Joke Characters – The Funniest and Strangest Fighters in Games

Have you ever seen a fighting game character that seems out of place in its universe? One that clearly shouldn't be there? These are joke characters. Characters that are there just to be funny, ridiculous, or to provoke a rival in some way. The biggest example of this is Dan Hibiki, a character created to poke fun at SNK during the era when Street Fighter and King of Fighters were vying for players' attention in arcades.

But many other fighting games also have their fun and intentionally weaker fighters, who often challenge a player's skills and transform this "underdog" into a true champion. Let's list 10 joke characters and their funny origins, and if you have any questions, leave a comment.

Dan emerged as a direct provocation from Capcom to characters from SNK's The King of Fighters, especially Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia, and first appeared in Street Fighter Alpha. He uses moves similar to Ryu and Ken, but everything about him seems wrong, from the strength of his attacks and hitboxes to the reach of his Gadouken, as if he were a poorly finished version of a real fighter.

The idea was never to make him a respected fighter, but rather someone too self-assured for what little he can actually do. His exaggerated screams, long poses, and weak attacks make it clear that he takes himself much more seriously than he should.

The game itself treats Dan as a joke, using dialogue and animations that reinforce this lack of awareness. Even so, he ended up gaining a loyal fanbase, precisely because he is so out of place. Over the years, Capcom even improved his moves a little, but without ever taking away his role of mocking the genre itself. Dan is proof that a character created to make people laugh can end up being as memorable as the protagonists.

Panda first appeared in Tekken 3 as Xiaoyu's bodyguard and companion, arriving in the cast as something no one expected to take seriously. While the game features fighters with heavy, dark stories involving angels and demons and ancient rivalries, Panda enters as a giant teddy bear who simply decided to fight.

The joke lies in the contrast between her cute appearance and the violent atmosphere of the game's tournament. She uses moves similar to Kuma's, but everything seems stranger coming from a panda adorned with bows and sweet mannerisms. Panda was created to entertain and diversify the cast, not as a specific critique of the industry.

Tekken itself never tries to properly explain why a panda fights, simply accepting it as normal. This disregard for logic is what transforms the character into a joke character. Panda doesn't exist to deepen the story, but to break the weight of the cast, and that's exactly why she became a defining character in the series.

Kuma appeared in the first Tekken as Heihachi's pet bear, making it clear that the series wouldn't be limited to just human fighters. The idea of ​​a grumpy old man teaching martial arts to a bear was a ready-made joke from the start. As the games progressed, Kuma gained moves similar to those of the Mishima family, as if he were another member of that crazy clan. The provocation lies precisely there: treating a huge animal as if it were another serious fighter in the tournament.

The game never makes an effort to explain this, it simply accepts that a bear can fight. Like Panda, Kuma reflects the Tekken style of including "absurd fights" for comic relief. This constant absurdity makes Kuma one of the most memorable joke characters in the franchise. He's not there to tell a grand story, but to break the heavy atmosphere of Tekken. And, even though he's a joke, he ended up becoming a permanent part of the series.

Mokujin first appeared in Tekken 3 as a wooden puppet that suddenly came to life and decided to participate in the tournament. Within the story, he awakens when the game's evil energy begins to spread, but this is never fully explained. The big joke is that he doesn't have his own style, randomly copying the moves of other characters in each fight.

This makes it so that the player never knows exactly who they’re playing against until the fight begins.

Mokujin doesn't speak, has no expression, and seems to exist only to confuse everyone. While the rest of the cast has serious rivalries and long stories, he's just a doll walking around. He symbolizes Tekken's fantastical humor: "when the world is on the brink of chaos, Mokujin will appear", says the game's lore, reinforcing the fantastic and playful tone.

The provocation is clear: placing a personality-less object in the middle of drama-filled fighters.

The game doesn't try to justify his presence much, it just accepts it. This disregard for logic turns Mokujin into a joke within Tekken. And that's why he's still remembered more for the jokes than for any feat in the story.

This fighter first appeared in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance as a secret character that nobody expected to take seriously. He's not a ninja, monster, or sorcerer, but just an actor wearing a motion capture suit, one of those with lots of little dots. His origin is almost an inside joke by the development team itself, playing on the animation creation process, based on the animator Carlos Pesina (Raiden's voice actor), who worked on MoCap in the first MKs.

While the rest of the cast is made up of dark and violent characters, Mokap enters as if he'd stepped out of a film studio. The provocation is clear: putting someone dressed as a prop to fight against gods and assassins. The game never tries to explain this within the story, it simply accepts his presence, and this completely breaks the serious tone of the series at that point.

Even though he has real moves, he always seems out of place. Mokap exists more to laugh at the franchise itself than to tell any story. And that's why he's still remembered today as one of the strangest joke characters in Mortal Kombat.

Neko first appeared in Melty Blood: Re-ACT as a distorted and comical version of the character Arcueid. She comes from a manga derived from the Tsukihime universe, where she already existed as an inside joke before entering the games. Her appearance resembles a strange, small cat with incorrect proportions, which already breaks any serious mood.

She was "created" in the lore by Zelretch (a mad mage from the Type-Moon universe) to parody Arcueid. Within the game, she moves awkwardly and unpredictably. Her attacks seem more like playful banter than actual fighting technique. The provocation here is directed at the dark universe of Melty Blood itself, which she turns into a mess.

While other characters speak of destiny and tragedy, Neco-Arc only causes confusion. The game doesn't try to explain her behavior, it just lets it happen. She exists to remind us that not everything there needs to be taken seriously. And that's why she's become a symbol of humor among fans of the series.

Pichu first appeared as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee, joining the roster as a smaller and more fragile version of Pikachu. He comes from the second generation of Pokémon and was conceived as the "electric mouse before it grew up". The joke begins when the game makes it clear that he’s lighter, faster, but also much more vulnerable.

The detail that turns everything into a joke is that its own electric attacks take its life.

While Pikachu hits and comes out unscathed, Pichu gets beaten up by itself. This forces the player to fight against the opponent and against its own character at the same time. The game never tries to treat this as something serious, it's just accepted as a rule.

Its inclusion wasn't to criticize anything, but to diversify the electric Pokémon roster. It's said that Sakurai wanted to include an alternative Pikachu and ended up choosing Pichu as "the purposefully weak electric mouse". The provocation lies in turning a cute version into an almost punitive choice. Pichu wasn't created to compete on equal footing. It exists to remind us that not every variation needs to be better than the original.

Roll comes from the Mega Man series and first appeared as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes. Within the original universe, she was never a fighter, which already makes her presence in a fighting game strange. While heroes and villains enter armed to the teeth, Roll arrives using household objects.

She attacks with brooms, buckets, and improvised tools, as if she had been thrown there by mistake. The joke lies in this absurd contrast between household chores and explosion-filled combat. The game doesn't try to make it serious; it just lets the situation happen.

Even though it works within the rules, she always seems out of place. The provocation is clear: to show that anyone can become a fighter if the game wants them to. Roll doesn't represent power or rivalry. She exists to break the epic atmosphere of the cast.

He was created as a cameo based on the Japanese comedian Noritake Kinashi and first appeared in the Japanese version of Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter as a secret character. His design and presence are an inside joke tied to Japanese pop culture and the habit of inserting celebrities into local games.

It didn't survive the international versions because of licensing and image rights. In the game, he functions as comic relief, more of a tribute and joke than a serious fighter. The choice of a real comedian transforms the character into a self-referential satire about celebrity and marketing.

While other characters have lore and rivalries, Norimaro exists to provoke laughter and surprise when he appears.

He also serves as a record of the time when developers made easter eggs aimed at the Japanese audience. Because he’s exclusive to a regional version, he has become a curiosity and a collector's item among fans. In the end, Norimaro represents the mix of fanservice, humor, and commercial practices of the 90s in the gaming industry.

Servbot comes from the Mega Man Legends series and first appeared as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 2. He’s a small robot with a large helmet and a clumsy attitude from the first encounter. In the original game, Servbots are bumbling helpers, not great heroes.

Even so, he enters a cast full of powerful fighters and legendary characters. The joke begins when he faces figures like Cable or Ryu without changing his stance. His moves are exaggerated and give the impression that he's always overexerting himself. The contrast between his size and the grandeur of the others is constant.

The game never tries to explain why a helper robot became a fighter. The provocation lies in treating something small and silly as if it were normal in the tournament. And that's what makes Servbot such a memorable joke character.