Lurker > half_silver28

I did not do any seeding within the seeds with the bracket - it would be really tough. I won't be running this bracket I think. I might be starting a new discussion topic relating to contests, similar to one from a few years ago that discussed the potential strength of new characters.

I had a good time making the bracket and with the writeups (to an extent). It was feeling like a chore at times but ultimately was a helpful exercise for me. Thanks to everyone who followed this topic : )
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

new reseeded bracket - http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=471976

I am thinking of running this as a tournament thread but I'm not sure if there would be much interest in a tourney that didn't draw nominations from B8. I do think it would be interesting to see who wins though. Would like to hear thoughts on this idea. Can definitely address any questions with the new bracket too.
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

MetalmindStats posted...

And here's part 2, about specific seeding changes I would recommend:

- Swapping DK and Mega Man: To me, his influence is akin to the likes of Pac-Man and Lara Croft rather than the likes of Snake, Samus, and Sonic

- Swapping Gordon and Crono

- Swapping Tracer and Joker

- Increasing Arthas, Ryu, and Slime

- Decreasing Cammy, GLaDOS, Guile, Mileena, Morrigan, Terry, and Zelda

- Further decreasing Alucard and Zero

I'm still working on the bracket, but I will go ahead and address these suggestions.

I do not agree with swapping Megaman and DK. DK has the OG Donkey Kong where he is a defining villain, and perhaps the first popular antagonist in gaming. However there is no comparing the influence of the Megaman series to the rest of DK's games. MM easily is more influential and prominent. I think Mega edges him out for a 1 seed slot.

I don't know if I will directly swap Joker and Tracer, but I will move her up and Joker down at least.

I will move Arthas up and likely will move up Slime as well. Ryu I'm just unsure of who I could possibly move down from the 2 to 3 seed line. Maybe Zelda, but it will feel odd to have her below Ganondorf. Maybe I move down both and put Master Chief to 2? The 2 and 3 lines are very close together to me.

Out of all the characters you suggested to move down here, the only one I'm hesitant on is Zelda. I feel that her connection with Link and Ganondorf through the Triforce sets her apart from most damsel characters of the NES era of gaming. And she is the series namesake as well. I will still consider swapping her with Peach - she still came before Zelda. I could think about moving Sephiroth down to the 3 line too.

Also I think I will have to go ahead and cut Travis Touchdown - I don't think he passes the Ammy test and there are quite a few characters who deserve a slot ahead of him. I am not quite ready to cut Strider as you suggested earlier, but I will probably move him down. His OG game is pretty influential, and as a defining "cool" character, he outdates Dante and Captain Falcon.
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

GavsEvans123 posted...

Might Dan from Street Fighter be worth considering as an iconic joke character?

I considered him along with a wide variety of SF characters. He is a defining joke character, but I felt that wasn't enough for this list. Dan is barely known outside of the FGC too.

I do have a lot of thoughts and bracket changes incoming in response to Metalmind's suggestions, but I'll go over a few now:

The Ammy test - that seems like a decent enough way to decide a character's viability. I think the characters you identified as more influential than Ammy are deserving of a spot, though Kain and Prince are debatable (only because characters like Cecil or Dr. Wily are perhaps more deserving).

The ones you identified as less influential are all in hindsight valid exclusions. I am not too familiar with Garrus or the ME series so I wasn't sure how to go about including him, and Heather was just a thought I had. I had Geese Howard and Nakoruru as not so serious ideas too. Frog is a fan favorite but not too influential. Gex I have little experience with, but he was in a very early 3D platformer series with some unique things. I will have at least 6 slots for new entries - I will concede your point on Lloyd Irving and cut him.

Shortlist for inclusion:

Kain
The Prince of Persia
Pauline
Ms. Pac-Man
Space Invader
The Avatar
Dr. Wily
Cecil Harvey
Diablo
Garrett
Q*Bert

More thoughts on seeding later
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Here are my additional snubs:

Dr. Wily - He was one of my last cuts from the original bracket
Diablo - Same for him.
Red, Blue - Red is iconic for being the default image of a trainer, and Blue is an iconic jerk*ss rival
Andrew Ryan - Complex character with unique motivations who shaped the story of Bioshock
Big Daddy - considered for the bracket
Trevor Philips - notable anti-hero who could believably commit heinous acts in GTA
Gex - had unique gameplay and abilities for the time, praised for his witty one liners
Athena Asamiya - Her design and powers making her a popular magical schoolgirl archetype. She wasn't just popular in KoF, but her game Psycho Soldier had unique gameplay for 1987 and she was one of the first game characters to have their own vocal theme music. She is also a descendant of the Athena from a self-titled arcade/NES game. She even became a virtual Youtuber last year. Athena was one of the last cuts from the bracket.
Kain, Raziel (Legacy of Kain) - Kain himself is probably a valid snub, perhaps Raziel too.
Garrus Vakarian - another late cut from the bracket. He is a very strong and developed character in his own right.
Max Payne - Possibly THE defining vigilante cop in gaming. Also known for this dark personality and development, and for having the worst luck on the planet.
Ness - Probably a valid snub, but I'm not sure he does enough. He would barely be known by anyone if it wasn't for smash. Earthbound is a game with many merits, but I feel that few of them can be attributed to Ness himself.
The Prince of Persia - The early games featuring him had unique gameplay for the time and he was a more mature protagonist. The Sands of Time brought in the unique time manipulation into gameplay, and the Prince was likable and praised for his development. Valid snub most likely.
Q*Bert - A cute character in a unique early 80s game. He had some personality too with his "cussing". Valid snub.
Rayman - Very unique design and his punch powers brought a new experience to gameplay. His 2D games are renowned for difficulty. Mascot for Ubisoft.
John Marston - Another late cut from the bracket
Ryo Hazuki - A normal guy who does normal guy things in Shenmue. He's known for driving a forklift at his part-job. Shenmue was a hit despite focusing on the mundane. Players really care about him due to everything they have to do in the game.
Heather Mason - somewhat a late cut. She's a unique female protag in Silent Hill 3.
Garrett (Thief) - Also a late cut. He is praised for his development and coolness. He is a cynical bad*ss who is the gaming version of Robin Hood.
Illidan Stormrage - A very powerful villain who is deeply involved with the lore of Warcraft. Known for his duel against Arthas and the Legion. He is praised for his struggles with his own power.
Little Mac - The ultimate underdog protagonist. He's a little guy who takes down huge fighters. Not sure if he does enough to be a real snub.
Frog - I had him in the bracket for a long time, but I just couldn't nail down WHAT his influence to gaming is. His unique accent and power despite being a frog maybe? And his history with Magus acting as a false flag to direct the player's hatred to him. Valid snub maybe.
Carl Johnson - Possibly a valid snub as a notable minority protagonist in gaming. He looked a bit like a stereotype but was a very sensible and likable char. Minority protags were still pretty rare at the time.
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Thanks for following this topic to the end and giving plenty of suggestions. It is apparently pretty difficult to make writeups on characters I am not always completely familiar with, but I'm glad they turned out ok in the end. I think I identified most of the major errors in the bracket, mostly due to my own bias and occasional lack of oversight. I did have a hard time separating Gfaqs contest strength from affecting seeding too - probably since I was doing match analysis.

I will start off this post on snubs by going over Metalmind's suggestions, and then talking about other snubs I identified in another post. I'll probably respond to the seeding and removal suggestions in another additional post:

Cecil Harvey - And let the bias begin. I am familiar with FFIV and considered many characters from it. My having played the game went against Cecil; his struggles with morality in the game made me roll my eyes. It felt like he was a Dark Knight in name only, and he only had inner darkness because the game said so. But that is discounting the fact that his struggles were unique and groundbreaking at the time, so Cecil is ultimately a valid snub here.
Clyde - I don't think that having a unique attack pattern makes Clyde particularly influential. You could glean characterization from that, but I don't think that is a common thought. No on this one.
Creeper - I know next to nothing about Minecraft, but it isn't a particularly character-focused game. It has a somewhat unique manner of attack and is well known, but I don't think it does enough.
Doomguy - The problem with him is that he is just a mostly unseen player avatar, and doesn't even have an official name. He filled his role perfectly well to allow players to insert themselves into a bad*ss demon killer. But his complete lack of personality until the reboot hurts him too much here.
Lee Everett - I don't think Lee is suitable here for two reasons. He is notable as a minority protagonist, but it wasn't really groundbreaking circa 2013. Also the "revival" of point and click adventures only lasted for a few years, so any influence he had was very limited.
Ms. Pac-Man - "It's just Pac-Man with a bow" was the thinking that kept her out of the original bracket. But she was possibly the first female protagonist in gaming, and even had some personality shown in her developing relationship with Pac-Man. Very valid snub here.
Pauline - Overlooked her here, she is a valid snub. In fact while looking for snubs, I noted another early damsel in Princess Daphne from Dragon's Lair. She is one of the earliest examples of an overtly sexualized female character in games.
Red Bird - Um, no. You even admit he isn't influential.
Sans - Yeah I got nothing here. If he is a big part of Undertale like you say then maybe he is valid here.
Space Invader - Pretty valid snub for the reasons you stated.
The Avatar - Absolutely a valid snub. One of the first notable customizable protagonists, and the groundbreaking use of a morality system for him/her.
Companion Cube - No on this one. The cube itself doesn't do anything but look vaguely cute. It is the game itself/GLaDOS that makes you care about the cube.
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

I put the bracket in good old Bracket Maker - http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=471892

There are a lot of changes I would consider making to bracket, here are the most likely ones I would make:

Darth Revan, 2B - move up to 15 seed
Simon Belmont - move up to 11 or 10 seed
Duke Nukem - move up to 10 or 9 seed
Amaterasu - move up to 14 seed
Fox - move down to 7 seed
Marth - move down to 9 seed
Alucard, Zero - move down to 5 seed
Lara Croft - move up to 2 seed
Haggar - move up to 9 seed
Guybrush, Alyx Vance - move up to 11 seed
SHODAN, Magus - move up to 13 seed
Dracula - move down to 6 seed
Metroid, Lightning - move down to 12 seed
Mai Shiranui - move down to 8 seed
Chris Redfield - move down to 13 or 14 seed
Yuffie, Vincent - possibly move up to 11 seed
Auron, Agent 47 - move up to 12 seed
Knuckles - move down to 11 seed
Kirby - move down to 3 seed
Tommy Vercetti - move down to 15 seed
Sub-Zero, Crash Bandicoot - move up to 4 seed
Lloyd Irving - move down to 16 seed
Felicia - move down to 10 seed

Aigis, Kanji Tatsumi, Zangief, KOS-MOS, Saber - remove from bracket
Erdrick, Travis Touchdown - possibly remove from bracket

I will make another post regarding snubs. I will definitely be considering The Avatar from Ultima, Diablo, Dr. Wily, Ms Pac-Man and others.
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

So the bracket is fully revealed, but this topic is not done. I will be making a recap of the bracket and talking about possible changes that can be made - seeding changes, possible characters to cut and snubs (including most of Metalmind's guesses/suggestions). Stay tuned. I will likely remake my bracket after that and post it in a new topic for discussion. I don't think I'll do a guessing game on that, but maybe I could go with game debut dates instead of companies? Thoughts on that.
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The seventh match of Group 8 is

(7)M. Bison vs (10)Heihachi Mishima

Of course M. Bison is the most iconic villain in fighting games; he was the final boss in the original Street Fighter 2 and the archrival of several characters in the series. His influence in the series is felt in every game, as his criminal organization Shadowloo is responsible for countless vile deeds. His goal is world domination, and he has the power and ambition to make it happen. Bison has an over the top dictator-like design and personality, and can be equal parts cheesy and intimidating. He gave up his human empathy to obtain his Psycho Power, and relishes every opportunity to make use of it. Bison is a very popular villain, and his memetastic portrayals in the Street Fighter movie and animated show only help his cause. Many of Bison's special moves in gameplay are iconic, such as Psycho Crusher and Scissor Kick. His boss fights are also praised, particularly in the Alpha series. He is pure evil with a twist of humor, and one of gaming's defining villains.

Heihachi first appeared in the original Tekken, and has been in every game since. Despite being an old man, he is an unapologetic villain and the poster boy for terrible dads in gaming. He threw his young son Kazuya off a cliff to supposedly "test" him, but was ultimately defeated by Kaz. The two would continuously wrestle for control of Mishima Zaibatsu in later games. However, many of his actions have good intentions, and he will fight evils greater than him. Tekken 7 reveals his tragic past, and ends with a dramatic confrontation with Kazuya. His black and grey morality makes him an interesting character among fighters. His design is iconic thanks to his crazy hair, and he is praised for his power. The old man needs only a few hits to take down his opponent, potentially just one punch This bad*ss grandpa is likely the most well-known and popular character in the Tekken series.

Tekken is not popular on Gfaqs so Bison is the obvious choice here, but Heihachi won't do terrible. 56% win for Bison.

The eighth match of Group 8 is

(2)Ganondorf vs (15)Aigis

The king of evil and the holder of the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf is the main antagonist and final boss of most Legend of Zelda games. He first appeared as a demon-like boar called Ganon in The Legend of Zelda, and is stopped from conquering Hyrule. Referred to in ALttP, the Gerudo thief Ganondorf debuts in Ocarina of Time. He succeeds in taking over Hyrule Castle through treachery, and the game establishes the Master Sword as the counter to his dark power. His first boss fight in this game is iconic as well. He returns again and again with new plots in other games. His design screams evil, and he is just a cool character in his appearances. He has great ambition and power, but his arrogance and ego almost always doom him in the end. He is one of the most popular and praised villains in gaming, and his appearances in smash and the memetastic LoZ cartoon boost his status as well.

I may try to find a replacement for Aigis here, not sure yet. She first appeared in Persona 3, and was praised for her character development in that game. She starts out very robotic (fitting for an android), but gradually learns to be human. Her hidden past and relationship with the protagonist are key to the game's story. The player can pursue a romantic relationship with Aigis too. Aigis proved very popular, and was the protagonist of The Answer expansion of P3. Her design famously blurs the line between robot and human, with her cute face and slick gold and white color scheme. Aigis is powerful even without her Persona, with a multitude of weapons and flight abilities built in. She is one of the most complex robotic characters in gaming.

Obviously Ganondorf is winning this by a lot. However I do think Aigis could be stronger than Yu due to her appealing design. 74% win for Ganondorf.
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The fifth match of Group 8 is

(6)Morrigan Aensland vs (11)Ivy Valentine

You only need to look at Morrigan to know why she's popular; she is sexy as h*ll. Morrigan's sleak and sexy design, alluring face and seductive personality make the succubus a breakout fan favorite. She surpassed the popularity of her own series and became a Capcom and gaming icon; appearing in countless crossover games. She is a defining sex symbol of the 90s too. Morrigan has a bit of an immature streak despite her looks, but ultimately accepts her responsibilities as the successor to her family's demon world throne. Her relationship with her "sister" Lilith is also a bit suggestive, to say the least. Her fighting style and moveset in Darkstalkers is also iconic. She has a unique manner of midair movement which can be taken advantage of with moves such as Shell Kick. Morrigan is best known for her Soul Fist projectile, which can be oppressively spammed in conjunction with certain super moves.

Ivy is one of the best-known sex symbols in gaming, although she is not above criticism. Some say she is too sexualized and that her costume is too skimpy - most fans do not mind. Ivy's design leaves VERY little to the imagination, and her exotic white hair and British accent are also appealing. Her sharp tongue and rough demeanor combined with her signature whipblade weapon give her the appearance of a dominatrix, which naturally is another popular aspect of Ivy. Despite that, Ivy is a celibate lone wolf who considers her bloodline cursed, and is determined to defeat her father - the mad pirate Cervantes. She is a very sexualized yet unattainable crush for many Soul Calibur fans. Her moveset in the games is very unique, making use of her weapon;s superior range in both sword and whip states. She is a very difficult yet satisfying character to use.

I think that Morrigan has likely lost strength since 2013, but she still likely wins this. Gfaqs doesn't really care about 3D fighting games in general. 65% win for Morrigan.

The sixth match of Group 8 is

(3)Yoshi vs (14)The Boss

Yoshi is just really cute. His simple design effortlessly stands out and appeals to fans. He is one of the most popular and cutest characters in gaming. Yoshi first appeared in Super Mario World and brought a lot of unique elements to platformers of the time. He could stomp on enemies, eat items and enemies alike with his long tongue, and gain different abilities (and colors) by eating Koopa shells. And Mario could jump off Yoshi's back to save himself; a sacrifice that would be made commonly by players. Yoshi is one of the signature sidekicks in gaming, and a loyal partner to Mario. Yoshi has had many games of his own, including Yoshi's Island and Story, which introduced his signature flutter jump and ground pound abilities. His constant presence in Mario spinoffs and smash helped his iconic status.

The Boss was only featured as a major character in Metal Gear Solid 3, but made a huge impact in that game. She is a tough soldier who was a WWII hero, and supposedly betrayed the U.S. for the Soviets. She is presented without a hint of sexualization - rare for major female character in gaming. She is attractive, but that is not really important. She is a pure bad*ss who relies on nothing but her own strength and determination to accomplish her goals. The Boss' role in the game and backstory are praised as emotional and complex. And her final showdown with Naked Snake is one of the most iconic moments in gaming. She is a character who is still loved to this day, and her legacy would be important in later Metal Gear games.

Obviously Yoshi is a lot stronger here, but The Boss definitely has a fanbase on Gfaqs. She avoids a doubling I think - 66% win for Yoshi.

The seventh and eight matches of Group 8 are

(7)Capcom vs (10)Namco

and (2)Nintendo vs (15)Atlus
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The third match of Group 8 is

(5)GlaDOS vs (12)Vincent Valentine

GLaDOS made a huge impression on gamers in her relatively short debut appearance in Portal. She starts as no more than a robot instructing voice, but gradually becomes more insulting and aggressive towards Chell before unhinging completely. She is a very complex character with a tragic backstory, and the endless amount of wit and hilarious insults GLaDOS dishes out sets her apart from other villains robotic or otherwise. She is iconic and very popular due to this, as well as her role in the games. She is even better in Portal 2 when forced into an uneasy partnership with Chell. Her bitter insults are praised, and her emotional depth is as well. GLaDOS' surprising softer side is revealed in the game, furthering her influence to gaming. Her design, VAing and hidden motives are also praised. GLaDOS is one of gaming's defining antagonists - she is loved by fans and has even gotten favorable analysis from academics scholars.

Vincent is one of the few "dark and edgy" game characters whose design has stood the test of time. He is just a straight up mysterious bad*ss loner with a gun and a stylish red cloak. Said cloak is organic and allows him to transform into various forms in battle - a unique concept in RPGs at the time. Vincent is an optional character in Final Fantasy VII, but he is easy to encounter and recruit on the main story path. Vincent does not speak often, but he has a lot of stories to tell when he does, such as the forced experimentation that gave him his powers and the past of Sephiroth. He is also a very attractive guy to boot. Vincent was popular enough to get his own game in Dirge of Cerberus. While not a huge success, the game was praised for its story and fleshing-out of Vincent's character. He is one of the defining "cool" characters of RPGs.

Valve's goodwill on Gfaqs has eroded, with GLaDOS having little impact in 2018. Vincent wasn't overly impressive, but I think he takes this. 55% win for Vincent

The fourth match of Group 8 is

(4)Zero vs (13)Joker

Zero was a bit ahead of his time when he debuted in Mega Man X. Fans loved him from the moment he appeared; his cool design and fiery attitude in comparison to protag X make him incredibly popular. Not only that, but he had flowing blonde locks of hair and AN ENERGY SWORD. In Zero's later playable appearances, his swordplay would give players a new way to experience Mega Man series gameplay. Zero would later get his own spinoff series Mega Man Zero, which would give him a sleak redesign alongside unique weapons and a darker story than mainline MM. His origins are linked to the OG Megaman games, and his anti-hero role in the series is praised. Zero has been in many Capcom crossover games, most notably Marvel vs Capcom 3. He is possibly THE example of a bad*ss breakout character in gaming.

Persona is no stranger to near-silent protagonists, but Joker was something very few silent protags are - cool as h*ll. While unassuming normally, Joker is a stylish showoff in his phantom thief role in Persona 5. He sneaks around with knives and guns and always gets the job done, and looks cool while doing it. Joker awakens his persona by tearing off his trademark mask, and embodies the spirit of rebellion pushed by the game. Unlike previous protags he lives up to his role as the leader of the party, and feels like a real participant in the story. Some of his possible dialogue options are really funny too. His popularity and stylish flair helped make Persona a much more visable series, and he even got a smash appearance to back this up.

Even with a smash boost and no naming issues, Joker has no chance of defeating the high midcarder Zero. 67% win for Zero.

The fifth and sixth matches of Group 8 are

(6)Capcom vs (11)Namco

and (3)Nintendo vs (14)Konami
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The first match of Group 8 is

(1)Solid Snake vs (16)2B

There are few video game characters that are as likable and cool as Solid Snake. He is a lone wolf mercenary that takes on the toughest covert ops with limited help. He is a cynical snarker who smokes, but he also displays a surprising amount of humanity. This leads him to succeed where the other "Snakes" failed - he served as a protector rather than a destructive force, and truly bonded with his allies. His early designs in Metal Gear copied action movie heroes, but his designs in Solid and MGS4 were praised as iconic and fitting for a soldier. David Hayter's impressive VAing of Snake was another reason he became so popular. The Metal Gear series as a whole defined the stealth game genre, and the gameplay was seamlessly adapted to 3D in MGS with shooter elements. There are a ton of memes associated with Snake as well, and he is likely the most well-known Mature game protagonist of all time.

I have yet to play Nier Automata, so it's going to be hard to make this writeup. 2B is a very sexy robot who leaves little to the imagination with her design, but also looks like a bad*ss. Her no-nonsense personality and cool moves in battle also help make her a popular fan favorite. Her character development in Automata is praised as deep and complex, and her relationship with sidekick 9S was also well-received. The game is a modern masterpiece that combines Platinum's lightning-quick action gameplay with RPG elements, and provides a lot of variety in ranged attacks and swordplay for open world combat. The dystrophic setting and emotional plot of the game also contribute to its popularity. 2B is a character who grows immensely through the story, and became a new sex symbol for the modern age.

Obviously Snake is going to win this. 2B has quite a bit of support on Gfaqs though, surprisingly for a recent character. 68% win for Snake.

The second match of Group 8 is

(8)Mileena vs (9)Felicia

Mileena is definitely unique among characters who are considered sex symbols in gaming. Her first appearance in Mortal Kombat 2 wasn't anything crazy outwardly, but her fatalities revealed her as anything but a mere palette swap of Kitana, as she literally cannibalized her opponents in an exaggerated manner. Some found her humorous and others were oddly attracted to her. Regardless she became very popular and is one of the signature characters of MK. Her seductive behavior combined with her violent nature made her stand out - She arguably popularized the "crazy sexy" villain archetype in gaming. She was also a very good character gameplay-wise, thanks to her fast sai throws and teleport kick. Mileena's redesign after the series reboot upped the ante greatly for her sex appeal - her alternate costume in MK2011 is especially notable for being INSANELY skimpy.

I think it would not be out of line to say that Felicia popularized the concept of "furry" sex symbol characters in gaming. It's only natural she'd be a fan favorite; she fights completely naked in every appearance with nothing but fur to cover up. She hits all the right notes for cuteness and sex appeal, and is a catgirl to boot. Oddly enough she was more feral in her Darkstalkers debut than she would be later on. Her innocence also contributes to her popularity - she takes turns as an entertainer and a NUN of all things. She is known for her speed in gameplay and is easily able to dance around enemies while harassing with claws and her trademark spin attack. She defines the fast-paced gameplay of the Darkstalkers series.

I think Felicia and Mileena will be close in strength, so this should come down to Gfaqs preferences. MK is more high-profile and Felicia isn't too relevant now. so its a 54% win for Mileena.

The third and fourth matches of Group 8 are

(5)Valve vs (12)Square

and (4)Capcom vs (13)Atlus
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Characters remaining

Capcom: 4 entrants
Atlus, Nintendo, Konami, Namco: 2 entrants
Square: 1 entrant left
Platinum Games, Midway Games, Valve: 1 entrant
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The seventh match of Group 7 is

(7)Squall Leonhart vs (10)Commander Shepard

"Whatever. . ." I admittedly haven't played Final Fantasy VIII, and am aware that it is a very polarizing game, especially for the magic system and some plot elements. But Squall is clearly a very strong and popular character who is the definitive aloof loner protagonist in gaming. His backstory and development throughout the game is praised, and his relationship with Rinoa is iconic and tied to the game's plot. Also notable is his rivalry with Seifer. While criticized by some as cool and inhuman, his cynicism makes him a relatable character. His design is very late-90s edgy, but his attractiveness and bad*ss GUNBLADE are appealing. His pairing with Rinoa is very polarizing though, and FF8 does not receive the focus of other games in the series. Squall is held back by these elements, but has made plenty of appearances in spinoffs and is still an RPG icon.

Commander Shepard set a new standard for customizable player characters in games when he first appeared in Mass Effect. He was fully fleshed-out as a character and had stellar VAing - all of Shepard's dialogue trees in the game were voiced, so whatever choices the player made felt real. He also had a lot of humorous lines both solo and in banter with his teammates. Shepard could also be a she starting in Mass Effect 2. Both genders were free to romance any major teammate, which could effect the plot of the game. The same Shepard could be played from the first game all the way to Mass Effect 3, where their story ended. Shepard was a cool and attractive protagonist who was respected by their allies - a character people wanted to play as.

Both characters have lost a lot of contest strength going by 2018. But I think Shepard had it worse with how bad the last Mass Effect game was received. 59% win for Squall.

The eighth match of Group 7 is

(2)Pac-Man vs (15)Tracer

It's freaking Pac-Man. His self-titled arcade debut argubly popularized gaming as a medium. The gameplay was iconic and fun - classic Pac-Man games are still released to this day. His design was super simple and made him a popular mascot of gaming. Though a poorly-received port of Pac-Man helped contribute to the infamous Game Crash of the 80s. He reminded popular through the 90s, but his series' attempts to enter other genres of gaming were rather hit or miss. The Pac-Man World games were probably the best attempt to bring Pac-Man into 3D, and retain some popularity in speedrunning. Pac-Man is not in the best shape as a series, but the man himself remains one of the most recognizable characters in any media, and has left a clear mark on the direction of gaming.

It's tough for a single character in stand out in a massively popular competitive game, but Tracer is definitely one that does. She was present in a major way before Overwatch was even released, and heavily used in advertising. Her upbeat personality, skintight uniform and speedy gameplay made her popular immediately. When the game released, she saw plenty of play thanks to her speed and teleportation tech and is argubly the definite speedster in team FPS. Players would have to fight over claiming her in the lobby (I'm already Tracer!). Players liked her chipper British VAing, and her backstory was also praised. Tracer was also revealed as gay in a comic, in a nonchalant manner that earned praise from many. She has a lot of popularity both in and outside the fanbase, and is a modern gaming sex symbol.

Neither Pac-Man nor Overwatch are that popular on Gfaqs, and D.Va did horribly in 2018. Tracer will be stronger, but Pac-Man has the smash boost. 52% win for Pac-Man.

The first and second matches of Group 8 are

(1)Konami vs (16)Platinum Games

and (8)Midway Games vs (9)Capcom
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The fifth match of Group 7 is

(6)Dr. Eggman vs (11)Zangief

Eggman is almost as important and influential in the Sonic series as the hedgehog himself. He debuted in the very first Sonic game and is very rarely absent from one. He served as the vast majority of bosses in the Genesis titles, each time piloting a different robotic creation. His constant presence in the series made gave him a lot of popularity, His design: rotund shape, giant mustache and overall silly look made him one of the most iconic villains in any media. He is praised for his over the top personality and humorous VAing - there are countless memetastic lines uttered by the doctor. He always finds a way to lose to Sonic, but there are times when he can get serious. Eggman is an utterly effective and intimidating villain in those moments. He is one of the most persistent villains in gaming, and anything but a cliche mad scientist.

This was a mistake. I didn't notice until after I started posting the bracket that Zangief is not really needed in the bracket. I put Zangief in here primarily for his moveset in Street Fighter II, which set the standard for grappling characters in fighting games. However, it was Capcom's older character Mike Haggar who influenced Zangief's moveset in the first place. Capcom lifted the lariet move directly from Haggar, and seems to have based Zangief's moveset on Haggar's Final Fight playstyle. So I would definitely call Haggar the father of grapplers instead of Zangief. Without that title, Zangief is just an over the top Russian stereotype. His look is iconic and he is very popular, but he doesn't really have enough to make this bracket.

Eggman last appeared in 2013 and was. . . not impressive. But I think he'd be quite a bit stronger today. Zangief I think would be slightly stronger than Guile. More people on Gfaqs care about the Sonic series than SF though. 54% win for Eggman.

The sixth match of Group 7 is

(3)Chun-Li vs (14)Magus

Chun-Li is often referred to as the First Lady of Gaming, and absolutely had an impact on the representation of female characters in all of gaming, not just in fighters. Her design is iconic due to her eye-catching blue traditional chinese garb, hairstyle and spiked bracelets. Chun's attractiveness and her famously THICK legs made her a full blown sex symbol in the 90s. She inspired many similar characters in other fighting games, including Mai Shiranui. Chun was just as capable as the male characters in Street Fighter 2; using her powerful kicks and speed to defeat her male opponents. Her ability to walljump was unique at the time, and her Lightning Kick and Spinning Bird Kick are iconic moves. Chun-Li is massively popular and has appeared in nearly every piece of Street Fighter media, including the horribly cast Legend of Chun-Li movie. Her playstyle evolved in Street Fighter 3 Third Strike, where she was a prominent top-tier character.

Magus was one of the most complex antagonists of the time when he appeared in Chrono Trigger. He looked like a complete bad*ss and definitely evil, but there was much more to him. And he had a freaking scythe even. Responsible for Frog's current state, you can encounter Magus following the party's initial fight against him and, if you so desire, spare him. If you do, Magus will join the party's quest to defeat Lavos. The way you encounter and recruit Magus is pretty unique to this day, and a merciless player will be punished for taking him out without remorse. Magus' backstory is deeply entwined with Lavos and the fate of the world, and his borderline anti-villainous role in the game set a new standard for antagonists in RPGs.

This match is tough to call, but I think Chun-Li takes it. She held up well in a loss to Ganondorf in 2018, while Magus lost to Vincent. 55% win for Chun.

The seventh and eighth matches of Group 7 are

(7)Square vs (10)Bioware

and (2)Namco vs (15)Blizzard
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The third match of Group 7 is

(5)Sub-Zero vs (12)Alyx Vance

While Scorpion is perhaps more iconic, Sub-Zero is very popular and influential to gaming. There are actually 2 brothers who use the name Sub-Zero in the Mortal Kombat series. The elder brother Bi-Han appeared in the first game as a brutal villain who is killed by Scorpion, who blames him for his death (prior to revival). Bi-Han would later return as the undead Noob Saibot. The younger brother Liang would take the Sub-Zero name in most other games. He is a heroic character who would make amends with Scorpion. Liang would take leadership of his tribe and adopt Frost as an apprentice. Like Scorpion, Sub-Zero's design is very simple and inspired many other ninjas in the series. His freezing attack and ice-based moves were very unique for the time and gave him a different way to play. His classic fatalities, especially the spine rip, are also iconic.

Alyx Vance was one of the most popular female game characters of the 2000s, and not without reason. She is praised as a realistic and strong woman, and one of the most competent NPC partners in any game. The player does not have to babysit her in Half-Life 2, and she does more than her share of taking out aliens. Alyx's design is not oversexualized, yet so attractive and unique that she is recognized as a sex symbol regardless. She is prominent as far as characters of Afro descent go, and noted for her wit. Despite being paired with the silent Gordon Freeman, their relationship grows over the course of the game, and Alyx becomes more of a partner then a sidekick by the end.

Sub-Zero has always been the strongest MK character in contests, and still seemed to be a high-midcarder in 2018. Alyx Vance had one appearance long ago and did horribly. 78% win for Sub-Zero.

The fourth match of Group 7 is

(4)Aerith Gainsborough vs (13)Agent 47

"Aerith dies." Likely the most infamous spoiler in gaming. Aerith is iconic just for being an important RPG partner member, a love interest for the protagonist at that, who is killed and NOT canonically revived. Her death scene is one of the most iconic and shocking scenes in any media. Aerith's design is notably conservative, but her personality is not - she is strong-willed and flirtatious, but not annoyingly so. She was also an important healer to the group, so players would absolutely miss her when she died. Her girlish and understated color scene highlights her innocence too. She is important in both the overarching plot of Final Fantasy VII, and in Cloud's struggle with his identity in the game. The fact that Aerith's death had the impact it did proves her worth as a character.

Honestly I don't know a whole lot about this guy. He is clearly popular, with many games and 2 feature films based on the Hitman series. 47 is a clone who was raised to be the perfect assassin, and he is VERY good at his job. He goes to insane lengths to stalk his targets and clean up murder scenes, and makes use of various weapons and his iconic Fiber Wire to do the job. 47's design is straight to the point and effective. He is well-dressed in a suit and has a barcode on the back of his neck (he is literally a number, nothing more). His personality is as cold as you'd expect. He does not hesitate to kill anyone, yet he is still capable of forming relationships with others on rare occasions. The duality of his questional morality mixed with his calculating assassin personality make him an iconic anti-hero in gaming.

Unsurprisingly, Hitman is not a popular series on Gfaqs at all. Final Fantasy VII definitely is, and Aerith had her best showing yet in 2018. 69% win for Aerith.

The fifth and sixth matches of Group 7 are

(6)Sega vs (11)Capcom

and (3)Capcom vs (14)Square
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The first match of Group 7 is

(1)Pikachu vs (16)Arthas Menethil

Pikachu is bar none the most popular Pokemon in the series, and a well-recognized mascot of gaming and Japanese culture in general. Even non-gamers know Pikachu. The electric mouse takes a lead role in many Pokemon games and media, including the anime and the upcoming Detective Pikachu movie. Pika's cute design and standout color scheme make it appear to fans of all demographics. And it evolves into Raichu for those who think Pika is too cute. It was the most prominent electric mon of gen 1, and presented a choice to the player in Pokemon Red and Blue. Do you evolve Pikachu for more power, or do you push through to teach it better moves? It also put focus on the Pokeball mechanic, due to Ash's Pikachu not wanting to go into one. The fact that said Pikachu was referred to as "special" also made it stand out. The Pika in Pokemon Yellow highlighted the trading mechanic, as it would be holding a Light Ball when traded to gen 2 games.

Arthas is one of the most popular characters from Warcraft, and the most praised as well. He first appeared in Warcraft 3 as a young paladian determined to protect his kingdom. In classic Shakespearian fashion, Arthas loses his way as he becomes increasingly rash in his tactics against the Scrouge. Once he takes up a cursed runeblade his fate is sealed. He loses his soul and becomes the infamous Lich King. Later he appears in World of Warcraft as a raid boss and is defeated. Arthas is one of the iconic tragic characters of gaming; one who tries to justify his terrible actions as the right decisions. He was corrupted into a cruel and effective undead villain, and ironically ended up warring with groups just as brutal as him.

Pikachu was very strong in 2018 and competitive with Noble Nine characters. Arthas hasn't been relevant for quite a while either. 73% win for Pikachu.

The second match of Group 7 is

(8)Nathan Drake vs (9)Revolver Ocelot

Nathan Drake's influence lies in the fact that he's, well, a normal*ss dude. Many generic white male protagonists come and go, yet Drake remains relevant and is popular enough to be a de facto mascot for the Playstation. One reason is his attractiveness. . . the second is his personality. He is a witty charmer with attitude, who finds his way out of life-threatening situations with a smile and a quip. He is the casual Indiana Jones, and referred to as the male Lara Croft due to his countless adventures in far locales. Drake is a daredevil of sorts but not overly masculine, appealing to all types of gamers and making him a character everyone wants to be.

Sadistic villain, unhinged anti-hero and casual turncoat: Revolver Ocelot is all of these and more. His first appearance in Metal Gear Solid is notable for his iconic boss battle - where he uses a simple Colt revolver instead of more modern weapons. He plays several sides in that game, and he is a triple agent for even more organizations in other games. Even as a young man in prequels. Ocelot emerges as the main antagonist in the MGS series, with ties to both Liquid Snake and Big Boss. He is a fan favorite for his eccentric behavior and casual violence - the latter being on display in the popular scene where he tortures Solid Snake. His stylized design as an old west gunslinger also helps make him iconic. He is probably one of the most fun villains in gaming.

Drake isn't terribly weak in contests, but Gfaqs has a general apathy for his series. Going by 2018 results, Ocelot seems just a bit stronger. 52% win for Ocelot.

The third and fourth matches of Group 7 are

(5)Midway Games vs (12)Valve

and (4)Square vs (13)IO Interactive
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Characters remaining:

Capcom: 6 entrants
Square: 4 entrants
Nintendo, Konami, Namco: 3 entrants
Blizzard, Atlus, Midway Games, Valve: 2 entrants
Bioware, Platinum Games, Sega: 1 entrant left
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The seventh match of Group 6 is

(7)Big Boss vs (10)Knuckles

Taking the Metal Gear series in as a whole, Big Boss could reasonably be considered the main character as much as Solid Snake. He serves as Snake's commander in the first game, but later on reveals his true motivations as the leader of Outer Heaven. His strange, fourth-wall breaking codec dialogues with Snake are some of the earliest examples of meta humor in games. He reappears with the codename Naked Snake in Metal Gear Solid 3, a prequel. The game is praised for its realistic combat and survival gameplay, and for its winding, twist-filled plot. And of course Naked Snake's iconic battle with The Boss. Other games in the series show how Big Boss becomes disillusioned with government and politics, and eventually forms a militant group. Big Boss and his group have an influence on the series that stretches across every game. He remains popular and iconic to this day, due to his complex and realistic motivations, tactical prowess and straight up coolness as a villain.

Tougher than the rest of them, Knuckles' debut in Sonic 3 signaled the beginning of the modern Sonic era. Countless new characters would be introduced to the series after him, based off of different animals with new abilities. Knuckles punches and gliding ability introduced a whole new set of options to play the game, and his digging ability was unique in Sonic Adventure. He is very popular and has a cool design that rivals Sonic's. His rough and literal personality also endear him to fans, as well as the humor he brings to games. And there's also *sigh* Ugandan Knuckles. I guess Sega knew the way when they created Knuckles.

Going by 2018 results, it is tough to say who is stronger. This should be very close, but Metal Gear is in a bad state right now. 51% win for Knuckles.

The eighth match of Group 6 is

(2)Kirby vs (15)Lloyd Irving

Kirby is probably getting dropped to a 3 seed - just getting that out there. Cute, round and pink; that sums up Kirby's design. His popularity speaks for itself, and he has a ton of games to his name and is loved by fans. Kirby's Dream Land and Adventure introduced his inhale and copy abilities, which created a whole new type of platforming gameplay. Stealing opponent's abilities was simple and effective and gave players many ways to progress. His ability to puff up and fly indefinitely made the Kirby series accessible to young players who weren't as good at platforming. His personality was also very simple - he's a cute little puffball who likes to eat. Kirby is also prominent in the smash series, and is a very popular choice due to his various abilities including Copy. And his voice - POYO! Kirby is possibly THE cutest game protagonist of all time.

When Lloyd's game Tales of Symphonia came out, anime-styled RPGs were not especially common in the west. ToS was the first Tales game published in the west, and its popularity brought the series to the region to stay. The battle system of the game would also prove influential with its use of a 3D plane and real-time action. Lloyd was a good fit for the main playable fighter due to his speed and movement abilities. Lloyd doesn't look like a typical anime character, but he has some cliche attributes. He is book-dumb and awkward, but he is very idealistic. Protagonists in RPGs often lose their idealism as they struggle through emotional battles, but not Lloyd. It is his ideals that take him through to the end of the game; this dedication endears him to fans. He is a popular shipping target, since the game allows you to pair him with any party member.

Lloyd isn't the weakest character in the world, but the Tales fanbase is very split in their character preferences. And Kirby is very strong. 68% win for Kirby.

The first and second matches of Group 7 are

(1)Nintendo vs (16)Blizzard

and (8)Naughty Dog vs (9)Konami
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The fifth match of Group 6 is

(6)Akuma vs (11)Lightning

Among video game villains and fighting game characters in general, Akuma is an icon. His appearance in Super Street Fighter II Turbo is one of the most shocking moments in gaming. He comes out of nowhere and easily kills M. Bison before challenging the player. And he is no joke. He looks like Ryu if he were a demon, and plays like him. But Akuma's speed and damage are very high, and he has an aerial hadouken that can easily lock you down. Both that and the Demon Flip are iconic moves that would be copied by many fighters following him. There is also the Raging Demon; perhaps the most iconic and flashy finisher in fighting games. While he is a violent fighter, Akuma maintains a code of honor, and will not engage anyone who is not on his level, short of directly calling him out. He repeatedly tries to tempt Ryu to give in to the Dark Hadou, to provide him an ample challenge. Akuma was also the original broken fighter in games, and was banned in most SSF2T tournaments. He was ALSO the original crossover fighter; appearing in X-Men Children of the Atom as a secret fighter.

Lightning is one of gaming's most polarizing characters. Critics say she is bland, sullen and a ripoff of Cloud. But she is also the defining modern RPG protagonist. Her debut in Final Fantasy XIII depicts her as a brash, stubborn woman with a laundry list of issues in her past. She grows as a character over the course of the game, but her backstory is often criticized as overdramatic. Both FF13 itself and Lightning seem to fall into the modern trap of style over substance. The game focuses on story and making the characters look cool, instead of compelling gameplay. She DOES look cool in action though, and has a large amount of fans regardless of criticism. She also appeared in multiple fashion industry ads and plenty of Square spinoff games. Much of the same polarizing commentary about Lightning was revived with Lightning Returns.

Tough to call this one. Lightning was not terrible in 2018, and Akuma seemed to have ok strength in his appearances. But I think Akuma will win a close match due to Gfaq's dislike of FFXIII in general. 52% win for Akuma.

The sixth match of Group 6 is

(3)Princess Peach vs (14)Tommy Vercetti

The damsel in distress is one of the most common archetypes in all of media, and Peach is the definitive damsel of gaming. She's a cute princess with blond hair, blue eyes and VERY pink clothes - naturally she is very popular. She is a likable character who players actually want to save over and over. Her exact relationship with Mario and her usual kidnapper Bower is undefined, allowing fans to speculate to this day. Peach is a popular sex symbol as well. Her cute voice and design makes her popular in Mario spinoff games, especially among female players. Her playable appearances in other games are notable too - Peach's float and vegetable throwing make her unique in smash games.

Upon his debut in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Vercetti helped the GTA series acheive a new level of popularity. Unlike previous protags Tommy Vercetti was a fully fleshed-out character, with actor Ray Liotta for a VA. He is established as an infamous mobster and killer at the start of the game, and is fresh out of jail to boot. He is a notable anti-hero in gaming due to his criminal rep and violent tendencies. Many compare Tommy to Tony Montana, but Tommy is a more nuanced character. His Hawaiian shirt is iconic, and his reckless and amoral sense of humor makes him a favorite among GTA fans. He is also prominent among mafiaso in games.

Vercetti is not remembered much among Gfaqs, and GTA is not a series liked on the boards. And Peach is the strongest she has ever been going by 2018 results. 75% win for Peach.

The seventh and eighth matches of Group 6 are

(7)Konami vs (10)Sega

and (2)Nintendo vs (15)Namco
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The third match of Group 6 is

(5)Gordon Freeman vs (12)Yuffie Kisaragi

Gordon is THE most silent silent protagonist. He never utters a word in any Half-Life game, and does not visably react to much. Yet he was a popular fan-favorite character who endured many years with no HL3 in sight. His design was perfect for his role; you can tell that Gordon is a science nerd, but also that he is one cool guy. The bad*ss scientist character in games was argubly popularized by him. What Gordon lacks in personality is made up by the actions taken by the player to destroy alien threats, and the respect he gets from NPCs as a result. Gordon represents the ultimate fantasy role for many gamers, making fans excited to play as him. The HL series as a whole also redefined the first person action genre, especially on PC.

Yuffie might be a bit of an odd choice, but I do think she belongs in the bracket. She was an optional character in Final Fantasy VII who was a bit out of the way, and possibly the most iconic optional character in RPGs. She became quite popular regardless, moreso in the East than elsewhere. Her design is cute, and she is kind of a sex symbol. . . mostly in Japan for REASONS. She basically created the "peppy ninja girl" archetype, which would become common in both games and anime. Her over-inflated ego and selfish streak made her unique among RPG party members at the time. It helps that her sideplot in Wutai was memorable and endearing, if not a bit frustrating.

Unfortunately, Gordon's contest strength seems to have fallen off a cliff going by 2018's results. Yuffie would be decent in a contest I think, which will be enough to beat the star of a crumbled series. 58% win for Yuffie.

The fourth match of Group 6 is

(4)Crono vs (13)Auron

Despite being a silent protagonist, Crono was a popular and praised protagonist in Chrono Trigger. The game defined 2D RPGs of the era, and introduced many gameplay and plot innovations that would be copied by other games. Players were easily able to insert themselves into Crono's role. He was a courageous leader and the emotional core of the party, which was backed up by his actions and inferred responses to other characters. The plot twist that occurs when they confront the main antagonist for the first time is also a big part of what makes Crono influential among protags of ANY game. He made it clear that silent protagonists can have depth and be beloved among fans, and remains a favorite of gamers to this day.

Like Crono, Auron only had a large role in one game. In his case it was Final Fantasy X - which I've already talked about in several previous updates. Auron was a huge fan favorite from the moment he appeared and is possibly more popular than Tidus. He defined the "mysterious loner party member" in a way no character before him came close to, and was a complete bad*ss to boot. Every part of his design was carefully crafted to be cool, but not overly edgy. The dark glasses and use of only one arm told the story of his past struggles. Auron is a man of few words, but he has a big sword to back him up when he does speak. He is also one of the most iconic *spoiler* characters of all time in games.

Both Crono and Auron are very strong in contests and were actually stronger than ever in 2018. Crono defeated Auron in 2006 and honestly, I think today's results would be the same. 55% win for Crono.

The fifth and sixth matches of Group 6 are

(6)Capcom vs (11)Square

and (3)Nintendo vs (14)Rockstar Games
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Update tomorrow
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The first match of Group 6 is

(1)Sonic vs (16)Erdrick

Sonic is one of the most iconic and enduring game characters of all time. Designed to be cooler and more relateable than Mario, Sonic inspired many characters that would follow, and is instantly recognizable for his blue color scheme and distinct sillouette. The gameplay of his series is iconic for its speed and use of Sonic's spindash to both navigate the stage and take out enemies. The 3D games adapted this same gameplay with varied results: see Sonic 2006. Sonic's rivalry with Dr. Eggman is a core part of the series, along with his close relationships with Tails and several other characters. Sonic remains massively popular despite having many poorly-received games to his name; he even has a feature film coming out this year. And the fandom for the Sonic series remains as strong and as. . . enthusiastic as ever.

It was pretty tough for me to settle on a Dragon Quest player character to include here. But I ultimately settled on Erdrick, due to his importance in the early series. Erdrick is a legendary hero referred to in Dragon Quest 1 and 2, with the player character being a descendent of him. He had previously saved the kingdom and the player's goal is to do the same. To this end, the strongest equipment the player can wield are Erdrick's sword and armor. In Dragon Quest 3, Erdrick is playable due to the game being a prequel to the first 2. Players were surprised and excited to play as the legendary hero, who was built up in the previous games. DQ's lore was very developed for its time and had Erdrick to thank. He would also reappear much later in DQ11.

Obviously Sonic is going to win by a lot here. Erdrick peaked a very long time ago and I can't see him not being fodder. 84% win for Sonic.

The second match of Group 6 is

(8)Cammy White vs (9)Goomba

Female characters were becoming more common in fighting games by the time Cammy debuted in Super Street Fighter II. She was the second playable woman in the series, and had a lot of things that Chun-li didn't. She was a slim blonde woman with a REVEALING uniform, ripped legs and a nice. . . backside. Her playstyle was straightforward, involving throwing herself at foes and trying to take them down before losing her small amount of health. Cammy immediately became one of the most popular characters in the series, and remains so to this day. She even had a large role in the SF movie. Cammy's storyline in the series further endured her to fans - she served under Bison while brainwashed as the Killer Bee. She pushes forward after being freed to take down Bison and help the other victims of Shadowloo. Cammy is praised for her earnesty and characterization as much as her sex appeal, and could be considered the western response to Mai Shiranui and Chun-Li.

The simple Goomba - perhaps the most recognizable mook enemy in gaming. It's a basically a mushroom with feet and a face, and surprisingly cute for what it is. All the Goomba did in the original Super Mario Bros is walk around, yet it could damage or kill Mario when it touched him. But with a bit of thinking, many first-time gamers would figure out that jumping on the Goomba's head would defeat it. This bit of knowledge would open up the game, and lead them to find out more about other enemies like Koopas. Goomba is an amazingly influential character just based on this. Goombas would serve as weak enemies in hundreds of games, but the optimal way to defeat them would often be different. They would occasionally be allies as well, or playable.

Neither character has appeared in a Gfaqs contest, but I think that Cammy would not be too far behind Chun-Li in strength here. Goomba is well-known, but not really a character people are passionate about. I would give Cammy a 58% win.

The third and fourth matches of Group 6 are

(5)Valve vs (12)Square

and (4)Square vs (13)Square
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Ok so I have a new computer. We are back for real now

The seventh match of Group 5 is

(7) Guile vs (10) Phoenix Wright

Guile is arguably the most popular American stereotype in gaming. His casual military design and iconic hairdo made him an instant hit when he debuted in Street Fighter 2. You would be forgiven for thinking he was the main character of the series due to his popularity, and fierce hatred of final boss M. Bison for killing his partner Charlie. He was the star of many of the animated adaptations of the series, and was the main character of the movie. His moveset is also iconic - everyone knows the Sonic Boom and Flash Kick. He also popularized the turtle playstyle in fighters, which was the optimal way to play Guile. Charlie inherited his moveset in the prequel games, and Guile remained basically unchanged upon returning in SF4. There are also many memes associated with him, including Guile's Theme Goes with Everything.

OBJECTION! Board 8's unofficial mascot is known for being an almost normal guy with an iconic hairstyle, who overcomes insane odds and weird situations as a courtroom lawyer. Ace Attorney is probably the most popular virtual novel series of all time thanks to its humor and outlandish characters, and redefined investigative point-and-click gameplay. Phoenix himself is vital as the straight man. His banter with his assistants, Maya in particular, is well-received. He and Maya are an iconic duo in gaming; having appeared together in many crossover games. Their Marvel vs Capcom 3 appearance is notable for the unique playstyle given to the pair. His rivalry with prosecutor Edgeworth is iconic as well.

Not sure if Guile would win this match elsewhere, but Phoenix is clearly the more popular pick on Gfaqs. This is made clear in 2018 by comparing their results against Kirby. 57% win for Phoenix.

The eighth match of Group 5 is

(2)Donkey Kong vs (15) Zidane Tribal

Good old DK was one of the first iconic antagonists of gaming in the original Donkey Kong arcade game, where he faced Jumpman aka Mario. He was little more than an ape with a tie, but he managed to be both threatening and funny in the game. OG Donkey Kong was one of the most influential games ever made - the gameplay and mechanics defined the early platforming genre, and it had a simple goal. DK kind of faded for a while after 2 follow-up arcade games, but his return in Donkey Kong Country AGAIN defined the platforming genre. The gameplay and graphics were impressive and later games expanded his "DK Crew" family. He has branched out into many genres and Mario spinoffs too. Not to mention the countless memes he spawned. You can probably thank DK for starting Nintendo on the path to gaming greatness.

Zidane is a very different kind of RPG protagonist. He is upbeat, energetic and a little perverted - definitely not a typical brooding loner. His design is popular, and so is his Trance design for. . . reasons. He is somewhat forgotten compared to Cloud or Squall, but fans still like him for his fun personality and Robin Hood-like role in Final Fantasy 9. He would end up influencing several similar protagonists as a result. The dramatic turn his story takes in late in the game is praised for the emotion and depth it exposes within Zidane. His struggles would end up influencing RPG protagonists such as Luke Fon Fabre of Tales.

This is an obvious win for DK. Zidane is likely near the fodder line and DK took out much stronger characters in 2018. 63% win for DK.

Characters remaining:
Capcom, Square: 8 entrants
Nintendo: 6 entrants
Konami, Namco: 4 entrants
Valve, Sega: 3 entrants
Blizzard, Atlus, Midway Games: 2 entrants
Bioware, Platinum Games, Naughty Dog, Enix: 1 entrant left

The first and second matches of Group 6 are

(1)Sega vs (16)Enix

and (8)Capcom vs (9)Nintendo
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

so it is looking like I will need a new computer, or at the very least I will lose my data/notes. I should have this resolved in a few more days and will get to work on putting the bracket and writeups back together
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

So um, my computer basically just died on me. No idea when or if it will recover. I can still finish this topic but I will need time to reconstruct my notes and bracket. Next update when I have time in the next few days.
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

ok we're back on

The fifth match of Group 5 is:

(6)Yuna vs (11)Slime

Summoner is a fairly common RPG archetype, but Yuna is arguably the definitive example in gaming. Her design is popular and mixes the conservative culture of Spira with a hint of Yuna's own desires to be free from her fatalistic mission. Her development in Final Fantasy X is widely praised, as she slowly opens up to the idea of having her own identity. Her romance with Tidus is iconic, of course. The tragedy of this relationship makes Yuna one of the most praised doomed maiden characters in gaming. Her muted VAing is polarizing, but a vital part of her appeal. Her redesign in FF X-2 was also very popular; it is one of the most iconic "hotter and sexier" redesigns in any media. However the game itself and Yuna's cringey dialogue in it were polarizing. Yuna is a standout female protagonist and a vital part of FFX's emotional story, and remains well-loved to this day.

What you see is what you get with Slime. It's a cute little starter enemy. Slime is likely the first random encounter in the majority of Dragon Quest games, and the easiest to defeat. A suitable introduction to the turn-based RPG battle system. Slime's simple teardrop design and ease to find in its games made it very popular, and an RPG icon. Slimes also have a gooey speech quirk, which influenced similar traits with characters such as Moogles. Slimes appeared with a variety of colors and upgraded forms such as Metal Slime, setting the standard for RPG mook enemies. Slime was also the mascot for Enix.

Yuna has been a respectable midcarder in contests, and is a bit stronger than Tidus. Slime appeared once and did ok against Lara Croft, but it is clearly near the fodder line. 65% win for Yuna.

The sixth match of Group 5 is:

(3)Kratos vs (14)Nemesis

When Kratos made his debut in God of War, he and his series found instant success. The gameplay was brutally violent and brought masculine gamer fantasies to fruition. You don't just beat your enemies - you tear them apart while raging at the world itself. And the female enemies. . . get a SPECIAL part of Kratos. Kratos' backstory and design fit this role perfectly. Kratos makes a deal with Ares when facing defeat in battle, and receives the Blades of Athena. The weapon gives him a bloodlust that ultimately leads him to slay his own wife and child. Their ashes stain his body to form his iconic bad*ss design. He rages across many games as an agent of the gods, and as an enemy of the gods. He is very popular and sympathetic despite his brutal personality, and among the most iconic anti-heroes in gaming. He even took on a fatherly role in the recent GoW4, which was widely praised.

"STAAAARS. . ." Nemesis is one of the most popular and well-known horror monsters in gaming, but it is not because he has complex motivations or sympathetic origins. He is a Tyrant BOW who was reprogrammed by Umbrella for one purpose: eliminate the STARS team. He relentlessly pursues Jill in Resident Evil 3, and shows a frightening amount of intelligence when compared to RE2's Mr. X. He can use a rocket launcher to attack from a distance, and CAN OPEN DOORS. His coat signifies how human-like he is, and is an iconic part of his design. It takes a lot to repel him and he never stops in his lumbering tracks for long. It is a relief for players at the end of RE3 when they are finally safe from him. Nemesis' rivalry with Jill remains one of the best-known and oddest in gaming.

Kratos performed like a solid midcarder in 2018 thanks to GoW4. Nemesis only appeared in the villains contest, but held up well against Ocelot. However the God of War is far more relevant today. 63% win for Kratos.

The seventh and eighth matches of Group 5 are:

(7)Capcom vs (10)Capcom

and (2)Nintendo vs (15)Square
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get updates out this weekend due to my schedule and other issues that came up. Not sure if I will be able to get one out to tomorrow but I will try to get back on track with daily updates by Tuesday.
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

no update today. will get at least one done tomorrow
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The third match of Group 5 is:

(5)Crash Bandicoot vs (12)Chris Redfield

The first Crash Bandicoot was one of the most influential platformers of all time. It mixed 2D and 3D gameplay and brought its own innovations to both. Most notably it introduced Crash's spin attack. On the 3D plane it hit enemies and boxes all around Crash, which made incredibly useful and was the centerpiece of gameplay along with tight platforming. The use of Aku Aku as a healthbar was also unique. Crash himself was made to be a mascot - his design is bare bones but he takes after Sonic and is very recognizable. He was silent - I think it's because he's dumb. But it is satisfying to outwit Dr. Cortex while playing as a dummy like Crash. Humor is another big reason fans like Crash - his silly dances and outlandish death animations are very popular (WHOA!). Crash has many popular games to his name and recently had remakes of the original games come out. He also legitimized the Playstation along with RE and Tomb Raider.

Chris Redfield did not have the influence on gaming that Jill or Leon had, but he is an important figure in gaming for different reasons. Chris in Resident Evil 1 was essentially the "hard mode" of the game. Lacking a lockpick, he had to collect keys while fighting for his life. Realistic, but difficult. He could take a lot of hits though. He gradually became known as THE zombie killer throughout his appearances. Chris also formed a tight, iconic partnership with Jill and a rivalry with Albert Wesker. He MAJORLY bulked up in RE5, which was a polarizing design decision. However his cheesy dialogue and the infamous boulder punch scene were a hit with fans and birthed many memes. Chris is a character who would not be out of place in a Hollywood movie, and is loved for being an (...attractive) tough guy with cheesy lines.

Neither character has been especially good in contests, but I think Crash is more popular on Gfaqs at this point due to nostalgia and did decent in 2018. 58% win for Crash.

The second match of Group 5 is:

(4)Scorpion vs (13)Ellie

GET OVER HERE! Scorpion is a gaming icon and the most popular character from Mortal Kombat. His catchphrase is popular, and the spear move he utters it during is very influential in the fighting game genre. He's also a complete bad*ss. Scorpion is an undead ninja with a SKULL FOR A FACE, has a cool mask and breathes fire. He also burns his opponents alive in his iconic fatality. While usually typecast as a villain in other media, he is an anti-hero in the series with a grudge against Sub-Zero's clan. His services are often bought by villains using his desire for revenge against him, but he will usually turn against them by game's end. His perchance for violence makes him a suitable character to represent the MK series as a whole.

A lot of characters that the player needs to protect or escort in a game end up being disliked by fans. Not Ellie. Her optimism, courage and determination makes her a character that players want to protect - but unlike most characters in her role, she is not a helpless damsel who needs to be babysat. She can take on enemies when needed and is always there to help out Joel. Her maturity is combined with vulnerability and emotional depth to create a very strong character. Despite only one game to her name, Ellie was immediately praised when The Last of Us came out. Her relationship with Joel quickly became iconic too. She was playable in a DLC chapter of the game, which showed her romantic relationship with Riley. This was well-received and made Ellie a standout LGBT character in gaming.

Scorpion got smacked by PIkachu in 2018, however Ellie is clearly weaker, having lost to KOS-MOS.
64% win for Scorpion.

The fifth and sixth matches of Group 5 are:

(6)Square vs (11)Enix

and (3)Santa Monica Studios vs (14)Capcom
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

I'm not sure if I would consider Bonk, I'd have to be sold on it

The first match of Group 5 is:

(1)Link vs (16)Travis Touchdown

He's the hero of freaking time. Link is one of the most iconic protagonists of all time, not just in gaming either. His design is well-recognized, simple and fitting for the setting of the Zelda series. His lack of speech and stoic personality make it easy for players to imagine him as they like. The gameplay of the series is about as influential as you can get. The 2D gameplay, and the 3D gameplay in Ocarina of Time revolutionized multiple generations of console games. His relationships with Zelda and supporting characters are praised in several games. Link battles a truly evil villain in Ganon, which makes his quests more dramatic and satisfying. The concept of Link reincarnating as a different individual again and again lent itself to many interesting theories, and set a precedent for Link to save Hyrule in each game.

Travis Touchdown is not a household name, but he is popular among a small but dedicated fandom and groups of adult gamers. He is a true anti-hero who revels in violence and style. In his first appearance in No More Heroes, he cut down his opponents with no mercy and selfishly pursued the affection of Sylvia. The entire series is super bloody, and controversially originated on the Wii. Travis' devil will care attitude and Jack*ss look made him popular among fans. He is also perhaps THE weeb protagonist, and the silly situations he often finds himself in lend a lot of humor to the series. The development he undergoes in NMT2 was well-received too. Even though his story was said to be over, fan demand for the return of Travis led to, well, Travis' return. He is a very different type of protagonist who shows players don't always want to be a "good guy".

Not much to say here. Link, the king of contests, dominates like always. Travis, who has lost to other niche characters, has no shot. 81% win for Link.

The second match of Group 5 is:

(8)Bomberman vs (9)Liquid Snake

It's been quite a while since Bomberman has had mainstream popularity, but most gamers can still recognize him. He has a game on the Switch and an appearance in smash, which helps. Bomberman quickly became an icon in the early days of gaming due to his self-named series' success. The gameplay was simple but fun and chaotic, and lent itself well to multiplayer combat. In fact Bomberman was one of the first big games for multiplayer (specifically 4 player) outside of arcades. The playable characters were Bomberman and variations of him. His cute base design made him a popular mascot of gaming. He bombed his way through many, many games and outlasted the company that created him. Some poorly-received games such as Bomberman Zero led the series to go on hiatus for a while, but ultimately returned for the aforementioned switch game.

Liquid Snake made a huge splash when he debuted in Metal Gear Solid. He was dramatic and outrageous, but also a cool and calculating mastermind. Liquid was a true blockbuster movie villain - which were very rare in gaming at the time. He proved very popular and his schemes (and a certain plot twist) contributed a lot to the praised story of MGS. His voice acting was well-received and his rivalry and boss fights with Solid are iconic. His backstory was also praised, and eventually shown in MGS5. Even after defeated, he manages to return and pursue his goals yet again in a suitably outrageous manner. Liquid remains popular as a villain to this day despite the MGS series falling on hard times.

Bomberman did ok in 2018, but Liquid has not seen a contest in a while. His relevancy has definitely faded, but I think Gfaqs still likes Liquid a lot. 52% win for Liquid.

The third and fourth matches of Group 5 are:

(5)Naughty Dog vs (12)Capcom

and (4)Midway Games vs (13)Naughty Dog
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Characters remaining update -

Capcom: 12 entrants
Square: 9 entrants
Nintendo: 8 entrants
Konami: 5 entrants
Namco: 4 entrants
Midway Games: 3 entrants
Valve, Naughty Dog, Sega: 3 entrants
Enix, Blizzard, Atlus: 2 entrants
Bioware, Platinum Games: 1 entrant left
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The seventh match of Group 4 is:

(7)Mai Shiranui vs (10)Ada Wong

Shortly after Chun-Li's debut, Mai Shiranui was an instant hit upon her first appearance in Fatal Fury. While Chun had her fans, Mai was actually more popular for quite a while, for two big, jiggly reasons. She was one of the first characters to have jiggle physics, and her iconic idle pose gave the perfect perspective to make sure all eyes went right to her chest. After just a few short years Mai had become a massively popular gaming icon and sex symbol, especially in East Asia. Her look is imitated constantly in cosplay and she has a ton of cameo and crossover appearances in other games to this day. Her traditional yet revealing ninja garb and fast all-around fighter playstyle in the games also contribute to her popularity in the KoF series, as well as her postitive and seductive personality. She's got explosive fire powers too.

Other than perhaps Lara Croft, Ada is one of the first names that comes up when thinking of fem fatale characters in gaming. She does not fall into a lot of stereotypes associated with women in gaming - Ada is strong and smart enough to take care of herself and get out of almost any situation, and if that fails she uses her sex appeal. She plays with the emotions of Leon in Resident Evil 2 to accomplish her goals, setting the seeds of the relationship that would intensify in RE4. Her role in the latter game is iconic, both for the messed-up romance she has with Leon and the sexy, revealing red dress that makes no sense in the setting. Most fans didn't mind. She is a beautiful yet deadly woman with style, who plays multiple sides and always keeps you guessing. She is one of the foremost asian sex symbols in gaming and very popular in all of her appearances.

In the battle of sexy asian women, there isn't really a clear answer. Ada hasn't been in a contest in 12 years and Mai has never been in one. Gfaqs doesn't care about KoF though, and Ada was decent in her last appearance. 65% win for Ada.

The eighth match of Group 4 is:

(2)Luigi vs (15)Kane

The king of second bananas, Luigi is one of the most iconic sidekick archetypes in any media. He is just as formidable as his better-known brother and has higher jumps to boot. But he lacks confidence, being in Mario's shadow. Luigi is characterized as a bit of a scaredy cat, but regardless braves haunted mansions and various other locales to help out his friends and brother. His quirky mannerisms and movements make him argubly more popular than Mario among fans. He started as no more than a palette swap of Mario, but quickly came into his own and became just as important to the series as Mario himself. Luigi's design is praised too even though it is similiar to Mario's. He's a favorite in spinoff titles and is almost always right there alongside Mario in other media

Live-action character portrayals are rare in gaming, and ones that are praised are even more rare. Kane fits the bill here. His portrayal by Joseph Kucan proved very popular. First appearing in Command and Conquer, Kane is a confident leader and the evil mastermind behind the Brotherhood of Nod cult. He is apparently killed in that game, but that is only the beginning. His origins are shown in C&C Red Alert; a prequel. He reappears in multiple sequels, still shown as the leader of Nod 50+ years later. Yet Kane looks the same every time. He is not just an antagonist either; he works with world governments when it suits his needs. Kane is one of the most iconic schemers in gaming, and a praised villain.

Kane made a contest appearance in 2002. . . with a joke of a picture. Not sure how much it mattered since he got stomped. Luigi is a very strong character of course. This will get very ugly. 87% win for Luigi.

The first and second matches of Group 5 are:

(1)Nintendo vs (16)Grasshopper Manufacture

and (8)Hudson Soft vs (9)Konami
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The fifth match of Group 4 is:

(6)Terra Branford vs (11)Metroid

While Terra is not as well-known as other Final Fantasy girls, she greatly raised the bar for female protagonists upon her debut in FF6 Her character development in that game was praised as the most complex in gaming at the time, and influenced countless other games to take a similiar route with their protagonists. She does not start out with many traits that you would expect from a protagonist, but she becomes more powerful both emotionally and physically over the course of the game. This is also accomplished without any romantic themes in a game where many playable characters received focus. Her design is Final Fantasy incarnate, and her esper form is, well. . . popular. Argubly her esper form influenced similiar transformations in other games (one being FF9).

As far as generic enemies go, the Metroid is one of the most iconic and creative in gaming. Their appearance is truly alien-like, and they can be a frightning enemy if you lack the Ice Beam to combat them. Their ability to suck out their victims lifeforce makes them a real threat whenever they appear. But they are not just enemies either. A certain baby Metroid which imprinted on Samus has several dramatic appearances in the series, and stirrs the protective instinct of the bounty hunter/the player. Also notable is Metroid Prime, which serves as the awesome final fight of its game. Oh, and the Metroid is the namesake for the series.

Yeah I have no idea here. I'm sure Gfaqs likes the Metroid, but they probably like Terra better. 60% win for Terra.

The sixth match of Group 4 is:

(3)Master Chief vs (14)Bayonetta

Master Chief is an icon of gaming. Halo 1 was a revolution for the FPS genre and legitimized the Xbox, and the Chief was right in the middle of it. He was praised as a bad*ss and as a character in his own right. His bond with Cortana is the emotional core of the series, and the way he interacts with her showcases the development both undergo throughout the series. He does all this without showing his face even once. That said he doesn't need his face. His spartan armor is very iconic and well-known even outside of gaming fandom. Some of the weapons and vehicles also influenced similiar ones in other FPS games. Just to be clear, I did not put Chief as a 2 seed since some of the recent Halo games have disappointed. Also because the space marine archetype he fit into was hardly new or groundbreaking even in 2001, and Chief struggles to stand out in the modern age.

Bayonetta is, obviously, all about the sex appeal. There had been sexy protagonists in action games before, but none of them had the blatantly sensual yet stylish moves of Bayo. Her skintight costume that shows off her curves comes off to show nearly EVERYTHING when she attacks. The costume is her hair which she uses to form a myriad of over-the-top weapons to take out her monsterous enemies. With an occasional side of "does this remind you of anything?" finishing moves. Bayonetta 1 was also the game that showed off the fast-paced combat that Platinum would become known for. Bayonetta is popular not just for her design but for her sultry voice and her, uh, backside. Her smash appearances is polarizing - it helped her recognizibility but her dominence in competitive play put a sour taste in some fans' mouths.

So Master Chief would win this match easily most places, but not on Gfaqs - very few people here care for Halo or the Xbox in general. Bayonetta was a decently strong midcarder in 2018. 57% win for Bayo.

The seventh and eighth matches of Group 4 are:

(7)SNK vs (10)Capcom

and (2)Nintendo vs (15)Westwood Studios
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

bump
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

was going to update this morning but I slept in. But here's the next one.

The third match of Group 4 is:

(5)Dracula vs (12)Geralt

First of all, I listed Drac as a Konami character since his Castlevania incarnation and the original literary character are distinctly separate entities. And I don't think he really gets votes from a 19th century novel. Dracula is one of the most iconic villains in gaming. He looks cool in every game and his boss fights are iconic. Also the gameplay of the series is helped by the silly size and design choices of his castle. His rivalries with both the Belmont clan and his own son Alucard are some of the most popular in gaming. As you would expect from a vampire, Dracula never stays dead. Game after game he comes back to spread his evil once more. His backstory is also praised, as well as his story in certain games that show his rise to power. And of course, there is his scene at the beginning of Symphony of the Night. But enough talk, have at you!

The justification for Geralt is simple - most people outside of Poland are not familiar with his literary appearances. Geralt stands out among western RPG protagonists for his aged bad*ss appearance, cool personality and the fact that he's a real ladykiller. He became popular very quickly after The Witcher 2 and later 3 put his series on the map. It helps that most western RPG protagonists go the complete opposite direction and are blank slates for the player to project onto. The Witcher puts them in the shoes of a grizzled warrior with awesome powers, who can woo ladies with his iconic charm. His story is also praised, despite having minimal input from his original creator. While literary characters have made the jump to games many times before, Geralt in particular is a wildly successful example.

It's hard for me to judge Dracula's strength since he only appeared in the three-way polls of 2013 on Gfaqs. However Geralt proved to be shockingly powerful in 2018, perhaps a high-midcarder in strength. I go with the seed upset here: 54% win for Geralt.

The fourth match of Group 4 is:

(4)Jill Valentine vs (13)Ezio Auditore da Firenze

It's Jill freaking Valentine. She redefined the female protagonist role upon her first appearance in Resident Evil, and is one of the most iconic and popular women in gaming. Her first appearance was particularly notable in that she was not sexualized at all, or have a romantic interest in anyone. Her relationships with Barry and Chris were based on comradery, and have been well-received by fans. The classic RE gameplay also originated with her and Chris. Jill was put into sexy outfits in RE3 and RE5, but they only served to boost her popularity, and romance was never a focus. Her role in RE5 was polarizing, but the bond with Chris displayed in the game was praised. There are also a few memes from RE1 associated with her, thanks to Barry's cheesy quips.

While Altair was the first assassin and originated the series gameplay, it is Ezio who remains popular today and had a greater impact on the AC series. His entire adult life is chronicled in the games and supplimentary material - Ezio goes from a care-free teenager to a veteran master assassin; taking out countless targets involved in political conspiracy. Yet even as an assassin, he is not without morals. His design is just as iconic as Altair's, and he is argubly THE video game assassin. Ezio is also noted for his physical attractiveness as a character, and has made numerous crossover appearances in games such as Soul Calibur V.

Ezio had a period of strength in contests, but Gfaqs does not care much for Assassin's Creed nowadays. I would give Jill the advantage for being a dependable midcarder in many contests. 55% win for Jill

The fifth and sixth matches of Group 4 are:

(6)Square vs (11)Nintendo

and (3)Bungie vs (14)Platinum Games
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The first match of Group 4 is:

(1)Megaman vs (16)Kanji Tatsumi

It's. . . freaking Megaman I guess. He's been in tons of games and is one of the most popular protagonists in gaming. His simple design is standard for the late 80s when he came out, but there is more to the blue bomber than a cute face. His ability to steal enemy's weapons was groundbreaking at the time, and the run-and-gun gameplay of the series is iconic. Not to mention the slide, charge shot and unique boss arenas. The Megaman series was influential for hundreds of games, including its own spinoffs. Despite some recent gaffs with the series from Capcom, Megaman's legacy and iconic status stands strong to this day. Smash helps too.

Disclaimer - Kanji is on the shortlist to be cut from the bracket. But I felt it was important to include him because of how long it really took gaming to treat LGBT characters and issues seriously. It is not stated what Kanji's inclination is, but the questions he asks himself and his struggle to be comfortable in his own skin are praised, but also scrutinized. It is also representative of Persona 4's overarching theme of being true to yourself. He is probably the most universally liked P4 character for his development, as well as the humor he brings to the game. The discrepancy between his tough guy appearance and his overreactive character and uncommon interests leads to many funny situations, but he also has moments where he shows his kindness and heart to others.

Obviously Megaman is going to win by a lot here. Its hard to get a read on Kanji, but I think he would be close to Narukami in strength. 77% win for Megaman.

The second match of Group 4 is:

(8)Tidus vs (9)Wario

AAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Yes the laugh meme is pretty popular and helps keep Tidus relevant, along with Dissidia. While his design is criticized by some, it wholly establishes what kind of character Tidus is. He is much more upbeat than most RPG protagonists, despite dealing with world destroying monsters and his pretty substantial load of personal issues. One of which being that his good old dad Jecht is said world destroying monster. It is one of the most iconic father-son rivalries in gaming. Also his romance with Yuna is highly praised, due to the close connection the two share and the emotional moments at the end of the game. It might be one of the most influential romances in gaming. Tidus is very unique among RPG protagonists, which makes him very memorable.

Wario is kind of the ultimate troll character. There are dozens of memes associated with him, and his hilariously self-centered character along with the frequent physical misfortune that befalls him leads to many funny moments in his games. While his design looks like a bad ripoff of Mario, Wario quickly became popular in his own right and transformed the Mario Land series into Wario Land. His gameplay quirk of gaining powers based on taking hits from enemies is an iconic element of his platformer games. Wario's games in general are unique just for starring a greedy anti-hero like him. The Warioware series is also popular with titles on almost every Nintendo system, and retains the same humor. Wario is also playable in nearly every Mario spin-off game and is a popular choice mainly due to his VAing.

This is a tough one. Nintendo in general has gained strength and Tidus actually did pretty well against a suddenly near-elite level DK. But I think Wario is far enough down the Nintendo pecking order that Tidus is able to take this. 51% win for Tidus.

The third and fourth matches of Group 4 are:

(5)Konami vs (12)Did not originate in a game

and (4)Capcom vs (13)Ubisoft
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Def will look into including The Avatar. There are a few characters I'm already thinking of cutting.

Update tomorrow
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

I don't think Sonya or Kitana would be that much weaker than Scorpion. And Hayabusa seemed to have lost some strength as of 2018.

The seventh match of Group 3 is:

(7)Mewtwo vs (10)Albert Wesker

In the original RBY Mewtwo was ultimate boss of the game. You had to beat the E4 before you had the right to take on and capture Mewtwo. It was the most powerful Pokemon available in Gen1, and had a backstory suitable for his role. It was created by scientists to be the most powerful Pokemon ever. . . and they succeeded. Its alien-like design made it stand out from every other Pokemon in Gen1, and made Mewtwo very popular. Mewtwo's leading role in 2 Pokemon movies were also received well, and particular praise was given to Mewtwo's development in the first movie. Mewtwo is an iconic example of a super-powered creation that never should have come to be, but regardless must find its own purpose in the world.

Its no secret now that Wesker is a villain. His betrayal in Resident Evil 1 is iconic, as well as his karmaic apparent death. However, his death only served to destroy his humanity. Due to an experimental virus he gained superhuman abilities, which he put to use in furthering his plans throughout appearances in several RE games. He had his hands in many schemes involving B.O.W. development, and his use of threats and cunning to get what he wanted was well-received. As the main villain in RE5, he showed off his cool new look and his plan for global domination. Wesker was praised for his charisma and stellar VAing, as well his vicious use of his powers to accomplish his goals. He is perhaps one of the best scheming villains in games.

Poor Wesker just never gets a fair shake in contests, and this match is no different. Mewtwo is just a bit too strong for Wesker to take on. Mewtwo wins with 58%

The eighth match of Group 3 is:

(2)Bowser vs (15)Barret Wallace

Its freaking Bowser - the most popular villain in gaming. He looks bad*ss, breathes fire and has spikes on his shell. No matter how many times he loses to Mario he always comes back for more, and he does it with style and charisma. And the occasional flop, but his humorous failures are praised as well. He has had many iconic fights with Mario over the years, and even teams up with him on occasion. He plays a big role in most Mario games, and there are a lot of them. Bowser defined the villain role in gaming, and finds new ways to do bad with every appearance.

There are suprisingly few black video game characters that are not a token option in a multiplayer game, and most of them do not have a lot of plot relevance. That is not the case for Barret. Final Fantasy VII starts with Cloud working with Barret on an AVALANCHE mission, and Barret remains an important character throughout the entire game. He plays the role of leader to the group, and his fatherly relationship with Marlene is well-received. His design is criticized by some for being a stereotype, and his explative-heavy dialogue is polarizing. But said design and voice tells the story of the things he has been through. He never loses his determination to do right, even after suffering through countless misfortunes and loss in his life. And his dialogue is funny, come on. Oh and he has a gun arm. Can't forget that.

Barret is a decent midcarder in contests, but Bowser is a beast and has only gotten stronger. 65% win for Bowser.

Characters remaining -
Capcom: 15 entrants
Square: 12 entrants
Nintendo: 11 entrants
Konami: 6 entrants
Namco: 4 entrants
Midway Games: 3 entrants
Atlus, Valve, Naughty Dog, Sega: 3 entrants
Blizzard: 2 entrants
Enix, Platinum Games: 2 entrants
Bioware, Bungie, SNK: 1 entrant left

The first and second matches of Group 4 are:

(1)Capcom vs (16)Atlus

and (8)Square vs (9)Nintendo
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

My B, didn't look at Falcon's last matches and though I could just eye the percent - guess not. As a side note, there may not be an update tomorrow.

The fifth match of Group 3 is:

(6)Ryu Hayabusa vs (11)Sonya Blade

Ryu is the definitive ninja of gaming. He has the full package: cool design, flashy moves and fast-paced, difficult gameplay. Ninja Gaiden is one of the classic 2D side scrollers renowned for its difficulty. Ryu has a lot of different weaponry and athletic attacks like the Izuna Drop to take on his enemies, but the difficulty of the game can be brutal. Ryu has also been playable in every main Dead or Alive game, which keeps him relevant even when not receiving solo games. The modern generation of Ninja Gaiden games managed to turn the classic gameplay to 3D smoothly, retaining the speed and difficulty. Ryu is also known for his gory kill moves and chronic inability to keep his friends from being possessed by demons.

Sonya appeared in the first Mortal Kombat at the time when female characters in fighting games were rare. Surprisingly, she was not oversexualized and also did not rely on her speed to fight. She was just as powerful as the males. Her Kiss of Death and split fatalities are among the most iconic in the series. However she was not one of the popular picks in arcades and removed in MK2, which angered many fans. She returned for MK3 and all main games after that. She was popular among male fans for her tall and filled-out body, good looks and headstrong personality. Her rivalry with Kano is an iconic part of the series, and her portrayal in the first Mortal Kombat movie was also very popular. Sonya is one of the iconic bad*ss ladies of gaming.

Honestly I'm not sure who wins this match. Sonya has never been in a contest, and Ninja Gaiden has been on hiatus for a while - though Ryu continues to make it into contests. I think that Ryu is just more of an iconic character on Gfaqs than Sonya. 56% for Ryu is what I'll go with.

The sixth match of Group 3 is:

(3)Ryu vs (14)SHODAN

This Ryu is otherwise known as Mr. Fighting Game. His moveset is the most iconic in all of fighters. The Hadouken, Shoryuken and Hurricane Kick appear in hundreds of fighters. Ryu is massively popular; even people who don't play fighting games know who Ryu is. His many rivalries are iconic ones of gaming: Ken, Sagat, Bison, Akuma. He has appeared in a lot of games over the years, including every single Capcom crossover fighter. He also has a rivalry with himself; his fight against his own darkness is another iconic aspect to Ryu. Multiple games have Evil Ryu as a playable character, showing what would happen if he gave in to the Satsui no Hado. However he fights off the darkness with the help of friends and his own determination, and is dedicated to becoming stronger.

SHODAN is not the most well-known character ever, but she is influential and loved by fans. The original System Shock was one of the most important first person games of all time; directly influencing the Deus Ex and Bioshock series. SHODAN's villain role in that game was praised, but it was in System Shock 2 where she would truly make her name. She taunts the player and boasts about her plans, while controlling and manipulating things to go against the avatar. Due to her actions in that game, SHODAN is praised as one of the best and scariest AI villains ever. Her backstory, revealed in-game and in extra material was also received well. There's no doubt that she was part of the inspiration for GLaDOS too.

While System Shock 3 is coming at some point, SHODAN hasn't been in a game since 1999 and the series is obscure. Ryu may have lost a step since the four-pack era, but he is still one of the most solid high-midcarders in contests. 75% for Ryu.

The seventh and eighth matches of Group 3 are:

(7)Nintendo vs (10)Capcom

and (2)Nintendo vs (15)Square
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Sometimes the obvious pick is too obvious to not pick

The third match of Group 3 is:

(5)Sora vs (12)Guybrush Threepwood

Sora is the protagonist of the Kingdom Hearts series, and looks like it. His appearance is the perfect fusion of Final Fantasy and classic Disney character design, and very well-received. His series is extremely popular among fans, even some that would otherwise never play RPGs. The series gameplay also redefined the standards for action RPGs. Sora himself is praised for his idealism and his development throughout the series. He goes from an unskilled kid to a seasoned fighter, but does not waver in his ideals and conviction. His voice acting is also an iconic part of what makes Sora one of the most popular protagonists in gaming.

While classic adventure games are far from a mainstream genre nowadays, they were very popular in the 90s. Few characters from those games are recognized today, but Guybrush is one who still endures today. His design is hardly intimidating, but that's the point. He is a pirate that is not a born fighter, but he has to learn and get by with his wit and pure luck in other cases. Nonetheless he is very popular among classic gamers, and utters a lot of iconic lines over the course of the Monkey Island series. His rivalry with LeChuck and romance with Elaine are praised as well, and contribute to a lot of the series' trademark humor.

I shouldn't have to say anything about Guybrush in contests: he is the iconic loser who keeps getting into contests only to be crushed year after year. Sora had a disappointing 2018, but Guybrush won't threaten him. 75% win for Sora.

The fourth match of Group 3 is:

(4)Tifa Lockhart vs (13)Captain Falcon

Tifa may not have had the influence and cool factor of Sephiroth, but she has stayed relevant despite having few major game roles since FF7. The main reason might be that male fans REALLY like her. She was the first gaming crush for many young players, and she gets massive amounts of. . . fanwork to this day. She's very attractive and her design makes leaves little of her figure to the imagination. But the fact that she's a hand to hand fighter and has RED EYES adds an element of danger. She is very much able to handle herself in bad situations, and her confident, but kind and motherly personality endears her to both genders of fans. Her complicated romance with Cloud is iconic, and Tifa's mental toughness is a big part of why it can work. Tifa is argubly THE lady of RPGs.

FALCON PUNCH! There are a lot of people who know nothing more than that about Captain Falcon, and well, its hard to say he would be relevant today without smash. The F-Zero series is effectively dead, but the games were popular and influential in the racing genre. Falcon wasn't a huge part of their success, but he was recognizable as the cool lead character. His appearance in smash catapulted his popularity to new heights. His bad*ss cool guy design was very well-received, and his moveset even more so. He gave rise to countless memes, and is one of the most popular characters in smash to this day. Falcon is a prime example of a character who is simply cool personified.

Falcon has been a decent midcarder in contests, but Tifa has risen to Nobel Nine levels as of 2018. Solid 63% win for Tifa.

The fifth and sixth matches of Group 3 are:

(6)Tecmo vs (11)Midway Games

and (3)Capcom vs (14)Origin Systems
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The first match of Group 3 is:

(1)Samus Aran vs (16)The Nameless One

Samus is an obvious choice for a 1 seed - she is THE woman of gaming (apologies to Lara). She first appeared when female protagonists were very uncommon, and the bait-and-switch played in the first Metroid game is legendary. Her series also created the Metroidvania genre, which Castlevania would help establish shortly after. Samus' gameplay and abilities in both the main series and the Prime series would be very influential in regards to 2D and 3D games respectively. Her design and silent, stoic attitude made her a bad*ss, and is well-liked for not following common stereotypes of women in gaming. That is, until Other M. But with the success of the Metroid 2 remake and Prime 4 coming out at SOME point in the future, it seems that she was able to recover from the poor reception of Other M.

The Nameless One is probably the most obscure character to make the bracket. He has only appeared in Planetscape: Torment, but his protagonist role in that game was groundbreaking for the time. The player can lead the amnesic protagonist down different story paths and alliances in the game with dialogue options, which can be very in-depth. He is not forced to just pick the light or dark side, he can ride the anti-hero line as much as the player wants. His backstory and design are also well-received. The Nameless One looks more like a dark antagonist than a protag, which only adds to his popularity and can serve as a contrast to some of the player's decisions in the story.

This match will likely get very ugly. There's no Gfaqs data on Nameless, but he was near the bottom of the x-stats in the 2009 Gamespot Hero contest. Not to mention he hasn't been relevant for a long time. I predict 88% for Samus here.

The second match of Group 3 is:

(8)Shadow the Hedgehog vs (9)Terry Bogard

Shadow is the embodiment of the overly edgy anti-hero character; an archetype popular throughout the 90s and early 2000s. There are countless memes that spawned from Shadow regarding his edginess and emo personality, as well as some of the cheesy dialogue from Sonic Adventure 2. However he is very popular among fans and well-known by gamers, and was praised for his emotional backstory and plot in SA2. Many other games he appeared in were of questionable quality, but he usually stood out as a bright spot in them (ironically). Some of his lines in his self-titled game are iconic in establishing him as possibly the most popular edgelord character in gaming.

From his first appearance in Fatal Fury, Terry seemed destined to be massively popular. This was achieved shortly thereafter when he crossed over to the Garou and KOF games. He has rarely missed a KOF fighter, even getting genderbent for SNK Heroines. His design is iconic, and he is one of the biggest mascots for fighting games. The trademark design along with his upbeat personality and fun moves make him a favorite among fighter fans. Along with his great engrish dialogue "Ah Yuu Owkay? BAASTA RAAAALF!" His rivalry with Geese Howard and mentorship of his son Rock Howard have also been praised.

The King of Fighters is yet another fighting game series Gfaqs doesn't care about, unfortunately. Shadow is a. . . shadow of his former self, but he is way stronger than Terry would be. 69% win for Shadow.

The third and fourth matches of Group 3 are:

(5)Square vs (12)LucasArts

and (4)Square vs (13)Nintendo
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Not my intention to imply Kefka is the most iconic FF villain. I meant that he is the villain who best represents the series.

The seventh match of Group 2 is:

(7)Tails vs (10)Mike Haggar

As the first and most recurring ally of Sonic, Tails is a very popular and iconic character. He started the stable of supporting Sonic characters that would grow massive over the course of the series. His unique ability to fly and the fact that a second player could control him in Sonic 2 was groundbreaking for the time, as far as cooperative play in platformers goes. His cuteness and innocence also make him popular among fans, and he is always there to help out Sonic with flight and various machines to take down Eggman. Plus, his full name is a pun : )

While Cody and Guy are popular, the most well-known and influential Final Fight character is the wrestling mayor himself. He set the standard for grappling characters in beat-em-up games, and even in fighting games - Zangief borrows some of his signature moves like the iconic lariat. He is the mayor who takes to the streets to clean up his city and rescue his daughter, and does it in style. Not to mention how popular his design is, despite being pretty simple. Haggar is a meme-tastic bad*ss with many beat-em-up and fighting game appearances to his name, and was the lead of the series that defined the beat-em-up.

Haggar's strength is tough to judge, since he was SFF'd by Jill Valentine in his only contest appearance. However I think that Tails will be too much for him, seeing as he did decently well in 2018. 59% win for Tails.

The eighth match of Group 2 is:

(2)Sephiroth vs (15)Jecht

Sephiroth is probably the single defining antagonist in the RPG genre. You knew he was not a good guy from the first appearance in Final Fantasy VII, but his goals were unclear. His design is dark and perhaps overly edgy, but he is exceedingly cool and popular nonetheless. Many other RPG villains take inspiration from his design. He is an iconic example of 90s edginess. Many of his sudden appearances in FF7 are among the most iconic in gaming - the most well-known being THAT scene. He is the whole package: overly cool sword, ice cold demeanor, an iconic storyline and a rocking final boss theme. He even manages to have a second iconic boss fight in Kingdom Hearts, which is noted for its difficulty. Few villains have the pure style and presence that Sephiroth has.

Surprised to see Jecht here? You shouldn't be - he IS the best after all. He is the standard for bad dads in RPGs: both in the quality of his parenting and in his alignment in the story of Final Fantasy X. The father-son rivalry he shares with Tidus is one of the most iconic in gaming, and his gruff, manly design and character makes him very popular among fans. His role as an antagonist in the game gives Tidus a conflicted set of motivations, where he wants to both defeat his father and earn his approval. In spite of his rough demeanor, Jecht's story in the game is very tragic and iconic among RPG villains. There are also some great memes associated with him, due to just how MANLY he is.

Obviously Sephiroth is going to win here, but the question is how much he SFF's Jecht. Even though both are Final Fantasy antagonists, they are extremely different characters. I think Jecht will hold up decently, and almost avoid the doubling. 67% for Sephiroth.

Characters remaining -
Capcom: 17 entrants
Square, Nintendo: 15 entrants
Konami: 6 entrants
Namco, Sega: 4 entrants
Midway Games: 4 entrants
Atlus, Valve, Naughty Dog: 3 entrants
Blizzard: 2 entrants
SNK, Enix, Platinum Games: 2 entrants
Bioware, Bungie: 1 entrant left

The first and second matches of Group 3 are:

(1)Nintendo vs (16)Black Isle Studios

and (8)Sega vs (9)SNK
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

SwiftyDC posted...

Ill take a shot at guessing:

7) Knuckles vs. 10) Ken Masters

2) Sephiroth vs 15) Aerith

Ken was in an earlier match
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The fifth match of Group 2 is:

(6)Spyro the Dragon vs (11)Kazuya Mishima

Spyro is very unique among game protagonists - just being a purple dragon makes him drastically stand out and makes him very recognizable. The Spyro series gameplay revolves around his four-legged movement and dragon abilities, and set the standard for those types of characters in 3D platformers. He's cute but not too cute, and his snarky dialogue makes him popular with both kids and adult players. Many of his games past the PS1 era were of questionable quality, but the Skylanders series and the overly-edgy Legend of Spyro kept him relevant. He came back on the scene recently with the Reignited trilogy which boosted his popularity with modern gamers. He is a definitive character of the late 90s era of gaming.

Kazuya is here over Jin because he was there from the beginning, and many of the design and gameplay aspects present with Jin were originated by Kazuya. He is a prime example of the dark anti-hero archetype popular in the early 90s. His darker story and characterization was well-received and his rivalry with his dad Heihachi is among the most iconic in gaming. He becomes the villain himself in Tekken 2, and debuts his devil form; one of the coolest and iconic characters of the series. Jin would later take the devil form, and develop another father-son rivalry with his dad Kazuya. Some of Kazuya's fighting moves like the Lightning Screw Uppercut are well-known among fighting gamers and often copied.

If there is one series Gfaqs really doesn't care about in contests, its Tekken. There hasn't been a Tekken character in a contest since 2005. Spyro is far from being a powerhouse, but he should win easily here. 58% win for Spyro

The sixth match of Group 2 is:

(3)Lara Croft vs (14)Waluigi

Long story short, the reason Lara is not a 2 seed is because she got pushed out by Nintendo. Actually I just decided I should have given her a 2 seed. In the late 90s she was THE girl of gaming and perhaps the most well-known sex symbol of video games. She was popular enough to spawn 2 movies with Angelina Jolie in the role. Her first appearance was a catalyst for more female leads in gaming. The gameplay of Tomb Raider was also influential with its use of tank controls, though somewhat dated nowadays. The series kind of struggled in the 2000s but made a big comeback with the rebooted series, and even got Lara another movie. Lara was always seen as a strong lead character, but lacked depth until the reboot which was very well-received.

Waluigi is the ultimate meme character in every way imaginable. His design is outwardly uncreative, looking like nothing more than Luigi's Wario, but somehow very popular with fans. He is a favorite in just about every Mario spinoff game, despite not having a game of his own. Well except for DDR Mario Mix, but we don't talk about that. Waluigi is perhaps a more humorous character than Wario due to his self-pitying nature and over the top voice acting. He is kept relevant not just because of Mario spinoff game, but with memes. It seems that there's a new Waluigi meme every year, and the teasing he faced from his own creators over smash only fueled his popularity.

This one is really hard to call. Both of these characters are around low-midcarder range in contests. I think Lara has the advantage, but Waluigi always manages to get some small rallies in his appearances. I'll go with 52% for Lara here.

The seventh and eighth matches of Group 2 are:

(7)Sega vs (10)Capcom

and (2)Square vs (15)Square
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Saber is a lot more popular than Archer tbh

The third match of Group 2 is:

(5)Leon Kennedy vs (12)Cortana

Leon Kennedy starred in both the survivor horror classic Resident Evil 2 and mowed down hordes of zombies in the action horror RE4. He is arguably the most popular protagonist of both genres, and is an iconic character of the horror genre as a whole. He is perhaps the most unlucky police rookie of all time, with the Raccoon City incident happening on the day he joins the PD. He has to rely on his wits, whatever equipment he can salvage, and a few nice ladies to survive. In RE4 he graduates to pure bad*ss, and takes down zombies with some of the best gameplay the action genre has to offer. His messed up romantic relationship with Ada Wong is also iconic, and his interactions with Ashley Graham gave birth to several enduring memes.

Cortana is perhaps the most well-known support character in any video game. She is actually incredibly helpful to Master Chief, and their interactions are well-received. Among AI characters and female characters in gaming, Cortana stands out as one of the best. There are many, many fans of her ever-evolving design in the Halo series - mostly for lewd reasons ; ). Her humanization and development in the series is also done well and earns her further acclaim. She took a controversial turn as an antagonist in Halo 5, which polarized fans. She is somewhat well-known even among non-gamers thanks to Microsoft naming their PA device after her.

Cortana presents a problem for a contest setting. Gfaqs likes waifus, but they really do not like Halo. But then I see that she nearly got doubled by Joanna Dark in her only contest appearance. Leon has lost a step in the past 10 years, but he will not have any trouble here. 70% win for Leon.

The fourth match of Group 2 is:

(4)Alucard vs (13)Banjo & Kazooie

While his dad is pretty iconic in his own right, Alucard has to be the most prominent playable vampire character in gaming. His unique gameplay which utilizes transformation skills redefined the Castlevania series, even going back to his first appearance in CV3. He arguably influenced future games where transformations were a part of the gameplay. His popularity really hit its peak when Symphony of the Night came out, which is one of the most enduring classics of the PS1 and 2D platformers in general. Not to mention Alucard is possibly THE example of a sexy vampire in any media. His rivalry with his father, obviously, is iconic as well.

For this bracket, I felt I needed to combine Banjo & Kazooie into one character slot, because neither of them are that influential on their own. Both of them are a vital part of the BK series, and their gameplay elements combined are very influential as far as teamwork-based gameplay goes in platformers. They are among the most recognizable mascot characters in gaming, and their banter in the games is well-received. Their series humor in general, and their weird rivalry with Grunty is a big part of what makes the series popular.

The question here is whether Banjo & Kazooie has more strength than solo Banjo. I think the answer is yes - but it won't be nearly enough to challenge Alucard, who is a clear near-elite in contests. 68% win for Alucard.

The fifth and sixth matches of Group 2 are:

(6)Insomniac Games vs (11)Namco

and (3)Core Design vs (14)Nintendo
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The first match of Group 2 is:

(1)Cloud Strife vs (16)Saber

Cloud is in all likelyhood the most well-known and popular RPG protagonist ever. His design, personality and giant buster sword have all become popular tropes that have influenced a variety of characters. His role in FF7 was also received well and set a new standard for RPG storytelling. Not to mention he is the lead of a game that popularized the RPG genre in the west. The fact that he can be "paired" with different characters in the game also made an impact - the concept would reappear in many other RPGs. He became more emo in later appearances, for better or worse, but KH and Dissidia kept him relevant enough to get into smash.

It would be difficult to consider Virtual Novels to be a mainstream game genre. The Fate series is the closest VNs have really gotten to mainstream, and Saber plays the biggest role of any character overall. Her elegant design, fighting style and characterization in multiple games make her very popular among VN and anime fans. Her route in the original FSN novel is very well received as well. Her true identity as a servant is the most prominent one among Fate characters and makes her a suitable rep for the series as a whole. Her alternate forms that make appearances in different games are also popular in her own right.

Saber is probably not going to be a contest powerhouse, and is going up against one of the Gfaqs golden boys. However she is distinct enough when compared with Cloud to get an ok amount of votes. 74% win for Cloud.

The second match of Group 2 is:

(8)Marth vs (9)Nightmare

Marth was the protagonist of multiple early Fire Emblem games, and appeared in a short-lived anime as well. His regal design and story in the games was the basis for all the Lords in the series. But it wasn't until he appeared in smash that the Fire Emblem series would explode in popularity and come over to western audiences. He has since appeared in many more games and became the iconic warrior prince of gaming. His popularity carried over to Lucina, who was very well-received in her own right. Marth's smash playstyle was also the basis for Lucina's and several other FE swordfighters in smash.

Nightmare is both an iconic gaming villian, and a tragic hero in the Soul Calibur series. He starts as Siegfried, who is corrupted by the evil Soul Edge and turns into one of the most awesome-looking characters in fighting games. Siegfried's fight against the power of Soul Edge is the driving force for much of the series' plot. At some point the two separate and the fight becomes physical. His fighting style is also the standard for big sword users in 3D fighters. He is perhaps the most prominent example of duality in gaming.

Well shoot I forgot that these 2 have actually been in the same match. Nightmare has his cool design and that's about it - Gfaqs doesn't care about 3D fighting games very much. And Marth has been in a LOT of smash games. Not to mention Marth easily outperformed Nightmare back in 2013. 56% win for Marth.

The third and fourth matches of Group 2 are:

(5)Capcom vs (12)Bungie

and (4)Konami vs (13)Rare
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

The seventh match of Group 1 is:

(7)Ken Masters vs (10) Pyramid Head

Ken started out as just a palette swap of Ryu that liked to spam Shoryukens. But he gradually gained his own moves and a different, more aggressive playstyle. He still spammed Shoryukens, but they were ON FIRE now. His role of the Red Oni to Ryu's blue and fun personality arguably made him a more popular character choice than Ryu. He's also the character that comes to mind when talking about online play. The flowchart says you should Shoryuken every time. He's basically the Luigi to Ryu's Mario, if Luigi was cool af instead of the weird brother. The friendly rivalry between the 2 is one of the more important pieces of Street Fighter lore. Also his prominence in competitive play helps his popularity.

Pyramid Head is probably the greatest monster of horror to come out of gaming. His design alone is chilling, and his role in Silent Hill 2 is terrifying. The story surrounding him is crafted extremely well too. He is among the most brutally violent enemies in any video game. However most of his other game appearances have been pure fanservice; with him being thrown in other Silent Hill titles just because he's popular and fans expect it. His inclusion in a track and field game was hilariously well-received though. He appeared in 2 movies as well, 1 of which is considered "not bad". Too bad Konami has basically killed the SH franchise, or Pyramid Head might have had a chance to get another great game under his belt.

These characters have never done well in contests - having 1 solo win between both of them. But Ken has shown some strength at times, which is more than Pyramid Head can say. And again, Konami killed any chance of Pyramid Head gaining strength. 67% win for Ken here.

The eighth match of Group 1 is:

(2)Zelda vs (15)Amaterasu

I don't think I need to say much about why Zelda is here. She's the namesake for her series, and the fact that she wields the Triforce makes her nearly as important to the series as Link. While she was little more than the damsel in distress in early games, she became integral to the plot of almost every main game starting with LttP. Her elegant designs throughout the years have been very popular, and her evolution into a capable fighter and use of light magic have won over countless fans. Her OoT alter ego Sheik is also popular in his/her own right. Not to mention the huge amount of, uh. . . fanfiction.

I did debate with myself for a bit if Ammy was worth including. But she ultimately had enough going for her to get in. That fact that she is a popular protagonist despite being a non-speaking animal says a lot. Though I suppose the beautiful artstyle and fun, compelling gameplay of Okami help too. She's a really cool goddess-doggo too. She and Okami as a whole also has significant story of redemption. The original release of Okami did not sell a lot, and it would be a few years before the game got its due.

Ammy has done pretty well for herself in contests, but Zelda established herself as an elite-level threat last year. I think Zelda benefited a lot from the registered user bonus too. 66% for Zelda.

Update on Characters remaining by company -

Capcom: 19 entrants
Square: 18 entrants
Nintendo: 17 entrants
Konami: 7 entrants
Namco: 6 entrants
Sega: 5 entrants
Midway Games: 4 entrants
Atlus, Valve, Naughty Dog: 3 entrants
Blizzard: 2 entrants
Bungie, SNK, Enix, Platinum Games: 2 entrants
Bioware: 1 entrant left

The first and second matches of Group 2 are:

(1)Square vs (16)Type-Moon

and (8) Nintendo vs (9)Namco
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

Yeah 2 of the characters were pretty obvious. The fifth match of Group 1 is:

(6)Fox McCloud vs (11)Duke Nukem

Fox's influence spreads across a wide range of games and fanbases. The first Star Fox was a landmark game in terms of gameplay and tech. Star Fox 64 was another breakout title due to many factors. The character banter, presentation and gameplay made it stand out. Fox is probably the most popular anthropomorphic animal in gaming as well (besides Sonic, but he's got his own fandom to worry about). Not to mention how popular Fox is in smash. He's been one of the best characters in almost every smash game, and his unrivaled S tier status in Melee has earned thousands of streamed matches and memes - NO ITEMS FOX ONLY FINAL DESTINATION. His playstyle in Melee in particular influenced many imitators and offshoots, including Falco and Wolf who were later added to smash.

Duke Nukem is the epitome of early 90s FPS gaming and the extreme masculinity popular in the genre at the time. His design everything considered cool in that time period, and unlike his fellow FPS protagonists, had a lot to say. His quips are legendary, and spawned memes upon memes that persist in gaming to this day. Duke's chauvinistic attitude was part of what made him an iconic in the 90s, but also what led to his becoming irrelevant in the modern age. The unfortunate release of Duke Nukem Forever did not help matters. The end of the eternal meme combined with how bad the game was seemed to spell the end for Duke as a mainstream icon.

Fox has had a fair bit of strength in contests, and as for Duke. . . he was never the same after DNF. I would predict 64% for Fox here.

The sixth match of Group 1 is:

(3)Dante vs (14)KOS-MOS

Dante is the very embodiment of the cool protagonist. His design, personality and over-the-top fighting style - its all there. Not to mention his six-pack. . . Ladies. His games are known for their lightning fast gameplay and difficulty. DMC3 is often cited as a classic action game, and the others are a bit polarizing. Arguments over which ones are good rage to this day. His numerous crossover appearances and DmC's "Donte" created many a meme, and he is prominent in several Marvel v Capcom games. Despite how poorly received his DmC redesign was, the REAL Dante seems poised for a big comeback in the upcoming title. As far as characters introduced in the 2000s go, few are more influential than Dante.

KOS-MOS is probably one of the most popular robot characters in gaming, despite coming from a pretty niche series of games. A lot of it is her design - she's quite a looker. KOS-MOS is an iconic robot sex symbol, and she didn't need much of a personality to obtain that status. Some view it as a negative, but her no-nonsense approach to fighting and mysterious black box functions won over plenty of fans. The Xenosaga series ended long ago, but KOS-MOS still appears in crossover games and has cameos in titles like Xenoblade 2.

While KOS-MOS isn't quite fodder, Dante is among the near elites in Gfaqs contests and still a relevant character. Easy 65% win for Dante.

The seventh and eighth matches of Group 1 are:

(7)Capcom vs (10)Konami

and (2)Nintendo vs (15)Clover Studio
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA

I think Sundays are going to be difficult for me to post evening updates on. Next round of writeups will go up tomorrow.
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B8 Waifu ranking - http://pastebin.com/qnUpLnDA