I'm pretty sure somewhere down the line you have picked up a game, either it be a fighting game, a hack-n-slash or something of the like, and have come across a character selection screen. Now you may try all of the characters, but one of them or a few might just click with you and you'll stay with them. But through all of these games, most of these characters fall under certain archetypes, depending on how they act or perform. So my main question here is, what type of character do you usually use in these types of games? and perhaps name the character and the game they come from.
While there may not be a perfectly set definition for each archetypes, I'm going to pick out the main ones in my eyes, and you can make your selection off of that.
*feel free to suggest your own though, if you feel that your character doesn't fit into the given archetypes
**these archetypes can also fit for other types of games besides fighting games/hack-n-slashers, they are just the main examples given
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The Every Man is pretty much how he sounds. He is a jack of all trades but a master of none. He may have all of the techniques or skills that you might come across in the game, but he just doesn't the assets to improve them. The Every Man then usually becomes or is the main/titial character for the series and a great starting ground for beginners. Some notable Every Men are Ryu of Street Fighter, Mario of Smash Bros. , Masamune Date of Sengoku Basara, and Sol Badguy and Ky Kiske of Guilty Gear.
The Powerhouse/Tank is usually a character with incredible strength or defense, but for having such a strong asset, they are usually weakened in a major way as well. Usually these characters appear as rather huge or monsterous beings, but they can sometimes come in small sizes as well. Some notable Powerhouses/Tanks are Akuma and Zangief from Street Fighter, Ganondorf from Smash Bros, Lu Bu from Dynasty Warriors, Tadakatsu Honda from Sengoku Basara, and Astaroth from Soul Calibur.
The Speed Demon is usually a fast or stealthy character who has sacrificed health for the incredible speed. They might not be able to take many hits, but they will get to their destination fast, and keep on hitting them or nailing them where it counts. Usually their personalities come off as either 2 extremes; stubborn and arrogant or quite and secluded. Some notable Speed Demons are Yukimura Sanada and Kotaro Fuma of Sengoku Basara, El Fuerte of Street Fighter, Raphael of Soul Calibur, or Fox of Smash Bros.
The Enigma always has the element of surprise on their side. Either it be how they fight, move, or just plain look, they are just plain weird, and they use it to their advantage. They might fall under the powerhouse or speed demon in any other scenario, but this one or many features of them, just make it so you always have to keep guessing to fight against them or use them. Some notable Enigmas are Voldo from Soul Calibur, Dhalsim and Blanka from Steet Fighter, Faust from Guilty Gear, and Yoshitsugu Otani from Sengoku Basara.
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The Ranger, while kind of having the same premise as the powerhouse, focuses mainly on trying to keep the other person away, or hitting as many people as possible, to make up for their lack-luster close-range skills. They usually either have a weapon or a projectile that helps them keep the distance unlike their unarmed brethren. Some notable Rangers are Dhalsim from Street Fighter, Dr. Doom from Marvel vs. Capcom, Axl Low from Guilty Gear, and Ivy from Soul Calibur.
The Under-achiever again, is exactly what it sounds like. They might be good in strength, but they aren't a powerhouse, or fast but not fast enough to be a speed demon, so sometimes these characters fall by the wayside. Though they may not have what it takes to be one of the other classes, they usually have a gimmick that makes up for that, such as being able to combo better, or working really well and teamed up with another character. Some notable Under-achievers are Luigi and Pichu from Smash Bros, Sakura from Street Fighter, and Bridget from Guilty Gear.
The Comedy Relief is well...the comedy relief. They might have a completely valid moveset, or be completely useless, but just the way they reflect their personality or moves, just ends up creating pure comedic gold, which might make the game more fun for the user or even distract the other opponent. Some notable Comedic Reliefs are Dan "The Man" Hibiki from Street Fighter, Bang and Taokaka from Blazblue, Neko-Arc from Melty Blood, or Keiji and Toshiie Maeda from Sengoku Basara.
While there may not be a perfectly set definition for each archetypes, I'm going to pick out the main ones in my eyes, and you can make your selection off of that.
*feel free to suggest your own though, if you feel that your character doesn't fit into the given archetypes
**these archetypes can also fit for other types of games besides fighting games/hack-n-slashers, they are just the main examples given
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[HEADING=2]The Archetypes[/HEADING]
[HEADING=2]The Every Man[/HEADING]
The Every Man is pretty much how he sounds. He is a jack of all trades but a master of none. He may have all of the techniques or skills that you might come across in the game, but he just doesn't the assets to improve them. The Every Man then usually becomes or is the main/titial character for the series and a great starting ground for beginners. Some notable Every Men are Ryu of Street Fighter, Mario of Smash Bros. , Masamune Date of Sengoku Basara, and Sol Badguy and Ky Kiske of Guilty Gear.
[HEADING=2]The Powerhouse/Tank[/HEADING]
The Powerhouse/Tank is usually a character with incredible strength or defense, but for having such a strong asset, they are usually weakened in a major way as well. Usually these characters appear as rather huge or monsterous beings, but they can sometimes come in small sizes as well. Some notable Powerhouses/Tanks are Akuma and Zangief from Street Fighter, Ganondorf from Smash Bros, Lu Bu from Dynasty Warriors, Tadakatsu Honda from Sengoku Basara, and Astaroth from Soul Calibur.
[HEADING=2]The Speed Demon[/HEADING]
The Speed Demon is usually a fast or stealthy character who has sacrificed health for the incredible speed. They might not be able to take many hits, but they will get to their destination fast, and keep on hitting them or nailing them where it counts. Usually their personalities come off as either 2 extremes; stubborn and arrogant or quite and secluded. Some notable Speed Demons are Yukimura Sanada and Kotaro Fuma of Sengoku Basara, El Fuerte of Street Fighter, Raphael of Soul Calibur, or Fox of Smash Bros.
[HEADING=2]The Enigma[/HEADING]
The Enigma always has the element of surprise on their side. Either it be how they fight, move, or just plain look, they are just plain weird, and they use it to their advantage. They might fall under the powerhouse or speed demon in any other scenario, but this one or many features of them, just make it so you always have to keep guessing to fight against them or use them. Some notable Enigmas are Voldo from Soul Calibur, Dhalsim and Blanka from Steet Fighter, Faust from Guilty Gear, and Yoshitsugu Otani from Sengoku Basara.
[HEADING=2]The Ranger[/HEADING]
The Ranger, while kind of having the same premise as the powerhouse, focuses mainly on trying to keep the other person away, or hitting as many people as possible, to make up for their lack-luster close-range skills. They usually either have a weapon or a projectile that helps them keep the distance unlike their unarmed brethren. Some notable Rangers are Dhalsim from Street Fighter, Dr. Doom from Marvel vs. Capcom, Axl Low from Guilty Gear, and Ivy from Soul Calibur.
[HEADING=2]The Under-achiever[/HEADING]
The Under-achiever again, is exactly what it sounds like. They might be good in strength, but they aren't a powerhouse, or fast but not fast enough to be a speed demon, so sometimes these characters fall by the wayside. Though they may not have what it takes to be one of the other classes, they usually have a gimmick that makes up for that, such as being able to combo better, or working really well and teamed up with another character. Some notable Under-achievers are Luigi and Pichu from Smash Bros, Sakura from Street Fighter, and Bridget from Guilty Gear.
[HEADING=2]The Comedy Relief[/HEADING]
The Comedy Relief is well...the comedy relief. They might have a completely valid moveset, or be completely useless, but just the way they reflect their personality or moves, just ends up creating pure comedic gold, which might make the game more fun for the user or even distract the other opponent. Some notable Comedic Reliefs are Dan "The Man" Hibiki from Street Fighter, Bang and Taokaka from Blazblue, Neko-Arc from Melty Blood, or Keiji and Toshiie Maeda from Sengoku Basara.
