Forgotten Fighters
Fighting games will always have a litany of characters. No two fighters are exactly alike, and if they are, there's definitely a reason. In these fighting games, characters come in all shapes, sizes, abilities and the like. And as these games remain in the ether, certain characters get very popular through usage from various gamers. Others, however, don't get that much of a break. And as other games come down the pike, we either see more of or less of some characters for a litany of reasons. I guess what I mean is, for every character that is brought about to represent a game or star in a game, there are those that fall by the wayside, by a small or wide margin.
For this article, I wanted to highlight the characters that I thought were either grossly or slightly left out in the cold when it came down to games and game representation. I've never really done a top 10 list, and in all honesty, I've resisted them for a bevy of reasons (ex. wanting to record it, not offending people, etc). I think it's time I stop waiting. So, today, here are my top listed fighters per game franchise that tend to be forgotten or have been forgotten over the years. For this, I'm using the Screwattack.com list of top fighting games of all time when it comes to franchises. So, here we go:
10. Leopaldon
Leopaldon is one of the two new characters introduced in Guilty Gear Isuka, a Guilty Gear game that was sort of like Smash Brothers crossed with a side-scrolling beat-em-up. The other character, A.B.A. made the transition to the regular fighting game series through Guilty Gear XX Accent Core. As this was the last Guilty Gear incarnation in fighting game form before the latest release, Leopaldon has pretty much fallen by the wayside. I believe he is a boss character that can be unlocked. By the looks of things, it's a dog, controlling a giant demon dog robot of sorts. I would have wished to see him pop up in Accent Core as a character just to complete the cycle. I did hear that he is a hidden character that can be unlocked in GGXX Accent Core Plus for the PS2, but you know how rumors work....
9. Li Long
The Soul weapon series had really taken off as one of the few fighting game series I could get into that was 3-D with weapons. As I am always going to be a fan of Siegfried, I couldn't help but notice that Li Long was literally missing in action for the most part in the games that were released. He was replaced by Maxi in Soul Calibur and Soul Calibur 2, making him missing for two straight games until returning in SC3, only to disappear again for the next 3 games. Unlike Maxi, he carried two nunchakus, as opposed to just one. Also, unlike Maxi, he was a much older character. According to sources, he was replaced by Maxi in an attempt to focus on a much younger fighter in Maxi. I could also remember people stating how difficult it could be to play with Li Long due to his style. Maxi, however, can combo exceptionally easy and well. Talk about a coin flip. That said, Li Long wasn't long for the series, and sadly not long for the world of fighting games.
8. (Tie) Gen An/Earthquake/Wan Fu/Cham Cham/Nicotine Caffeine/Sieger Neinhalt
Samurai Shodown has had a number of titles, from its very first incarnation, to the super popular sequel, to even the intensely violent fifth game's special version. When an incident in Japan occurred in an elementary school classroom where another student was killed, the decision was made to no longer have very violent video games in arcades. Samurai Shodown VI was the first to feel this edict as it is the only Samurai Shodown game to not have blood or death. That said, it's also the only Samurai Shodown game to have virtually every character that appeared in the 2-D games, as well as the only Samurai Shodown game to have every style of play. All six of the characters I just mentioned did not, repeat did not, appear in any of the arcade versions of the SamSho games after part 2 (Cham Cham did appear in SamSho IV, but only for the PS1 port, so it's sort of unofficial)
It was almost as if there was no need to tell the story with these characters at all. It wasn't like they weren't important or integral. They just got replaced with either more potent characters or returning characters, I suppose.
Gen An fought with a claw, resembling Blanka in a way or so. He represented the infamous Shiranui ninja clan that Mai Shiranui was part of. Earthquake was, like Galford, an American ninja. He was also very big and rotund, appearing very, very sparingly with a propensity for theft, farting, and brutality. Wan Fu was a Chinese warlord who wanted to destroy everything he couldn't take for himself. Cham Cham is Tam Tam's younger sister with a giant boomerang and a propensity for using people as cat scratch posts. Nicotine is a mentor for Haohmaru, helping him on his quest to become a great swordsman...as well as spending his free time playing with talisman, smoking, and hoping for donations. Sieger is an muscular knight from Prussia who hopes to protect his kingdom and win over the heart of Charlotte as I've heard.
So what happened? Earthquake and Gen An showed up as cameos in part 4, with Earthquake returning to fighting games with SNK vs. Capcom: Chaos. Cham Cham made numerous cameos in numerous SamSho games, but never returned to battle, unless you owned a Sony Playstation copy of the game. Sieger, Nicotine, and Wan Fu were also practically gone. They had replacements come their way, along with Earthquake in the later games (ex. Gaira Caffeine was big like Wan Fu and related to Nicotine as his nephew, Kusaragedo was the largest person in SamSho history, beating Earthquake by a few sizes, debuting in SamSho 5). It's unfortunate that the only way to see these lost fighters is in SamSho VI. The only way to do that in America is to get SamSho anthology. I did, twice. Don't judge me. :-P
7. Cinder
As I am writing this, I found out that he made it into Killer Instinct for the Xbox One. However, when Killer Instinct many moons ago was but only a Nintendo exclusive, I couldn't understand why he was missing from Killer Instinct 2. Cinder is a like a walking, talking, matchstick. He can and will scorch his competition in the Killer Instinct tournament, put together by an evil organization bent on controlling and creating deadly creatures. I would see Cinder in action and I was in awe almost always. His combos, his moves, his abilities: they were all spot-on excellent. Then, part 2 came, and he disappeared. I never understood why. Was he too cheap a character? Did he just not fit in with the new crew? Whatever the case was, he was left out, until the latest incarnation of Killer Instinct, along with other forgotten folks like Chief Thunder and Riptor. To me, his being left out of KI2 was a very notable one, and notable enough to be placed on this list.
6. Taka-Arashi
Just like Cinder, Taka was added back to the latest game in his franchise, Virtua Fighter. However, unlike Cinder, he would be missing for more than one game. I remember him being showcased heavily in Sega Dreamcast commercials for Virtua Fighter 3. However, once VF4 came, he was gone. Tekken, Virtua Fighter's competition in fighting games kept their sumo wrestler, Ganryu, for every title. Taka was missing for both versions of VF4 and even the first few versions of VF5. It wasn't until Virtua Fighter 5 R where he was added back, making his first appearance in close to a decade. He made for a fun addition as I enjoyed the commercials he was in. Also, having a sumo wrestler for a fighter in games as these is very necessary. Street Fighter made that very clear with E. Honda. Taka gets a place on this list because his removal, although not as notable as Cinder's, was noteworthy for being missing from practically 3 straight games.
5. (Tie) Moloch/Motaro
Mortal Kombat will always be known for its unique characters, its expansive story, and yes, its very violent content. It is, in this case, known for its forgotten characters as well. For this, we come to this tie of massive proportions. Moloch and Motaro have mo' problems being well represented in Mortal Kombat. Both are sub-bosses in their respective games of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and Mortal Kombat 3. Both even pop up more than once in following games, with Moloch as a sub-boss in MK: Armageddon and Motaro as a secret or not-so-secret playable character in Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Both are huge road blocks before the end boss or bosses. Moloch can literally bust you up inside and out with his strikes, quickness, and his ball and chain. Motaro can't be hit with projectiles, can pound you, blast you with a fireball from his tail, and even sweep you with it. Yea, you heard me. Drahmin and Moloch were the best of buddies as prisoners. Motaro is part of the fabled dragon/man race like Goro and Kintaro, although possibly not directly, as Motaro is part man, part dragon, and part centaur. I'm not making that up.
All that said, both characters have been practically neglected from appearing in prominent or even playable roles in later games. Both MK9 and MKX have had these characters pop up, but mostly as cameos. They aren't even sub-bosses. I'm guessing it's due to their lack of appeal. Goro still remains one of the most popular and prominent sub-bosses in the game, and Kintaro has even returned a few times, be it as DLC or as a hidden character. Heck, Kintaro was even part of a fatality done by Shang Tsung. These two, well, they didn't cut the mustard, sadly. Even more sad, they have all that size and power....and nothing really more to show for it.
4. (Tie) Pichu/Wolf O'Donnell
I'm not going to get into the whole debate as to whether or not Smash Bros is a fighting game. So, no, I won't go there. These two are here because, like it or not, believe it or not as you will, Smash Bros is a fighting game, and a rather unique one. I kind of liken it to its distant cousin in a way, Power Stone. But, that's another kettle of fish that I opened years ago. Anyhoo, these two have definitely fallen by the wayside in the pantheon of Smash Bros and its universe.
Pichu was a hidden character in SSBM. It is Pikachu's earlier form before it turns into Pikachu. It has the same moves as Pikachu, only it takes damage when it does them. This also goes for other heavy and powered moves, just like it does in Pokemon games. Wolf was a hidden character in SSBB. He is the head of the Star Wolf team, a mercenary flying outfit working directly with Andross in order to stop the StarFox team from succeeding in stopping Andross. His moves are like Fox's, only he's much slower. He's also much stronger.
When Pichu was left out of future SSB games, fouls were cried. However, the only explanation given was that clone characters were not helpful in adding more characters. Although there are notable tweaks to certain characters to keep them from being distinct clones, Pichu didn't have many tweaks that could be made, sadly. As for Wolf, he was different enough, but I don't make the call as to who is in or out. You can make a version of Wolf if you customize Fox to be just like him with custom moves. And with Lucas in as DLC, it is possible that Wolf could return.
3. (Tie) SonSon/Ruby Heart/Amingo/Cable/Marrow
Yea, there are a lot of ties. But, there are a lot of game franchises that have people missing in action. These five are no different. When Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 was announced, these five were the only new characters of note that were not ported from any previous Capcom games. Sadly, this was the only Capcom games they would appear in of note, as playable characters. Yes, even with Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom and Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and its later versions, they didn't appear at all.
Cable is the son of Cyclops sent into the future to cure his affliction to the Legacy virus. He returned to the present for one key purpose: destroy Apocalypse, the mutant who ravaged his future time. Marrow was a member of the outcast mutant group known as the Morlocks. She can grow bones out of her skin and fashion them into weapons. SonSon is the star of the Capcom game, SonSon, which is loosely based on the legend of the monkey king Amingo is an anthropomorphic cactus looking for a wind that is destroying plant life around him. The rumor is that the game he was to be involved in was never made. Ruby Heart is a pirate who is searching for the armor of erosion, which belongs to the final boss, Abyss. She looks to make profit from it as well as save the world, so she enlists the help of the other fighters in the game.
I was really saddened to see that they didn't get a chance to be in any other games. I feel that the reason was that their existence was primarily contained to that of this game as it allowed them to do much more as characters. However, I would have enjoyed seeing Cable or Marrow in MVC3. Then again, with the legal issues and copyrights that go with certain Marvel characters, specifically mutants, I can see why it would be impossible to have Cable or Marrow in that game. For those of you who do have a copy of MVC2, cherish it, because you'll never see it in reproduction of any kind....possibly ever again.
2. Ken Masters
I know what you're thinking. How is he on this list, and even this high? Indulge me for a bit, if you will. It's not that Ken is forgotten. Far from it, actually. He appears as many times in games as humanly possible or not. Well, he did. When it comes to games after the early crossovers, he shows up a lot. But, after that, his representation is very, very franchise-contained to only Street Fighter. I find that very, very uncool.
We know the story: Ken is Ryu's training partner and rival. They both trained with Gouken in the martial arts many years before street fighting. As they finally got the opportunity, they battled other fighters on different paths to excellence. Every now and again, they cross paths and do battle. The battles get closer and closer as their training brings them closer and closer as equals.
When Capcom needed representation in various games, Ryu got top billing, and for good reason. He's the star of Street Fighter and its most notable character, along with Capcom's most notable mascot. However, if it is a fighting game that you're putting him in, why not bother to put Ken in as well? Many a time I had to settle with choosing Ryu for a character I could be comfortable with. Is there no room for love for Ken? The latest this has occurred in other than Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom was Super Smash Bros for the Wii U and 3DS. Well, Ken did show up in a way. His theme songs are there...and so is a trophy of him. Yea...not going to cut it. Now, he did appear in Street Fighter X Tekken. However, with Ryu in Smash Wii U and Ken nowhere to be found, it does put an itch on my bum. But, he's not nearly as bad as #1....
1. Andy Bogard
When I first heard about Fatal Fury, I had to play it. After playing it and getting into it, I found each character very unique and interesting. Andy was pretty much up there on that list. Terry and Andy Bogard made it their quest to get even with Geese Howard, the crime lord martial artist that killed their foster father. Once that was done, Andy committed to studying the arts of the ninja fully while taking part in different tournaments. He met the love of his life, Mai Shiranui, joined his brother in the new King of Fighters tournament for teams, and even took on a new pupil. However, that was apparently enough to merit his disappearance from a litany of games connected to Fatal Fury. He was missing from King of Fighters 2003 until King of Fighters XII. Why does he get #1? When he was missing from those games or even before, he was missing from practically every crossover game that SNK took part in that time frame. No CVS, no CVS2 (really fail on that part), and I believe even SNK Vs. Capcom: chaos. His style was made for these type of games. Why, oh why was he left out? Talk about neglect. I mean to go until about close to 10 years and not appear in a game...yikes. Gladly, he's back. But, the wait, was so long. I still can't believe he was left out of CVS 2.
And, that's the article. Leave a comment, subscribe to the blog, rate it and such. I feel that these fighters have gotten lost in the ether in a way or so over the years. But, thankfully, some if not all of them are being remembered and returning to form in a way. I will say this before I sign off here. Honorable mention goes to each and every member of Darkstalkers that have not appeared in anything other than their own game. It's bad enough the game is vastly underrated. Only a slight few have made it to other games, with some of them great, and some not so great (Capcom Fighting Evolution). A little more love for our merry monsters, eh?
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