Top 10 Scariest Fighting Game Characters
#10: Jack
“Power Stone” series (1999-2006) The “Power Stone” series is one of Capcom’s more obscure gems but that doesn’t stop their resident misfit from making a big impression. Jack shares more than just his name with the infamous serial killer “Jack the Ripper'' and it shows. His spider-like movements and spooky look make him stick out from the otherwise PG roster while his “Power Change” form will make your skin crawl for sure. Apart from his love of brandishing knives and being bizarre, he has a strange fascination with all things shiny. He takes this obsession to another level when he uses the titular “Power Stone” to wish for an imposter to take the fall for his crimes, letting him lurk comfortably in the shadows.
#9: Jedah Dohma
“Darkstalkers” series (1994-) A suave and sinister demon from headdress to toe, Jedah Dohma might not seem that scary at first but that doesn’t last very long. This distinguished demon has the horrid habit of injuring himself in order to damage his opponents. Jedah can shapeshift, absorb souls, and weaponize his own blood in gruesome ways: like hardening it into blades, ripping his own limbs to extend his reach, pumping his enemies with his blood until they burst, and drowning them in a pool of blood while somehow keeping his clothes clean throughout. Let’s just say every time Jedah Dohma cracks up our blood runs cold.
#8: Shin Akuma
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“Street Fighter” series (1987-) Regular ol’ Akuma is pretty frightening as is, but when he becomes “Shin Akuma” our hands tend to shake even when the controller vibration is off. The road to fighting this monstrous martial artist is paved with perfect rounds, KOs, and Super Arts, so if you manage to do all that, you are “rewarded” with this fight. Akuma emits a huge burst of chi and trades his trademark red hair for searing white locks and doubles down on his menacing aura. Shin Akuma is faster, stronger, and meaner than ever; and he’ll remind you of this with some Zanku Hadokuns to your face.
#7: Bryan Fury
“Tekken” series (1994-) When your roster has bears, half-demons, and even an alien, how intimidating could one cyborg be? Okay, we take that back. Bryan Fury is a sadistic cyborg with a desire for destruction. Everything about him screams “insane”, from his chilling grin and maniacal laugh to his frenzied fight style. His offensive is punishing which fits perfectly with his ruthless nature, as he can deal tons of damage but he can receive tons too if he gets carried away. This would be a problem if he didn’t enjoy both. Bryan really savors every second of his skirmishes especially when special moves are involved.
#6: D'Vorah
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“Mortal Kombat” series (1992-) If creepy crawlies aren’t your thing, then D’Vorah definitely isn’t either. She was added to the Mortal Kombat universe relatively recently but has managed to frighten fans from the get-go. As a member of the “Kytinn” race, her humanoid body is actually made up of innumerable insects bonded together. Try to get that image out of your head. Once you look past her compound eyes, razor-sharp teeth, and pincers... things get freakier. With an unknown number of insects within her, she tends to involve them in horrifying ways; like her “New Species” fatality where she deposits her eggs into her enemy’s body which paralyzes them and then rips them apart when they hatch.
#5: Arakune
“BlazBlue” series (2008-) Vicious, insane, and a whole lot of ugly, all in one squiggly package. The monster that is Arakune, was once a scientist named Lotte Carmine who wished to study a sort of parallel universe known as “The Boundary”. After a botched experiment, he was turned into this gross and gooey beast. The worst part is that his blob-like exterior houses bees and bones that he manages to weaponize against his foes. Many have tried to reach out to what remains of Carmine behind Arakune’s white mask to no avail as his tragic transfiguration has rendered him deformed and beyond help.
#4: Double
“Skullgirls” (2012) “Sister Agatha” is this seemingly pious pile of parts’ alias and she uses this innocent disguise to hide her nightmarish true self underneath. This character is not for the faint of heart as she is a chaotic clutter of limbs that can KO you in the game just as easily as she can shock you in real life. Besides trickery, her transformations can help her deliver some brutal blows. Double can also take on the appearance of the fighters in the game's roster, which would mortify most players long enough for her to wallop them with her pulsing fleshy appendages. She’s massive, messy, and would make John Carpenter proud.
#3: Voldo
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“Soulcalibur” series (1995-) We’re stepping away from body horror and sauntering towards just plain unsettling. Everything about Voldo will make you raise an eyebrow. He is usually clothed in leather fetish gear which strangely barely covers him yet covers his eyes and mouth. His movements, confusing, but can easily switch to deadly on a moment’s notice. Voldo can contort his body in amazingly appalling ways and can even fight backwards or on all fours. Whether we play as Voldo or play against Voldo, we always end up feeling a little bit uncomfortable and his grunts and hisses clearly don’t help.
#2: Youkai Kusaregedo
“Samurai Shodown” series (1993-) Believe us when we say that Youkai Kusaregedo is sickening inside and out. He has bones jutting out of him, his tongue is elongated, a horrifying expression is plastered on his face 24/7 and oh yeah, he eats people whole. What’s worse is that before becoming a “gaki” or “hungry spirit”, he was just a regular guy… who also ate people. Apart from his ghoulish appearance, Kusaregedo’s puke can paralyze people, he can summon demons, and he can even launch his head at his opponents. His insatiable hunger almost always guides his decisions and this is also why he ended up eating his own daughter. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Vertigo, “Primal Rage” (1994)
Relius Clover, “BlazBlue” series (2008-)
Hornet, “Fighters Megamix” (1996)
#1: Hisako
“Killer Instinct” series (1994-) The “Killer Instinct” series has a lot of ghastly characters that are outright terrifying like the towering split-headed giant, Eyedol. We however felt that Hisako truly captured the hair-raising feeling we get when we see something eerie. She is an onryō, a type of vengeful spirit from Japanese folklore that is featured in several J-horror classics like “Ringu”. Hisako can be devastating in a battle, similar to other characters, but only she can be this spine-chilling when she does it. Whenever she unhinges her jaw to reveal rows of jagged teeth, possesses someone and crushes all of their bones, or decides to jumpscare us, you WILL hear us audibly gasp.
