The 1990s was an important time for fighting games. In many ways, the decade helped propel the genre to the forefront of video gaming. The success of fighting games centered heavily around the arcade coin-op market, allowing players to drop quarters and square off against one another for the top spot. In order to draw more players in, the right characters would need to take precedence over other gameplay elements.
Thankfully, video game developers conceptualized quite a few memorable fighting game brawlers during the '90s, many of which have survived intact to this day. Each franchise had a particular character that helped sell its respective property and pave the way for highly lucrative sequels and spinoffs.
Shadow (Eternal Champions)
Eternal Champions was a Sega-exclusive title first released for the Genesis console and later ported to the Sega CD with a much gorier update. It attempted to capitalize on the Mortal Kombat violence craze of the '90s while introducing characters like Shadow into the mix.
Shadow was a femme fatale plucked from the jaws of death to participate in the tournament, and her dominatrix-inspired getup certainly helped her get noticed. As an elite assassin, Shadow blended all the best elements of characters like DC's Catwoman and Street Fighter's Chun-Li into one iconic female brawler.
Kage-Maru (Virtua Fighter 2)
Ninjas have never again been as popular as they were in the 1990s, and fighting games took full advantage of that. Sega created their own ninja character for the groundbreaking Virtua Fighter, which helped propel fighting games into the 3D realm with polygons as the graphical engine.
This ninja was swift, mysterious, and deadly in a fight. He quickly became a fan favorite, and the icon of the franchise despite attempts by series protagonist Akira Yuki to claim the throne. His move set is spectacular, making him easy for first timers to pick up and a deadly choice for veterans.
Mitsurugi (Soul Calibur)
Soul Calibur was a major step up for fighting games in the 1990s, coming hot on the heels of other titles that helped break the mold, such as Virtua Fighter and Battle Arena Toshinden. The Dreamcast port of the arcade game helped make it a household name, and Mitsurugi was the character who led the charge.
This powerful samurai was gritty, aggressive and fierce in combat, which made him an instant fan-favorite. In many ways, he's the Ryu of the Soul Calibur franchise and an excellent starter character for first-time players. He also has one of the coolest katas in the entire game.
Galford (Samurai ShoDown)
Samurai ShoDown introduced a number of new game mechanics into the 2D fighting game mold, but it was the characters who helped drive its success. Galford is arguably the face of that franchise, due mostly to his physical appearance, fighting style, and choice of companion.
Galford fights with his dog Poppy in tow, which helps change up the dynamic of the game. He's also a charismatic and carefree-looking character, which made him a series favorite. He's also one of two ninja characters in the game, the other being Hanzo Hattori.
Morrigan (Darkstalkers)
Capcom's Darkstalkers series might not be as popular as Street Fighter, but it's iconic enough fighting game to deserve its own movie spinoff. The character of Morrigan was a Ryu/Ken clone with a few interesting twists that made her a fan favorite, in addition to her obvious physical beauty.
Morrigan is still the face of Darkstalkers despite her wicked inclinations. She's a fast, agile fighter that can go on the offensive or zone opponents whilst chipping away at their health bars. As an introductory character, she's a perfect gateway for players to get into the Darkstalkers series.
Fulgore (Killer Instinct)
The Killer Instinct fighter lineup remains one of the most imaginative in all of fighting-game history, and Fulgore ranks up there with the best of them. In fact, the character was so popular that he became the face of the franchise on box art, notably for the Super NES version of the game.
Fulgore is a cyborg with a frightening physical appearance, a flaming ponytail and twin plasma blades mounted on his wrist gauntlets. He acted as a nemesis to the character of Jago before an upgraded version made an appearance in Killer Instinct 2.
Kasumi (Dead Or Alive)
In the 1990s, Kasumi became the face of the Dead or Alive franchise for all the wrong reasons. She was highly sexualized, with an outfit that could stun a buck at a thousand paces. Eventually, she jettison the revealing attire and eroticism for something a bit more practical.
Besides the flirtatious aspect of the character, Kasumi is actually a great fighter who is capable of putting foes down with ease. With ninja skills at her disposal, Kasumi is both quick and brutal, making her far more than just another pretty face.
Kazuya Mishima (Tekken)
Kazuya started out as one of the main protagonists of the Tekken series before morphing into a villain character later on. He remains the face of the franchise to this day due to his intimidating physical appearance, immense fighting power, and character backstory.
The character is the son of Heihachi Mishima, head of the infamous Mishima Zaibatsu corporation. His lust for power and revenge caused him to turn into the monstrous Devil Kazuya as the story progressed, which also put him at odds with his son, Jin.
Ryu (Street Fighter II)
Ryu didn't make much of a splash until Street Fighter II took the arcades, and the entire world, by storm. Since that time, he's become a series regular, acting as the principal protagonist of the series. Honorable, compassionate, and strong, Ryu epitomized everything that kids sought to be at the time.
Over the years, his character would be written with more flaws and weaknesses, but his spirit remains the same. For many Street Fighter players, he was their first choice due to his mastery of Shotokan karate, the near-invincible Dragon Punch, and his signature Hadouken fireball. There's more to the fascinating character of Ryu than meets the eye, making him one of the most popular of the decade.
Sub-Zero (Mortal Kombat)
Undoubtedly the most popular fighting game character of the 1990s, Sub-Zero epitomized the ninja craze of the decade, built on top of a highly controversial video game that angered plenty of parents and politicians. Since then, he's become an iconic staple of video game pop culture and beyond.
Sub-Zero was a mysterious and frightening ninja with a twist: the ability to freeze his opponents solid and deliver crushing attacks. He was also infamous for having the most grisly fatality of the original Mortal Kombat game, which made 13-year-old video gamers at the time squeal with glee.