History DuelingWorks / FightingGame

|| ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' (1987) || ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' (1992) || The Samurai vs. Knight of fighting games. ''Mortal Kombat'' brought a BloodierAndGorier style, [[FinishingMove Fatalities]], and a much more brutal combat system. During their heyday in the early 90s, "SF vs. MK" was the equivalent of "WRPG vs JRPG" nowadays, with the same amount of prevalent (and annoying) topics devoted to it. || ''Mortal Kombat'' had more unique games churned out for it than ''Street Fighter''. || ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' did well initially, and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat2'' saw it briefly take the lead in the fighters' market. In the long term though, ''Street Fighter'' was the winner by a long shot as most of the ''Mortal Kombat'' games after the second proved to be the laughing stock for competitive fighting game players due to poor balancing of its characters and the series was later fed to the PolygonCeiling, further destroying its reputation with casual gamers. However, ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' not only cleared that reputation away but also proved to be ''not'' a laughing stock for competitive fighting game players, effectively bringing the bloodbath back to square one. ||

|| ''VideoGame/EternalChampions'' (1993) || ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'' (1994) || [[DarkerAndEdgier Dark]], [[BloodierAndGorier violent]] fighting games made by the leading console manufacturers at the time as a FollowTheLeader answer to ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'', with outlandish character designs and gallons of RuleOfCool. || Though spearheaded by Creator/{{Sega}} and Creator/{{Nintendo}}, respectively, each game was actually made by a western developer (''Eternal Champions'' was developed by Sega's America-based Interactive Development Division, whereas ''Killer Instinct'' was made by Nintendo's newly-acquired second-party developer Rare.) ''Eternal Champions'' was developed specifically for the Mega Drive/Genesis, while ''Killer Instinct'' was released in arcades first, and later ported to the SNES (rather ironic, since Sega's primary market have always been arcades, whereas Nintendo had otherwise stopped making arcade games by that point). Gameplay-wise, ''Killer Instinct'' relied heavily on {{combo}}s, while ''Eternal Champions'' played more similarly to ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' with the addition of a "special attack meter" to prevent players from abusing special attacks. In lieu of ''Mortal Kombat'', both games also had violent {{Finishing Move}}s, though the ones in ''Killer Instict'', while featuring large amounts of blood, had relatively little gore compared to both ''Mortal Kombat'' and ''Eternal Champions''. || ''Killer Instinct''. Both games followed a similar curve after release (a highly successful original game, a single sequel that wasn't as well received, and then promptly disappearing off the face of the Earth). In terms of legacy, ''Killer Instinct'' is much better remembered and retains a cult following, while ''Eternal Champions'' is largely forgotten and is usually only brought up in "AnyoneRememberPogs" kind of conversations. ''Killer Instinct'' was also successfully revived in 2013, further cementing this. ||

|| ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' (2017) || ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' (2017) || Sequels to TwoAndAHalfD Fighting games with rosters featuring comic book superheroes and supervillains for UsefulNotes/TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames. || The sequel (no pun intended) to the squabble between these two same franchises from last generation. This time, both games came out within 12 months of each other. Additionally both made an attempt to be more casual-friendly compared to other games in their developers' stable. ''Injustice 2 introduced the gear system that allows casual players to customize their characters, though it is banned in TournamentPlay, whereas ''[=MvC=]: Infinite'' goes back to the 2-on-2 format of earlier games, while ditching a lot of old mechanics in favor of a new freeform tag system while bringing back the Infinity Gems from ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes''. || ''Injustice 2'' was lauded for its graphics, roster, and content, all of which were major criticisms of ''Infinite'', but ''Infinite'' has been called a good follow-up to ''[=UMvC3=]'' in terms of gameplay, if not outright superior. In terms of immediate sales and reception, though, it was an outright squash, with ''Infinite'' currently sitting at a quarter of its rival's sales and averaging around 10-15 points lower on Metacritic. Furthermore, ''Injustice 2'' was able to compete at EVO 2018 while ''Infinite'' failed to qualify. ||

|| ''VideoGame/InternationalKarate'' (1985) || ''VideoGame/TheWayOfTheExplodingFist'' (1985) || SerialNumbersFiledOff ports of ''VideoGame/KarateChamp'' released for the UsefulNotes/Commodore64 in 1985. || They're pretty much indistinguishable gameplay-wise, but ''VideoGame/InternationalKarate'' is notable for featuring one of the most popular SID tunes ever written, courtesy of Rob Hubbard. || ''VideoGame/InternationalKarate'' sold more and is now more famous thanks largely to its music. ||

|| ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'' (1995) || ''VideoGame/AvengersInGalacticStorm'' (1995) || Arcade fighting games based on Creator/MarvelComics. || Something so unusual as dueling titles made by rivaling companies (Creator/{{Capcom}} and Creator/DataEast, respectively) based around the same license. Both games featured ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and ComicBook/IronMan as playable characters, but otherwise had very little in common. ''Marvel Super Heroes'' was a sequel to ''VideoGame/XMenChildrenOfTheAtom'', was loosely based on the ''[[ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet Infinity Gauntlet]]'' storyline from the comics, had traditional sprite-based 2D graphics, and a special "gem" system that gave your character temporary perks by fulfilling certain criteria during the match. ''Avengers in Galactic Storm'' was based on the ''[[ComicBook/OperationGalacticStorm Operation: Galactic Storm]]'' storyline, had pre-rendered CG characters and backgrounds on a two-dimensional playing field and was the first fighting game to feature {{Assist Character}}s. || ''Marvel Super Heroes'' by far: its success eventually led to the beloved ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' games. ''Avengers in Galactic Storm'' slipped by almost unnoticed, and didn't even receive a home port. ||

|| ''VideoGame/EternalChampions'' (1993) || ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'' (1994) || [[DarkerAndEdgier Dark]], [[BloodierAndGorier violent]] fighting games made by the leading console manufacturers at the time as a FollowTheLeader answer to ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'', with outlandish character designs and gallons of RuleOfCool. || Though spearheaded by Creator/{{Sega}} and Creator/{{Nintendo}}, respectively, each game was actually made by a western developer (''Eternal Champions'' was developed by Sega's America-based Interactive Development Division, whereas ''Killer Instinct'' was made by Nintendo's newly-acquired second-party developer Rare.) ''Eternal Champions'' was developed specifically for the Mega Drive/Genesis, while ''Killer Instinct'' was released in arcades first, and later ported to the SNES (rather ironic, since Sega's primary market have always been arcades, whereas Nintendo had otherwise stopped making arcade games by that point). Gameplay-wise, ''Killer Instinct'' relied heavily on {{combo}}s, while ''Eternal Champions'' played more similar to ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' with the addition of a "special attack meter" to prevent players from abusing special attacks. In lieu of Mortal Kombat, both games also had violent {{Finishing Move}}s, though the ones in ''Killer Instict'', while featuring large amounts of blood, had relatively little gore compared to both ''Mortal Kombat'' and ''Eternal Champions''. || ''Killer Instinct''. Both games followed a similar curve after release (a highly successful original game, a single sequel that wasn't as well received, and then promptly disappearing off the face of the Earth). In terms of legacy, ''Killer Instinct'' is much better remembered and retains a cult following, while ''Eternal Champions'' is largely forgotten and is usually only brought up in "AnyoneRememberPogs" kind of conversations. ''Killer Instinct'' was also successfully revived in 2013, further cementing this. ||
|| ''VideoGame/TheOutfoxies'' (1994) || ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' (1999) || Arena fighting games with weapon pickups. || The former is an arcade game with original characters, while the latter is a console game featuring characters from Nintendo's franchises, released 5 years apart from each other. || ''Smash'' wins this one easily. It is the more well-known of the two and the series is still living on to this very day, whereas ''The Outfoxies'' has faded into obscurity (though those who are aware of its existence recognize the game as laying the foundation for the PlatformFighter genre and serving as ''Smash'''s [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Predecessor]]). ||
|| ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'' (1995) || ''VideoGame/AvengersInGalacticStorm'' (1995) || Arcade fighting games based on Creator/MarvelComics. || Something so unusual as dueling titles made by rivaling companies (Creator/{{Capcom}} and Creator/DataEast, respectively) based around the same license. Both games featured ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and ComicBook/IronMan as playable characters, but otherwise had very little in common. ''Marvel Super Heroes'' was a sequel to ''VideoGame/XMenChildrenOfTheAtom'', was loosely based on the "Infinity Gauntlet" storyline from the comics, had traditional sprite-based 2D-graphics, and a special "gem" system that gave your character temporary perks by fulfilling certain criteria during the match. ''Avengers in Galactic Storm'' was based on the "Operation: Galactic Storm" storyline, had pre-rendered CG characters and backgrounds on a two-dimensional playing field and was the first fighting game to feature {{Assist Character}}s. || ''Marvel Super Heroes'' by far: its success eventually led to the beloved ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' games. ''Avengers in Galactic Storm'' slipped by almost unnoticed, and didn't even receive a home port. ||
|| ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' (1995) || ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Edge]]'' (1995) || Early 3D weapons-based fighting games. || Both were released in 1995; ''Toshinden'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, ''Soul'' for arcades (and ported to [=PlayStation=] the following year, [[MarketBasedTitle rebranded as]] ''Soul Blade'' for the North American and European markets due to trademark issues). Although not obvious at first, ''Toshinden'' actually takes place in the (then-)present, while ''Soul'' takes place in the 16th century. ''Toshinden'' also has a clear anime-based style while ''Soul'' went with more stylized realism (similar to its sibling series ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''). || ''Soul Edge'', without a doubt. ''Battle Arena Toshinden'' gained a lot of acclaim and sales at first, thanks to novel features like sidestepping, lots of promotion by Sony and being one of the only fighting games for the [=PlayStation=] at launch. It became the official pack-in game with the [=PlayStation=] for a while, was ported to {{PC}}, UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and UsefulNotes/GameBoy and had three sequels, the first of which even got an arcade release. Despite all this, the game was quickly forgotten. There were many internal issues regarding its development, as Takara screwed itself over by having the series developed by an umbrella of smaller developers who were severely underpaid, and that they focused more on merchandise than the actual game. As newer, better and more refined fighting games came out, the series became DeaderThanDisco. Among nostalgic early [=PlayStation=] owners, the series has a bit of a CultClassic status, though. ''Soul Edge'', on the other hand, was very successful both in arcades and on the [=PlayStation=], and, thanks to the [[EvenBetterSequel awesome]] [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] sequel ''Soulcalibur'', managed to keep the momentum going and has become one of the most popular and beloved fighting game series around. ||

''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' (1996) || 3D {{Fighting Game}}s with an emphasis on realistic martial arts styles || ''Virtua Fighter'', like ''StreetFighter'', is considered the UrExample of 3D fighters and most games made after it deliberately ape it. ''Tekken'' combined VF's realistic gameplay with a ''Street Fighter''-like cast of misfits. ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' took VF's gameplay, added a dopey exploding arena gimmick, and utilized some [[JigglePhysics very]] [[GagBoobs fascinating]] [[{{Stripperiffic}} character]] [[FanService concepts]]. || ''Tekken'' has remained as the top selling 3D fighting game series. ''Virtua Fighter'' is lauded by tournament players but only has a very small competitive scene in the west. ''DOA'' has slowly mounted a comeback a steadily growing competitive scene since its fifth installment came out. ||

|| ''VideoGame/TheOutfoxies'' (1994) || ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' (1999) || Arena fighting games with weapon pickups. || The former is an arcade game with original characters, while the latter is a console game featuring characters from Nintendo's franchises, released 5 years apart from each other. || ''Smash'' wins this one easily. It is the more well-known of the two and the series is still living on to this very day, whereas ''The Outfoxies'' has faded into obscurity. ||

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' (1999) || ''VideoGame/PlaystationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' (2012) || [[UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars Console-specific]] {{Mascot Fighter}}s, each with a roster of characters associated with the console it is on. || You defeat opponents in ''Smash'' with {{Ring Out}}s. In ''PSASBR'', however, you defeat opponents with {{Limit Break}}s instead. The deeper mechanics of the two are very different as well. Sony acknowledges their game's inspiration from ''Smash'', though they also note that many other fighting games served as inspiration as well. || ''Smash'' wins, financially speaking, on account of being unopposed for so long that no other game could hope to dethrone it. ''PSASBR'' received generally favorable reviews in comparison to ''Smash's'' unanimous critical acclaim. To ''PSASBR's'' credit however, it has gained a significant following and online community by those who played it. After PSASBR "outlived its cycle," Sony cut ties with Superbot Entertainment, though a sequel is still possible as Shuhei Yoshida himself basically said to never give up hope. ||
|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros (Brawl)'' (2008) || ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesSmashUp'' (2009) || {{Mascot Fighter}}s with similar combat systems. || ''TMNT Smash Up'' was developed by one of the teams who worked on ''Smash Bros. Brawl''. || ''TMNT Smash-Up'' is widely considered inferior to ''Smash Bros.'', though some argue that it's a decent game on its own and the comparison to ''Smash Bros.'' only hurts it. ||

|| ''[[VideoGame/BrawlMinus Brawl-]]'' (Verison 1.0, 2010) || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' (Version 1.0, 2011) || {{Game Mod}}s of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl'' that seek to [[CompetitiveBalance create more dynamic game-play and better balance the roster.]] || Both Mods rose from the failed ''Brawl+'', the first attempt at a major ''Brawl'' Mod. ''Brawl-'', created by a standalone team, seeks to balance the game by making '''everything''' a GameBreaker. ''VideoGame/ProjectM'', made by former ''Brawl+'' modders, more-or-less embraced the "''Melee'' 2.0" criticisms aimed at ''Brawl+'' by replicating the more MetaGame-oriented physics of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Melee'', and re-balancing the cast to match. ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' also goes even further by restoring removed stages, creating new alt-costumes, and even bringing back two characters cut from ''Brawl'', Roy and Mewtwo. ''Brawl-'' followed suit by restoring Roy and Pichu. || ''VideoGame/ProjectM'' wins by a country mile, if its coverage by major gaming news sites and appearance in tournaments is any indication. This ended up being its undoing, though, as it got so big that the makers ended up shutting ''Project M'' down upon learning that Nintendo would now have grounds to ''sue'' instead of issuing a Cease and Desist. So in terms of longevity, ''Brawl-'' wins. ||
|| ''[[UpdatedRerelease (Ultimate)]] VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' (2011) || ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'' (2013) || TwoAndAHalfD Fighting games with rosters featuring comic book superheroes and supervillains. || Another Marvel vs. DC squabble, akin to ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' and ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' above. While [=MvC3=] crosses the Marvel universe with a cast of Capcom characters, ''Injustice'' has a roster composed entirely of DC characters,[[note]]with the exception of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat''[='s=] mascot character, Scorpion, as a downloadable character[[/note]] despite being made by the studio behind ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. [=MvC3=] is more of a traditional VideoGame/CapcomVsWhatever fighting game, while ''Injustice'' experiments with a number of gimmicks that are either uncommon in fighting games or new to the genre as a whole. || ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' has a several-year lead and a very strong franchise history to back it up, but ''Injustice'' may have time to grow its fandom, as ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''[='s=] update cycle has ceased and its core development team members have moved on to other projects. Both games have received similarly high critical acclaim from reviewers, although the fighting game community is more wary of ''Injustice''[='s=] viability as a competitive fighter due to its stage-based gimmicks. ||
|| ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' (2017) || ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' (2017) || Sequels to TwoAndAHalfD Fighting games with rosters featuring comic book superheroes and supervillains for UsefulNotes/TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames. || The sequel (no pun intended) to the squabble between these two same franchises from last generation. This time, both games are coming out within 12 months of each other. Additionally both are trying to be more casual friendly compared to other games in their developers stable. Injustice 2 introduces the gear system that allows casual players to customize their characters, however it is banned in TournamentPlay, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite goes back to the 2 on 2 format of earlier games, while ditching a lot of old mechanics in favor of a new freeform tag system while bringing back the Infinity Gems from ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes''. || ''Injustice 2'' was lauded for its graphics, roster, and content, all of which were major criticisms of ''Infinite'', but ''Infinite'' has been called a good follow-up to ''[=UMvC3=]'' in terms of gameplay, if not outright superior. In terms of immediate sales and reception, though, it was an outright squash, with ''Infinite'' currently sitting at a quarter of its rival's sales and averaging around 10-15 points lower on Metacritic. Furthermore, ''Injustice 2'' was able to compete at EVO 2018 while ''Infinite'' failed to qualify. ||
|| ''VideoGame/PokkenTournament DX'' (2017) || ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' (2017) || 2017 released fighting games released on the week of September 22nd 2017, featuring popular characters from outside the regular fighting genre (Marvel heroes and Pokemon) fighting on mutually exclusive hardware. || Pokken DX was not significantly hyped but maintained a steady amount of attention, while Marvel vs Capcom suffered significant controversies in a number of areas including animations, roster choices, and developer commentaries || ''Pokken'' had notably better review scores, and sold nearly twice as much despite being a Switch exclusive. ||
|| ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' (2017) || ''VideoGame/{{Dragon Ball FighterZ}}'' (2018) || Tag-team tournament-viable fighting games featuring super-powered combatants from immensely popular long-running franchises. || After ''Infinite'' suffered from several controversies, PR mess-ups, and severe issues regarding presentation, ''[=FighterZ=]'' got the attention of many who were soured on the latest ''Marvel vs. Capcom'' by boasting 3v3 gameplay (''Infinite'' dropped down to 2v2 in contrast with the two previous ''[=MvC=]'' games) and phenomenal presentation, as is expected from Creator/ArcSystemWorks. However, ''[=FighterZ=]'' did eventually suffer from controversy of its own regarding its DLC practices. || ''[=FighterZ=]''. ''Infinite'' received mixed reviews and flopped in sales. By contrast, critical and audience reception for ''[=FighterZ=]'' was overwhelmingly positive, and it became the fastest-selling ''Dragon Ball'' video game in history, shifting 2 million copies in just five days. In addition, the lineup for EVO 2018 was confirmed to include ''[=FighterZ=]'', but not ''Infinite'', marking the first time in 17 years that EVO has not had a ''Marvel Vs Capcom'' game as one of its main events. ||
|| ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' (2017) || ''VideoGame/BlazblueCrossTagBattle'' (2018) || 2v2 tag-team tournament-competitive fighting games featuring ensemble casts of super-powered characters from multiple different properties || Coming onto the scene a month before EVO 2018 is due and with ''[=FighterZ=]'' is still hugely popular, ''BBTAG'' is the second Creator/ArcSystemWorks game to be competing with ''[=MvCI=]''. ''BBTAG'' is also a 2v2 crossover fighter featuring an ensemble cast from four popular anime franchises: ''Blazblue'', ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'' and the highly popular Creator/RoosterTeeth anime-styled web animation series ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}''[[note]](''RWBY's'' [[Creator/MontyOum sadly now late creator]] and ''Blazblue'''s creator Toshimichi Mori were big fans of each others' work and the two planned for an eventual crossover, and here the four heroines of ''RWBY'' make their fighting game debut)[[/note]]. || The announcement that ''BBTAG'' would be present at Evo 2018 and ''[=MvCI=]'' would not when the former hadn't even been released came as a massive shock to the [=FGC=]. Though early hype for ''BBTAG'' was damaged by a controversy surrounding [=DLC=] practices, reception to early release builds and demos has been highly positive with players praising the new ''RWBY'' characters, the netcode and online play, the combat system (which is said to be very easy to pick up for new players but offers a surprising degree of depth to veterans due to character interplay) and the voice acting[[note]]with the casts of ''Blazblue'', ''Persona 4'' and ''RWBY'' reprising their roles and a slew of recognized anime and video game voice actors lending their talents to the ''[=UNIEL=]'' cast who have never before had English voices[[/note]]. In the end though, while both series underperformed, the fact that ''Cross Tag Battle'' got better reception a having a bit more sales than ''Infinite'' makes it the clear winner, even if it was an AcclaimedFlop.||
|| ''VideoGame/SlapCity'' (2018) || ''Icons: Combat Arena'' (2018) || PlatformFighter games developed by independent teams, intended to become a PC alternative for the Nintendo-exclusive VideoGame/SuperSmashBros series, while also appealing to its competetive scene. Both were also first released as Early Access. || ''VideoGame/SlapCity'', much like VideoGame/SuperSmashBros, is a MascotFighter featuring many of the developer's characters. ''Icons'', on the other hand, has its roster entirely composed of original characters. Notably, the latter's development team had people that previously worked on the famous GameMod ''VideoGame/ProjectM''|| ''Slap City'', no contest. Winning fans over with its fresh characters and creative game modes, it's remained overwhelmingly praised since its release. ''Icons'', instead, got heavily criticized for aspects such as a roster mostly composed of expies of ''Smash'' fighters, matches being exclusively 1v1, and an abusive microtransaction system. Because of that, the game struggled with a shrinking playerbase, and its servers were put down on November 2018, rendering it unplayable since then.||

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/JumpForce'' (2019) || Crossover fighting games in which characters from Nintendo's history (Smash Bros.) or multiple Magazine/ShonenJump franchises (Jump Force) come together to fight against each other. || ||''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' by a country mile. While the roster of ''Smash Bros.'' welcomed back everyone included in the series, past and present, including long-awaited fighters like Ridley and King K. Rool, the roster of ''Jump Force'' was divisive from the moment that the game was finalized. This included the divisive Created Character, which people have grown tired of now, as well as original characters, Kane and Galena, which are mainly seen as expies of [[VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse Mira and Towa]]. In terms of sales, despite ''Ultimate'' being a Switch exclusive and ''Jump Force'' coming out on every console that isn't the Switch (namely [=PS4=], Xbox One and PC), the former managed to blow the competition out of the water in Japan by selling 1.2 million copies during its first week, eventually managing to sell over ''15.71 million'' copies by November 2019 and become '''the''' highest selling fighting game ''of all time'', while the latter could only muster barely a tenth of those figures in its launch week and despite a steady stream of DLC, has largely been forgotten by most people, only being mentioned [[SnarkBait to be made fun of]].
|| ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' (2019) || ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasyVersus'' (2019) || 2D fighting games that return to a more classically grounded style with high damage, stricter movement and shorter combos compared to the "anime" fighting games that have dominated the genre since the late 2000s. || ||As of this writing, ''Granblue'' has not been released yet, so a winner cannot be determined. However, both games have allowed players to get an early hands on in the form of demo builds and betas, leading to positive impressions to both from players that have tried them. Despite this, ''Granblue'' seems to have mounted a very slight lead thanks to the gorgeous graphics from ''Creator/ArcSystemWorks'' and the now-beloved characters and universe of ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy.'' Additionally, ''Shodown'' and other games from ''Creator/SNKPlaymore'' tend to have more of a cult following compared to the mainstream success of ''Arc System Works'' titles.

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/JumpForce'' (2019) || Crossover fighting games in which characters from Nintendo's history (Smash Bros.) or multiple Magazine/ShonenJump franchises (Jump Force) come together to fight against each other. || ||''Smash Bros. Ultimate''. While ''Smash Bros.''' roster welcomed back everyone included in the series, past and present, including long-awaited fighters like Ridley and King K. Rool, ''Jump Force'''s roster was divisive from the moment that the game was finalized. This included the divisive Created Character, which people have grown tired of now, as well as original characters, Kane and Galena, which are mainly seen as expies of [[VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse Mira and Towa]]. In terms of sales, despite ''Ultimate'' being a Switch exclusive and ''Jump Force'' coming out on every console that isn't the Switch (namely [=PS4=], Xbox One and PC), the former managed to blow the competition out of the water in Japan by selling 1.2 million copies during its first week, eventually managing to sell over ''15.71 million'' copies by November 2019 and become '''the''' highest selling fighting game ''of all time'', while the latter could only muster barely a tenth of those figures in its launch week and despite a steady stream of DLC, has largely been forgotten by most people, only being mentioned [[SnarkBait to be made fun of]].

''[[VideoGame/FatalFury Garou: Mark of the Wolves]]'' (1999) || After playing it safe for several years, in the brave new year of 1997 the premier fighting game series were ready to take their next installment in bold new directions. Two years later, SNK followed suit with the final game in their earliest fighting game franchise. || ''Mortal Kombat 4'' took the step into the third dimension, while ''Street Fighter III'' stayed in and perfected 2D (it was one of the best-looking 2D-games ever at the time of its release). Both games did away with a substantial part of their established cast in favor of new faces, but ''Street Fighter III'' especially so (only Ryu and Ken returned, although later updates reintroduced Akuma and Chun-Li). While ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was now 3D, the gameplay still largely took place on a two-dimensional playing field and with the exception of a sidestep maneuver and the introduction of a weapon-system, the gameplay was largely unchanged. ''Street Fighter III'' on the other hand had substantially altered gameplay with the introduction of dashing, "super arts" and the new parry-system. Meanwhile, ''Garou: Mark of the Wolves'' followed in ''Street Fighter III''[='s=] footsteps, replacing the roster with a new generation of fighters (with Terry being the only returning character) and featuring some beautifully animated 2D artwork. The game also forsook ''Fatal Fury''[='s=] iconic plane-shifting mechanic in favor of traditional 2D movement, and also features a "Just Defense" mechanic similar to ''Street Fighter III''[='s=] parrying.|| At the time of release, ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was the winner, performing well in arcades and being a financial success for Midway. ''Street Fighter III'' on the other hand was met with widespread apathy, with factors including it coming out too late after the Street Fighter-craze had largely died off, being a 2D-game at the height of the VideoGame3DLeap, having a really expensive arcade board meaning few arcade operators could afford it, being too inaccessible for beginners, and players finding it too different and with almost no familiar characters ([[UnpleasableFanbase ironically the very things people had complained about with the countless updates for]] ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII''). It also didn't help matters that ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was ported to every system available at the time but ''Street Fighter III'' was originally only ported to the ill-fated Dreamcast more than two years after its release. In the long run, the situation has reversed. ''Mortal Kombat 4'' did not age well and is now regarded as the weakest entry in the series due to the PolygonCeiling and Narm-filled cutscenes, while ''Street Fighter III'' has become VindicatedByHistory is now an incredibly well-regarded game, a TournamentPlay staple and a CultClassic. It goes to tell when ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was excluded from the digital compilation ''Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection'' whereas ''Street Fighter III'' is one of the consistently best-selling digital download-titles around. ''Garou: Mark of the Wolves'', meanwhile, quietly picked up its status as a CultClassic, regarded as one of the best fighters SNK ever made, but unfortunately SNK as a whole wouldn't gain widespread recognition in the western market like the other two properties would until 2 years later with ''VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium''. In the end, ''Street Fighter III'' is the winner. ||

''[[VideoGame/FatalFury Garou: Mark of the Wolves]]'' || After playing it safe for several years, in the brave new year of 1997 the premier fighting game series were ready to take their next installment in bold new directions. Two years later, SNK followed suit with the final game in their earliest fighting game franchise. || ''Mortal Kombat 4'' took the step into the third dimension, while ''Street Fighter III'' stayed in and perfected 2D (it was one of the best-looking 2D-games ever at the time of its release). Both games did away with a substantial part of their established cast in favor of new faces, but ''Street Fighter III'' especially so (only Ryu and Ken returned, although later updates reintroduced Akuma and Chun-Li). While ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was now 3D, the gameplay still largely took place on a two-dimensional playing field and with the exception of a sidestep maneuver and the introduction of a weapon-system, the gameplay was largely unchanged. ''Street Fighter III'' on the other hand had substantially altered gameplay with the introduction of dashing, "super arts" and the new parry-system. Meanwhile, ''Garou: Mark of the Wolves'' followed in ''Street Fighter III''[='s=] footsteps, replacing the roster with a new generation of fighters (with Terry being the only returning character) and featuring some beautifully animated 2D artwork. The game also forsook ''Fatal Fury''[='s=] iconic plane-shifting mechanic in favor of traditional 2D movement, and also features a "Just Defense" mechanic similar to ''Street Fighter III''[='s=] parrying.|| At the time of release, ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was the winner, performing well in arcades and being a financial success for Midway. ''Street Fighter III'' on the other hand was met with widespread apathy, with factors including it coming out too late after the Street Fighter-craze had largely died off, being a 2D-game at the height of the VideoGame3DLeap, having a really expensive arcade board meaning few arcade operators could afford it, being too inaccessible for beginners, and players finding it too different and with almost no familiar characters ([[UnpleasableFanbase ironically the very things people had complained about with the countless updates for]] ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII''). It also didn't help matters that ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was ported to every system available at the time but ''Street Fighter III'' was originally only ported to the ill-fated Dreamcast more than two years after its release. In the long run, the situation has reversed. ''Mortal Kombat 4'' did not age well and is now regarded as the weakest entry in the series due to the PolygonCeiling and Narm-filled cutscenes, while ''Street Fighter III'' has become VindicatedByHistory is now an incredibly well-regarded game, a TournamentPlay staple and a CultClassic. It goes to tell when ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was excluded from the digital compilation ''Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection'' whereas ''Street Fighter III'' is one of the consistently best-selling digital download-titles around. ''Garou: Mark of the Wolves'', meanwhile, quietly picked up its status as a CultClassic, regarded as one of the best fighters SNK ever made, but unfortunately SNK as a whole wouldn't gain widespread recognition in the western market like the other two properties would until 2 years later with ''VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium''. In the end, ''Street Fighter III'' is the winner. ||

|| ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' (1997) || ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' (1997) || After playing it safe for several years, in the brave new year of 1997 the premier fighting game series were ready to take their next installment in bold new directions. || ''Mortal Kombat 4'' took the step into the third dimension, while ''Street Fighter III'' stayed in and perfected 2D (it was one of the best-looking 2D-games ever at the time of its release). Both games did away with a substantial part of their established cast in favor of new faces, but ''Street Fighter III'' especially so (only Ryu and Ken returned, although later updates reintroduced Akuma and Chun-Li). While ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was now 3D, the gameplay still largely took place on a two-dimensional playing field and with the exception of a sidestep maneuver and the introduction of a weapon-system, the gameplay was largely unchanged. ''Street Fighter III'' on the other hand had substantially altered gameplay with the introduction of dashing, "super arts" and the new parry-system. || At the time of release, ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was the winner, performing well in arcades and being a financial success for Midway. ''Street Fighter III'' on the other hand was met with widespread apathy, with factors including it coming out too late after the Street Fighter-craze had largely died off, being a 2D-game at the height of the VideoGame3DLeap, having a really expensive arcade board meaning few arcade operators could afford it, being too inaccessible for beginners, and players finding it too different and with almost no familiar characters ([[UnpleasableFanbase ironically the very things people had complained about with the countless updates for]] ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII''). It also didn't help matters that ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was ported to every system available at the time but ''Street Fighter III'' was originally only ported to the ill-fated Dreamcast more than two years after its release. In the long run, the situation has reversed. ''Mortal Kombat 4'' did not age well and is now regarded as the weakest entry in the series due to the PolygonCeiling and Narm-filled cutscenes, while ''Street Fighter III'' has become VindicatedByHistory is now an incredibly well-regarded game, a TournamentPlay staple and a CultClassic. It goes to tell when ''Mortal Kombat 4'' was excluded from the digital compilation ''Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection'' whereas ''Street Fighter III'' is one of the consistently best-selling digital download-titles around. In the end, ''Street Fighter III'' is the winner. ||

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/JumpForce'' (2019) || Crossover fighting games in which characters from Nintendo's history (Smash Bros.) or multiple Magazine/ShonenJump franchises (Jump Force) come together to fight against each other. || ||''Smash Bros. Ultimate''. While ''Smash Bros.''' roster welcomed back everyone included in the series, past and present, including long-awaited fighters like Ridley and King K. Rool, ''Jump Force'''s roster was divisive from the moment that the game was finalized. This included the divisive Created Character, which people have grown tired of now, as well as original characters, Kane and Galena, which are mainly seen as expies of [[VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse Mira and Towa]]. In terms of sales (at least in Japan), despite ''Ultimate'' being a Switch exclusive and ''Jump Force'' coming out on every console that isn't the Switch (namely [=PS4=], Xbox One and PC), the former managed to blow the competition out of the water by selling 1.2 million copies during its first week, eventually managing to sell over 13.8 million copies by April 2019 and become one of the highest selling fighting games ''of all time'', while the latter could only muster barely a tenth of those figures in its launch week and despite a steady stream of DLC, has largely been forgotten by most people.

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/JumpForce'' (2019) || Crossover fighting games in which characters from Nintendo's history (Smash Bros.) or multiple Magazine/ShonenJump franchises (Jump Force) come together to fight against each other. || ||''Smash Bros. Ultimate''. ''While Smash Bros.''' roster welcomed back everyone included in the series, past and present, including long-awaited fighters like Ridley and King K. Rool, Jump Force's roster was divisive from the moment that the game was finalized. This included the divisive Created Character, which people have grown tired of now, as well as original characters, Kane and Galena, which are mainly seen as expies of [[VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse Mira and Towa]]. In terms of sales (at least in Japan), despite ''Ultimate'' being a Switch exclusive and ''Jump Force'' coming out on every console that isn't the Switch (namely [=PS4=], Xbox One and PC), the former managed to blow the competition out of the water by selling 1.2 million copies during its first week, eventually managing to sell over 13.8 million copies by April 2019 and become one of the highest selling fighting games ''of all time'', while the latter could only muster barely a tenth of those figures in its launch week and despite a steady stream of DLC, has largely been forgotten by most people.

|| ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' (1995) || ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'' (1995) || Early 3D weapons-based fighting games. || Both were released in 1995; ''Toshinden'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, ''Soul'' for arcades (and ported to Playstation the following year). Although not obvious at first, ''Toshinden'' actually takes place in the (then-) present, while ''Soul'' takes place in the 16th century. ''Toshinden'' also has a clear anime-based style while ''Soul'' went with more stylized realism (similar to its sibling series ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''). || ''Soul Edge'', without a doubt. ''Battle Arena Toshinden'' gained a lot of acclaim and sales at first, thanks to novel features like sidestepping, lots of promotion by Sony and being one of the only fighting games for the Playstation at launch. It became the official pack-in game with the Playstation for a while, was ported to {{PC}}, UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and UsefulNotes/GameBoy and had three sequels, the first of which even got an arcade release. Despite all this, the game was quickly forgotten. There were many internal issues regarding its development, as Takara screwed itself over by having the series developed by an umbrella of smaller developers who were severely underpaid, and that they focused more on merchandise than the actual game. As newer, better and more refined fighting games came out, the series became DeaderThanDisco. Among nostalgic early Playstation owners, the series has gotten a bit of a CultClassic status though. ''Soul Edge'', on the other hand, was very successful both in arcades and on the Playstation, and thanks to the [[EvenBetterSequel awesome]] sequel ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'', managed to keep the momentum going and has become one of the most popular and beloved fighting game series around. ||
|| ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'' (1995) || ''VideoGame/MaceTheDarkAge'' (1997) || Arcade weapons-based fighting games in a HistoricalFantasy setting revolving around a titular ArtifactOfDoom weapon. || East vs. West, ''[[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Namco]]'' vs. ''[[Creator/MidwayGames Midway]]'', Samurai vs. Knight (literally, in this case). To oversimplify: ''Soul Edge'' is ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' with swords, ''Mace'' is ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'' with swords. It's also worth noting that the home port of each game was released exclusively on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation and UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} respectively. || ''Soul Edge'' spawned a very successful franchise still going strong. ''Mace'' was largely overlooked and had no sequel. ||
|| ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' (1996) || ''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'' (2008) || Established fighting franchise [[IntercontinuityCrossover crossing over]] with established comic universe. Capcom achieved such success with this formula back in TheNineties. ||While Capcom lost the rights to make more games a few years back, they were finally able to convince Marvel to let them make ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. Midway's ''Mortal Kombat'' staff, on the other hand was bought by Creator/WarnerBros, DC's parent company, shortly after ''[=MKvsDCU=]'' came out. || No contest. ''Marvel vs. Capcom'', specifically ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'', has been a tournament staple for over a decade now and still sees more serious (and casual) play than [=MKvsDCU=] ever did. In fact, ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom'' on one side and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' on the other are seen as bigger and more comparable rivals to ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' (though moreso the latter because of release time frames) in the competitive community than [=MKvsDCU=]. ||

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/JumpForce'' (2019) || Crossover fighting games in which characters from Nintendo's history (Smash Bros.) or multiple Magazine/ShonenJump franchises (Jump Force) come together to fight against each other. || ||''Smash Bros. Ultimate''. ''While Smash Bros.''' roster welcomed back everyone included in the series, past and present, including long-awaited fighters like Ridley and King K. Rool, Jump Force's roster was divisive from the moment that the game was finalized. This included the divisive Created Character, which people have grown tired of now, as well as original characters, Kane and Galena, which are mainly seen as expies of [[VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse Mira and Towa]]. In terms of sales (at least in Japan), despite ''Ultimate'' being a Switch exclusive and ''Jump Force'' coming out on every console that isn't the Switch (namely [=PS4=], Xbox One and PC), the former managed to blow the competition out of the water by selling 1.2 million copies during its first week, while the latter could only muster barely a tenth of those figures.

|| ''VideoGame/SlapCity'' (2018) || ''Icons: Combat Arena'' (2018) || PlatformFighter games developed by independent teams, intended to become a PC alternative for the Nintendo-exclusive VideoGame/SuperSmashBros series, while also appealing to its competetive scene. Both were also first released as Early Access. || ''VideoGame/SlapCity'', much like VideoGame/SuperSmashBros, is a MascotFighter featuring many of the developer's characters. ''Icons'', on the other hand, has its roster entirely composed of original characters. Notably, the latter's development team had people that previously worked on the famous GameMod ''VideoGame/ProjectM''|| ''Slap City'', no contest. Winning fans over with its fresh characters and creative game modes, remaining overwhelmingly praised since its release. ''Icons'', instead, got heavily criticized for aspects such as a roster mostly composed of expies of ''Smash'' fighters, matches being exclusively 1v1, and an abusive microtransaction system. Because of that, the game struggled with a shrinking playerbase, and its servers were put down on November 2018, rendering it unplayable since then.||

|| ''VideoGame/SlapCity'' (2018) || ''Icons: Combat Arena'' (2018) || MascotFighter games developed by independent teams, intended to become a PC alternative for the Nintendo-exclusive VideoGame/SuperSmashBros series, while also appealing to its competetive scene. Both were also first released as Early Access. || ''VideoGame/SlapCity'', much like VideoGame/SuperSmashBros, is a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover of its developer's multiple games. ''Icons'', on the other hand, has its roster entirely composed of original characters. Notably, the latter's development team had people that previously worked on the famous GameMod ''VideoGame/ProjectM''|| ''Slap City'', no contest. Winning fans over with its fresh characters and creative game modes, remaining overwhelmingly praised since its release. ''Icons'', instead, got heavily criticized for aspects such as a roster mostly composed of expies of ''Smash'' fighters, matches being exclusively 1v1, and an abusive microtransaction system. Because of that, the game struggled with a shrinking playerbase, and its servers were put down on November 2018, rendering it unplayable since then.||

|| ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' (1995) || ''VideoGame/SoulEdge'' (1995) || Early 3D weapons-based fighting games. || Both were released in 1995; ''Toshinden'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, ''Soul'' for arcades (and ported to Playstation the following year). Although not obvious at first, ''Toshinden'' actually takes place in the (then-) present, while ''Soul'' takes place in the 16th century. ''Toshinden'' also has a clear anime-based style while ''Soul'' went with more stylized realism (similar to its sibling series ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}''). || ''Soul Edge'', without a doubt. ''Battle Arena Toshinden'' gained a lot of acclaim and sales at first, thanks to novel features like sidestepping, lots of promotion by Sony and being one of the only fighting games for the Playstation at launch. It became the official pack-in game with the Playstation for a while, was ported to {{PC}}, UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and GameBoy and had three sequels, the first of which even got an arcade release. Despite all this, the game was quickly forgotten. There were many internal issues regarding its development, as Takara screwed itself over by having the series developed by an umbrella of smaller developers who were severely underpaid, and that they focused more on merchandise than the actual game. As newer, better and more refined fighting games came out, the series became DeaderThanDisco. Among nostalgic early Playstation owners, the series has gotten a bit of a CultClassic status though. ''Soul Edge'', on the other hand, was very successful both in arcades and on the Playstation, and thanks to the [[EvenBetterSequel awesome]] sequel ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur'', managed to keep the momentum going and has become one of the most popular and beloved fighting game series around. ||

|| ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' (2019) || ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasyVersus'' (2019) || 2D fighting games that return to a more classically grounded style with high damage, stricter movement and shorter combos compared to the "anime" fighting games that have dominated the genre since the late 2000s. || ||As of this writing, Granblue has not been released yet, so a winner cannot be determined. However, both games have allowed players to get an early hands on in the form of demo builds and betas, leading to positive impressions to both from players that have tried them. Despite this, ''Granblue'' seems to have mounted a very slight lead thanks to the gorgeous graphics from ''Creator/ArcSystemWorks'' and the now-beloved characters and universe of ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy.'' Additionally, ''Shodown'' and other games from ''Creator/SNKPlaymore'' tend to have more of a cult following compared to the mainstream success of ''Arc System Works'' titles.

|| ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' (2019) || ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasyVersus'' (2019) || 2D fighting games that return to a more classically grounded style with high damage, stricter movement and shorter combos compared to the "anime" fighting games that have dominated the genre since the late 2000s. || ||As of this writing, neither game has released yet, so a winner cannot be determined. However, both games have allowed players to get an early hands on in the form of demo builds and betas, leading to positive impressions to both from players that have tried them. Despite this, ''Granblue'' seems to have mounted a very slight lead thanks to the gorgeous graphics from ''Creator/ArcSystemWorks'' and the now-beloved characters and universe of ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy.'' Additionally, ''Shodown'' and other games from ''Creator/SNKPlaymore'' tend to have more of a cult following compared to the mainstream success of ''Arc System Works'' titles.

|| ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' (2017) || ''VideoGame/BlazblueCrossTagBattle'' (2018) || 2v2 tag-team tournament-competitive fighting games featuring ensemble casts of super-powered characters from multiple different properties || Coming onto the scene a month before EVO 2018 is due and with ''[=FighterZ=]'' is still hugely popular, ''BBTAG'' is the second Creator/ArcSystemWorks game to be competing with ''[=MvCI=]''. ''BBTAG'' is also a 2v2 crossover fighter featuring an ensemble cast from four popular anime franchises: ''Blazblue'', ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'', ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'' and the highly popular Creator/RoosterTeeth anime-styled web animation series ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}''[[note]](''RWBY's'' [[Creator/MontyOum sadly now late creator]] and ''Blazblue'''s creator Toshimichi Mori were big fans of each others' work and the two planned for an eventual crossover, and here the four heroines of ''RWBY'' make their fighting game debut)[[/note]]. || The announcement that ''BBTAG'' would be present at Evo 2018 and ''MvCI'' would not when the former hadn't even been released came as a massive shock to the [=FGC=]. Though early hype for ''BBTAG'' was damaged by a controversy surrounding [=DLC=] practices, reception to early release builds and demos has been highly positive with players praising the new ''RWBY'' characters, the netcode and online play, the combat system (which is said to be very easy to pick up for new players but offers a surprising degree of depth to veterans due to character interplay) and the voice acting[[note]]with the casts of ''Blazblue'', ''Persona 4'' and ''RWBY'' reprising their roles and a slew of recognized anime and video game voice actors lending their talents to the ''[=UNIEL=]'' cast who have never before had English voices[[/note]]. In the end though, while both series underperformed, the fact that ''Cross Tag Battle'' got better reception a having a bit more sales than ''Infinite'' makes it the clear winner, even if it was an AcclaimedFlop.||

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/JumpForce'' (2019) || Crossover fighting games in which characters from Nintendo's history (Smash Bros.) or multiple Magazine/ShonenJump franchises (Jump Force) come together to fight against each other. || ||''Smash Bros. Ultimate''. While Smash Bros.' roster welcomed back everyone included in the series, past and present, including long-awaited fighters like Ridley and King K. Rool, Jump Force's roster was divisive from the moment that the game was finalized. This included the divisive Created Character, which people have grown tired of now, as well as original characters, Kane and Galena, which are mainly seen as expies of [[VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse Mira and Towa]]. In terms of sales (at least in Japan), despite ''Ultimate'' being a Switch exclusive and ''Jump Force'' coming out on every console that isn't the Switch (namely [=PS4=], Xbox One and PC), the former managed to blow the competition out of the water by selling 1.2 million copies during its first week, while the latter could only muster barely a tenth of those figures.

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/JumpForce'' (2019) || Crossover fighting games in which characters from Nintendo's history (Smash Bros.) or multiple Magazine/ShonenJump franchises (Jump Force) come together to fight against each other. || ||Smash Bros. Ultimate. While Smash Bros.' roster welcomed back everyone included in the series, past and present, including long-awaited fighters like Ridley and King K. Rool, Jump Force's roster was divisive from the moment that the game was finalized. This included the divisive Created Character, which people have grown tired of now, as well as original characters, Kane and Galena, which are mainly seen as expies of [[VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse Mira and Towa]]. In terms of sales (at least in Japan), despite ''Ultimate'' being a Switch exclusive and ''Jump Force'' coming out on every console that isn't the Switch (namely [=PS4=], Xbox One and PC), the former managed to blow the competition out of the water by selling 1.2 million copies during its first week, while the latter could only muster barely a tenth of those figures.

|| ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' (2019) || ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasyVersus'' (2019) || 2D fighting games that return to a more classically grounded style with high damage, stricter movement and shorter combos compared to the "anime" fighting games that have dominated the genre since the late 2000s || ||As of this writing, neither game has released yet, so a winner cannot be determined. However, both games have allowed players to get an early hands on in the form of demo builds and betas, leading to positive impressions to both from players that have tried them. Despite this, ''Granblue'' seems to have mounted a very slight lead thanks to the gorgeous graphics from ''Creator/ArcSystemWorks'' and the now-beloved characters and universe of ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy.'' Additionally, ''Shodown'' and other games from ''Creator/SNKPlaymore'' tend to have more of a cult following compared to the mainstream success of ''Arc System Works'' titles.

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/JumpForce'' (2019) || Crossover fighting games in which characters from Nintendo's history (Smash Bros.) or multiple Magazine/ShonenJump franchises (Jump Force) come together to fight against each other. || ||Smash Bros. Ultimate. While Smash Bros.' roster welcomed back everyone included in the series, past and present, including long-awaited fighters like Ridley and King K. Rool, Jump Force's roster was divisive from the moment that the game was finalized. This included the divisive Created Character, which people have grown tired of now, as well as original characters, Kane and Galena, which are mainly seen as expies of [[VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse Mira and Towa]]. In terms of sales (at least in Japan), despite ''Ultimate'' being a Switch exclusive and ''Jump Force'' coming out on every console that isn't the Switch (namely [=PS4=], Xbox One and PC), the former managed to blow the competition out of the water by selling 1.2 million copies during its first week, while the latter could only muster barely a tenth of those figures.

|| ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive6'' (2019) || 3D fighting games from series that are ''very'' well-known for {{fanservice}}, coming off a SequelGap with both having their last mainline installment in 2012, and set to be the big comeback for both franchises. || Both games feature new graphics, new gameplay mechanics, and are the sixth numbered sequel of their respective series, but a major difference in terms of execution is how they go about their trademark fanservice -- Whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' is choosing to [[TamerAndChaster severely cut back on the sex appeal in hopes of being taken more seriously]], ''Soulcalibur VI'' has decided to [[HotterAndSexier fully embrace it as a core part of its identity]]. || ''Soulcalibur VI''. Upon release, ''Soulcalibur VI'' received positive reviews across the board and became widely celebrated by fans, and having practically no real controversy to deter it, whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' had considerably less favorable reviews and all the way up to launch was OvershadowedByControversy over many things including the tamer fanservice, the constant FlipFlopOfGod, the shady tactics used to drive sales (including a ''93 dollar season pass'' at launch), and missing core features, among others, [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks while changing very little in any positive way]]. ''Soulcalibur VI'' got an easy ticket to [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity EVO 2019]], whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' was completely passed up by EVO despite specifically aiming for it, effectively killing its tournament scene before it could begin, and sales were not good as it debuted at a mere ''#21'' on the UK charts alone, compared to ''SCVI'' reaching #5 and ''[=DOA6=]'''s direct predecessor selling over twice as much. Japan was slightly more favorable, as ''[=DOA6=]'' launched at #1 but only at just over 26,000 retail copies (considerably lower than past games), and only 2,000 more than what ''SCVI'' launched with, but the difference is very negligible overall as digital isn't counted in the equation. Ultimately, ''SCVI'' performed far better than ''[=DOA6=]'', selling over 400,000 units in the first week and over a million after a month. In comparison, ''[=DOA6=]'' merely ''shipped'' 350,000 units within nearly ''two months'' after the game's release.

|| ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive6'' (2019) || 3D fighting games from series that are ''very'' well-known for {{fanservice}}, coming off a SequelGap with both having their last mainline installment in 2012, and set to be the big comeback for both franchises. || Both games feature new graphics, new gameplay mechanics, and are the sixth numbered sequel of their respective series, but a major difference in terms of execution is how they go about their trademark fanservice -- Whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' is choosing to [[TamerAndChaster severely cut back on the sex appeal in hopes of being taken more seriously]], ''Soulcalibur VI'' has decided to [[HotterAndSexier fully embrace it as a core part of its identity]]. || ''Soulcalibur VI''. Upon release, ''Soulcalibur VI'' received positive reviews across the board and became widely celebrated by fans, and having practically no real controversy to deter it, whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' had considerably less favorable reviews and all the way up to launch was OvershadowedByControversy over many things including the tamer fanservice, the constant FlipFlopOfGod, the shady tactics used to drive sales (including a ''93 dollar season pass'' at launch), and missing core features, among others, [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks while changing very little in any positive way]]. ''Soulcalibur VI'' sold over a million units after a month with the launch being reported as successful, and got an easy ticket to [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity EVO 2019]], whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' was completely passed up by EVO despite specifically aiming for it, effectively killing its tournament scene before it could begin, and sales were not good as it debuted at a mere ''#21'' on the UK charts alone, compared to ''SCVI'' reaching #5 and ''[=DOA6=]'''s direct predecessor selling over twice as much. Japan was slightly more favorable, as ''[=DOA6=]'' launched at #1 but only at just over 26,000 retail copies (considerably lower than past games), and only 2,000 more than what ''SCVI'' launched with, but the difference is very negligible overall as digital isn't counted in the equation.

|| ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/JumpForce'' (2019) || Crossover fighting games in which characters from Nintendo's history (Smash Bros.) or multiple Magazine/ShonenJump franchises (Jump Force) come together to fight against each other. || ||Smash Bros. Ultimate. While Smash Bros.' roster welcomed back everyone included in the series, past and present, including long-awaited fighter, Ridley, Jump Force's roster was divisive from the moment that the game was finalized. This included the divisive Created Character, which people have grown tired of now, as well as original characters, Kane and Galena, which are mainly seen as expies of [[VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse Mira and Towa]].

|| ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive6'' (2019) || 3D fighting games from series that are ''very'' well-known for {{fanservice}}, coming off a SequelGap with both having their last mainline installment in 2012, and set to be the big comeback for both franchises. || Both games feature new graphics, new gameplay mechanics, and are the sixth numbered sequel of their respective series, but a major difference in terms of execution is how they go about their trademark fanservice -- Whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' is choosing to [[TamerAndChaster severely cut back on the sex appeal in hopes of being taken more seriously]], ''Soulcalibur VI'' has decided to [[HotterAndSexier fully embrace it as a core part of its identity]]. || ''Soulcalibur VI''. Upon release, ''Soulcalibur VI'' received positive reviews across the board and became widely celebrated by fans, and having practically no real controversy to deter it, whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' had considerably less favorable reviews and all the way up to launch was OvershadowedByControversy over many things including the tamer fanservice, the constant FlipFlopOfGod, the shady tactics used to drive sales (including a ''93 dollar season pass'' at launch), and missing core features, among others, [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks while changing very little in any positive way]]. ''Soulcalibur VI'' sold over a million units after a month with the launch being reported as successful, and got an easy ticket to [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity EVO 2019]], whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' was completely passed up by EVO despite specifically aiming for it, effectively killing its tournament scene before it could begin, and sales were not good as it debuted at a mere ''#21'' on the UK charts alone, compared to ''SCVI'' reaching #5 and ''[=DOA6=]'''s direct predecessor selling over twice as much.

|| ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive6'' (2019) || 3D fighting games from series that are ''very'' well-known for {{fanservice}}, coming off a SequelGap with both having their last mainline installment in 2012, and set to be the big comeback for both franchises. || Both games feature new graphics, new gameplay mechanics, and are the sixth numbered sequel of their respective series, but a major difference in terms of execution is how they go about their trademark fanservice -- Whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' is choosing to [[TamerAndChaster severely cut back on the sex appeal in hopes of being taken more seriously]], ''Soulcalibur VI'' has decided to [[HotterAndSexier fully embrace it as a core part of its identity]]. || ''Soulcalibur VI''. Upon release, ''Soulcalibur VI'' received positive reviews across the board and became widely celebrated by fans, and having practically no real controversy to deter it, whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' had less favorable reviews and all the way up to launch was OvershadowedByControversy over many things including the tamer fanservice, the constant FlipFlopOfGod, the shady tactics used to drive sales (including a ''93 dollar season pass''), and missing core features, among others. ''Soulcalibur VI'' sold over a million units after a month with the launch being reported as successful, and got an easy ticket to [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity EVO 2019]], whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' was completely passed up by EVO despite specifically aiming for it, effectively killing its tournament scene before it could begin, and sales were not good as it debuted at a mere ''#21'' on the UK charts alone, compared to ''SCVI'' reaching #5 and ''[=DOA6=]'''s direct predecessor selling over twice as much.

|| ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive6'' (2019) || 3D fighting games from series that are ''very'' well-known for {{fanservice}}, coming off a SequelGap with both having their last mainline installment in 2012, and set to be the big comeback for both franchises. || Both games feature new graphics, new gameplay mechanics, and are the sixth numbered sequel of their respective series, but a major difference in terms of execution is how they go about their trademark fanservice -- Whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' is choosing to [[TamerAndChaster severely cut back on the sex appeal in hopes of being taken more seriously]], ''Soulcalibur VI'' has decided to [[HotterAndSexier fully embrace it as a core part of its identity]]. || ''Soulcalibur VI''. Upon release, ''Soulcalibur VI'' received positive reviews across the board and became widely celebrated by fans, and having practically no real controversy to deter it, whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' had less favorable reviews and all the way up to launch was OvershadowedByControversy over many things including the tamer fanservice, the constant FlipFlopOfGod, the shady tactics used to drive sales (including a ''93 dollar season pass''), and missing core features, among others. ''Soulcalibur VI'' sold over a million units after a month with the launch being reported as successful, and got an easy ticket to [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity EVO 2019]], whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' was completely passed up by EVO despite specifically aiming for it, effectively killing its tournament scene before it could begin.

|| ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI'' (2018) || ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive6'' (2019) || 3D fighting games from series that are ''very'' well-known for {{fanservice}}, coming off a SequelGap with both having their last mainline installment in 2012, and set to be the big comeback for both franchises. || Both games feature new graphics, new gameplay mechanics, and are the sixth numbered sequel of their respective series, but a major difference in terms of execution is how they go about their trademark fanservice -- Whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' is choosing to [[TamerAndChaster severely cut back on the sex appeal in hopes of being taken more seriously]], ''Soulcalibur VI'' has decided to [[HotterAndSexier fully embrace it as a core part of its identity]]. || To be decided, though ''Soulcalibur VI'' has attracted more good will and has been received positively as a return to form, whereas ''Dead or Alive 6'' has often been OvershadowedByControversy for its polarizing creative decisions (like the aforementioned toning down of fanservice).