an old herbal doctor who is constantly drunk. So it is only fitting that his fight style is Drunken Kung Fu, also known as Zuì Quán. This old Kung Fu master is short and quick. His fight style is very hard to read and designed to taunt the opponent while attacking. For an old man, Shun Di is surprisingly strong and agile.
One of the things that make Shun Di viable is his drinking gimmick. He can take a sip of his alcohol bottle during the fight. The higher his drink count, the more techniques he can use. It also increases his damage.
7 Vanessa Lewis
Vanessa is Virtua Fighter's version of MMA fighters. Made back when Vale-Tudo was a famous competition, Vanessa has good striking moves and some good grabs. Since she is tall, her spinning kicks go pretty far. She also has two different stances that change her moves entirely.
Since Vanessa can use both a defensive style and an offensive style, she is basically two characters. This makes her highly technical, but it also means she always has good options to deal with a given situation once players learn the basics.
6 Brad Burns
Since his martial art of choice is Muay Thai, Brad is a striking type of character. Brad has many long striking strings and rotating mid-hitting attacks, making it quite challenging to compete with him directly. In many ways, Brad is Virtua Fighter's version of a rush-down character.
Brad's weakness is not having many moves that he can use when he is at a disadvantage. However, that is the trade-off for such a great offense. Brad has to guard with patience when he is being pressured. Players will have to wait for the right time to take their turn back.
5 Goh Hinogami
Being Virtua Fighter's Judo practitioner, Goh's striking moves are not great. He lacks the technique for fast-hitting sequences, although many of his punches pack a lot of power. Yet, he is dangerous because many of Goh's attacks can connect to grabs when blocked.
Goh is also the only Virtua Fighter character that can counterattack throws. He has some moves that allow him to deflect his opponents' attacks, making them briefly vulnerable or making the fight go back to neutral. He is not easy to master, and his neutral might be a bit hard, but Goh is significantly dangerous in the right hands.
4 Lion Rafaele
Lion has an unusual way of moving, visually speaking. This is due to his Mantis Style Kung Fu. He is a striking type of character who quickly steps in while applying fast sequences of attacks. Those advancing attacks make Lion's neutral more dangerous. He can move in very quickly and be comfortable at any distance.
One of the things that make Leon so dangerous is his numerous low-hitting and spinning attacks that can be used to mix up the opponents. Although he does not deal a lot of damage with his attacks, he can constantly strike at different heights. It creates opportunities to pierce the adversary's defense.
3 Taka Arashi
Taka is a unique character. He is the heaviest character in Virtua Fighter, being in a class of his own. Being a super heavyweight, Taka does not bounce when he is knocked down. His super-heavy category makes many combos not work well on Taka, which is a great advantage that he has over other fighters.
Taka also uses his weight to break the adversary's defense. He has high damaging attacks and powerful mid-hitting strikes. When that is combined with his weight, Taka can compete in a fight against any other member of the cast.
2 Jacky Bryant
Jacky is a straight-up striker type. His style is Jeet Kune Do, which makes some of his moves similar to those of Forest Law and Lee Chaolan. Both beginner and competitive players can have a lot of fun with Jacky. He has many tools at his disposal, with attacks of all heights and distances.
At higher levels, Jacky really shines. On neutral, he auto-parries high attacks. His Flash Sword Kick, which has a difficult input, can open up his adversaries. Jacky's high damaging flip can be used against crouching opponents and also against air approaches. Once players start digging into his complexity, there is a lot to be found.
1 Akira Yuki
Constantly considered the most powerful character in Virtua Fighter, Akira Yuki is also the hardest one to master. He has many attacks that can be used in several different situations. His strikes are powerful, effective, and high-damaging. However, Akira is also known for having the most complex inputs in the game.
Akira can be played as both a poking character or a rush-down character. He has certain strikes that are performed after a lunge, making him useful in any distance. Akira has a downside, though. He does not have many moves, and the ones he does are easy to mess up. Learning his just-frame commands is needed to master this character, and even Akira mains sometimes get those wrong.