Darkstalkers/YMMV

• Americans Love Jon Talbain: For many years, fans have been clamoring to get this guy into one of the Vs. titles (it works for Americans, who view werewolves and Bruce Lee to be awesome things). Point in case: Niitsuma, the producer of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, notes that he wanted to add more characters from this series to the game, but couldn't due to time constraints. Jon would have been his pick. Unfortunately...
  • Japan Hates Gallon: ...So they'll never pick up on all of the hints we've been giving them. From a recent poll, he's the second most hated Darkstalkers character and the sixth most hated character out of the entire company, beaten only by Demitri. Even so, not all Japanese hates Talbain. One of the color schemes of Valkenhayn R. Hellsing is based on Jon. It also might not help that Capcom designed him to be popular with both sides of the world. He does have his fans in the East though, some coming from the Furry Fandom. Sadly, despite Niitsuma's preference for him, Talbain STILL didn't make the cut for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
• Angst? What Angst?: Morrigan is a succubus that was found in Scotland by Belial, with no clue about her family. In her adult life, she is the succesor of Belial as ruler of Makai (which is full of corruption and disorder), she's missing parts of her power and herself (and doesn't get fully restored at the end, since Belial had the last part of her power inside of him) and her father Belial dies because of being weak at his age, leaving her full responsability over Makai. Still, rather than having internal problems or doubts about her position as ruler of the demon kingdom, she is very laid back and cares more about visiting the human world (not liked by the inhabitants of Makai) to pursue her hedonist wishes. It's not even show how she reacts to Belial's death, and since she kept her unresponsable attitude rather than accepting her charge, it's likely she didn't feel too hurt by it.
• Awesome Art: The game is extremely stylish, from the varrying artstyle to the top-notch animations and spritework. Capcom really put thier guns on it.
• Best Known for the Fanservice: Rather literally. Although this may be because Darkstalkers never really took off, and of course sex sells, Morrigan and Felicia are the only people anyone seems to remember from the games. It's quite telling that in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, the three Darkstalkers include Morrigan, Felicia and Hsien-Ko.
• Character Tiers: Sasquatch is infamous for being top tier in every game of the series, even as he received various nerfs along the way. He's a common pick in tournament play.
• Crazy Awesome: Wouldn't be the same without it.
  • Lilith manages to top everyone. Who else has a possible One-Hit Kill super that forces your opponent to dance in a Beatmania-type mini game?
• Critical Research Failure: Quite a few people confused Hsien-Ko/Lei-Lei's giant bladed gauntlets for her hands despite the fact that one can see her actual hands quite a few times in her gong attack and most of her victory poses. This includes the American cartoon, which gave her giant mechanical hands (yes, hands, not claws) that transformed into weapons, and even some video game sites.
• Crowning Music of Awesome: Gonna be trouble, Baby I'm a trouble man....
• Designated Hero:
  • Donovan: He's more than a little of a Knight Templar, and his vampire side takes him over in his ending.
• Draco in Leather Pants: Lilith is very well liked despite being a villain in the series. Mostly because she has a sympathetic backstory.
• Ensemble Darkhorse Darkstalkers:
  • Morrigan. Although she is the most popular character in her series, she is shown to be among Capcom's most popular characters. To date, there are very few entries of the Capcom vs. Whatever series that she hasn't appeared in, mostly the "Street Fighter vs." games. This despite her being from a series that Capcom hadn't touched for 10 years, and since that point has touched for 3 years.
  • Felicia. Though not to the level of Morrigan, she is very popular. Of all the cast, she's the one character most likely to appear alongside Morrigan in crossovers.
  • Jon Talbain. Especially in the United States. Although not at the level as the two above, thanks to Capcom Japan's absolute refusal to include him in any future games featuring the Darkstalkers, he's become this in many fans' eyes. Even Ryoma Niitsuma, the director of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, notes that if he had more development time, Jon would have been the game's 4th rep for this series (after Morrigan, Felicia, and Hsien-Ko).
  • Anita. Many players wish to see the older and more cheerful self (as seen in Dee's story from Vampire Savior 2 and planned to be included in the third game) as a playable character in future games. She made, however, the jump to playable in some crossovers, such as Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom Clash of the Superheroes, where she was a selectable Assist Character.
  • Lei-Lei/Hsien-Ko: The jiangshi girl's innovative fighting style and overall cuteness made her a fan favorite as well, with her appearing in Namco X Capcom, Pocket Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Project X Zone. She even gets a very large role in the anime, in which she is the secondary protagonist along with her sister.
  • Lord Raptor/Zabel Zarock: his rock star nature and hilarious, hammy yet brutal quotes and fighting style have made him very popular amongst Western fans, many who want to see him in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as DLC. He made it into Namco X Capcom and Project X Zone as one of the villains.
  • B.B. Hood/Bulleta: Similar to Lord Raptor above, she has garnered a sizable fanbase (again, at least in the West). Most of this stems from the take that she's an Faux Affably Evil take on Little Red Riding Hood who seems completely out of place in this series and yet manages to hold her own. Along with Felicia and Anakaris, she did manage to join Morrigan in the Marvel vs. Capcom 2 lineup. She also was the sole series representative in Cannon Spike and will be making an appearance in Project X Zone 2 as an enemy unit after what has been essentially a fifteen year-long absence.
• Evil Is Cool And Sexy: Demitri approaches is pretty damn close to Draco in Leather Pants territory, but still has his fair share of fans.
  • Also Morrigan (although she subverts the "evil" part).
  • Jedah, who—unlike Morrigan, plays the "evil" part straight.
  • B.B. Hood, for those who like their women young.
• Fan-Preferred Couple:
  • Felicia and Jon Talbain. Almost every media adaptation has paired them up, or at least had them run into each other on a regular basis. Capcom does a suspicious amount of Ship Teasing with these two. Although there's nothing to suggest it in-game, in every Darkstalkers property outside of the games to which Capcom has given their stamp of approval, from the US cartoon series and OVA to the UDON comics, Jon and Felicia always share a bond of one variety or another; they're either friends, comrades in battle, traveling companions, or even living together. A manga from 1996 actually has the two sleeping together in the same bed.
  • You'd be surprised at how many times the pairing of Morrigan/Felicia pops up among the fandom. Morrigan's pet names for Felicia (apparently, Morrigan still calls Felicia "kitten" according to Cross Edge, and in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Morrigan tags out with Felicia with the call of "Kitty!") do not help in the slightest.
  • Donovan/Hsien-Ko was likely started due to their interactions in the anime.
  • Mixed with Crossover Ship, Morrigan is frequently paired with Dante of Devil May Cry fame (potentiated by Marvel vs. Capcom 3). Along with Dante/Bayonetta, this ship seems to be more popular than all of the actual pairings in-universe.
• Game-Breaker: In Vampire Savior, still the Darkstalkers game most played by the competitive fighting community, Q-Bee, Sasquatch, and Talbain are infamous for being three of the most powerful characters in the game whilst also being some of the easiest. B.B. Hood also gets some hate for her "unblockable" (it's not really, but let's not get too technical here), and Lord Raptor is also extremely good, but he's also very hard to play.
• Growing the Beard: Jon Talbain was a rather underdeveloped character in the original Darkstalkers game. His moveset lacked variety, his trademark Beast Cannon was only available as a super (and in its place as a special was the nearly-useless Beast Rush), and even visually he didn't quite stack up to the other characters, with many of his normal attacks looking identical in a game otherwise full of visual variety. Reception from players was lukewarm as a result. He was greatly improved in Night Warriors with some newly-animated normal attacks, the introduction of Beast Cannon as a special, the addition of nunchucks for some kung-fu flair, and two cool new supers in Mirage Body and Dragon Cannon. He became a much more interesting and popular character as a result.
• I Am Not Shazam: The Bishamon in Vampire Savior/Savior 2/Hunter 2 and one of the Bishamon in 3 (as noted on the Characters page) is not the man who was enslaved by the will of his armor, but the armor itself having gained its own sentience.
• Iron Woobie:
  • Felicia. She suffers constant discrimination, abuse, and misunderstanding throughout the game franchise and the spinoff series, but still manages to keeps her cheerful attitude and hopes of a better future.
  • Jon Talbain used to be a normal nobleman until the night it was revealed he turned into a werewolf, everyone then treat him as an outcast even if Jon didn't have a malicious heart, only trying to control his beast impulses via Training from Hell. Just when he thought he has controlled the impulses fully, the adults still refuse him. Children does, but time by time, Jon still had to leave them to train lest he brutalizes them with his beast fury. Despite this, he never gave in to angst and continued to be a fearsome werewolf doing what he feels is right for those he cares for. And if you want to get meta, this may apply with how he's never been featured in crossovers despite fan demand, but any cameos he had made sure that his 'fearsome werewolf' feel is still intact.
  • Victor. His story may even edge out Donovan's as the most tragic in the series. At first, he believes his deceased creator to be ignoring him for not being strong enough. Shortly after the jarring realization that the old man had actually passed on, his sister suddenly ceases to function, leaving him alone once more (which is even more heart-crushing in the text epilogue of Night Warriors). Eventually, he realizes that the only way to revive Emily is to give his own life, which he does without hesitation. Worst of all, he is ignorant of the fact that her body, being a "prototype" of sorts, will probably not be able to continuously generate electric "life force" and is thus likely to run out of power before long.
• Jerkass Woobie: Bulleta/B.B. Hood. Her grandmother was killed by a werewolf, but still...
• Magnificent Bastard: Jedah. It should be noted that being Ozom's Unwitting Pawn via Phlebotinum Overload in his Backstory is what gave him the idea for Makai's "salvation", which turned him into a Magnificent Bastard.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Yoshinori Ono's DARKSTALKERS ARE NOT DEAD announcement seems to be working its way up. In the case of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (with the possibility of an all Darkstalkers team of Morrigan, Felicia, and Hsien-Ko being defeated), this is sometimes twisted into DARKSTALKERS ARE DEAD.
  • The cartoon gives us Lord Raptor's Rap Song.
  • Another from the cartoon: Rikuo is curiously attractive for a fishman.
• Memetic Sex God
  • Morrigan. Hardcore Gaming 101 put it the best: "If nothing else, Darkstalkers taught a generation what a succubus is." Many men and women would let Morrigan take them on a pleasure cruise without a second thought. Must be that purple spandex... And as of the unveiling of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, she has been shipped with Iron Man, himself a Memetic Sex God.
  • Rikuo. The western cartoon said it best: He's curiously attractive for a fish man.
  • Felicia and Lilith. Lesser examples compared to Morrigan, but still.
  • Hsien-Ko. She rounds out the above quartet of female examples. As the saying goes, "Everyone is Lord Raptor for Hsien-Ko."
• Moe: Felicia. B.B. Hood too, if you can look past the more disturbing elements of her personality.
• Non Sequitur Scene: Sasquatch's whole story. o probably, it's just a lot of the Capcom higher ups who hates him.
• Older Than They Think: Morrigan's Darkness Illusion super was the first move to use the button press sequence (LP, LP, F, LK, HP) that is now associated with Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu.
  • Apparently, the Shun Goku Satsu was even nicknamed "Goukiness Illusion" by some Japanese players at the time of its debut.
  • Despite what some may think, Dee, Donovan's evil form, was actually not something Capcom made just for the PS2 release. He was in fact an abandoned concept from the development of Vampire Savior. Producer Noritaka Funamizu specifically mentions this Demitri-headswap Donovan in the book All About Vampire Savior, and notes that he was "nearly finished".
• One-Scene Wonder: Despite being in the first episode for all of ten minutes, Raptor's appearance was one of the highlights of the OVA.
• Polished Port: The Sega Saturn port of Vampire Savior is not only arcade perfect, it even brings back the three missing characters from Night Warriors, complete with their own single-player endings. The PlayStation EX Edition port, while not as good by comparison, includes all 18 characters as well, plus both upgrades (Savior 2 and Hunter 2).
• The Scrappy:
  • One of Morrigan's special moves, Finishing Shower, is quite hated, especially in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom because it's almost impossible to combo into. That is until Marvel vs. Capcom 3 where she can combo into it, much to the delight of her fans.
  • Rikuo. It usually has absolutely nothing to do with the actual character or the way he plays, but simply because he's a Biological Mashup fishman.
  • Pat R. (creator of the Webcomic series How to Make a Sprite Comic in 8 Easy Bits) has this to say in his review of the series:

"Apparently the last member of his disgusting aquatic race, Rikuo (Aulbath in Japan) desperately searches the world in hopes of finding a hideous mate so he can repropagate his loathsome species. Yes, I am biased."

• • His status as such is nodded to in the OVA, where he is utterly decimated by Pyron at the beginning of the 4th episode, complete with receiving a wound that causes blood to come gushing out of his pore before being consumed in an explosion. A silhouette shot of his flesh being ripped to shreds and his skeletal system disintegrating into dust is shown.
  • Tier-Induced Scrappy: Part of the hatred towards Jon Talbain is because he's powerful and easy to use. Many players consider it cheesy to use him.
• Scrappy Mechanic: In Resurrection, the YouTube upload function, since it only uploads in 360p resolution. Exclusive to the 360 version, however, is the high probability that your replay's audio will desync and a portion of the match will be cut off. And in some cases, the game won't let you upload replays at all. The option is permanently grayed out even after you link your Gamertag to your YouTube account.
• Stoic Woobie:
  • Anita. Played straight in both accounts: according to her backstory, her parents were killed by a Darkstalker and the people from the orphanage where she stayed shunned her as a witch. To make things worse, the only person that actually cared for her (in this case Donovan) sacrificed his last remains of humanity to protect her.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: The third game in the series, Vampire Savior, received criticism from existing fans of the series at the time of its release. Complaints were made about many aspects of the game, including the changes to the system mechanics and movesets, the removal of characters from the previous games, and the addition of new characters who who many saw as out of place.
• Ugly Cute: Sasquatch. He can be quite of a loveable dork despite his scary appearance. Just look at some of his poses and mannerisms.
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: Lilith gained a lot of fans who felt sorry for her despite being The Dragon to Jedah. It helps she has a sympathetic backstory, and is more innocent than evil.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Donovan. His goal is to protect humans and defeat evil darkstalkers, so he is supposed to be seen as the closest the game has to a hero. Problem is, not all the darkstalkers are evil (most are neutral or morally ambiguous at best) and he is not really soft compared with the monsters he is trying to kill. He's barely better than BB Hood in that area (she does it for money, he does it for safety), and he is controlled by his dark side in the end, forcing Anita to kill him.
• Viewer Gender Confusion: There has been some debate whether Victor's Midnight Bliss is either a handsome Bishonen version of him (an exception to the typical male to female), or a disturbingly masculine (and muscular) woman. More people seem to believe the latter, due to the presence of what appears to be her breasts on the sprite.
• What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids?: Despite the bright animation and lack of excessive blood, this game is not for children. The game has a huge amount of Fanservice, deep emotional stories and brutal violence. It's actually a miracle that the series didn't get an "M" rating at all. Though to be fair, "M" rated games weren't popular yet when the series started out.
• The Woobie:
  • Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling. Poor girls.
  • Lilith. Just take a look at her backstory. Played straight in her ending and in Morrigan's ending.