When it comes to fighting games, most of the time the main character is the one most players choose when they’re starting to learn how the mechanics works. The main character usually has relatively easy moves and combos to execute to get players ready for the more advanced characters down the line.
For those who don’t fancy the main character, there is always the secondary character: these fighters are considered to be the rival or similar to the main character, story or gameplay-wise. But who are the best secondary characters in fighting games?
10 Ky Kiske: Guilty Gear
Sol Bad Guy is the de facto main character in the Guilty Gear games, and Ky Kiske is the staple secondary character. This is due to the fact he is the polar opposite of Sol: Ky is a religious family man who is steadfast in his beliefs, as opposed to Sol who is brash and more of a loose cannon.
Gameplay-wise, Ky’s strategy is to zone enemies with his lightning attacks and give them the Shock status effect. His Stun Edge is what he primarily uses to Shock his enemy: hitting Shocked enemies with attacks often gives Ky more damage and other bonuses.
9 Ayane: Dead Or Alive
Ayane is a female ninja hailing from the Mugen Tenshin clan who is also the master of its Hajimon sect. She is also the half-sister of Kasumi, the main character in the Dead or Alive games.
Since her upbringing was a hard one, Ayane is born with a chip on her shoulder and is eager to prove that she is better than everyone else. But she also holds her clan’s interests in high regard, and would gladly accept any mission, no matter how dangerous it is.
As far as gameplay, Ayane is one of the fastest characters in the game. She often uses this speed blitz around her target, executing long combo strings and keeping her enemies off guard.
8 Jin Kisaragi: BlazBlue
Jin Kisaragi is the brother of main protagonist Ragna the Bloodedge in the BlazBlue series. Compared to his hot-headed brother, Jin is a more cool and calculated fighter who uses ice magic to take out his enemies, but whenever Jin faces Ragna, he often has the urge to take him out, due to Jin being influenced by his Ice Sword, Yukianesa.
His special ability is the Frost Bite which freezes enemies that get hit. This allows him to freely deal damage-dealing combos on his frozen target. When in a pinch, Jin also uses his ice manipulation to construct various weapons made of ice to give him space or keep the pressure.
7 Andy Bogard: Fatal Fury
Andy, the younger Bogard, is the more stoic brother compared to Terry. This is due to his focus on training his body to become the Human Weapon. He is a master of the Shiranui-style ninjutsu style, and has speedy and mobile attacks to bamboozle his enemies.
Andy’s overall moves are well-rounded, and often he can dictate the pace of a match. His various dash moves allow players to rush down or bait opponents into moves that they can punish. That said, he struggles against characters with good mid-range attacks, since Andy’s normal strikes are rather stubby than other fighters.
6 Iori Yagami: King Of Fighters
To say that Iori Yagami is edgy is an understatement. As Kyo’s initial enemy-turned-rival in the King of Fighters series, Iori is a rude and fiery character who stops at nothing to get the results he wants.
His temperament can be attributed to the Orochi entity that resides inside him, since he is an heir to the Yasakani Clan. This makes his moves particularly violent and chaotic: Iori uses claws and his instinct to lash out and get up close to his enemies to deal massive damage.
5 Jacky Bryant: Virtua Fighter
Jacky Bryant is the “cooler” fighter compared to the game’s main protagonist, Akira, in the Virtua Fighter games. He is the brother of Sarah Bryant and an indy car racer who uses Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do to further emphasize his love of going fast.
His fighting style allows him to strike hard and fast: Jacky’s combos are notorious for their speed and power. This makes Jacky a good fighter for beginners to master since his flurries and attacks are easy to execute: players are rewarded for being on the offensive and keeping their enemies on the back foot with combo starts after hitting them with a stray attack.
4 Genjuro Kibagami: Samurai Shodown
Genjuro is the red-haried main rival of Haohmaru in the Samurai Shodown games. He contrasts his rival in almost every way: Genjuro is a sadistic samurai who is as brutal as he is deadly with his sword skills. He enjoys killing, and is often referred to as an ogre or a demon by victims moments before he ends their lives.
Both Genjuro and Haohmaru were trained by Nicotine: while Haohmaru’s techniques are rough and at times unrefined, Genjuro’s are more precise and clean to allow more devastating strikes with minimal effort.
Genjuro’s surgical prowess with his blade often lets him show flashes of his brutality: his attacks allow him to be relentless and pressure his opponents. He capitalizes on his opponent’s mistimed moves to severely punish them with damaging attacks.
3 Sub-Zero: Mortal Kombat
In terms of character popularity, the Mortal Kombat games revolved around the two iconic ninjas: Scorpion and Sub-Zero. The former is a fire-powered shinobi, while the latter is an ice-powered ninja. Among the two, Sub-Zero is the secondary character since story-wise, Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei clan were responsible for decimating Scorpion’s Shirai Ryu clan which led to Scorpion having an eternal grudge against them.
Sub-Zero uses ice to freeze opponents, opening them up to combos. He can also close the distance by creating slippery ice sheets which he uses to slide towards the enemy; conversely, enemies who step on these ice sheets can lose their footing, giving Sub-Zero the advantage.
2 Kazuya Mishima: Tekken
The story of Tekken has mainly revolved around the Mishima family's ties with the Devil Gene, and specifically the father-son dynamic of Heihachi and Kazuya. With the former seemingly passing away in Tekken 7, the familial fisticuffs are now between Kazuya and Jin.
Jin looks to be the main protagonist in Tekken 8, and this means that his father Kazuya has become the secondary character in the game. Kazuya is well versed in the Mishima style of fighting, with his Electric Wind God Fist uppercut making short work of his enemies. But if he feels extra brutal, he would unleash his Devil form to annihilate his opponents with sheer strength and laser beams.
1 Ken Masters: Street Fighter
Ken Masters, Ryu’s best friend and rival, tops the list of best secondary characters in fighting games. Originally a color-swapped character in the first Street Fighter game, Ken has since carved his own identity in the myriad of games he is in. His stylish and unorthodox fighting style contrasts Ryu’s more deliberate and technical one.
Ryu is known for his ki blasts that zone opponents. Conversely, Ken is more focused on rush down and relies more on his Dragon Fist to close in on enemies. Often depicted as brash and hot-headed, Ken’s moves accurately depict his temperament: once he gets close to his opponent, he can unleash his devastating Shoryureppa to finish off his matches in style.