Line #56 Main/FightingClown


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4	[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fat_princess_kratos.png]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350:Yes, you are indeed seeing [[VideoGame/FatPrincess an obese princess]] fighting the [[VideoGame/GodOfWar God of War]] himself. [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight We don't see anything wrong with that.]]]]
6
7	->''"I was a rodeo clown for six years. You're gonna hafta step it up, shorty!"''
8	-->-- '''Jan''', ''Film/MrDeeds''
9
10	They look wacky. They utilize slapstick in their attacks. They have a goofy voice. They run on RuleOfFunny while their peers run on RuleOfCool. In spite of all this, they play just as well as the other fighters in the game. They aren't a JokeCharacter, they're a Fighting Clown, and they'll have you knock-knocked out cold before you can ask "who's there?"
11
12	Basically, Fighting Clowns are those FightingGame characters who stand out because they're ''sillier'' than the rest of the cast, not because they're worse. Many fighting games have at least one Fighting Clown, and although the two can coexist, sometimes a JokeCharacter will occupy the "goofy character" niche instead. Make no mistake, however; a character can only be one or the other, as while Joke Characters may border on unplayable, Fighting Clowns are just as viable as anyone else.
13
14	Mind that a Fighting Clown does not necessarily need to be a ''literal'' clown; that said, this is not unheard of.
15
16	Many a Fighting Clown uses the art of ConfusionFu, and/or is an ImprobableWeaponUser.
17
18	Compare LethalJokeCharacter, who seems mechanically weak but can deliver a thrashing. Similarly, compare MechanicallyUnusualFighter, whose gameplay mechanics tend to be their silly aspects as opposed to their appearances (although the two overlap nicely). Compare CampyCombat, whose fighting style is flamboyant but not necessarily comedic. See BewareTheSillyOnes. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Nothing to do with]] MonsterClown.
19
20	Not to be confused with MagicalClown, which is always about literal clowns.
21
22	----
23	!!Examples:
24
25	* ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' has tons of these, and then some. Starting with the first game:
26	** '''Yoshimitsu'''. [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Both of them]]. Eccentric [[JustLikeRobinHood Robin Hood-esque]] {{ninja}}[=/=]{{samurai}}[=/=]''[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot something]]'' who is almost always clad in odd getups. A master of ConfusionFu who will ''destroy'' you if you don't take him seriously. Also, Kuma, Heihachi's pet, a [[BearsAreBadNews fighting bear]], and [[CoolOldGuy Wang Jinrei]], with his NoblewomansLaugh and DirtyOldMan tendencies.
27	** The second game introduces the Roger family [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg (and Alex)]], a genetically engineered BoxingKangaroo, his wife, [[ActionMom and her son]] and a boxing utaharaptor respectively.
28	** ''Tekken 3'' adds Ling Xiaoyu, a childish GenkiGirl, a CuteBruiser, and a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, and her pet, a panda [[ADogNamedDog called Panda]] who is a PaletteSwap of Kuma, with the only difference being the species (Kuma is a grizzly) and the fact that Panda is female. There is also [[DittoFighter Mokujin]], a living wooden training dummy who awakens when it senses a great evil and communicates through [[TheUnintelligible wood noises]], and Gon, a little orange dinosaur and [[GuestFighter the main character]] of a [[Manga/{{Gon}} manga of the same name]], who breaths fire [[{{Fartillery}} and uses farts as a weapon]]. Dr. Bosconovitch, meanwhile, is more of a LethalJokeCharacter.
29	** Surprisingly, ''VideoGame/Tekken4'' ''doesn't'' have one, with the possible exception of Combot, a DittoFighter with a PunnyName who replaces Mokujin.
30	** Then, in ''Tekken 6'' there's [[BigFun Bob]], a morbidly obese yet [[{{Acrofatic}} acrobatic American]].
31	* Voldo and Dampierre in ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Calibur]]''.
32	** Voldo is equal parts creepy and silly. After having spent so long in complete darkness, his eyes no longer function properly and his skin is pale-white. He also dresses in what can only be described as "some sort of bondage gear" and is the only character in which crab-walking (crawling face-up on one's hands and feet) is a large part of their fighting technique. Apparently he's gotten so good at it that he can easily and rapidly cover ground with it.
33	** Practically all of Dampierre's moveset places him squarely in this trope. Some attacks cause him to land face first into his "Poker Bluff" stance and a particular kick can put him into the "[[FakeWeakness Fake Pain]]" stance - both at random. To the uninitiated, this makes him seem like a [[JokeCharacter throwaway character]] as it puts him in undesirable situations - until one finds out that's how he launches his [[LethalJokeCharacter most powerful attacks]]. If he wasn't silly enough, he has a throw were he spanks the opponent (regardless of gender), a Russian kick dance that causes him and the opponent to go up in the air, and moonwalks whenever you move back with him. And his OneHitKill involves him conning the opponent. In ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV'', his OneHitKill is replaced with a super move where he gives his opponent a [[AssShove kancho]].
34	* Faust (formerly Dr. Baldhead) from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' is an eccentric, 9-foot tall doctor that fights with a giant scalpel and gives surprise rectal exams. He is otherwise a very technical and effective Faux-[[MightyGlacier Mighty Glacier.]] Also in the series are May, the resident GenkiGirl who [[AnchorsAway fights with an anchor]] and [[TheBeastmaster various cute sea life]]; and Zappa, a man possessed by ghosts that fights with bizarre movements a la ''Film/TheExorcist''. Despite all of these eccentricities, Guilty Gear is not known for having ''any'' joke characters.
35	** ''Xrd'' would later introduce the wedding-obsessed Elphelt Valentine who, other than being TheGunslinger, also uses bouquets, strawberry grenades and other wedding-themed objects as weapons.
36	* A really bizarre case is ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'' including [[VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf Blitztank]] as a character. In a game where everyone is at least humanoid, we have a HUGE tank with a SkullForAHead and can do things like "punch" with its front tracks and ''jump''. On one hand, it looks incredibly silly to see a tank as a fighting game character, but on the other... ''[[TankGoodness it's a tank]]''. It appropriately trades mobility for huge damage and HP.
37	* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' has several:
38	** [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Luigi]] started out as a MovesetClone of Mario, but through DivergentCharacterEvolution several of his attacks were redesigned or replaced to represent his status as TheKlutz of the ''Mario'' series. For instance, both Mario and Luigi have a jumping punch attack, but Luigi now lands on his head afterward, and his dash attack involves him flailing about like a child.
39	** Several others have just plain weird movesets. Mr. Platform/GameAndWatch fights by pulling out random equipment from his own games, pulling out things like turtles, flags, buckets, keys and other mundane things. [[VideoGame/WarioLand Wario]] is a CombatPragmatist who fights using a random assortment of wacky attacks and odd abilities, such as biting his opponent, [[GroinAttack punching them in the groin]] and ''[[{{Fartillery}} farting]]'' on them. Bowser Jr. fights in a literal clown car that's equipped with weapons like [[ThisIsADrill drills]], wrecking balls, a cannon, a ''fork'', and the clown face sticking its tongue out. And then there's Duck Hunt, a trio composed of the dog, a duck, and the unseen hunter from ''VideoGame/DuckHunt'' who use exploding tin cans and clay pigeons, can summon 8-bit mobsters and gunmen from thin air to fire at their opponents, and whose [[LimitBreak Final Smash]] involves their opponents getting caught in the middle of an 8-bit shoot-out between cowboys and [[VideoGame/HogansAlley gangsters]].
40	** [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossing The Villagers, Isabelle,]] and the [[VideoGame/WiiFit Wii Fit Trainers]] come from completely ''nonviolent'' games and manage to weaponize what they can do. The former uses a variety of tools and actions from their source game to do battle, such as planting/growing trees, digging holes, and picking weeds, and their ability to store virtually anything in their {{Hammerspace}} pockets allows them to CatchAndReturn items and energy projectiles. The latter's moveset consists entirely of [[IKnowMaddenKombat exercise routines and yoga poses]] used to beat opponents into submission, one of which has inexplicably gained the ability to gather [[ThePowerOfTheSun the energy of the sun]] into a deadly projectile.
41	** For a DLC bonus character, they chose a [[{{Mook}} Piranha Plant]]. Yes, they made a ''potted plant'' a playable character. It borrows several traits from other pre-existing Piranha Plant subspecies to fight, and can even summon Petey Piranha as its Final Smash. Just the fact that this creature ''exists as a fighter'' is enough to make it this trope.
42	** Another unexpected character was [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} Steve]]. Not only does he have one of the most unique design, being completely made of cubes, having a face that is completely static and very stiff movements, he also has a rather unique playstyle where you have to mine materials from the floor and walls and use them to upgrade your weapons, place blocks as temporary platforms and barriers or placing dynamite that can be remotely detonated if you build a redstone trail behind you.
43	* Fan game ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosCrusade'' has [[VideoGame/MarioIsMissing Weegee]]. His sole reason for being in the game is due to a gag during development. His entire moveset is one big memefest. The dev team claims that they were intending to remove Weegee from the roster, but he stuck, making him the only exception (besides Goku) to the "characters featured on Nintendo consoles only" rule when deciding the character roster.
44	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': This was a constant of Amy in multiplayer games of the Classic Era:
45	** In ''VideoGame/SonicDrift'', while she is the [[CrutchCharacter easy mode character]], as her car is the slowest but controls the best, her special move is the silliest. Unlike Sonic's Dash, Metal's Super Dash or Eggman's Mines, Amy has the Heart Attack... [[ProjectileKiss a magic kiss]] which [[InterfaceScrew disrupts her opponents' controls]] and slow them down.
46	** ''VideoGame/SonicTheFighters'' is the first game where Amy uses her [[CarryABigStick Piko Piko Hammer]] (then designed as its real life counterpart) as her weapon of choice. She can also make horse kicks and [[AssKicksYou ass kicks]], and she can distract her enemies simply by [[LookBehindYou pointing the finger]].
47	* In ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', Minsc. He's a badass ranger wielding a two-handed sword who believs that his hamster Boo is a miniaturized giant space hamster who talks to him and is obsessed with kicking in the butt anything evil in all its forms (justified in the lore as he suffered a head hit that left his brain a little damaged). His insane and memorable banters are like "taste hamster justice!", "butt-kicking for goodness!", "GO FOR THE EYES BOO [=RrraaaAAGHGHH=]!", "magic is impressive but now Minsc leads: SWORDS FOR EVERYONE!" and the most epic "Evil, meet my sword! SWORD! MEET! EVIL!" There isn't a dialogue with him in the entire franchise which has not some kind of humourous tones. And he '''kicks asses''' for true. He's so popular and memetic that, while initially intended as a funny yet competent character among dozen of others, he became an AscendedMeme, he was one of the few characters returning in the sequel, it was established as canon that he traveled with the main character in the first game, and even after 15 years he got his own (well, at least he's one of the main characters) comics series, ''ComicBook/LegendsOfBaldursGate''. Obviously, there's Boo too.
48	* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'':
49	** While most of the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' characters have deeper motivation for fighting, Zangief is a bear wrestler in a speedo who dances with Gorbachev in his ending.
50	** By the time of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'', Blanka solidly takes this role. Among other things, he has become TheUnintelligible in the storyline, he befriended de facto JokeCharacter Dan Hibiki, and one of his super moves is shaking fruit from a tree.
51	** In ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' adds El Fuerte, a ChefOfIron[=/=]MaskedLuchador, and Rufus, a loudmouthed, obese American [[{{Acrofatic}} with surprising acrobatic abilities]] who may be a ShoutOut to ''Film/BeverlyHillsNinja''.
52	** Dan Hibiki started out as a JokeCharacter, with occasional hints of LethalJokeCharacter showing up in some games, but since he was made more balanced in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'' he's been leaning between either an effective LethalJokeCharacter or this trope.
53	** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'' makes Birdie into one, by giving him the ability to throw {{banana peel}}s and soda cans to attack, which is a sharp departure from the series' usual mix of realistic, but slightly embellished martial arts with mild supernatural elements. His Critical Art has him capture the opponent with his chain and playing jump rope with it.
54	** Unusually for a Shadaloo elite officer, F.A.N.G. has a goofy style of fighting that looks lanky and uncoordinated (accentuated by his over-sized sleeves and unusually narrow facial profile). His Critical Art even has him take to the skies and flap his arms like a bird to spread poison around himself.
55	* In ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' there are ''four'' of these characters, one on the [[Creator/TatsunokoProduction Tatsunoko]] side, and three on the Creator/{{Capcom}} side. The Tatsunoko side has Anime/HakushonDaimao, a fat, comical [[GenieInABottle genie]] that comes from a comedy anime instead of an action/mecha one, [[NonStandardCharacterDesign looks much more cartoony]] than his other fellow Tatsunoko characters, fights with [[ImprobableWeaponUser a hand on a stick]], and one of his supers involves [[{{Fartillery}} farting on the enemy.]] The Creator/{{Capcom}} side has VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe, [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Roll,]] a robot modeled after a little girl who fights with a [[ImprobableWeaponUser broom]], and [[VideoGame/DeadRising Frank West,]] a photographer whose attacks involve baseball bats, supermarket carts and zombies, among many other things.
56	** ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' brings ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} into the mix. Most moves are only slightly unorthodox, but his level 3 Hyper Combo is probably one of the weirdest as he pummels the opponent ''with his lifebar''. ''[[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate]]'' brings back Frank West, and introduces [[Franchise/AceAttorney Phoenix Wright,]] who doesn't do anything one would expect from a fighting game character. All of his attack animations are of lawyer-y stuff, like reading documents. Even his level 3 hyper is merely accusing the opponent of a crime. They still do damage, though, and in the case of the latter, it's the single most damaging move ''in the game''.
57	* ComicBook/TheJoker in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse''. Literal example and a good match. He fights using all kind of [[ImprobableWeaponUser weird gadgetry,]] like [[ExtendoBoxingGlove boxing-glove-in-a-box-es]] and {{BANG Flag Gun}}s.
58	** He keeps this up in ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs''. He has silly weapons and deadly weapons, and uses his deadly weapons in a silly manner. His super move even starts by [[PieInTheFace throwing a pie at the opponent's face.]] Despite his MonsterClown tendencies, it seems to be a completely ordinary pie, with the super animation, if it lands, having him clean it off... with a crowbar. And when it's completely off and the opponent can see clearly, ''then'' he pulls out his gun, but waits a second before they realize what it is before firing. Then he finishes with a point-blank bazooka that he pulled out of nowhere to the face that ends up sending him flying as well. And if he wins, [[BlackComedy he douses his opponent with gasoline and watches them burn, but not before making a pun on the word fire.]] His partner-in-crime-and-maybe-love-interest Harley Quinn is arguably even sillier, with much more of an emphasis on silly weapons and pulls out a giant mallet with no problem for several moves. There's also much less BlackComedy to go with her, she's one of the few villains who doesn't kill the opponent and just opts for a kick in the face and telling them to "lighten up".
59	** Joker returns once more as a guest character in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', once again armed with an arsenal of bizarre weapons, from boxing gloves to booby-trapped bodies and a Batman puppet with a gun on its mouth. He caps it off by having some twisted, yet funny Fatalities and Brutalities to finish his opponents with.
60	** Another literal example comes from the obscure ''VideoGame/FuunSeries'' by Creator/{{SNK}}. This guy is also named Joker as he's pretty much an {{Expy}} of DC's Joker, also using [[ImprobableWeaponUser weird gadgetry]] such as huge [[DeathDealer playing cards]] and a [[WeaponizedHeadgear top hat that spins around like a buzzsaw]]. His fighting style is the most comical and wackiest of the entire series, yet he can fight on equal ground with the rest of the cast, all while riding on [[RollerbladeGood roller skates]].
61	* From the ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' series, there's Bo' Rai Cho (a [[PunnyName pun]] on the Spanish word "borracho", [[MeaningfulName which means "drunkard"]]), a pudgy OldMaster who [[DrunkenMaster gets drunk in order to fight well]] and is ToiletHumour personified. He has an attack where he [[VomitIndiscretionShot vomits on the enemy]], and a fatality where he, yup, you guessed it, ''[[OverlyLongGag farts]]'', only this time he [[FartsOnFire lights his fart]], which is so massive it engulfs the opponent in fire.
62	** There's also Mokap, a guy in a motion capture suit who attacks by throwing little white balls at people.
63	** Johnny Cage becomes this in [=MK11=]. While he retains most of his fighting style and shadow powers from the previous titles, his gameplay now includes him miming invisible walls as a counter, using his Oscar statue to bludgeon and stab his opponent and playing with an action figure of himself after winning a match. His fatalities are even more ridiculous, such as using the top half of his opponent's dismembered body as a dummy in a comedy routine, or flipping the bird to their severed head after several failed takes (complete with film crew) of him killing them with an uppercut.
64	* ''VideoGame/{{Multiversus}}'' has the AscendedMeme of [[MemeticBadass "Ultra Instinct Shaggy"]], with [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo Shaggy Rogers]] having gained superpowers from [[GreenRocks radioactive rock candy]].
65	* ''VideoGame/PokkenTournament'' is a FightingGame using ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', so this would be expected: The first one to fill this role is probably the biggest UnexpectedCharacter: ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Chandelure]]'', the Luring Pokémon. It's not that strange ([[OurMonstersAreWeird by Pokémon standards mind you]]), but it's still a living ''[[AnimateInanimateObject chandelier]]'' in a FightingGame that isn't even a "unorthodox" type of game like ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''. Said 'mon is also considered one of the best characters in the roster, and in the hands of a skilled player veers on GameBreaker status.
66	* The Dancing Banana from ''VideoGame/{{MUGEN}}''. It looks and sounds like a joke character, but actually plays like a normal one. He does use [[EdibleAmmunition bananas as weapons]] while spouting "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" noises, though.
67	** There's also Dee Bee Kaw, who looks funny and utilizes some really silly attacks, but he also plays like a normal character and a pretty powerful one at that.
68	* Maria was a LethalJokeCharacter in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood'', and she also fits this trope in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaJudgment''.
69	* Akari in ''VideoGame/TheLastBlade'', a young girl [[UsefulNotes/{{Onmyodo}} onmyōji]] who fights with a [[ZigzagPaperTassel gohei]], often trips as a part of her attacks, summons various yokai as a part of her moveset and is the only character able to [[DiagonalCut escape being bisected]] at the end of a match by revealing that [[ActuallyADoombot the Akari they had been fighting was an enchanted paper charm]], with the real Akari peeking from a portal to taunt her opponent.
70	* Goblins in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' have always been a wisecracking race of [[MadBomber mad bombers]] and [[MadScientist mad scientists]] who are relatively weak in combat, full of AI characters who offer you fetch quests while being liberal with jokes. As playable characters, they can now be as capable and hardcore as any other race, and are now parts of Horde raid groups taking down every BigBad that has ever threatened Azeroth.
71	* ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'':
72	** Murky is a [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter baby murloc]]. He has only a little more health than a lane creep, but his trait cuts his respawn down to just a few seconds and lets him respawn from an egg he can lay anywhere. He's a character ''based on dying a lot'', and outside of that he attacks with things like slime and exploding fish. Nonetheless, he can put up a fight like the rest of the heroes if he's given the chance.
73	** VideoGame/TheLostVikings come from a puzzle game, and are a group of overt cartoons and {{Fourth Wall Observer}}s. They have abilities like "Norse Force" and "[[Memes/LeagueOfLegends Spin To Win]]".
74	** Probius is based on the Protoss WorkerUnit from ''VideoGame/StarCraft''. His skillset isn't as out-there as the above, but just the fact that a ''Protoss Probe'' is fighting in a MOBA is ridiculous.
75	** Hogger, being an AscendedMeme, was made about as absurd as possible. His skills include throwing a boot full of dynamite, eating CartoonMeat out of a pile of garbage, flinging said pile of garbage across the battlefield [[CatapultToGlory with him attached]], and turning into a Tasmanian Devil-esque tornado and bouncing around while making pinball noises.
76	* [[NinjaMaid Shannon]] from ''VideoGame/UminekoGoldenFantasia'' (Spin-off FightingGame of ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'') is half this and half BarrierWarrior, with her basic attacks involving attacking with cleaning implements, or doing things like [[CuteClumsyGirl dropping a tea-set on the enemy after tripping]], and girly slaps and pushes, going so far as to even call [[TheBeastmaster seagulls]] to help her in combat. She's still as effective as any other character, and doesn't have any problem in going against the witches or their [[{{Familiar}} familiars]].
77	* From the ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' fighting games:
78	** Suika Ibuki: A young-looking oni who is, at any given time, completely drunk. Her idle animation is swaying back and forth. Her crouch has her lying on the ground. Her dial-a-combo is a series of friendly pats. And so forth.
79	** Suwako Moriya: What appears to be a little girl with a weird hat and a frog obsession (actually an ancient god). She crouches on the ground by default, grows a lillypad under herself, making herself taller, when she "crouches" and moves by hopping. Her dash has her move underground. She flies through the air by flapping her arms. Relatively normal attacks, though.
80	** Mamizou Futatsuiwa: She's a {{tanuki}} boss, so most of her attacks involve hitting the enemy with her minions shapeshifted into various youkai or objects. Possibly an example in the shmup games as well; her patterns are bizarre.
81	** Koishi Komeiji: Attacks include bizarre nonsense such as hatching an IdeaBulb and sneezing... and you cannot spam the sneeze attack, either; try, and Koishi will catch her nose, stifling the sneeze and intercepting her own attack. Her dash animation is also quite silly, as it has her prancing. Might also count in the shmup games, considering the Freudian imagery of one of her patterns.
82	** Doremy Sweet, the Ruler of Dreams, who made her playable debut in ''VideoGame/TouhouHyouibanaAntinomyOfCommonFlowers''. Her primary weapon is shooting dream bubbles, which look like bright pink bubblegums. In addition, her other attacks include shooting mini-sheeps, blowing a trumpet, use exploding balloons, or drawing the enemy closer with a vacuum cleaner. Then there's her ''Nightmare of Chimera'' spellcard, where she turns into a giant mecha sheep and shoots dozens of sheep missiles. Oh, and she has a smug grin the entire time she's fighting.
83	* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' has over a hundred champions, ranging from the serious BloodKnight or TheAtoner, to silly and goofy champions. Generally, the silliness is usually portrayed in their dialogue, with very few examples of 'silly' attacks.
84	** Shaco is basically a demonic SerialKiller Clown. His fighting style and dialogue are mostly serious, except for his Jack In The Box, which lays a stealthed trap that stuns and attacks the first enemy (or group of enemies) to come across it and is shaped like... well... a jack in the box.
85	** Lulu was raised by TheFairFolk and [[CloudCuckoolander seems to have a somewhat tenuous grasp on reality]]. Her dialogue is pretty far out there, randomly proclaiming things such as, "[[TastesLikePurple Yup! That tasted purple]]!"
86	** Kog'Maw is a creature from The Void, which is exactly as pleasant a place as it sounds. Despite being an EldritchAbomination, however, he was basically designed to look like a [[UglyCute big (acid-spewing) puppy dog.]]
87	* Bonker, of ''VideoGame/{{Clayfighter}}'', is both a literal clown, and is the wackiest character in the game. From Balloon Dogs to Teeter Tots, he'll make you laugh and cry.
88	* Peacock, from ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}''. She's a young, violent LivingWeapon girl who looks like a Golden Age-era {{Toon}} character with a wicked sense of humor. Her movements are funny and exaggerated and she drops jokes and references left and right, but her attacks are nothing to be sniffed at. Peacock utilizes a moveset chock-full of deadly keepaway toys designed to make the opponent pull their hair out in frustration.
89	** To a lesser extent, due to the nature of the game, many of the characters are fighting clowns. For example, we have a pieced-together catgirl that [[HurricaneOfPuns regularly sprouts cat puns]], [[note]]Ms. Fortune[[/note]] a sadistic nurse-ninja that uses medical tools as weapons, [[note]]Valentine[[/note]] a circus acrobat with gigantic muscular arms in her hat, [[note]]Cerebella[[/note]] and a large man in a trenchcoat that beats his opponents with various band instruments (including a fully playable trumpet)[[note]]Big Band[[/note]].
90	* Setzer of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' is a flamboyant gambler with a flair for theatrics, joins the party seemingly on a whim after they foil his scheme to abduct a romantic interest, and is a definite oddball among the playable cast. In a game of characters known for wielding swords, spears, daggers and several flavors of magic... he fights with cards, dice and darts and can get several powerful (if unreliable) special attacks by spinning slot machine reels. Still, he is definitely capable of holding his own, particularly late in the game - his Fixed Dice does flat damage (ignoring the negative effect of the Master's Scroll[[note]]Offering in the original english translation[[/note]]) and ignore defense, while his Viper Darts[[note]]Trump Card in the english translation[[/note]] and Death Tarot[[note]]Doom Darts in the original english translation[[/note]] can both inflict instant death to many minor foes.
91	* Cait Sith from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' is a robotic cat riding a robotic obese moogle. Though considered TheScrappy by many, his stats are nonetheless competent and he's the best permanent mage on the party shy of [[TheHero Cloud]] himself. He only has two {{Limit Break}}s, but his initial Dice Limit is something of a DiscOneNuke... [[ConfusionFu sometimes]].
92	* Quina Quen in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX''; looks like a Chef with his tongue sticking out and wields a giant dinner fork as a weapon. S/he also has one of the best attack stats in the game as well as [[PowerCopying Blue magic]].
93	* The Mascot Dreesphere from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' may look silly, but it ''will'' kick ass. It offers unique abilities to each girl: Yuna (Moogle) has recovery magic and party buffs, Rikku (Cait Sith) has offensive magic and debuffs, and Paine (Tonberry) has Knife attacks and status ailments. Rikku has a multi-target Eject which targets ''all'' enemies and removes them from the battlefield to end the fight ([[UselessUsefulSpell as long as they're not immune to Eject anyways]]). Plus they all come with abilities based off two of the other jobs, and they all have Ribbon as an auto-ability. Ribbon is normally one of the rarest accessories in ''Final Fantasy''.
94	* The portly Duane in ''Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom'' is the only character who has no achievement for beating the game, has no real story quests to speak of, has comical dream sequences and foppish costumery, and tends to fall over when Dashing. His ranged attacks, though, are some of the strongest.
95	* In ''VideoGame/MyLittlePonyFightingIsMagic'', Pinkie Pie's attacks seen include waving a giant foam finger, inflating her body, licking her opponent and raining cupcakes on her opponent for her [[LimitBreak super attack]].
96	** In [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic the show]]'s episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 A Canterlot Wedding Part 2]]", the main characters get into a large fight against hordes of [[{{Mooks}} Changelings]], who are called by their queen, Chrysalis to feed off love. Pinkie Pie starts off by blasting them off with her Party Cannon, which is basically a cannon designed to fire out and set up a party on short notice. Assuming she hasn't changed the ammunition, she's basically blasting ponies with cakes and balloons. While work on the game began before the show, the episode made Pinkie Pie's Fighting Clown style [[{{Pun}} canon]].
97	* Paprika's moveset and animations in ''VideoGame/ThemsFightinHerds'' are pretty bizarre, including her use of toon physics with her fleece, uses of [[EdibleAmmunition apples and broccoli as projectiles]], unintentional ConfusionFu, and attacking by [[AndCallHimGeorge being dangerously over-affectionate]]. Due to her being an {{Expy}} of Pinkie Pie above, this trope was to be expected for her, though.
98	* [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Kefka]] conforms to this role in the ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' games. Most of his moveset {{Robotech\|ing}}s unpredictably upon attacking, his walk animation is [[SillyWalk exaggeratedly silly enough]] to gain access to the [[Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus Ministry of Silly Walks]], and, in the first game, he would sometimes [[BreakingTheFourthWall hum the game's victory music to himself!]] Hell, his character title is "Mad Mage."
99	* Mad Clown in ''Super VideoGame/PunchOut'' starts out being a clownish expy of Bear Hugger, but come his second knockdown and "Show Time," he quickly proves himself to be one of the most aggravating opponents in the game.
100	** ''Punch Out Wii'' makes Bear Hugger into a big goofball who jokes around in the ring, mostly by making fun of hilarious Canadian stereotypes, but he still throws a mean hook.
101	* The Blacker Baron of ''VideoGame/AnarchyReigns'' is funny and prone to being the ButtMonkey, and likes to work in Music/MichaelJackson dancing for some of his attacks. He also possesses one of the [[{{Shoryuken}} most damaging attacks in the entire game.]]
102	* The ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' series features several competent warriors, each of which can decimate small armies without much effort, all while looking [[RuleOfCool absurdly cool]]. And then, there's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNL6AI59vu0 Yoshiaki Mogami]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXWiHy2r6KE Hideaki Kobayakawa]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knmG83PcUUk Sorin Otomo]] (as seen in gameplay videos of ''Sengoku Basara 3 UTAGE''). In the case of Hideaki, ''he isn't even trying to attack his enemies!'' He's just really, '''''really''''' [[TheKlutz clumsy]]... and [[BigEater hungry]].
103	* ''VideoGame/PlaystationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' has some pretty goofy cast members along side all the badasses. VideoGame/FatPrincess (seen above smacking [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]] around) is an obese DanceBattler that runs people down in her search for cake, [[VideoGame/ParappaTheRapper PaRappa]] deflects projectiles by swinging his skateboard at them and raps for his ultimate attack, [[VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet Sackboy]] controls space by imagining a fan into existence, which he then uses to blow cake and jam at his enemies and Toro copies half the FightingGame pantheon's moves while replacing their KiManipulation with mochi rice cakes.
104	* [[BearyFunny Teddie]] in ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena''. All other characters are either humans or [[RobotGirl things that look like humans]]. He's a colorful walking cartoon teddy bear, who makes funny cartoonish expressions while doing comical looking attacks. He ''does'' have a human form, but only shows it in win animations.
105	* Coyori in ''VideoGame/BattleFantasia'': The game is set in a pretty standard medieval fantasy world and even characters that look a bit silly have a believable fighting style (Watson is a small rabbit, but also a powerful mage and Marco is a young kid who wields his dad's sword pretty well). Coyori, on the other hand is a CatGirl who runs a MaidCafe... and her weapon is her ''tea tray''.
106	* ''VideoGame/SuperPunchPatrol'' have a ''literal'' version, the "Jolly" enemies which are dressed as clowns, and actually one of the game's most intimidating EliteMook enemies. Besides having a stronger life bar than most mooks, the "Jolly" enemies also have the ability to execute a hard-to-dodge SpinAttack on you frequently.
107	* [[VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients Meepo]] in his ''VideoGame/{{DOTA 2}}'' incarnation is a short guy with nets that beats you up with a shovel and the help of his clone, also wielding shovel. Rubick's possibly this given the oft-improbable animations for his stolen spells.
108	* ''VideoGame/JStarsVictoryVs'' has Manga/BoboboboBobobo, with [[Manga/{{Gintama}} Gintoki Sakata]] and [[Anime/ChinyukiTaroToYukainaNakamaTachi Taro Yamada]] having some properties of this as well.
109	* ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' and other {{Role Playing Game}}s by Nippon Ichi usually have one or two each. ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories'', for instance, had Tink, a perverted French frog whose specials include a ''[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]]''-style RollingAttack (complete with sound effects!) and [[SuicideAttack blowing himself up]].
110	** Beginning with ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'', almost every NIS strategy game has Asagi, a refugee from a cancelled Nippon Ichi title known as Makai Wars. This fact is generally played for laughs as she attempts to defeat the main character of each game she visits and take over their role. Her appearance in Disgaea 2 had her reusing her Makai Kingdom sprites (making her much smaller than the rest of the cast, not to mention out of step with the game's art style) and Soul Nomad allowed you to recruit multiple copies of her by repeatedly winning her story event, allowing you to build an entire army of Asagis (not possible with any other unique character). Oh, and her idle animation in most of her later appearances? Enthusiastic air-guitaring.
111	* One recurring joke in ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' is the inclusion of pandas in many parts of the game. One such joke is the Pandaren Brewmaster, a neutral hero who is a big, fluffy panda with [[DrunkenMaster beer-related]] abilities. Despite this he is considered a pretty good hero, his Drunken Haze / Breath of Fire combo can be devastating when used on a cluster of units, and as a result he is often picked up in competitive plays.
112	** Immortalized as of ''Mists of Pandaria'' in World Of Warcraft, the Brewmaster is the tank spec of the Monk class, and fights with various beer-related attacks like chucking a keg at a group to both stun and taunt them.
113	* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' has the party member Riki. He may be a member of a RidiculouslyCuteCritter race with a cheerful attitude and attacks with silly names to go along with the theme, but he's just as capable of a fighter as his humanoid friends, being a PintSizedPowerhouse with the highest HP in the party, a steal ability, the best healing ability besides dedicated CombatMedic Sharla's, [[DamageOverTime and several effective enemy debuffs]] at his disposal.
114	* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' features Maria, a little girl with terrible stats who cannot fight to save her life, and has pathetic attacking animations to match. But when you also have a tremendously powerful 400-foot Gear available to help you anywhere, anytime, that's not much of a problem! While most of the HumongousMecha in the game require a pilot in the cockpit and thus characters on foot must fight using marital arts or handheld weapons, Maria's Seibzehn simply responds to her commanders wherever she is and will punch human-sized enemies on command. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation even in locations where the robot shouldn't actually fit and having it break down the walls to enter would be detrimental.]]
115	* ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriors'':
116	** [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Agitha]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Tingle]]. The former is a self-proclaimed "[[FriendToBugs insect princess]]" who collects bugs and lives in her little insect-loving fantasy world, while the latter is a 35-year-old manchild who thinks he's a fairy and whose attacks involve AmusingInjuries. Lana can also count with her Summoning Gate, as her attacks with that weapon are styled after IdolSinger dance moves. ''Hyrule Warriors'' is a game based on ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'', so [[OneManArmy they can easily mow through hordes of enemies]] and even defeat all kinds of powerful villains without too much problem.
117	** The Cuccos exist in this game for the sole purpose of providing comic relief related to their "revenge squad" tendencies. True to the source game, they're some of the strongest enemies in the game. This time, however, they're beatable.
118	* ''VideoGame/HyruleWarriorsAgeOfCalamity'' has Master Kohga, whose moveset includes riding on Yiga clan members while guiding them with a banana on a stick, an energy beam that causes him to get stuck in the ground if not unleashed in time, and a finisher that's a literal circus jump.
119	* ''VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp'' lets you unlock RobotMaid Roll as a playable character. She fights using a broom, which can be swapped out for even sillier melee weapons via DownloadableContent. Despite her silly weapons, the net results is that she plays very much like Zero does from ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' onwards.
120	* ''VideoGame/BodyBlows'': This obscure fighting game series features one of these named Mike. This guy, in contrast to all the street brawlers, martial artists, robots, and aliens that make up the rosters of the games, is an unassuming business executive who can fight on equal footing all while giving out snarky quips during battle. He several [[BlowYouAway wind based attacks]] and even has a move involving him spinning around like ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''' Taz the Tasmanian Devil.
121	* Skullomania from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterEx'' and later ''VideoGame/FightingEXLayer'' fits the bill quite well. His backstory reveals him to be a low-tier salaryman who decided to become a superhero out of the blue. However, despite his inauspicious origins and a silly moveset that has him dive head-first into his opponent and launch a projectile ''upward'' to fall on the enemy's head later (all complete with hammy voice clips), he is capable of holding his own against a cast of characters that project energy from their fists, defy the laws of physics and wrestle bears for fun. Oh, and he gets a silly take on Akuma's Raging Demon where he drinks tea with his opponent between pummeling them with flashy tokusatsu poses (with colorful cartoon flourishes added to each hit in some games).
122	* ''VideoGame/KirbyBattleRoyale'' has Sleep Kirby, usually a [[JokeCharacter useless]] ability, as a playable character. Here, he smacks his opponents [[ImprobableWeaponUser with a pillow]], blows {{snot bubble}}s, and puts nightcaps on his opponents to put them to sleep. All the while, he's half asleep, even for the [[HappyDance victory dance]].
123	* Zote the Mighty from ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'' is a straight up JokeCharacter who wields a wooden nail that does no damage and can't even jump without pratfalling. His dream boss version, Grey Prince Zote, is just as silly, but since the Grey Prince is a figment of Bretta's imagination and Zote has convinced her that he really is a mighty knight, all of his flailing around becomes seriously dangerous, with every jump, slam and even pratfall producing damaging shockwaves, and even maneuvers like canceling attacks (i.e. beginning his ground rush attack, only to fall over - shockwave and all - right at the start instead of at the end) and ''falling through the ground'' and wrapping around to slam into you from the ceiling. And just to add to the fun, he'll also summon Zoteling minions and his nail can now hurt you normally. This unpredictability takes him from a ZeroEffortBoss to a real challenge.
124	* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': Many Servants fall under this category. They either have some comedic elements to their skills or combat abilities or are really, really quirky. The best examples, however, are the Summer and Santa Servants who are all parody versions of already existing characters. Elisabeth Báthory and her various Halloween versions are also quite good.
125	** Santa Servants are posing as (mostly) female Santas in a comedic Christmas story. The Santa Servants are very solid, and since they are all 4* Servants, their stats are no joke, and furthermore, they are free.
126	** The Summer Servants are generally swimsuit-themed females with summer/beach-related abilities. Many of them are actually as good or even better than their originals. Additionally, since all Summer Servants are gold Servants, those who were originally silver Servants will have much higher stats in their Summer form than in their original form. Only a few Summer Servants are inferior than their original forms, but are still decent, solid or good.
127	*** Artoria's Summer version is an outstanding example. Despite having a watergun as a weapon, Artoria Summer is not only her best offensive-oriented version in terms of gameplay, but also one of the best Archers and Arts-attackers in the game.
128	*** Nero's Summer version is also summoned in a class where Nero is canonically much more capable of than any of her Saber variants.
129	** Mysterious Heroine X Alter is a soft-spoken [[Franchise/StarWars Sith parody]] of Artoria in a SailorFuku, whose weapons, moves and skills are direct homages to various Sith characters and ComicBook/Thanos, and she still retains Artoria's enormous appetite, but for [[SweetTooth sweets]] instead and she's also a slacker. That said, thanks to her numerous upgrades on her skills and Noble Phantasm, she is one of the best Berserkers in the game, as she has very high damage output and has a high looping potential thanks to her high NP Gain and Quick-oriented deck. On top of that, her damage output increases when facing against Saber-class Servants and Good-aligned enemies, an alignment where most Saber-class Servants fall under.
130	** Mesoamerican deity Jaguar Warrior has a very effective Buster Critical Hit build capable of outpowering 4* and 5* Servants for the cost of a 3*. Jaguar Warrior's current human avatar is [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fgo_lancer_jaguar_man_2.jpg Fujimura Taiga in a silly-looking cat costume]] who [[PungeonMaster can't stop spouting cat puns]].
131	** Jason, leader of the Argonauts, was originally introduced as an extremely unlikable villain whose main role in the story was to hide behind his crew until eventually getting backstabbed. When he was finally added to the game several years later as a playable character, he was turned into a lowest-rarity joke character whose "ultimate move" involves him summoning his crew to barrage the enemy, only for one to kick him into the frey as he runs around like an idiot trying not to be killed by his own ultimate move (and failing miserably). He was also one of the strongest characters in his class and element for a while.
132	** Paul Bunyan is a CanonImmigrant from an official gag comic, ''Webcomic/LearningWithMangaFGO'', a GenderFlip loli with a [[NakedApron risque final ascension]] for no other reason than her creator being a pervert and a parody of the franchise's frequent GenderFlip heroes with {{Stripperiffic}} outfits. She's also the perfect Servant for manga Gudako's complaints about [[RandomlyDrops tedious material farming]] and [[RunningGag unskippable Noble Phantasm animations]]: a Berserker with low cost to raise or run, great support skills, and an area-affecting, nearly instantaneous Phantasm attack.
133	* ''VideoGame/PathfinderKingmaker'': Nok-Nok is a LaughablyEvil goblin best summed up as [[Series/BlackAdder Baldrick’s]] more stupid, less hygienic cousin. However, he is well-optimized for his class and can work well in either an evasion tank or melee DPS role. His only real weakness is his pathetically low Will save.
134	* ''VideoGame/AlienChallenge'': In obscure 1994 fighting game, one of the fighters is a literal clown named Drew. His fighting style consist of juggling and throwing pins and using {{Fartillery}}.
135	* ''VideoGame/FightersDestiny'' has two literal examples: Pierre, a French clown who fights using a style based heavily around misdirection and can power up his attacks by spinning to inflate his nose (up to five times for a 50% boost), and an evil jester named Joker who cackles like a lunatic the entire match and dances on his hands when he scores a point (and is the best character in the game, far and away). Seeing them in an otherwise relatively realistic game is a bit odd, to say the least.
136	** To say nothing of Ushi, a martial artist cow with some very goofy win animations. Returns for the sequel under the name "Mou".
137	** The sequel features Cherry, a buff yet flamboyant drag queen who replaces Joker as the badass hidden character.
138	* Another literal example occurs in ''VideoGame/FightersHistory'', simply named 'Clown'. He fights by throwing playing cards and doing what appears to be a Sonic Spin attack.
139	* ''VideoGame/IndiePogo'' has two good examples: Zorbie and [[VideoGame/GettingOverItWithBennettFoddy Diogenes]]. The former has really goofy and expressive attacking animations and some comical moves, like doing a DashAttack with his farts or using his mustache to fly. Diogenes is also nearly as expressive as Zorbie, suprisingly enough, such as making the [[MemeticMutation Rage Face]] as one of his specials, being able to hide in his pot to avoid damage, and has RubberMan tendencies. Both have great damage output and are as viable as any other fighter.
140	* [[ShockAndAwe Clown Man]] from ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'' is a literal example, as he was built to work as a clown at an amusement park, then stolen and modified by Dr. Wily for combat purposes.
141	* ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' has a fairly substantial minigame that involves managing a cabaret club, hiring various women you meet through sidequests as hostesses. One woman you hire is Etsuko, an elderly woman with a leopard-print sweater and dyed purple hair who repeatedly inconvenienced and then tried to hit on Majima. Based on all this, you'd think she'd make a terrible hostess (Majima himself outright calls her an "anti-boner"), but she's actually one of the best hostesses in the game, boasting impressive HP, talk (having the highest possible score even at level 1,) and party stats that make her almost vital when going against Club Mercury and Club Venus.
142	* A ''literal'' example shows up in ''VideoGame/SlapsAndBeans'', where an {{Acrofatic}} overweight mook dressed like a clown will appear and attack the players. Said clown puts up one hell of a fight before going down.
143	* While everyone in ''VideoGame/SlapCity'' is pretty weird, Business Casual Man takes the crown thanks to his moveset including a comical biting animation, SwivelChairAntics and assorted office supplies, and using his own stretchy legs and tie/belt as a bow to launch himself in any direction.
144	* ''VideoGame/{{ARMS}}'' has a literal example in Lola Pop, who manages to look even wackier than the other spring-limbed ARMS fighters. From acrobatics to nunchaku to [[InflatingBodyGag puffing up like a balloon]], she fights as aptly as she can put on a show.
145	* ''VideoGame/ZeroDivide'': Every other character in the series have robotic appearances and some come armed with all sorts of weapons, and then there is Neco. In contrast to these fighters, Neco is basically a cartoony looking cat who has an EyesAlwaysShut face and whose arcade endings always involves him doing comething juvenile (such as in the case of Zero Divide 2 where he doodles a mustache and exaggerated eye brows on [[FinalBoss Eve]]). Regardless of his silly appearance, he hits just as hard as any other character in the series.
146	* ''VideoGame/MadnessProjectNexus2'' features Tricky, a giggling sociopathic zombified murder-clown. His antics are as unpredictable as his mood, not helped by his ability to [[RealityWarper bend Nevada to his insane whims]], including one memorable incident in [[WebAnimation/MadnessCombat the mainline animations]] where he tried to run over the protagonist with a spontaneously manifested train. He's not much better in ''Project Nexus'' where his combat style alternates between summoning zombie hordes to do his bidding, slapping you around with a stop sign, or turning random parts of the arena into various hazards.
147
148	* In ''VideoGame/SNKGalsFighters'' (a.k.a. ''[[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters The Queen of Fighters]]'') for the Platform/NeoGeoPocket, you can unlock Kyo Kusanagi's ''non''-martial artist girlfriend, Yuki. She looks like a defenseless schoolgirl, and she's often surprised whenever she wins, but her attacks can be deadly. She can fight by swinging her school bag around, advancing from one end of the screen to the other. She screams out a BigNo to stop air attacks cold. And best (or worst, depending on your point of view) of all, she has a 12-hit slap move that is dangerous all by itself, but can be easily chained to her scrambling super attack for up to 33 hits, the highest in the game!

Context Main / FightingClown