Here are the best fighting games’ hidden characters.
Fighting games that have secret characters have always been a favorite part of the genre. People love to fight the secret bosses in a lot of video games by not losing a single time and meeting all these silly requirements. The same is true for playable figures that you can unlock. Many of them are well hidden, and it’s great when you find them.
Since the age of downloadable material, secret characters have become much less common, but you can still find them in games that feel more old-school. Some of these hidden characters are from other franchises and are so hidden that they aren’t even listed on the game case.
Spartan-458: Dead Or Alive 4
Back in the day, Dead or Alive was the big action game that was only available on Xbox. You can play the whole series on Series X|S, but the addition of a Halo character to the fourth game was a great addition.
You can use Spartan-458 after beating Story mode with every character.
She’s a lot of fun to play as, and in later games, Rachel would use her moves. Not only is there a Halo character, but there is also a Halo stage, and Spartan’s fight music is the sweet Halo 2 theme.
Since Halo was so popular back then, it’s strange that they didn’t put anything about the figure on the game case.
Akuma: Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
Akuma has been a secret character in a lot of Capcom fighting games, but his first showing is still the best. He is both a secret boss and a secret character you can play as in Super Street character 2 Turbo.
His secret boss fight is a joke. Unlocking the fight isn’t too hard, but even with save states, he’s brutal and can beat you so fast.
Because he is a banned character, this makes sense given how strong he is in Versus mode. Akuma’s special moves are not adjusted for competitive play, so they will always mess up shop.
The fact that he was the first secret character in Street Fighter makes him stand out, but he’s also been a main fighter for the whole series.
Reptile: Mortal Kombat (1992)
Reptile was the first secret character in fighting games. Akuma was the first hidden character in Street Fighter. He was in the very first episode and is still one of the biggest mysteries of the series.
Fighting Reptile is a bit like fighting Hercules because you need both skill and luck.
On the Pit stage, you need something to be flying over the moon. This is the hardest part because it doesn’t happen very often. Do a double flawless win and your character’s fatality if there is one.
After that, you can fight Reptile, who has moves from both Scorpion and Sub-Zero. This had a huge impact on all fighting games that came after it, and now a “secret boss” is a mainstay of fighting games.
Ermac: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
The way secret characters are treated in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a little strange. To get them, you have to lose the game. After that, you’ll be asked to enter a “Kombat Code.”
Here is where you put in the three codes for the three secret characters. These unlocks are tied to your cabinet, so once you get them all, you’re good to go.
You can play as Mileena, Classic Sub-Zero, and the famous Ermac, which is great. Ermac was a secret character like Sheng Long. He was first made up as a joke by fans of Electronic Gaming Monthly back in the day.
Ermac was finally made real in Ultimate MK3, which was a great thing to see.
Mokap: Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance
Crazy secret figures like Mokap from Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance are always fun to see. To play as him, you have to beat Konquest mode with all the attackers in the game and then choose Cyrax while holding Down.
This will let you play as a motion capture character named Mokap.
No one expected to play as a figure in a white-ball-covered suit, but it was a nice surprise. Back then, it was so strange and funny because motion capture was such a new thing in games.
Fred Durst: SmackDown Just Bring It
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
In WWE games, you can play as a lot of weird characters, but a lot of them, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, are DLC. Back when the PS2 was popular, DLC wasn’t a thing, so figures like Fred Durst, the lead singer of Limp Bizkit, came from the SmackDown Just Bring It game.
To get him, you have to beat 15 fighters in a slobberknocker match as the Undertaker. During this time, the Undertaker’s theme song was Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin.” So, this makes sense.
Unlocking him is a huge pain, but it’s worth it just to see Durst fight with The Rock and Stone Cold for the first time.
Pepsiman: Fighting Vipers
Some fighting games are different in different places, and these changes can be big. This has characters not found anywhere else.
Fighting Vipers is a good fighting game from the 1990s that you can still play today thanks to Xbox backward support. This port is great, but it’s missing one cool thing.
In the Japanese version for the Sega Saturn, Pepsiman is one of the characters you can unlock.
For those who don’t know, Pepsiman was the brand’s mascot in Japan in the late 1990s. In recent years, both the Pepsiman ads and his own PS1 game, which came out in 1999, have gained a cult following.
He’s fun to play, has a cool theme song, and the Japanese Saturn port, along with his cult status, is the most interesting version of 8 Ball Pool.
Shaq: UFC Undisputed 2010
Shaquille O’Neal is no stranger to fighting games. His game Shaq Fu is still known as one of the worst games of all time, and it even got a remake. Shaq’s experience with the WWE is interesting, but he hasn’t been in any wrestling games. He has, however, been in an MMA game.
On the main menu of UFC Undisputed 2010, you can unlock Shaq by pressing a certain button combo. He has good numbers, and the Wu-Tang colors on his trunks are a nice touch since he likes the group so much.
Still, he’s the craziest hidden character in an MMA game, and it’s strange that he’s not in more games.
Owen Hart: AEW Fight Forever
Owen Hart hasn’t been in many wrestling matches, and there’s a good reason for that. Since his sad death at the Over the Edge pay-per-view in 1999, he’s only been in a few games, but he’s been in cinematics that use old footage of him.
People thought he’d never be in a wrestling game again, but it’s been nearly 20 years since he was in one. In AEW Fight Forever, you can select him.
To get him, you have to play 100 practice matches, which is a bit of a grind. When Owen is released in a modern game, it is a real treat to play as him.
Even after all this time, it’s still so cool, and it’s one of the most interesting things about Fight Forever.
Master Hand: Super Smash Bros. Melee
This hidden figure wasn’t planned, but it was definitely supposed to be there at some point. Super Smash Bros. Melee is one of the best, if not the best, fighting games ever made.
The number of characters was a big change from the first game on the N64, but there was one that many people wanted to play. That is Master Hand, and there is a way to play as him.
It’s very hard to understand, but you can’t start a game without choosing a character on port three. You’ll play as Master Hand, who, surprisingly, has his own unique list of moves.
It’s so cool to play as this boss and use all of his crazy moves, and Melee is still the only game with a playable Master Hand in Versus mode.
