Nothing stays the same. It’s a statement that applies to all things. This is especially true in fighting games, where characters can find themselves going up and down the tier list with each update. At launch, Lily was considered the worst character inStreet Fighter 6due to her unsafe moves and low damage. One year and an update later, Elchakotay used her to win Combo Breaker 2024, a tournament with 1,400+ players. Even Zangief, usually one of the trickier characters to get to grips with inStreet Fighter, has become a test with his new buffs.
That said, other fighting game characters have had even more meteoric rises to the top. These characters went from being considered the lowest of lower tiers to gettinga significant glow-upin their following games.
Diamond in the Rough
Street Fighter 3
Street tighter lans everywhere get a double dose of double trouble with Street Fighter Ill: Double Impact. This explosive street brawl for the Sega Dreamcast contains TWO arcade hits on one CD - Street Fighter I: New Ceneration and Street Fighter Ill: Second Impact. Loaded with a legion of new lighters, Street fighter Ill: Double Impact boasts new enhancements like parrying. Super Art fighting styles and two-punch, two kick fighting styles to inflict more damage.
Starting off gently,Urienwas less a case of a terrible character becoming good, and more players learning his worth over time. He debuted inStreet Fighter 3: Second Impact, an update ofSF3: NGthat improved gameplay across the board. Even so, back in his early days, Urien did little to impress players. Lacking the speed of Ibuki and the mix-ups of Sean, he was often placed just above Hugo, the worst character in the game.
But when players moved on toStreet Fighter 3: Third Strike, they discovered that Urien’s Aegis Reflector had more going for it than just reflecting fireballs. It was also good at opening opponents up for damaging combos. Curious players then went back toSF3: SIand found that his Aegis tactics worked there too. They weren’t quite the same as they were inSF3: TS, but they were still effective enough to rocket him up to A-Tier.
5Elena
From Average African to Killer Kenyan
Some may call this a glow-up. Others might call it a mutation, asElenawent from a middling fighter to a human headache who messed up the meta. In theSF3games, she was a decent character with good reach and normal attacks, but expert players could easily put her in her place. She was so reliant on her EX moves that her single-bar Healing super didn’t help her out much. As such, people weren’t expecting much from her when they learned she’d be inUSF4. Some even thought she’d be one of its worst characters due to its new mechanics like Focus Attacks, etc.
Instead, Elena’s attacks gained more priority, were great at poking, and her Healing move becameher best Ultra Combo. It could only charge while she was taking damage, so she could undo her opponent’s hard work with a single command. With her due to return inSF6in Spring 2025, fans are just glad that the game doesn’t have Ultra moves.
Fatal Fury
Just because someone is the main character in a series doesn’t mean they’ll be top tier, or even mid-tier. Sure, Jin Kazama was the best character inTekken 3, and Liu Kang stood abovethe more popular ninjasinMortal Kombat. ButRock Howard, the new star forGarou: Mark of the Wolves, was right at the bottom of its pile.
He had unsafe moves, fewer safe reversals, and without enough meter to spend on his Shine Knuckle super, he couldn’t effectively deal damage. However, he would gradually improve with each appearance. He did more damage and had better mix-ups inCapcom Vs SNK 2, and later was one of the big hitters inKing of Fighters 15. His speed, damage output, and improved meter use made him a tough nut to crack.
Peace Activist Declares War
Tekken 2
Experience “TEKKEN2”, enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters.Relive the excitement of the white-hot fighting game that lit up the arcades! Skilled fighters from around the world join the King of Iron Fist Tournament to seek fame and glory. Choose one of the unique brawlers, master their techniques, and dominate your opponent as you battle your way to the title of King of Iron Fist!
Tiers aren’t quite as ironclad inTekkenas they are in some other games. Players trying to get the most out ofJun KazamainTekken 2andTekken Tag Tournament 1didn’t have as steep a mountain to climb as, say, someone trying to make Servbot work inMvC2. Even so, she wasn’t as popular as other characters, which led to her being replaced by Jin inTekken 3andher (sort-of) niece AsukainTekken 5.
Jun returned as a boss character forTekken Tag Tournament 2,and didn’t set the world alight there either. But when she made her canon return inTekken 8, she became one of its strongest characters immediately. Her mix-ups were harder to overcome, and her Heat Smash helped her recover gray health while punishing her opponents. It took a bunch of updates to humble her back to mid-tier. Time can only tell if she’ll stay there.
Flying to the Top
X-Men: Children of the Atom
Take control of the X-Men and their fantastic powers in this game based on Street Fighter 2. Super Jumps and combos with plenty of freedom are sure to please any fighting game player!
This one might seem surprising, asStormis generally a force to be reckoned with inherMarvelappearances. She was the cream of the crop inX-Men Vs Street Fighterwith her fast, aerial moves and full-screen supers. Then she became notorious inMarvel Vs Capcom 2where, often with Magneto and Sentinel, she’d be called in with her Hail Storm super to chip her opponent to death.
However, things were different in her fighting game debut,X-Men: Children of the Atom. She still had her high-damage supers and zoning normal attacks. But she was tricky to control, most of her moves left her open on blocks, and she had the lowest stamina in the game (aside from Akuma). One false move, and she’d pay for it hard. Her moves were made safer for the sequels, which ironically made her more dangerous for everyone else.
Striding to Greatness
Super Street Fighter II Turbo
A new phase in the legendary rivalry of the World Warriors has begun. Newcomers Cammy, Dee Jay, T. Hawk and Fei Long have joined the ranks of the Street Fighters in the hopes of becoming the ultimate martial arts champion.But there is another…An ancient foe named Akuma has surfaced to crush the battle-hardened Street Fighters. His power knows few limitations and he has the ability to retire the World Warriors… permanently.There is hope for the heroes, however, as they have prepared for Akuma’s arrival by learning new moves and techniques to combat this deadly new enemy. These new abilities add enough firepower to the mighty cast of characters to make even Akuma realize that he too is in for the fight of his life!This incredible arcade classic challenges your fighting skills with all-new offensive and defensive capabilities for every player! Do you have what it takes to battle your way through a world of opposition? The only way you’ll ever know is to dare to play!
The recentStreet Fighter 6updates buffed Lily and Zangief, but they also did something that fighting game fans probably never thought needed to be done: nerfDeejay. He was one of the New Challengers inSuper Street Fighter 2,where he was more average than anything else. Not bad, but not great. Then came theStreet Fighter 4games.
Deejay’s awkward specials and reliance on charging made him the worst non-joke character by the timeUltra Street Fighter 4came around. His redesign forSF6gave him safer moves, stronger mix-ups, and The Stride™ — his really fast Drive Rush that made him one of thebest rushdown characters in the game. Even with the nerfs, he’s still one to watch out for when playingSF6online.
