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How you decide your "main" in a fighting game?

Usually I narrow it down to my favorite characters (Top 3 or so maybe), and then I just pick whoever I think best fits my playstyle for the game.

On some rare occasions, I might be a dick and just make my main someone who I know people hate aesthetically or in terms of playstyle just for giggles.
 
I usually start with the shotos (if applicable) to learn the game and its systems, then branch out for there.

I tend to gravitate towards the faster fighters; if I see that a chara is grapple-based, thats an automatic scratch off my list of potential mains.

Also, if I find a way to make a quirky, little used character more viable (at least among the people I play with regularly), then that character usually ends up being my main.
 
I usually play through every character's arcade mode and see who I like the most. Granted, this is starting to get kinda exhausting with games like Street Fighter and Tekken where the rosters are gigantic, but I still make the effort. Sometimes I find someone I love straight away, like Sin in Xrd. Man, soon as I did his overhead for the first time I knew he'd be my main.
 
I pick characters that I like aesthetically and that are fun to play with.

The character that I have the most success with usually becomes my main.
 
I usually go for fast moving characters rather than big hitters.
Leifang and Ayane in DOA are my mains.
I enjoy a bunch of the other fighters but DOA is the one I've clicked with most over the years.
 
Sadira in KI for speed and mobility. Will probably spend a lot of time learning Casie in MKX but Subzero has always been the coolest for me
 
I print out the character sheet in poster form, lop off a chickens head, and where ever it lands, that's my main.
 
- How nice is it to move around with them?
- Does the character look like they're having a good time personality wise? (Surprisingly more important than I let on.)
- Can the character transition between phases relatively easily? (i.e. can I zone with normals/projectiles then rush down then play patient and read based before going into any of these options again on a whim?)
- What is their space control like? Any crazy wide area of effect things to consider?
- Do they get DAT DAMAGE?

If three or more of these are ticked, chances are you have a character that appeals to me. For reference's sake, Marth (Melee/Project M/Brawl), Makoto (Third Strike), Viper/Dante/Strider (UMVC3) Elphelt (Guilty Gear Xrd), Johnny (GGAC+R), Hsien-Ko (Darkstalkers 3/Vampire Saviour), Greninja (Smash 4) and Yuzuriha/Linne (UNiEL) are the characters that come closest to what I love in my fighters with Marth and my Marvel team (specifically Dante though) being far and away the characters I most enjoyed playing as.
 
+ Lower mechanical requirement

That would exclude characters that need tight links (Ibuki), complex moves (Crimson Viper) or just-frames (Hwoarang). I like Yang from USF4, but the timing of his links or even command grab combos are so tight I could not main him.
 
Ultimately, it's got to be a character who feels good to play as. Growing up as a big Melee fan, I never even considered using Peach, so imagine my surprise a few months ago when I have her a shot and found myself having more fun with the game than I'd had in ages.

Finding a character who synchronizes so perfectly well with my style of play can be difficult, but it's the kind of thing I look for most when choosing a main. It's super rewarding when you finally find that character.
 
Monocle said:
Looks and style. I picked up quite a few characters in Tekken for those reasons. And I knew immediately that I'd pick up Hisako (the ghost girl) in Killer Instinct, the moment I saw her teaser scene. Such a damn cool character.

The other factor is how they control. I've never been comfortable with characters like King or Dragunov, while Yoshimitsu, Ling Xiaoyu, Nina, etc. made sense to me immediately. The last time I enjoyed playing as King was when Tekken Tag Tournament was the newest entry in the series. Even then, I preferred how he was in Tekken 3.

Oh, and while I'm not that into hard-hitting power characters, I always try to learn one so I can unlock everything as fast as possible with cheese tactics.
Click to expand...
Same here...usually I tend to pick the coolest char, visually and his/her fighting style.
 
To be honest first I have to know if they are viable and I can pull off some of their basic BnBs, then I look at the character and see if I like him/her. Cody is my main in USF4 because I love his carefree attitude and he's also able to hit hard and keep a good pressure. I also play Yang, Yun, E.Ryu and Rolento every now and then.
 
Initially, their appearance is a major criterion. It gives you an idea, however vague, of what to expect. Generally, I like Bruce Lee clones.
Second from appearance is the mechanics of the game. Over time (maybe 5-6 fights against AI), I'll get a good feel of the game and I'll also get to see how the AI uses certain fighters and from there I can make my final decision.
There was a time when I'd always pick the fighter everyone else hated. Sometimes I go with that. This is also true for sports and racing games. I dunno, I like stuff people regard as trash and then defeating people with those same disregarded characters/items.

TL;DR
1. Bruce Lee Clone
2. A few matches against AI
3. Least used character amongst my friends
 
It's simple.

First time I heard what sounded like "all you can" I was hooked.

And on top of that, the motherfucker threw a blue fireball from his hands.
 
By their design and fighting style.

Which is why Juri is the only character i like to play in SF4. It's a shame that Capcom likes to nerf her without balancing her out from her low damage output and poor defense.
 
My main is usually defined by my success with the character. I usually try a few - I have an idea going in to which I am most likely to like.

SF: Ryu, Akuma. Dhalsim
KI: TJ Combo, Fulgore, Saberwolf
MK: Sub Zero, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Smoke.
 
The way of play, how organic do I think one move merges into other.

I feel like it's a mix of dance type and umm DDR movement set for a song - you have some sort of different rhythm with each character and have to make different input, so you try a bit of each and see which hooks. Of course, for proper playing you need to know all, but you always put more play into the ones you feel more natural playing as.

Mitsurugi for life.
 
Whoever can reach any point of the screen in the shortest amount of time (teleports generally don't count).

Basically Taokaka from Blazblue.

After that I just go with which character looks cooler. So I use Makoto in SF despite the game having characters with higher mobility...
 
Boss character.Usually looks cool and easy to use wih flashy stuff.
Bruce Lee clone. Because Bruce Lee is awesome.
Grappler.Love unbreakable command throws.
 
It changes a lot based on the game.

In smash (melee), I main Fox for speed and moveset, plus his style was awesome.

I also alternate main Ganondwarf for the same reasons, replacing speed with power. Style was definitely important.

Dead or alive was easier, I picked based on martial arts I found attractive and like in real life. Lei fangs Tai Chi and helenas Piguaquan.
 
Depends on the game. First I'll go with a charge character if the game has them, and then I usually go with characters that aren't too complex. Pretty much characters that are good at spacing and have a simple game plan of getting in and doing damage. For Smash I play the heavier characters mostly. SF mains are Balrog, Bison, Vega, other charge characters; MK is Jax and Johnny Cage; Smash is Donkey Kong, King Dedede, Bowser, and others.
 
I find myself gravitating toward so called high risk/high reward type characters a lot of times, as well as mid to low tier characters. 90% of the time i tend to use female characters in fighting games. In SF i mained Cammy when she was first introduced , since then Sakura, Sean( before they nerfed him in Third Strike) and Makoto. B Orchid was my main in KI before i started playing with Hisako, Baiken and Sol are my mains in GG, and Hitomi is my main in DOA. I love her fighting style, combos and overall look. (particularly the blue jeans and tank top look) I used to main Jan Lee until she was introduced. She's just a fucking beast if you know how to use her.
 
Looks, then playstyle. If it's a game in which it has pre-existing characters, i.e. Mahvel, P4A, Smash, etc., then I'll usually go for my favorite characters from those properties.
 
To me it's all about their character. I want to be represented by character that I think is cool (game play or personality-wise) or who I can relate to. Picking characters this way will increase your salt levels though, as it's hard to see a character you like get beat up...
 
Whichever character seems to come most naturally to me initially. Timing is *a lot* easier to pick up when the play style of a character 'just clicks.' I ain't got the patience to practice learning different play styles like it's a job.
 
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