We take a look at the most disturbing fighters to come along in the genre and which characters are still giving us nightmares.

Long before the survival horror genre was immersing gamers into claustrophobic, tense horror experiences, the best place in video games to scratch that horror itch was with fighting titles. The ‘80s and ‘90s may have revolutionized the fighting genre through the release of arcade brawlers like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, and while these titles catered towards violence, it was debatable if they were actually scary. Now the genre has evolved in a way where terror perhaps isn’t the priority, but is very often a major consideration in fighters. The Mortal Kombat universe has embraced horror so much that film icons from the genre, like Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Freddy Krueger, and even the Predator and Xenomorph have joined the party. The appearance of guest characters in other franchises like SoulCalibur and Killer Instinct, plus the recent horror DLC teases from Mortal Kombat 11 show that horror’s place in the fighting genre is becoming the norm and is not some passing fad. In honor of our excitement over who may be joining the horror party in Netherrealm, here’s a look at the most frightening original characters to grace the genre.

Hisako (Killer Instinct)

The Mortal Kombat games have gone out and plucked fan-favorite characters from horror films and dropped them in their universe, but Killer Instinct’s reboot takes an iconic horror trope and then puts its own spin on it. Hisako is basically if Sadako from Ringu was a character in a fighting game and then also had mad Samurai skills. Killer Instinct takes such a terrifying, creative approach to this fighter. Hisako is slow and is a character that’s more about storing energy for massive counterattacks. As Hisako moves, she jitters across the screen and a skipping VHS tape effect is applied to the game to make it seem like reality itself is in flux. It’s just a terrifying approach to a character and that’s to say nothing of her ultimate attack, where she possesses her opponent and proceeds to break every bone in their body before fleeing the host.

Meat (Mortal Kombat)

Meat feels like the result of what happens after Shang Tsung binges on some David Cronenberg films and then decides to play around with some sorcery. He’s apparently an experiment of Shang Tsung’s that escapes before he can be completed. This explains the character’s skinless appearance. Meat may not be that great of a fighter and he’s one of Mortal Kombat’s many hidden fighters that begin as gaming urban legends. That being said, there’s no debating that it’d be absolutely terrifying to go up against someone who’s just a living anatomy mannequin with their organs on display at all times.

Genan Shiranui (Samurai Showdown)

Samurai Showdown’s Genan Shiranui is almost what you’d get if Blanka got brainwashed by Charlie Manson and then became a serial killer. This character is an erratic demon of sorts that wields a gigantic claw as his primary means of defense. What’s particularly frightening about Genan is the psychology behind him. He’s apart of an evil clan that fights in the name of darkness, but he still finds a degree of justice in his mass killings. In a title full of sword-carrying Samurai, Genan Shiranui is a very unconventional alternative. And who can forget that unnerving laugh?

Zappa (Guilty Gear)

Zappa from the Guilty Gear series is a very unique approach for a character. Zappa is, in fact, a hapless individual who’s possessed by an evil spirit known as S-Ko. When S-Ko takes over Zappa’s body, he has no memory of what’s happened and all of the fighting is done by S-Ko through Zappa, while Zappa himself is pacifistic. It’s a dark back story for a character, especially when you see the ways in which this spirit abuses and uses Zappa’s body with no concern for his well being. While looking creepy in its own right, Zappa/S-Ko can also summon other powerful spirits, ghost dogs, and a bloody spirit sword to add even more intimidating, supernatural skills to his arsenal.

Arakune (BlazBlue)

Arakune began life as a simple scientist and then one day when an experiment goes horribly awry, he becomes this morbid beast that dominates the fighting ring. Arakune looks like if the Venom symbiote took over some Spirited Away characters and the result is deeply unsettling. Arakune is a gross looking amorphous blob, but he gets even worse when you learn that he’s full of bees and a collection of usable bones. This disturbing metamorphosis has also rendered Arakune totally insane, so he’s the perfect storm of traits that easily make him BlazBlue’s scariest participant.

D’Vorah (Mortal Kombat)

D’Vorah is a more recent addition to the Mortal Kombat universe but is easily one of their most frightening concoctions. D’Vorah is member of the Kytinn race, which is an insect race that lives inside of a humanoid host. This means that D’Vorah is this insect-hybrid creature with several appendages that would probably even give Brundlefly nightmares. On top of that, D’Vorah is also in control of insects, which leads to a very frightening moveset. Her “New Species” Fatality where she lays a bunch of eggs inside of her opponent, which then hatch into a spider-like monstrosity is one of the most upsetting finishers in the game.

Voldo (Soul Calibur)

Soul Calibur’s whole motif is the ridiculous blades that each of its characters posses, but Voldo is very much a character that goes against the norm and relies more on his disturbing behavior and appearance. Voldo feels like a more intense version of Street Fighter’s Vega. He’s a claw-heavy character, but he’s also a slave with a torturous history. Voldo’s both blind and mute, which intensifies his other sense and fighting skills, but it turns him into someone robbed of his humanity and makes him feel more like the monster that he looks. He’s just an erratic, fidgety barrage of blades.

Yoshimitsu (Tekken)

Yoshimitsu’s story and motivations have evolved through each of the Tekken titles, but he’s been referred to as a “space ninja” or “space Robin Hood” in the past and the comparison is pretty apt. Yoshimitsu is some kind of alien beast that fights with honorable motives, but it doesn’t change the fact that he looks like a frightening extraterrestrial. Yoshimitsu’s alien status also means that he has a lot of unconventional tricks in his gameplay style, like the ability to fly and teleport. Add to that a bionic arm and a magical sword and this alien’s pretty alarming. For what it’s worth, Namco has also put Yoshimitsu into their Soul Calibur series, but he stands out a lot more amongst the many squares within Tekken.

Havik (Mortal Kombat)

Havik may not be the most memorable Mortal Komabt character, making his debut in Deception, he still gets point for his aggressive appearance. He’s like if Killer Instinct’s Spinal fused together with Baraka or something. He’s a skeletal force of chaos that relishes disorder. His undead appearance is a lot to take in, but he also operates with an upsetting pain is pleasure approach. Havik can heal himself by breaking his bones and dislocating limbs, which is a very effective way to throw off an opponent or make them think they’ve got the upper hand.

Double (Skullgirls)

The Skullgirls fighting series intentionally blends the morbid with the cute, but Double is an example that leans so heavily into the morbid that it could easily give most characters from any fighting franchise a heart attack. Double is like if John Carpenter’s The Thing decided to take over a nun. Double moonlights as Sister Agatha, but this parasite has a slew of shapeshifting abilities. Not only can Double temporarily become any other character to mess with their head, she can also become massive weapons of destruction or just gross manipulations of flesh. Double is an extreme approach to the wildcard character. 

Jack (Power Stone)

Capcom’s Power Stone series for the Dreamcast never gained the popularity that it deserved, but it was offering outrageous four-player Smash Bros.-esque gameplay long before Nintendo’s prized fighter. Capcom’s fighter is bright and cheerful for the most part, but one major surprise on the roster is the character Jack, who’s pretty much if Jack the Ripper was put in a fighting game. This iteration on Jack is covered in bandages, crawls around like a spider, and seems seriously unhinged. He’s an unusually dark character in the series and his ending is easily the darkest one. Jack wishes that the papers print that he’s arrested so he can have an easier time hunting women due to their guards being down.

Vertigo (Primal Rage)

After the success of ultra-violent titles like Mortal Kombat, many aggressive imitations followed in its wake, many of which were forgettable, but some managed to make an impact. Primal Rage was an interesting approach to fighters because all of the characters were hulking monsters rather than acclaimed fighters or masters of magic. Primal Rage is like if you make a bear, lion, and shark go to battle and there’s a charm in that over the top nature. All of the game’s characters are deadly beasts, but Vertigo stands out as a dinosaur-snake hybrid that puts the standard murderous reptile to shame. In addition to Vertigo’s sheer strength, it also possesses mythical abilities and mind control skills. The character can petrify its opponents like Medusa, shrink them down to microscopic size, or even turn them into a cow. It seems like Vertigo’s psychic powers don’t even have any limits. 

Q (Street Fighter)

The Street Fighter series is without a doubt one of the most influential series in the fighting genre, but it’s not exactly seen as one of the most violent or mature. At the same time, sometimes less can be more, which is exactly why the games’ enigmatic Q is so interesting. Q is like an evil Carmen San Diego with a mix of Doctor Doom and Watchmen’s Rorschach thrown in for good measure. Nobody knows the full story with him and it’s unclear if he’s even a human or some kind of robot. Q is Street Fighter’s most mysterious character and it only deepens the fear that surrounds him.

Ickybod Clay or Bonker (ClayFighter)

The Clayfighters is a fighting series that embraces comedy more than it does violence and it’s meant to be a parody of fighting games in many respects. Accordingly, most of the characters in the game are built off of references to other things, but in spite of this, there are still some exceptions that linger with the audience. Ickybod Clay is basically just a pumpkin-headed ghost that’s their take on the Headless Horseman. On the other side of things, there’s also Bonker, a deranged clown. Both of these visuals make for frightening opponents, but they’re weirdly more upsetting because they’re filtered through a Claymation aesthetic. A Claymation take on IT or The Conjuring would be freaky in a whole new kind of way.

Daytona Hornet (Fighters Megamix)

The Sega Saturn is a console with a number of hidden gems on it, many of which have become cult classics due to how the console couldn’t keep up against Sony’s PlayStation. Curiously, Sega put out a fighting title called Fighters Megamix, which was essentially their Smash Bros. The game combines all sorts of Sega franchises and gets pretty ambitious with some of its hidden fighters. The most outrageous example of this is that the trademark hornet from Sega’s Daytona USA racing series is included as a playable character. Sure, a car on its own isn’t scary, but the visual of one willing itself to life and trying to swat at you with its heavy body is extremely creepy. It’s a ridiculous joke that gets a little more frightening every time you watch this car attack someone with blows.

Non-Original Character Honorable Mentions

Fighting games are often a celebration of various franchises being thrown into a blender with a bunch of added testosterone. This typically leads to some stellar character inclusions, but ones that are dependent on their source material and didn’t feel worthy taking a spot from any of the above characters. That being said, the Marvel vs. Capcom series deserve series credit for working in the half-rocket launcher half-zombie juggernaut, Nemesis from Resident Evil, and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale brilliantly incorporates BioShock’s child-napping, drill-wielding Big Daddy. And while it’s a different kind of frightening, I’d be remiss if I didn’t touch on Tekken X Street Fighter’s realistic redesign for Mega Man (complete with beer gut). He may not be Ash Williams, but running into this guy in real life would arguably be even more disturbing.

These are our picks for the most frightening and disturbing original fighting game characters, but which characters creep you out the most?