5 Worst Guest Characters In Fighting Game History

Those familiar with Fighting Games can acknowledge that guest characters are sometimes a double-edged sword, sometimes being the best and worst aspect of a certain title. When done right, guest characters are extremely exciting characters from other series who fight dynamic battles with classic fighters from an established franchise. However, when done poorly, guests can be an annoying nuisance, and sometimes a hindrance for the game as a whole.

Some games have a pace and atmosphere that perfectly compliments the guest characters they add, such as Jason Voorhees and the Predator’s inclusion in Mortal Kombat X. Most of the time, 1v1 fighting games have a better chance at adding guests to their roster, as it’s harder to justify outside figures coming into an already populated tag-team fighting game. The worst guests tend to not fit a game’s systems or vibes well at all, making their original fans and players of a fighting game upset all at the same time.

5. Yoda (Soul Calibur 4)

Soul Calibur 4‘s has perhaps the most well-known inclusion of guest characters besides Mortal Kombat, with legendary Star Wars characters Yoda and Darth Vader in the game. Yoda was available in the Xbox 360 version of the title, while Darth Vader was exclusive for PS3 users. Meanwhile, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed‘s protagonist Starkiller was available in both editions if players completed arcade mode with Yoda or Darth Vader. Yet, while Darth Vader and Starkiller were impressive additions, Yoda led to some problems.

For starters, while the Jedi Master’s acrobatic fighting style was translated well, his stature easily made him the most dominant character in Soul Calibur 4. This led to Yoda being banned from most tournaments, as many other fighters in the game simply couldn’t hit him with their attacks. Having a short character in a fighting game is hardly new, proven by many examples in modern titles from the genre. Without any regulations to account for Yoda’s size, though, he was far too “broken” and “OP” to ever be described as the perfect guest character.

4. Mega Man (Street Fighter x Tekken)

When people think of Mega Man, they have a pretty clear idea of the Blue Bomber’s iconic look from Mega Man 2, or even the changes to their appearance in the Mega Man X games. What they don’t imagine is the design that was used in Street Fighter x Tekken, where Mega Man was a middle-aged man in a yellow and blue suit. Also known as “Bad Box Art Mega Man,” this character’s look was an homage to to the 1987 North American box art of the first Mega Man, which included a strange depiction that became a joke.

This box cover is still considered to be one of the worst of all time, making for a fun repeat of the joke for Street Fighter x Tekken. That being said, considering Mega Man‘s esteemed history in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, his inclusion as a strange reference in perhaps the biggest fighting game crossover at the time feels poorly timed. This version of Mega Man could have been an alternate skin, but the game features a full story arc for the bad box art version, souring fans opinions on an already divisive title.

3. The Terminator (Mortal Kombat 11)

Mortal Kombat is no stranger to guest characters, both good and bad. Following the theme of iconic 80’s films, Mortal Kombat 11 aimed to follow up on Mortal Kombat X‘s inclusion of the Alien and Predator with other rival action series. This meant that John Rambo, Robocop, and The Terminator were all put into the roster as visiting figures. With Spawn and the Joker, the Terminator stands out as likely the worst guest in the game for a variety of reasons.

The Terminator, unlike Rambo and Robocop, does not feature voice work from the original actor, which is somewhat jarring in some pre-fight dialogues. This is hardly an issue, though, as the main problems with the Terminator come from the character’s gameplay. Many of the Terminator’s attack animations are stiff or simple, with hardly any of them highlighting the character’s defining characteristics from the source material it is from.

In fact, the only way players can see the iconic robotic exoskeleton of the Terminator is during an optional move that is practically useless in any match. The only technology at the Terminator’s disposal is a time sphere they can use to teleport, but other than that, the character is outclassed by others on the roster. Kano’s cyber eye beams provide more futuristic feel, while Erron Black has better gunplay, making the Terminator feel awkward to play compared to even Mortal Kombat‘s usual selection of fighters.

2. Conan the Barbarian (Mortal Kombat 1)

Unfortunately, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s characters can’t seem to catch a break in Mortal Kombat games, as Mortal Kombat 1‘s extensive array of DLC couldn’t save Conan the Barbarian from being represented poorly in the game. MK1 has good guest characters, with Ghostface and the T-1000 making up for Mortal Kombat 11‘s less interesting implementations by comparison. Other faces like Omni-Man from the Invincible comic series and Homelander from The Boys help elevate the guests in the game, but also make Conan feel out of place.

Compared to superpowered flight, eye lasers, and even DC’s Peacemaker commanding a bald eagle ally, the guest characters in Mortal Kombat 1 set the bar far too high for Conan to compete with. Conan’s gameplay is fairly basic, with his use of a massive bastard sword providing some excitement with unique juggle properties on rival fighters. Yet, when considering the five other guest characters in the game, Conan almost feels like “too much,” without anything special to make him memorable on the game’s extensive roster of ninjas, gods, and sorcerers.

1. Christiano Ronaldo (Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves)

People from the real world becoming guest characters in a fighting game is already strange, making it extra odd that Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has two of them on their main roster. One such figure is Christiano Ronaldo, the soccer superstar who was chosen for the cast of Fatal Fury‘s comeback over long-existing fighters integral to some of the genre’s most defining titles. This alone already made fans aggravated at Ronaldo’s inclusion, despite admittedly interesting gameplay with fancy footwork and setups using a soccer ball.

The controversies surrounding Ronaldo make his inclusion as a guest controversial as well, with some fans even outright refusing to buy City of the Wolves due to his inclusion. Ronaldo’s history of charges related to sexual assault and other scandals have created a figure that most games would tend to avoid to be spared from negative marketing. If anything, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves‘ hype was derailed the most through Ronaldo as a guest, easily making him one of the worst in the genre from statistics alone.

What guest character do you think is the worst among fighting games? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!