Okay, when you watch high end matches, which styles are the most fun for you to watch, or have the most potential for you to enjoy? My choices would be:
El Fuerte: His high risk/high reward style is extreme, as in extremely fun to watch, and in the hands of a successful El Fuerte, it’s like watching a circus act that makes you ooo and aah. I’d love to see an El Fuerte in the top 32 at Evo some day
Juri: I’m not saying Juicebox is the only person who can play a great Juri, but he gaves us a look at the limits of how far she could go. Simply put, she’s a human buzzsaw that can make you shit your pants in sheer terror. Everything she does is off the wall, but when she hits you with it, it’s basically a roller coaster of pain.
Rufus: He may be fat and a bit annoying, but once he gets going, it’s like a flurry of rolls and spinning kicks. You can’t help but love his ability to mix up, because it looks incredibly amazing.
Adon: Unlike Sagat, who is by far the most boring character in the game, Adon is actually quite fun. He has wall moves similar to Vega, but it’s easier for him to combo and control his own momentum, so it looks cleaner and more controlled.
Dan: Unlike Ryu and Ken, who are content with hanging back and countering, Dan has to rush in due to his lack of a zoning game, but he got plenty of mixup and punch to pull him through, and if properly used, his rushdown game can be quite thrilling.
Dee Jay: He’s the only <-- --> (charge) character who looks like he’s actually fighting. Although his grin is the stuff that’ll etch itself into your nightmares, his ability to adapt to an aggressive opponent with quick flourishy counters is very unique to him, and makes him stand out.
Dudley: Being a QCF style character, it makes him able to express himself more than Balrog. Balrog is usually stuck in a single spot playing counter, where Dudley can get in with an aggressive, properly timed rushdown and mix his punches up to the point where he looks like a professional boxer. Totally awesome!
Ibuki: A ninja that actually fights like a ninja. Great arsenal of tools, very hard to predict, and very fast and comboey. Lots of good Ibukis, though. Very few exceptional ones, it seems.
Yang: Unlike his broken brother, he’s at a level of play that’s actually fair for his style of fighting. His vulnerabilities make him more interesting than Yun, because you know the player has to be incredibly good at utilizing his specific specials. He’s capable of similar combos, but again, it’s not sped up to 2-3 times normal sensible speed, so you can actually appreciate the effort he puts into trying to be competitive.
Akuma: Great tools, more aggressive than shotos like Ryu and Ken, and you’ve gotta love his combo potential… oh, and the Raging Demon <3
Evil Ryu: Similar to Akuma. Not as many tools, but more offensive. Still just as fun to watch, and takes a lot of skill to master him.
Seth: Downright scary in the right hands. He’s just the ultimate mind-screwing character, good at getting under your skin and making you helpless, but only if you don’t screw up. The most exciting part is knowing he can die if he does mess up, showing just how good you have to be to win with him.
Who do you guys enjoy watching the most? Your list can be as big as you want it to be!
