Character attachment in FG

[scrubbyscum999]

It's amazing how connected people become to the characters they play in fighting games. To me its an example of how video games are more than just games, they can be a strong emotional bond. You know, as I have played Painwheel I have become more and more attached to the character in general (lore included). Many of us in the community literally identify people to the character and color someone mains. I will always associate the Mai color for Valentine with Hops unless someone comes around who I come to know who uses that same color. Hell, we have who we play under are very names. This isn't just SG, this is games in general. My best friend know when we play Brawl I will main Zelda/Sheik (black and white) even though I can play like 10+ characters as hour time drags on. I find it a very interesting aspect of video games that we become attached to, lets be honest, silly and ridiculous characters. It's evidence, aside from direct definitions, that I believe that video games are more than just art but truly a way of life in some aspects.

 

[Caleb]

Great video, and I have to agree. The first thing I check when I come across a fg is the characters and their design. I'm not a very good player, but I enjoy a lot playing with my favorite characters ^^ and that's what I like. I master them because I like their designs and stuff like that.
I never say "wow nice grappler", I don't mind the gameplay when I choose my characters. I even love Thrill Kill just for the characters! The game is great, btw.

And its hard to make a top 5, so I'll make a top 10 lol with no order:

Spoiler

-Kitana (from MK series)
-Sektor (from MK series)
-Valentine (Skullgirls)
-Squigly (Skullgirls)
-Faust (from Guilty Gear series)
-Yoshimitsu (from Tekken series)
-Belladonna (Thrill Kill)
-Violet (Thrill Kill)
-Captain America (Marvel Super Heroes)
-Shimo (Yatagarasu 4)

 

[Vladislav_Paizis]

I agree with that video 100%. I could not get into ST for a long time, because Guy, Rose, Sodom, Rolento, Dudley, the SF characters that appealed to me, came later. I managed to warm up to ST later on and play Claw, Fei Long and Sagat. I've been hearing good things about Melty Blood, but I still haven't tried it out, because Kouma is the only character that looks cool to me and I dislike the character designs. The Character Loyalty is the reason I'm pissed that I can't make a team like Trish/Dante/Strider work in UMvC3, because they don't have good synergy. Character Loyalty is the reason why I'd rather learn how to play Baiken or Hakumen rather than pick an easy character unless that easy character appeals to me.

I can't make a Top 10, much less a Top 5, but here are some of my favourites in no particular order:

Spoiler

*Ms Fortune (Skullgirls)
*Eliza (Skullgirls)
*Beowulf (Skullgirls)
*Big Band (Skullgirls)
*Robo Fortune (Skullgirls. I know the DLC characters are still unfinished, but I'm really excited for them.)
*Double (Skullgirls)
*Valentine (Skullgirls)
*King (King of Fighters)
*Kim (King of Fighters)
*Classic Iori Yagami with Fireballs, Rekkas, etc (King of Fighters)
*Strider Hiryu (I actually played the Strider games on emulators before even playing a Marvel Vs Capcom game)
*Dante (Devil May Cry/UMvC3. I hated learning Bold Cancels, but I put up with it just to play as Dante)
*Baiken (Guilty Gear)
*Axl Low (Guilty Gear)
*I-No (Guilty Gear. Goddamn high execution!)
*Hakumen (Blazblue)
*Litchi (Blazblue)
*Bullet (Blazblue. I don't give a fuck that she's low tier!)
*Azrael (Blazblue)
*Akihiko (Persona 4 Arena)
*Mitsuru (Persona 4 Arena)
*Feng Wei (Tekken)
*Kunimitsu (Tekken. I'd be surprised if I see somebody maining Feng Wei/Kunimitsu)
*Fulgore (Killer Instinct)
*Captain Commando (Marvel vs Capcom)
*Dudley (Street Fighter)
*Guy (Street Fighter)
*Rose (Street Fighter)
*Juri (Street Fighter)
*Ibuki (Street Fighter)
*C.Viper (Street Fighter)
*Sub-Zero (Mortal Kombat)
*Rain (Mortal Kombat)
*Ermac (Mortal Kombat)
*Reptile (Mortal Kombat)
*Sektor (Mortal Kombat)
*Cyrax (Mortal Kombat)
*Smoke (Mortal Kombat)
*Skarlet (Mortal Kombat)
*Fujin (Mortal Kombat)
and maybe more!

 

[Agent York]

While I definitely am initially drawn to characters usually due to their design, I end up attaching to them more for how they play. I seem to be drawn towards high-risk/high-reward playstyles, so grapplers are often ones that I'm drawn to. Now, in no particular order...

Spoiler

*Iron Tager (Blazblue)
*Potemkin (Guilty Gear)
*Venom (Guilty Gear)
*Zappa (Guilty Gear)
*ABA (Guilty Gear)
*Q (SF3)
*Hugo (SF3)
*Twelve (SF3)
*Vega/Claw (SSF4)
*Painwheel (Skullgirls)

*edit Completely forgot about Smash. Guess I'll put my top 5 for that by itself

Spoiler

*Jigglypuff
*Ganondorf (maybe someday he won't suck... hopefully)
*Bowser
*King DeeDeeDee
*Marth

 

[Squire Grooktook]

I am not drawn to characters based on appearances, but immediately try out who I think will most fit my style in terms of gameplay.

However I definitely feel the attachment. Whether you grow to identify with your character, or simply regard them as a warrior regards his most trusted weapon, there is certainly an attachment.

This can happen in other genres with not necessarily human characters too. For example, the red space ship in Dodonpachi is my waifu.

 

[KaboomKid]

I'm all about characters. If I don't get attached to a character in a game, or I just find myself turned off by the cast, then I tend not to play the game for very long. That's part of the reason I'm not really into MMOs, or games that use generic/custom avatars. If the game is complicated, and I have to spend hours with a character in order to develop them, I feel like my time would be better spent just writing a book or something. When it comes to video games, I prefer feeling as if I'm sharing an experience with a character, rather than becoming the character.

I'm still inching my way through Skullgirls, but I love the characters a lot. I've always been attached to Squigly and Cerebella for their designs, but I really want to give everyone a try. Gameplay is secondary for me, but it's definitely a plus.

As far as other "FGs" go, I've mentioned a few of my favorite mains in other threads, but I'll list some here. For fun, I decided to rank them according to my degree of "undying loyalty" to them. I never got as attached to specific characters in ST/Tekken/Soulcalibur/MK/Power Stone/etc., so I realized a lot of games aren't even rep'ed here:

Spoiler

SSS - Samus (Smash Series)

A - Alex (SF3)

B - Ken/Charlie (SFAlpha Series)
Sabrewulf (KI)
Emperor Udan (Tobal)
Tallgeese (GW: Endless Duel)

C - Shina (Bloody Roar (2+))
Leona/Blue Mary/King (KOF)
Serena/Katrina (Guardian Heroes)
Blaze Fielding (SoR Vs.)
The Scorpion (Saturday Night Slam Masters)

D - Zelkin (Star Gladiator)
Frieza (anything DBZ)
Raphael (anything TMNT)

E - Viper 2 (Virtual-ON)
Megaman (MvC)
Jimmy (Double Dragon Vs.)

 

[Zazz]

I think I have a combination of requirements of both play style and character design, but I can simply put it down as this:
I like characters in cool looking armor doing lots of damage per hit.

Spoiler: My personal favorites!

Nightmare - Soulcalibur
Hakumen - Blazblue
Justice - Guilty Gear
Q - Street Fighter
Big Band - Skullgirls
Juggernaut - Mahvel
Gargoyle - Anarchy Reigns

 

[YoYoCheese]

While I can certainly understand people who pick only characters they think look cool or have an awesome personality, I can't main a character that I don't really enjoy playing. It doesn't matter how much I like them as a character or how cool their design is. That said, I also can't see myself sticking with a game that didn't have a cast of characters that I at least kind of liked. I also might sub a character I really like if I don't completely hate their playstyle and there have been several cases where maining a character has caused them to grow on me by a lot (Chipp Zanuff, Talim).

Spoiler: My favorites in no particular order

-Hazama \ Terumi, Platinum, Relius (BlazBlue)
-Chipp, Faust, Sol, A.B.A. (Guilty Gear)
-Hugo, Dictator, Akuma (Street Fighter)
-Lord Raptor, Felicia (Darkstalkers)
-Umbrella (Skullgirls, yes I'm painfully aware that she's not playable yet.)
-Talim (Soul Calibur)
-Eko, Catherine, Clarice (Arcana Heart)
-Geese (Fatal Fury \ The King of Fighters)

 

[Cybermanworf]

My preferences to characters is that I pick the characters that appeals to me the most through their design and the story of that character. I tend to spend alot of time working out which characters I want to play when I have stick with that character.

My Favourite characters

Spoiler

Blazblue : Noel Vermillion and Mu 12
Skullgirls : Fillia and Squigly
Guilty Gear : Dizzy, Venom and Sol Badguy
Persona 4 Arena : Labrys, Aigis and Naoto
Umvc3: Wright, Amaterasu and Nova
Super street fighter 4 : Guy
Street fighter 3rd Strike : Q
Super Smash Bros : Samus
Darkstalkers : Lillith
Dead or Alive : Kokoro
Arcana Heart : Eko and Saki
and probably more when I remember them

 

[Squire Grooktook]

Oh yeah, my favorites.

Spoiler

Marvel Vs Capcom = Wolverine, Captain America
Guilty Gear = Ky Kiske
Vampire Savior = Bishamon, Lilith, Morrigan
Street Fighter = Guile
Arcana Heart = Weiss

I tend to pick characters that are very speedy or who have a combination of medium speed and strong normals/pokes.

I guess in terms of aesthetics I tend to be the opposite of everyone here, I pick a character for the gameplay and grow to love their appearance/story later, ha ha.