The BEST Low Tiers in Fighting Games 

I love that Q is basically a slasher villain in fighting game form if you're great at parrying. Just standing there taking hits with no reaction, taking his sweet time until he finally decides to end you with clumsy overwhelming strength. Even his parry is just "You got something on my jacket."

Importantly Q’s taunt does not actually raise his health but instead increases his defensive multiplier. The earlier in a round you do it the more effective health you gain.

When you were definining what made Phoenix Wright bad, I couldnt help but laugh. In Ace Attorney, this is EXACTLY how every trial goes. Phoenix is on the back foot, and has to claw for any advantage he can get, until the "gotcha." Then, the amazing Cornered theme kicks in, and you feel triumphant. The way they incorporated that into UMVC3 was awesome. Great video!

That one google search frame at 16:53 is insane holy shit

Fun fact, Q suffers 1f extra of blockstun compared to all other characters, and briefly during crouch, his grab box goes to the sky and as such he cannot be ground thrown

One thing I wish you mentioned about Robo-Ky is that when he gets knocked down, he has the option to talk shit, during which he stays on the ground longer than you are normally allowed to, letting him dodge certain oki and meaty setups by messing with the timing needed for them

I love how Phoenix having 1 million HP harkens back to his absurd shows of durability in three of his games. In Trials & Tribulations, he fell off a burning rope bridge several stories into a raging river… and came out not only in one piece but merely caught a cold for a day. Then in Apollo Justice, Phoenix got rammed by a car hard enough to fly into a nearby telephone pole face first… and emerged with a sprained ankle for a couple of days. And back to Trials & Tribulations for a bit, Phoenix back in college ATE a glass bauble laced with trace amounts of poison (needing to break it for easy consumption first) and suffered neither lacerations nor poisoning. Oh, last one from Justice for All, someone brained him with a fire extinguisher in his sleep; he came down with amnesia for about an hour right before a case and won the whole thing before finally regaining his memories. The man is just built different.

Junpei just playing baseball while in a fight is so iconic of him. I would absolutely marry him

Its so funny that Anakaris just doesnt have system mechanics.

An important note about Wright: In MvC 3, X-Factor has different 'levels' based on how many of your other characters have been KO'd. With no casualties, you get a level 1 X-Factor, and when you're on your last character, you get the most powerful level 3 X-Factor. Unless you're playing Wright, who ALWAYS gets level 3 X-Factor, regardless of how many of his allies are KO'd.

I love how you frame characters. You start off with their strengths and how they thrive, making them sound like one of the best in the game, but then you break down how far their actual heat differs from their potential strengths. Very well-made, interesting, and informative videos you've got here.

There are a couple hidden buffs for Phoenix Wright: 1) his jumping objection isn’t actually an overhead, but everyone thinks it is. Combined with the last hit of his “steel samurai maya smelting” super hitting low, he can either go for a true unblockable with his forward + medium trip or a fake one 2) he has a glitch in the game where if he activates level 1 X factor while in turnabout mode, he gets the level 3 damage bonus instead for the duration. This combined with the fact that his level 3 hyper combo being full screen 0 frame startup means that he will one shot anyone in the cast 3) his “bridge to the turnabout” (objection) while in trial mode will activate his turnabout mode on assists and can be easily comboed into from a TAC or DHC. There’s also a very neat touch where as his mode improves to trial and turnabout, not only do his special moves (and evidence uses) become way better, but his confidence of using the moves improves and is reflected in the animations

So small addition to the pokemon trainer section: Type effectiveness overall doesn't hurt the character all that much. After all, it's only a problem for what is already the worst of the three. The thing that REALLY kills PT is swapping speed. In ultimate, swapping is very fast, and combined with its invincibility it even makes for a good combo breaker. In brawl, however, it takes MULTIPLE SECONDS to swap. If you had any advantage before, swapping meant your opponent got a free neutral reset at WORST. Combined with stamina forcing you to swap every so often, it made PT incredibly clunky and awkward to play. In all honestly, buffing the swap speed was the single biggest buff PT recieved in ultimate.

I think it’s funny how the guy who named himself low tier is an actual low tier of the fighting game community.

I bought P4A Ultimax solely to play Junpei and I love him so much

I don’t play many fighting games or keep up with the community, but I love listening to people talk about it and your style is very soothing

Saw that something flashed on the screen during the Kuroda mention and it made me think of one thing instantly. Glad that stopping the video confirmed it lol

I absolutely love the last one you mentioned. What a clever fighting game character concept, forcing you to understand baseball in order to play the character! I can't wait for the fighting game character which makes you have to know chess in order to play it well.

It made me smile to see Javi (IHeartJustice) being featured for the Phoenix Wright segment. Him n Lythero definitely coined his popularity in MvC.

24:56 Uh oh, you got something wrong here. Well I know you don't play Guilty Gear so I just want to briefly correct this. Burst actually doesn't use Tension, it uses a dedicated meter named, conveniently, Burst. You can see that meter right below a player's healthbar. The specifics of how Burst works is not important at the moment, but I just want to clarify that Burst does not use Tension, or else that'd be very broken 😅. Otherwise, very great video, covers about all of my favourite low tiers. They have such a charm I can never get tired of and it's always fun to watch them in action at high levels.

I always played Junpei because he's my favorite character in fiction thanks to Persona 3, and I've always known that he's low to mid tier, but rushdown also happens to be my playstyle choice so I figured him out quite quick lol

Also, junpei's clean hit sound is INSANE. Don't forget about it.

As a dedicated Q main, I appreciate his inclusion in this list! I think you described him pretty well.

Great video, and something you hinted at that I always think unintentionally helps low tiers is how unique/cool/visually appealing they are. If the low tier is a generic and bland copy of, say, an established archetype/theme then the appeal of using said character seems to drop off a cliff. Whereas the mystery man in a trenchcoat who fights with brute force, or the egyptian mummy that is frankly bizarre even in VSav, have that interest that 'Bloke who is the main character with a different colour effect and worse frame data' just wouldn't have.

weirdly enough, the second half of this video's characters seem to be very Mariah-like, in the sense of requiring to be charged and being low damage otherwise. Wild to see how she might've inspired some of them, the true best, worst HFTF char.

I believe you forgot that Mr. Wright also has a glitch in the game where X-factor is always a lv 3 X-factor even when you have two full teammates

I just realized this came out a year ago and has only now been recommended to people. Crazy quality tbh

One of my absolute favorite low tiers of all time is Yuuki Terumi from Blazblue. He's the definition of rush down, NEEDING to be in his enemy's face to do anything. And he can actually put on some pretty decent pressure. His main mechanic is that he gets meter VERY easily, as his drive attacks (unique button that every character gets) gives him insane meter gain even on block. However, because of this he is incredibly meter reliant. He only has 3 special moves, the rest of his major moves all being his distortion drives (supers). Hell, even his DP is a DD. Not only that but his damage is generally VERY low without meter. If you do have meter though, although he has some AMAZING moves (his dp is great, he has a 50/50 with 2 of his DDs, he has a solid anti-keepaway super (though this costs 100 meter), he has an AMAZING combo ender that cashes out all of his meter for insane damage, and if you have the opportunity, his astral heat (instakill) is REDICULOUSLY easy to combo into, meaning that if he snowballs you it is OVER.) On the other hand, he has a dashing super that, while a good combo tool, has 0 invin making it bad to get in, and has an infamously bad counter super, colloquially known as a 50 meter taunt. But the thing that make Terumi REALLY special is his overdrive (a special install every character gets) which allows you to STEAL METER. All of his supers become better, he gets access to a loop that gives him TONS of meter in an instant and allows him to essentially do 200 meter combos, and that combo ender super pretty much deletes the other person's meter. But overdrive comes so slow, and if you use it then you can't burst.

The funny thing about the stamina mechanic on Pokemon Trainer is that it actually affected the Pokemon very differently. For Squirtle, having a low stamina was arguably a GOOD thing is it made opponents easier to juggle (a big deal in Brawl with its miniscule hitstun), racking up much more damage overall in spite of individual hits being weaker. But for Ivysaur, it was an absolute death knell, especially since she's already the least effective member of the team in Brawl. It was a mess, to say the least.

Junpei is great if you can convince your friends to play best of 5 rounds. Also while shadow junpei can get to victory cry state way easier nothing is scarier than regular junpei stalling you out in awakening and gaining more and more awakening HP over time

You really deserved more subscribers

You neglected to mention one of the biggest problems with Pokemon Trainer: The insanely long time it takes to actually switch Pokemon. It wouldn't have made the character viable if it *was* faster, but the switch speed being so slow is just another scoop for the crap sundae. It's so bad that in the clip at 10:48, the Trainer literally sacrifices advantage to switch Pokemon and is STILL minus even after Diddy recovers. The only way you're not eating whatever punish your opponent cooks up that day is if you switch while they're Star KO'd. Which is kinda hard to do if your Pokemon is fatigued and therefore CAN'T KILL. Also you can't use it in the air, either. All of this was fixed in Ultimate, so not only can you find more opportunities to switch in that game, but switching even has defensive utility as a pseudo-airdodge. Just gonna throw this in as well, but Squirtle would be a solid high tier if he was on his own with no fatigue. He has some really neat tech and a solid moveset. Really the only thing keeping the character out of bottom tier.

grate video, I was looking for some interesting character fighting mechanics videos but didn't find much, this one actually helped me more!

Started following you for your SSF2 video, but this idea is pretty cool!

overall great video also ayyy thats me in the junpei section of the video

I was probably the only person in the world who was a Brawl Pokemon Trainer main and LOVED the stamina mechanic. It really accentuated the team aspect of the character, you shouldnt just be using the one who is strongest(squirtle) hes a little guy who needs support! The only issues are A:the switching is too slow since Brawl loads characters one at a time and B:its exclusively a punishment with no upside, taking time to give up advantage for a character who is likely less suited to a task you needed. If it werent such a problem you wouldn't have so much tech discussion on "where are the safest places to switch, and how can we mitigate the consequences?"

I really liked this vid, but one thing that stuck out to me was Doctor Strange being called low tier, when he's far from it. Between two great assist (Eye of Agamotto and Bolts of Balthakk), his teleports, damage plus meter build from Impact Palm loop and Spell of Vishanti he's a pretty strong character overall and actually one of the better anchors in the game. He has issues with his mobility and normals being iffy but his positives more than make up for it, at the very worst he's upper mid tier, though i personally have him at the bottom of high tier.

It’s so satisfying whenever someone comes up with an interesting video concept and then nails its execution. I know the video is about low tiers, but your research and presentation is top tier.

Genuinely fun video dude, had a great time watching it!

I clicked on this video because i saw my man Junpei in the thumbnail, but i actually really enjoyed each characters section. Very cool video 👍

Q may be weak in some ways but the sense of power he gives off is amazing his hits FEEL like they hurt and his taunt gradually shaking the screen more everytime makes you feel like a dragonball character slowly powering up. He is amazing and i really hope we get to see him again eventually

i liked this video way more than i thought i would. keep it up!

Robo Ky is even more notable in the DS games. Because they had a mechanic where Robo Ky was a custom character. Meaning you can choose his moveset to be whatever you wish. Allowing you to build the most OP mother fucker

Pheonix wright and Q are my favorite type of low tiers, where if you manage to achieve certain difficult conditions you get buffs that make you as good as or even better than the game’s top tiers. The type of buffs that would be completely broken on mid or high tier characters (replacing any high tier or above’s taunt with Q’s would make them completely broken, like if you get knocked down at the start of the round you probably lose because suddenly they have more health than Hugo). I like this because you can play a low tier but get the opportunity to feel powerful.

robo ky is also the only gg +r character that can delay his wake up and he has an special move that when followed by a taunt fills most of his metter!

If another Street Fighter movie gets made, I really hope that they have a mid credits scene where the protagonists fight Q with no context whatsoever.

Phoenix Wright and Q are awesome, the theme of Phoenix is sick and well executed imo, sick character!

The way u casually mention that q can kara cancel his command throw . . . That cancel is so difficult people didnt even know it was possible for a long time. Granted, i suppose at the top level qs kara cancel does matter but for most even decent players the execution is out of reach consistently

16:53 Kuroda did WHAT

Nice touch for using Blue Water Blue Sky

Q is only low tier until kuroda enters the room

I love playing low tiers. I play fighting games for the funny so anybody that is as goofy as Wright from marvel or plant from ult and down are my favorites.

I am so happy you talked about IHeartJustice in that Phoenix Wright section. I don’t know why I am I just am

One character I don't often hear people talk about is Skarlet from MK11. She has some of the fastest zoning, decent damaging combos but her drawback is that she has gaps in her attack strings which let's your opponent flawless block

Honestly, the baseball system ius what endeared me to Junpei when I first bought P4U on the ps3. I bought it cause I was a huge fan of four but never played 3, with Reload being recently finished and now I know 3's story I've been tempted to redownload and play P4u Again.

I think it’s important to mention in regards to Q, Kuroda in my humble opinion, is simply on another level as a 3rd Strike player. He has an argument for being one of the best players of EACH member of the roster, let alone just Q. He’s the 3S GOAT, shout outs to Kuroda

Little Mac from Smash Ultimate is a character that despite being firmly Low Tier in both of the games he's been in, has become more closer to his portrayal from his home series, has gotten closer in viability to the rest of the cast, and has become a pretty cool spectacle to watch thanks to top Macs like Peanut. I know this video is almost a year old, but he is a very interesting case of a low tier.

Thats funny, I main Phoenix in MvC3, main Junpei on P4 and one of my favorite characters from SF3 is Q. I guess I just have a thing for the outcasts.

I know the feeling of low tiers. I main little Mac in smash, and also use Zangief and Amingo in MVC2. It can be rough at times but when you get going and you start winning, it’s the best feeling ever

Robo-Ky also has a taunt he can use when he's knocked down where he can delay his stand-up by seconds while insulting you.

You could have a 30 min video on just how bad the low tiers are in melee Great vid!

All of the characters you talk about are my mains I swear I don't pick low tiers on purpose, they just always end up being my best characters

that kuroda google search flash screen was funny afff

My favorite part about low tiers is that usually they have a unique mechanic that makes them harder to succeed. Don’t belive me? Anji(strive not anymore imo), junpei, 12, eltnum from uni, and hakumen just to name a few.

With sf6 jamie being bad for needing to do something to boost him, I can see that the arquetype that gets stronger by doing something during the match is the bad one.

whats the song playing during the third strike segment (Q)?

It\s like guns in an FPS, if one sounds and feels great to use, it's probably going to be better than the one that is statistically the better one. (There's actually a great documentary on how in Wolfenstein enemy territory the Thompson was received as an better weapon because of the sound even though it shared the exactly same stats as the MP40.)

Ayeo, what is that song you played during the Q segment? The one with the violin. I'm loving that.

“Junpei is always playing catch-up” Very in-character. Shouldn’t underestimate him, though, P3 OR P4AU. You get him set-up and watch as he wins the game for you.

Not to be that guy, but does anyone know what the song is that's playing during Q's section?

Basically these are all strong characters but they happen to be in a fighting game where top tiers are designed to not let anyone play

Its funny cause i heard the player base for mvc3 wanted phoenix in the game but then no one played him

this vid is dope

I forgot about Robo-Ky's goofy ah theme

Song during Q's section?

23:04 *you have forgotten your god, lythero*

Anyone know the music that played when he started talking about Q?

You gotta be a God to play these hahaha A LowTierGo--- I'll see myself out

GGear XX was 2002, not 2012, but it's all good man, it was a fun video to listen to

Stryker in MK9. At first glance, he's just a regular cop. However, he has quite a few versatile tricks he can pull, and his gun is the fastest projectile in the game.

BASEBALL!! YEAH!!

Why didn't Arena Ultimax do well with the Roll Back re-release? Was it lack of interest or a messed up port?

Ivy was so unfortunate in Brawl I forgot how bad it was

I literally never knew about the Pokemon Trainer Stamina and type Gimmick, what the hell were they thinking??

15:17 Q performs the datamosh grab

I honestly expected you to talk about melee mewtwo who if you know nothing about the game and hear about everything he does he will sound extremely broken despite him bring considered a low tier

What’s the name of the song playing during the Q section?

For Phoenix Wright, his lvl 3 super isn't just fast, its FRAME 1 and FULLSCREEN. That super is an immediate death sentence for most of the cast if your caught in it, that and a bug in the game makes it to where in turnabout his x-factor always gives the maximum amount of damage boost

i decided Q was my main the moment i played that game for the first time at a friends house bro just had that shit on so sad he wasnt in more sf games

You forgot to mention that when phoenix is in turn about mode and uses x factor the x factor damge multiplier is treated like your 2 allies are dead.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 has some of the most creative and cool characters in any fighting game ever and it is so devastating to me how these designs don't necessarily pay off when faced with the way core mechanics are handled. In nearly any other game characters like Phoenix Wright or Amaterasu would be beautifully multidimensional and standout characters but they just really don't get the opportunity to play to their strengths and it hurts

24:56 Yeah it shows you never played Guilty Gear. Burst has it's own meter. Tension is used for Roman Cancels (cancels the startup or recovery of your move), Faultless Defense (a pushblock, that conctantly drains your meter doing it), Dead Angle (a guard cancel), and Overdrives (supers).

14:30 not "almost doubling" slightly greater than fifty percent increase.

if you ever do another one of these videos, i think majin buu or videl from DBFZ would be cool

Being the best at the worst feels like something that fits Junpei to a T lmao

Hol' up - how can Dr Strange be a low tier is he has a trenchcoat?

21:33 is ironic that both phoenix in the game have the same gameplan with different approach, phoenix wright needs to be set up on field with his evidence during wich he transitions from worst in The game to rivaling top tiers, and phoenix is set up out field for a timed comeback when 5 meters are present when she croaks, she transforms when mid to best character in game, the power of being a phoenix runs deep in both

8:40 them not doing anything to sheik and zelda makes me think that it was just a thing they thought would be cool to add because pokemon has the pp feature.

When MvC3 popped up, I was instantly like *"you better mention my boy IHeartJustice. "* I wasn't disappointed.🗿👍

2:13 this is just the same sentence lmao