History Characters / VirtuaFighter

* ContraltoOfStrength: In Virtua Fighter 4, Vanessa has a deep voice and is without a doubt one of the strongest female fighters. However in Virtua Fighter 5, this is downplayed due to her speaking in a higher register.

!Debuting in ''Virtua Fighter''

!Debuting in ''Virtua Fighter 2''

!Debuting in ''Virtua Fighter 3''

!Debuting in ''Virtua Fighter 4 / Evolution / Final Tuned''

!Debuting in ''Virtua Fighter 5 / R / Final Showdown''

!Debuting in ''VideoGame/FightersMegamix''

!Debuting in the anime

%%* {{Hunk}}

* BaritoneOfStrength: Speaks with deep and booming voice, matching both immense his size and strength.

* MechanicallyUnusualFighter: Shun Di is the only fighter in the cast with a meter he needs to manage--and even then, it's a very unconventional one for the genre. Rather than the usual tiered bar, Shun Di's drunkenness is measured in the number of swigs he takes from his flask, and his moveset gets more elaborate the more drinks he has in his system. However, going below a move's threshold will take it away again--so while he can theoretically spend his drinks on powerful {{SpinAttack}}s, it's generally wiser to use the moves that *build* drinks when they connect and get your number as high as possible.
* ManaDrain: Shun Di gets less drunk when he does spinning attacks--but by the same token, his opponents can *forcibly* sober him up with moves that spin him, like Wolf's Giant Swing. Therefore, a key part of learning to fight Shun Di involves knowing which of your moves reduce his drink count and how to create opportunities to use them.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: In terms of his nationality and appearance, as well as his gruff, stoic persona, Akira does have a look and vibe very similar to Ryu of ''Street Fighter'' fame. However, do not be fooled by his looks; Akira is ''[[DifficultButAwesome not]]'' a "pick-up-and-play type" {{Shotoclone}} type of character.

* ShoutOut: Seems to be based on [[CallingTheOldManOut Jin Kazama]]. This is most likely due to sharing the same initials (JK), both having villainous traits as well as using Karate as their fighting style of choice.

* HiddenDepths: Her hobby is singing, implying that she's pretty good at it.

* HiddenDepths: Though she never shows this ability in the games proper, her hobby is singing, implying that she's pretty good at it.

* HiddenDepths: Though she shows this ability in the games proper, her hobby is singing, implying that she's pretty good at it.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Her and Sarah. It's downplayed because Sarah isn't completely girly herself, she's just so in comparison to the rougher and tougher Vanessa.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Downplayed. Even though Sarah herself couldn't be classified as completely girly, Vanessa has a rougher and tougher personality and fighting style.

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Downplayed because Sarah isn't all that girly herself. However, Vanessa still has a rougher and tougher personality and fighting style in comparison.

* YouDontLookLikeYou: Vanessa in Virtua Fighter 4 vs Virtua Fighter 5 look so radically different from each other that Virtua Fighter 5!Vannessa may seem like a completely different person. Unlike Lau's change in appearance in VF 5 being explained by [[YourDaysAreNumbered his illness]], there is no reason given as to why Vanessa's appearance changed so drastically.

* YouDontLookLikeYou: Vanessa in Virtua Fighter 4 vs Virtua Fighter 5 look so radically different from each other, one could be forgiven if they believed Vanessa got replaced with another fighter. Unlike Lau's change in appearance in VF 5 being explained by [[YourDaysAreNumbered his illness]], there is no reason given as to why Vanessa's appearance changed so drastically.

* YouDontLookLikeYou: Vanessa in Virtua Fighter 4 vs Virtua Fighter 5 look so radically different from each other, one could be forgiven if they believed Vanessa got replaced with another fighter. Unlike Lau's change in appearance in VF5 being explained [[YourDaysAreNumbered his illness]]. There is no given reason why Vanessa's appearance changed.

* GutturalGrowler: His voice is so low it's practically gravelly.

* ShelteredAristocrat: And ''not'' happy about it.

* TheAce: Again, he's a ''yokozuna'' — sumo's unrelegatable highest rank!

* BigEater: According to his chankonabe hot pot win pose in the ''5'' series. {{Justified|Trope}} given his sport.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: In ''Final Showdown'', during the game over countdown Taka stares up at the players and begs them to continue.

* {{Determinator}}: It's pretty much implied that he takes pride in winning and [[DrivenToSuicide took it very hard]] when he was eliminated from the third tournament.
* [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Does This Remind You of Anyone?]]: [[HotBlooded His in-game behavior]], particularly in the ''5'' series, would bring the controversial yokozuna Asashōryū to mind...

* MightyGlacier: He's big, heavy, strong, and, in the vanilla arcade version of ''3'', he couldn't even jump.

* StoneWall: On top of his hand slaps being very fast, and a lot of his other attacks having good range or coverage, as the heaviest character in a game with a weight system, he needs combos designed exclusively for him at higher levels.

* BaldOfEvil: Though justified, since he is a monk.

* TheRival: Seems to develop a rivalry with Pai.

* {{Bodyguard Babe|s}}: Served as Sarah's in the fourth game.

* NeckSnap: One of her moves (ominously called "Heaven's Gate"). Subverted in a sense that it doesn't really ''kill'' the opponent.

* TrueCompanions: Implied to be so with Sarah and Jacky [[AllThereInTheManual from the descriptions in the manual]].

%%* TheCasanova

* LargeHam: Amps it up in ''5''.

* SomethingAboutARose: One of his special win poses has him throw roses like darts at photos of the female characters. He throws several more at Aoi's.

* TallDarkAndHandsome: At 5'10".

%%* AnimeHair

* PsychoForHire

* CoolMask: Sports a classic luchador's mask.

* {{Heel}}: In ''Final Showdown'', he can use Poison Mist.

* AnimalThemedFightingStyle: Monkey Kung Fu.

* BadassAdorable: She's rather fresh-faced, and youthful, and capable of stomping your rear end with the Monkey Kung Fu that her grandpa taught her.

* WaifFu: More or less used by her, considering how petite she is compared to most other characters.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: He's this to [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ken]], due to his fighting style and appearance (with a possible shade of [[EvilCounterpart Akuma]], given [[BrainwashedAndCrazy his current state of mind]]).

* {{Foil}}: Possibly to Goh; Jean is sent in to clean up after Goh's failure to kill any of the fighters in the fourth tournament, and looks down on his fellow assassin. On top of that, they both wear karate gis of different colors, and while Goh is scarred and grotesque, Jean is a handsome pretty boy.

-> '''Origin:''' Saudi Arabia
-> '''Fighting style:''' Sqay

* ArabOilSheikh: Has that look about him. According to the [[AllThereInTheManual official guide]] of ''Fighters Megamix'', he is one of these, usisg his immense wealth to start his own fighting tournament after failing to qualify for the previous competitions in the last ''Virtua Fighter'' games (presumably making the game said tournament he is hosting).

* AnimalMotifs: Mantis.
* AnimalThemedFightingStyle: Mantis Kung Fu, and he poses his arms like said animal.

* {{Mafia Prince|ss}}: Not ''exactly'' [[TheMafia mafia]], but his dad ''is'' a very corrupted businessman. Unlike other cases, though, Lion is very conscious of that, and does '''not''' like it.

* BeatingADeadPlayer: Whereas most fighters will stop attacking when you're defeated, a computer-controlled Shun Di will continue to drink long after he wins. Justified due to his unique drinking system, which gives him more moves the more drunk he gets.

* BoozeBasedBuff: The crux of his entire gameplay.

* DrunkenBoxing: Amongst the first examples in the fighting game genre.

* DrunkenMaster: To the point he has a move devoted entirely to drinking alcohol.

* BadassInANiceSuit: In the anime.
* CallingTheOldManOut: One of his main motivations.

* WouldntHitAGirl: Averted in the anime--he does hit a villainess there, though he expresses regret about it.

* CounterAttack: Has the most out of any character in the cast. {{Justified|Trope}} given her Aiki-jūjutsu fighting discipline, and many of them lead to some surprisingly brutal bone-breaking hits.

%%** DarkActionGirl: When brainwashed.

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: She was brainwashed by J6 and stayed that way until ''Virtua Fighters 3''.

* CombatStilettos: Usually.
* DivergentCharacterEvolution: From Jacky from ''Virtua Fighter 3'' onwards.

* GuestFighter: Same as Akira, in ''[=DOA5=]''.

* LuminescentBlush: Early in the anime, VERY prone to this whenever Akira is concerned.

%%* NoblewomansLaugh
* PaintedOnPants: Not only is Sarah wearing tight [[HellBentForLeather leather]] pants, [[FormFittingWardrobe but her top matches too!]] Obviously, she was going for the gusto.

* YourMom: One of her win quotes throughout the series.

* [[CainAndAbel Abel]]: When Sarah was brainwashed.

* BerserkButton: When it comes to protecting Sarah...

** You do ''not'' kidnap his little sister, brainwash her, and then target her ''again'' in subsequent tournaments. You. Do. '''''[[ItsPersonal Not]]'''''.
** {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in the anime; because of Jacky being so over protective of Sarah, this gave her a rather meek personality and little self confidence, making her more susceptible to being brainwashed. Jacky eases up on it by the second season, when Sarah goes back to college on her own.
** It also comes up when Jacky and Pai go to Europe and Jacky becomes very protective over a little girl they befriend.

* DivergentCharacterEvolution: With Sarah until ''Virtua Fighter 3''

* {{Eagleland}}: Fairly Type 1-ish.

* MovesetClone: With Sarah, but as the games went on this became less and less true. Jacky's style is still rooted in Jeet Kune Do, while Sarah started use a hybrid of styles under "Martial Arts".

* TheHero: Closest to this in the game series. Not as much in the anime.

* TheAce: Spent his pre-''[=VF1=]'' pro wrestling career as this, winning the world title and defending it successfully for so long that he retired and vacated the belt to seek other challenges.

* BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins: Some of his alternate costumes.

* CanadaEh: Of the Great North Woods variety. Wolf cuts down giant redwoods with an axe, lives in a log cabin, and trains outside in the snow. He's also notable as the first Canadian playable character in any fighting game.
* ColdHam: The voice acting for his match intros in ''5'' is unusually calm for a wrestler posing the way he does, at least until he does the wolf howl.
* DemotedToExtra: Wolf has a self-contained arc in the anime, but largely unconnected with the major arcs of the stories. Lastly, he doesn't appear in the final battle of the anime, best he got is a mention in recognition of his past arc.
%%* FacialMarkings

%%* ProfessionalWrestling
%%** ProWrestlingIsReal

* TheRival: To Akira.
** FriendlyRivalry:
** If one of the attract intros in ''4: Evolution'' are anything to go by.
** Picks up a new one in ''5'', as El Blaze enters the tournament specifically to face Wolf.

->Jeffry is an [[LandDownUnder Australian]] fisherman who was obsessed with hunting a giant shark called the "Devil Shark." Skilled in the art of Pancratium, he kept entering the World Fighting Tournaments to win prize money to repair and upgrade his fishing boat to fight it. By the end of the fourth tournament he finds that Judgment 6, the group behind the tournament had captured the massive shark.\\

* ActionDad: In the anime.

* CarpetOfVirility: It can be hard to see sometimes, but he's got some impressive hair over his arms and chest, fitting his rugged, masculine nature.
* DemotedToExtra: Much like Wolf above, although his treatment is a tad better in the second season, where he and Lion are blackmailed into fighting each other, in Jeffry's case to save his family.

* GuestFighter: Appeared in ''All Japan Pro Wrestling Featuring Virtua'' and ''All Japan Pro Wrestling 2 Giant Gram'' along with Wolf.
* HulkSpeak: "I, WIN!" Averted in the anime, where he is very cool and composed and articulate outside of battle.

* UglyGuyHotWife: Seen in the second season of the the anime.

* WrestlerInAllOfUs: {{Justified|Trope}}: Pankration was born out of the Ancient Greek boxing and wrestling, the latter of which created many of the modern wrestling holds. That said, Jeffry also employs some distinctly flashier throws, like the [[Wrestling/ScottHall Razor's Edge]] and [[Wrestling/CMPunk GTS]], that could've just as easily gone to Wolf or El Blaze instead.

* BaritoneOfStrength: Has easily the deepest voice among the cast, and appears to have the best record out of all the fighters story-wise, winning two tournaments and beating such badasses like Lau, Akira, and Dural (the latter two twice) along the way.
* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler:In the anime, he's assigned to just keep the kidnapped and brainwashed Sarah in line, but he develops real affection towards her.]]

* DistressedDude: For the second season of the anime, Kage started out being beaten by CanonImmigrant rival Oni-Maru and spent the majority of the season being chained while topless in underground. He did eventually plot his escape on his own, though, but overall, he had the same problem as Pai, with Oni-Maru taking Li Kowloon's place for him.

* KillTheOnesYouLove: Believed he had to do this to his mother during ''4'' when it seemed like she was too far gone. He stops Shun from interfering with his fight when Dural interrupts their final match. Leads to CradlingYourKill, but turns out it wasn't his mom, just a [[ActuallyADoombot production model Dural]].

* {{Ninja}}: Kage might just be the most traditional, played straight ninja in any fighting game, with his swift moves, stoic personality, and very traditional garb.
* SixthRanger: In the anime.
* TheStoic: It comes with the job.
* StockNinjaWeaponry: Throws shuriken at Eileen in the intro of ''Final Showdown.''

->Pai Chan is a movie star from Hong Kong and the daughter of Lau Chan, who taught her how to fight at a young age. When Lau was training himself to be a more powerful fighter, Pai's mother struggled to support her family and died. Devastated, Pai entered the first tournament to test her skills and face her father, who she blamed for her mother's death.\\

* ActionDressRip: In the anime.

* AnimeChineseGirl: The current trope image.

* BerserkButton: Anything having to do with her father, Li Kowloon, and Koen-ken.

* BigDamnHeroes: Pai pulls one off to [[http://youtu.be/QnwuyHMhigs?t=13s save her father Lau from being killed by Lei Fei.]]
* BoundAndGagged: Try counting how many times she got this in the anime. Mostly on the first arc, due to circumstances as seen in the FauxActionGirl section.

* BraidsOfAction: Combined with GirlishPigtails.
* CallingTheOldManOut: In ''all'' adaptations of the series.
* FairytaleWeddingDress: Wears one when she's forced into mrrying Liu in the anime.
* FamedInStory

** In the anime, where she rarely gets to be useful in the fights. Lampshaded and handwaved at the same time when Li Kowloon, the CorruptCorporateExecutive who's after her, points out how her specific fighting style is ''not'' suited for the circumstances she's in.
** In the second arc, she's much more competent, but her screentime was reduced so she doesn't get to show it too often.
* FragileSpeedster: Usually the fastest but weakest character in any given VF game.

* LadyOfWar: Her fighting style is fluid and advanced, and she uses it while wearing ornamental Chinese garb.
* MissingMom: While her father is alive (but not well), her mother died from overwork supporting the family as Lau focused on training.

* OvershadowedByAwesome: Despite her proficiency in Ensei-Ken and regardless how much she improved, she lost every time she challenged her father, Lau, in the World Fighting Tournament. After realizing he was terminally ill and didn't have much longer to live, she finally settled for trying to prove she was worthy of carrying on his legacy instead.
* RunawayBride: In the anime, Kowloon wants to force her marry him. Then, she escapes and meets Akira...
* SheFu: Pai ''is'' an action star and Mízōngyì is composed of intricate footwork and high leaps. The style relies on flexibility, hence explaining why Pai can use a cartwheel kick to devastating effect.
* StanceSystem: She has several stances, including Bokutai and Meishouho (lit. ''"Sway Step"''), which can either be entered manually, or automatically at the end of certain attacks if the button is held down. While [[http://virtuafighter.com/threads/hakkeshou-new-stance.16040/ Hakkeshou]] (lit. ''"Eight Triagrams Palm"'') is a new stance she gained for ''Virtua Fighter 5''. Each stance enables a specific subset of moves, adding to the complexity of Pai's character.

* TheRival: Seems to develop a rivalry with Lei-Fei.

* {{Tsundere}}: '''Type B''' (default dere-dere).
* [[WellDoneSonGuy "Well Done, Daughter" Girl]]: Although the two do rekindle in the interim between ''4'' and ''5'', mainly due to Lau's impending death.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Look at the below tropes and tell us that he doesn't sound like ''Virtua Fighter'''s answer to [[VideoGame/StreetFighterI Gen]].
* AnimalMotif: Tigers.
%%* ChefOfIron
* CoolOldGuy: The second-oldest member of the cast, yet is capable of five-star asskickings. Keep in mind that he's [[HandicappedBadass currently combating a disease]] [[YourDaysAreNumbered that will inevitably lead to his death]].
* DiseaseBleach: By ''5'', Lau's illness progresses to the point that his hair goes from black to white and the man looks more aged.

* TheGreatestStyle: Lau's style of Koen-ken is considered a "total offensive package" with both speed and power. It's to learn the secrets of this technique that Lei-Fei betrayed his order of Monks, and later betrayed and tried to kill Lau himself. After this betrayal, Lau has basically accepted that this style is now doomed to die with him.
* HeirToTheDojo: He's looking for someone worthy enough to pass on Huyanquan to before he dies, which is yet another factor in his strained relationship with his daughter Pai.

* OldMaster: As of ''5''.
* SoProudOfYou: Subverted. Lau's implied here and there to be quite proud of Pai's accomplishments as a martial artist, but he's never actually ''said'' it to her, which factors into his daughter's frustration with him.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: A lot of his throws, surprisingly.

* YourDaysAreNumbered: Has had a terminal illness from the beginning of the series.