By Sensei Will Esparza | House of Dragons Magazine – Issue #1
Every martial artist has had this debate.
Every gamer has imagined the brackets.
And anyone who grew up throwing Hadoukens, charging Power Geysers, or mashing buttons in a dusty arcade knows this question:
Who is the greatest fighter in video game history?
We built the bracket. We did the breakdown.
No gimmicks. No plot armor. Just a deep dive into the fighting styles, stats, storylines, and skills that shaped generations of warriors on screen—and inspired generations off-screen.
This is House of Dragons’ Ultimate Fighter Tournament. And you're about to step into the fire.
THE CONTENDERS
1. RYU
Franchise: Street Fighter
Style: Ansatsuken (Karate + Hadou energy)
Signature Moves: Hadouken, Shoryuken, Metsu Shoryuken
Power Level: Master martial artist with near-perfect balance
Why He’s Here: Ryu is the blueprint. Pure discipline, no shortcuts. He represents the journey.
2. JIN KAZAMA
Franchise: Tekken
Style: Traditional Karate + Mishima Combat + Devil Gene
Signature Moves: Electric Wind God Fist, Laser Beam, Devil Form
Power Level: Massive—especially when transformed
Why He’s Here: He’s the heir to chaos and the bridge between discipline and destruction.
3. LIU KANG
Franchise: Mortal Kombat
Style: Shaolin Kung Fu, Dragon Style
Signature Moves: Bicycle Kick, Fireballs, Dragon Morph
Power Level: Fire and speed with god-tier evolution in later arcs
Why He’s Here: Four-time Mortal Kombat champion. The chosen one.
4. TERRY BOGARD
Franchise: Fatal Fury / King of Fighters
Style: Street Brawling with Traditional Martial Arts
Signature Moves: Power Geyser, Buster Wolf
Power Level: Explosive striker with one-hit knockout potential
Why He’s Here: The fan-favorite. The underdog who punches above his weight class.
5. SCORPION
Franchise: Mortal Kombat
Style: Ninjutsu + Hapkido + Hellfire Control
Signature Moves: Spear, Teleport Punch, Fire Fatalities
Power Level: Undead revenant with supernatural durability
Why He’s Here: Vengeance incarnate. Tactical, ruthless, and terrifying.
6. KAZUYA MISHIMA
Franchise: Tekken
Style: Mishima-Ryu Karate
Signature Moves: Spinning Demon Kick, Devil Beam, Rage Art
Power Level: Comparable to Jin, but more brutal and controlled
Why He’s Here: Cold, focused rage with a legacy of power.
7. SOL BADGUY
Franchise: Guilty Gear
Style: Hybrid Martial Arts + Gear Physiology
Signature Moves: Gun Flame, Volcanic Viper, Dragon Install
Power Level: Superhuman. Gear-enhanced strength and fire manipulation
Why He’s Here: Raw power. Chaos and instinct. A walking nuclear punch.
8. KEN MASTERS
Franchise: Street Fighter
Style: Ansatsuken (Flame variant)
Signature Moves: Shoryu Reppa, Guren Kick, Flaming Hadoukens
Power Level: Slightly faster and more aggressive than Ryu
Why He’s Here: Flashy, fast, and devastating if unchecked.
9. AKUMA
Franchise: Street Fighter
Style: Satsui no Hado–driven Ansatsuken
Signature Moves: Raging Demon, Air Fireball, Teleports
Power Level: Off the charts. Has beaten gods and shattered mountains
Why He’s Here: The embodiment of power with no mercy. He is the dark path.
10. HEIHACHI MISHIMA
Franchise: Tekken
Style: Mishima-Ryu Karate
Signature Moves: Iron Fist, Demon Uppercut
Power Level: Despite his age, monstrous durability and strength
Why He’s Here: The founder. Ruthless strategist. A legacy built in fire.
11. AKIRA YUKI
Franchise: Virtua Fighter
Style: Bajiquan (explosive close-quarters martial art)
Signature Moves: Double Palm Strike, Shoulder Ram
Power Level: Grounded in realism, elite technique
Why He’s Here: Representing technical mastery. A martial artist’s martial artist.
12. BAKI HANMA
Franchise: Baki the Grappler
Style: Mixed Martial Arts, Underground Combat
Signature Moves: Ogre Form, Joint Manipulation, Advanced Grappling
Power Level: Anime-tier. Has fought prehistoric beasts, demons, and his own father
Why He’s Here: Represents raw grit and true fighting obsession.
13. RAIDEN YAMADA
Franchise: House of Dragons Original
Style: Military Tactical Arts + Dragon Integration
Signature Moves: Flame Knee, Cyber Arm Strike, Dragon Focus Mode
Power Level: Enhanced strength and speed, bonded to his cyber-dragon Ryujin
Why He’s Here: A new era fighter. Rooted in traditional martial arts, built for modern war.
TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Quarterfinals:
Ryu overcomes Jin with balance and clarity
Liu Kang burns through Terry with aerial creativity
Akuma erases Ken with a Raging Demon
Baki outlasts Scorpion using grappling and endurance
Semifinals:
Ryu defeats Liu Kang in a war of will and distance control
Akuma ends Baki’s run with devastating supernatural attacks
Finals:
Ryu vs. Akuma. Discipline vs destruction. Light vs dark. Ryu walks the edge of Satsui no Hado, using it not for rage, but refinement.
Ryu wins—not by brute force, but through mastery, timing, and restraint.
HOUSE OF DRAGONS CHAMPION: RYU
He’s not the flashiest. He’s not the fastest. But he’s the most complete. He embodies everything martial arts stands for: control, dedication, and the never-ending pursuit of improvement.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
That’s our bracket. That’s our pick. But what about you?
Do you agree with our final four?
Would you swap out a legend for a sleeper?
Do you believe Akuma should’ve taken it all?
Would Baki tap everyone out with one-arm chokes?
We want to hear from the fans, the fighters, and the gamers who lived through the rise of arcades, midnight tournaments, anime VHS tapes, and LAN battles.
Let us know your top pick, your dream matchups, and who your personal champion would be.
This isn’t just a House of Dragons list—this is a community dojo for every generation of fighter and fan.
Let the debate begin.