Ranking The 10 Best Guilty Gear Strive Characters
The Guilty Gear series has never been one of the most famous fighting game series that can be found out there. However, it has nonetheless been a success, as shown by the fact that it started up in the late 1990s and has continued into the present time. For proof, look no further than Guilty Gear Strive, which doubles as the seventh main installment as well as the 25th overall release. It is notable for a number of reasons. For example, it has seen a lot of changes that are meant to make it a so-called “reconstruction” of the series. Similarly, it offers closure by concluding a story arc that has been around for more than two decade’s time. Having said that, Guilty Gear Strive is also notable for the same reason as its predecessors, which is to say, it boasts a very colorful cast of characters.
10. I-No
I-No is pretty recognizable. After all, there aren’t a lot of guitarists wearing a witch hat, meaning that she stands out a lot to say the least. Personality-wise, I-No stands out as well, though for much more unpleasant reasons. In short, she is cruel, temperamental, and self-centered to an extreme. To an extent, these characteristics are connected to I-No’s time manipulation powers, which haven’t done wonders for her ability to value anything. As such, while she claims to be loyal to That Man, she is loyal to herself and only to herself. In any case, I-No is neither the best nor the worst character that can be found in Guilty Gear Strive. Instead, it might be more accurate to say that she is complicated. I-No has certain tricks that can be used to open up opponents. Unfortunately, capitalizing on the resulting opportunities is much easier said than done, meaning that it is very common to see a promising starter be followed up by a lackluster finisher. Still, those who understand the character in and out can use her to brutal effect, particularly since her unique movement can work against the opponent as much as it can work against an inexperienced player.
9. Ky Kiske
Guilty Gear’s protagonist would be Sol Badguy. However, it has a deuteragonist as well in the form of Ky Kiske. Unsurprisingly, this means that said character can be a bit bland when compared with the other characters in the series roster. Still, Ky has a number of likeable characteristics, which are enough to save him from being a total bore. For example, he is guided by his strong sense of justice, though he is aware that it is an ideal to always work towards rather than something that can be attained once and for all. Similarly, he is unwavering in his beliefs, though this is tempered by his acquired ability to see from the perspectives of other people. Combined, Ky makes for quite a decent deuteragonist. As for his gameplay, chances are good that interested individuals can guess that he is a balanced character that isn’t particularly good at anything but also isn’t particularly bad at anything. After all, he is the deuteragonist, meaning that he is meant to be one of those characters that ease interested individuals into the mechanics. Still, being straightforward isn’t the same as being useless. Ky isn’t as powerful as Sol, but even so, he is more than capable of bringing the hurt.
8. Millia Rage
Millia Rage is one of the Guilty Gear series’s more memorable characters. There are more characters with shapeshifting hair than what people might expect. Even so, Millia can be considered one of the best-known examples. As for her personality, her independence has enabled her to become a more well-rounded individual with more consideration for other people than who she started out as. In other words, Millia is becoming better over time, which is always encouraging to see. Sadly, Millia has some serious issues with her mechanics. For those who are curious, she has excellent mix-up capabilities, which is critical for enabling the player to maintain the offensive. The problem is that Millia has two major flaws. One, she doesn’t do enough damage. Two, she can’t take a lot of damage. Combined, this means that she isn’t a very safe choice, meaning that interested individuals might want to choose someone else that comes with a bigger margin for error in spite of her strengths.
7. Potemkin
Potemkin isn’t named for the historical individual. Instead, he is named for the Russian battleship named for the historical individual, which is rather well-known in its own right. This is because the crew of the Potemkin rebelled in 1905, with the result that it became viewed as a prelude to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Regardless, it is clear that Potemkin himself took some cues from said incident, seeing as how he is a one-time slave that participated in the overthrow of the system that had enslaved him. Besides that, the character is also notable because of his enormous size, which in-setting, is the product of a genetic mutation that provided him with incredible strength and toughness. Despite his experiences, Potemkin is something of softie, meaning that he is a great example of a gentle giant stock character. Gameplay-wise, Potemkin is pretty much what one would expect based on his appearance. He hits hard and he can take some hard hits. However, Potemkin is fundamentally a grappler who struggles to enter into grappling distance. Still, if interested individuals can master the art of getting up close and personal, this character can brutalize the opponent.
6. Leo Whitefang
Chances are good that interested individuals know that Leo Whitefang’s personal name comes from “lion.” Initially, he seems pretty much exactly what one might expect based on his name, particularly since he looks the part as well. However, that would be a mistake. Leo is both loud and proud. Even so, he wouldn’t have made it to his exalted position without the ability to take things soberly and seriously. Something that Leo seems to have acquired through hard experience. When it comes to the mechanics, Leo is a very solid choice. He has his weaknesses such as low speed and low mobility, but he makes up for those things by being an all-rounder who handles very well on the attack. Moreover, Leo has a stance change, meaning that opponents will need to prepare for more possibilities if they want to fully-counter everything that he can do.
5. Chipp Zanuff
Chipp Zanuff is another straightforward character. Indeed, one might even say that he is downright simple, though to be fair, that doesn’t exactly detract from his likeability. In any case, the amusing thing about Chipp is that he is a very non-Japanese ninja with a great deal of fondness for Japan. The problem is that his vision of Japan isn’t real. Instead, it is very much a mental construct cobbled together using external stereotypes. Still, while Chipp might be a hopeless weeaboo, he does actually have one good connection to Japanese culture. After all, his ninja training was quite real. Ninja have a reputation for being tricky, which to be fair, isn’t that unreasonable considering that they were just warriors who specialized in espionage, reconnaissance, and military duties that are often associated with special forces in the modern day. As such, it should come as no surprise to learn that Chipp is a very fast character with some very nasty tricks that are good for avoiding the opponent while still getting in some damage during their slip-ups. The problem is that playing him will require a fair amount of skill because there isn’t much room for error. Low health combined with poor defense mean that he just can’t afford to take as many hits as the real bruisers on the series roster.
4. Giovanna
Giovanna is a newcomer to the Guilty Gear series. Even so, she has managed to make a strong impression. In part, this is because Giovanna runs around with a giant green wolf spirit that can possess her for some interesting effects. However, it helps that she is a newcomer who happens to be well-suited for newcomers. Simply put, Giovanna is a very aggressive character who is very easy to use, which can make her a lot more fun for people who don’t enjoy engaging in psych-out games but instead prefer to hammer the opponent into dust with a blistering offensive that never lets up. She has her weaknesses, but she is strong enough that working to overcome those issues shouldn’t be too frustrating.
3. Ramlethal Valentine
One could say that Ramlethal Valentine is a newer character, seeing as how she showed up for the first time in Guilty Gear Xrd. Her narrative can be described as someone who started out with nothing but the idea of service to her creator before going on to develop her own emotions as well as her own considerations. Something that was helped along by her sister Elphelt. Ramlethal doesn’t play as important a role in Guilty Gear Strive as she did in Guilty Gear Xrd. However, she remains a formidable character. In large part, this is because Ramlethal can exert incredible pressure on the opponent. She isn’t the fastest character out there. However, she is a mid-range specialist whose attacks can take up a good chunk of the screen. Thanks to these things, Ramlethal can be particularly dangerous once her opponent has been cornered, meaning that she can bring her full arsenal to bear.
2. May
May has been around for a long time. After all, she was one of the original 13 characters who got their start in Guilty Gear, which kicked off the series as a whole. Since that time, May has remained pretty recognizable as herself, which is to say, a cheerful young girl who tends to be much more recognizable because of the fact that she fights with a ridiculously huge anchor. On the plus side, her anchor enables her to do a lot of damage, which makes sense because she wouldn’t be able to swing that thing around the way that she does if she didn’t have superhuman strength. Other than that, May doesn’t excel in anything, though that also means that she isn’t particularly lacking in anything. As such, she is a good choice for someone who understands the need to close the distance to the opponent before hammering them until the match is over. If May has one issue, it would be that she is so straightforward that she lacks a good mix-up game. Thanks to that, interested individuals will need to try to inject an element of unpredictability into their play. Otherwise, they could wind up suffering if they go into a match against someone who has them figured out.
1. Sol Badguy
As mentioned earlier, Sol Badguy is the protagonist of the Guilty Gear series. He started out as someone who was motivated by the desire to take out That Man plus That Man’s creations, which in turn, was motivated by his desire to make up for the wrongs of the past. Over time, Sol has softened, with the result that the character of Guilty Gear Strive is quite a bit friendlier than his earlier incarnations. He isn’t necessarily more compassionate though because he has always been presented as someone with a decent heart on the inside. Fighting game protagonists being fighting game protagonists, it should come as no surprise to learn that Sol is another all-rounder that is meant to be easy to understand and thus easy to play. After all, protagonists are pretty much the default choice, meaning that making them complicated and gimmicky would introduce more frustration than is wise. Sol stands out by being very strong, which when combined with the ease of play, make him a solid choice for a wide range of players.