Assemble! - Fighting Game Archetype Roster - The Secret Boss

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.

=

THE SECRET BOSS

So, the Final Boss has been defeated, the tournament has been won, and the day has been saved. All seems to be ending on a high note. But just when you think there are no more challenges to be had, this dark figure makes his entrance. The Secret Boss is a true test of skill for fighting game players. Often requiring some special conditions to face, like winning a match in a certain way or clearing an arcade mode ladder in a certain way, this character then makes their dramatic entrance as you go into a match against them. This character may have a combination of moves from other characters or a set of powerful attacks that would make even the Final Boss’s look weak in comparison. This character more than any other shows just how good of a fighter you are.

Our choice for the Secret Boss is…

Akuma from Street Fighter.

Ever since his first appearance in Street Fighter II, Akuma has been a legendary challenge for SF fans. To fight him, players had to either input a special cheat code at the character select screen or defeat all opponents in arcade with no continues while either achieving a high score or reaching the final match within 25 minutes. Then, instead of facing M. Bison in the final match, Akuma would come in and swiftly knock him out, then he would challenge you instead. With moves similar to Ryu and Ken, except much more powerful, Akuma was as tough an opponent to fight as he is to unlock, and although you can play as Akuma, the playable version (while still strong enough to get banned at some tournaments) is not as strong as the CPU version. Compared to the playable version, the CPU version has more powerful attacks, more health, and can use enhanced specials that the playable version can’t use.

For being a historic fighting game challenge, whose power is still respected to this day, we now add Akuma to the roster.

ADDED!

=


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!