Guest characters have had a place in fighting games since the early '90s, with varying degrees of success in their execution. On the surface, guest characters often appear as superficial cross-brand promotions. This results in fighting game guest character appearances that range from thematically fitting to completely mismatched, and crossover characters are thus a debated topic within the fighting game community.
Fighting game guest characters continue to be prevalent today, taking on different forms in different franchises. The Mortal Kombat franchise has implemented guest characters in its DLC since the days of Mortal Kombat (2011), filtering horror and action film icons into the roster with only slight nods to the games' narratives. Tekken 7, conversely, took Akuma from Street Fighter and directly implemented him into the game's main plot, using another fighting game's icon to bolster Tekken's already considerable roster.
As guest characters continue to permeate fighting games, their presence continues to be debated. The fact that companies get together and allow their intellectual properties to interact, in itself, is notable. There are numerous ways this can happen, ranging from cameos to fully playable characters and locations. But the genre has had a spotty track record in accommodating these special appearances.
The Downside to Guest Characters in Fighting Games
Guest characters can drag the overall cohesion of a fighting game down, depending on the character chosen and the game in which they're appearing. SoulCalibur 4 took a unique approach with its guest characters by cross-promoting with LucasArts and allowing Darth Vader, Yoda, and Starkiller (Vader's secret apprentice from The Force Unleashed) to cross blades with its fighters. The opportunity to allow these icons to appear in SoulCalibur was remarkable, yet the three lightsaber-wielders clashed aesthetically with the late-16th century setting of the title, highlighting an anachronism between the two worlds that struggled to be reconciled.
The implementation of guest characters can also fragment a player base's experience with a title. SoulCalibur 2's guest characters did this, as each version of the game had a separate cameo. Tekken's Heihachi Mishima, The Legend of Zelda's Link, and comic book hero Spawn found their way into the game's PS2, GameCube, and Xbox versions, respectively. Kratos from Sony's God of War franchise also made a special appearance as a PlayStation-exclusive character in Mortal Kombat (2011), with the Xbox 360 and PC versions not receiving a character to compensate. This imbalance creates an uneven experience, forcing players to pick a particular version for the most or best content.
Fighting games are also built on their individual mechanics, and the appearance of guest characters can disrupt the flow of a game. In Tekken 7, both Akuma and King of Fighters' Geese Howard entered the game with meters, super moves, projectiles, animation canceling, and other mechanics that are at home in their respective 2D titles but feel decidedly out of place in a 3D fighter. This results in the two former fighting game boss characters having special advantages not available to any other character.
How Guest Characters Can Help Fighting Games
While the implementation of fighting game guest characters comes with its own set of worries and woes, there are intrinsic benefits in crossing game worlds. Guest characters in fighting games grant players opportunities to live out dream matches that would otherwise only be possible in fan-made, Mugen-engine matches. Geese and Akuma's trailers for Tekken 7 played on this, highlighting both character squaring off with Heihachi Mishima and opening a world of possibilities in seeing both characters make the jump to Tekken's 3D plane. Mortal Kombat 11, likewise, remains the only place where action movie fans can see Rambo, the T-800, and Robocop all fight against one another.
Guest characters can also enhance the setting of a particular title if they fit well within its timeline and story. While SoulCalibur has had issues with this in the past, The Witcher's Geralt of Rivia and Haohmaru of Samurai Shodown rectified the series' guest problems in SoulCalibur 6, as both were able to slide into the timeline without clashing against the game's aesthetic. In a way, this makes the world feel even more cohesive, all while bringing characters from other games into the fray in a manner that respects the setting of the title.
With careful planning, a guest character slot may even eventually evolve into - or be the catalyst for - a future project. SNK's Fatal Fury Special in 1991 became the first fighting game to implement a guest character, with Ryo Sakazaki from the Art of Fighting franchise making an appearance. Three years later, Capcom followed suit, with Akuma from Street Fighter making an appearance in X-Men: Children of the Atom. These appearances set the stage for what went on to become SNK's King of Fighters franchise and Capcom's Marvel vs. Capcom series. KoF, in particular, would eventually be the spark of inspiration for Super Smash Bros., with Terry Bogard being added as DLC to honor that influence.
Similarly, a guest character can be used to gauge interest for an underutilized IP, allowing it to resurface in the public consciousness. Killer Instinct made expert use of this technique during its third season. Alongside Halo's Arbiter and Gears of War's General RAAM, two well-known characters in their respective franchises, came the surprising appearance of a former Rare property via Rash from Battletoads. Five years later, Battletoads returned with its first proper game in 25 years.
Fighting games have always been home to a crazy assortment of characters. As developers get more comfortable in handing off their IPs, this wild set of characters will likely see even wilder dream matches come to life. With someone like Negan crossing over from Tekken 7, fans get a chance to let their imagination run free with match-ups that would never have been possible otherwise. Fighting games can often struggle with the proper implementation of special guest characters, but it is undeniable that such appearances have been in the DNA of the genre since its early days. While some implementations have done more harm than help, the risks, more often than not, may be worth the reward.
