Who are the strongest characters right now in The King of Fighters XV?

[@rooflemonger]

Ok so just to stress again THIS IS NOT A TIER LIST! Just some thoughts on characters I think are stronger than average right now. There is a lot of legacy in kof xv, but also due to the extreme system shift from 14 and big balance changes you also can't rely on everything you knew from the older game. Some people who were so-so at best in 14 are looking to be some of the strongest characters in 15! Lemme know what you think and leave a like if you found the video interesting

[@kenlee4356]

Ps2/Xbox game's aren't on fightcade

[@ryanbourgo4660]

I’m new to KOF and Fighting games, and your videos have been so helpful. You’re cheerful, you’ve got low-key jokes, and you’re clearly super knowledgeable. Just wanted to say: you’re very much appreciated, I wish you all the success!

[@rooflemonger]

Thank you, its appreciated!

[@thesubstitute7755]

"I don't see a lot of people talking about Joe" That's why he's the 3rd member of the Fatal Fury team, Roof

[@rigelseybert9406]

I’ve been trying to play Joe a lot but I keep bouncing off him, mainly because he has half circles for moves that really don’t feel like they need to be half circles

[@SaveTheContent]

I’m just blown that Ralf’s Gatling move is a quarter circle motion. In KoF14 I was happy it was a half circle motion but in 15 Ralf is now a true unga with quarter motions 🤜

[@rooflemonger]

Yeah I am very happy they made a lot of motions easier across the board.

[@dragons_hook]

He'd be perfect in my opinion if he still had his Super Argentine Backbreaker. He's so awesome!

[@ajscrewu]

@@dragons_hook bro if he still had the back breaker he’d be number 1

[@netovieira3055]

For thousands of years I laid dormant, waiting for top tier ralf, the promissed time has come! rejoice ralf mains

[@matheusvasiliauskassoares4361]

A world where Ralf, Terry and Robert are top tiers is a world worth fighting for

[@windstheory]

Robert was top tier in 14 til they nerfed the crap out of him 🤣

[@ChannelFredo]

It's Ralf(Strong kick), Terry(specials damage), and Robert(low weak kicks). Usually one of these are in the teams I have played against in ranked.

[@bhlakbatosai]

Ralf being a beast is this game, people should count their blessings he doesn't have his backbreaker command grab he shares with Clark & his bully tackle charge from KOF99.

[@A-1-Sawce]

Cripes, these combos just FEEL faster than SFV. KoF has always had some of those rapid fire moves and combos but they just feel so damn good here. Loving it.

[@rooflemonger]

well mostly cause it is. KoF 14 and 15 are basically the slowest KoF games ever, but they still faster than any SF.

[@N00BSYBORG]

So far none of the top tiers in KOFXV look so overwhelmingly good that they need to be hit that hard. All they need is a slight numbers nerf in some areas, maybe adjust a few hitboxes and they're pretty much fine. It's honestly kind of shocking how good XV feels right out of the gate regarding balance and system mechanics.

[@niko326]

i felt this way too when I started playing. A couple people a little overtuned but overall they still felt like they're within striking distance (ha ha) of feeling really balanced across the whole roster of 39, which is crazy

[@silvergunner101]

Also every character feels solid enough to go toe to toe with anyone and that's saying something with the roster being as massive as it is at launch 👌

[@hendywijaya3213]

@@niko326 wait until snk drops new roster.. it would tick the balance

[@the_bookworm8281]

It is pretty interesting to see characters that are seen to be on the weaker side in XIV (i.e. Terry, Ralf, Vanessa) be seen as among the strongest in XV. Vanessa was particularly seen as a struggle character in XIV due to her stubby normals, but that doesn't seem to be much of an issue in XV. Shun'ei and Blue Mary, who was definitely way too overtuned in XIV (pretty much every top player in XIV considers them both top 4 in that game), seems to be at a much more balanced state in XV. On the other hand, I am seeing quite a bit of early XV lists put Whip as one of the weakest characters, so I guess some things doesn't change.

[@fissilewhistle]

Ah yes, Terrance Beauregard, winner of the Monarch of Warriors tournament.

[@bigredradish]

"what's 100 times 0" the numbers don't lie and they spell disaster for whip at sacrifice

[@DangerLevel10]

I’ve only played one KoF before this, and the struggle is real! When I added King to my team, I got wins. Don’t care where she is on tier list. For a garbage player like me, she’s my best friend.

[@rooflemonger]

I think King is pretty dang decent this time around. Don't gotta worry about her being bad.

[@Aerynnh]

Shes honestly excellent in XV. And shes mad easy.

[@rooflemonger]

Last day of Feb, looks like March is gonna be busy! First KoF DLC is dropping, the last season 1 GG Strive dlc might drop at that point, we got evo announcements, and more!? As always look forward to coverage on everything on the channel!

[@GabeBarcelona]

I'm liking the combo videos, they give ideas of how strong characters are and help out as a follow up to choosing a main. I've always wanted to get into a KOF title and this seems to be the one! Perfect timing with my other fighters being cold.(marvel/netherealm)

[@benilinshingoseth2086]

"Terrance Beauregard"... You've got me with this one !!! XD

[@lewdman2657]

Something else about Ralf’s crouch C being a weirdly effective anti air is that weirdly it’s hitbox seems to extend deceptively far back to the point it at least reaches his back as I have seen that thing hit opponents cross-ups.

[@augustomcdougall9663]

I'd say the strongest ones right now are Ralf, Terry, Vanessa, Dolores, Elizabeth, King and Joe (there are some other characters that I think are pretty strong as well, like Kukri, Mai and Robert, but I think those 7 are by far the top characters from this game for now)

[@captainmega6310]

Elizabeth? Why do you think

[@cpt.hebikurashota7545]

Very interesting stuff here, it seems very fitting that a lot of those characters that were deemed so-so in XIV have risen about the pack. Could it be true that XV is the improved version of XIV (like 95, 98, 02, and XIII)? I am glad to hear that most ppl feel that XV is very balanced in comparison and that only Whippy suffers but that may change since SNK is already talking balance patch and fixes so early on. Can't wait to see how Team Garou will play. Keep up the great work sir

[@YouGuessIGuess]

Ralf's insane damage fits his character. We can't nerf him for story reasons. ;)

[@aroncarbajal4922]

That thumbnail is godlike man

[@rooflemonger]

thank you, it came to me in a dream

[@javert8425]

For some odd reason I don’t feel easily overwhelmed against Joe. King, however… damn she feels like a combination of ST O.Sagat and SF 4 Vanilla Sagat. Broken zoning and combo damage alike.

[@Ashamaxa]

i had my ass kicked by Clark players a lot. Man that armor grab ALWAYS caught me off guard. Other than that, pretty accurate. Seems like everyone has a pocket Vanessa or Ralf on their team.

[@jessemedina5436]

Thank you for the tech breakdown on terry I learned this from roberts machine gun kick it took me a week lmao

[@MagnumSanada]

Well, you kind of convinced me to play Joe on Mid and Terry as point. Ralph was a given as anchor. Lmao

[@HonorDojo]

"Let me show you this easy combo with Joe" Jaw drops, jeez man, if that's easy for you idk what's difficult. I'm a Joe main and I can't do that consistently haha

[@InVaZiVe]

Keep up the content bud, really enjoying it!!! Looking forward to the combo videos

[@Aerynnh]

Glad you mentioned Vanessa. I would also throw out a mention for Elizabeth and King. Just suuuper solid.

[@jimdino77]

Happy to hear the majority agree Whip is the lowest tier. Looking forward to learning the character and I’ll welcome all the healthy buffs 🤗

[@mugensama2864]

Ralph is a wall of man

[@alkalinemk1588]

"So many ppl call me Maxima" bro that made me LOL

[@paulchristian1963]

Andy had really cool hit confirm combos he is a lot of fun but I’m in luv with Terri and joe

[@TheCaptDude]

Thanks man! I picked Robert because he is like Ryu and he has always been one of my favorites in KOF. And My name is Robert. So. yeah. A little Bias here lol. But he is awesome. Great vid!

[@atumhotep833]

KOF got that balance.

[@scottnotpilgrim]

Almost every character is viable but gotta agree, Robert and Ralf are still tops

[@CrossfacePanda]

I hope they don’t nerf the range of Ralf & Clark’s normals. Having good normals with bigger hit boxes than you expect is a big part of making a character feel good. If they want to slightly nerf damage to compensate, then fine. Just don’t take away their good feel.

[@phdbot4483]

I've worried that one of these days, the meta would devolve into using like let's say only 5 different characters out of the 39, but thankfully many characters have felt good overall, and the power difference between certain potential top tiers isn't too high compared to those of a decent level or lower! ^^

[@TheLuna9526]

I don’t see a lot of people saying Shermie To me personally I see a lot of her in streams I watched and she seems to be really crazy if played right

[@androidps1440]

Even with his Galactica Phantom nerfed the s*** out of it he still a monster

[@brandonb404]

Ralf is a beast in this game.

[@DivineArtistry]

I actually main Ralf in 98, back in 98 (OG ver) his neutral jump light punch was really good, adding on his fast and strong crouching heavy punch and standing heavy punch. Then run forward with a command grab when enemies get too worried about poking/trading blows with you. I also often pressed ABC (max mode) in 98 just for Ralf to get insane damage off normals, it worked for me pretty well competitively then. But after 98 he’s been quiet and I’m glad he’s getting back on track in XV (though the damage can be tuned down a little so he doesn’t get overly popular haha)

[@bigshorty4855]

Aside from Whipp everyone is visible in this game. For me the top tiers right now seem to be pretty much like roof said, Terry, Ralph, Joe, Vanessa, Robert, Iori, Kyo. But everyone can literally contest them aside from Whipp lol. Honestly don't know why she's in the game. What's the consensus on K? Haven't experimented to much with him yet.

[@orlanzo2621]

Terry has been my favorite character for almost 30 years and i pick him in every single KOF......i feel no guilt, lol. But yea he does seem very strong, i'm glad he finally is tho, he SHOULD be. Robert's on my team as well, but just like Terry i picked him simply because he's always been one of my favorite characters as well.

[@trulytrue8008]

Roofle, you’re a goddamn treasure

[@JustSRK0]

Ralf, Terry, Robert, Mai, Dolores are the characters I see the most.

[@DevilJin01]

The balance is better than launch 14 but Terry and Vanessa are kind of dumb. They also need to do something about meter build after using EX moves in combos. Some characters basically dont need to use max mode anymore and too many characters build back the EX they spent in the same combo.

[@gillgillgillgillgill]

i am surviving against Ralfs and their far HPs strictly by having 2 characters with low-profile slide kicks and a zoner... genuinely waiting for some scrubquotes accusing me of spamming those moves

[@whizthesugoi]

Love the content Will you make a community post about the new species of monkey that was just discovered?

[@rooflemonger]

New species of monkey is new to me! haha, I haven't heard of it

[@ubergamer2010]

I don't think she's OP but Blue Mary is extremely solid in most matchups. She has tools that make her a good zoner against close-range characters, and vice versa. I have noticed that characters with more effective EX attacks seem to be rated higher on tier lists, which may be why characters like Terry and Vanessa are highly rated by many. Characters like Shermie and Whip are generally ranked lower.

[@emaculatej650]

Great vid... what are your thoughts on Leona? Haven't heard much or seen much. All I know she's super fun

[@rooflemonger]

She's solid, but other than heart attack coming back she's mostly the same as she was in 14 imo

[@emaculatej650]

@@rooflemonger gotcha. This is the 1st game i played her seriously and i like her. Mai too. Mai's a monster right now

[@RawDealCo]

I'm just glad that the KoF kids are nowhere and solid as the classic characters, but I'll admit that's my bias towards the Orochi saga

[@Setteri_]

Vanessa and Ralf are too fun, nerfed or not I'm still going to pick those two.

[@Meow-ej8gk]

From what I have seen from other's gameplays videos and from personal experience, some strong anchors are Ralf, Terry, Dolores and Antonov. They just do crazy among of damage off simple hit confirm. As long as it is not OCV they can get a comeback easily. Once it reaches anchor vs anchor it really become who can get the first hit in. For the rest it seems those with good c.lk and can easily hit confirm into combos from them are really good. Mary, Vanessa, Chris, Robert, Joe, Ralf, Terry and Dolores are really good. Doesn't help that meaty c.lk outside of their throw range seems to be a very good counter to wakeup throws. Either they tone down the damage of the good anchors a little, or just give a bluff to everyone else I feel.

[@soulsq2]

I enjoy Joe. I love him :)

[@juanulloamora8222]

big thighs guy yeah

[@IC2I]

I couldn't wait to try Whip but as a beginner she is way to precise for me I feel like I have to know where the opponents going to be at all times just to press a button

[@sladejosephwilson2300]

Genius thumbnail

[@blaz3ofglory]

This is my first real KOF. I like Whip and her unorthodox design compared to the rest of the roster. But seeing her bottom tier in these lists kind of discouraged me a bit. Should I not bother learning her? Do you reckon SNK will tune her down the road?

[@atsharaquest5797]

She's not as bad as people say. She can actually chain 2 Level 2 supers then do a Climax if you are in Max Mode. It's more about learning her cross ups and pressure game. She seems slower here but more juggle based compared to Whip 2002 where she can really pressure even the best fighters.

[@dado380]

Just can't wait for Yamazaki!!!

[@kichoamn]

Me: man that Whip character i really like Roofle:"she seems to be about the worse character in the game" Me: oh

[@papaG6423]

Unrelated, but I am SO PUMPED for Team Garou DLC! Gato especially looks awesome 😎

[@DivineArtistry]

I’m looking forward to Jenet! I hope the gameplay style will suit me though.

[@BellowDGaming]

Man I really need to go back to Ralph my original team was Terry Kim and Ralph since 94' and I substitute Robert to Kim if I need a more zoning character back then. When Ralph's movelist changed in KOFXII I dropped him and had Robert on my team, since I'm not used to his more striker moveset than the hybrid mix in with argentine backbreaker which you can bait actually with a galactica phantom if the other player isn't aware of the delay charge time. The mindset here with the Ikari Warriors Clark don't get near or you'll get grabbed, with Ralph don't get punched since his moves are devastating.

[@gallonthegreat7036]

Hello and welcome !

[@PastaPepe]

I always thought that Baltmatrix and LGR is the same guy because they sound similar, and I was wrong. And now I've found a 3rd channel with the similar voice with those two.. Is this guy a different guy, or one of the ones I mentioned above?

[@randomxstory]

Well, SNK did say that they will make changes though.

[@abel8130]

Even though there are some characters slightly better than others, I'm happy that the game is very well balanced (except for Whip Lmao)

[@thepuppetmaster9284]

So far i feel Terry, Vanessa, Ralf, Clark, Robert, Chris, Elizabeth, and KoD are above average. And Joe feels like one too but i’m not sure since i only played his trials and experiment a bit in training.

[@LordRaptor]

I really like the team of Joe, Terry and Gato in this game, all three of them are sick, Gato has always been good though, Joe and Terry are usually mid-tier.

[@LoDart210]

I'm still a kof newbie in terms of high level play. I played a bunch of the old ones in preparation for 15, but I've played fighting games before and a lot of the complaints seem to be largely due to how EASY certain characters are to play and how much they're rewarded for it. Characters like Terry, Ralf, Vanessa, once they get the hit are doing serious chunks and thats intimidating for new players and buzzworthy for top players to use as a talking point (for better or for worse). In the current roster alone I see nobody talking about Blue Mary's amazing combo damage for very little bar and her overall very solid neutral and defensive options, nobody talking about Luong's absurd midscreen control and huge damage and oki potential, or anybody talking about Kukri's ridiculously strong rushdown and damage. Some names hit the airwaves first and the crowds are just chanting imo. I honestly think Ralf/Terry/Vanessa don't actually need huge nerfs at all, if any. I think people just need to spread out and try other characters and come to grips with KOF's naturally supercharged pace and damage potential with bar.

[@sleepydan9818]

I hope ya'll don't get my boy Ralf nerfed too hard. He hasn't been good in a long time and he's not even my best character. I get a lot more work done with Clark than Ralf. Ralf's going to feel very mediocre if they nerf his damage. Yeah he hits hard, but he doesn't have as many tools to get in to deal that damage, like armor and speed, as other rushdowns do.

[@kahntrast]

How's Ryo? I kinda want to play Team Art of Fighting, I like all three of the characters a lot.

[@stephen827]

can we get these combo notations or are you planning on including them into a future combo video??

[@alexwright2545]

Hey roofle can you make a Ramon guide I feel as if he is weak in this iteration

[@ma70er]

It's just karma. Ralf was a punching bag in the Ralf/Clark reveal trailer lol

[@KnightlyBrosGaming]

What were some of the Maxima nerfs from 14? I played him in 13 and became salty when I couldn't cancel command throw into super, lol.

[@cgk1276]

Can they just please help Ramon

[@joseurbina3835]

Ralf Jones has reclaimed his Title back of being the 1 Punch Man of KOF, Saddens me because it's only a Matter of Time that he's likely going to get Nerfed to Oblivion in later Patches.

[@Rocker9861]

Are we still going to get a video on the ash crimson saga of KoF??

[@rooflemonger]

its coming, just got delayed cause the embargo for kof went up days earlier than anticipated, and those days were the ones I was gonna work on the video. From a job perspective, it was much more valuable to me to start working on the KoF XV videos directly than a lore video that I make mostly for fun. That said things are finally slowing down a bit so I can start work on it soon.

[@taylorbee4010]

Angel Terry Dolores might become a problem in the future Same with Isla

[@JonathanRiverafrickinnice555]

Hopefully everyone gets buffed to about the same strength

[@srseki]

It seems kof is more difficult to balance than SFV and strive, the recent Asia tournament all 4 Evo champs pick Ralf and Terry, and those didn't pick these 2 got knocked out very early. The number of mirror matches are overwhelming. Hoping for balance patch comes along with garou team.

[@TheAssirra]

You seem to forget that early sf5 was nothing but nash and chun.

[@puxtbuck6731]

What is that ending song that plays in his videos?

[@rooflemonger]

true lovemaking - capcom vs SNK 2

[@ZER0lPT]

I thought Vanessa would be there too.

[@rooflemonger]

She's mentioned in the video just didn't get her own section is all.

[@DaTekkenGod]

Vanessa is pretty broken right now. Half a bar combos that do more damage than other characters full bar and give her MORE meter than she spent. Top 3 easily and likely to be nerfed.

[@JF80001]

Is that Elliott from Internet today?

[@leovanilla6833]

The strongest character is my ability (struggle) to do special cancels.

[@shawn_8888]

Hi can anyone advice me you guys are using a joystick to play or the PS controller, if joystick then which one you recommend to buy?

[@rooflemonger]

I use a stick but honestly either is perfectly fine for the game. I use a stick cause im old, that's about it lol

[@shawn_8888]

@@rooflemonger haha okay, which joystick you reckon to buy for KOF15?

[@rooflemonger]

@@shawn_8888 well if you want an arcade stick the qanba obsidian is basically the gold standard in terms of price and functionality. But really you can just use about anything

[@shawn_8888]

@@rooflemonger okay thx appreciate your reply.

[@chrislister570]

Why do Canadians get all the best sideburns?

[@LisaHoneychan]

I mean, there’s Logan/Wolverine, and Maxima. 2 epic badasses, maybe the sideburns help! 😂

[@symondealmeida9454]

for me Ralf, Terry, Joe, are on the god tier Vanessa, Mai, Elizabeth, Dolores, Robert, king are S tier Antonov, Dinosaur, Shermie, Chris, Luong, Angel, Khronen, Blue Mary, Heidern, Andy, Metenkun, Benimaru, Kyo, Iory, Chizuru, Shunhei, Kukri, and Ash are very good the left ones are just playable

[@danzohattori]

😂 That thumbnail

[@Soloaudiophiling]

cani check are you playing steam version"?

[@rooflemonger]

I record all my videos on the ps5 version. I have the PC version too though

[@paulchristian1963]

They nurfed yashiro hard he was so much fun in the betas

[@duyanhvo4367]

Top 2 are Vanessa and Ralf, many pro said that...

[@internetmovieguy]

Terry! Ralf!

[@rdxgamer1772]

Oh ralf definately has a leg up have u seen his Stand Heavy kick????

[@MadSnake123]

I didn't know about Joe ... i thought he wasn't all that good, but definitely that stun combo, while not guarantee unless is in the corner (i think) could be nerfed specially as more people get's better at the game. Also i think Vanessa and Ralph are the best in the entire game, with Robert, King and Terry a bit behind, Vanessa has so many easy confirms, chip damage is kind of crazy if you are out of meter and she is also pretty safe, not to mention that godlike swipe. Ralph ... well, we don't even have to talk about him. With that being said, is not like they are the absolute best, is not like XIII with the DLC Team or 98UM Krauser ... is more about tweaking some characters to make them more "fair" and probably buff some others like Whip and Ramon, which is probably the worst in the game ... even longtime player, El Rosa, has stated that Ramon is pretty worthless, so let's see.

[@jinraigami3349]

I don't see anyone beat Xiaohai's Ralf, Terry, Robert, yet. Vanessa is number one, though. Followed by Ash and Krohnen.

[@fabianocapet7785]

anyone still playing on pc in western EU? everytime I tried friendly or ranked I've found nothing for the past week and at best just 1 room

[@sladejosephwilson2300]

That's a region issue. Basically matches are tied to the region set on your PC. So SNK addressed the issue and they are working on it.

[@sladejosephwilson2300]

The PC is still the best way to play because of the 2 frames of input latency

[@shanefitzpatrick6626]

Terry, ralf, iori, mai, Dolores, Joe are running shit rn

[@readysetshrimps2986]

I love everyone in this game except Antonov, he looks shady, balance is not a priority when I don't mind playing anyone.

[@iwatchDVDsonXbox360]

8:41 Terry is terryfying, arrr.