One cannot overstate the importance of characters in a fighting game. We play these games in large part because we want the power fantasy that comes with being that character. It’s probably even more important than having tournament-level balance or a deep feature set.

Reflecting on my own life, there are so many examples where my character selection was the primary driver of my enjoyment in a fighting game. Discovering Rose in Street Fighter IV changed my life, as she and I melded into one being while climbing to the top of the leaderboards. The Marvel vs. Capcom series intimidated the hell out of me until Wolverine slashed his way into my heart. Despite my fundamental issues with Street Fighter V, I played that game for way longer because Rashid mobility and aggressive offense were so fun to use. Fight of Gods is a straight-up bad game, but I still found enjoyment out of playing as Jesus while making great use of his juggle combos.

Most recently, I’ve been dabbling with Fantasy Strike. Exploring what each character has to offer, my quest for a main character has taken me in an unusual direction.

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