Last week, Microsoft Studios Global Publishing Creative Director Adam Isgreen created quite the stir when he posed the question: what 10 characters would you like to see return in the next Killer Instinct?
The fighting game community was abuzz. Eager Jago players were quickly singing his praises, while more distinguished Sabrewulf aficionados had their own points. Even both of Kim Wu’s fans were preparing their case. As it turned out, this was merely a theoretical query, but still one worth exploring: if you could only select ten Killer Instinct fighters, who would you choose? We’ve taken a crack at it ourselves, carefully surveying our options and resisting the urge to simply say ‘as long as you keep Spinal’ and call it a day. Be warned, we will be brutal. We’re feeling a killer instinct of our own.
Spinal
Well, we’ve already established that he’s making an appearance on this list, so there’s no need for subterfuge here. Spinal is the fighting game embodiment of all of those stop-motion movies that gave you nightmares as a child and has established himself as a staple of the franchise. The backbone, if you will.
Spinal’s backstory is colorful in all iterations and particularly grim in the latest reboot. It involves being trapped as an unwilling slave in his own body, ultimately forced to set himself alight for the amusement of his tormentors – a far cry from his bizarre ending in KI1, where he literally grows bored with fighting and becomes a movie star. No matter which lore you prefer, maintaining Spinal on the roster is a must.
T.J. Combo
Surrounded on the battlefield by werewolves, dinosaurs and enormous toads wearing sunglasses (hello Rash), T.J. Combo may seem to be out of his depth. But he just keeps on swinging, keeping the popular trope of ‘disgraced former boxer’ alive and well. Notably absent when the latest Killer Instinct debuted, they quickly righted that wrong in season 2, and we’re happy to say that in our perfect Killer Instinct sequel (tentatively titled ‘Killer Instinct 4: The Final Kerfuffle’), Combo makes the cut once more.
The surly old scrapper lived a life of excess in his prime, and he doesn’t quite move with the grace of some of the other fighters available, but as the wise Mike Tyson once said; ‘everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.’
Sabrewulf
Always one of Killer Instinct’s more fascinating stars, Sabrewulf strikes an imposing figure in the arena. More importantly, however, he is very accommodating to frantic button bashers, rewarding absolute novices with incredible combos wherein he flips, pounces and gnaws on his opponent like Cats choreography gone awry.
Additionally, Sabrewulf is a flawed, tragic soul who managed to get himself cursed while on a drunken bender one night, and that’s something all of us can relate to (probably not so much the werewolf curse part, but the rest of it sounds like a regular Saturday evening tipple). We need multilayered heroes in this new generation of Killer Instinct, making Sabrewulf an appropriate frontman going forward. And a good boy, to boot.
Riptor
Poor Riptor has been something of a tag along in the KI echelons. Completely dropped from the cast in the second game (the apparent victim of a T.J. Combo knuckle sandwich), it wasn’t until KI3’s second season that our prehistoric pal returned from the dead for another go of it.
With bloody dinosaur brawler Primal Rage little more than a distant memory, there is a definite lack of velociraptors in fighting games, and in Riptor’s case, she also possesses near-human intellect, making her ultra deadly. Some may go so far as to call her a clever girl, but others may look for fresher memes to lean on.
Thunder
Much like Riptor, this Native American warrior missed the invite to the second Killer Instinct tournament, left instead to sulk and do whatever it was people did in the mid-90s. Possible options include dancing the Macarena or wearing a flannel shirt and Doc Martens.
He was rebranded in the reboot to more closely resemble an authentic Native American, and it is for these efforts and more that he gets the nod to keep the legend going strong. He also took on a more grapple-based offense in KI3, giving him a unique play style that punished foes who lumbered into his range. All he was missing was a finisher based on an overzealous cuddle that ends in tears. Don’t worry, we’ll consider adding that to The Final Kerfuffle. We’re crowd pleasers, after all.
Maya
This Amazonian battler was able to shed the trappings of her original jungle woman design to morph into a complex and troubled character in the reboot. She wields the twin daggers Vengeance and Temperance, a pair of ancient Egyptian relics that also sound like the subheadings to the next two Twilight books.
She is a powerful fighter, but significantly lacking on the tactical front, preferring to leap into the fray, stab stab stab, then ask questions later. Finally, more stab stab stab, because dammit, those corpses didn’t give her any answers!!
Her daggers aren’t exactly intended for active duty, effectively representing the balance between good and evil, and they frequently motivate her actions. And as far as playstyles go, she’s an absolute hoot, bounding all over the place like she’s got a spider on her shoulder.
Glacius
As much as we considered nixing Glacius in the ultimate display of cutthroat ruthlessness, we simply couldn’t commit to it. He’s just too nifty, and pliable. Plus, the sounds he makes in the original games is downright hilarious. How can you possibly pass up on that?
This benevolent alien possesses a range of devastating techniques that involve shape shifting and the ability to freeze his hapless targets in their place. His greatest rival, Cinder, comes and goes throughout the series, but much like his icy demeanor, Glacius remains a stable force. The only way we would accept his omission is if they pulled something completely out of left field, like replacing him with the evil snowman Bleak from Donkey Kong Country 3. That would also be excellent.
Kilgore
Guys, it’s time to move on from Fulgore. He may have been fun for a while, but get ready to make way for the future of robotic combat operations: the Kilgore bandwagon is currently accepting new members. Beep, whir, clank.
Alright, so strictly speaking, the Kilgore series were outdated predecessors to the state-of-the-art Fulgore models, but this particular unit is a little bit haywire and unstable, making it just that bit wackier. Deadly malfunctioning robots are fun for all ages!
Equipped with a pair of mini guns for arms, a rocket launcher in its chest and a faulty teleportation system that can cause it to combust, Kilgore is an unpredictable combatant whose follies can lead to its own undoing. The controversial decision to opt for it over the beloved Fulgore is bound to lead to a lot of backlash by fans, but you’ve gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelette.
Shadow Jago
So Jago is… okayish, if you look past the bland personality and similarity to Ryu from Street Fighter (who is also rather boring, now that we’re on the subject). KI3 introduced us to a different, more flavorful Jago in the form of this shadowy fellow, a possessed version inclined to do dastardly things.
Much like when Mortal Kombat made the ballsy decision to kill off Liu Kang, we’re being similarly ambitious – albeit in a way that is a bit of a cop-out, and hopefully won’t result in us getting yelled at – by shelving the standard Jago, solely featuring his wicked alter-ego. He plays similarly, so Jago mains won’t have to scramble too wildly, but he would surely make for a more interesting narrative. If it all blows up in our face, we can just reintroduce regular Jago in season 2. With our apologies.
Hisako
Sorry, were you expecting Black Orchid in this spot? Like her brother Jago, Orchid is a ho-hum character whose profile reads like any number of forgettable ‘government agent’ tropes. And let’s not forget, this is the woman whose most famous finisher involved her literally flashing her breasts at opponents. Different time, the 90s.
Hisako makes for a much more fascinating (and rather terrifying) personality, as a vengeful spirit from hundreds of years ago that reacted none too kindly to Ultratech desecrating her grave. With her jittery movements, teleportation abilities and deadly naginata, she certainly leaves an impression. Her alternate form, Shin Hisako, is pretty neat too, but there’s something compelling about this version’s more unsettling demeanor. She’s got our support, just as long as she stays very, very far away from us. Seriously, she gives us the creeps.
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