Broken characters are not a strange concept for fighting game fans, as even the most cherished and acclaimed franchises within the genre have a few within their mix.
But which among this wide array of infamous faces can be considered the strongest, or for some, most unfair? For all looking to see where their worst nightmares sit at the table, here are the 10 most broken fighting game characters in history.
Although one of the most fragile members of its roster, Phoenix opens our list for one reason above all, she has a boss-like second phase. To be more specific, Phoenix can turn into Dark Phoenix and recover all of her HP in all MvC3 versions if defeated while having five-meter bars. But like most bosses, she does not simply rise from the ashes, as the health regen is paired with a full-screen Hyper, a 20% All DMG boost, and the ability to perform enhanced versions of all of her already upper-tier moves.
As a statement of how good the character is, even after being heavily nerfed with the release of Marvel Vs Capcom Ultimate, Phoenix is still one of the most broken members of its roster to this day.
9. Hilde (SoulCalibur IV)
One of the most straightforward characters here, Soulcalibur IV‘s Hilde terrorized the community in the game’s heyday given her long-range and known Doom Combo, which allows her to either get a guarantee ring-out from almost anywhere in most stages or start a massively damaging loop by chaining set charged attacks.
To no one’s surprise, that caused her to be eventually banned from multiple tournaments, as matches involving her would often end as soon as she managed to score a hit.
8. Bayonetta (Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS)
In 2016, Nintendo decided to stay true to a fraction of Bayonetta’s true power for her debut as the final DLC of Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS (or 4), which resulted in the Umbra Witch being able to zero-to-death targets no matter her placement by performing Witch Twist mixups. But wait, what if you beat her to the punch? In this case, she can, to this day, lock you in place by performing Witch Time for a guaranteed combo as well as stop you on your tracks from a distance by using a wide array of different projectiles that, if hit, will open you for a TOD.
Even if nerfed heavily since her debut, it’s no surprise why many still dread meeting Bayonetta when returning to SSB4 on either its native platforms or on the Nintendo Switch.
7. Pet Shop (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future)
One of the most well-known broken characters in fighting game history and a highlight in a game famous for its unbalance, Heritage for the Future’s Pet Shop is the definition of a frustrating matchup, as apart from being able to automatically avoid lows and flying to create distance, he can also make use of homing projectiles and hit you at all times by dropping stalagmites with his Icicle Break Special.
The latter is what segments his spot here, as his ability to use the ability while being attacked and freely act while his projectiles are on the screen allows Pet Shop to perform multiple unblockable mixups, many known to lead to TODs.
6. Sailor Uranus (Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S: Jougai Rantou!? Shuyaku Soudatsusen)
Arc System Works’s Sailor Moon S is, for many, the most broken fighting game ever released, given its over-the-top damage calculations and easy TODs, but no member of its roster comes close to Sailor Uranus. The reason for that does not lie in her damage or the various applications of one of her specials. Instead, it’s all about her broken Shadow Dash move, which allows Uranus to traverse almost the entire screen at unmatched speed and becomes invincible if performed as a reversal when on the player 2 side.
The above allows her to both avoid most attacks and perform easy punishers, which can lead to her TODs and a few highly damaging special moves. Like most characters here, Uranus is currently banned from many competitions.
5. Lab Coat Android 21 (Dragon Ball FighterZ)
Lab Coat Android 21 is both Dragon Ball FighterZ ‘s last DLC character and one of the most recent personifications of DLC-meta. The reason? She was in a league of her own at launch by having both no noticeable weaknesses and the ability to lower the DMG of enemies by 21% while also increasing her Special DMG by the same amount through her Photon Pulse command grab —which, of course, could be easily performed mid-combo for a guaranteed hit.
The above led to the character being slightly nerfed a few months post its release, as well as banned from multiple tournaments. Today, Lab Coat 21 is still considered a top tier, even if she is no longer alone at the top.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl‘s version of Meta Knight is considered by many as the most broken character the Smash franchise has ever produced, a title he earned in part given his phenomenal mobility, omnidirectional moves, and ability to juggle opponents to oblivion through his Shuttle Loop attack. The biggest reason, however, lies in his ability to stall, as Meta Knight players can force time-out wins by both planking and then siz-zagging (or scrooging) below the arena or by performing his vanishing move Dimensional Cape before making a series of key inputs to trigger a glitch and stop him from reappearing.
As a surprise to no one, the above saw Kirby’s rival being banned from multiple competitions, while those who still consider him legal decided to apply specific rules to guarantee fair play.
3. Gill (Street Fighter 2nd Impact and 3rd Strike)
Another character capable of resurrecting, Gill is infamously considered the most broken character in the Street Fighter 3 series, which says a lot considering the series’ other great surprises, such as 2nd Impact’s Ibuki.
Available for the first time in the home console port of 2nd Impact, Gill brings to the field all you can expect of a boss character by pairing his already-mentioned ability to come back at full life with unblockable AoE suppers and the ability to deal massive amounts of chip damage, the latter which can cause you to be defeated without him having to land a single clear hit. To top it all off, he can also perform TODs.
2. Akuma (Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo)
Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo‘s Akuma is both one of the most ruthless bosses in fighting game history and one of its most broken fighters. Showcasing what I can only assume to be a lore-accurate description of the Destroyer of the Heavens, Akuma can send off extremely fast projectiles, has access to an unbelievable on-air fireball, and can perform improved versions of all of Ryu and Ken’s moves. That is then paired with the highest damage in the game and an ability to —like Pet Shop— perform unblockable mixups at will.
1. Ivan Ooze (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition)
The most infamous face when the subject is broken characters and by far the most unfair to ever be featured in a fighting game, MMPR: The Fighting Edition‘s Ivan Ooze is a nightmare capable of performing a wide array of spammable and multi-hit homing moves, most of which possess invincible variants. Also, did I mention that he is immune to throws, is the only character in the game capable of flying, and makes his inability to block meaningless through the way all of his moves —that’s right, all of them— can lead to TODs?
Now that you know who are the most broken characters to ever debut in a fighting game, don’t forget to also check out the 10 best fighting games that aren’t Street Fighter, Tekken, or MK.
