5 Best Guest Characters in Fighting Game History

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Fighting games are known for their iconic characters, and they’re a major reason people start playing. Whether it’s a unique fighting style or a cool design, characters are crucial for developers to nail. Some games even add guest characters from other franchises to make things even more interesting. Here’s my list of the five best guest characters in fighting game history, with a rule: I’ve only included one character per franchise to give a variety of series some recognition – you won’t see a list dominated by characters from just one game like Mortal Kombat.

Here are the five best guest characters in fighting game history.

5) The Baz – Divekick

Okay, so I recently checked out Divekick, and it’s seriously the weirdest fighting game I’ve ever played. The whole thing is a joke – you literally only have two moves: dive and kick! Sounds simple, right? But there’s actually a surprising amount of strategy involved. The characters are all parodies of fighting game tropes and famous fighters. Like, Kung Pao is obviously a riff on Kung Lao from Mortal Kombat. Then you’ve got Dr. Victoria Shoals, who’s a mix of Dr. Doom from Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and… Dr. Scholl’s, the footcare company! But honestly, one character, The Baz, is a bit too obscure – I needed a guide to even get the reference!

Originally, a character named Zubaz was designed for Street Fighter 2 but never made it into the game. However, fans discovered early artwork of this bearded, rope-and-spike-covered character and quickly embraced him. Zubaz became a sort of unofficial mascot for the Two Best Friends Play YouTube channel. When the fighting game Divekick was funded through Kickstarter, the YouTubers contributed to get Zubaz included. The developers, Iron Galaxy, had to rename him The Baz due to legal issues, and that’s how he became a playable character.

4) Mega Man – Street Fighter X Tekken

When fans heard Mega Man was joining the Street Fighter X Tekken roster in 2012, it felt incredible. Mega Man is a beloved character, so the idea of seeing him in a new fighting game was really exciting. But then, the developers showed off what he would look like.

Instead of using the classic Mega Man design, the developers chose the awkward character featured on the original 1987 game box. Watching this surprisingly out-of-shape version of Mega Man fight is both funny and a little disturbing. While ‘Bad Box Art Mega Man’ might not be the strongest fighter, he’s guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

3) Akuma – X-Men: Children of the Atom

Akuma first appeared as a secret, incredibly difficult boss in Super Street Fighter II Turbo. However, unlocking him gave players access to a very powerful character. Later, when Capcom created X-Men: Children of the Atom, they surprisingly decided to include Akuma in the game, even though it was a Marvel-based fighting title.

It seemed like a strange decision at the time, and Capcom didn’t really explain it, but it turned out to be crucial. This choice ultimately allowed for the creation of X-Men vs. Street Fighter, which then led to the hugely popular Marvel vs. Capcom series. Had Akuma not been unexpectedly included in Children of the Atom, fighting game fans might have never experienced one of the genre’s greatest franchises.

2) Link – Soul Calibur 2

Similar to Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur is famous for including characters from other franchises. Over the years, the game has featured guests like Yoda, Darth Vader, Heihachi Mishima, and Geralt of Rivia, but Link in Soul Calibur 2 felt the most natural and integrated into the game’s world.

Soul Calibur is a fighting game centered around weapon-based combat. The addition of Link, wielding the Master Sword, felt incredibly natural and like a perfect fit. Considering the series’ history of guest characters, Link is widely considered the best one yet.

1) Predator – Mortal Kombat X

It feels strange to focus on just one guest character for the Mortal Kombat series, especially since NetherRealm Studios has added so many in recent games. So, I wouldn’t mind if you swapped Predator for Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Omni-Man, or any of the other guest fighters from past MK titles.

Ultimately, I believe Predator is the better addition due to the bonus content it brings. While Predator is a fantastic character with enjoyable abilities and a cool design, and has some funny moments with other characters, the Jax skin you unlock is the real highlight.

The Predator pack allows players to customize Jax as Al Dillon, Carl Weathers’ character from the original Predator movie. NetherRealm Studios even brought Weathers in to record new dialogue! The fun really takes off when you dress Johnny Cage as a commando and have the two characters battle. Instead of their normal pre-fight conversation, they perform the famous handshake scene with Arnold Schwarzenegger – a truly memorable addition to Mortal Kombat.

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2026-01-16 00:10