These are the characters from Virtua Fighter. Sorted by their chronological appearances. Beware of spoilers.
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Debuting in Virtua Fighter
Akira Yuki
Origin: Japan
Fighting style: Bājíquán (Hakkyoku-ken)
Voiced by: note
The mascot of the series, Akira is the grandson of a Bajiquan master. Trained in the art by his grandfather himself, Akira sought to (not surprisingly) test his skill in the first World Fighting Tournament. He was beaten in the first tournament by Kage-Maru and went through rigorous training to win the second. After his victory in the second tournament, Akira's grandfather said he hasn't yet mastered anything and must learn what "true strength" really is.
Akira enters the three subsequent World Fighting Tournaments but has yet to win another tournament.
Akira enters the three subsequent World Fighting Tournaments but has yet to win another tournament.
- Accidental Kiss: In the anime, this is how Akira and Pai meet each other. Pai is NOT amused. Also...
- Accidental Pervert: In the anime, he accidentally touches Sarah's breasts when her pet flying squirrel, Alexander, surprises him and he falls to his knees, landing on top of her. This kicks in Jacky's Big Brother Instinct and he tries to beat Akira up. The poor guy...
- Alternate Company Equivalent: 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 not a "pick-up-and-play type" Shotoclone type of character. Even the "shoto" part of the term doesn't apply since he uses the Chinese art of Bajiquan rather than the karate employed by most Shotoclones.
- Anime Hair: Sports a vertiginous spiked-up 'do in all appearances.
- Assist Character: Appears as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, making him the first Sega character from a series without a playable fighter to appear in the series.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Pai, in the anime.
- Berserk Button: Do NOT, under any circumstance, use martial arts to attain selfish goals, Mixing in cheap, dirty tricks in martial arts also counts.
- Betty and Veronica: In the anime, he's the Archie to Pai's Betty and Sarah's Veronica.
- Big Eater: In the anime. One instance has him capable of eating 50 sets of 5 dumplings!
- Character Catchphrase: "十年早いんだよ!" (Juunen hayaindayo!) (Literally, "You're ten years (too) early (to fight me)!")
- Childhood Friends: Akira is an old friend of Aoi's, having known her since grade school.
- Difficult, but Awesome: Considered one of the hardest characters to learn, not just in Virtua Fighter but in fighting games period. Also usually one of the best characters as well.
- In Dead or Alive 5 and its updates, Akira's becomes a bit harder to learn, but when his command move tricks are figured out, he becomes very satisfying.
- In Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Akira is not the hardest character to learn, but as a Shotoclone with different command special moves (like two EX only) like Dante in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, he plays differently.
- Guest Fighter:
- Crosses over into Dead or Alive 5.
- He is one of the two Sega bosses in Sega's Dengeki Bunko-themed 2014 fighting game Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax. Originally non-playable in the Arcade version, he is made playable in the console version and later arcade version based on that version, though he doesn't have his own storyline. He's also playable character in the 2015 update version.
- He appears as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, being depicted as his blocky, flat-shaded self.
- Hot-Blooded: More in the anime than the games, where he is The Stoic.
- Hunk: He's big, beefy and handsome.
- Iconic Outfit: Both of his default outfits have been around since his mid-nineties debut.
- Idiot Hero: In the anime, he's a bit more scatterbrained and runs into trouble a lot due to his lack of thinking. This contrasts his portrayal in the games, as he's usually a no-nonsense serious To Be a Master type of dude. Regardless, he manages to make things work in between competence and idiocy. Especially when someone presses his Berserk Button one too many times.
- Image Song: "Summer Tempest"
and "Time After Time" in the anime. - In the Name of the Moon: In the anime."People should neither bring harm to themselves, nor to others. That is the guiding principle of my martial arts. But this does not apply to those who have gone astray! Since you lack discipline, I'll have to set you straight. COME ON!"
- Love Triangle: In the anime, Sarah has an obvious crush on him. Pai also begins to develop some sort of feelings for him later on, but being the Tsundere that she is, she usually just shows her affection in the form of snarks and slaps.
- Martial Arts Headband: He sports a classic white version.
- Oblivious to Love: In the anime, he's oblivious to Sarah's crush on him, and later, Pai's advances.
- Supporting Protagonist: While Akira is the face of the franchise, much like Ryu, his character arc is secondary to the characters whose arcs are involved with J6, such as Jacky, Sarah, and Kage-Maru. Even in the anime, Pai's character arc takes more precedence over Akira's, who is more or less just swept up into the plot because he happened to be in the right place at the right time.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: At 5'10".
- The Rival: He has the most out of the cast; first with Wolf, then Kage, then seems to develop one with Goh, and then possibly with Jean.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Sarah, in the anime.
Pai Chan
Origin: Hong Kong
Fighting style: Mízōngquán (Ensei-ken)
Voiced by: note
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, whom she blamed for her mother's death.
Throughout the subsequent tournaments, Pai faced her father twice and was defeated both times. Then she learned Lau was terminally ill and sought a successor to his style. She saved him from being killed by Lei-Fei but he kept fighting. The only thing she could do is to show her strength to him in the fifth tournament.
Throughout the subsequent tournaments, Pai faced her father twice and was defeated both times. Then she learned Lau was terminally ill and sought a successor to his style. She saved him from being killed by Lei-Fei but he kept fighting. The only thing she could do is to show her strength to him in the fifth tournament.
- Always Second Best: To her father, despite numerous attempts to prove otherwise.
- Anime Chinese Girl: A classic example, Pai is an acrobatic She-Fu fighter decked out in culturally-themed attire and even sports a Qing Dynasty-style hat in her debut appearance. She therefore provides the current trope image.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Akira, in the anime.
- Betty and Veronica: In the anime, she's Betty to Sarah's Veronica towards Akira (the Archie).
- Big Damn Heroes: Pai pulls one off to save her father Lau from being killed by Lei-Fei.
- Bound and Gagged: Try counting how many times she gets this in the anime as part of her Faux Action Girl depiction in that work.
- Boyish Short Hair: One of Pai's hairstyles.
- Braids of Action: Combined with Girlish Pigtails — Pai sports traditional Chinese Odango from which sprout a pair of braided plaits.
- Calling the Old Man Out: In all adaptations of the series, she's pitched against her father.
- Character Catchphrase: "あなたには功夫が足りないわ" (anata niwa kunfuu ga tarinaiwa) = You are lacking in kung-fu skills.
- Fairytale Wedding Dress: Wears one when she's forced into marrying Liu in the anime.
- Faux Action Girl:
- In the anime, where she rarely gets to be useful in any fights. Lampshaded and handwaved at the same time when Li Kowloon, the Corrupt Corporate Executive who's after her, points out how her specific (very acrobatic) fighting style is not suited for the circumstances she's in.
- In the second arc, she's much more competent, but her screentime is reduced so she doesn't get to show it too often.
- Fragile Speedster: Usually the fastest but weakest character in any given VF game.
- Guest Fighter:
- The third and final Virtua Fighter character in the original release of Dead or Alive 5.
- She is Akira's Assist Character in Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax.
- Hates Their Parent: She blames her father, Lau, for her mother's death, as she worked her fingers to the bone trying to support their family while Lau obsessed over improving his martial skills.
- Heroic Blue Screen of Death: In the anime, as a result of her being brainwashed and mentally tortured to make her docile enough to be forced into marrying Liu.
- Image Song: "Oh My Shinin' Star" and "Super Girl '96" in the anime.
- Kids Punishing Parents: Takes part in the tournament solely to confront and best her father in combat, whom she believes is responsible for her mother's death from abandonment and overwork.
- Lady of War: Her fighting style is fluid, graceful, and accomplished, and she fights wearing silken Chinese garb.
- Missing Mom: Whilst her father is still alive (but not well), her mother died from overwork supporting the family as Lau focused on training.
- Overshadowed by Awesome: Despite her proficiency in Ensei-Ken and regardless how much she improves, she loses every time she challenges her father, Lau, in the World Fighting Tournament. After realizing he is terminally ill and doesn't have much longer to live, she finally settles for trying to prove she is worthy of carrying on his legacy instead.
- Runaway Bride: In the anime, Kowloon wants to force her marry him. Then, she escapes and meets Akira...whom she instantly crushes over.
- She-Fu: Pai is an action star and Mízōngyì is composed of intricate footwork and high leaps. The style relies on flexibility, explaining why Pai can use a cartwheel kick to devastating effect.
- Stance System: 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. Hakkeshou (lit. "Eight Triagrams Palm") is a stance she gained for Virtua Fighter 5. Each stance enables a specific subset of moves, adding to the complexity of Pai's character.
- Supporting Protagonist: Pai's story gets some of the most focus in the series, and is tied to most of the Chinese characters, but otherwise is not involved with the main plot.
- The Rival: Developa a rivalry with Lei-Fei after he attacks her (normally despised) father.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: In the anime, she's the Tomboy to Sarah's Girly Girl.
- Tsundere: Type B (default dere-dere) in her interactions with Akira, most prominently.
- "Well Done, Daughter" Girl: Pai is desperate to defeat her father, and the pair have a rocky, estranged relationship throughout most of the series, though they rekindle in the interim between 4 and 5, mainly due to Lau's impending death.
Lau Chan
Origin: China
Fighting style: Tiger Swallow Fist (Koen-ken)
Voiced by: note
Lau is the master of the Huyanquan (Tiger Swallow Fist) fighting style and a world renowned chef. He entered the first World Fighting tournament to test his skill and ended up as the victor. He kept entering future tournaments, even when both his restaurant (financially) and his body (due to a rare illness) were failing.
Lau sought a successor in the monk Lei-Fei, but he turned on his ailing master. Pai saved him. With death nearing, Lau intended to not see Pai in his weakened state, but was invited to the fifth tournament. Here, he will fight his last fight.
Lau sought a successor in the monk Lei-Fei, but he turned on his ailing master. Pai saved him. With death nearing, Lau intended to not see Pai in his weakened state, but was invited to the fifth tournament. Here, he will fight his last fight.
- Abandonment-Induced Animosity: A key element of his characterisation concerns his strained, even abusive, relationship with Pai, who blames him for her mother's death after she worked herself into an early grave supporting their family while he travelled all over China honing his martial prowess.
- Alternate Company Equivalent: An old Chinese master who practises an Animal-Themed Fighting Style and is dying from an Incurable Cough of Death sounds very much like Virtua Fighter's answer to Gen.
- Animal Motif: Tigers; he practise the tiger-themed 'Kouen-ken' style.
- Chef of Iron: Lau is both a successful restaurateur and skilled fighter.
- Cool Old Guy: The second-oldest member of the cast, yet is capable of five-star asskickings. Keep in mind that in later entries in the series, he's combating a disease that will inevitably lead to his death.
- Disease Bleach: By 5, Lau's illness progresses to the point that his hair goes from glossy black to pure white and he looks more aged.
- The Greatest Style: 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 betrays his order of Monks, and later betrays and tries to kill Lau himself. After this betrayal, Lau has basically accepted that this style is now doomed to die with him.
- Heir to the Dojo: He's looking for someone worthy enough to pass on his Kouen-ken to before he dies, which is yet another factor in his strained relationship with his daughter, Pai, as he doesn't yet deem her worthy.
- Image Song: "Golden Rain"
- Incurable Cough of Death: One of his intro poses in 5. In 5 R and Final Showdown, it's one of his Idle Animations, too.
- Old Master: As of 5, where he is visibly aged and yet loses none of his raw power.
- Wrestler in All of Us: A lot of his throws are surprisingly pro-wrestling-esque.
- Warrior Poet: Writing Chinese poetry is his hobby, and he'll still kick your ass.
- Your Days Are Numbered: Has had a terminal illness from the beginning of the series, which starts to visibly affect him in 5.
Wolf Hawkfield
Origin: Canada
Fighting style: Professional Wrestling
Voiced by: note
A former woodsman and hunter-turned-pro wrestler, Wolf entered the first World Fighting Tournament after he lacked a challenge in the ring. He was defeated by Akira and entered the second tournament solely with intent on beating him. After the end of the second tournament, Wolf became constantly enamored with a recurring dream about the world being in danger.
He continued to enter the tournaments to try to make sense of the dream and found out in the fourth tournament that Dural has the same scar as a figure in his dream. While continuing to learn about the dream, Wolf is challenged by El Blaze to the fifth tournament.
He continued to enter the tournaments to try to make sense of the dream and found out in the fourth tournament that Dural has the same scar as a figure in his dream. While continuing to learn about the dream, Wolf is challenged by El Blaze to the fifth tournament.
- The Ace: Spent his pre-VF1 pro-wrestling career winning the world title and defending it successfully for so long that he retired and vacated the belt to seek other challenges.
- Animal Motif: Wolves and Hawks. He even howls like a wolf during a victory pose.
- Awesome McCoolname: It doesn't much cooler than Wolf Hawkfield.
- Braids, Beads and Buckskins: Some of his alternate costumes present his First Nations heritage more obviously.
- Boisterous Bruiser: In Virtua Quest, Wolf gets very enthusiastic about fighting.
- Cold Ham: His voice acting for his match intros in 5 is unusually calm for a wrestler posing the way he does, at least until he does a wolf howl.
- Demoted to Extra: Wolf has a self-contained arc in the anime, but is largely unconnected with the major arcs of the stories. He doesn't appear in the final battle of the anime, and is only mentioned in passing.
- Facial Markings: Sports First Nations-style face paint across his eyes and forehead.
- Friendly Rivalry:
- He forms one with Akira if the attract intros in 4: Evolution are anything to go by.
- Picks up one in 5, as El Blaze, a fellow wrestler, enters the tournament specifically to face Wolf.
- Gentle Giant: Wolf is a peaceful giant who lives to fight and enjoys nothing more than a good bout, aside from his passion for nature — and even karaoke.
- Guest Fighter: Appeared in All Japan Pro Wrestling Featuring Virtua and All Japan Pro Wrestling 2 Giant Gram along with Jeffry.
- Hunk: He's tall, manly, muscular, with chiseled good looks.
- Image Song: "CHAIN REACTION"
- Magical Native American: A member of the First Nations. Many of his lines in Virtua Quest are stereotypical Indian dialogue (though thankfully he never indulges in Tonto Talk).
- Mighty Glacier: Just behind Jeffrey in both strength and slowness.
- Moose and Maple Syrup: 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.
- No-Sell: His "Repel Wall" move has Wolf spring forward slightly and shrug off less major punches and kicks, though he still takes damage. Originally he could follow with one or two follow-up moves, but in later games he just automatically grabs them instead.
- Pro Wrestling Is Real: Wolf is ostensibly a pro-wrestler, though his techniques, centred around powerful grabs are striking techniques, are very real.
- Psychic Dreams for Everyone: The reason he's been entering the tournaments since 3. He believes that the apocalypse foretold in his dreams and J6 are somehow intertwined. The dreams finally ended after the fourth tournament, though.
- Refugee from TV Land: In exchange for the above appearances in All Japan video games, Wolf Hawkfield joined the actual AJPW roster, with pro wrestler Jim Steele adopting the persona from 1997 until AJPW's massive roster shakeup in 2000. Wolf even spent most of 1998 as one-half of the All Asia Tag Team Champions, a feat no other fighting game character can match.
Jeffry McWild
Origin: Australia
Fighting style: Pankration
Voiced by: note
Jeffry is an Australian fisherman who was obsessed with hunting a giant shark called the "Devil Shark." Skilled in the art of Pankration, 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.
Fueled by his obsession but unsure what to do, he enters the fifth tournament.
Fueled by his obsession but unsure what to do, he enters the fifth tournament.
- Animal Nemesis: Jeffry vs. the "Devil Shark." Suffice to say, he isn't happy that J6 is now in possession of the "Devil Shark."
- Carpet of Virility: He's got some impressive hair over his arms and chest, fitting his rugged, masculine nature.
- Demoted to Extra: In the anime, much like Wolf, 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.
- Determinator: He will not give up hunting down the Devil Shark. If you're blocking his path to it, he's going to move you out of it, one way or another.
- Dreadlock Rasta: Jeffry is supposedly an Australian Aboriginal, but a lot of his character traits would seem to point to him being Jamaican; he has dreadlocks, likes reggae music, wears a Jamaican style hat sometimes, and he even has a Jamaican accent in the English dub of the anime. One has to wonder if the developers got Aborigine and Jamaican confused. Or as a sailor, maybe he just spent a lot of time in the Caribbean.
- Guest Fighter: Appears in All Japan Pro Wrestling Featuring Virtua and All Japan Pro Wrestling 2 Giant Gram along with Wolf.
- Hulk Speak: Speaks in a rumbling, slightly stilted tone — "I, WIN!"
- Image Song: "Go Beyond That Wave"
- Large Ham: Jeffry is a very boisterous man who likes to roar out his words, especially from the fourth game onward.
- Mighty Glacier: Easily the most damaging character in the series, but about as fast as a zamboni.
- Nature Lover: Most apparent in Virtua Quest, where he goes on about humans' place in nature and the need to respect its power.
- Scary Black Man: Sort of downplayed in the first three games, then taken up a notch from the fourth game onward.
- Skill Gate Characters: Jeffry is a particularly beginner friendly character, as he has high damage for relatively low execution, his attacks have high range thanks to his size, he's in the heavyweight class which reduces potential combo damage against him, and he has a single stance which can safely be ignored early on compared to other characters who have them. He struggles mainly due to a lack of speed on his attacks or any unique tool to abuse on top of the universal system mechanics.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: A constant of his default 1P outfit.
- Wrestler in All of Us: 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 Razor's Edge and GTS, that could've just as easily gone to Wolf or El Blaze instead.
Kage-Maru
Origin: Japan
Fighting style: Hagakure-ryū Jū-Jutsu
Voiced by: note
He is the tenth-generation of Kage-Maru. A member of the Hagakure clan, he was raised by the ninth-generation Kage-Maru and the eighth-generation Tsukikage, his father and mother respectively. His father trained him in the Hagakure style Ju-Jutsu to prepare for his birthright. Years ago, his mother was kidnapped by a mysterious figure and never found. Years later Kage-Maru's entire village was burned to the ground and his father was killed by a gunshot. Kage-Maru discovers that Judgment 6 is responsible for all of it and enters the first World Fighting Tournament seeking revenge.
He competes in the tournament but doesn't discover anymore information on J6. He enters the second tournament when he discovers that his mother, who was transformed into Dural by J6, is alive. He saves Tsukikage but she ill due to an after-effect of becoming Dural.
Kage-Maru enters the third tournament to look for a connection between his mother and the new model of Dural. After winning the third tournament, he recovers a part from the new Dural, hoping it would help his mother, but it changes her back into Dural. She escapes with J6's help and Kage-Maru enters the fourth tournament with the intention on killing her, seeing no other way. Kage-Maru made it to the fourth tournament's finals, but the match was interrupted by Dural. He destroys Dural, but discovers that it was not the real Dural and enters the fifth tournament to save his mother and to put an end to J6.
He competes in the tournament but doesn't discover anymore information on J6. He enters the second tournament when he discovers that his mother, who was transformed into Dural by J6, is alive. He saves Tsukikage but she ill due to an after-effect of becoming Dural.
Kage-Maru enters the third tournament to look for a connection between his mother and the new model of Dural. After winning the third tournament, he recovers a part from the new Dural, hoping it would help his mother, but it changes her back into Dural. She escapes with J6's help and Kage-Maru enters the fourth tournament with the intention on killing her, seeing no other way. Kage-Maru made it to the fourth tournament's finals, but the match was interrupted by Dural. He destroys Dural, but discovers that it was not the real Dural and enters the fifth tournament to save his mother and to put an end to J6.
- Baritone of Strength: Has easily the deepest voice among the cast, and has the best record out of all the fighters story-wise, winning two tournaments and beating badasses like Lau, Akira, and Dural (the latter two twice) along the way.
- Becoming the Mask: In the anime, he's assigned to keep the kidnapped and brainwashed Sarah in line, but he develops real affection towards her.
- Blue Is Heroic: Kage-Maru wears a blue ninja gi and he is a warm-hearted person who seeks not only to put an end to J6's ambitions for good, but to rescue his mother.
- Cool Mask: Sports a classic ninja mask that hides most of his face.
- Determinator: He will save his ailing mother. He will destroy J6. Step aside, or prepare for one HELL of a fight.
- Deuteragonist: Along with Jacky as one of the most proactive characters fighting against the main villains.
- Distressed Dude: For the second season of the anime, Kage starts out being beaten by Canon Immigrant rival Oni-Maru and spends the majority of the season being chained while topless, trapped underground. He does eventually plot his escape on his own, though.
- Fanservice: In the anime, in what is probably the male equivalent of Chun-Li's infamous shower scene, Kage gets a Shower Scene that shows off his bare butt.
- Fuuma Shuriken: One of his custom items.
- Kill the Ones You Love: Believes he has to do this to his mother, who's been taken over by Dural during 4, when it seems like she's too far gone. He stops Shun from interfering with his fight when Dural interrupts their final match. Leads to Cradling Your Kill, but turns out it isn't his mom, just a production model Dural.
- Legacy Character: Inherited his title from his deceased father, and there have been 8 others before those two.
- Image Song: "Everyone is a Stranger"
- It's Personal: His vendetta against J6, especially since they kidnapped his mother and turned her into Dural.
- Missing Mom: Tsukikage, aka Dural.
- Ninja: Kage might just be the most traditional, no-frills ninja in any fighting game, with his swift moves, stoic personality, and very traditional garb.
- The Stoic: It comes with the job of being a ninja.
- Stock Ninja Weaponry: Throws a shuriken at Eileen in the intro of Final Showdown.
- Wrestler in All of Us: Many of his throws come from pro wrestling, from an armdrag to a chokeslam to Jinsei Shinzaki’s praying rope walk chop.
Sarah Bryant
Origin: United States
Fighting style: Mixed Martial Arts
Voiced by: note
Sarah is the younger sister to race car driver Jacky Bryant and master of western-style Martial Arts.note She is kidnapped by Judgment 6 after she investigates a mysterious accident involving Jacky. She is brainwashed by J6 and ordered to kill her brother in both the first and second World Fighting Tournament, failing both times.
At the end of the second tournament, Jacky rescues her but her memory is completely erased. She discovers training helped regain her memory and enters the third tournament hoping it would help her remember. Afterwords, Sarah had fully regained her memories, but also remembers what J6 did to her including trying to make her kill Jacky.
She enters the fourth tournament to face and defeat Jacky, hoping to resolve her past. She was close but lost to her older brother. She hears he was entering the fifth tournament to destroy J6; she enters with the intent on beating him to that goal as well as saving Vanessa, her bodyguard from the last tournament. But it's implied that J6 is expecting her...
At the end of the second tournament, Jacky rescues her but her memory is completely erased. She discovers training helped regain her memory and enters the third tournament hoping it would help her remember. Afterwords, Sarah had fully regained her memories, but also remembers what J6 did to her including trying to make her kill Jacky.
She enters the fourth tournament to face and defeat Jacky, hoping to resolve her past. She was close but lost to her older brother. She hears he was entering the fifth tournament to destroy J6; she enters with the intent on beating him to that goal as well as saving Vanessa, her bodyguard from the last tournament. But it's implied that J6 is expecting her...
- Aborted Arc: The manual of Virtua Fighters 5 implied that J6 wanted to recapture her for unknown purposes. In the Pachinko game, we are introduced to a Brainwashed and Crazy Sarah named 'Beast Sarah' who has been powered up with dark energy.
- Ass Kicks You: Her Wildcat move in Final Showdown has Sarah jump butt first at the opponent.
- Betty and Veronica: In the anime, she's the Veronica to Pai's Betty towards Akira (the Archie).
- Brainwashed and Crazy: She was brainwashed by J6 and commanded to kill her brother, Jacky, and stays that way until Virtua Fighters 3.
- Brother–Sister Team: With Jacky in the anime, as well as when they're used as a tag-team in Dead or Alive 5.
- Cain: When she was brainwashed.
- Chickification: To some degree, Sarah in the anime.
- Cannot Spit It Out: In the anime, she likes Akira, alright. Go and watch the sixth episode in the part where she dances with Akira, and tell us otherwise.
- Combat Stilettos: Usually sports calf-length leather boots in combat.
- Dark Action Girl: Sarah spends games 1-4 in a brainwashed state, with her sole goal being to kill her own brother.
- Divergent Character Evolution: From Jacky from Virtua Fighter 3 onwards — prior to that, the pair shared similar moves.
- Dub Name Change: In the Arabic dub of the anime, her name is changed to "Sandy".
- Expy: Was inspired by Sarah Connor as she appears in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, as quoted here.
- Girly Girl: The anime version of her.
- Guest Fighter: She appears as a guest fighter in DOA5.
- Iconic Outfit: Sarah's blue skin-tight leather jumpsuit given to her by J6, called the VF-Suit. It has changed very little over the course of the series.
- Identity Amnesia: In 3.
- Image Song: "Dancing Shadows" and "One's Eyes Are Dangerous" in the anime.
- Kick Chick: She doesn't exclusively use kicks, but they are a focus of her moveset.
- Luminescent Blush: Early in the anime, she's VERY prone to this whenever Akira is concerned.
- Moveset Clone: With Jacky in the earlier games, but then Divergent Character Evolution set in and she began using a blend of Savate, Taekwondo, Karate and various other stances and attacks including her Flamingo stance.
- Noblewoman's Laugh: One of her win-poses is a mocking laugh, with her telling her defeated opponent "Better run home to mama now!" in haughty tones.
- Painted-On Pants: Not only is Sarah wearing tight leather pants, but her top matches too!
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Is the Blue to her brother Jacky's Red. They're even Color-Coded for Your Convenience.
- She-Fu: Not quite to the extent of Pai, but quite a few of Sarah's techniques involve her vaulting towards or even over the heads of her opponent.
- Statuesque Stunner: She is the resident Ms. Fanservice standing at 173cm (5'8'')
- Superpowered Evil Side: The pachinko game Virtua Fighter Revolution introduced Beast Sarah, with brown hair, a red dress facial markings, and even more violent and bloodthirsty thanks to more of J6's brainwashing.
- The Rival: To her brother Jacky, whom she feels she has to beat in order to gain peace of mind.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Kage, in the anime.
- Whole Costume Reference: The customization suite in 5 adds a short, slicked-back hairstyle for Sarah that, in combination with some black leather and wraparound shades, makes it extremely easy to dress her as Trinity from The Matrix.
- Years Too Early: One of her win quotes in 5."Try again in a few years."
- Your Mom: One of her best-known win quotes throughout the series."Better run home to mama now."
Jacky Bryant
Origin: United States
Fighting style: Jeet Kune Do
Voiced by: note
Jacky is a professional racecar driver, a Jeet Kune Do practitioner and older brother to Sarah Bryant. Jacky was caught in a horrible accident and had to endure two years of grueling rehab to recover. He discovers Judgment 6, is behind the accident.
Around that time, his little sister Sarah disappears. Jacky enters the first World Fighting Tournament to find J6, who sponsors the tournament. He faces his sister but fails to rescue her. He becomes a Jeet Kune Do instructor and enters the second tournament intent on trying again to rescue his sister.
When he does rescue her, poor Sarah's memories are erased after they tried to un-brainwash her. When Sarah enters the third tournament, Jacky enters secretly to protect her. When she regains her memory and reunites with him, Jacky tries to focus on starting on his own racing team.
When some of his potential sponsors were killed, J6 claimed responsibility and threatened to kill more if Jacky didn't compete in the fourth tournament. Jacky competed in the tournament but had to deal with the disappearance of his sister's bodyguard, Vanessa. Completely fed up with J6's past and current interference in his and Sarah's lives, Jacky enters the fifth tournament to finally put an end to the mysterious syndicate.
Around that time, his little sister Sarah disappears. Jacky enters the first World Fighting Tournament to find J6, who sponsors the tournament. He faces his sister but fails to rescue her. He becomes a Jeet Kune Do instructor and enters the second tournament intent on trying again to rescue his sister.
When he does rescue her, poor Sarah's memories are erased after they tried to un-brainwash her. When Sarah enters the third tournament, Jacky enters secretly to protect her. When she regains her memory and reunites with him, Jacky tries to focus on starting on his own racing team.
When some of his potential sponsors were killed, J6 claimed responsibility and threatened to kill more if Jacky didn't compete in the fourth tournament. Jacky competed in the tournament but had to deal with the disappearance of his sister's bodyguard, Vanessa. Completely fed up with J6's past and current interference in his and Sarah's lives, Jacky enters the fifth tournament to finally put an end to the mysterious syndicate.
- Anime Hair: Sports huge, spiky Dragon Ball Z-esque hair.
- Big Brother Instinct:
- You do not kidnap his little sister, brainwash her, and then target her again in subsequent tournaments — It's Personal on a deep level.
- Deconstructed in the anime; because of Jacky being so overprotective 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 comes up when Jacky and Pai go to Europe and Jacky becomes very protective over a little girl they befriend.
- Big "YES!": More like "Big YEAH!!!!", as he loves shouting in his intros, victory poses, and in gameplay.
- Badass Driver: He is a racecar driver after all, and gets to display his skills in the anime and in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing.
- Boisterous Bruiser: You can tell from his quotes that Jacky is very enthusiastic when it comes to fighting. Out of combat though, he is much more cool headed.
- Brother–Sister Team: With Sarah in the anime, as well as when they're used as a tag-team in Dead or Alive 5.
- Cain and Abel: Abel to Sarah's Cain when she's brainwashed.
- Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: From 4 onwards, he has looked more like Billy Idol.
- Cool Car: Naturally, considering that he's a professional racecar driver. You actually get to see one of them (an OutRun inspired muscle car named Red Lightning) in action in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing... and then see Akira jump out of the passenger's seat and propel the car at the speed of sound with a shoulder bump.
- Cool Bike: Rides a blue motorcycle in the pachinko game.
- Cross Counter: With Goh in one of the intros to an arcade version of 5.
- Deadpan Snarker: In the anime.
- Divergent Character Evolution: Gains multiple moves different from Sarah in Virtua Fighter 3, prior to which the pair share the same basic movelist.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Implied from the music videos of Jacky's image song, with what looks like Jack Daniel's.
- Eagleland: Fairly Type 1-ish — heroic and justice-orientated.
- Guest Fighter: Appears in the Updated Re-release of Dead or Alive 5, called Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate, joining Akira, Pai, and his sister from the core game.
- Hell-Bent for Leather: Often wears a black leather jacket with a flaming insignia on the back, whether it be casually or as a part of his all black leather racing outfit.
- Image Song: "Believe in Love" and "My Way Stay Love" in the anime.
- Moveset Clone: With Sarah, but as the games go on this becomes less and less so. Jacky's style is still rooted in Jeet Kune Do, while Sarah starts using a hybrid of styles listed under "Martial Arts".
- Red Baron: On the circuit, he's known as the Blue Flash.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Is the Red to his sister Sarah's blue. They're even Color-Coded for Your Convenience.
- Revenge: Jacky's primary reason for entering the last tournament is to take down J6 for everything they've done to him, his friends, and his family.
- Shock and Awe: Is often associated with lightning, with quotes like "I'm faster than lightning!" and a car named Red Lightning. And in both Virtua Fighter Kids and Virtua Quest we see his move Lightning Kicks actually create small lightning strikes.
- Supporting Leader: The most proactive character fighting against J6, who along with Kage-Maru has the most at stake among the cast.
- Team Dad: In the anime.
- The Hero: Closest example in the game series. Not as much in the anime.
- The Rival: With Sarah, but also with Goh after flip kicking him right out of the fourth tournament.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: In the anime, Jacky's father does not approve of him pursuing a career as a race car driver and not helping run the family business. Jacky wants his dad to be proud of him on his own merits, rather than relying on his family's wealth.
Dural
Origin: Unknown (originally Japan)
Fighting style: A combined form of other martial arts
Dural is the name of the final boss of Virtua Fighter. She is a bald, nude woman covered in metal (usually silver) or stone. There have been several versions of Dural over the course of Virtua Fighter's history. The first Dural originally was Tsukikage, a member of the Hagakure clan and Kage-Maru's mother. Years ago she was kidnapped from her village. This was the work of the corporation, Judgement 6, who used her as their prototype for their Dural project.
Brainwashed and armed with various cybernetic enhancements she became a cold, unfeeling, cyborg. She was the final boss for the first two World Fighting Tournaments until Kage-Maru rescued her. Tsukikage was returned to her human form thanks to her son but became ill because she needed a part from the new Dural model.
The second Dural was defeated by Kage-Maru in the third tournament and he got the part he needed for Tsukikage. The part however turned her back into Dural and she escaped with the help of J6. A third Dural interrupted the fourth tournament but was defeated.
In the fifth tournament, J6 released another new Dural model, V-Dural. Containing all the combat data of competitor Vanessa Lewis, J6 sends V-Dural out to battle and defeat the world's best fighters.
Brainwashed and armed with various cybernetic enhancements she became a cold, unfeeling, cyborg. She was the final boss for the first two World Fighting Tournaments until Kage-Maru rescued her. Tsukikage was returned to her human form thanks to her son but became ill because she needed a part from the new Dural model.
The second Dural was defeated by Kage-Maru in the third tournament and he got the part he needed for Tsukikage. The part however turned her back into Dural and she escaped with the help of J6. A third Dural interrupted the fourth tournament but was defeated.
In the fifth tournament, J6 released another new Dural model, V-Dural. Containing all the combat data of competitor Vanessa Lewis, J6 sends V-Dural out to battle and defeat the world's best fighters.
- Actually a Doombot: The mass-production Dural that interrupts Kage and Shun's fight only to be scrapped by Kage in the fourth tourney.
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: Naked as a jaybird, featureless as a Barbie doll.
- Chrome Champion: Covered in metal from head to toe.
- Ditto Fighter: She's a Shang Tsung-style expert, her fighting style being an amalgamation of those of the other characters.
- Image Song: "Embrace the Unreachable Heart"
- SNK Boss: She knows all characters' movesets and uses them damn well, is prone to interrupting your attacks, and very fast. Plus, in 4 onwards, you only get one shot.
- Stance System: Final Showdown gives her "Rapid Mode" and "Massive Mode."
- Super-Soldier: To a degree.
- Unwilling Roboticisation: The original Dural was Kage's mother forcefully turned into a metallic cyborg.
- Vader Breath: Since 4.
- The Voiceless: Barring victory quotes in the Genesis version of 2, she never utters anything other than grunts.
Debuting in Virtua Fighter 2
Shun Di
Origin: China
Fighting style: Drunken Kung Fu (Zuì Quán)
Voiced by: note
An aged master of the Drunken Kung Fu who enters the second World Fighting Tournament after one of his friends mentions how successful the friend's student is doing in recent tournament competitions. After the tournament he discovered that one of his students, who he also raised, was participating. He never had the chance to talk to him and wanted to know where he was this whole time.
Shun enters the third tournament to get his answers. Afterwards, a letter was sent from the student saying he was trying to escape from Judgement 6, but was recaptured. When no follow-up letter from his student arrives, Shun enters the fourth tournament for answers.
By the end, he makes it to the finals but Dural interrupts the tournament. Afterwards, Shun intends to give up, until an invite for the fifth tournament arrives for him with the student's signature on it. He goes, with the intention of finally discovering the truth.
Shun enters the third tournament to get his answers. Afterwards, a letter was sent from the student saying he was trying to escape from Judgement 6, but was recaptured. When no follow-up letter from his student arrives, Shun enters the fourth tournament for answers.
By the end, he makes it to the finals but Dural interrupts the tournament. Afterwards, Shun intends to give up, until an invite for the fifth tournament arrives for him with the student's signature on it. He goes, with the intention of finally discovering the truth.
- Artistic License – Martial Arts: While it was more than likely added for mechanical depth, you don't actually need to be drunk to use Drunken Fist, just act it.
- Ass Kicks You: Some of his attacks have him throwing himself rear-end-first at the opponent.
- Beating A Dead Player: Whereas most fighters will stop attacking when their opponent is defeated, a computer-controlled Shun Di will continue to drink long after he wins due to his unique drinking system, which gives him more moves the more drunk he gets.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: So voluminous that they literally hang down past his eyes.
- Booze-Based Buff: The crux of his entire gameplay — get as smashed as possible to enhance his entire gameplay.
- Confusion Fu: If he gets enough liquor into his system, that is.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Acts very drunk and silly, but is one of the very best fighters within the cast, making it to the final round of the fourth tournament.
- Drunken Boxing: Amongst the first examples in the fighting game genre, Shun's gameplan revolves around taking swigs from his gourd between hits to access further moves.
- Drunken Glow: Shun Di's face turns redder the drunker he gets, which makes it an alternate way to gauge his current abilities without having to take your eyes off him to look at his drink count.
- Drunken Master: To the point he has a move devoted entirely to swigging booze.
- Image Song: "Confusing Dreams"
- Magikarp Power: Initially, he only has access to part of his movelist, and his light weight makes him vulnerable to long juggle combos. Take enough swigs from his gourd, though, and he gets access to his full arsenal, including many of his scariest attacks.
- Mechanically Unusual Fighter: 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 Spin Attacks, it's generally wiser to use the moves that build drinks when they connect and get your number as high as possible.
- Mana Drain: 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.
Lion Rafale
Origin: France
Fighting style: Northern Praying Mantis (Tourou-ken)
Voiced by: note
Young Lion Rafale is a wealthy Frenchman who learned Praying Mantis style from his father since he was five years old. Tired of his father's interference in his life, Lion enters the second World Fighting Tournament, winning his independence if he won the tournament. He lost in the first round to Kage-Maru, but the experience awakened the fighting spirit inside of him.
He trains harder to improve his skills and enters the next two subsequent tournaments. Again he intended to win both times but fell short twice again. After the fourth tournament, Lion found documents linking his father's company to Judgment 6.
Deciding not to confront his father about it yet, he is invited to the fifth tournament. He enters it in part to discover what involvement his father has with J6.
He trains harder to improve his skills and enters the next two subsequent tournaments. Again he intended to win both times but fell short twice again. After the fourth tournament, Lion found documents linking his father's company to Judgment 6.
Deciding not to confront his father about it yet, he is invited to the fifth tournament. He enters it in part to discover what involvement his father has with J6.
- Animal Motifs: The mantis, in keeping with his fighting style.
- Animal-Themed Fighting Style: Lion practices Mantis Kung Fu, and he poses his arms like said animal.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Sports one in the anime.
- Calling the Old Man Out: One of his main motivations for fighting is to prove himself to his overbearing father.
- Continuity Nod: The intro to Virtua Fighter 3tb shows Lion saving a dog from a speeding car. Over a decade later, that very same dog reappears in one of Lion's custom win poses in VF5 Final Showdown.
- Forgotten Childhood Friend: Of Jean.
- Fragile Speedster: Quick as lightning, and about as durable as paper.
- French Jerk: A downplayed example. He's French and pretty full of himself, but not a full-blown jerk. He's just overconfident, that's all.
- Image Song: "Winner or Loser"
- Lonely Rich Kid: And the one friend he did have got abducted and brainwashed years ago.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Lion is supposedly from France but his accent and language don't sound anything like it.
- Ordinary High-School Student: One of the more "normal" characters in the cast, although his father's aircraft industry is a front for illegal arms dealings with terrorists. He also recently found out that J6 is linked to said company.
- Sheltered Aristocrat: And not happy about it, hence his addiction to proving himself in combat to his overprotective father.
- Tagalong Kid: In the anime, especially the second season.
- To Be a Master: One of the reasons he joins the tournaments is to prove his strength.
Debuting in Virtua Fighter 3
Aoi Umenokouji
Origin: Japan
Fighting style: Aiki-jūjutsu
Voiced by: note
Aoi is a childhood friend of Akira Yuki and an Aiki Ju-Jutsu master. She was inspired by him to join the third World Fighting Tournament, to prove her her fighting ability. After she loses in the first round, she trains in Aikido, Kobujutsu and other martial arts in preparation for the fourth tournament.
She entered the fourth tournament but was beaten by Brad Burns, whose flirtatious ways both angered and intrigued her. Invited to the fifth tournament, Aoi, with great desire, wants to face Brad again.
She entered the fourth tournament but was beaten by Brad Burns, whose flirtatious ways both angered and intrigued her. Invited to the fifth tournament, Aoi, with great desire, wants to face Brad again.
- A Day in the Limelight: Aoi is one of the featured characters in the pachinko game Virtua Fighter Revolution, alongside Akira, Pai, and Jacky, and the only playable character not from the first game.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Brad's pick up lines really frustrated Aoi and threw her off her game, causing her to lose against him. What's more, she gets angry when Brad flirts with other women, and can't stop thinking about him after the fourth tournament.
- Blue Blood: Implied via her family name, Umenokouji — the suffix "kouji" is aristocratic, historically.
- Childhood Friends: With Akira.
- Counter-Attack: Has the most out of any character in the cast. Given her Aiki-jūjutsu fighting discipline, many of them lead to some surprisingly brutal bone-breaking hits.
- Dance Battler: Has a few defensive moves where she spins and twirls in order to dodge or counterattack the opponent. She also performs Japanese fan dancing in one opening of 3.
- Formal Characters Use Keigo: A pure Yamato Nadeshiko, Aoi speaks with an impeccably polite Kyoto-ben accent.
- Fragile Speedster: Aoi has excellent dodge and counter abilities, but if the opponent does get hold of her, she's in trouble.
- Girly Skirt Twirl: Does this in one of her winposes in 5.
- Lady of War: She's amongst the most graceful women in the fighting game genre — though she isn't above using some horrific bone-cracking Koppo moves in battle.
- Naginatas Are Feminine: One of her custom items, as befitting of a Yamato Nadeshiko.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: As per her being the Japanese beauty ideal, she sports long deep black hair in a Hime Cut and her skin is porcelain white.
- The Rival: As of 5, she plays this role to Brad.
- To Be a Master: Much like Lion, joins to tournaments to test her strength.
- Tsundere: Towards Brad.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: One of the purest examples of the trope and the best example in the fighting game genre. Dark-haired, slim and petite, delicate and graceful, dressed mostly in kimonos, uses paper fans as accessories, thoroughly polite and amicable, but determined and with an iron-like will.
Taka-Arashi
Origin: Japan
Fighting style: Sumo Wrestling
Voiced by: note
Taka-Arashi is an undefeated yokozuna in the sumo world. After he defeated an underground fighter in a fist fight while in America, he decided to leave sumo wrestling. He was invited to the third World Fighting Tournament and enters hoping for a challenge. He was taken out of the games after 3, returning in 5 R.
He was defeated by several fighters in the tournament, and felt shamed. He initially became unmotivated in returning to sumo wrestling. With the help of his old sumo coach he trained hard to return to the sport.
For a year, Taka-Arashi took the sumo world by storm, until he was in the final day of a high profile sumo wrestling tournament. Taka-Arashi, receives an invitation for the fifth tournament in his dressing room. He leaves for the fighting tournament immediately forgoing the sumo tournament.
He was defeated by several fighters in the tournament, and felt shamed. He initially became unmotivated in returning to sumo wrestling. With the help of his old sumo coach he trained hard to return to the sport.
For a year, Taka-Arashi took the sumo world by storm, until he was in the final day of a high profile sumo wrestling tournament. Taka-Arashi, receives an invitation for the fifth tournament in his dressing room. He leaves for the fighting tournament immediately forgoing the sumo tournament.
- The Ace: He's a yokozuna — sumo's unrelegatable highest rank!
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Taka's a good bit meaner than the Big Fun sumo wrestlers of other fighting games.
- Baritone of Strength: He speaks with a deep and booming voice, matching both his immense size and strength.
- Big Eater: As all sumo wrestlers are. One of his win-poses features him enjoying a chankonabe hot pot.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: In Final Showdown, during the game over countdown, Taka stares up at the players and begs them to continue.
- Broken Ace: For a time following his elimination from the third tournament.
- Camera Abuse: One of his win poses.
- Determinator: He takes pride in winning and takes it very hard when he's eliminated from the third tournament.
- Mighty Glacier: He's big, heavy, strong, and, in the vanilla arcade version of 3, he couldn't even jump.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: His in-game behavior, particularly in the 5 series, brings the controversial yokozuna Asashōryū to mind...
- Put on a Bus: Removed from the roster in 4, but only because it was hard for developers to accurately program his model into the new engine. He eventually returned in 5R.
- Spirited Competitor: This may be why he chose the more aggressive (and less reputable) Shiranui-style for his ring-entering ceremony (Unryū is the other).
- Stone Wall: 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 mitigating his weight at higher levels.
- Stout Strength: As any Sumo is.
- Unexpectedly Realistic Gameplay: Taka's size and weight creates several knowledge checks for his opponents as he has unique interactions with some system mechanics: he has his own unique weight class for juggles which makes otherwise universal combo routes drop against him and throws that work even on heavyweights like Wolf and Jeffry can produce different reactions on Taka as the other characters visibly struggle to throw him.
Debuting in Virtua Fighter 4 / Evolution / Final Tuned
Lei-Fei
Origin: China
Fighting style: Shaolin Kung Fu
Voiced by: note
Lei-Fei is a Shaolin monk who belonged to a clan whose sole duty is to capture and kill anyone with the ability to use powerful martial arts. He was assigned by his master to kill Koen-ken master Lau Chan, who fought in the World Fighting Tournaments with his powerful style. Lei-Fei entered the fourth tournament intending to carry out his mission, but once he saw Lau in action, he decided to learn Koen-ken from Lau first.
Lei-Fei eventually does attack Lau, not wanting to wait to learn the secrets of Koen-ken. He almost kills Lau but Pai, Lau's daughter, interferes. Failing his mission and not learning Koen-ken at all, Lei-Fei trains harder to be prepared to defend himself from those who'd harm him.
He enters the fifth tournament to see if he can win and prove that he's succeeded in his training.
Lei-Fei eventually does attack Lau, not wanting to wait to learn the secrets of Koen-ken. He almost kills Lau but Pai, Lau's daughter, interferes. Failing his mission and not learning Koen-ken at all, Lei-Fei trains harder to be prepared to defend himself from those who'd harm him.
He enters the fifth tournament to see if he can win and prove that he's succeeded in his training.
- Bald of Evil: Since he's a Shaolin monk, this is mandatory. He's also single-minded, aggressive, and his mission is to kill Lau purely for practising Kouen-ken.
- Combat Pragmatist: Decides to attack Lau when he's sick and has his guard down.
- Deceptive Disciple: Not only is he going against his orders as a monk to kill Lau (thus preventing the potential threat of Koen-ken), but when he does catch Lau's attention and gets the chance to train under him, Lei-Fei tries to kill him too. He would have succeeded had it not been for Pai's timely intervention.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: If he had just been more patient, his plan would have gone off without a hitch. On top of that, because of him, Pai and Lau are patching up their relationship.
- Nun Too Holy: Don't let him being a monk fool you, he is most definitely not a Nice Guy.
- The Rival: Develops a rivalry with Pai after he attempts to kill her father.
- Shout-Out: Possibly of Gao, an evil bald monk from the second season of the anime, much like Vanessa and Nyon. He also resembles famous Hong Kong movie star Gordon Liu who portrayed the legendary monk San Te in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin a.k.a Master Killer.
- Warrior Monk: Surprisingly, given their iconic nature and abilities, he's one of the very few (if not the only) depiction of a Shaolin monk in the major fighting game series.
Vanessa Lewis
Origin: Unknown
Voiced by: note
As a child, orphaned when her parents were killed, Vanessa was abducted by Judgment 6. She was trained to be a living weapon well learned in the art of Vale Tudo. A member of the special forces named Lewis infiltrated J6 and rescued her, but he was killed shortly after.
Years later, Vanessa learned that J6 was targeting Sarah Bryant and volunteered to be her bodyguard. Vanessa joined the fourth World Fighting Tournament due to her duty to Sarah, but to also find out who killed Lewis. Midway through the tournament, Vanessa disappears, reappearing at the Bryant's house months later.
She awoke only remembering what happened before she disappeared, but her body mysteriously conditioned and trained beyond what it was. She enters the fifth tournament hoping to find out what happened to her.
Years later, Vanessa learned that J6 was targeting Sarah Bryant and volunteered to be her bodyguard. Vanessa joined the fourth World Fighting Tournament due to her duty to Sarah, but to also find out who killed Lewis. Midway through the tournament, Vanessa disappears, reappearing at the Bryant's house months later.
She awoke only remembering what happened before she disappeared, but her body mysteriously conditioned and trained beyond what it was. She enters the fifth tournament hoping to find out what happened to her.
- Amazonian Beauty: Mostly in 4. Evo covered her up in the International version, while 5 slimmed her down considerably (Final Showdown does offer customization options that allow the player to mostly "restore" Vanessa's muscularity, though).
- Bodyguard Babes: Served as Sarah's in the fourth game.
- Bowdlerise: In the International version of Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution, she's given a tanned-colored recolor of her 2P outfit instead of her 1P outfit from the vanilla version. In the Japanese version, she retains her VF 4 1P outfit.
- Contralto of Strength: In Virtua Fighter 4, Vanessa has a deep voice and is without a doubt one of the strongest female fighters.
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Between her debut in 4 and subsequent appearance in 5, Vanessa's skin tone was drastically lightened, lending her a very different look between games.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Suffering from it in 5.
- Neck Snap: One of her moves (ominously called "Heaven's Gate") works as such, though fortunately it doesn't kill the opponent.
- Shout-Out: Vanessa is incredibly similar to Nyon, a villain who only appeared in the second season of the anime several years before Vanessa was introduced in 4. Also, her brown skin and white hair make her look like Storm from X-Men .
- Stance System: When she was first introduced, Vanessa had two different fighting styles rolled into a single character (Vale Tudo and Muay Thai) that she could swap between. However when Brad was added in Evolution, the developers removed her Muay Thai form and expanded her Vale Tudo attacks.
- Statuesque Stunner: She is 175cm tall (5'9''), which is a part of her being an Amazonian Beauty.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Her and Sarah. It's downplayed because Sarah isn't completely girly herself, but she is in comparison to the rougher and tougher Vanessa.
- True Companions: With Sarah and Jacky via the descriptions in the manual.
Brad Burns
Origin: Italy
Fighting style: Muay Thai
Voiced by: note
Brad is a talented Muay Thai fighter and notorious ladies man. With his unique and powerful style, Brad quickly became an undefeated kickboxing champion. With no one left to challenge him, Brad enters the fourth World Fighting Tournament for the challenge and the thrill.
He had a great time at the tournament, in no small part to the many women participating in it. Afterwards Brad was disappointed due to no challenges in the kickboxing ring and the women from the fourth tournament not calling him. He enters the fifth tournament looking for the challenge that he had in the previous tournament and meeting the new women that were invited.
He had a great time at the tournament, in no small part to the many women participating in it. Afterwards Brad was disappointed due to no challenges in the kickboxing ring and the women from the fourth tournament not calling him. He enters the fifth tournament looking for the challenge that he had in the previous tournament and meeting the new women that were invited.
- Boisterous Bruiser: Has only slightly less of an ego than Lion.
- The Casanova: Brad is a notorious ladies man, and because of his good looks, he has many female fans.
- Hidden Depths: In Ultimate Showdown, the title you can earn by playing 120 matches with Brad is "Kindhearted Man." Interestingly, for most of the other characters, their corresponding titles are simply their occupation. Possibly a case of Informed Attribute, as you wouldn't tell from Brad's in-game dialogue.
- Latin Lover: He even seems to have charmed Aoi with his natural magnetism.
- Large Ham: Amps it up in 5, where more emphasis is placed on the hedonistic element of his personality.
- Lightning Bruiser: Played well, he can dance around the opponent and tear off large chunks of their health.
- Metaphorgotten: "I sting like a bee, bite like a tiger!"
- Might Makes Right: Says this word for word as a victory quote in 5.
- Non-Indicative Name: "Brad Burns" — Brad(ley) being Old English ("broad field"), and Burns being an Irish surname is about the least Italian name possible.
- Red Hot Masculinity: Brad's one of the most ultra-macho characters in the series, and he always wears red in his default outfit.
- The Rockstar: While not a confirmed musician, Brad can sport a guitar case as an accessory, and many of his customization options—including the tribal tattoos, chained nose piercings, and a range of hairstyles that includes mohawks, shoulder-length locks, and swooping emo hair—seem distinctly inspired by the sort of 2000s rockers that were prominent around 4 and 5's original releases.
- Something about a Rose: 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 photo.
- Spiky Hair: His default style.
- Spirited Competitor: Joined the tournament because no one in the Muay Thai tournaments could give him a good fight.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Dashing and charming, and stands 5'10".
Goh Hinogami
Origin: Japan
Fighting style: Judo
Voiced by: note
Goh was the son of an Olympic level Judo master, who was orphaned when his father was murdered by a jealous friend. Judgment 6 kidnaps him and trains him and a group of other abducted orphans to be assassins. He is sent by J6 to infiltrate the fourth World Fighting Tournament and kill several of the fighters.
Goh lost to Jacky Bryant in the tournament and failed in his mission completely due to Dural's interference in the tournament. With his superiors in J6 disappointed in his performance, Goh enters the fifth tournament knowing he cannot fail in his mission again.
Goh lost to Jacky Bryant in the tournament and failed in his mission completely due to Dural's interference in the tournament. With his superiors in J6 disappointed in his performance, Goh enters the fifth tournament knowing he cannot fail in his mission again.
- Alternate Company Equivalent: He takes after Bryan Fury, both being unhinged, violent pale-skinned fighters Covered in Scars and with a penchant for Beating A Dead Player. Naturally, Goh gets his 7 outfit with the crossover DLC.
- Anime Hair: Goh sports spiky blue hair.
- Beating A Dead Player: As his win poses show, Goh isn't going to let you off just because he won the fight.
- Cross Counter: With Jacky in one of the intros.
- Dark and Troubled Past: His dad's dead, he was kidnapped as a child, and he was put through rigorous training until he became the unstable monster he is today.
- Difficult, but Awesome: Although Goh lacks long juggling combos and isn't the fastest fighter compared to Kage-Maru and Eileen, his playstyle makes up for that with hard hitting strikes and grapple moves that can throw off opponents.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: He's so pale he's almost blue, and actually appears undead.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a nice one running horizontally under his left eye, adding to his off-putting appearance and letting you know Goh is not someone you should be looking forward to crossing paths with.
- Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: Goh's appear jaundiced or even somewhat reptilian.
- In the Hood: His 2P outfit in Evolution.
- Irony: Judo literally translates to "the Gentle Way", probably the least appropriate name for a martial art employed by a psychotic hitman like Goh.
- Jerkass: By far the most unpleasant and violent personality of the cast.
- Kick Them While They Are Down: Combined with Camera Abuse in one of his win poses.
- Obviously Evil: Unsettling, corpse-like pale skin? Prominent scarring on his body? Snake-like eyes? It's definitely not much of a surprise this guy's an assassin for a shady corporation.
- Parental Abandonment: It's how he ended up with J6. The fate of his mother has yet to be disclosed.
- Professional Killer: He's been trained to be one ever since J6 got their hands on him.
- Psycho for Hire: Abducted and trained as a killer by J6.
- The Rival: Holds a grudge against Jacky for beating him in the fourth tournament. One of the arcade versions of 5 prominently features the two fighting. He's also seen fighting Akira a lot, and likely sees Jean as a rival to his position at J6.
- Unskilled, but Strong: His striking style. His throws, like real Judo, are complex and technical, but his strikes are mostly wild haymakers and heavy kicks. While some Judo dojos do teach certain strikes at higher levels, they are precise and aimed at sensitive areas, which would not suit Goh's temperament.
Debuting in Virtua Fighter 5 / R / Final Showdown
El Blaze
Origin: Mexico
Fighting style: Lucha Libre
Voiced by: note
A dominant light-heavyweight luchador, El Blaze invited to the fifth World Fighting Tournament. Jealous of Wolf Hawkfield's dominance in the heavyweight division, El Blaze challenges him to prove he's the better wrestler and to finally put these feelings behind him.
- Animal Motif: Nearly every mask you can customize him with. Taken to the extreme with the Real Lion Mask.
- Cool Mask: Sports a classic luchador mask.
- Heel: In Final Showdown, he can use Poison Mist — a typical wrestling "bad guy" move.
- Large Ham: Fittingly for a Masked Luchador, he loves hamming it up for the audience.
- Masked Luchador: As befitting his Mexican background and fighting style, he sports a spot-on luchador outfit.
- The Napoleon: Despite his very petite stature (especially when in the ring with Wolf or Jeffry), he's a huge gob-shite and quite envious of Wolf's huge build, which sets him on a mission to prove himself.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Befitting his status as a Rey Mysterio homage, El Blaze is both lightweight and short of stature. He's actually the second-lightest character in 5, behind fellow 5 newcomer Eileen, and definitely the smallest male in the game. That said he can definitely put on the hurt with some stylish throws and good combo damage.
- The Rival: To Wolf.
- Shout-Out: Of Rey Mysterio. Also, his name could come from Japanese wrestler El Blazer, but given that he and the videogame debuted the name more or less at the same time, it's unknown who copied who.
Eileen
Origin: China
Fighting style: Monkey-Style Kung Fu (Kou-ken)
Voiced by: note
Raised by her grandfather after her parents died, Eileen learned Monkey Kung-Fu from him at a young age. To improve her skills she worked as an actress for a Beijing opera troupe for many years. She happened to see a martial arts demonstration by Pai Chan, and was amazed by the beauty of her movements.
Eileen enters the fifth World Fighting tournament to find and approach Pai.
Eileen enters the fifth World Fighting tournament to find and approach Pai.
- Animal Motifs: Monkeys, as befitting her being an Expy of Monkey. Her monkey-theme even extends to some of her winposes and even her eyes are slightly simian in design, with animal-esque enlarged irises.
- Animal-Themed Fighting Style: She's amongst the first, if not the first, practitioners of Monkey Kung Fu across the main fighting game series.
- Anime Chinese Girl: A variation on the usual Qipao-clad Chinese fighter.
- Badass Adorable: She's fresh-faced, and youthful, and capable of stomping your rear end with the Monkey Kung Fu that her grandpa taught her.
- The Cutie: Enhanced by the fact that she acts like a cute little monkey most of the time.
- Fangirl: Of Pai.
- Fragile Speedster: Her fighting style is sprightly, acrobatic, quick and confusing, though she's amongst the weakest, if not the weakest, characters in the series and goes down easily with a few hits.
- Monkey King Lite: With an animal motif of monkeys, her mischievous personality that prevents her from taking fights seriously, being able to equip an extending staff and her Chinese ethnicity, it's easy to see the influence Sun Wukong had on Eileen's character.
- Raised by Grandparents: Her backstory details the death of her parents, thus being placed in the care of her grandfather who taught her how to fight.
- Shout-Out: One of her custom items is an extending staff, much like Son Goku's. Given her monkey motif, it fits.
- Waif-Fu: She much more petite compared to the other fighters, relying on confusing, stealthy hits to wear down her opponent gradually.
Jean Kujo
Origin: France
Fighting style: Karate
Voiced by: note
Jean is a young Frenchman and at one time a friend to Lion Rafale. The two would boast who had better martial arts, Jean's karate or Lion's kung-fu. Jean was kidnapped by Judgement 6 and like Vanessa Lewis and Goh Hinogami he was trained to be an assassin. After Goh failed in his mission in the fourth World Fighting Tournament, Jean enters the fifth tournament to usurp Goh's mission and kill several of the fighters.
One of his targets is Lion, who he vaguely remembers but has no problems with killing him.
One of his targets is Lion, who he vaguely remembers but has no problems with killing him.
- Alternate Company Equivalent: To Ken, due to his fighting style and appearance (with a possible shade of Akuma, given his current state of mind).
- Always Someone Better: To Goh.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: One of his win quotes has him brag about the power of karate.
- But Not Too Foreign: Judging by his last name, and by how he speaks Japanese in game instead of English like Lion, Jean is likely half-Japanese and half-French.
- Difficult, but Awesome: His guard break string. If your opponent blocks a certain attack (specifically b,f+P+K), you can then execute a string of moves (K,P,P,K,P) that, if done fully, can guarantee a hit if you press another K following the final P. However getting that final K is timing-based so while you have a fair amount of leniency on the moves leading up to it, you won't get the knee to the face unless you can properly time your final input with the last hit of the main string. Looks very cool too.
- Chained by Fashion: Wears a chain around his waist in his 1P outfit.
- Charged Attack: Jean's central gimmick is he can hold several of his attacks and then execute stronger versions of them if held to their maximum, which can also disrupt his opponent's guard timing and possibly make them easier to hit. From these charged moves he is also able to feint by coming out with a surprise attack during the charge as well as follow up strikes that can be executed if an opponent blocked the charged hit.
- Forgotten Childhood Friend: Of Lion.
- Funny Bruce Lee Noises: Makes one in one of his intros, where he does a high flying dragon kick. Ironic since he's not even the resident Bruce Lee Clone (who doesn't even look like Bruce Lee anyway).
- Shout-Out: Seems to be based on 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. He gets Jin's outfit from 3 with the crossover DLC.
Debuting in Fighters Megamix
Siba
Origin: Saudi Arabia
Fighting style: Sqay
Siba is an Arab fighter who was intended to be in the first Virtua Fighter game. His character model even appeared on older arcade cabinets (sometimes with the name "Akira"). Siba, was scrapped shortly before the game's release.
He later appeared in the Sega Saturn game, Fighters Megamix. In the game he fights with striking attacks and a sword that charges with green energy.
He later appeared in the Sega Saturn game, Fighters Megamix. In the game he fights with striking attacks and a sword that charges with green energy.
- Arab Oil Sheikh: Has the look down pat. According to the official guide of Fighters Megamix, he's a wealthy sheik, using his immense monetary resources 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).
- Cool Sword: Siba uses a scimitar that deals a good deal of damage.
- Final Boss: The last opponent of Course H (Bosses). Fittingly, as stated above, he's implied to be the one who hosted the tournament in the game.
- Flat Character: As he was removed from the original and only appeared as an extra in a later game, Siba has no known character.
- Shout-Out: Clearly based on Arab-themed wrestler Sabu from both his name and appearance. Though American, Sabu had been with Japanese promotion FMW since the mid-80s and was one of its biggest stars by the time of the first Virtua Fighter game. As he was still obscure in the US, they may have been concerned that people would not see the reference and think Siba was intended as a terrorist character. By the time Fighters Megamix came out, Sabu had returned to the US and established himself as a star in ECW and WCW, thus making the reference more obvious to people. and a likely justification for his inclusion in the game.
Debuting in the anime
- Canon Foreigner: Nearly everyone below. Lion's father is the exception, since he isn't fleshed out much in the games.
Alexander
Sarah Bryant's pet squirrel that acts as the Team Pet throughout the show. It has a habit of attacking strangers with its claws.
- Non-Human Sidekick: He serves as Sarah's sidekick.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter
- Team Pet
Dr. Eva Durix
Country: USA
Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese), Katherine Vernon (English), Hanan Shqer (Arabic)
An evil scientist working for a worldwide Mafia-like criminal organization. She's responsible for Sarah's brainwashing and Dural's creation in the Alternate Continuity.
- Badass Cape: In the second season. Comes with a High Collar of Doom.
- Big Bad: Of the anime.
- Evil Mask: Wears a half mask of gold in the second season to hide the burn scars she received in the finale of the first season.
- Lack of Empathy: Zero. Zilch. Nada.
- Mad Scientist: She doesn't give a damn who she has to use to get what she wants and is not above horrific experiments.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives a scathing one to Jacky as he's getting beaten to a pulp by a brainwashed Sarah, claiming the reason she took his sister was because her dependency on him made it easy for her to be manipulated, basically saying that it's his fault she ended up like that.
- Smug Snake: She just loves to put on that air of superiority.
- Taught by Experience: What makes her dangerous is the fact that she is able to learn from her mistakes.
- This Cannot Be!: Her reaction to Akira defeating Dural.
Liu Kowloon
Country: Hong Kong
Voiced by: Taiten Kusunoki (Japanese), Scott Bailey (English), Nidal Hammadi (Arabic)
A rising martial arts practitioner in the Koenken, as well as an apparent member of a Hong Kong Triad. He had plotted to use his upcoming marriage to Pai in order to become the next successor to Lau Chan as the next head of the Koenkan, but Pai refuses to play along...
- Alas, Poor Villain: Despite all his actions, every character present for his death, except Eva, mourns him.
- Arranged Marriage: Poor, poor Pai.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive
- Heroic Sacrifice: A complete asshole in every sense of the word, and after his fights with Akira and Lau himself, doesn't seem even remotely sorry for all the crap he did. But he did seem to still care for Lau to some extent, as he gives his life in the end to save him from Dural.
- Meaningful Name: Kowloon is a rather famous place in Hong Kong, once housing a "Walled City" that had a really bad fame within HK.
- Smug Snake
- Stalker with a Crush: While Kowloon mostly wants Pai as his puppet wife to get the Koenkan martial arts school, he also thinks she's pretty enough for him...
- Tall, Dark, and Snarky
- Too Dumb to Live: Despite Eva already stabbing him in the back multiple times, and even trying to leave him for dead at one point, Liu STILL blindly thinks its a good idea to trust her. Needless to say, this ultimately spells his undoing.
Jimmy Gates
Country: USA
The leader of the Koenkan of America.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Has a freak out over it when Wolf comes to save him on Akira's behalf.
- Older Than They Look: Appears to be a 12 year old boy, but is actually much older, and much crueler.
- Heel–Face Turn: Becomes good after Akira finally teaches him the meaning of friendship.
Vandoll Rafale
Country: France
The father of Lion, who appears rarely in the first season, but featured more prominently in the second. He hires Moreno to bring Lion back and to blackmail Jeffry into selling his island to use as a weapons testing facility. Vandoll is forced into working for Judgement 6 to protect Lion, and into lending Eva Durix the resources for the creation of Dural Gold.
- Arms Dealer
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Using a lot of underhanded tactics and not above using mercenaries.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Genuinely cares about his son, and isn't thrilled about having to work for J6.
Colonel Moreno
Country: France
Voiced by: Yousuke Akimoto (Japanese), Dave Underwood (English), Muhammad Mustafa (Arabic)
A mercenary soldier, and leader of a mercenary army. In the first season he fights against Jeffry in order to force him to sell his island to the Rafale Company. He is also ordered to capture Lion and bring him back to his father. In the second season, he protects Lion from Oni-maru, but accidentally dies.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite some pretty dirty deeds, he actually cares a lot about Lion's safety.
- Licking the Blade: Licks Jeffry's blood off of his knife.
- Shout-Out: Is very reminiscent of Final Fight and Street Fighter's Rolento with a little El Gado and Holly Wood.
Oni-Maru
Country: Japan
Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese), Muhammad Kharmasho (Arabic)
A former member of the Hagakure clan, he had been expelled by the village elders due to his plot to kill off Kage-Maru in order to become the clan's head. Enraged, Oni leaves to train himself and perfect his skills. He later orchestrates a massacre of his village kin, leading Kage to hunt him down in order to exact revenge for the deaths of the Hagakure clan.
- Revenge Before Reason: He fights against Gold Dural in order to give it the combat data necessary to kill Kage and his companions, and ends up dying as a result.
Nyon
Country: USA
One of Oni-Maru's minions, who fights against Wolf in the anime but loses. She later attempts to hold Jeffry's family hostage, but that also fails.
- Heel: Uses the Mist on Wolf to blind him in their match.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Is killed by Oni-Maru for her repeated failures.
Gao
Country: Japan
Another of Oni-Maru's minions. He rarely fights, but is a skilled combatant nonetheless, able to hold his own against Akira.
- Bald of Evil
- Warrior Monk
- Undying Loyalty: To Oni-Maru.
