Fighting games have changed a lot over the years. Traditionally, the characters included in fighting games generally are connected to a single narrative universe (save, of course, for games like Super Smash Bros and PlayStation Allstars). In recent years, though, cross-collaboration between fighting games has led to a huge number of characters included in games from totally different companies.
For a long time, cameo characters were usually secret unlocks or easily obtainable in-game. But now, modern fighting games tend to include cameos from other franchises in DLC packs. Among such cameos, these characters managed to stand out in the games where they appeared.
10 Yoda – Soulcalibur 4
Yoda, the well-recognized Jedi master from the Star Wars series, was included as a character in Soulcalibur IV alongside his polar opposite Darth Vader. The two characters were originally exclusive to the Xbox 360 version of the game, but were later included with all versions.
In the game, Darth Vader and the Empire discover a source of power in the Soulcalibur universe through a kind of inter-dimensional portal. Yoda pursues Darth Vader in order to stop the Empire from gaining control of it.
9 Link – Soulcalibur 2
The Soulcalibur series is rife with these kinds of appearances, with some sort of cameo in just about every entry in the franchise. In Soulcalibur 2, the Hero of Time Link from the Legend of Zelda series, is a playable character.
Link travels to the world of Soulcalibur to track down a source of several disasters in Hyrule, the Soul Edge. He appears as the adult version of Link from Ocarina of Time, including the eponymous ocarina.
8 Sonic – Super Smash Bros
Fans long thought that the Super Smash Bros series would only ever include characters from Nintendo games. Fans of Super Smash Bros. Melee hoped for the inclusion of several characters from other companies, though, owing to their cross-platform appeal.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl and subsequent entries in the series, Nintendo has been way more relaxed about including characters from other games. Sonic, Snake, and several others were introduced in Brawl, but Ultimate pushed the bar even higher with its inclusion of indie game cameos.
7 Spartan-458 – Dead or Alive 4
The Spartan-458 (better known as Nicole-458 in-game) is a non-canon character who represents the Master Chief and the Halo franchise in Dead or Alive 4. Nicole-458 is a female spartan on a mission to investigate a space anomaly, leading her to enter the Dead or Alive universe.
The character is hilarious to play due to her soaring height, which puts her far above every other contestant. Just don't expect to get any special Halo story details out of this cameo.
6 The Terminator – Mortal Kombat X
The Mortal Kombat series started including cameos to other media pretty early on, but Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11 turned up the dial. The Terminator makes a cameo in Mortal Kombat X as a DLC character.
Unfortunately, the character in the game is not actually voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, the model does have unique interactions and dialogue with every other enemy that references the events of the Terminator movies.
5 Rambo – Mortal Kombat X
Speaking of over-the-top action heroes being brought into fighting games, the crazed Vietnam War vet Rambo was also brought into Mortal Kombat X as a DLC character. Unlike the Terminator cameo, Rambo is actually voiced by his live-action portrayer. Sylvester Stallone lent his voice for this cameo.
Rambo's voice lines and dialogues with every other Kombatant are some of the funniest in the game. His fatalities, though, are among the more brutal the game has to offer.
4 Kratos – Mortal Kombat 2011
In Mortal Kombat 2011, the reboot of the franchise from a decade ago, the game included a few characters as optional DLC. Kratos, from the God of War series, set foot into the Mortal Kombat universe in this game.
Many fans considered Kratos to be one of the more broken characters in the game upon its release. This was perhaps owing to his god-like might and determination in his own story.
3 Box Art Mega Man – Street Fighter X Tekken
The box art for the original Mega Man NES game is one of the worst renditions of a character in gaming history. Nobody expected Street Fighter X Tekken to include yet another crossover in the form of a render of the unnerving Box Art Mega Man.
The box art depicted Mega Man as a muscular adult straight out of the uncanny valley, partly owing to his strange body proportions. The 3D version pays homage to this Crimson Chin-looking version of the beloved character.
2 Michael Jackson – Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2
The most famous pop singer of all time, Michael Jackson, received a cameo in the boxing game Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 from 2000. Appearing alongside Shaquille O'Neal, the King of Pop himself was motion captured and provided the voice for his character.
Michael Jackson is a playable character in Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2. Furthermore, he also appears in every single version of the game – including the Gameboy Color version.
1 Rash, The Battletoad – Killer Instinct
Battletoads is a legendary game for its memeability and its incredibly punishing difficulty. In the fighting game Killer Instinct from 2013, Rash, one of the eponymous Battletoads, was included as a cameo character.
The game also features the Arbiter from the Halo series and General RAAM from the Gears of War series as guest characters, rounding out a star-studded list of cameos.