Assemble! - Fighting Game Archetype Roster - The Dark Side

This is Assemble, where we look at several different characters across multiple series to form a perfect team-up. Whatever the case may be, whether it’s a fighting game roster or an RPG adventuring party, we’ll find the best team for the job. In a change of style from the more long-form articles featured here, these articles will be shorter entries, focusing on one or two characters each, and spread out over time until the complete roster is formed.

What would a fighting game be without a roster of several different, powerful, and engaging characters? In this batch of articles for Assemble, we will be assembling a fighting game roster using characters from several different fighting games based on different character archetypes.

The picks will be based on where the characters fit in terms of game mechanics and their place in the story and world of the game. Only characters that originated in fighting games will be observed here. That means no guest characters, no licensed fighting games (unless their roster includes original characters), and no crossover titles. Finally, I’ll only be discussing games or characters that I am at least somewhat familiar with. While this means I won’t discuss all the fighting games out there, there should be at least some variety from just the major titles.

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THE DARK SIDE

 

I’ll try to avoid too many Star Wars jokes.

The Dark Side appears in the roster as an alter-ego of another character in the game. They look just like the character, but something seems off about them. They may have a darker themed outfit or horns, dark, wings, or possibly a tail. Their change may give them darker themed powers and a twisted personality that would give the Psycho a run for their money. However, this character is still recognizable as a normally heroic character and something happened to turn them over to the side of evil. There is still hope though, as many of these characters eventually return to their senses.

Our choice for the Dark Side is…

Evil Ryu from Street Fighter.

Though Street Fighter mainstay Ryu is normally portrayed as a heroic character, he occasionally has to put up with the force of darkness inside him known as the Satsui no Hado. When he succumbs to darkness, normally in a particularly harsh battle, this dark energy comes to dominate Ryu’s mind, making him a ruthless killing machine. His attacks become stronger and he is less willing to hold back in a fight, actively seeking to destroy all in its path. Some fighters, like Akuma and Necalli, are aware of this power and seek to draw it out of Ryu to give them selves more of a challenge, but Ryu eventually wins out against it in the end and return to sanity.

For displaying the corrupted form of a well-known heroic character and how powerful that form can be, we now add Evil Ryu to the roster.

ADDED!

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What did you think about this article? Want to see what other characters get picked for our roster? Do you think someone would fit this role better besides whoever got picked? Make your voice heard in the comments below. 

Thanks for coming!