7 Most Overpowered Characters in Fighting Games, Ranked

Competitive fighting game players are always trying to improve their chances of winning. While practice is key, choosing a powerful character can give you an advantage. In Street Fighter 6, for instance, characters like JP and Ryu are popular choices for those aiming to win. You can certainly succeed with characters like Lily, but at high-level tournaments like the Capcom Cup 11, you’ll notice players consistently using certain characters for a reason. However, some characters are so strong that using them in competition might be seen as unfair or an easy win by other players.

This list highlights seven of the most overpowered characters in fighting games. I’ve generally avoided including boss characters – like Gill from Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike – but a few were too strong to exclude.

7) Kabal

Mortal Kombat (2011)

Kabal in Mortal Kombat 9 is one of the fastest characters ever created for the series. His attacks are so quick and frequent that they’re very hard for opponents to dodge or block, as they happen faster than most players can respond.

Kabal is notorious for his ability to quickly stun opponents in the air, allowing him to launch relentless combos that can defeat them instantly. He became so dominant in online matches that many players would simply quit as soon as they saw he’d been selected.

6) Pet Shop

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future

Most JoJo players avoid using Pet Shop in matches, which really shows how powerful he is. He’s difficult to hit due to his small size, moves in unpredictable ways, deals a lot of damage, and has many options to keep opponents guessing. Basically, Pet Shop excels at everything a fighting game character needs.

However, the main reason players avoid using this character is its incredibly powerful and unavoidable ice attacks. These attacks allow for long, damaging combos that are difficult to defend against, leaving opponents confused and defeated. While technically beatable, most JoJo players simply prefer to avoid the challenge of facing it.

5) Yoda

Soulcalibur 4

Okay, so when I first heard Soulcalibur 4 was getting Darth Vader and Yoda, I was hyped! Guest characters are always a blast, and those two Star Wars legends seemed like a perfect fit for the game. But then we actually played as Yoda… and things got interesting, to say the least.

Yoda is small, making him hard to hit with standard attacks, and opponents can’t grab him. This combination makes him incredibly difficult to defeat, allowing him to use his quickness to win fights. While he doesn’t do a lot of damage, it’s not a problem when your enemies can’t land a blow.

4) Storm

Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

In Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (MVC2), some characters are significantly stronger than others. While characters like Magneto, Sentinel, and Cable are very powerful, Storm is considered the most dominant. Her flexible abilities and devastating combos make her the best of the game’s already powerful characters.

Storm becomes incredibly powerful once she builds enough meter to use her Hail Storm Hyper Combo – it’s arguably the best in the game. Combined with her Typhoon attack (though the repeated voice line can be grating), she can relentlessly pressure opponents. She’s also very mobile and performs well against all characters. Her main weakness is a lower health pool, but you’ll likely defeat enemies before that becomes a problem.

3) Akuma

Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo

Fans of fighting games often use the term “Akuma-like” to describe certain characters. This is because Akuma, a popular demon character from the original Street Fighter 2, is very well-regarded, and many game developers have tried to create similar characters based on his design and appeal.

Akuma is a powerful character primarily because of his incredible speed. While players never fought a full-strength boss version, even the playable version of Akuma was often banned in tournaments. This demonstrates just how devastating his speed and attack power were in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo.

2) Meta Knight

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

As a huge Smash Bros. fan, I have to say Meta Knight in Brawl is just broken! He’s so good that people often put him in his own separate ‘SS’ tier – basically the best of the best. Honestly, there’s nothing bad about playing as him. His Galaxia sword does a ton of damage, and he has amazing ways to get back to the stage, making it super hard to knock him out. He’s just a really complete character!

Meta Knight is often considered an unfairly powerful character in fighting games. He was so strong in Brawl that he was frequently banned from tournaments, and when allowed, players often dominated using him. Fortunately, his ranking has decreased in newer games, and Smash Ultimate now features a much more competitive field with many top contenders.

1) Ivan Ooze

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition

Ooze is a powerful boss character, and I wasn’t sure if I should include him on this list. However, he’s unique because, unlike most bosses, he’s fully unlocked when players get him. You’ll need to complete Story Mode on Hard to get the unlock code, but once you do, you’ll have access to his complete abilities.

This character excels at aerial combat, making it difficult for opponents to land attacks on the ground. He can rapidly launch multiple, tracking attacks, many of which are invulnerable. He’s also unaffected by throws. While he can’t block, his ability to fly above opponents renders that disadvantage irrelevant.

Typically, final boss characters in games are incredibly powerful, but developers usually don’t let players use them in regular matches to keep the game fair. Ivan Ooze, however, is an exception – he’s widely considered the most overpowered character ever created for a fighting game.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/gaming/list/every-mortal-kombat-game-ranked-from-worst-to-best/embed/#

2025-11-01 23:43