History Main / FightingGameTropes

** RubberBandA: When the A.I improves according to the player's skills.

* BruceLeeClone: The famed martial artist has a lot of influence on fighting game rosters. (ex: [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII Fei Long]], [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Marshall Law]], [[VideoGame/MortalKombat Liu Kang]])

* GlassCannon: A character who often has high mobility and attack power, but has the lowest health to balance it. Often overlaps with Rushdown, but others trade health for more all-rounder options, or take the other extreme as fragile Zoners who evade and bombard.

* DrunkenBoxing: A few liters of sake before the fight can improve performance.
* MovesetClone: When two or more characters use the same techniques.

* KiManipulation: When a character is trained to control his inner power.

* {{Ninja}}: A warrior who travels through the shadows to reach his goal.
** McNinja: A ninja who is not Japanese.
* PsychicPowers: When a character is trained to control his mental powers.
* {{Samurai}}: A member of a military class in feudal Japan who follows the orders of his master.
** {{Ronin}}: A samurai who does not have a master or is usually a nomad.
** WesternSamurai: A samurai that is not Japanese.

* UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}}: Kicks, kicks and more kicks...

* [[DistaffCounterpart Distaff[=/=]Spear Counterpart]]: A GenderFlipped version of the original character.

* TheFightingNarcissist: When a character has two concerns: kicking ass and her own beauty.

* KungFuKid: Can children participate in the tournament? Is this serious?

* MaskedLuchador: A wrestler who wears a mask.

* OldMaster: You're in need of some lessons, little grasshopper.
** DrunkenMaster: But first, let's drink...

* WeaponBasedCharacterization: Weapons can be used in a person's fighting style or as part of their personality.
** BowAndSwordInAccord: A character who uses long range and melee weapons at different ranges.
** GunFu: A character who mixes unarmed martial arts and firearms in fluid ways beyond basic PistolWhipping.
** ImprovisedWeapon: When the weapon chosen is an unconventional one.
** MultiMeleeMaster: A character who swaps between two or more melee weapons, often with tradeoffs between reach, speed, and power.
** MultiRangedMaster: A character who swaps between two or more ranged weapons, often with tradeoffs between fire rate, power, and projectile speed/range.
** TheMusketeer: a character that alternates between ranged and melee weaponry, or uses a MixAndMatchWeapon with "modes" like a [[BayonetYa rifle with a bayonet]] (compare BowAndSwordInAccord and SwordAndGun).
** ShapeshifterWeapon: When a character spontaneously creates weapons from their own body.
** SwordAndFist: A fighter that mixes armed and unarmed martial arts.
** SwordAndGun: A fighter who {{Dual Wield|ing}}s a melee weapon and a firearm-type weapon simultaneously. (compare BowAndSwordInAccord and TheMusketeer).

* AscendedGlitch: When bugs become official features in subsequent editions.

%%* DevelopersForesight: When developers provide the smallest details so that a game doesn't break.[[labelnote:explanation]]There is an example in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', the Small Airfield stage has Balrog ("Boxer") appear in the door of one of the planes. If Balrog is one of the fighters, Vega ("Claw") will appear instead. If both Balrog and Vega are fighting, M. Bison ("Dictator") will appear instead.[[/labelnote]]

* {{Expy}}: When inspiration gives birth there are new characters.
* GameMod: When other programmers (mostly freelancers) create [[RuleOfFunny bizarre]], [[RuleOfSexy sexy]], and any other kind of modifications...

[[folder:Fanservice]]
* ClothingDamage: When clothes are destroyed during or at the end of the fight.
* JigglePhysics: Especially for [[MsFanservice female characters]]. This fanservice became more popular after the arrival of the 3D era.
* NudeColoredClothes: More players can put the same color of a bikini, underwear or something similar in the same color as the character's skin during customization.
* SexIsViolence: This fanservice can't be missing in a fighting game, right? When the screams and moans of the characters are more reminiscent of pleasure than pain.
** SuggestiveCollision: Some grapplers and non-grapplers can do this at least without the developers noticing or blatantly depending on the position of the characters they are fighting. A pause on top of the frame can explain in [[https://youtu.be/6m8YealcUAM this video]].
* SexyWalk: A character walks... and somehow they look really good doing it.
[[/folder]]

*** [[OneHitKO One Hit K.O.]]: It's rare, but it happens.

** CrissCrossAttack: ''"MAXIMUUM SPIDER!!"''
** CrossAttack: When "X" or cross shaped attacks are useful.

** EyeBeams: "''BEHOLD!! OPTIC BLAST!!"''

** GroundPunch: ''"LIVE WIRE!! GO BURN!!"''

** TornadoMove: ''"SCREW UPPEEERRR!!"''

* PunchKickLayout: Very popular, this layout describes the controls perfectly: there have to be punch and kick buttons.

*** OneHitKO: It's rare, but it happens.

* BattleStrip: Am exclusive {{fanservice}} for [[MrFanservice male characters]].
** FlungClothing: All you have to do is take off your overcoat and kick ass!
** ShirtlessScene[=/=]WalkingShirtlessScene: If women fight [[ShesGotLegs bare-legged]], why can't men fight shirtless?

* [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl Shameless Fanservice Guy/Girl]]: When a character doesn't have an ounce of decency.

** EyeBeams: "''BEHOLD!! OPTIC BLAST!!"''

** SpamAttack: When a melee attack hits multiple times!

* DarkAndTroubledPast / FreudianExcuse: Some Heroes or Villains that had rough life that some of them motivates them so much.

* TrainingFromHell: When a character is shown through exhausting training either in the intro, cutscenes or ending.

* DarkandTroubledPast / FreudianExcuse: Some Heroes or Villains that had rough life that some of them motivates them so much.

* NudeColoredClothes: More perverted players can put the same color of a bikini, underwear or something similar in the same color as the character's skin during customization.

* ComebackMechanic: When a chcracter has skills that can help the player turn the tide.

* {{Shotoclone}}: A specific subset of the "All-Arounder", named after the "Shotocon" moveset used by ''many'' characters in the ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' series. [[labelnote:explanation]]What distinguishes a Shotoclone from a traditional "All-Rounder" is they are required to have 1) a [[KamehameHadoken projectile attack]], 2) a [[{{Shoryuken}} rising anti-air]], and 3) an [[HurricaneKick advancing horizontal attack]].[[/labelnote]]

* TheAnnouncer: ''"[[Franchise/Tekken Get ready for the next battle!]]"''

* TheAnnouncer: ''"Get ready for the next battle."''

** CombatCommentator: When the fights have commentators talking about the performance of the fights. This rarely has and is only present in PvP.

** McNinja: A ninja who is not born in Japan.

* ShapeshifterWeapon: When a character spontaneously creates weapons from their own body.

* SexIsViolence: This fanservice can't be missing in a fighting game, right?nt of giving a scream simulating an orgasm when losing fights.

* ExtremityExtremist: Fighters who exclusively use kicks and punches with a few exceptions.

* ArtisticLicenseMartialArts: fighting games rarely place realism over the RuleOfCool, ''especially'' regarding real-world martial arts.

* BowAndSwordInAccord: A character who uses long range and melee weapons at different ranges (compare TheMusketeer and SwordAndGun).

** JustFrameBonus: If you time this button press right within about 1/60th of a second, you get an an enhanced attack.

* GunFu: A character who mixes unarmed martial arts and firearms in fluid ways beyond basic PistolWhipping.

* TheMusketeer: a character that alternates between ranged and melee weaponry, or uses a MixAndMatchWeapon with "modes" like a [[BayonetYa rifle with a bayonet]] (compare BowAndSwordInAccord and SwordAndGun).
* MultiMeleeMaster: A character who swaps between two or more melee weapons, often with tradeoffs between reach, speed, and power.
* MultiRangedMaster: A character who swaps between two or more ranged weapons, often with tradeoffs between fire rate, power, and projectile speed/range.

* ImprobableWeaponUser: a character has some odd signature weapon that heavily influences their moveset.

* SwordAndFist: A fighter that mixes armed and unarmed martial arts.
* SwordAndGun: A fighter who {{Dual Wield|ing}}s a melee weapon and a firearm-type weapon simultaneously. (compare BowAndSwordInAccord and TheMusketeer).