"Fighting Game" refers to a game made up of duels between two characters (or sometimes battles between four characters) typically fought using martial arts. They are typically styled after martial arts tournaments, with a number of selectable characters competing in one on one, or tag team style fights. The tournament can either be a regular tournament with just a title or mundane prize up for grabs, or the fate of the world can be hanging in the balance. A Fighting Game based on an anime will often take place during a Tournament Arc.
The two most common play modes in a fighting game are Story Mode, in which you play as a single character trying to win the tournament and Versus, in which two or more players fight each other. Many recent games released on consoles have longer, more involved storylines and as such will have both the regular Story Mode and an Arcade Mode, which removes story-related elements and makes the opponent lineup more random. Story Mode generally enables special boss characters, not available for player selection, after you defeat other, lesser characters. Bosses are either the previous tournament champions or the Big Bad and his Dragon. Or you may instead end the Story Mode fighting against another player character specifically designated as your character's rival. Some games have it both ways.
But while single player modes are an essential part of fighting games (and some companies learned this lesson the hard way), it can be safely stated that the most important part of these games are the multiplayer modes. Multiplayer has been the meat and potatoes of most any modern Fighting Game pretty much since the inception of the genre. If you go to any reputable arcade with Fighting Games, you'll often see many people playing them. Depending on your skill level, playing against a random opponent can range from very easy to Nintendo Hard; the latter especially if you're a new player. This is one of the reasons arcades rely on fighters for profit: instead of just playing the same stages or CPU-controlled opponents over and over, a player can come across opponents of all skill levels and styles, and it's this aspect that makes fighting games very popular for multiplayer and has given birth to the Fighting Game Community. This is also one of the reasons that home versions come out far more often on consoles; most PC monitors just aren't big enough for more than one person.
Generally the interface consists of a Life Meter with an optional Mana Meter of some kind, usually used for special power moves. Most Fighting Games give each character a set of special moves that are activated through different button command sequences. While one or two of these will sometimes be high power moves that drain the aforementioned Mana Meter, most of these can be executed at any time. These aren't Secret A.I. Moves; your computer opponents will assume you can use them and will use them themselves. Still, don't expect the game to actually tell you what they are, especially for any secret characters you may find.
Early Fighting Games allowed the characters to move back and forth on a single axis, with some limited jumping. Modern games often have full 3D movement, with complex scenery that can be interacted with (for limited values of "interact" that include "throw through" and "beat heads against".) That's not to say 2D Fighting Games aren't still popular. In fact, the majority of Fighting Games releasing currently are of the 2D variety, even when they use 3D graphics. This is generally owed to the successes of games like Street Fighter IV and Mortal Kombat 9, installments from classic 2D Fighting Game franchises that were able to revitalize the genre after a downward slump during the Turn of the Millennium.
See Fighting Series for the non-video game equivalent. Super-Trope to Platform Fighters, which are based more on dynamic stage elements and maneuverability, and often allow more than two players at a time. Another Sub-Trope is Mascot Fighter, which is distinguished by having characters drawn from one or more pre-existing franchises and which usually overlaps with Platform Fighter. Wrestling Game is another Sub-Trope, with more realistic fighting style and aiming to replicate a Professional Wrestling show
If you walk around a level fighting against many opponents at once using techniques similar to a Fighting Game, it's a Beat 'em Up. Though fighting games were once commonly described as 1-on-1 beat-'em-ups, and there were some attempts in the '80s, before fighting games became popular, to mix the two genres, nowadays they are regarded as different as apples and oranges.
For the tropes generally common in these games, see Fighting Game Tropes.
Examples:
- AbalaBurn
- Advanced Variable Geo
- Aggressors of Dark Kombat
- Air Dash Onlinenote
- Akatsuki Blitzkampf
- Alien Challenge
- All-Star Fighters
- Angel Star Road [1]
- Aquapazza
- Arcana Heart
- Arm Joe
- Armed Fighter [2]
- ARMS
- The Art Of Breaking Heads ([3])
- Art of Fighting
- Astra Superstars
- Asuka 120%
- Asura Series
- Avatar Fighter Online
- Axel City ([4])
- Azumanga Fighter
- Ballistic Fist ([5])
- Ballz
- Barbarian (Titus)
- Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior
- Bash Land ([6])
- Battle Arena Toshinden
- War Budokai
- Battle Beast
- Battle Blaze
- Battle CAPacity
- Battle Fantasia
- Battle High
- Battle K-Road
- Battle Monsters
- Battle Tryst
- Beast Wrestler
- Big Bang Beat
- Bikini Karate Babes (The Ur-Example of Panty Fighters, oddly enough)
- Bio F.R.E.A.K.S.
- The Black Heart
- Black Hole Assault ([7])
- Blade Strangers
- Blade Symphony
- Blandia
- BlazBlue
- BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
- BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
- Blaz Blue Chrono Phantasma
- BlazBlue: Central Fiction
- BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle (Crossover between BlazBlue and various other videogame series as well as RWBY)
- BlayzBloo: Super Melee Brawlers Battle Royale
- Blood Cross ([8])
- BloodStorm
- Blood Warrior
- Bloody Roar
- Body Blows
- Brawlout
- Breakers
- Broken In The Balance
- Brutal: Paws of Fury
- Budokan The Martial Spirit
- Buriki One
- Burning Rival
- Bushido Blade
- Bushido Blade 2
- Capcom Fighting Evolution (also known as Capcom Fighting Jam)
- Capcom vs., usually refers to another fighting game company:
- Capital Punishment
- Capoeira Fighter
- Card Saga Wars
- Cardinal Syn
- Cartoon Hero
- Catfight ([9])
- Chaos Breaker ([10]) aka Dark Awake: The King With No Name
- Chaos Code
- Clayfighter
- Combat Of Giants
- The Con
- Cosmic Carnage ([11])
- Crimson Alive ([12])
- Criticom
- Cruz Brothers
- Cyberbots
- Daemon Bride (by the Arcana Heart developers)
- Daikaiju Daikessen: Versus
- Dangerous Streets
- Daraku Tenshi: The Fallen Angels
- Dark Edge
- Dark Rift
- Darkstalkers
- Dead or Alive
- Death Vegas
- Def Jam Series
- DeStrega
- Dino Rex
- Divekick
- DNF Duel
- Dong Dong Never Die
- Doomsday Warrior
- Draglade series
- Dragon Master
- Dragoon Might ([13])
- DreamMix TV World Fighters (Crossover between Konami, Hudson Soft, and Takara)
- Dual Blades (includes its sequels Slashers: The Power Battle and Dual Souls: The Last Bearer)
- Dual Heroes [14]
- Duel Savior Destiny
- Duels of Fortune
- Ehrgeiz
- Electric Man
- Elemental Battle Academy (A mix of Fighting game with Third-person Shooting elements)
- Elfmania ([15])
- Eternal Champions
- Eternal Fighter Zero
- Evil Zone
- The Eye Of Typhoon ([16])
- Fantasy Strike
- Fatal Fury
- Fight Fever
- Fight For Life ([17])
- Fight 'N' Jokes ([18])
- Fight of Animals
- Fight Of Gods ([19])
- Fighter Maker
- Fighter Within
- Fighters Destiny
- Fighter's History
- Fighters' Impact
- Fighters Megamix
- Fighting Angels
- Fighting Bujutsu ([20])
- Fighting Layer
- Fighting Masters
- Fighting Vipers
- Flash Hiders series
- For Honor (blended with Hack and Slash)
- Frame Gride (Mecha Game)
- Fu'un Series (Savage Reign and Kizuna Encounter)
- FX Fighter ([21])
- Galactic Warriors [22]
- Galaxy Fight
- Garrison: Archangel
- G.A.S.P!! Fighters' NEXTream [23]
- Genei Tougi series (includes Genei Tougi: Shadow Struggle and Critical Blow)
- Get Amped
- Global Champion
- Glove On Fight series
- Goiken Muyou
- Gotcha Force
- Guilty Gear
- Hammerfight
- Head Boxing
- Hiryū no Ken
- Holosseum [24]
- Homestrife
- Human Killing Machine
- Idol Showdown - entirely fan-made game based on hololive
- Indie Brawl
- Indie Pogo
- Indie Game Battle
- Injustice
- International Karate series
- Iron & Blood: Warriors of Ravenloft
- Jackie Chan: The Kung-Fu Master
- Jingi Storm
- Joy Mech Fight
- Kakuge Yaro
- Kakuto Chojin
- Karate Champ - the Ur-Example
- Kart Fighter (an unlicensed game featuring Mario Kart characters)
- Kasumi Ninja
- Kengo
- Kensei: Sacred Fist
- The Killing Blade
- Killer Instinct
- Killing Zone [25]
- The King of Fighters
- The King of Fighters '94
- The King of Fighters '95
- The King of Fighters '96
- The King of Fighters '97
- The King of Fighters '98
- The King of Fighters '99
- The King of Fighters 2000
- The King of Fighters 2001
- The King of Fighters 2002
- The King of Fighters 2003
- The King of Fighters XI
- The King of Fighters XII
- The King of Fighters XIII
- The King of Fighters XIV
- The King of Fighters XV
- Knuckle Heads
- Kung Fu Kickball
- The Last Blade
- Last Bronx
- Lethal League
- Lightning Legend: Daigo no Daibouken
- Little Fighter 2
- Mace: The Dark Age
- Mad Stalker: Full Metal Force
- Magical Battle Arena
- Magical Chaser: Stardust of Dreams
- Makeruna! Makendo 2, sequel of the platformer game known as Kendo Rage overseas.
- Maribato!
- Martial Champion [26]
- Martial Masters
- The Masters Fighter
- Matsumura Kunihiro Den: Saikyō no Rekishi o Nurikaero! ([27])
- Megabyte Punch
- Melty Blood
- Metamoqester
- Mexican Wrestling
- Million Knights Vermillion
- Monster
- Mortal Kombat
- M.U.G.E.N
- My Brute
- Neko Blade
- NeoGeo Battle Coliseum
- Newgrounds Rumble
- Ninja Master's - Hao Ninpo Cho
- Ninja Warz
- Nitro+ Royale: Heroines Duel
- Nitroplus Blasterz Heroines Infinite Duel
- Omen of Sorrow
- One Must Fall
- Party Animals
- Phantom Breaker
- Photo Dojo
- Pit-Fighter
- PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
- PMEX Remix
- Pocket Bravery
- Pocket Rumble
- Pollardos Feos Y Mazmorros
- Power Athlete
- Power Instinct series
- Power Stone
- Pray for Death
- Primal Rage
- Project G
- Project Gaiaray [28]
- Project M
- Psychic Force
- The Queen of Heart
- Rage of the Dragons
- Ragnagard
- Rakugaki Showtime
- Rakugakids
- Red Earth
- Reverthion - a Virtual-ON clone with mechanical insects
- Rise of the Robots
- Rising Thunder
- Rival Schools
- Rivals of Aether
- ROBO OH
- Robo-Pit - also a mecha Cute 'em Up
- Rumble Fighter
- The Rumble Fish
- Rumble Pack
- Rumble Roses
- Rushdown Revolt
- Samurai Gunn
- Samurai Shodown
- Sango Fighter
- Saturday Night Slam Masters (the third game, especially)
- Schwarzerblitz
- Seifuku Densetsu series
- Senko no Ronde
- Senor Footsies
- Shadow Fight 2
- Shadow: War of Succession
- Shaq Fu
- Skullgirls
- Slap City
- Slap Happy Rhythm Busters
- SNK Gals Fighters
- Soul Series (includes Soul Edge and the Soul Calibur games)
- Spectral Vs Generation (crossover game between the Spectral series and Generation of Chaos series by Idea Factory, co-developed with IGS)
- Star Gladiator
- Stick Fight
- Street Fighter (series)
- Suiko Enbu (AKA Outlaws of the Lost Dynasty)
- Super Cosplay War Ultra
- Super Fighter
- Super Gem Fighter
- Super Robot Spirits
- Super Smash Bros.
- Super Smash Flash
- Survival Arts
- Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus
- Tattoo Assassins
- Tech Romancer
- Tekken
- Terrordrome the Game: Rise of the Boogeymen
- Them's Fightin' Herds
- Thrill Kill
- Time Killers
- Timeslaughter
- Tobal
- Toribash
- Tough Love Arena
- Touki Denshou Angel Eyes [29]
- Toy Fighter - with Living Toys!
- Tuff E Nuff
- Twin Goddesses
- Uchu Mega Fight
- Ultra Vortek
- Under Night In-Birth
- The Unholy War
- Urban Champion
- Vanguard Princess
- Vegetable Game
- Verdict: Guilty!
- Violence Fight
- Virtua Fighter
- Virtual-ON
- Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer
- Vs.
- Waku Waku 7
- War Gods
- War of the Monsters
- The Way Of The Exploding Fist
- Way of the Warrior
- Weaponlord
- Windom XP
- Windy X Windam
- Wishmere
- Wonderful World
- World Heroes
- Xenophage Alien Bloodsport
- Xuan Dou Zhi Wang
- Yatagarasu
- Yie Ar Kung-Fu
- Your Only Move is HUSTLE
- Yusha Heavens Gate [30]
- Zero Divide
Fighting game spin-offs in otherwise non-fighting game series include:
- .hack: .hack//Versus
- 2XKO for League of Legends
- Acceleration of SUGURI
- Castlevania: Judgment
- Cho Aniki: Bakuretsu Ranto Hen
- Digimon
- Fate/unlimited codes
- Final Fantasy
- Final Fight Revenge
- Geekwad Series: Wacky Funsters has a minigame called "Big Guys With Muscles" which is this.
- Golden Axe: The Duel
- Granblue Fantasy Versus
- Kirby Fighters
- Onimusha: Blade Warriors
- Persona 4: Arena
- Pokkén Tournament (a.k.a. "Pokémon meets Tekken")
- Sengoku Basara X
- Shining Series: Blade Arcus from Shining
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Spore Hero
- Tales Series: Tales of Versus
- Tengai Makyou
- Tengai Makyou Shinden (AKA Far East of Eden: Kabuki Klash).
- Kabuki Itou Ryodan
- Tengai Makyou: Dennou Karakuri Kakutouden
- Touhou Project
- Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble
- When They Cry
- Higurashi Daybreak
- Umineko: Golden Fantasia: Also known as Ougon Musou Kyoku, a spin-off of the visual novel Umineko: When They Cry.
Licensed fighting games include:
- Bleach (Blade of Fate, Dark Souls, and the Heat the Soul series)
- Capcom vs., when it involves a property outside fighting games. To wit:
- Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion
- DC Comics based adaptations
- Deadliest Warrior
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Hinokami Chronicles
- Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax
- Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls for Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis and Atari Jaguar, based on the Double Dragon (1993) cartoon.
- There's also a Double Dragon game for the Neo-Geo, loosely based on the movie.
- Dragon Ball games:
- Fight Club
- Fist of the North Star (aka Hokuto no Ken)
- Flame of Recca
- Flame of Recca: The Game
- Flame of Recca: Final Burning
- Godzilla
- Godzilla Atari Trilogy:
- Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!
- The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2006)
- Gundam
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
- Jurassic Park
- Kamen Rider Climax Heroes
- KILL la KILL - IF
- Koihime†Musou: Shin Koihime Musou ~ Otome Taisen: Sangokushi Enji (Roughly: Shin Koihime Musou ~ Maiden Match: Romance Of The Three Kingdoms).
- Loons: The Fight for Fame
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's Portable - The Battle of Aces and The Gears of Destiny
- Marvel Comics based adaptations (Marvel vs. Capcom games listed under Capcom vs Whatever above)
- Avengers in Galactic Storm
- Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth
- Marvel: Contest of Champions
- Marvel Super Heroes
- X-Men: Children of the Atom
- X-Men: Mutant Academy
- X-Men: Next Dimension, the spiritual successor to the Mutant Academy games.
- Multi Versus, a Warner Bros. themed crossover fighter.
- My Hero One's Justice
- My Little Pony: Fighting Is Magicnote
- Naruto games:
- Clash of Ninja series
- Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
- Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2
- Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 4
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 5
- Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
- Ninja Destiny series
- Neon Genesis Evangelion: Battle Orchestra
- Nickelodeon-based games:
- One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows
- Power Rangers
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Sega Genesis and Game Gear versions only; all other versions were Beat Em Ups)
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (Game Gear version)
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition
- Power Rangers: Legacy Wars
- Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
- The Powerpuff Girls Chemical X Traction
- Ranma ½
- Sailor Moon
- Senshi Sailor Moon S: Jougai Rantou!? Shuyaku Soudatsusen ("Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon S: Outdoor Brawl!? Fight Against Protagonists") (SNES)
- Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SuperS: Zenin Sanka!! Shuyaku Soudatsusen ("Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon SuperS: All Members!! Championship Contest") (SNES)
- Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SuperS: Various Emotion (Sega Saturn)
- Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SuperS: Shin Shuyaku Soudatsusen ("Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon SuperS: Battle for the True King") (PSX)
- Saint Seiya
- Shonen Jump Crossover based adaptations
- Jump Super Stars
- Jump Ultimate Stars
- Battle Stadium D.O.N. (crossover with Dragon Ball Z, One Piece and Naruto characters)
- J-Stars Victory VS
- Jump Force
- Shrek SuperSlam
- StarWars: Masters of Teras Kasi
- Sunday VS Magazine: Shuuketsu! Choujou Daikessen
- Sword Art Online
- Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment
- Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment
- Sword Art Online Re: Hollow Fragment
- Sword Art Online: Lost Song
- Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization
- Accel World VS Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight
- Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters for the SNES, Genesis, and NES.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Melee for Game Cube, Playstation 2, and Xbox.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up for Wii and Playstation 2.
- Tiny Toon Adventures: Defenders of the Universenote
- Transformers
- WWE:
- YuYu Hakusho
- Yū Yū Hakusho 2: Kakutō no Sho
- Yū Yū Hakusho: Makyō Tōitsusen
- Yū Yū Hakusho Final: Makai Saikyō Retsuden
- Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament
- Yū Yū Hakusho Forever
- The Battle of Yū Yū Hakusho: Shitō! Ankoku Bujutsu Kai
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