The best fighting games strike a balance between fair and fun across a diverse roster of unique characters. Whether you play rushdown, zoners, or balanced fighters, a healthy meta means every archetype has a chance of winning. That includes rare archetypes like stance characters.

How Do They Work

Stance characters change moves or attributes depending on their stance, or position. Voldo in SoulCalibur VI for example has unique moves depending on which direction he faces, while others like Shulk in Smash Bros Ultimate glow to show different attributes.

Playstyle

Every stance requires a different approach. This extra depth makes them harder to play than most characters. Not to mention changing fighting styles in the middle of the match adds to the technicality. Stance characters can have steep learning curves, but the pay off is immense.

Learn how to excel and you can counter a number of matchups with stances alone.

Stance Character Examples

You might have missed some stance characters in your favorite favorite games:

• Gen from Street Fighter
• Maxi, Lei, and Hwoarang from Tekken
• Ms. Fortune in Skullgirls
• Vanessa in Virtua Fighter
• Aria from Killer Instinct
• Tira from SoulCalibur
• Phoenix Wright in Marvel vs. Capcom 3
• Zappa from Guilty Gear
• Wonder Woman from the Injustice series
• Aigis in Persona 4: Arena

Gameplay

Watch Yuttoto’s Voldo in the EVO 2019 SoulCalibur VI grand finals for a top level look at one of the most iconic stance characters.

There are many more examples, and now that you know what to look for you’ll spot them much easier in the Open Series. Happy hunting!