Skullgirls is right up there when we talk about great 2D fighting games. It has gorgeous animation, solid mechanics, and well-balanced fighters.
One thing the game also has is a dedicated competitive scene. For this reason, we’ve made a list that ranks each fighter in Skullgirls from best to worst.
It should be said that every fighter in the game is wonderfully crafted and balanced. Each fight is always determined by the player’s skill in tandem with the strength of the fighter. Remember that when looking at this list.
Now with that out of the way, let’s dive right in.
Note: Each fighter is ordered randomly within their respective tier.
Table of ContentsShow
S-Tier
The best fighters in the game. They have several good tools in their arsenal to help secure a win.
| Fighter | Description |
|---|---|
| Double | Where do we even begin with Double? She has so many tools that add utility in combat. She’s also easy to use considering how powerful she is. On a technical aspect, Double’s safe resets allow her to mitigate punishment in fights. She has good zoning tools to play out of neutral, and crazy combos that are also open to mix-ups. |
| Cerebella | Cerebella is a competitive fighter’s dream. She has frame advantages on most of her moves. Her attacks hit hard and are very disruptive to the opponent. She is difficult to master because of her reliance on grappling. She’s also slow, but she also has good mobility tools – if that makes sense. You’ll need to put in a lot of effort to master this fighter. Once you do, though, you’ll find yourself heavily rewarded. |
A-Tier
Excellent fighters that can rack up several wins. They’re not on par with S-tiers, but with still have a good chance of dominating a match with a decent player controlling them.
| Fighter | Description |
|---|---|
| Big Band | There’s a reason you always see Big Band players online. He’s that good. He’s a slow and large target, but that doesn’t matter because he is sturdy and his attacks hit like a truck. Big Band players likely want to take advantage of the super armor he has in some of his attacks. Exploiting these means bullying your opponent into submission. He has a parry mechanic that’s awesome but difficult to execute, especially against good players. |
| Peacock | Peacock is an annoying fighter to go up against. That’s the case with any zoner, and Peacock fits into that role so well. Her mid and long-ranged moves are powerful and oppressive. She can defend herself up close as well. Peacock suffers from a lack of mobility, but when the rewards are her current skillset, then it’s a compromise worth having. |
| Beowulf | Best damage output in the game: check. Amazing mix-ups: check. Beowulf is good because of the amount of control he has over the opponent. His wrestling and grappling moves, when executed precisely, can knock out an enemy’s momentum instantly. His hype mechanic is an additional tool in your bag, but it does require more effort to learn compared to other fighters. |
B-Tier
These are great fighters but have a few flaws that hinder them in high-level competitions. Players will have to work harder if they want to dominate using these fighters.
| Fighter | Description |
|---|---|
| Filia | Filia is a strong, beginner-friendly fighter thanks to her rushdown fighting style and incredible mobility. Her attacks are quick and unpredictable. She also has an instant air dash AND an air dash cancel – both are incredibly useful in any fight. |
| Ms. Fortune | Like Filia, Ms. Fortune is an agile fighter that can punish opponents with her rushdown style of fighting. Where she differs, is her ability to zone well due to her extendable limbs and projectile options. Ms. Fortune adds zoning and puppet mechanics to the traditional close-ranged fighter. The result is a solid fighter with solid mechanics. |
| Fukua | If you’re a Filia main but want to mix things up a bit, Fukua is for you. They have similar moves (makes sense since Fukua is a clone), but their playstyles differ greatly enough to throw opponents off-guard. For starters, Fukua has a double jump instead of an air dash. Not quite good, but she does make up for it with far better zoning tools at her disposal. What Fukua lacks is defensive potential, which is why she places in B-tier. |
| Valentine | Not many people use Valentine anymore. She’s still a solid choice, though. She’s the typical ninja character who uses fast attacks and crazy air combos to get some wins. Unfortunately, all this speed comes with a cost. Valentine’s attacks are incredibly weak. If you want to take a huge chunk of the enemy’s health, you need to work hard at sustaining her combos. |
C-Tier
These fighters don’t stand out but they don’t have glaring weaknesses either.
| Fighter | Description |
|---|---|
| Squigly | Squigly has all the tools needed to win. The problem is every apparent good quality of hers has an exploitable flaw attached to it. Yes, she has strong zoning abilities, but these attacks are slow. She has good mix-ups on her combos, but these require precision and knowledge of her stances to execute. Overall, Squigly’s success is overly reliant on how much time the player invests into learning her toolkit. |
| Parasoul | Parasoul’s popularity is because of her viability as an assist. On her own, however, she’s just an average fighter. She has good moves but her awful mobility, especially in the air, are huge dealbreakers. She’s a very technical fighter – relying on precise traps, glides, and setups that may be too much for beginners to handle. |
| Eliza | Hear us out on this one. Eliza is strong, but only when used by beginners against beginners. She’s really easy to use considering how much damage she can deal. She seems like an OP fighter but is not once you play a few games against her. In competitive matches, veterans of the game can easily find ways to counter her moves. Despite having several different mechanics attached to her, she still feels one-dimensional. |
F-Tier
The worst fighters to use in competitive play. Their tools are lacking and mastering them will require a lot of time and effort. Use them if you want a challenge.
| Fighter | Description |
|---|---|
| Painwheel | Painwheel is touted as a “master of aerials” yet her performance doesn’t prove this at all. Her success is reliant on what assists she has and how well the player creates openings for her mix-ups. Don’t get us wrong, though, Painwheel is a beast if you’re an exceptional talent behind the controller. Otherwise, she’s almost always at a disadvantage. |
| Robo-Fortune | Robo just doesn’t have the right tools like other fighters in this list have. She has poor damage, weak defense, and only serviceable mobility. Her best trait is her zoning ability, which becomes too predictable the more you see it. |
