Every fighting game needs your basic strong willed hero... The Hero usually has the most basic, straight forward moves in which define the particular game he or she is featured in. Even though this may not be the case in all fighting games, everyone usually knows how to play this character.

"THE RIVAL"

  

To counter The Hero, a rival usually always exists. In many cases, The Rival either fights a lot (or nearly the same) as The Hero. However, the personalities of The Rival and The Hero are usually complete opposites. Sometimes The Rival has a "friendly" relationship with The Hero, but other times, it's pure hatred between the two.

"THE QUIET"

  

The cool and quiet persona is no doubt a trait of some of the coolest characters in fighting game history. This character usually speaks softly, but also carries a big stick. Of course this character's moves may contrast their passive personality. Unlike some of the other personas, The Quiet isn't one for words; he or she speaks with their fighting skills alone.

"THE LOUD"

 

The opposite of The Quiet, the loud and over-confident persona is a nice contrast. While the storylines between the two may not be directly related, there is usually a clear type of rivalry between them. This character is many times "comic relief" for their particular fighting game.

"THE HEROINE"

 

Every fighting game needs that beautiful girl on the cover, who can also kick ass too. While most fighting games these days have more than one hot ass kicking babe, there's always one that stands out as "The heroine." The other girls may fit into some of the other personas.

"THE OUTCAST"

 

To keep things from being monotonous, no fighting game would be complete without The Outcast, also know as the "freak." This character usually has the most unique or most obscure moves of the game. The storyline for this character is most likely off the subject of the general story line of the game. It's also quite common for a fighting game to have more than one outcast.

"THE BIG GUY"

 

Just what would a fighting game be without the huge muscle-head. In most cases, this character is some type of wrestler. You can count on The Big Guy to be slow but powerful, sometimes low on smarts, and usually easily irritable, but he's going to pack a lot of power behind his attacks. And yes, The Big is usually always male.

"THE CUTE GIRL"

 

Sometimes a rival to The Heroine, The Cute Girl (usually younger than The Heroine) attempts to steal the spotlight from The Heroine. She usually has a completely unique fighting style and is also, in most cases, a hot piece of ass.

"THE LADIES MAN"

 

The womanizer or the "pretty boy" is a common persona seen in most fighting games. The Ladies Man may appear overly flamboyant or even mildy feminine in some cases, but almost always has a "cool factor" to go along with it. While his moves may suffer, at least his getting the chicks at the end. Sometimes this character is actually interested in The Heroine or The Cute Girl.

"THE RICH"

 

The Rich is a fighter who doesn't have much to prove, but like to gloat about what they have in the bank. They are usually conceited, arrogant, and rude; but in most cases, still have solid fighting technique. The Rich usually fights as a hobby more than anything.

 

The Psycho, like The Outcast, brings variety to the roster filled with the more straight forward personalities. The Psycho's mental state is far from stable, and he or she may even have evil ambitions deep down inside. Also listen for the trademark crazy laugh, and watch out for merciless and brutal fighting moves.

"THE OLD"

 

Usually sporting some sort of Kung Fu robe and a long white beard, this persona is one of the most notorious of all. The old kung fu master persona is a tribute to the martial arts masters who have preceeded us and who are still alive to this day.

"THE MYSTERY"

 

The true identy of The Mystery is usually hidden. The Mystery persona is a more rare persona, and in most cases, little is known about these characters; especially when they first appear. Several of them are seen in backgrounds of fighting games before their fighting game debut.

"THE GOOF OFF"

 

A newer, and more rare, type of persona for fighting games; The Goof Off is many times a spin-off of a more serious character, such as The Hero. It's common for The Good Off not to take fighting as seriously as the others. The Goof Off does pull off the win, no doubt it will be considered an upset.

"THE ALTER EGO"

 

The Alter Ego of a certain popular character is quite common. This alternate version usually represents "the dark side" of the original character. The Alter Ego shares the same or similar fighting moves to the original character, but are usually more brutal and deadly than before.

"THE EVIL"

 

You might see this persona as a sub-boss, whom works with The Boss himself. This character can also be just a regular selectable character, who possibly has some beef with The Boss. While there may be several evil characters in a fighting game, you'll know which one can truly be called The Evil.

"THE BOSS"

 

To close every fighting game, The Boss is waiting to take names (and quarters at the arcades). The Boss is at times even more evil than The Evil, and more than not has a score to settle with The Hero. The Boss usually has some evil plan, which is almost always falls apart. Many times, The Boss has a "cheap" way of winning; but the best bosses are those who can beat you with their superb fighting technique.