10 Characters We NEVER Expected to See in Fighting Games
Spartan
“Dead or Alive 4” (2005)
The "Dead or Alive" series is known for having risque ladies and a good handful of buff dudes. So, it was kind of wild to see screenshots of what appeared to be Master Chief from "Halo" fighting the likes of Kasumi and Hayate. However, this isn't exactly what many of us initially presumed. This is SPARTAN-458, and no, she does not come from any other piece of "Halo" media prior to this. During DOA4's development, Tecmo had contacted Bungie, the studio that created "Halo", for permission to include Master Chief as a playable character. Though certain narrative elements would complicate this, Bungie was onboard with the idea, and the two teams created an original character: a Filipino woman named Nicole, aka "Spartan-458". Unfortunately, Bungie has since deemed "Dead or Alive 4" as non-canonical, and the character has not been used or even referenced in any way by "Halo" nor "Dead or Alive". As for Koei Tecmo's flagship fighter, "Dead or Alive" has since gone multiplatform, so we're likely never going to see a guest character like this ever again.
Earthworm Jim
“Battle Arena Toshinden” (1995)
Initially, there wasn’t anything super remarkable about “Battle Arena Toshinden” aside from the hilariously atrocious voice acting. That all changed in 1996 when Playmates Interactive published the game for PC in 1996 and allowed their own Earthworm Jim to appear as a guest character. Sadly, he ended up just being a reskin of Rungo Iron, which means Jim didn’t have his handy blaster with him for this outing. But hey - they did use his voice and even gave him his own theme song for when he’s fighting!
Bad Box Art Mega Man
Street Fighter X Tekken (2012)
During development, producer Yoshinori Ono approached "Mega Man" co-creator Keiji Inafune about putting the Mega Man into “Street Fighter X Tekken”. However, Inafune was against the idea as Mega Man had been in several fighting games before and asked Ono to come up with something original. What we got was, as you can see, not the Blue Bomber we know and love. Instead, we have this odd, middle-aged man who seems to be wearing some bad cosplay. This is actually Mega Man as he appeared on the box art of the original game’s North American release. According to Ono, it turns out that Inafune loved the idea. If only he wasn’t a bottom-tier fighter.
Pepsiman
“Fighting Vipers” (1995)
Yes, this Pepsi mascot whose main purpose is to deliver refreshing beverages, is now delivering refreshing haymakers. But believe us when we say that there was a reason behind his inclusion. In the mid-90s, PepsiCo was aiming to compete with Coca-Cola in Japan, their strategy being to create a superhero mascot. Along with a litany of commercials featuring other Pepsimen and Pepsiwomen, the company entered a licensing agreement with SEGA. Not only would SEGA develop an entire “Pepsiman” video game, but they would throw him into “Fighting Vipers” along with a handful of Pepsi product placement throughout the game. So, if you wind up feeling thirsty after an intense ladder, you can blame it on Pepsiman.
Norimaro
"Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter" (1997)
Just about any MvC fan knows about Norimaro. He has become the meme of the community along with Roll. But the strange thing about this clown is that he was only available in the Japanese version of “Marvel vs. Street Fighter”, and the reason for this involves some behind-the-scenes turmoil. See, some of the staff at Capcom were big fans of Japanese comedian Noritake Kinashi and wanted to create a fighter based on one of his characters. Kinashi would assist in Norimaro’s development with ideas and live-action recordings to help with animation. However, Marvel was vehemently against the idea through and through as the comic book giant did not like the idea of a gag character possibly beating Spider-Man and Wolverine in a fight. Capcom and Marvel went back and forth on Norimaro for quite some time until both companies agreed to region-lock the character. However, he became available to the world when “Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics” launched in 2024.
Hornet
“Fighters Megamix” (1997)
Yes, you can play as a stock car in a fighting game. The Hornet from “Daytona USA” is ready to throw tires. Why was this even a thing in the first place? Well, there honestly isn’t a good reason. “Fighters Megamix” was the random hodge-podge of various SEGA characters and assets fighting each other. At first, you start off with “Virtua Fighter” and “Fighting Vipers” characters, but over time, you unlock bizarre like Bean the Dynamite from “Sonic the Fighters”, a Mexican bean named Deku, and of course, the Hornet from “Daytona USA”. And oddly enough, the Hornet is considered an S-tier character by the small community that still relishes in this fever dream today.
Negan
“Tekken 7” (2015)
When Negan was revealed at EVO 2018, the FGC was pleasantly confused. In what world does “Tekken” have any reason to crossover with “The Walking Dead”? And does Harada’s appearance in the trailer indicate the dev was going to be playable, too? According to producer Katsuhiro Harada and game designer Michael Murray in an interview, both of them were huge fans of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” show. And so, while the two were at a convention, they got in touch with some folks from AMC and made their pitch, pointing to their work on Akuma from “Street Fighter”. AMC was onboard immediately, and the rest was history. And not only does Negan feel good to play, he sounds good thanks to the sultry voice of Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Blarney the Dinosaur
“Xenophage: Alien Bloodsport” (1995)
“Xenophage: Alien Bloodsport” features a wealth of menacing aliens with vicious moves and finishers. But hidden within its files is the famous, purple, singing dinosaur, Barney. Excuse us - “Blarney” the Dinosaur. What in the ever-loving hell is this gentle giant doing in an ultra-violent fighting game? Well, in the 90’s, Barney went through an extensive period of hatred where terminally online adults would express bizarre hatred for a character made for toddlers, appropriately dubbed as “Barney Hate”. Blarney could have been put into “Xenophage” as a means to capitalize on this phenomena and possibly get more eyes on the game. Alas, “Xenophage” never fully caught on and remains a rather obscure and niche corner of the fighting game community.
Cristiano Ronaldo
“Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves” (2025)
The return of “Fatal Fury” was something to celebrate, and indeed, folks did up until the last couple of months when one real-world figure was revealed as a playable fighter: soccer athlete Cristiano Ronaldo. Why exactly was this controversial celebrity being put into a game of street brawlers, kunoichi, and supernatural fighters? Well, developer and publisher SNK is owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund through its subsidiary, the Electronic Games Development Company. And as of this video, Cristiano Ronaldo still plays for the Saudi Arabian football club, Al Nassr FC, which is also owned by the PIF. Many fans saw this as a major overstep on the Saudi Royal Family’s part, and Ronaldo’s legal troubles, which range from accusations of tax evasion to sexual assault, did not help. Needless to say, this painted a dark picture for both “Fatal Fury” and SNK’s future, and it was even more telling when SNK’s CEO stepped down less than a month after “City of the Wolves” launched.
Michael Jackson
“Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2” (2000)
During its brief time in the spotlight, “Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2” was known for its roster composed of exaggerated characters and celebrity cameos. But MJ was reportedly already a genuinely huge fan of the first game, which was the catalyst for the entire collaboration. The King of Pop even assisted in development by providing motion capture of his character, complete with his trademark dance moves! It’s an extremely hilarious and strangely cool guest character to have in any type of game, and honestly, of all the guest characters to appear in fighting games, this iteration of Michael Jackson might be the coolest.
Have you played any of these characters for yourself? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!
