The 5 greatest female fighting game characters of all-time

Fighting games include a cavalcade of warriors with eccentric personalities and interesting backstories that players have loved following for years. It is a genre that is all-encompassing to both men and women, appealing to a primal instinct of competition and perseverance. Within many fighting games that have grown popular are characters that stand out in unique ways, many of whom are women that pack a massive punch with their fists as much as their appearance turns heads. It is due to their ongoing presence within popular fighting series that the genre has continued to be successful and relevant over the decades.

So who is the greatest among the fighting vixens? There have been many ladies that have stepped into the ring to do battle against all kinds of wild and crazy opponents. But not all of them are built equally or have the same level of impact that molded the fighting game genre into what it is today. Here are five of the greatest female fighting game characters of all-time that we love to see throwing hands.

5 Chun-Li (Street Fighter II)

First lady of fighting games

It's constantly debated who was the first female character to appear in a fighting game, but it's no debate that Chun-Li was the first character to garner attention for being the first popular female fighter in the genre. As one of the original world warriors from Street Fighter II, Chun-Li is an iconic heroine that made a giant splash in the early 90s. Heralding from China, Chun-Li represented an element of fighting games that wasn't really explored in the genre prior to her appearance. Most female characters would take a backseat to men in a variety of video games, acting as supporting characters or mild NPCs to another's story. But Chun-Li was built differently, taking a main spot on the roster of Street Fighter II and holding her own against all challengers.

In the canon of the Street Fighter series, Chun-Li is an Interpol agent who works tirelessly with other organizations in taking down the infamous Shadaloo crime organization, headed by the dreaded M. Bison. Her father was killed by M. Bison when investigating the criminal empire and got too close to the group's operations. Chun-Li vowed to avenge her father's death by taking down M. Bison, which found her entering the Street Fighter tournament and clashing fists (and legs) with various other world warriors. Her story has seen her travel across the world waging many battles and standing up for what weas right. For many fans, Chun-Li is the quintessential female fighting game character that has become a staple for nearly every Street Fighter release since her first appearance.

Chun-Li has also made many guest appearances in various other games developed by Capcom. In the many releases of the VS Series, which include the Marvel vs Capcom and Capcom vs SNK titles, Chun-Li is always brought in as a representative of the Capcom side of the roster. She has also been referenced many times in other media outside video games, specifically her iconic design and special attacks. To many, Chun-Li is the first lady of fighting games, being a pioneer character for everything that would come after in the genre.

4 Nina Williams (Tekken)

Beautiful yet deadly assassin

Tekken has many intriguing female fighters that appear throughout the series. One of the original fighters in the first Tekken game was a blonde assassin that stood out from the rest of the cast. Nina Williams shares many aesthetic similarities to Sarah Bryant from the Virtua Fighter series, but she is anything but a copycat. When Tekken burst into arcades and made its way into homes on the original PlayStation, Nina Williams was the blonde bombshell with vicious attacks worthy of a highly trained assassin. Her looks definitely got attention, but her fighting prowess and skills made everyone stay to take notes and remain intrigued.

Within the plot of the Tekken series, Nina Williams was an assassin for hire, taking on contracts while also entering the King of Iron Fist tournaments. At the end of the second tournament in Tekken 2, both Nina and her sister Anna Williams are put into cryogenic sleep and experimented on by the Mishima Zaibatsu. When she is awakened later, Nina finds herself at odds with her mission to assassinate Kazuya Mishima and repairing the damage dealt in her past and family relationships. Nina is constantly shown clashing with her sister Anna, with the two of them often meeting during the King of Iron Fist tournament with devastating results. Nina has appeared in every Tekken game since the beginning, with her inclusion heavily influencing the story about the ongoing clash within the Mishima Zaibatsu.

3 Mai Shiranui (Fatal Fury)

The fiery kunoichi

Whether it's the looks or the blazing-hot attacks, Mai Shiranui is a mainstay within SNK fighting games. First appearing in the Fatal Fury series and eventually the King of Fighters games, Mai Shiranui is a ninja that fights as well as she looks. She is a master and heiress of the Shiranui style of ninjutsu, which blends together traditional ninja techniques with that of Japanese dancing. Many of her attacks include a burst of flames that looks as elegant as it is damaging to opponents. Because of her exploits as a fighter, Mai was often given the nickname of "the alluring ninja girl", one who could charm with her looks and bring down any opponent.

Mai is also one of the founding members of the Women's Fighting Team that began in The King of Fighters 94, with her teammates King and Yuri, and eventually to lead the team in later entries of the series. The group would change its roster of ladies for various games, but continue to be a part of the list of teams that would attend the King of Fighters tournaments. Whether leading or supporting the team, Mai was always part of it in some capacity.

Mai Shiranui is usually connected with her boyfriend Andy Bogard, who also comes from the Fatal Fury series. The two of them have had a complex relationship, with Mai often pursuing Andy throughout many of the King of Fighters tournaments. There is a lot of comedy in their interactions, but over time it became a more serious relationship between the two, with Andy and Mai protecting one-another as the series went on. Mai often refers to Andy many times, even in her interactions with other characters in both SNK games and her guest appearances in other titles.

2 Ivy Valentine (Soulcalibur)

The whip of history

If the phrase "looks could kill" were true, Ivy Valentine would be the embodiment of it. Hailing from the Soulcalibur series by Bandai Namco, Ivy is an attention-grabbing femme fatale that cannot be ignored. She wields a vicious whip that has a dual purpose as a sword, and is a blunt and domineering fighter against her enemies. Ivy has some of the longest reaches with a weapon in the series, making her a dangerous long range fighter against most of the roster. Her revealing outfits are a staple of the series, which go hand-in-hand with her aggressive approach to fighting and her personality. For many, she is a dominatrix fantasy with a heavy emphasis on sex appeal, which was used heavily in the marketing of multiple Soulcalibur games. But there is more below the surface of her confident design and titillating appearance.

In the lore of the Soulcalibur series, Ivy was an aristocrat who became allies with the evil Nightmare while on her quest to find Soul Edge. However, she later joins the forces of good against Nightmare when she realizes that her father's death was tied to his research of the cursed sword. She eventually goes on to become a mentor to various fighters throughout the series, which continually ties her to the ongoing fate of both the Soul Edge and Soul Calibur swords. Ivy would appear in multiple spin-offs of Soulcalibur, including a manga based on the series and other games.

1 Sonya Blade (Mortal Kombat)

A flawless bringer of fatalities

One of the biggest competitors to Street Fighter in the 1990s was the release of Mortal Kombat in arcades. The series brought a new flavor to the fighting game genre, along with a cast of iconic characters that would make a significant impact. On that original roster of seven fighters, Sonya Blade would be an integral part of the series. As a lieutenant of the special forces, Sonya is recruited by Raiden to help aid the forces of Earthrealm against the incoming invasion of Outworld. While her original mission is to apprehend the criminal Kano, she is forced to enter the Mortal Kombat tournament and help defeat Shang Tsung. Armed with deadly attacks and a serious attitude, she joins Earthrealm's forces in many battles against Outworld that continue throughout the series.

Sonya Blade has since become an iconic game character from her inclusion in the first Mortal Kombat game. Although she would not become as popular as other female fighters from other series like Street Fighter, she still had a major impact on fighting game fans. While the sequels to Mortal Kombat would change her role in the ongoing story, as well as her appearance and moves, she would remain an integral part of the main canon of the series. In later entries, Sony would go on to have a relationship with fellow original character Johnny Cage, which first began in the Mortal Kombat live-action films.

Sonya is the first female character introduced in the Mortal Kombat series, and helped open the door for other females to join the series, including fan-favorites Kitana and Mileena. Other female fighters have appeared in later games, but none of them had the appeal that Sony Blade garnered over the years. Sonya's most iconic move in the series is known as the "kiss of death", which shows her blowing a flame to a dazed opponent and burning them alive. This fatality has been referenced many times in other media as a nod to the Mortal Kombat series.

Greatest female fighters

As more fighting games are developed, we'll see even more female fighters join the rosters. While it may have been taboo in the past to see female characters become a big deal within fighting games, it has since become an expectation to see new and interesting female characters included. Many of the iconic ladies continue to appear in new entries to some of the genre's biggest titles, with a range of new and classic interpretations of them. For anyone looking for some of the best female characters in all of the video games, many of them come directly from the fighting game genre and show no signs of slowing down. These ladies have and will continue to pack quite a punch.