• DOA (AC) - Nov 1996 : This game had the original 8 character roster and was a sort of a sink-or-swim type of project for Tecmo (back when they used to be in the financial shitter). The game was built using both SEGA hardware (SEGA Model2) and software (Virtua Fighter Engine), so the DOA series ended up inheriting all the elements of the VF2 engine. According to some sources [citation needed], this game saved Tecmo, but that's hard to believe because they had other games back then too (yes, this company still had an arcade presence back in the 90s). Overall, a very good looking and fun game back in the day.
  
  
• DOA (Sega Saturn/PS1) - 1997 & 1998 respectively : The Saturn version was a direct port of the arcade game with less graphical detail and simplified stages. The PSOne version of the game acted as a prototype to DOA++ (which in turn acted as a prototype for the DOA2 stagger/stun system) and both versions introduced Ayane and Bass as two new characters while making Raidou, the final boss, playable.
  
  
• DOA++ (AC) - 1998 : The prototype to DOA2 and first game to introduce advanced mid-kick and mid-punch defensive holds, along with other high and low holds and parries universal to all characters, depending on whether they are in or out of stun/stagger. Arguably the most in-depth and fast paced DOA game, yet very few people know or have ever played this game.
  
  
• DOA2 (AC/PS2/Dreamcast) - November 1999 : The game that really put DOA on the map and the equivalent of this series' Street Fighter 2 with the number of updates it received. Despite having some technical issues on the early console ports, it was fun to play, accessible and looked very nice for the time. Each version is slightly different either in aesthetics or moves, but not by much. The Dreamcast version is aesthetically more like the arcade version (obviously because the DC is just a miniature Naomi), while the PS2 version renders the game with higher contrast and smaller resolution.
  
  
• DOA2: Millenium (AC) - January 2000 : Updated version of the original Arcade game. The game was later ported to the console in the form of Dead or Alive 2 Regular and Limited Edition for the Dreamcast (Japan Only) and Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore (US/EU) or Hard*Core as it's known in Japan (Hard*Core has a few more eye candies and a 'Turbo mode' which doubles the update speed of the game).
  
  
• DOA3.0 (Xbox - NTSE) - November 15, 2001 : The first release of DOA3, an Xbox exclusive game, which added new characters and stages. Despite being a good game, it was still unfinished.
  
  
• DOA3.1 (Xbox - NTSE-J) - February 22, 2002 : The Japanese version of DOA3 and every DOA player's prized possession. It is considered by most, if not all, the first 'competitive' DOA game, featuring frame advantage on block, a fluid stepping system, great character individuality and all-round retarded combos and set-ups (due to the very loose gravity). The only problem with this game is that it requires you to hack and modify your xbox (a process which is tedious) and a Japanese copy, unless you have a Japanese Xbox.
  
  
• DOA3.2 (Xbox - PAL) - March 14, 2002 : The European release on DOA3. The stepping system was tweaked solely to nerf the stepping ability of one character (Hayate), which in turn nerfed the whole DOA3 stepping system. Some moves can still be side-stepped, though most moves can still track no matter what. A few of the ninjas were tweaked, though the game still remained the same in terms of fundamentals. Still a fun game.
  
  
• DOA Ultime 1 & 2 (XBOX) - Oct 2004 : The Saturn version of DOA1 and an upgraded version of DOA2: Hard*Core, both bundled in one package for the Xbox. One of the first few fighting games with online play, which made the package very attractive to Xbox owners and DOA fans. Probably the most financially successful DOA in the 2000s.
  
  
• DOA4.0 & 4.1 (XBOX360) - January 2006 : As a casual game, it's good. However, as a competitive game, it's in same level as Bloody Roar, TMNT Tournament Fighter and Clay Fighters, except not fun. More of a pretty-looking tech-demo.
  
  
• DOA Online (PC) - August 2009 : PC port of DOA2U. The game is now supported by Russian enthusiasts on their own private server. It's here if you're interested. Be wary of versions riddled with Trojans and Viruses.
  
  
• DOA: Dimensions (3DS) - May 2011 : A sort of a dream match game released exclusively on Nintendo 3DS. The game went through the whole plot of the series from the first game to the last in a cinematic fashion ala MK9 (rather lazily). Some elements from the old plot were retconned (in typical Team Ninja fashion) and some characters were slightly changed from their DOA4 versions, but not by much (Hitomi no-longer a tomboy).
  
  
• DOA5 - September 2012 : Many things have been improved and while it's a bit toned down from the E3 and Gamescom versions (which is what most people preferred), it is still miles better than DOA4 and way more fun. While there are some small issues and features missing from the game, it's still a very decent package and a step forward for the whole series.
  
  
• DOA5+ - March 2013 : A direct port of the console version of the game onto PSVita. New exclusive features such as tutorial mode, combo challenge mode, BGM options, new frame data UI and exclusive PSV costumes are added to this version of the game. Tag mode however was taken out and is only available in few instances in story mode. This version is also cross-compatible with the PS3 version of the game and all titles and all characters are unlocked by default, except for the vita exclusive ones. Oh yeah, there's a touch mode or something too, but it sucks.
  
  
• DOA5: Ultimate - September 2013 : A rebalanced game based on the same DOA5 engine with loads of new additions and goodies. Leon and Ein have made their return. Rachel and Momiji from Ninja Gaiden will be making a guest appearance as a selectable character. New character from the arcade version, Marie Rose was added in March with another arcade character, Phase-4 coming soon.
  
  
• DOA5: Ultimate Arcade - December 2013 : After 13 years of absence from arcades, the series is back with an arcade version of the game, adding three new characters to the roster, Marie Rose, Phase-4 and Nyo-Tengu.
  
  
• DOA5: Last Round - February 2015 : The Super Turbo edition of DOA5, with cross-platform sharing of DLC content. LR is released on Xbox360, XBOne, PS3 and PS4 with new content like stages and higher graphical capability on current generation consoles, plus two new characters. A PC port is also on the way, but is delayed. The last gen owners of DOA5U receive this as a free upgrade, but won't have access to future DLC content.
  
  
• DOA5: Last Round (PC) - April 2015 : After more than a month of delay, the PC version of Last Round was released to a chorus of...boos and large number of complaints. While serviceable, the port is missing features such as two levels, online mode, DirecX11 specific features from the PS4/XB1 versions and an angry mod of displeased costumers and cancelled pre-orders. So far, based on my personal experience, it's a flawed and possibly the most ghetto PC port of a fighting game in the last decade, but it works as intended and looks very nice on high settings. However, it's still a pretty decent package if your rig can handle it.
  
  

• An actually comprehensive tutorial mode for explaining the game and help players learn all the mechanics (shocking, I know).
  
• Improved graphics engine with dynamic lighting, self-shading and nice decals like sweat and dirt. Last Round improves on texture mapping with skins and ups the particle effects to 11. Now every generator hit will birth a new galaxy of stars.
  
• New Super-ish charge moves called Power Blows.
  
• New universal Charged super-launchers called Power Launchers.
  
• New mechanic called Critical Burst can ensure guaranteed launchers, Power Launchers and Power Blows. However, you still have to keep playing the stun game till you get the CB!, but that's all part of the mixups and mind games.
  
• New Side-Step system similar to Soul Calibur V and Virtua Fighter 5FS.
  
• Team Ninja are trying to give each character an identity and distance themselves away from DOA4, ala DOA3.
  
• Certain stuns now disallow holding (and some disallow stagger-escaping) out of, which were absent in DOA4.
  
• Since SEGA is publishing the game in European regions, TN have had the opportunity to include VF's Akira, Sarah, Jacky and Pai in the game as guest characters.
  
• Online Training lobbies where you and your buddies/girlfriends can get together and practice and comment on how great you look in your skimpy 3D bikinis.
  
• Combo training and trials for better character familiarization.
  
• Look at all these DLC costumes. It's like Warhammer miniatures all over again.
  

• Didn't this game used to be in arcades?
  The last arcade fighting game was Dead Or Alive 2 Millennium on the Naomi Hardware. From then on DOA3 and DOA4 were both developed for the Xbox hardware. DOA5 however will be out for both PS3 and X360 and a PSVita port was developed a year later.
  
  The arcade version of DOA5 was released a few months after DOA5U and is still being played in Japan in arcades like A-Cho and Kohatsu. A little youtube search should come up new footage every week from their stream archives.
  
  
  
• The last DOA I played was DOA2. What's changed?
  Quite a lot actually...while at the same time, not a whole lot. Characters have changed and certain things like the windows for chain throws are shorter, but the basic RPS system along with the defensive-holds are the same. Loads of old notation for old moves have also been very much standardized. DOA4 introduced a very annoying stun based system where people could end up in stun for much longer and made the game slower, other than making the defensive player having more advantage with access to damaging defensive hold that took around 60-120 of the attacking opponent's life bar.
  
  In DOA5, things have been slightly toned down, with CB giving you a safe launcher and defensive holds doing slightly less damage (it's still pretty loving stupid, but it's less stupid than before).
  
  In DOA5U, things have been tweaked so that the engine is more akin to DOA2/3 which was fast paced but you also had plenty of damage potential with all characters.
  
  
  
• You telling me those Geese reversals are still in this game? No buy, homie.
  
  TN have tried to put less emphasis on holds in general by making characters unique while also making holds more punishable, especially low holds which have more recovery. Easy solution to punishing these is to just throw for high damage and dissuade your opponent from abusing it, especially when they're in stun where holds have more recovery.
  
  
  
• What's this whole thing about DOA wanting to be a tourney fighter?
  After the failure which was Ninja Gaiden 3 and with Itagaki gone, Team Ninja have started listening to competitive DOA players to make something that would at least resemble a competitive 3D fighter. Shimbori, the new designer of the series seems to be a level headed person and he himself is a self-described competitive player (despite not having played any other fighting game other than DOA).
  
  So far, the response has been good amongst the DOA community, but people outside the community don't seem to care much, but they're starting to warm up seeing as there are good turnouts at tournaments and people who play this game do have a lot of passion.
  
  
• I used to play [Insert Character Name] in DOA2. Is he/she still in?
  Leon and Ein have returned and Rachel has replaced Spartan. Alpha is playable but requires 300 titles to unlock (or a whole lot of online matches), but she's essentially the very weak Rugal of this game. Tengu is replaced by a new character called Nyo-Tengu (or Neo Tengu), which is a female Tengu anime lady, making her a middle weight version of Tengu and has inherited his moveset with some new tools and metagame. Kasumi-Alpha, which was a non-playable character in DOA2 and only playable in DOA Dimensions, is back as Phase-4 and has inherited most of Kasumi-Alpha's traits, but with some new set of tools to make her unique.
  
  All characters will be playable from the start in DOA5:Last Round.
  
  
  
• Is this game easy to get into?
  DOA is probably one of the most scrub-friendly fighting games out there along with games like Bloody Roar and...I don't know, Bloody Roar 2? Being a 3-button game like VF, it has much easier inputs, no just-frames (no true JFs anyway), simple 0-frame one button reversals for all attacks, universal high and low grabs, straight forward stun system and look at all them big 'murikan titties! Most strings have long delay windows, though this can be character dependent.
  
  The game mostly revolves around mindgames and matchups, rather than execution, which makes it welcoming to both casual players and other players who play DOA as a side game.
  
  What makes it different is that unlike Virtua Fighter, the stagger system, scaling and the holds differentiate it from other 3D games out there and there are multiple different types of stuns with different applications and an extra counter system called the Hi-Counter, which is when different element like throw, hold or strikes cancel each other out.
  
  
  
• How's the community for this game?
  Quite average, so you're bound to find some good people who play other games at a high level and some really terrible people, so basically your average FG community. The DOA community is also the one with the most casual players. The only good place you need to go for actual gameplay info would be FreeStepDodge and that still has a few terrible people which you can ignore. Matt "Mr. Wah" Ponton is the owner and he's a pretty cool guy. Other community websites you can just ignore.
  
  
  
• Offensive Hold? Catch Throw? What are these?
  The game is pretty similar to VF since the first game was based on the same engine, but there are a few noticeable differences when it comes to the fighting engine after years of branching out from each other. Check 'em out here: http://www.freestepdodge.com/wiki/dead-or-alive-terminology/ http://www.freestepdodge.com/threads/dead-or-alive-5-starter-guide.2687/
  
  
  
• How is the online?
  It's fun, though it still has some minor issues. Expect some P2P lagstorms. Not my cup of tea, but it's still enjoyable as long as your don't end up developing bad habits and only using as a learning tool for matchups.
  
  
  
• What's the plot of DOA?
  Mary Sues, Harry sues, plot holes, awkward humor, horrid pacing, anime archetypes, nicely/badly choreographed cut scenes, Metal Gear and a useless drunk bum. If you like these things, then dive right in and immerse yourself. Sometimes it's so bad it's funny but mostly it's simply cringe worthy.
  
  

• What about Costumes?
  Each character has at least 4 default costumes in total, with some characters having more, though this is not the case with DLC characters, since you have to buy the rest of the costumes individually, so they can end up with 2 or 3 default costumes (except for NyoTengu who actually had a nice set of color swaps and accessory options). You can have different accessories moved or removed based on which face-button you press while holding down the shoulder buttons or which direction you press on the d-pad when selecting your character (ala DOA3). You can try and do both for some characters to get different combinations like glasses and hairstyles. The rest are DLC, so .
  
  
  
• What kind of DLCs should I expect?
  TN are planning for more costumes for future DLC releases. They're against DLC characters and stages, though they might end up releasing some for free or part of future updates (Update: The Zack Island stage was a free DLC stage which came with the 1.03ver of the game. It's available on the PSN/XBL store). The first DLC released was a free costume pack. The rest are paid DLC for over-priced costumes (male costume packs are cheaper for obvious reasons). These costume packs, along with a few DLC ones will be included for free on DOA5U. With the new Lorelei stage and DLC characters coming soon, there are always going to be lovely uninspiring DLC costume packs. I would suggest you only buy the DLC characters and not bother with costumes unless a character really strikes your fancy and you absolutely must buy that waifu cheerleader school swimsuit. There is really no point in striving for completion in terms of buying everything unless you're using your console for tourneys or for sessions.
  
  
  
• What's new in DOA5+?
  There are a couple of new things such a combo-challenge mode, a separate tutorial mode for explaining all the mechanics of the game, an updated frame data viewer, exclusive costumes and a mode for changing character or stage BGMs. However, the soundtrack options only include DOA4 and DOA5 tracks. Older OSTs were added in 5U, including DOA2 and 3.
  
  
  
• What's new in DOA5Ultimate?
  The game is based on the same DOA5 engine, but there's been a massive overhaul of the whole cast and there are loads of new additional features, including new character, OST options, stages, modes, goodies and improvements. Personally, I find this update to be better than than previous installments of DOA simple due to the cast and general diversity and options available to players. Sure, I got my small gripes with some system addition and characters, but overall, this is a must buy for anyone interested in DOA.
  
  
  
• What is new in DOA5 Last Round?
  Last round acts as more of current console port for 5Ultimate with some new characters, new stages and comes with a balance patch for the cast. Of course, if you're stuck on the previous generation, you'll get to have the game upgraded to LR for free, but you won't get the new shader engine, new cosmetics, costumes and the two new stages which are exclusive to the current gen versions of the game. You do however get to buy the two new characters as DLC.
  

Uncle Kitchener fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Aug 20, 2016

• Ayane
  
  Ninja character and DOA's Yoshimitsu. Ayane is a fast mix-up, spacing and zoning character, using her range and priority to whiff punish and crush offense and keep opponents in check. She is great against any character and her only weakness is her lack of safety on some crucial moves (but not all).
  
  She hasn't received any major changes in 5U and 5LR to her game plan other than an easier reverse couch dash stance with 1P+K and some new tools. The character has been treated very well since DOA5 vanilla and is a good character to stick to for any player wanting something formidable.
  
  Not very hard to use and I would actually recommend her for people who are getting into the game that had previous experience with other 3D fighters.
  
  Finally gives up on killing her sister. No one cared.
  
  
• Bass Armstrong
  
  Bass is a pure grappler with high damage throws and a gameplan that mostly revolves around mid-range poking, hold-baiting and throw punishment. His major weakness is his speed and how often he may be counter hit if he attempts to press buttons, which makes him a heavy momentum-based, risky and particularly rewarding character with the right choices. On the other hand, he benefits from safety and good frame advantage which you'd need to maintain.
  
  I don't recommend him as a starter character unless you are familiar with the game system or if you're making a transition from VF.
  
  
  Became Mr. America Mr. Strong and tried to stop Linda McMahon Tina from becoming governor, but that's as far as we can go in terms of things making sense.
  
  
• Bayman
  
  Bayman is a true goon and all-round pain in the rear end if played right. His game mostly revolves around making hard defensive read and catching anything from a limb to a bullet thrown his way with all the different hold-related tools in his arsenal. In the right hands, he can mow down or turn the tables easily, which is all very fitting for a Sambo specialist. Being a heavy character, his speed is a little below average, but his damage is very good and consitent. His mixups are varied enough that you can try and open an opponent up with low and mid enders.
  
  Not a great starter as he's mostly a defensive character, but his toolset is good enough that once you learn a few combos and setups, you can play him with your own play style and intimidate different types of players.
  
  
  Rig is his clone, if that isn't obvious.
  
  
• Brad Wong
  
  Babby's first Shun Di. Brad is a very slow mixup-heavy character and while being very similar to Shun (he inherited his moveset to a degree) and not needing drinks to use any specific moves, his gameplan is different as he's actually slow in neutral and is fairly risky. His pros are that he has very good evasiveness and does above-average damage. His mixups can be weak against characters with low catch throws/Offensive holds as it can stop a lot of his laydown mixups, but he's still a threat whenever he goes into a stance as he has good options and potential for setups that would lead to high damage.
  
  Not recommended for new players.
  
  In DOA5LR he's been rebalanced, but lost a few good tools like 6K into sit-down stun on normal hit.
  
  Has no role in story mode
  
  
• Christie
  
  Bad anime design. Uses Snake Fist. Based on some Japanese porn manga called 'Slut Girl'*, but it was the late 90s/early 00s anyway.
  
  Christie excels at having an above-average poke game and speed and terrible throw damage to balance it out with the exception of her wall throws which are pretty decent. With the new addition of a special evasive stance (2/8P+K), she can interrupt and crush loads of incoming attacks, both highs and some mids, which makes her a very offensive rushdown character with good defense. One major weakness of her game however is having loads of unsafe moves which is slightly balanced by having large delay window for her strings and her strings cancel into her unique side-stepping stance (which again, ducks high and even crushes some mids ). She also has a lot of whiff punishers since some of her moves covers some distance.
  
  Good starter character and she's cheap and accessible enough that it's extremely rare not to see her in a tournament. Majority of people have a pocket Christie.
  
  
  
  *No, I'm serious.
  
  
• EliotMilk
  
  Eliot in a slow linear light weight string-heavy character (he actually has a Tekken-style 10-hit string), but has some very fast pokes and lows which cause critical stun. His outstanding characteristic is being damaging for a light weight character since he hits hard. Even with all this, he is arguably one of the weaker character in the game compared to the majority of the cast. He's fun, but to get max damage, you need to be consistent with tools like multiple 3_Ps in one juggle (doable with his 663P shortcut). His tracking isn't great which is another one of his weaknesses.
  
  Eliot is actually not a bad starting character, but needs some dedication to get the most out of him.
  
  In DOA5U he has new tools, but his buffs compared to the rest of the cast aren't that noticeable. However, in LR he got a very good buff with his 46P and similar string enders being plus on block to allow his some opportunities to press his buttons against everyone.
  
  
  
  
• Gen-Fu
  
  Gen-Fu is a very straightforward, cheap and easy character with some of the best pokes (His 11i elbow is a major tool that starts his mix-ups) and has guaranteed set-ups. He is able to keep up the pressure and change the momentum instantly with parries. Along with straight up cheap crushes and super easy high-damage combos, he is one of the biggest bastards in this game, continuing the DOA tradition of Gen-Fu being a super good character.
  
  He is a great starting character for those who want a cheap simple entry into the game.
  
  In DOA5LR he is pretty much the same with some slight tweaks to take out his infinites and silly unblockable setups.
  
  
  
• Ryu Hayabusa
  
  Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa is a guest character in the DOA universe. Essentially a Jack of all trades type of character with a very good toolset of moves. His main game however involves around his mix-ups, to open people up, with his other tools further supporting said mixups, like his Izuna throws, Izuna reversals, teleport mixups and his spacing tools.
  
  He's not a bad starting character, but he requires a bit of dedication. Generally, good Hayabusas have all they need to fight against the majority of the cast as all his tools are useful.
  
  
  
• Momiji
  
  Guest character from Ninja Gaiden. Has a "double-jump", which makes no sense in a 3D fighter but apparently works and plays into her mixups. She does very good above average damage with simple stun>launch, but doesn't do that much overall damage when it comes to bigger combos. Her jumping mix-ups aren't very effective on block as you can fuzzy guard them, but on hit, they can be dangerous. She has no glaring weaknesses but needs some patient to get in and doesn't compare to zoners such as Ayane, but she can still manage.
  
  Momiji is a simple and lenient character for new players, with a gimmick that works well which she can transition to from many different situations to force guessing on your opponent. Usually it's a safe bet to go into her mixup because even if they know how to deal with it, you can still continue your pressure.
  
  
  
• Rachel
  
  Another Ninja Gaiden character. She's the replacement for DOA4 Spartan while having better mix-ups and good damage with good movement tools and evasiveness for a super-heavy (her Korean backdash is pretty decent). The best way to describe her is a hybrid powerhouse.
  
  You can learn all she has to offer in probably an hour or two as she is possibly the most simple character in the game (still not as easy and as good as Jinpachi). Decent start if you want a very easy character with good damage.
  
  Was nerfed up the arse in the last few patches before LR due to heavy complaint from scrubs, though the recovery on her whiffed stomp was pretty stupid (+11 on whiff +15 on hit back in 5U vanilla). In LR she's generally a very simple substitute for the other heavy characters, though lacking the tools they posses.
  
  
  
• Nyo-Tengu
  
  Tengu's replacement in DOA5U. She's the same as the original Tengu since she inherited his DOA2U and DOA4/DOAD movelist. Most of her game revolves around mid to long range harassment and trying to get in to start a mixup game. Most of her moves cause heavy hit stun and her throws, while limited, have good application such as low and high launching throws for high damage. Her biggest weakness is her speed speed, which means that you'd have to be on point and not try to Abare your way through people. The change to P+K from 11i to 10i did attempt to address this glaring issue.
  
  Not the best starter character, but she's fairly popular and doesn't require a whole lot of knowledge or hard combos to master.
  
  I think she's really fun and even has 'Geif's SPD and flies around the satage. That's pretty cool.
  
  The later LR patches ended up getting probably the best and most unsafe 10i high in the game which ought to make people very nervous at the beginning of the round.
  
  
  
• Naotora Ii
  
  Naotora from Temco-Koei's Samurai Warriors series makes a guest appearance as a DLC character, with kicks being a big part of her gameplay, since her 'weapons' were the bladed footwear/shoes she used in SW. Not a whole lot has been really found out about the character's meta game or what makes her good, but her damage is high enough to put her above average with her safety being her worst con. Overall, she is varied enough to make her fun and has the most unique Power Blow animation in the game, mirroring her super in Samurai Warrior.
  
  
  
  
• Honoka
  
  Apparently, she is this game's Ogre.
  
  Good to know that TN have not lost their touch.
  
  Taking moves from the strike-heavy character of the game, she plays her own game of having loads of moves and follow-ups to do crazy combos. Definitely fun but it comes with the price tag of having the least attractive auditory execution for a fighting game character in any language (English/JAP) along with super short limbs leading to some more to be desired from her range. Fair price to pay for having another schoolgirl character in the game with some of the best strikes.
  
  May be Raidou's daughter.
  
  
  
• Raidou
  
  DOA1 final boss and unlockable character in DOAD. Ayane's father (and uncle) and also uncle to both Hayate and Kasumi. Good balanced move list until DOAD where he was a bit weird, with awkward throw motions in both games (more sensible in DOA++). One of the better DOA bosses even if he wasn't entirely original.
  
  Took some tips from Omega Rugal and robotized himself for DOA5: Last Round. Raidou 2.0 comes with a massive physical build, a Mishima Electric Wind God Fist (DORIYA!) and an assortment of ranged moves that would catch an opponent from halfway across the screen (along with a slow full screen fireball). Add in some of the most damaging tools in the game and you got yourself a true boss character. He's slightly balanced by having the worst movement in the game and being a huge target.
  
  May have also spawned Honoka. Like father, like daughter.
  
  
• Hayate
  
  Another Ninja character. Fast rushdown character. Major Harry Sue. All Hayates play the same pretty much.
  
  Hayate is a very good for those whole like to play ranged rushdown and do a lot of poke and throw mixup. Hayate's design generally propagates a very samey playstyle, but it's undeniable that he's just effective and good at what he does. Considered to be one of the much better characters in the game and people like to play as ninja dudes. He also has the same glaring weakness his other two sisters have, which is generally lack of safety on some key moves, though he is better than Kasumi but worst than Ayane in that department, with Hayabusa being the safest depending on playstyle. That still won't stop people using effectively as he can delay his strings.
  
  
  
  
• Ein
  
  DOA's Jin Kazama/Jean Kujo. He's Hayate using Karate in DOA2. Very popular beginner character and really fluid and fun to use.
  
  Ein is one of the best characters to start with as he teaches you the system and his design has not been even slightly altered. He's pretty much the equivalent of Paul from Tekken.
  
  He has been slightly rebalanced in DOA5U but is pretty much the same rush-down character with the same mix-ups and damage output. The main issue is that he's a character from a 15 year old game and his archaic nature certainly shows and is an obvious contrast to the rest of the cast. With lack of tweaks, he ends up having the same toolset he had before.
  
  
  
• Helena
  
  French Mary Sue who owns an evil corporation.
  
  Helena is a very heavy mix-up character with reliance on the stun game. Knowledgeable Helena players rely on her resets rather than going for maximum damage combos in most occasions, so expect to see the same vortex over and over and over and over and over again. From these resets she has a couple of options for mix-ups that lead to more resets and mix-ups. The mix-up game pretty much boils down to 50/50s.
  
  Helena is not very good starting character as she requires knowledge of her tool sets, but if you're coming from a good FG background, then you're probably willing to pick this character up and learn her in a few days as she's really not that complex and her crushes are rather silly.
  
  In DOA5U, she plays differently because she can't benefit as much from her bullshit mix-ups due to the changes to the ground game and in LR she was very much toned down to make a bit more balanced considering her existing toolset.
  
  
  
  How do people keep getting away with performing secret experiments in her corporate labs without her knowledge?
  
  
  
• Hitomi
  
  Ein's female Karate counter-part. Similar to Ein, but with more mix-ups and less damage. Fun character to use though she has some limited guaranteed set-ups, like her 46K or her Side-step K or certain stances.
  
  Hitomi is probably the next stage after Ein if you did like Ein but wanted a character with better mixups. Generally, she has much more to offer compared to Ein in the long run and the player base for the character and their success with her compared to Ein's track record certainly shows.
  
  In DOA5U she has some new strings and mix-ups along with some very good combo opportunities and in LR she got some a bit of shoe shine to make her solid.
  
  
  
  Has been apparently cured of her Downs syndrome.
  
  
  
• Jann Lee
  
  He's DOA's Jacky/Law with loads of mix-ups and combos. Fun to use and one of the only fivesix characters with an unblockable move (the others being Bass, Tina, Pai, Zack and Honoka).
  
  Lee's game involves a lot of cool moves translating into damage. He either uses his catch throw to start a combo and make your life difficult or he'll cause a sit-down stun on counter hit or he'll put you in another sit-down stun when you're ducking and get guaranteed damage (though that has been slightly toned to make it possible to stagger out of Critical Bursts). Jann Lee has a lot of nasty ways to do a lot of above average damage and this is one of those reasons why he's one the most well-rounded characters in this game.
  
  Jann Lee is a good starter. Surprisingly, there aren't that many Jann Lees, with Japanese players using him more often than other regions.
  
  In DOA5U, he is still the same old JL he was in DOA5. No major changes. In LR, he's also the same old Bruce Lee clone.
  
  
  
  May have finally lost his virginity.
  
  
  
• Kasumi
  
  The ultimate Mary Sue of the series. Really annoying to fight against due to being quick and mix-up heavy. Pretty much a recolor of KOF's Mai Shiranui, except really boring. I don't know much about her, except that she's a very very annoying rush-down character like Christie.
  
  Kasumi is pretty much the Ryu to Ayane's Ken.
  
  Slightly nerfed in DOA5U, but still plays the same. In LR she got some fixes and damage tweaks.
  
  
  
  
  
• Mai Shiranui, Japan Numbah One
  
  Probably the most surprising thing Team Ninja managed to do besides actually making DOA5 years ago. Mai's release slightly, kind of, sort of coincided with the release of KOFXIV, though she ended up coming out two weeks after the game was released.
  
  So far, she has proven to be one of the most popular DLC characters in the game.
  
  
  
  
  
• Phase-4
  
  The return of Kasumi Alpha in 5U with a new style of gameplay more similar to DOA2 Kasumi. Yes, this is the second Kasumi clone in the game, but then again you can't always expect great things from Team Ninja. Phase4 is a very high risk-reward character with an unsafe moveset and required good execution to get good damage or else you're going to mess things up.
  
  She is not a good starter character due to the timing on her teleport transitions and her general lack of safety. Pick her up if you want to do very high damaging combos with a fast and light choice.
  
  
  
• Kokoro
  
  DOA's Akira/Leo Kleissen. Very mix-up heavy character with mid-string stance transitions and throws. Like all DOA4 characters, she hasn't got many guaranteed set-ups, but the set-ups she has involve a lot of mix-ups and possible resets using the stun game. Considered to be a top 10 character by the Japanese community.
  
  Kokoro is a good character for mashing and fun for new players. Not bad for a beginner choice.
  
  "Tokyo is a scary place "
  
  
  
  
• La Mariposa (AKA Lisa)
  
  DOA's El Blaze. While not as awesome as El Blaze, she's fun to use but annoying to play against. She's the special evasive type of grappler of the series. Lisa is rather solid for a mixup heavy grappler and her speed is decent. Lisa's comfort zone is mid to long range and has keep away moves with very good priority. She's good at dealing with character who have trouble with her ranged harassment due to either shorter range, though this mostly involves character knowledge.
  
  Lisa is an okay starter character but she does play her own game and requires some learning. Once you learn her tools and mixups, you got a very solid character.
  
  In DOA5U, she's been slightly nerfed. Has to rely more on her back turned mixups and mixing up from mid to long range, so she's good for the type of player who likes to do high damage mixups in the opponent's face and do a lot of fake outs.
  
  Has access to some of the most embarrassing costumes worn by a 3D fighting game character.
  
  
  
  
• Lei Fang
  
  Uses Tai Chi. Has access to loads of Sabakis, parries, advanced holds and throws & OHs. One of the 'advanced' characters in DOA due to all the tools and options she has. Overall, she's a fun defensive character like Bayman, but has a different metagame. She is top-tier in DOA5.
  
  She's a decent starting character due to the variety of her tools and the different styles of play you can adapt to.
  
  No longer a grappler in DOA5U. Slightly nerfed in 5U, but you can still play her the same and she's still decent. Some of her setups were lost, but she still has most of her old guaranteed setups and combos.
  
  May have finally screwed the man of her dreams.
  
  
• Leon
  
  Based on Jean Reno's character in the movie Léon: The Professional, this guy's an Italian mercenary who likes the desert. A more offense-oriented version of Bayman who loves to use the wall and Guard Breaks. Goon favorite.
  
  Leon is just a great solid character that can deal some scary damage if you don't take him seriously or fall for his traps. Good Natural combos, an air-throw that gives you the choice of direction, good OHs and a whole lot of Guard Breaks. One of 'em is a mighty pimp slap that can be charged into an unblockable.
  
  Leon has some of the nastiest environmental combos in the game and most are guaranteed.
  
  
  
  
  
• Marie Rose
  
  Team Ninajs' answer to the ban on Dimentions in the Scandinavian region and she is appropriately a petite goth loli with anime sugoi kawaii mannerisms.
  
  A more simplified version of Lei Fang, with more mobility, with parries and sabakis built into her stances, four of which she has and can make full use of. What she doesn't benefit from however is safety, though her essential moves are safe, but not too many. She gets her main damage from getting good reads and making use of special advanced holds, which give combo opportunities and get above-average damage from holds.
  
  She also has 7 taunts and can be considered a troll character if played right.
  
  
  
• Tina Armstrong
  
  Tina is the King to Bass's Jeffrey/Marduk. Bass' daughter and popular for obvious reasons. She is the more strike-oriented version of Bass with her own hit throws and mix-ups. Fun to use.
  
  Tina is more well-rounded than Bass in some areas, but doesn't benefit from his damage, unless she's punishing holds, which in that case ends up with completely different throws that do more damage and have different properties. She also deals with the fact that she's pretty slow for a mid-weight character with average pokes and lack of safety, though she struggles less against her father's worst mathcups, including Sarah and Christie and to some extend Kasumi and Ayane.
  
  Good for starters and has tools for varied play styles.
  
  Slightly nerfed in 5U, so you need to play her a little differently.
  
  
  
  See Bass.
  
  
• Zack
  
  Token Black Muay Thai fighter/Kickboxer of the series. Loads of mix-ups. Fun to use. Based on Dennis Rodman.
  
  The unique thing about Zack is that his stun game is something which you can't stagger escape out of easily if at all and you must commit to holding. This make Zack's game pretty straight forward in terms of metagame which usually goes something like stun>harass>fish for holds>punish or stun>stun mixup>stun mixup>CB>Launch>Combo.
  
  He's been buffed in DOA5U because he wasn't that great in vanilla.
  
  
  
  
• Mila (AKA Leona)
  
  She's similar to VF Brad and Vanessa and is Leon's replacement in DOA5. Pretty cool new character with solid mix-ups and gameplan. She even has an infinite.
  
  In DOA5U, she's been very much revamped and plays very differently, possibly to act as more of a strike-oriented character. Her OH mix-ups after mount breaks are gone and she must now commit to her mount attacks and cancels. Her OH cancel into mixups fit more into her game now, so you have to think when playing her.
  
  
  
  She didn't even get to meet Hulk Hogan
  
  
• Rig
  
  "Everything is going according to plan, Mr. President."
  
  DOA's Hwoarang. Rig is a new character in DOA5. He looks fun to play. He's called Rig because he grew up on a Canadian oil rig. Like all TKD characters, he has a Flamingo stance which gives him his best mix-ups. Pretty cool guy.
  
  Rig's outstanding characteristics are his sit-down stuns which can be chained into guaranteed Critical Bursts, his stances and the frame advantage he gets from his highs. Rig is just a very fun but underrated character. He's one of those characters that has to find a way in, but his biggest weaknesses are his highs which mean that he can be easily crushed if he tries to put someone in a frame-trap and he can be linear in most cases, but he also has tools to those weaknesses and counter those who don't respect him. He is essentially a character that demands respect and you just have to play him right to get that fear and respect from your opponent, which means that you'll have to take advantage of him Flamingo mixups, turn stance transitions and his frame advantage.
  
  
• Akira (Virtua Fighter)
  
  Guest character from VF. I think he just lost his way and found himself in the DOA universe. Let's hope he finds his way back home.
  
  The VF characters in general are some of the best characters in this game as they have carried over their above average moves and set-ups in game where they efficient than DOA characters in ripping someone a new hole with his rushdown game, which involves waking people from the happy guard palace with a nice quick Guard break into guaranteed damage.
  
  He's been slightly nerfed in DOA5U and I personally think that was unwise, but hopefully he's still good. Still a major powerhouse character with some of the nastiest strike in the game.
  
  
  
  
• Sarah (Virtua Fighter)
  
  A very nasty bitch and yes I will keep repeating myself. Please refer to the game to see why this is so.
  
  There is a very good reason why she's top-tier.
  
  Also yes, she's still the same in DOA5U.
  
  
• Jacky (Virtua Fighter)
  
  YEEEEEEEEEEAH!
  
  YEEEEEEEEEEAH!
  
  YEEEEEEEEEEAH!
  
  
  
• Pai (Virtua Fighter)
  
  Yes, even she's in this game.
  
  
  
• Alpha-152
  
  DOA's Dural. Very annoying and dumb with three CBs and a throw that does retarded 'gently caress you' damage. Received major nerfs on every single update from DOA5 but still has the most damaging throw in the game.
  
  
• Tengu
  
  DOA2 final boss and unlockable in DOA2, DOA2U, DOA4 and DOAD. DOA's only original character design. Every hit from this guy either stunned or knocked back. For a while, he was the only character in the series with meaningful frame advantage on block and had some pretty cool guaranteed setups 'till DOA3 where he went on vacation.
  
  He is replaced by Nyo-Tengu in DOA5U/LR.
  
  
• Spartan
  
  Good loving riddance. However, she was admittedly the best character in DOA4 mainly because everyone else was so poo poo in comparison. She is replaced by Rachel in DOA5U.
  
  
  
• Genra/Omega
  
  DOA3 Final boss and unlockable character in DOAD. Easiest boss in all 3D fighters. _{PPP him all day.}
  

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