Top 10 Virtua Fighter Characters

Making his debut in Virtua Fighter 4 is the shadowy assassin working for J6 – more on them later. Using Judo to crush his opponents into oblivion, his personality is dark and sadistic after the death of his father at the hands of a jealous associate. Brought up in a J6 facility and brutally trained, he’ll use his grappling techniques to get in close and finish the job. Once he has a hold, you’ll quickly find yourself under his heel begging for mercy.

Unique among fighting game characters, her introduction in Virtua Fighter 3 brought a surprisingly peaceful fighter to the mix. A student from Japan, she fights with Aiki Ju-Jutsu utilizing reversals to subdue her opponents. While she can go on the offensive with vicious strikes and crazy throws, being able to reverse nearly every move in the game brings a zen-like approach to her matches, provided you’re good enough to predict the next move. Her motivation for fighting is simply to test herself between her hobbies of Japanese paper fan dancing and ikebana instead of some sinister and selfish purpose.

While most Virtua Fighter characters have styles based on real Martial Arts, it’s Pai Chan’s father, Lau, who invented one all his own. A leading Chinese chef, he is the master of the legendary martial art Koen-Ken: Tiger Swallow Fist. Lau is a master of strikes and can dish out a flurry of punches and kicks that would devastate anyone. His circular attacks help round out his repertoire ensuring no one can predict his next move, and those who can master his style will find a fighter who can knock out his opponent before the main course is served.

With kicks like that, don’t get on her bad side. A college student from San Francisco, Jacky Bryant's sister is now targeted by J6 to become the next Dural. They previously kidnapped and brainwashed her, but thankfully she’s back to normal. She’s currently the CEO of the Bryant Conglomerate proving that she’s not just a pretty face. She’s quite the catch, and for all you bachelors out there, she also loves to skydive. But with Jeet Kune Do, she can lay a flurry of kicks in no time so she won’t have to rely on her brother for protection.

Beware the throws of this giant. As professional wrestler from Canada, he started out as a First Nations woodsman and hunter in the Canadian wilderness. He was soon discovered on a scouting trip by a professional wrestling promoter to the dismay of his future opponents – and the rest is arcade cabinet history. Using devastating throws and grappling techniques, you better hope he doesn’t get his hands on you. Wolf is a beast in the ring, dwarfing nearly all opponents. He may be an entertainer at heart, but he’ll finish you in no time.

Inspired by the Legend of Drunken Master, Jackie Chan would be proud of this interpretation. A herbal doctor from China who uses Drunken Kung Fu and is considered a sage among his peers, Shun di is definitely not the most straight forward of fighters, but he is hilarious. The more he drinks, the more deadly combos becomes available to him. He’s surprisingly agile for his age, and can move around the ring in no time. He’ll make you see double before the match is through.

"Kage-Maru" is the name given to members of the Hagakure clan who work in secret in the shadows of society. His birthright was to become the tenth-generation Kage-Maru. His father, the ninth-generation Kage-Maru, taught him the fearsome Hagakure-ryu Ju-Jutsufighting technique. Now he fights to avenge his father's murder at the hands of J6, who also took his mother and transformed her into Dural. As a ninja, he moves quickly and can cripple his opponents with ease. He’s a force to be reckoned with.

A race car driver who uses Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do, Sarah's brother is often cocky but effective in the ring. He has a wide variety of moves at his disposal, and his love of speed is evident in everything he does. He may be fast, but not fast enough to avoid a car crash in the Indianapolis 500 thanks to the tampering of J6. With J6 targeting his sister for experimentation, his anger towards the organization has put them in his sights. He’s gunning for them now, and there will be hell to pay.

Virtual Fighter’s end boss and the result of experimentation by J6. An android-like creature, the first model was based on Kage-Maru's kidnapped mother. Her name was Tsuki-kage and she used to be a kunoichi. When the mysterious corporation J6, aka Judgement 6, noticed her exemplary fighting ability and resilient body, they captured her and used her as a prototype for their terrifying Dural project. She fights with a mix of all the other characters' styles curating the best and most deadly moves in the game. When you face her, you know you’re in a world of hurt.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions:

Brad Burns

Lion Rafale

Virtual Fighter Kids

Lei Fei

El Blaze

The epitome of what makes a great fighter, he constantly strives to improve himself to become the ultimate Martial Artist. His motto is that “None shall harm me, and I shall harm no others.” Maybe someone should tell him his Bājíquán (Bay-Gee-Ch-ahm) fighting style can devastate opponents in no time. After completing his training under his grandfather's tutelage at the age of 23, who had developed the fighting style during the second World War, Akira went on a quest to test his abilities.When he got word of the 1st World Fighting Tournament, he decided to enter simply to test himself. Akira’s passion for fighting extends to his desire to understand the true spirit of fighting, and that’s what Virtua Fighter is all about.

Do you agree with our list? Who’s your favourite Virtua Fighter character? For more knockout Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.