13: Overshadowed FIghting Game Characters
This list is post-SSFIV, meaning Makoto and Dudley aren't going to make the cut when they originally would have been included.
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Poor Andy Bogard... it's like being the brother of Jesus. Andy is the definition of overshadowed, with his brother Terry being hailed as the greatest fighting game character by many. However, Andy can certainly hold his own in a fight and bring a whole different style to the table compared to his famous brother.
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Rolento is one of the most obscure characters from Final Fight to jump over to Street Fighter, but has been one of the most wanted players to debut in Street Fighter IV - his style is strange, but also has the privilege of being one of the only weapon users in the game.
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While he may not be underrated in the sense that nobody uses him (he is a very popular choice in Marvel vs Capcom 2), the fact that he has not appeared in a brawler since that game makes him worth including. He doesn't seem likely to show up in MvC3, either, despite his popularity.
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Q is an enigma. His backstory of witnessing the fall of Shadoloo, and showing up randomly in SF's history (including on Ken's stage in SFII) is epic. His style isn't all that bad, either, and is definitely new to the series. Too bad we may never learn the truth about Q as he seems to be an unlikely candidate to appear in any SF again.
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Akira blows every female fighting character stereotype away. In fact, upon first glance, she is very easily mistaken for a male character until her helmet comes off.
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Sagat gets all of the attention due to their similar fight styles, but Adon is a very different beast all-together. His speed and footwork put Sagat to shame, and he has been around just as long as Sagat has.
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As far as Rival Schools/Project Justice characters go, Batsu and Kyosuke are the only two who have gained any attention outside of the series. Though Shoma would be very out of place in any other game due to his gimmick, he is no doubt one of the most fun to use in Rival Schools.
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Ermac debuted originally as yet another palette-swap clone Scorpion and Sub-Zero, though from the beginning he already had something going for him. Rumors circulate that he originated as a glitch in previous games before officially debuting in Ultimate MK3, but it wasn't until the next generation MK games that he really took on a life of his own. Comprised of dead souls? Awesome. His new mummy/ninja hybrid outfit? Awesome and unique.
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Overshadowed by his North American name, Butt was the precursor to one of SFIII's most popular fighters, Makoto. His style is brutal, his appearance is one of a kind, and his personality is fun.
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Sodom's American-in-love-with-Japanese-culture story is fun, and maybe a little too close to home for some fighting game fans. His crossover from Final Fight to Street Fighter was brilliant, making him one of the most memorable characters in Street Fighter Alpha. Too bad he never made it out of the Alpha universe, not even into any of the crossover games.
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Johnny is plan cool, but in a game series overflowing with "cool" characters, Johnny is usually set aside for frontmen Sol Badguy and Ky.
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Raiden was a staple of the Fatal Fury games, but when SNK focused on the King of Fighters franchise, he fell off the face of the earth. Even when the games pilled on as many characters as possible, Raiden never got the invitation. Not until Capcom vs SNK, when he made his return (alongside Eagle, Street Fighter's long forgotten character)... since then, he finally transitioned into the next generation KoFs and looks to be making a huge comeback.
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Karin may appear to just be the Ken version of Sakura at first, but once you play as her you'll forget that entirely. She was a blast to use in Street Fighter Alpha 3, s well as... well, that's it. She hasn't been playable since then, save for a lame Capcom Fighting compilation.
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