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How Do Tier Lists Work? Exploring Their Role In Fighting Games

Richard Janvrin by Richard Janvrin, July 04, 2025

Tier list

Regardless of what gaming community you’re involved in, the term “tier list” is something everyone discusses. You’ll find this in all types of games, including MMORPGs and fighting games.

The goal of these is to relay information to players about the strengths and weaknesses of a particular character. In the case of a fighting game, it would measure attributes and how well they play against other opponents in competitive play.

So, whether you’re looking to pick a main character for your enjoyment or venturing to online sportsbooks with esports to make bets, these tier lists can help decide what to play next.

Below, I’ll dive more into the question of “How do tier lists work?”

This will include tier list letters, meaning, misconceptions, and more.

What Is a Tier List?

A tier list is a chart that ranks characters based on their strengths, weaknesses, tools, and how well they perform in competitive play. A tier list can also change based on the intention. Typically, before someone gives insight, they’ll have a “tier list explained” section at the beginning of the video where they’ll explain their criteria.

The goal is to provide fans or players with information about what to expect with each character.

These are usually provided by content creators of a particular game, offering their own opinions, whereas some may provide data-driven answers and rankings based on how the characters perform.

For example, a character would receive a higher or lower rating based on their abilities, combos, how strong they are in certain matchups, and more.

Overall, it’s a chart that organizes characters clearly and concisely, allowing players to evaluate and learn about each character.

Tier Ranking Meaning: How They’re Structured

When you look at a tier list online, you’ll typically find that they have letter grades. These consist of S, A, B, C, D, and perhaps more. Of course, these are completely customizable, but that’s more so the standard iteration.

Let’s explore what each letter means below and answer the “tier list explained” question.

  • S Tier: This stands for “Superior” or “Super.” These are the go-to meta characters. They have powerful combos, strong tools, and have consistent, favorable matchups. These are the cream of the crop. If you Google “tier list letters meaning,” S Tier will always be at the top.
  • A Tier: These are strong characters, but not quite the cream of the crop. They still perform well, but may struggle with “S Tier” characters due to some potentially poor matchups or some small weaknesses.
  • B Tier: These are your middle-of-the-road characters. They can succeed with skilled players, but aren’t standing out compared to S and A Tier characters when it comes to overall mechanics.
  • C Tier: These are characters that have noticeable flaws and are a liability to use in competitive play.
  • D Tier: This is often not the case with developers balancing characters, but there is the rare time where there’s a “joke” of a character that isn’t used whatsoever.

How Do Tier Lists Work In Fighting Games?

The question of “How do tier lists work?” boils down to who’s making the list. Generally speaking, though, they’re created and curated around objective data coupled with some subjective commentary about personal play experience.

This could include a matchup analysis of how certain characters perform against the roster as a whole. There could be some characters that lose more to a certain fighter than another.

There are also data points from tournament results. What character is being used and placed most often? That would certainly impact a tier list ranking.

Finally, it’s also important to consider professional players’ input and patch history. Professional players are professionals for a reason. They have a complete understanding of the game and can provide high-level insight into what each character brings and how they’ll perform.

Patch history is something to always monitor, as characters could be buffed or nerfed in any given patch, which could reset or start a completely new meta.

Examples of Fighting Game Tier Lists

Let’s examine some top fighting game titles and discuss potential tier lists for them.

  • Street Fighter VI: Now that we’re in Season 3, Rashid, Ryu, Akuma, and Bison are viewed as some of the top characters. To some, Ryu is the top. Then, in the D Tier, there are characters like Lily and Jamie due to scaling certain abilities to do less damage.
  • Tekken 8: In Tekken, players will value things like movement, wall carry, and counter-hit launchers. That’s why characters like Claudio have always been toward the top. He’s relatively easy to learn and has some powerful abilities. Meanwhile, in the B Tier, there are characters like Lidia due to their low damage output.
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has a massive roster of characters and a hotly contested tier list. Characters like Sonic can dominate, while some like Ganondorf are toward the bottom for bad aerial options.

Why Tier Lists Matter for Players

Tier lists can often be seen as controversial as it could make new players think they need to play certain characters to succeed. While that’s not completely untrue, at the end of the day, it all depends on how you want to play.

If you want to be competitive, that’s likely how it is. That said, skill will always shine through.

Thus, tier lists can provide insight into the current meta, perhaps reveal information about a character you didn’t know, or a guide for competitive play.

You can also find tier lists for more casual play, too.

Tier List Misconceptions

When it comes to tier lists, there are some things to remember.

  • Skill Over Tier: You could be the best player in the world and use the “worst” character and beat a lesser-skilled player with the best character.
  • Personal Playstyle: While a character may be ranked higher in a list, that doesn’t mean it’s for you. Assess your personal play style.
  • Tiers Aren’t Fixed: These are subject to change all the time with new updates and patches. Tier ranking meaning can change will each patch.

Why To Care About Tier Lists

Understanding tier ranking meaning in fighting games isn’t necessarily just picking the best character and going from there. It’s content, entertainment, and something you can use for additional insight to learn about something you didn’t know before.

Perhaps a recent patch update buffed a character that you weren’t away of. This could lead to you wanting to use that character in competitive/casual play or for when you place esports bets online for the title.

So, that’s the answer to the question of “What is a tier list?” and “tier list explained.”

The TLDR: It’s a structured way to explain the current state of the characters in an ever-evolving setting.

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