Who Are The Best Fighting Game Monsters - Thorgiween

We've talked about Darkstalkers each Halloween for the past two years. Well this year I'm asking, did Darkstalkers really have the best fighting game monsters?
Title Card art by - / red_snk
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0:00 - Intro and Rules
2:24 - Vampires
13:38 - Werewolves
22:00 - Zombies
32:58 - Witches
43:44 - Ghosts
55:15 - Conclusion

[@0LycanFX]

I like how Thorgi and SugarPunch released videos about Monsters in fighting games within a hour of each other. Thorgi with a best of list and Sugar with a fighting style video.

[@Iqzzy-KO]

Lol & the funniest thing is I'm subbed to both of them 😂😂😂

[@dragonbornexpress5650]

Bonus points for Hisako's theme: 1: The child choir near the end of the song are actually mimicking the original Killer Instinct main theme in deranged sounding voices, which is entirely fitting for obvious reasons. 2: When translated, the Japanese lyrics in the song somehow take on two feelings at the same time: Disturbing to the max AND strangely comforting. Tying into Hisako's lore, the lyrics essentially worship Hisako and make references to her backstory throughout the song, but the lyrics also make it clear that Hisako isn't just some rage filled nightmare fuel demon spirit: She's pissed at Ultratech for disturbing her village, but she doesn't really consider anyone else to be her enemy, and is even framed in the lore as a much more rational onryo that is even willing to help those who intend to fight Ultratech. In fact, in the lore, it was Hisako who taught Kim Wu to use her dragon powers to fight Ultratech, so Hisako is actually a fairly good natured spirit despite her being an onryo. 3: Referring back to the lyrics, notice that a lot of words get repeated twice in a row. This might not seem significant, but if you do a little research, you learn that people in Japan sometimes repeat the same word twice; This is believed to be a way to prove themselves of not being yokai as, in Japanese mythology, yokai are typically incapable of repeating the same word twice. By sometimes repeating the same word twice throughout the lyrics, Hisako's theme can almost be taken as a peace gesture, which also fits in with her character in Killer Instinct 2013: You don't piss her off, and she has no reason to be hostile to you; She'll even help you out if you give her the opportunity. If you DO piss her off, though, no amount of running and hiding will save you from her wrath. "If you want peace, prepare for war." She comes in peace to anyone that doesn't piss her off, but if you reject her peace, well, you basically resign yourself to death. Sidenote: Hisako being called the Eternal Child in the lore isn't lighthearted in any way; She wasn't even 20 years old yet when she was killed, soooooo.......OOF!

[@HeartAino193]

Arigato gozaimasu!👹👺👻🌸🍱🍘🍙🍚🥢🏯⛩️🇯🇵

[@sonic30655]

Shin Hisako theme is also a great theme too

[@jctwitedragon]

Would of been nice to have Scorpion or Noob on the ghost Scorpion is a Spector and Noob is a Rath which are types of ghosts, hack you could of had Shang Tsung or Quan Chi for the witch part since their mostly classified as sorcerers hack they both been called warlocks which are male witches

[@dragonbornexpress5650]

@@HeartAino193. I don't understand the second thing you said, but I DO know that the first one means "Thank you" or "Thanks". You're welcome.

[@dragonbornexpress5650]

@@sonic30655. Never really listened to that, although I do like how Shin Hisako is basically just Hisako if she were a Kami instead of an onryo.

[@soulsparx]

i cant believe you missed the fact that when squigly charges certain moves she bounces like a jiangshi (chinese zombie/vampire). maybe its not our western idea of a zombie but its still important and should count

[@dnmstarsi]

Still wouldn't change the rankings.

[@MagillanicaLouM]

In shocked he left out Hsien Ko as well. I guess it was between her and Raptor, and Raptor is a more obvious Western take of a zombie. But honestly i would've cracked the "one per series" rule just for Hsien Ko over the skeleton guy. Or zombie liu kang lol.

[@soulsparx]

@@dnmstarsi its still worth mentioning, if for no other reason than that its a cool detail

[@dnmstarsi]

@@soulsparx Not really but whatever. :)

[@joelimitsuandyoshi]

Squigly is my precious zombie girl and one of my personal favorite fighting game characters ever

[@thetruej7872]

Darkstalkers and Killer Instinct needs to come back

[@MetaSynForYourSoul]

12:33 I never noticed before Raptor has a gun pointing it at Demetri during his Midnight Bliss animation! 😂 That is so great!

[@JohnnyGuiltyMan]

The funny thing is that Rachel is technically the most accurate vampire gameplay vice. That's because the modern depiction of a bloodsucking bat transforming pale monster isn't the original, they were originally dark wizards (or witches) who got their powers through unholy means and were weakened but not killed by sunlight

[@willdiesel8431]

Interesting but I think that fits into the category of lore...not necessarily gameplay. I don't ever recall her transforming at all.

[@bettyf4514]

Something fun about I-no visually that you didn't point out is how her hoverdash has her positioning her guitar to be visually reminiscent of a witch flying on a broom. While much of her animations and visuals aren't quite witch-y I Do really like that detail

[@fearanger1]

I wasn't totally sold on Valkenhayn being a top werewolf since I thought at first he just shifted between human and actual wolf (I say that being aware that werewolves have roots in stories of people just becoming wolves), but him being able to shift individual limbs at a time for specific attacks ON TOP of his Astral Finish including a full-on werewolf form was SUCH a massive sell for me, good god he's so cool!

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Yeah he really is.

[@mjmelo9203]

The thing about how "Vampires are a more violent and unrecognizable version of one's former self" really makes me think of Donovan. It's so sad, Donovan's relationship with Anita was super sweet, but we all know what happened in the end 😞

[@donovanloreman]

Shhh, stop telling my story.

[@Hc2p3n4t4rp]

Donovan is a Damphir

[@MultiBoxingKid]

I forgot he’s a vampire.

[@Juju2927]

​@@MultiBoxingKid Dhampyr* he's 'only' half vampire, and that half is more and more convincing him of eating people instead of hunting monsters.

[@InsrtCoins]

I'd categorize zombies and skeletons separately. Skeletons are unavoidably magical, since there has to be some kind of animating force keeping all of the bones together. Zombies lean heavily into the presumption that they still ambulate on the remaining strength of their rotting muscles and tendons, which is why they famously stagger around and such. Skeletons are typically able to snap themselves back together if the bones get separated because there is no singular locus of life -- they're animated externally. I also usually picture zombies as being more primal and hungry -- motivated by only the animal portions of the brain -- and skeletons are more mischievous and intentional. Plus, they can play their ribs like a xylophone without exception.

[@RarutoUchiha2]

23:01 Lord Raptor's real backstory is even more metal than that. He committed the mass murder of a hundred of his fans and his own suicide in a live concert by performing a song called "Sacrifice", the lyrics based on a book he found that detailed a way to give sacrifices to the King of the Makai. And he did this to receive power from Ozom, then due to its brutally cruel nature, Lord Raptor's soul was baptized by the dark and reborn in the form of a zombie.

[@jamessicard1705]

I feel like an honorable mention for one of the most unique fighting game monsters is A.B.A from Guilty Gear. She's a homunculus that was created by a scientist called Frasco and was locked in his lab for several years until one day she decided to venture out to the outside world, taking notes of what she learns (her notebook resembling the necronomicon btw) and finding a giant key shaped demon key called Flament Nagel, only for her to call him Paracelsus and claim he's her husband

[@its_ooms]

Certainly I wanna see more of this, not to mention there's so many classic monsters to pick and choose. I know for sure there is a fair bit of mummies in fighting games worth mentioning.

[@inky2412]

Your original Darkstalkers retrospective is what got me so into the series, and after playing it in Capcom Fighting Collection it's now one of my favorite fighting games! This video was really fun, I'd love to see more like it!

[@tweety2247]

Darkstalkers and Bloody Roar are Best game

[@setdamn]

I never play Killer Instinct, but after watching how Mick Gordon create its musics and hear Hisako's theme.. i love Hisako so much as a character.

[@TheDreadyGamer]

Damn would love to see this become a reoccurring series with new monsters each time. I’ll even throw in some suggestions for entries. Frankensteins Victor (Darkstalkers) Ms.Fortune (Skullgirls) Astaroth (Soul Calibur) Adam (Omen of Sorrow) Mummies Anakaris (Darkstalkers) Master Mummy (Arms) Kan Ra (Killer Instinct) Eliza (Skullgirls)

[@raeldrews1187]

aliens demons and robots

[@UncleHamsBasedOpinions]

Wouldn’t Ermac be a better mummy than Master Mummy

[@raeldrews1187]

@@UncleHamsBasedOpinions ermac only had the mummy ascetic in mkx and with his cameo on mk 11 i don't think they will keep it.

[@UncleHamsBasedOpinions]

@@raeldrews1187 yeah, but he wasn’t included in Ghosts, where he honestly should have been, and I wanted to see him somewhere

[@raeldrews1187]

@@UncleHamsBasedOpinions yeah ghosts is fair maybe something like an amalgamation trope

[@dogfrogbird8710]

I would give squigly's gameplay bonus points because her game plan is exactly like a zombies. She is one of the slower characters, but she has a move that centers the stage on her and traps the opponent close to her. This is just like in zombie movies where they aren't a threat until it corners you in a building and there is no escape, and that feeling of being this inescapable slow moving threat really fits the zombie character.

[@derekfcc]

As for animating Demitri, it’s actually pretty simple. His coloring is based off of two base palettes for each color choice. All of the colors are the same except for the color responsible for his aura. Palette A will include the aura color for one frame, palette B has the other aura color. When animating, the game simply alternates between palette A & B which gives you the flash back and forth between the red and yellow auras. Source: PalMod. Pretty fun software and Discord community

[@nerdinahoodie7972]

This video series is such a neat idea and I'd definitely be down for more of these. Also glad to see Jon making his way to the top of the list in his category

[@Iqzzy-KO]

I wanna see a vid of him ranking Bruce Lee homages just like @The4thSnake did!

[@MrFreeze12346]

Was really hoping for Frankensteins and mummies. Hopefully next year

[@derrickhaggard]

One of my most favorite Fighting Lycanthropes is Yugo from the Bloody Roar games.

[@garuelx8627]

It's hard to top Talbain when it comes to werewolf fighters, but Valkenheim does have his merits. That being said, I really wish if Capcom ever gets serious in reviving Darkstalkers, they let ArcSys work with them.

[@paz1830]

Another fighting series with monsters for add are the Touhou fighting games spinoffs. There we have Remillia Scarlet (vampire, who use her wings, red magic and adorable charisma) her sister Flandre (a destructive overpowerful vampire with other set of attacks) Marisa Kirisame (the witch, the more classic ever, spells with lots of flashing stars, her broom and MASTER SPARK) Youmu Konpaku (half ghost half human/phantom, with her ghost half at her side, and who can use it for double self attacks, including the fact who she use double japanese swords) and Yuyuko (Youmu master and princess of ghosts, powered with luminous butterflies who will send you to death) And in the witchy class we have a bunch who are less classic than Marisa but fit anyways, like Alice, Patchouli, Byakuren (is a nun and a magician) and even Sumireko, who have psychic powers, but her apparence in the games is more like a magic performer.

[@smallsoul2374]

This is honestly a really fun concept! I'd love to see another video like this sometime, either for more monsters or maybe just other types of fighters in general.

[@rainer9931]

"Where is a witch without her cat?" Nine: 😏😏

[@samantha2978]

Hsien Ko could have fit the vampire or Zombie roll due to her being a jiangshi, so it's a shame she didn't make the list.. But great video! I'm really happy Tessa got some love here too. XD

[@jonathanboyd7327]

Insane amount of work here. GG LOVE TO SEE A SERIES OF THIS!

[@MaxP345]

I think seeing who's the best protagonist, the best rivals, ect would be interesting to watch. (Hope to see some blazblue mentions involved since it does some appreciation)

[@michealvalois4463]

So my brain just connected that in BlazBlue, there is a Hellsing serving the Alucard family. Meanwhile in the anime Hellsing, Alucard serves the Hellsing Family. Oh thats cheeky. Thats very, very cheeky.

[@Medleypon]

I'd love to see this become a new show! As soon as I saw the "Witches" category, I knew Nine would before you even said her name.

[@ethanhinton4549]

Missed out on Eliza from Skullgirls. Both a Mummy AND a Vampire! Halloween two for one combo meal!

[@ethanhinton4549]

Also unrelated but Valkenhayn DOES have a more traditional humanoid werewolf form, but it's only seen in his Astral Finish/Instant Kill.

[@LupineShadowOmega]

@@ethanhinton4549 He shows it in video.

[@jtdiep8774]

Too bad Thorgi's Castlevania Build a Roster isn't eligible here. Would've loved to see how Dracula would rank.

[@MaveriKat]

Happy Halloween Thorgi! And yeah, I am COMPLETELY on board for this style of episode as a new series. Hope we see you tackle the biggest, baddest bosses next!

[@mattp6326]

Just wanted to say I love this format, please do more! Also I love Zappa...but that Hisako theme does slap.

[@jorywasylnuk1437]

I would totally down to see this spring off into it's own series. I love hearing you talk about fighting games with all your passion and I have learned so much from you over the years.

[@DolFunTheDolhpinVtuber]

Jubei is a lucky guy. Having Nine as his wife.

[@DiegoPradoGM]

Also worth noting that Leviathan pokes through Squiggly's brain because she was shot in the head, he goes out through the bullet hole

[@Lozzu]

More videos like this please! Great stuff

[@millythompsonfromtrigun98anime]

I would love to see more fighting game character rankings like this!

[@thehatman7051]

this whole video is a fantastic concept and a great way to just gush about fighting game characters, I'd love seeing the same concept but with a different theme in other videos! Also, I personally would put Zappa before Hisako, but that might just be my guilty gear bias

[@notimeforcreativenamesjust3034]

Nah, Zappa is like THE possessed character, you can get as good as that.

[@Nevermind0309]

This was a great show! Would love to see more like it!

[@colebrock7036]

I really love this format for the video I love how you structured everything down at the categories went over the characters lore I would love to see more videos like this

[@ariwerd]

I really enjoyed this format and would love to see you do it again, either with more monsters or any of the other categories you mentioned. It's a fun, different way to talk about characters and tropes that gets me thinking about them in a way I wouldn't have. Nicely done.

[@maxcar7298]

That's a cool concept for a series, I dig it for sure

[@masaruten5213]

'...if you inflated Dracula with an Air Pump and gave him Vegeta Hair.' Why does something tell me this is one of Abridged Alucard's fetishes?

[@djdjinn6340]

I'm on board for more of these~! You have singlehandedly convinced me to give Killer Instinct a chance after 20 years of pointedly trying to ignore it.

[@Errormacro540]

Worth noting Nine married a cat so she also checks the cat box for witches.

[@MIrfanPerdana]

I didn't even think about that! 🤯 And they have a kid too (who is half-cat), so she sort of double-checks that box!

[@danlong1288]

Love the format idea! Keep it up, I’ll watch them all! You rule my bro!

[@toystolife1678]

16:02 Gee, maybe that’s why they were put in a Death Battle against each other.

[@DerrickBarrows]

This was great! I would love to see more of this style series. I agreed with just about all of your points and opinions on your rating system!! Keep going. Also a game that doesn't get enough love that would be great to mention at some point is Chaos Code! Should have a sequel out soon

[@colocho545]

Two thorgi vids back to back? Life’s good!

[@mallow2902]

Honorable mentions for fighting game vampires: Arcueid and Roa from Melty Blood. Yeah their designs definitely scream "anime vampire" more than classic vampire, but Melty Blood being based on a visual novel about vampires and a group of people able to kill them means I think they deserve a mention.

[@brianpguil]

Happy Halloween Thorgi's Arcade! 🎃

[@3serio]

This is a great idea for a series. Please continue.

[@shonenbois]

This was a really cool video I wouldn’t mind seeing videos like this in the future :)

[@erkko8027]

Character rankings like these are my favorite content where i get To see and hear about characters as i love character Art and desing Pls do more

[@captainstrange0277]

I loved this video and would love others done in this style

[@ceeclod]

Definitely want this to become a series please!!!!

[@Wiziliz]

Really awesome video idea, keep this show up

[@nathanlyon7432]

I hope we get more type of videos like theses

[@MrEmerald77]

I dig the list competition idea man, definitely add it to the content roster

[@simmersman9736]

Great video idea honestly, i love this nerdy shit, more please thorgi.

[@JadenOmega]

I would love to see this again for other categories in fighting games.

[@VernulaUtUmbra]

The moment you said "What about their Theme" with Hisako in the mix, I knew that was in the bag

[@Nbjk01]

very nice watch loved this

[@DaPhenomAce]

Yeah would love to see this as a series!

[@prolazoi774]

thanks for the video thorgi! super creative idea for a vid pls make more

[@AgentownshipRebelion]

Great video Throgi! I don't even like Vampires but I love Mira and Rachel. The results of the witch bout was great. "Consorts of the devil" indeed!

[@araroakgrove]

Love and appreciate all the hard work and research you put in these videos. Please make more and make it series! Like this video, can you also talk about the many different fighting styles (ex: boxing, wrestling, ninjitsu, JKD (Bruce Lee inspired fighting-style)) and tell us who stands out to you in fighting games. Would love to hear your opinion!

[@ianod]

Yes do more! this would be a cool series

[@MIrfanPerdana]

Man, this was the most pleasant surprise! Not only did we get two Thorgi videos back-to-back, but this one was an absolute blast to watch! I'd definitely want to see more of this, and if we're sticking to the 'monster' theme in fighting games, then here's one idea: demons and devils. Obviously you gotta have a Tekken rep in there, but you can also throw in Jedah from Darkstalkers and plenty of Skullgirls to choose from. To complement that, you could also do god characters? Not necessarily those who have insane godlike power, but rather characters who are explicitly gods or deities, such as Raiden from Mortal Kombat or Orochi from King of Fighters. I would be so down for these! Finally, and though this doesn't necessarily fit the supernatural monster trope but still extremely fitting for monstrousness: fighting game psychos. Juri Han, Bryan Fury, Ryuji Yamazaki, there's tons to pick from. Who's the biggest, baddest, bloodthirstiest, batshittiest of them all?! *You* decide!

[@ethanhinton4549]

God's? How about- WHEN YOU DIE WHERE'S YOUR GOD?!

[@CoralCopperHead]

"Morrigan, Dmitri, Felicia and Jon Talbain-" ...Someone's been spending too much time on R34 and '621.

[@Zostead]

My goodness sir you are a beast! 2 huge uploads back to back? And both are quality af!? How do you do it?

[@Impbrush]

There is one bit of movement with squiggly you forgot. When she is charging a particular move she can hop around, which is a nice reference to the “hopping vampire” which is a type of undead. Sorry if this was already brought up. Great video regardless keep up the bangers man.

[@bosskaiju4834]

I really want a second episode, they are still several kinds of monsters who were left out (mumies, Frankenstein creatures, fish-person...)

[@bossbradley]

Another great video!!!

[@dianauwu1312]

I feel like Eliza from Skullgirls and Nagoriyuki should've at least gotten a mention in the vampire section. Both of them have blood drinking mechanics, and both of them have fascinating takes on it.

[@GamerTowerDX]

Im totally down for more of these, if this becomes a series:Rivals HAS to be next, it would be such a good start.

[@sonic30655]

sweet two videos in a row

[@Iqzzy-KO]

I'd love to see more vids like this, next, I wanna see a vid of you ranking Bruce Lee homages!

[@Yxazel]

I like this show, happy halloween

[@SageofLight777]

Holy damn, seeing those Red Earth clips, I'm astonished at the quality of the game's sprite work.

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Yeah was the first game developed on the CP3 engine. The one that gave us Street Fighter 3's visuals

[@SageofLight777]

@@MagillanicaLouM I think I remember The Quarter Guy mentioned that in his video on the game some months back. That aside, the devs were absolute wizards when it came to that hardware. Game looks like it could have come out today, it's that pristine.

[@miongskie]

On board with this idea! lots of possibilities!

[@joelramos1366]

Heck yea, dude! More content is always welcome, and I'd be happy to hear more of your thoughts in the form of "Best of".

[@philipearakaki]

Another cool things about the witches score is that you can abstract the four multiples of 3, and 3 is a Very important number in witchcraft. THREE witches with the SIX and NINE with the TWELVE score, which is THREE multiplied by four, the total number of witches

[@tokydemonkey508]

I feel this is a great add on to the channel

[@RET_7]

Please do a Best shoto vídeo, and if one of the categories is who's the best basic tutorial character, that would ve perfect, i love your content thorgi, and I really hope that you keep growing, the FGC needs more channels like your's, to show the cassual audience that fighting games are cool, even if you'r not an EVO champion at it.

[@jcplays5831]

Spinal gets so many extra points from me just for that damn laugh. He gives off so much old Scooby Doo monster energy

[@TheTurboDusty]

Id like to see this as a regular show. Things like best martial artist, robot, animal, ninja, pirate, etc. I say go with it my friend!

[@TheOldest]

I love how with so many list for fighting games involve Killer Instinct showing up and reminding everyone it's still top tier.

[@EccentricThistle]

Such a good video. Maybe another one but with different elements like Fire, water etc. might be dumb but just a suggestion.

[@wildman456]

Yes more “Who Are The Best Fighting Game…” videos this was fuckin great

[@goldenspiral6008]

This was such an entertaining concept and a great topic to talk about. And your chaices were good too, though I think Rachel deserved the n.1 spot for the presentatiin cathegory, among other minor disagreements. The only mild criticism I have of this video is the clear omission of some important monsters, but that can be solved with a part 2. Because it definitely would be fun to cover this topic again with demons (Morrigan, Double, Kazuya, ect), arthropod people (QBee, Arakune, Anansi, ect), monster hunters/investigators (B. B. Hood, Goldlewis, ect), mummies (Eliza, Anakaris, ect) and aliens (Glacius, Pyron, ect).

[@HeartAino193]

Please don't forget grim reapers (Testament, Gordeau, Ragna, etc.)

[@goldenspiral6008]

@@HeartAino193 Cool idea, but that would fit better in a "mythology represented in fighting games" video.

[@StriderRyu]

I think this would be great as a regular series.

[@GuardianNewtonTurner]

Keep this show going!

[@IhatethisCPU]

Would absolutely be down for more of these! ...Not sure where to go specifically? Archetypes seems obvious, but I... do not know how one'd rank things like 'best zoner', 'best grappler' and such. ...And best protagonist/antagonist/rival also has it's own set of 'how do I do this'? ...Maybe something along the lines of 'best way a guest character translates to a different series?"

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

Best luchadore might be interesting, since you're not only ranking moves, but the showmanship, and how good the mask looks.

[@imwhatthekidscallcringy3858]

Happy Halloween everyone!

[@marrubium8559]

My man really made the zombies list without A.B.A. Crying and shaking RN.

[@IdeaBox-dk5vj]

I actually do want to see this become a regular series. However, I have a new idea of my own... What if we take Peacock from Skullgirls, and use her classic cartoon-based motif to create new characters for other fighting games? Heck, we can even use Darkstalkers to provide the easiest example of what would happen, given what it was truly inspired by. Seriously, a Capcom game based on horror movie monsters, and its aesthetic is inspired by the stuff kids used to watch on Saturday Mornings in the 60s and 70s.

[@shutup611]

I'm in for more of this!