Akira Yuki / Akira

Wall-preferred, Hit-and-Run

• Martial arts idiot No. 1.
• Character for players with "protagonist syndrome"
• Looks cool if used well
• Highly recommended if you feel joy when skillfully executing difficult commands
• Hit-and-run style: attack first, then defend
• Very high combo damage

Jacky Bryant / Jacky

Frame-focused, Wall-preferred

• A character created by mixing Bruce Lee & 90s Hollywood stars
• Mastering the very tricky Flash Kick is essential for beginners
• Boasts the best combo damage
• A rush-type character with the best elbows and uppercuts
• Places great importance on close-range frame offense/defense

Sarah Bryant / Sarah

Extreme Rush Type, Setup-focused

• Lara Croft's motif, the original blonde beauty in a leotard
• The martial art name is vaguely unrevealed, but anyone can tell it's Taekwondo, though the motions are a bit disappointing
• Highly offensive, rush-type character, set-play type
• Combo and control difficulty are relatively easy, and studying countermeasures against opponents is comparatively less important

Lau Chan / Lau

Wall-preferred, Rush Type, Punish-focused

• A Hong Kong martial arts villain boss gimmick, motivated by Master Hwang Jang-Lee
• Recommended for those who prefer a dignified villain
• Virtua Fighter 2 or 3 era tactics are still effective, so old-game players can learn combos and immediately jump into practice
• Prefers long-range and wall offense/defense
• Punish and whiff punish performance is top-tier

Brad Burns / Brad

Rush Type, Trickster, Wall-preferred

• A character suited for playboy narcissists
• The refreshing nature of his combos sets him apart from other characters
• It may seem easy, but combos and links require a lot of practice
• Strong in mid-range combat using his reach, and his side-utilizing tricks are also top-tier
• Punishes and whiff punishes are also powerful

Lei-Fei / Lei-Fei

Wall-preferred, Extreme Rush Type

• Martial arts idiot No. 2.
• It's okay to be despicable to become strong. Perfect for those with a twisted personality
• Works to some extent even without learning basic offense/defense
• Top-tier character limited to sandwich maps / octagon stages
• Many special stances make him complex, but he doesn't use many techniques, making him relatively easy to learn
• Extreme rush character, emphasizes set play

Shun Di / Shun Di

Wide Map-preferred, Trickster

• From the Qing Dynasty....
• The first Drunken Fist fighting game character to shock the world with motion capture technology
• A character who can reach upper-mid tier even without learning Virtua Fighter's basic offense/defense
• Highly recommended if you prefer tricky characters
• Evolves into the strongest character after more than 20 drinks
• Emphasizes set play, low attacks are also powerful

Aoi Umenokoji / Aoi

Trick Bully, Offense/Defense Ignorer

• A country girl practicing Aikido, in love
• The eternal #1 pick for female character enthusiasts
• Centered around various high-performance counter techniques
• Works up to upper-mid tier even without learning offense/defense
• Was a character who covered weak basic attacks with counters, but in R.E.V.O. has become a top-tier character, a complete all-rounder

Vanessa Lewis / Vanessa

Trickster, Offense/Defense Focused

• A thug sister born under the influence of MMA
• Works to some extent even without learning basic offense/defense
• Fights by switching between two stances, so you effectively need to learn two characters' worth
• Has many high-performance, over-spec techniques, but their damage efficiency is relatively poor
• Tying down the opponent's actions with special defensive moves in disadvantageous frames is the start of her offense/defense

El Blaze / El Blaze

Long-range Type, Trickster

• The first Lucha Libre fighting game character
• The excitement of Lucha is well-implemented, making him very popular with wrestling fans
• Surprisingly a good character for beginners
• Has many tricks utilizing his agility and small stature
• Especially tricky at long range
• Closer to a set-play focus than psychological warfare

Pai Chan / Pai

All-rounder abilities, A+ Top Tier

• Concept of a stereotypical young female martial artist seen in Hong Kong movies
• Recommended for female players who prefer cuteness or male enthusiasts of female characters
• Style: A type that exhausts the opponent's patience
• A high-performance character who has produced the most pro gamers, and received additional buffs in the R.E.V.O. version

Kage Maru / Kage

Side-preferred, Agile

• Fashion terrorist & Unconventional martial art
• Recommended if you prefer speed-type characters
• Virtua Fighter's best low-risk, low-reward character
• But he has the strongest throw in this game
• Strong in both wall and narrow open maps
• Emphasizes frame-level micro offense/defense
• Top-tier performance as of 2.01, Side bully

Lion Rafale / Lion

Open Map-preferred, Trickster

• High pick rate among those who prefer handsome male characters
• A Frenchman speaking English..
• Specializes in out-fighting, high proportion of low attacks
• Ring-out specialist
• A style that exhausts the opponent's patience

Eileen / Eileen

Extreme Rush Type, Trickster

• Youngest high school girl fighter
• Currently in a legal battle with a plastic surgeon...
• Said to be Shun's disciple
• A character that attracted many panty-shot otaku
• Became a considerably strong character after the 2.00 patch
• More proficient in out-fighting than basic offense/defense
• Control difficulty is more perplexing than simply difficult

Jean Kujo / Jean

Wall-preferred, Offensive-oriented

• A Kyokushin Karate character motivated by Semmy Schilt
• His Karate motions are quite unique and disciplined compared to other games, which is appealing
• A character who throws various curveballs before unleashing a 160km fastball
• Strong knee kicks remain, making him good for beginners or Virtua Fighter 3 and 4 players to return to
• Especially strong on Octagon/Middle Fence maps

Wolf Hawkfield / Wolf

Mix-up forcing, Wall-preferred

• A character for WWE fanatics
• Can execute all representative wrestling techniques that dominated an era
• With a higher proportion of throws than other games, he quenches the thirst of wrestling enthusiasts
• Destructive damage from forced mix-ups
• Emphasizes pattern play based on various setups

Jeffry McWild / Jeffry

Wall-preferred, Long-range preferred

• No-nonsense tough guy. No retreat.
• Closer to a heavy hitter, but his throws are also excellent
• The only character in this game who suffers almost no disadvantage when a throw is escaped
• Very easy to pick up, but requires mastering basic offense/defense to become strong
• Good at offense/defense using his reach and set play
• Virtua Fighter 3 and 4 play styles are also somewhat effective

Goh Hinogami / Goh

Hit-and-Run, Defensive-oriented, Offense/Defense Focused

• A man full of pheromones, seducing women with a bad-boy fetish
• Control/combos are relatively easy, making him easy to pick up, but requires a deep understanding of the game system to use well
• A character specialized in reading opponents, with the strongest strike/throw mix-ups
• Mostly relies on single-hit techniques, so mastering various defensive actions is crucial

Taka-Arashi / Taka-Arashi

Mix-up forcing, Rush Type

• A Sumo character forcibly introduced because it's a representative Japanese game
• Returned due to ardent fans' support, but requires learning specific countermeasures, causing much pain to many beginners
• The easiest character to become very strong very quickly with little practice
• Quite strong with preemptive attacks and set play
• Despite nerfs, still considered sufficiently strong