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If we take Ryu out of it, who is the next most iconic fighting game character?

Take Ryu out of it. Who is the second most iconic fighting game character?

  • Akuma

  • Chun Li

  • Sub-Zero

  • Scorpion

  • Kyo

  • Terry

  • Other

Results are only viewable after voting.
Toxi

Toxi

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
17,546
Grunge_Hamster said:
Chun-Li is the more iconic overall, even if Street Fighter isn't the most popular right now.

Isn't the most popular Mortal Kombat character the ice one anyway?
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Scorpion and Sub-Zero are pretty close, but Scorpion is Ed Boon's favorite character so he's on all the marketing (including the covers for the last two games) and is Netherealm Studio's logo.

Scorpion also has the memorable catchphrase "Come here!"/"Get over here!" Sub-Zero does get points though for his spine rip fatality being the most famous one in the series.
 
Shadoken

Shadoken

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,204
KcebEnyaw said:
Fair point. Iconic != Popular.

There is no world in which John Wick is more Iconic than Terminator.

I don't think that necessarily holds true for Chun Li or Scorpion though. I would argue, to be Iconic, a character must be recognizable by a significant majority of people. If you showed a Picture of Mario, Sonic, Master Chief to most people they would recognize them. They might not be able to name them, but they would at least be able to say something to the effect of "That's the guy from that game".

I would seriously doubt any character from any Vs. Fighter is actually Iconic. Not outside of the Core Gamer Audience.
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Ryu is definitely far more iconic than Master Chief at the very least. Outside of Mario,Sonic,Pikachu ... i'd say next in line would be Ryu,Scorpion. SF2 has far too many references in mainstream media.

I think you are seriously underestimating just how big SF2 was , especially worldwide. Master Chief and the Xbox itself is quite niche outside of the US.
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SF2 was a monster in the early 90s , and arguably the biggest game of that era comparable to Fornite and GTAV of today , except with much lesser competition ( which means far more visibility ). Not to mention it has expanded on to multiple other forms on media like Anime,Movies,Comics..etc.

VS fighters maybe niche now , but when they were big they definitely broke into mainstream consciousness.
 
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Yourfawthaaa

Yourfawthaaa

Member
Nov 2, 2017
6,603
Bronx, NY
For me, its hands down

il_570xN.1567165162_48qg.jpg
 
TheGhost

TheGhost

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
28,137
Long Island
It would be Ken, the guy who is in every damn demo of SF2 with him. In all his stories etc etc.

Still wondering why this guy never made it into the game

Unless that's supposed to be Cody
r4IEvx.gif
 

Deleted member 17388

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,994
Toxi said:
Scorpion and Sub-Zero are pretty close, but Scorpion is Ed Boon's favorite character so he's on all the marketing (including the covers for the last two games) and is Netherealm Studio's logo.

Scorpion also has the memorable catchphrase "Come here!"/"Get over here!" Sub-Zero does get points though for his spine rip fatality being the most famous one in the series.
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Thanks for the explanation!
 
timrtabor123

timrtabor123

Member
Feb 11, 2019
1,020
Fighter Hierarchy is probably Ryu>Scorpion>Chun Li>Sub-Zero>Terry Bogard. I could see Terry moving up quite a bit now that he is in Smash though. Pit went from a nobody to a mainstay in Nintendo's marketing material due to Smash, I can only imagine what it'd do for a character that already has a bit of notoriety.
 
KcebAnier

KcebAnier

Member
Oct 29, 2017
257
Shadoken said:
Ryu is definitely far more iconic than Master Chief at the very least. Outside of Mario,Sonic,Pikachu ... i'd say next in line would be Ryu,Scorpion. SF2 has far too many references in mainstream media.

I think you are seriously underestimating just how big SF2 was , especially worldwide. Master Chief and the Xbox itself is quite niche outside of the US.
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SF2 was a monster in the early 90s , and arguably the biggest game of that era comparable to Fornite and GTAV of today , except with much lesser competition ( which means far more visibility ). Not to mention it has expanded on to multiple other forms on media like Anime,Movies,Comics..etc.

VS fighters maybe niche now , but when they were big they definitely broke into mainstream consciousness.
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The problem with considering how big Street Fighter was 30 years ago is that you also have to put it in the context of video games 30 years ago. The biggest games in the world were seen, let alone played, by a vastly smaller audience. Even if every person that played video games in the 90s played street fighter, and not even a quarter of them did, it would be the equivalent of half the audience of one console in this generation.

Outside of arcades and console gaming, no one new or cared what street fighter was. They still dont. The audience for Street Fight has only gotten smaller over the past 30 years and the audience for everything else has gotten much much larger.

Im not trying to disrespect the game. I honestly think it has earned its place in video games history. I just doubt the ability of any of its characters, including Ryu, to be considered icons or have any significant renown outside of the niche vs fighter audience.
 
Bright-Light

Bright-Light

Member
Oct 29, 2017
291
No way it is Ken. Too generic looking.
when these types of questions comes up I always think about which characters my mother would know.
she is not a gamer, she is 62. I think if she knows who they are then they must be iconic.
she would know Scorpion for sure, I think she would have a good chance at Chun li.
she would never guess Ken.

Im speaking as someone from the uk. No idea about worldwide.
 

francium87

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,041
My vote is influenced by the 0 presence of MK in China (as of 10 years ago, I am out of touch with the kids now)

Voted Terry, but could go Chunli as well as
 
cdyhybrid

cdyhybrid

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,422
Assuming we're not counting characters that didn't originate in fighting games (in which case it would be Mario, Pikachu, or Goku), I'd probably say Chun-Li or Ken. MK is just not popular enough globally to have any of their characters surpass her.
 
Shadoken

Shadoken

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,204
KcebEnyaw said:
Outside of arcades and console gaming, no one new or cared what street fighter was. They still dont. The audience for Street Fight has only gotten smaller over the past 30 years and the audience for everything else has gotten much much larger.
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I mean you can say that for any game. Also it was a pretty big media giant at the time with a relatively high budget Hollywood movie and multiple merchandising and other media. Street Fighter was definitely way more visible than just the gamer audience.

I feel like older games actually have an advantage in terms of "iconic" status. Because gaming wasn't as big back then , becoming a household name like Mario,Sonic, Street Fighter,Pacman or MK is still stuck with most people. And hence a large portion of people who don't actually play games still know of them.
The fact that SF2 made similar if not more money than the biggest games of the past two decades ( and in a shorter period of time ) , should tell you the impact it had worldwide.

Nowadays since there are so many games , the competition is actually way harder. And then you have regional differences. Games popular in the US are not the same games popular in China for example. But back then everyone pretty much played the same stuff , piracy was a big thing back then so even though it doesn't reflect in sales these old IPs are actually pretty well known. Piracy is much harder now and in most of these regions have been taken over by f2P,PC,mobile rather than console. Newer gaming characters are quite unknown in these regions.

Another thing now is since gaming is quite mainstream and most people are pretty savvy on various gaming IPs. A lot of the younger kids who didn't grow up on Street Fighter or Pacman still know OF them.

Going back to the Terminator for example , he is still well known despite his biggest appearance being the 90s movies a lot of other movie characters follow this example. Kids still know of old fictional characters that aren't as relevant now. Superman is still the most iconic super hero despite not being as relevant in modern super hero movies , compared to the likes of say Marvel. History definitely matters.

lvl 99 Pixel said:
lol, if we're doing the whole not originally a fighting game character but has been in fighting games, then its Pikachu (who has now been in multiple fighting IP)
Followed by like half the Marvel cast and Goku
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Has Mickey mouse every been in a Fighter ? It would have to be him right lol.
 
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Zissou

Zissou

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,887
If you were to allow characters who didn't originate in fighting games, all bets are off lol

 
Lua

Lua

Member
Aug 9, 2018
1,948
Thinking worldwide, its probably gonna be ken. Mortal kombat is not popular in japan or china, remember that. Terry is gonna move up some slots now that he's in smash.
 
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