Guilty Gear Strive is the most recent entry in the Guilty Gear franchise and is shaping up to be one of the most successful in the series. With incredible graphics, great online capabilities, and refined combat that Arc System Works is known for, it's the perfect time to get into the Guilty Gear series. As far as traditional fighting games are concerned, Guilty Gear Strive is quite forgiving, making it a solid choice to not just newcomers to the series, but newcomers to the fighting game genre.
However, as each member of Strive's cast plays quite differently, it should be no surprise that some members of the cast are easier to use than others. So today, we're going to examine the cast of Guilty Gear Strive and see which ten characters are the best for beginners.
10 Leo
Leo Whitefang is an all-arounder with many tools at his disposal. Leo has access to multi-hit projectile and a solid anti-air in the form of charge moves that can each deal solid damage and provide openings after blocking.
Additionally, Leo uniquely has access to two specific stances that alter his moves, providing him access to a potent command grab and a defensive counter respectively.
9 Anji
Though Anji has access to a projectile, he is a pretty aggressive character that is based around forward momentum towards an opponent. Anji has the unique ability to dodge forwards, moving through an opponent's projectiles. This pairs quite well with his move, Fuujin, which moves him forward at a blistering pace while attacking.
While Fuujin is an excellent move in its own right, Anji has access to numerous moves he can perform immediately after it, unpredictably keeping opponents on edge and forcing them into guessing games.
8 Chipp
One of Guilty Gears's resident rushdown characters, Chipp is easily the fastest character in the entire game. With a solid invisible anti-air, the main appeal of Chipp is at his strongest at mid-and close range.
Capable of invisibly dashing towards opponents, foes must block the opposite direction as Chipp appears behind them, making the move very difficult to block. Chipp also has access to some of the fastest close-range attacks in the game and can quickly alternate between high and low attacks.
7 Potemkin
In fighting games, Grapplers are slow but heavy-hitting characters that often possess the strongest special moves in their respective games in the form of their command grabs. The resident grappler of Guilty Gear, Potemkin is no exception. In Potemkin's case, his command grab, the Potemkin Buster deals enough damage to erase roughly a third of most characters' health bars.
While Potemkin has quite limited range, he has numerous attacks such as Mega Fist and Hammer Fall that help him approach and pressure an opponent.
6 Axl
Axl has long been the premier zoner and keep-away character of the Guilty Gear franchise, having incredibly long normals thanks to his chain scythes. Axl has access to several attacks such as Sickle Flash that are able to extend across the entire screen to hit an opponent.
While Axl struggles in close-range combat, he has many tools to help him push foes away and deal severe damage once they're at a safe distance. For those who prefer pestering their opponents from afar, Axl may be the character for you.
5 Ramlethal
Like Axl, Ramlethal is a zoner who relies heavily on long-ranged combat. In addition to having some of the longest ranged normals in the entire game, she is also capable of producing massive hit-boxes with her move, Sabrobat.
As for long-range special moves, Ramlethal is capable of quickly throwing her massive swords at the opponent with her Bajoneto, While her swords are temporarily unavailable after doing so, they return to her after a few seconds and can even be prematurely picked up by walking over them,
4 Giovanna
A newly introduced character to the series, Giovanna is an aggressive rushdown character. While her range is nothing to write home about, like Potemkin, Giovanna's moveset offers several means of quickly approaching an opponent to start dealing damage.
However, Giovanna's mobility is much more in line with that of Chipp, allowing her to maneuver around a fight with ease. One of the biggest appeals of playing Giovanna is her access to many moves that can quickly deal damage to foes from differing angles, such as the excellent mix-up move, Sol Poente.
3 May
May is a character who is already somewhat notorious in Guilty Gear Strive due to her simple yet effective gameplay. A heavily aggressive character, May's signature move, Mr. Dolphin, allows May to quickly approach and attack a foe while riding the namesake Mr. Dolphin.
The move has an incredibly quick startup and is hard to punish, incentivizing a May player to use it frequently. Not only can the move be used to punish an opponent's missed or blocked move, but it can also be effectively implemented into combos. As the pressure from Mr. Dolphin can easily pressure an opponent into blocking, May can use a potent command grab to break through their defenses.
2 Sol
The poster boy of the Guilty Gear series, Sol is an all-arounder who has an emphasis on more aggressive play. While Sol has a ground-based projectile in the form of his Gun Flame, much of his strength lies in his hard to punish offense. Sol has access to Bandit Revolver, a very quick approaching kick, and Volcanic Viper, a potent and invincible anti-air attack.
Each of these attacks is excellent for catching an opponent off guard or creating pressure and forcing blocks. Once an opponent is blocking, Sol has access to both an ariel overhead in Bandit Bringer and a command grab in Wild Throw, both of which can deal serious damage. For those looking for an aggressive and easy-to-use character, Sol is likely the perfect character for you.
1 Ky
Without question, Ky is one of the easiest characters to play as in Guilty Gear Strive. Ky has access to a quick and easy-to-use projectile that can keep opponents at bay in the form of his Stun Edge, which can even be used in the air. Additionally, Ky can aggressively move towards opponents with his approaching moves, Stun Dipper and Foudre Arc, allowing a player to mix up their gameplan and adapt.
The icing on the cake is the ky has access to one of the best anti-airs in the game, Vapor Thrust, meaning a Ky player can use his moveset to play either offensively or defensively.