Despite some gamers' complaints about “diversity,” it’s necessary for the media to press forward. Without it,Final Fantasywould still be apingDragon Quest. EveryMariogame would still be a 2D side-scrolling platformer. And every fighting game would still look likeInternational Karate+, with identical karate men in different colors.
In fact, fighting games perhaps depend on diversity the most. They need big rosters of interesting characters to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. With LGBTQ+ no longer being dirty letters, the genre has had a few characters representing each initial over the years. These are just someLGBTQ+ characters in fighting gamesworth taking pride in.
Updated on June 09, 2025, by David Heath:There are plenty of LGBTQ+ video game characters out there. However, it can be tricky to find them sometimes. Fans can complain about some examples being too obvious, reiterating the Darkplace meme about subtext (“I know writers who use subtext, and they’re all cowards!"). But there are other examples that are just non-conforming straights at best, or baiting at worst. Cammy’s relationship with her former doll counterpart Juni in Street Fighter 6 seems amorous but could go either way. King of Fighters' Ash is deliberately delicate, though his only relationships have been familial (Elisabeth) or platonic (Duo Lon, Shen Woo). Even Zangief has had people wondering about him. So, this list has been tweaked and updated with characters who spell out their LGBTQ+ status openly, whether it’s a behind-the-scenes detail or as plain as the nose on their faces.
19Eagle
Swift With His Sticks
Eaglewas originally based on Petrov, the suited fighter from Bruce Lee’sThe Chinese Connection(akaFist of Fury). He didn’t have much going for him beyond that and his eskrima sticks. Thus, when Capcom dusted him off forCapcom Vs SNK 2, they decided to spice his character up by throwing in some Freddy Mercury references into his design and making him gay.
While Mercury was bisexual, Eagle doesn’t seem to have time for women, as hisCvS2 win quotesmention him being immune to the charms of Morrigan,Darkstalkers' succubus supreme. His ending also suggested he was checking out the competition, so to speak. Beyond that, his expanded move set made him fun to play. It would be nice to see him come back forStreet Fighter 6, but after 20 years, it feels unlikely.
18Morrigan
A Succubus for All Seasons
Eagle may be immune toMorrigan’s charms, but she isn’t so picky over who she makes her moves on. She was meant to become queen of Makai, the demon realm. However, the idea of being waited on hand and foot, or being expected to perform royal duties, didn’t interest her at all. She’d rather head out into the human world and find something (or someone) new to play with. It’s all part of her nature as a succubus.
Nearly all her victory quotes and taunts are one kind of flirting or another, with Iron Man catching her attention in theMarvelgames, and Pyron getting her kiss of death inDarkstalkers. She’s rarely shown doing anything with women, though one of her win poses inMarvel Vs Capcom 1&2shows her with Lilith, the personification of a part of her powers, in a suggestive situation. Clearly, she isn’t picky about choosing her partners.
17Juri
Does Whatever She Wants to Whoever She Wants
Juri Hanbecame a hit as soon as she appeared. Despite being a chaotic evil, Tae Kwon Do-using punk, there was a sympathetic side to her as many of her character flaws are her acting out due to her trauma. Others like Chun-Li have offered her the chance to move past her past and reform.
She’s regarded as the first openly bisexual character in theSFseries as well. Being a sadist, she’s not too picky about who she gets to hurt for kicks. Nonetheless, she does seem to lean more towards women than men. Her original biography listed ‘large breasts’ as one of her interests, and she has a love-hate thing going on for Chun-Li and Cammy. She accused them of having a ‘schoolgirl crush’ on her, but since she projects her faults on others, it may be the other way around.
16Mature
Secretary With a Surprise
Juri wouldn’t be the first bisexual woman with a sadistic streak, though she would be one of the few to have it confirmed right from the start.Maturefirst appeared as one of the secretaries forKOF ‘94’s final boss, Rugal. Then, for her first playable appearance, it would be revealed she was part of the Hakkenshu, a clan of Orochi worshipers, and she’d be tasked with keeping an eye on the series’ lead rival, Iori, alongside fellow secretary-turned-spy Vice.
She’d be the slightly more hinged one, toying with her foes before slashing them, compared to Vice’s more manic bloodthirst. Given Vice’s aversion to men, particularly middle-aged ones, one would think SNK would’ve made her their first confirmed queer character. But it was ina Kotaku article onKOF 12that confirmed Mature was bisexual. Given how she shows her affections, her partners would have to be masochists.
15Marisa
Pansexual Pankratiast
If Juri is a little too scary,SF6has a new character who’s less intimidating, despite being a mountain of muscle.Marisais an Italian who claims Greek descent and practices pankration. Outside the ring, she’s a jewelry designer who likes art. Inside it, she uses combat to show “her affection for both men and women in her own special way”. In the early days, people thought it was just a creative description of her heart-shaped punches. Much like how two cohabiting same-sex couples may be just roommates.
Yet Arcade Mode shows her having a tender moment with Manon and an amorous one with Zangief. Then one of her World Tour missions sees the player help her decide between a male and a female fiancée. In the end, she settles on both, then invites the player to be a third. With her willingness to share her love with anyone regardless of gender, she may be the genre’s first polyamorous pansexual.
14Kung Jin
Left By the Wayside
SFisn’t the only series to feature LGBTQ+ characters.Mortal Kombat Xintroduced the “Kombat Babies,” the younger relatives of classic characters. Sonya and Johnny Cage had a daughter, Cassie. Jax had his daughter Jacqui. Kenshi gave Scorpion a student in Takeda. Then Kung Lao had a nephew inKung Jin, who happened to be openly gay.
His status is revealed in a scene with Raiden, where he recruits the wayward youth into the White Lotus (“They care only about what is in your heart, not whom your heart desires”). However, he couldn’t quite stand out over his fellow youngsters, going MIA fromMortal Kombat 11. Whether he’ll appear inMortal Kombat 1beyond a story mode cutscene is up in the air, but given it’s yet another reboot, it seems unlikely.
13Mileena & Tanya
Power Couple
Wholesome moments are rare inMKand rarer still among its villains. In the classic and reboot timelines, Mileena was a monster clone of Kitanathat liked to eat people alive. While Tanya was an Edenian who’d betray anyone to get ahead. They’ve both flirted with guys, including Kung Jin (“Barking up the wrong tree, sister!”). ButMK11changed things when they brought Mileena back, and she wanted to avenge both her own death (she got better) and Tanya’s.
It turned out she wasn’t just an aide to Mileena’s claim to Outworld’s throne inMKX, but her lover too. Her arcade mode ending saw her rewrite history to revive Tanya and rule the Realms as queens with their child. For two bloodthirsty killers, it’s a surprisingly heartwarming ending.MK1kept their love but changed the surrounding details. Mileena is now the heir to Outworld’s throne, and Tanya is her Umgadi guardian, carrying out a secret relationship.
12Sharon
Secret Agent Nun
Sharonhas a messy story that differs between theSFEXgames andFighting EX Layer, Arika’s revival of theEXseries without theSFcharacters. Initial news at the time said she was the sister ofSFEX1’s Blair, who had been taken out of the series to appear inFighting Layer(no relation toFEXL). Eventually, she would be revealed as a nun who also worked as a secret agent in order to find out who her parents were.
The rest of theEXseries would tease who her parents were, mentioning one had a ‘rose tattoo’. But they’d never get around to revealing who this person was beforeEX3ended the series for good. Sharon was brought back as DLC forFEXL, where she discovered her father was Skullomania’s anti-hero rival, Shadowgeist, and that her real name was Seren. But neither was as important to her as getting back safely to her girlfriend was.
11Venom
Assassin with an Unrequited Love
TheGuilty Gearseries is one of the more open fighting games in terms of sexuality and identity. I-No is like Juri in her flirty attitude towards every gender. Elphelt skips that in favor of proposing marriage directly. Kum Haehyun and Justice are women in otherwise butch-looking robot shells. By comparison,Venom, a gay Egyptian who fights with a cue and billiard balls, feels rather grounded.
He had an unrequited love for Zato-One, the leader of the Assassin’s Guild, and did all he could to serve him. When Zato died inGuilty Gear XX, Venom took it hard and took it out on his killer and former lover, Millia Rage. If anyone was expecting a love triangle with queer elements in a video game, they probably weren’t expecting it in a 2D fighter. He’s since settled down with Ky Kiske’s mechanical doppelgänger Robo-Ky.
10Bridget
Every Discussion Ends With Her
SinceBridgetreturned to theGGseries inGuilty Gear Strive, it’s become a meme that every discussion about the game, if not the series at large, will end in discourse about the yoyo-wielding bounty hunter. Many aren’t willing to accept the conclusion of her story mode in the game, where she officially comes out to her allies. That’s par for the course for trans characters, but it’s also becauseBridget’s journey was an unusual one. She was one of a set of twins, and assigned male at birth.
The locals believed twin boys were a bad omen, so to save Bridget, her parents claimed she was born a girl and raised her as such. Though she felt at home with a feminine upbringing, her parents felt bad for seemingly making her live a lie. So, Bridget thought her parents would feel better if she took up a masculine job and identity. However, inGGS, she learned she was pretending to be something she wasn’t. Her parents had inadvertently lucked in on the truth: Bridget is a trans girl, and happy to be one.
