In fighting games, a puppet character is a fighter who moves and commands 𒀰a secondary person or entity onscreen with them. They tend to be dif൲ficult to learn, given that you have to successfully manage two or more characters at the same time. But if you can master their complexities, the pressure they create is second-to-none, and they can be some of the strongest characters in their respective games.
Admittedly, who does and doesn’t count as a puppet character gets into gray areas. Is a pജuppet character any character that can place and control other things on screen, or is that just setplay? Is it still a puppet character if you have a duo, but they generally move and attack as one? While many setplay-focused characters may control different objects onscreen and could fit the archetype, here’s 𒀰a list of ten outstanding, contemporary puppet types if you really want the experience of two fighters in one.
10 ✅ Enchantress - DNF Duel
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:DNF Duel’s Enchantress truly embodies what it means to be a puppeteer, literally pulling the magical strings on her bear doll Madd. She has her own useful spells, which can launch fireballs, leech the opponent’s magic, or even turn them into a doll as well. But when she activates Madd, both of them can work together to produce some of the game’s most technical and 🌊unstoppable combos.
There are a lot of strong characters in DNF Duel who are much easier to pick up, so she isn’t a popular choice. But if you put in the time to learn♒ her, you’ll be rewarded with a tricky character most players aren’t used to fighting against.
9 Rosalina And Luma - Super Sm♏ash Bros. 🤪
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Ice Climbers are probably the first fighters that come to mind when thinking of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Smash Bros. characters who work as a duo. But they mai💎nly move and fight together, whereas Rosalina and Luma get to divide and coꦰnquer.
Rosalina can shoot Luma out like a prꦏojectile and then continue to attack with him remotely, even as she continues to move and do her own thing. Don’t get caught between the two of them, or you’ll be adorably doubled-teamed in a flurry of tiny punches and star bits.
8 Ken Amada And Koromaru - Persona 4 Aren🐓a Ultimax
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is essentially a ga👍me filled with puppet characters, as most fight alongside their Personas. But Ken❀ and his dog Koromaru play more asynchronously, with Ken using his long spear and sending Koromaru in for separate canine assaults.
Ken’s moves have great range, but they are slow, so you’ll want to use Koromaru to fill those gaps in his offense. If you like puppet fighters b🦄ut tend to find them overly complicated, they’re a great choice for beginners whi🐷le still having plenty to offer more competitive players.
7 Dragon Knight - DNF Duel 🍨
While puppet characters are one of the least common fighting game archetypes, here’s another from DNF Duel🐭 who is actually one of the game’s most popular characters — the Dragon Knight. She commands her dragon Astra alongside her in battle, and working together they have explosive combo and mix-up potential.
DNF Duel hasn’t attracted a big player base, which is a shame given its excellent roster. If you’re looking for a competitively-viable puppet type who’s still 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:pretty accessible to learn, Dragon Knight is another character who's a good fit for beginners and pros alike.
6 💖 Zooeꦏy - Granblue Fantasy: Versus
Zooey from 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Granblue Fantasy: Versus is another sword fighter with a ❀dragon helper, and given their similarities, she was likely an influence on DNF Duel’s team when they adapted Dungeon Fighter Online’s Dragon Knight into DNF Duel.
Zooey has a bit more control over the positioning and moves of her dragon Wyrn, but he has his own meter she’ll need to monitor as well. She actually plays quite differently from Dragon Knight, and she’s one of Granblue’s most fun and versatile characters. But given that they have so much in common, it makes se🅘nse to put Zooey right after her on this list.
5 ☂ Shadow Labrys - Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
While Ken and Koromaru are the cuter du꧅o of Persona 4 Arena, if you’re looking for a more technical character from that game, try♎ Shadow Labrys (or “Shabrys” as she is sometimes known) and her gigantic Persona Asterius.
Asterius is huge and only swims ꩲin the floor alongside Shabrys, surfacing for punches, lasers, and other screen-filling attacks. And while Shabrys can rely on him for effective cover and has solid moves of her own, she also has the low⛄est health in the game, making any mistakes costly.
4 🃏 Tom And Jerry - MultiVersus
Tom and Jerry fight as a team in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:MultiVersus, but many of their attacks are actually Tom going after Jerry with a hammer, trash can lids, and all manner of wacky props. Seeming🥀ly more concerned with each other than their opponents, the damage they inflict is the accidental collateral and havoc of Tom&rs🎶quo;s pursuit.
It’s an ingenious way to bring the sensibilities of a classic Tom and Jerry cartoon to the battlefield, but the furry frenemies can work together, too. Once separated from Tom, Jerry caཧn attack remotely,🎀 and they can even play tennis and hit a ball projectile back and forth between them.
3 Jack-O' - Guilty Gear
In 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Guilty Gear Strive, Jack-O’s been completely reworked with puppet mechanics and more direct control 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:over her ghost servants. She can toss up to three ghosts onto the field at a time and tell them to a✨ttack, shi𓄧eld, or even explode.
While she has some decent normal attacks of her own, she really needs to get pressure going with her minions to be successful, leading to chaotic situations where, between you, your ghosts, and your opponent, there are at least five diffe🀅rent characters onscreen at once. She’s a rewarding, effective puzzle of character for those who figure her out. But even if you don’t, scrambling hilariously as you juggle a stage full of misplaced ghosts is some of the most fun you’ll ever have losing in a fighting game.
2 ꦬ 🌳 Carl Clover - BlazBlue
Carl Clover has been with BlazBlue since the beginning, and few characters are more emblematic of ജthe puppeteer play style than he is. Fighting alongsid𒆙e his automaton Nirvana (who was actually his sister — it’s a long story), Carl is all about the mixups that can come from creating situations that are genuinely two against one.
It&🤡rsquo;s a goo๊d strategy to try to keep Nirvana between you and your opponent, and while she’s slugging away, Carl can use his speed to create unblockable setups and some of the strongest pressure in the game. He has low health and a steep learning curve, as is common for puppet wielders. But he plays a big role in the BlazBlue competitive meta, and likely helped inspire the designs of many other characters on this list.
1 ꧒ Zato-1 - Guilty Gear ♏
Puppet fighters are more of a modern phenomenon, but one of the founding fathers of the archetype is 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Guilty Gear’s Zato-🎀1, who has been around since 1998. Zato is an assassin who figh𒀰ts with the Forbidden Beast Eddie, a black amorphous creature who inhabits his shadow.
Playing as Zato, you’ll guide Eddie along the floor, and he can transform into all manner of helpful things including drills, a sword, and eꦑven a shark. In the long ongoing story of Guilty Gear, Zato died and was controlled by Eddie for a while, before later being resurrected. But for many in the fighting game community, fandom for this true master of puppets remains undying almost 25 years later.