Assemble! - Fighting Game Archetype Roster - The Inhuman

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 INHUMAN

Whether they are a beast-man, a robot, or some type of monster, every fighting game has at least one inhuman character in its roster. They give the roster more variety and more of a unique flair, and as their appearance (and likely, personality) contrasts with the rest of the cast, their fighting style is often just as weird and wild. There are even fighting games whose entire rosters consist of inhuman characters. So, which one receives the spotlight here?

Our choice for the Inhuman is…

Orcane from Rivals of Aether.

Focusing mostly on those fighting games whose entire rosters are based around weird and wild characters, the indie game Rivals of Aether stood out not only for its characters, but its gameplay. As a platform fighter in the style of Super Smash Bros., it separates itself from traditional 2D fighters and its cast of magical animalistic creatures can use their variety of elemental powers to interact with the stage and fight their opponents in various ways.

And out of that cast, the aquatic Orcane stood out as the weirdest of the bunch for a few reasons. First, it’s not exactly clear just what he is. With most of the other characters, players can tell what animals their based on (like a raccoon, a lion, or a polar bear), but for Orcane, who seems to be a mix between a whale and a dog, it isn’t immediately apparent what kind of creature he is. Bonus points for being a quadruped too, a rarity among fighters.

Secondly would be his moves. Continuing with the elemental magic theme that runs with all of the characters, a lot of his moves are based around water and displays a big mobility mechanic for him. With a move, he can throw a large drop of water onto the stage and create a puddle. At any point afterwards, even when he is knocked off the stage, he can teleport out of the puddle, making this is ring-out recovery move, or use it as an attack by making a swarm of bubbles rise out of it. Even the Smash Bros. characters haven’t done this yet.

As the stand-out, weird, inhuman character from a cast of weird, inhuman characters, we now add Orcane to our roster.

ADDED!

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Honorable Mention: Lord Raptor (Darkstalkers)

For a fighting game focused entirely around monsters based on horror tropes, it takes a real freakshow of a character to stand out as the Inhuman. Enter the hard-rock zombie of Darkstalkers, Lord Raptor. This not-so-shambling corpse has a quirky, but sadistic personality and can use his body to attack in some unexpected ways, from stabbing an opponent with his ribs to turning one of his limbs into a chainsaw to shred his opponents like he shreds on his guitar. In the few appearances he has made outside of his series, other characters even point out how freaky they think he is.

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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. Thank you for coming.

The Arsenal: Batman (DC Comics)

Welcome to The Arsenal, where we look at the best weapons and items used by different characters in media. In this entry, we’re looking at the best equipment used by Gotham’s dark knight, one of the members of the DC power trio, the Batman. Batman has had a lot of gadgets over his long history in comic books, but for this list, we’re focusing on items that he is likely to carry on him regularly.

What are the best items in this iconic hero's utility belt? Let's find out.

Here is the Arsenal of Batman.

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Best Mobility Item - Grapple Gun
One of the most well-known pieces of Batman's inventory, the Grapple Gun has seen a lot of use over the years, which just proves how effective of a tool it is. Batman uses this to reach high areas he is unable to climb to, use the rafters of a building to flank an enemy, recover from a fall, and more. 

Best Infiltration Item - Lock Pick
It may not be the flashiest thing that Batman carries with him, but when he is trying to take the subtle approach when sneaking around a villain's lair, trying to kick down a locked door just won't do. That's where the lock pick comes in handy. Just a little work with this little tool and Batman can make his way through a locked door, chest, or explosive locked with key no problem.

Best Environmental Item - Gas Mask
Considering how many of Batman's rogues gallery utilize airborne toxins in their schemes, from the Joker to Scarecrow to Poison Ivy, a good gas mask is invaluable when facing down these villains. Putting this on allows Batman to fight unhindered even if a room is flooded with mutant plant spores, fear toxin, Joker venom, or whatever else the villains decide to blow his way. Fighting bad guys is a lot easier when you don't have to worry about poison gas throwing you off.

Best Surveillance Item - Mask Visor
Part of the package of being Batman is being an incredible investigator and detective, so it goes without saying that any tools that can help that only make his job go smoother. Built into the lenses of the cowl of the Batsuit, this visor can switch settings to infrared, ultraviolet, and night vision, and some depictions of it can even identify the weak points of an enemy. So, not only can it identify threats and allow him to avoid detection, but it can even aid in combat.

Best Batarang - Explosive Batarang
The Batarang is such an iconic part of this hero's inventory, it warrants having its own category. Apart from his own two fists, this bat-shaped shuriken is Batman's go-to offensive weapon. It even has different varieties that produce different effects upon hitting a target, from producing gas to a simple tracking device. The one highlighted here however is the Explosive Batarang. Mostly used against destructible enemies, like robots, or powerful villains where the normal Batarangs just won't do, the explosive variety packs a bit more wallop, either blowing up on contact or on a time-delay.

Best Other Weapon - Freeze Blast
First seen in the video game Batman: Arkham City, the Freeze Blast is an ice grenade created by Mr. Freeze that can encase whatever it hits in ice, be they enemies that need to be immobilized or obstacles that can be shattered after being frozen. They become very useful when Batman really wants to get the drop on a bunch of thugs; he could freeze some of them and fight the rest without having to worry too much.

Best Escape Tool - Smoke Pellets
Simple smoke bombs may not be as impressive as some of the other pieces of Batman's equipment, but their usefulness shouldn't be underestimated. Whenever Batman needs to make a quick getaway from a place without being seen or an effective entrance into a place swarming with thugs, a good cover of smoke can mask his entrance so people can't see him coming or going.

Best Vehicle - The Batmobile
While vehicles like the Batplane have other features that the land-based Batmobile doesn't have (not the least of which includes being able to fly), as stated a few times before here, Batman thrives on stealth and surprise and a plane is a little less stealthy than a car. On top of being Batman's primary method of transportation, the Batmobile is an armored vehicle loaded with its own arsenal of gadgets that allows batman to quickly get to where he needs to go and can even be remotely summoned when he needs it.

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What did you think of these picks? What's your favorite Batman gadget? Who else do you think has an arsenal worth observing? Make your voice heard in the comments below. Thanks for coming!

Assemble! - Fighting Game Archetype Roster - The Grappler

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 GRAPPLER

Similar to the Hard Hitter in terms of appearance, the Grappler looks like another large, slow character, but while this character may still use big, powerful strikes, their moves focus more on grabbing opponents for special holds and throws. Often this character is portrayed as some kind of wrestler, where those kinds of moves are commonplace, but this slot goes to a large character who effectively uses different types of grabs, slams, holds, and throws in their fighting style.

Our choice for the Grappler is…

Iron Tager from BlazBlue.

With the appearance of a large oni or demon, this character nicknamed “The Red Demon” definitely covers the large character part of the description and his moves definitely cover the other part. He is the slowest character in the game and can’t even dash, but he has several powerful attacks and grab moves including grabbing opponents up off the ground or out of the air, tossing them around like a playground ball. With his Drive, Voltic Battler, he can hit with electrically-charged strikes that can magnetize opponents, so he can pull them in and make it easier to use his grab moves on them. He doesn’t even need to move fast to get a hold of them.

For being a large, strong character who can not only slam more agile characters around like Hulk did Loki in Avengers, but can pull them back in so they can’t escape his grasp, we now add Iron Tager to our 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. Thank you for coming.