For anyone who enjoys gaming, few things compare to the hype that a new game announcement brings. But for fighting game enthusiasts like myself, nothing beats a new character reveal for a fighting game. There is a certain art to creating the perfect trailer, and the best in the business are as scream-inducing as they are memorable.
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10
2B – Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
NieR: Automata is no stranger to crossovers, with more than a dozen collaborations under its belt as of this writing. That being said, none of its characters have ever been playable in an anime fighting game. Imagine my surprise when a trailer for Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising dropped, and with 2B as the headliner.
In the reveal, a beautifully remixed version of Weight of the World plays as 2B showcases a moveset combining her own abilities with that of a Pod. Her reveal alone makes me want an entire fighting game based around the NieR series.
9
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Injustice 2
NetherRealm Studios has really leaned into crossovers in the past decade, with both their Injustice and Mortal Kombat franchises having very unexpected character reveals. The first two Injustice games were relatively light though, as only a few Mortal Kombat characters and Hellboy were guest characters at first.
That made it all the more shocking when not one, but all four of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, were simultaneously revealed for Injustice 2. On top of that, the turtles’ personalities are as faithful as it gets, something that is showcased immediately by Michelangelo when he says his opponent will “rage-quit.” Their movesets are unique, the dialogue is corny (as it should be), and despite what you might initially think, they fit in pretty well with the rest of the cast.
With Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes sporting such a large roster, the announcement of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds sparked a lot of discussion regarding new character inclusions. Though Jill had served as a Resident Evil representative in the second game, Albert Wesker’s recent appearance in Resident Evil 5 made him a top request.
When Wesker was finally revealed, it’s safe to say he surpassed expectations. The trailer showcases his abilities perfectly, all while an incredible remix of his theme, Winds of Madness, plays in the background. Even the way he menacingly walked toward Captain America at the beginning was enough to get me out of my seat. I’m not exaggerating when I say I watched that trailer dozens of times the day it dropped.
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Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta – Dragon Ball FighterZ
Until Dragon Ball Super, Super Saiyan 4 (SS4) Gogeta was the undisputed king of Dragon Ball games. If he was included, you knew he was going to be one of the best, if not the best, characters in the game. Dragon Ball FighterZ went through two entire season passes before SS4 Gogeta finally debuted as the third season’s final character, and he was well worth the wait.
Dragon Ball GT‘s opening theme plays as SS4 Gogeta (appropriately) showcases a flashy moveset that perfectly encapsulates the character. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, we get to see the Dramatic Finish of him and Super Saiyan God Gogeta initiating a beam clash at the very end. Having those two go against one another is a fantasy Dragon Ball fans have had since the newest Broly movie, and being able to make it a reality is amazing beyond words.
6
Ridley – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
For the longest time, Ridley was the white whale of Super Smash Bros. Fans had been calling for his inclusion since Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and every ounce of news we got regarding new games in the franchise was accompanied by requests for Ridley. This lasted so long, a meme circulated that Ridley was “too big” and wouldn’t work as a character. That mentality wasn’t helped by the fact that series creator Masahiro Sakurai told IGN why Ridley isn’t playable in Super Smash Bros. a decade ago, noting that the team felt like they couldn’t portray him accurately.
Now, imagine the shock fans experienced when Ridley’s trailer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate actually dropped. Taking out both Mega Man and Mario in brutal fashion, Ridley then proceeds to taunt Samus by twirling Mario’s hat around his finger. Despite him having to be scaled down, his moveset is true to his game appearances, and the Brawl rendition of his theme playing during the trailer makes it that much better.
5
Link – Soulcalibur II
Link’s reveal in Soulcalibur II differs from the other entries on this list due to me learning about him in a commercial. The man in it mentions “Soulcalibur fighters” almost immediately, but I had no idea what he was referring to. All I know is, shortly after, I saw the outline of the Master Sword as it sliced his sword in half. It then cuts to gameplay, and out of nowhere the announcer decrees that Link is an exclusive character for the GameCube version of the game.
Nintendo usually has a tight grip on their IPs, so I couldn’t believe that Namco was able to add a character from The Legend of Zelda. Though Spawn and Heihachi Mishima were on the Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions respectively, there’s no way I couldn’t get the one with Link.
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4
Geese Howard – Tekken 7
On the subject of Heihachi, Geese Howard’s trailer for Tekken 7 was legendary. The main antagonist of the Fatal Fury series joins the Tekken roster by immediately proceeding to display his dominance, taunting Heihachi and telling him to die.
Geese’s theme plays as he beats down half the game’s roster, all while sporadically spitting out one-liners only he is worthy of uttering. Not only is his moveset translated beautifully from a 2D game to a 3D one, but the cold way he says “Now die” as he uses his Rage Art is simply too good for words. My friends who aren’t even fighting game fans were losing it when they saw his trailer, and it’s understandable why.
3
Joker – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is renowned for featuring some of the best video game crossovers of all time, and yet Joker’s inclusion was still on a completely different level than most. Character trailers for fighting games are most often done as part of a stream, as an official announcement, or as a treat at the end of a publisher-endorsed fighting game tournament or event. Joker, on the other hand, “crashed” The Game Awards in glorious fashion.
During the show, Geoff Keighley was casually talking about what was coming up next when the entire room went black, and then Joker showed up to snag a Smash Bros. invitation. Many of the new characters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate received invitations in their trailers, so the latest Persona protagonist being playable was a big deal. It was a creative way to debut the trailer, and it’s still one of the best to date.
2
Akuma – Tekken 7
Tekken 7 first appeared in arcades in 2016 before coming to consoles about a year later. It’s typical for the console version of a fighting game to be very different from its arcade counterpart, due to balance changes, character additions, and even new mechanics, in some cases. Our introduction to the Tekken 7: Fated Retribution arcade update, or Tekken 7 for consoles, was a chilling trailer featuring Akuma from the Street Fighter series.
Akuma being a part of the roster is one thing, but he also has story significance, telling Kazumi Mishima he will kill Heihachi to repay her for saving his life. The trailer highlights his impressive fighting abilities, including his legendary Shun Goku Satsu, or Raging Demon. A simple glance at Akuma is all you need to know he’s not to be trifled with, and his reveal does an excellent job of conveying how powerful and ruthless he is.
This is exemplified further through a nod to the Street Fighter games, with him functioning as a secret final boss in Arcade Mode, if you meet certain conditions.
1
Cloud Strife – Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
To this day, the most memorable fighting game character reveal for me was easily Cloud Strife for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. If you’re at all familiar with Final Fantasy VII, the moment the screen went black and you heard the tune that played, you knew what was coming.
The trailer is nothing short of a love letter to Final Fantasy fans. There are so many references to Final Fantasy VII, such as the beginning re-enacting a random encounter, or Cloud being on the ground next to Zelda and a bunch of flower Pikmin like he was when he first met Aerith. There’s even a reference to him suffering from motion sickness when we see him in a daze aboard the King of Red Lions. Every single one of these moments is instantly recognizable to people who played Final Fantasy VII, and they are wonderfully choreographed in-game.
The latter half of the trailer takes things even further as Final Fantasy VII‘s boss music plays, and Cloud’s Limit Break mechanics are shown off. When you think it can’t possibly get any better, it ends by recreating the iconic Omnislash against Sephiroth, though Cloud uses it on Ike since Sephiroth wasn’t added until Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
I truly feel like I could gush forever about this trailer, and I’m not ashamed to admit it made me cry the first time I saw it.
As far as gaming announcements go, nothing to me can top the excitement and anticipation of a well-made fighting game character trailer. Some tell stories and build up the reveal, others provide non-stop action and references to the character’s original game, but no matter how different they can be, they all elicit an unprecedented amount of enthusiasm.
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