Summary
- Mai Shiranui retains her fiery fighting style with new moves for combo potential.
- Billy Kane excels at long-range attacks with his spear, allowing for safe fiery combos.
- Kain's Dark Void Arts offers satisfying mystical attacks and combos.
After more than 20 years, the Fatal Fury franchise is finally back. City of the Wolves retains the series' classic fast-paced 2D gameplay, and it also features a massive cast of fighters to try out. While there are plenty of returning characters, all of them have been given a drastic overhaul, ensuring they each feel like they fit into the modern fighting genre. SNK has also gotten pretty creative with the newcomers.
From flashy and vibrant DJs to stylish soccer stars, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves contains no shortage of intriguing fighters to pick from. Among the vibrant cast, who is the most fun to play? Gazing at the character select screen can be a little intimidating. Anyone who wants a character who is fun to not only play, but also watch in action, ought to try heading to the lab with one of the fighters listed below.
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8 Mai Shiranui
More Fiery And Ferocious Than Ever Before
- Fighting Style: Shiranui Ninjutsu
Mai's fast and fiery Shiranui fighting style hasn't changed much from when she first debuted in Fatal Fury 2, but since then, there have been several new moves and techniques added in to build upon her combo potential. Aside from her dazzling animations and humorous dialogue, Mai is fun to use because she can hold her own at any part of the stage, no matter the distance from her opponent.
At range, Mai can keep pressure on the enemy, forcing them to risk going for a jump where they can be shot out from the sky. When getting up close and personal, her Ryuuenbu and Hana Arashi can be thrown out to slice the opponent into ribbons. This kind of versatility makes Mai fun to play, especially since she's also easy to get the hang of in the latest game.
7 Billy Kane
Chain Flashy Combos Together
- Fighting Style: Bojutsu
The main reason Billy is such a blast to play is the staggering range of his pole. Whether he's throwing out an anti-air or poking the opponent from afar, Billy excels at dishing out damage while remaining at a safe distance, meaning he can pull off fiery juggle combos without needing to put himself in danger.
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Many of Billy's moves are a joy to watch in action thanks to their stunning animations, such as his Senpuu Kon, where he twirls his pole around at blistering speed to counter the enemy's incoming attacks. While he can be a little tricky to get used to, Billy is still the most fun ranged fighter in the game due to his unique weapon of choice.
6 Kain
Deadly Projectiles Make Him Fun To Experiment With
- Fighting Style: Dark Void Arts
As a master of the Dark Void Arts, Kain can throw out all kinds of odd mystical attacks in the middle of a battle, which are all satisfying to pull off. His Schwarzer projectiles, for example, can keep an enemy floating in the air to set them up for a destructive combo. Meanwhile, Panzer gives him a reliable get-in option, allowing players to get some stylish combos going just with a few button presses.
Like how Bison always feels like he can overpower his opponents with Psychic Power, the same feeling comes when playing Kain, thanks to his sleek and dangerous fighting style. Obliterating an opponent with a cluster of Dark Void punches and kicks is always going to be a ton of fun to pull off.
5 Tizoc
It's So Satisfying Being Able To Land A Giant Hercules Throw
- Fighting Style: Wrestling
Tizoc is the grappler archetype of Fatal Fury, but because these games are in the 2D format, it means SNK can get as creative and outlandish as they want with his moves. Pair this with the fact he's a wrestler, and it's easy to understand why Tizoc has earned himself so many fans. In the classic grappler-fighting tradition, many of Tizoc's grabs require tricky commands to pull off, but being able to finally land them feels all the more rewarding as a result.
City of the Wolves has an eye-catching artstyle that compliments Tizoc's style as a fighter. Each and every move looks as impactful as possible, with sparks and flames shooting out whenever he scores a lethal grab. Players who enjoy picking grapplers in fighting games will find a lot to love about Tizoc.
4 Terry Bogard
Get Instantly Charmed By Terry's Fighting Style & Enthusiasm
- Fighting Style: Martial Arts
It's difficult to find a character in a fighting game who loves shouting out their moves more than Terry Bogard, the legendary mascot of the series who has been a staple member of the cast since the first game. Even using a simple Crack Shoot or Burning Knuckle gets the blood pumping thanks to how passionate Terry is about dropping a flashy new attack on his opponent.
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It also helps that Terry is an all-rounder who is easy to pick up and play, though he still has a high enough skill ceiling to make him fun to learn and get used to. Terry has always been a fan-favorite character, but SNK went the extra mile when cooking up his attack designs and animations for this game.
3 Cristiano Ronaldo
The International Soccer Star Puts His Skills To Good Use
- Fighting Style: Football + Martial Arts
To say Ronaldo isn't a typical fighting game character would be an understatement. Fans were shocked when CR7's reveal trailer for the game dropped not long before release, but it turns out the world-famous athlete is much more than a quick last-minute addition. Alongside being able to dribble across the screen, barging his opponents out of the way as he goes, Ronaldo can also launch his ball at the enemy with a wild assortment of kicks.
The speed and fluidity of Ronaldo's movements make him arguably the most enjoyable character to watch on screen, especially in the hands of someone who knows how to use his ball. If Ronaldo gets an opponent in the corner, he can completely lock them down with his soccer skills. While he may be hard to master, he's incredibly satisfying when using him to his full potential.
2 Rock Howard
Connecting So Many Attacks Never Feels Boring
- Fighting Style: Martial Arts
Most fighters in City of the Wolves will require players to spend some time figuring out potential chain attacks and combos. But with Rock, it feels like everything just clicks. His Rising Tackle and Hard Edge can be thrown in to extend a combo for players to deal as much damage as possible. Thanks to Rage Run, getting in and out of combat is also a breeze. It's this hit-and-run playstyle which makes Rock so popular, since it's so satisfying to use in a real match.
Considering Rock is essentially the main character for the latest game in the series, all of his animations look top-notch and crisp, with everything from his overhead slam kicks to his energy swipes looking super colorful and vibrant. He may be the poster boy of the game, but Rock is still a fun character thanks to his lightning-fast fighting style.
1 Salvatore Ganacci
A Baffling Introduction To The Cast, But Feels Incredible To Use
- Fighting Style: Unknown
Salvatore Ganacci might be one of the most baffling characters ever seen in a fighting game, based on the real-life DJ, Salvatore. On the surface, seems like he should be a joke character, but it's incredible how much attention to detail has gone into his animations, attacks, and design. All of Salvatore's attacks, whether it's the pedal air kicks, the dubstep stomp, or even his utterly humiliating grab, are as over-the-top as can be. What's more, almost all the musician's attacks have their own unique recovery animations, meaning his character model is always bopping around in one way or another.
Though many fans had their doubts about Salvatore, he's quickly becoming one of the most fun fighters not only to play, but also watch, and surely he'll be making his way to some tournaments in the future. Whether the tracksuit-obsessed DJ will rank high in power tier lists is up for debate, but in terms of fun factor, he's the best of the bunch.
- Released
- April 24, 2025
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Language, Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- SNK
- Publisher(s)
- SNK
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
