Guilty Gear Strive Tier List [Update 1.27]

Calling the release of Strive a climax of all the excitement that the franchise had been swirling for years won’t be wrong. The buildup spanning over Guilty Gear’s six former games and multiple spin-offs certainly justified what Guilty Gear Strive packs for gamers. The most cherishable part, though, is the overwhelmingly nifty character roster which is exactly what forced us to curate this definitive Guilty Gear Strive tier list for you!

Here is a summarized look at our Tier List Ranking:

The game is one of the most sophisticated and in-depth fighting games, which is what has been a constant win-win for Guilty Gear Strive and always keeps gamers fueled up. That said, sorting the best Guilty Gear Strive characters ain’t any child’s play. However, worry less, and let’s together dive into its realm to know what character fits you best.

Guilty Gear Strive Characters Comparison 

Guilty Gear Strive Characters Tier List

A tier list is a systematic hierarchy of in-game units based on their overall effectiveness and strength. Guilty Gear Strive’s character roster houses 20 playable units. Each offers a unique playstyle and feel that can serve users of all kinds. 

Our Guilty Gear Strive tier list (Update 1.27) will grade all of them from best to not-so-useful based on how robust they tend to be. We have divided the tier list into four main classes: the S, A, B, and C classes. 

Before we start, you also ought to understand that each of the 20 characters on the tier list comes with specific roles. These are: 

• Balance

Characters with this role are versatile picks that offer a great mix of other roles. They don’t excel at any particular but manifest an incredible hold on all. 

• High Speed

High-Speed Guilty Gear Strive characters are awesome at escaping from their enemies. They do this by racing around and showering attacks in gaps. It helps keep the opponents off balance and confused.  

• Power Throw

These characters are particularly great in throwing massive damage rendering attacks on enemies while also staying close to them. However, Power Throw characters seriously lack dexterity. 

• Long Range

As the name suggests, Long Range characters are proficient in keeping a safe distance from lethal opposition while also launching damage from range. 

• Technical

Characters with this role are maestros in executing powerful combos. They do this by very smartly timing their attacks that output a lot of potential damage at the right time.

• Rush

Rush characters will instantly shorten the distance between their enemies and themselves. Once closer, they will finally unleash their very planned and massive output-giving combos. 

• Shooting 

Similar to Long-Range characters, Shooting characters will keep their distance while inflicting the bosses with damage in opportunity. 

Now given below is the character tier list you need. Though the list provides every possible information that players need to propel forward in the game, don’t forget to prioritize the above-discussed roles.

S-Tier 

These Guilty Gear Strive characters are the most efficient units at any skill level. They’ll easily outsmart anyone in the opposition, winning almost all matches for you. If you are thinking of wielding just a single unit through the gameplay, you should definitely opt for any tier-S dweller.

Sol

This is one heck of a close-range Guilty Gear Strive player who’ll beat even the fiercest enemy down with his melee attacks. The character possesses the Balance role, meaning you’ll be offered an all-around performance. 

Not only is Sol Badguy’s array of special moves potent, but his normal moves are also one of a kind, allowing him to launch smart frame traps and throw/strike mix-ups.

However, the character doesn’t have much of a form. Instead, he is an all-out brawling kind who is super aggressive and employs his sword in a unique reverse grip style. 

Sol Badguy’s attack set includes headbutts, slams, kicks, wide-swinging strikes, fierce punches, and many more. All of these will make you believe how this best Guilty Gear Strive character prioritizes implementing his strengths over elegance.

Definitively, Sol, with his robust defense, ferocious power, dynamic attack moves, and explosive pressure, has all that players who prefer an offensive-oriented stance might need. Plus, he is one of the most overpowered units of the Guilty Gear Strive.

Nagoriyuki 

Nagoriyuki concentrated on mid-range and up-close mix-ups and pressure. He produces very unorthodox types of combos by combining his special effects. The character also houses hitboxes, an array of decent long-reach normals that render an excellent amount of damage. 

Players can even alter the hitboxes via better Blood Gauge levels. Nevertheless, Nagoriyuki struggles in some situations due to his subpar mobility that lacks crucial features like air dash or double jump. However, he compensates with his robust super-jump and forward dashing specials. 

Giovanna 

Giovanna is a purely offensive unit who’s fast and especially good in manifesting combos and a close-range play. Though she excels better when near the target, what’s interesting about Giovanna is that she can cross her preferred range.

The character’s plus-on-block moves and multi-hit normals build up massive pressure. From here, it’s up to Giovanna whether she concludes her block strings via a very safe and calm special move or opts for risk and rip off the enemy with steady but more fruitful alternatives. 

Giovanna also has one of the most speedy dashes in town, which does nothing but incredibly improve her strike throw potential. This will easily attract the foes to move in, consequently providing Giovanna a wide opening for pouring attacks. 

Being such a smart and balanced Guilty Gear Strive unit, Giovanna doesn’t pack any big shortcomings in herself. If any, they are compensated by her truly one-of-a-kind type of attacking moves and agility.

A-Tier 

These Guilty Gear Strive characters are incredible and can easily outnumber most opponents. Though they are not very mind-blowing like the top-tier name, they can be made one with a mid-high skill level.

Sin

An excellent addition to the already overpowered horde, thanks to the latest patch of Guilty Gear Strive. 

Sin is a rushdown character for manifesting a heavy midrange action coupled with a fantastic corner carry potential, frames plus abuse-able, and decent defense, both on paper and in reality. He is known for his two-fold primary mechanic, out of which first is stamina.

This stamina replenishes quickly with every follow-up Sin Kiske uses with his special. Nevertheless, it also regenerates at an acceptable pace after the last usage. The second of the two-fold system is Sin’s follow-ups which offer bundled action with each of his special moves.

Though these follow-ups don’t come separately (except the Gazelle Step), elevating a special move is itself an incredible bounty for players.

The opponents will always be left guessing breakpoints as Sin’s every attack weaves from one point to another like a breeze, perfectly comboing with Guilty Gear Strive’s fast-paced fights. 

All in all, this one’s an excellent alternative to S-tier heroes who’ll confront every type of enemy with ease, send off damage, and look very cool while doing it all. No matter how you like your game, Sin will be a good investment.

Ramlethal 

Ramlethal is excellent for corner and neutral pressure situations. With her robust swords, the character’s screen control and range values are truly splendid. She does this by especially manifesting heavy and quarter-circle forward slashes alternatively, enabling the swords to act like amazingly fast projectiles. 

The projectile trick significantly increases the radii of pressure, ultimately making Ramlethal an unstoppable force at corners. Moreover, her normal attacks offer players good ranged damage via various meaty swings. 

She also has her special Dauro punch, a good combo range starter for many Guilty Gear Strive players. Given Ramlethal’s unique damage rendering skills, the character has very few weaknesses to worry about. 

The biggest, however, is that she isn’t very strong in converting mid-range hits, making her vulnerable to some smart enemies. Nevertheless, if you are amused by the probable witnessing of massive burst damage and huge pressure displays, Ram is the character to opt for.

May

May is an all-in-one Guilty Gear Strive character who feels fit for most situations, especially ranged ones. The characters have an incredible array of normal hitting moves coupled with disjointed hitboxes that enables May to reach her foes, whether on the ground or air. 

It also enables May to render some damage with her stray hits. Nevertheless, the character’s Dolphin moves are what she is most hyped for. Horizontal dolphin stances allow intense pressure, while the vertical stance serves as a nifty, strong combo extension and anti-air. 

May’s only downside, however, is her lackluster defense forcing her to rely on either a universal way out of acquiring some breathing space or retaliating with a very massive wake-up/reversal super. 

Leo 

A well-rounded offense-oriented character in Strive who’s loaded with a solid offensive arsenal. First, the robust character employs twin swords to hit low, high, or whatever side of the enemy.

Leo’s distinguishing feature, however, is his Brynhildr stance, where he turns his back towards the enemies while pushing them in some havoc caused by his swift twin sword attacks. 

This playstyle is very interesting, especially the overheads, cross-ups, ranged throws, and counter-attacks. 

The character’s weakness, however, is that he has got rather scarce approach options onboard. Means you’ll see him struggling to get in against long-ranged opponents. Leo’s slower than average recovery further worsens the matter as it gives space to dangerous incoming whiffs.

Happy Chaos

Happy Chaos is an esoteric Guilty Gear character who employs a unique Crescent Moon revolver to manifest his multiple incredible shooting attacks. Using this exciting ability of Happy Chaos, players can take enemies down at any time.

However, you need to ensure the character is loaded with enough bullets and concentration. With being able to pull full-screen offense, Happy Chaos also performs efficiently at close to mid-range. 

The character’s special Scapegoat move further tops this. Nevertheless, all this strength comes at a cost. The character’s defense stat is almost zero with no standard i5 5P or reversals. His health pool is severely low too. 

Moreover, Chaos’s very potent gun does have a few major drawbacks too. The first is the bullet loading mechanism that is to be done manually, and the second is the way-too-slow concentration gauge. 

Together these lacking may make it difficult for Chaos to keep up with good offense. Still, this character will terrorize a less experienced opponent. Happy Chaos might even prove more worthy than expected if dealt with the right hands. 

Chip 

Chip is best described as a glass cannon, we must say. Though one of the best offenses on board, Chip lacks defense; hence you need to keep him covered whenever yielding his offense skills. 

Nevertheless, Chip houses a dynamic toolkit that, unlike the entire roster, has moves that enable him to display quick jabs and swift DPS. The character’s mobility is also one of a kind, only a little shorter than Millia’s.

 His moveset includes potent moves such as  Alpha Blade, wall run, triple jump, and frighteningly fast dashing speed. However, as said before, all this is rather sidelined in case Chip’s extremely scarce HP is put to the test. 

If employing Chipp in Guilty Gear Strive, we recommend playing him a bit safely until you see a safe opening to inflict some damage and pressure. 

B-Tier 

Guilty Gear Strive characters of tier B are average units that offer a decent mix of potency. Though they’ll help you get past most bosses, powerful and more fierce enemies are a nightmare for them. 

Bridget 

She is the first trans character in Guilty Gear Strive. Bridget was one of the newly released characters in August 2022 in our tier list for Guilty Gear Strive. With a feminine figure and blonde hair, she sports a nun-like attire and always has a stuffed animal on her side. She has a very unorthodox fighting style and she is known for her amazing attacks. Bridget attacks her opponents with a yoyo and can deal damage up close or from a distance.

Furthermore, she can also manipulate the composition and shape of her yoyo at will and convert them into bombs. Her teddy bear called Roger can transform into her yoyo and drastically increase its size. The bear can also pull out a saw or use the Kill Machine attack to damage her enemies.

Bridget has unique and amazing mobility that helps her in the Battle Arena. She is a very balanced character and can be used by beginners thanks to her simple combos and high-range attacks. 

Millia 

Millia is known for her superb agility even outside Guilty Gear Strive. We know Chip would have made fans of nifty moves and mobility interested in him already, but as said before, Millia has got even greater excitement on board.

With her plenty of movement options, Millia easily changes stance in mid-air hence enabling herself dozens of opportunities. Here opportunities don’t only refer to escaping damage but also leaving opponents in complete havoc. 

Players can take advantage of such situations to chip in extra damage. While on the ground, Millia has for its users one of the best okizeme coupled with Tandem Top special. This best Guilty Gear Strive character has solid pokes, too, and is equally good in neutral. 

Then what lands Millia here despite a great show of offense? Well, she has got severely subpar defense to darken her incredible offense characteristics. Just like Chip, Millia’s HP stats are also meager.

Moreover, players must bear a learning curve to fully unleash Millia’s skill set. Though it’s worth going through the pain of mastering this character, you still need to invest a lot in safeguarding her in combat. 

Faust

As peculiar as he may look, Faust houses rather unusual movement options than most of the Guilty Gear Strive roster. His number one distinguishing qualities are the very ranged normals and the special skill of throwing random items that radically shift the match flow.

It’s unpredictable but highly useful for altering the flow. Also, Faust’s Scarecrow moves create strange but fruitful opportunities, especially when synced with RC. This way, Faust can mix up his foes and inflict damage otherwise. The character also possesses a few hitboxes. 

Nevertheless, Faust’s strange physical appearance is of good use too. Faust can go very low while crouching, therefore being easily able to evade and move while attacking. This especially proves helpful while your stance is poured with projectiles. 

On the contrary, however, a standing Faust is very easy to hit, given his huge body. This was all that he had on his plate of strengths. Surprisingly, Faust doesn’t lack in drawbacks either. Topmost of all is that most of Faust’s damage-inflicting options are rather a meter reliant. 

Also, while throwing items is interesting, the trick might retaliate if the opponent pushes back any thrown items. Bombs especially. Nevertheless, he is still good company, a strong offensive warrior, and entertaining.

Zato 

This character of Guilty Gear Strive is a multiplex puppet-like unit of the cast with a bunch of incredible offensive abilities on board. Though Zato’s normal attacks are just fine, his long-range hits will fuel highly deadly combos in most fights due to Eddie’s tools.

For instance, the character has got an unusual Eddie move that allows him to become virtually unbeatable for some time. If Zato manages to create a fitting situation for himself, players can easily enjoy his 15-30 seconds of continuous pressure buildup and mix-ups while watching the opponent struggling for his life. 

Nevertheless, players will have to compromise with Zato’s offense that, due to reliance on only universal mechanics or his jabs, is on a rather lower side. Also, he has a very low HP and is one of the trickiest Guilty Gear Strive characters to master. However, you can always invest your effort in Zato, given the decent outcome potential. 

I-NO 

I-No is an unusual character of the Guilty Gear Strive cast who is surprisingly versatile. She has a good hold of rendering damage in almost any range. When at a distance, I-No can greet the enemies with incredible projectiles that players can even manage in mid-flight.

At close to mid-range, she rather likes to alternatingly use dive kicks or some low-profile slides that help her avoid incoming attacks. The most intimidating mix-ups and pressures are reserved for the closest encounter only.

I-No has also got a special hover-dash attack style allowing her to access rapid overheads. Despite this amazing manifestation of offense, I-No struggles with the same weakness that nearly every Tier B Guilty Gear Strive character faces: subpar defense. 

Though I-No has plenty of offensive strategies to snowball her enemies, she might herself become prey to attacks while attempting, especially if she fails to flee.

Potemkin 

This character is simply a powerhouse who acts as an absolute zoner dealing intelligently with mobile units of opposition. Potemkin’s attacks are perfect. They can travel long distances, render massive damage, and house decent hitboxes, allowing Potemkin to inflict substantial disruption even from random hits.

Also, the character reserves in him a very high pool of HP, perhaps the greatest amongst the entire cast. With that being said, Potemkin can take more hits than you expect. Given that he is a zoner who’s always after mobile characters, high HP comes particularly as a blessing. 

Though Potemkin does all his trade with mobile units, he is severely anti of being like one. Quite surprisingly, he has got an extremely slow walk, no air dash, and no run to match up to his power. 

Nevertheless, this makes up for a great balance of mind-blowing potency and subpar agility. Plus, Potemkin has got no other visible drawbacks. 

Ky

This is a rather simple character of the entire roster with minimal equipment but a versatile playing style. With ranged projectiles, DP and pokes, this character can easily alternate between acting defensively and pressuring in opportunities.

As far as Ky’s offense is concerned, it’s unusual but rewarding. This is particularly due to the special Shock State mechanic that helps Ky put his enemies in a state of shock. Also, the character has got FDC safe jumps and projectiles of charged Stun Edge to deliver notably decent okizeme. 

While all these unusual moves are nice, they simply don’t help make Ky less risky. The character is very likely to be punished in retaliation or get counter-hits.

Testament

The restructured kit of Testament in Guilty Gear Struve makes him a good midrange combater who controls its space by suppressing enemies with distant pokes, impactful projectiles, powerful curses, and multiple different mix-ups.

Testament induces a unique Stain state that forces its attacks to cause more pressure and combos. The character is a decent all-rounder dueler who houses one of the supremest Forward Punch (6P) in Guilty Gear Strive. This opens for it a shortcut to resisting players who like jump-ins.

Asuka R#

Asuka debuts as the final character of the Guilty Gear Strive realm. This one’s not easy to use, but it is still worth the learning effort if you like the idea of fusing magic with the intelligence to outnumber bulky opponents in an instant. 

Asuka R#, the mage, or “The Man” as he was formerly attributed, employs the Tome of Origin to dish off various exemplary spells. An ample choice palate will make all the foes keep guessing, letting you truly zone them out of the battle.

Nevertheless, we will still rank the new character in B-Tier since we think his arsenal and RNGs are not for everyone and every situation, and they might have to resort to other options.

Bedman

Again a release that will not be easy to play, but it’s at least more conceivable than the other, Asuka R#. Bedman’s first looks aren’t the best, and while most gamers might not be expecting to see him this up, we think there’s hidden potential in his move pool once he’s fully mastered.

The character has many disjoints and projectiles to make the situation even better and control a significant radi at once. 

Overall, Bedman is made for players who like dealing with more than a few frame traps and high/lows that are easy to chain together against the opponent. You will be able to confuse most of your foes with Bedman’s extra animations, ultimately distracting them from possible mixups.

C-Tier 

The units of Tier C fall very short in front of the robust picks of the cast discussed before. Though they aren’t entirely useless and may still excel in one or two moves, Tier C characters have weaknesses that easily outweigh any bright side they might have. 

Anji 

Anji is a solid character but still, lands in the last tier of our Guilty Gear Strive tier list because of his notable weaknesses, more on which later. Anji’s well-rounded style of play is primarily strengthened by the Autoguard property he induces with most of his moves.

It helps the character to nullify his enemy’s hit for some time and then strike back in return.  Also, the property makes up for Anji’s lack of settling into a pattern. Instead, he now easily steals turns to insert his action rather than getting any in return. 

Although a cool strategy, Anji is overall very weak. He is required to take risks in order to approach the enemy, and for that, neither his offensive moves are enough nor defense. The character also doesn’t possess much in terms of the frame. 

Anji is not good at timing the Autoguard either, hence pulling even greater loopholes in his performance. 

Goldlewis

Goldlewis manifests good power at close ranges. Though he also packs some long-reaching attacks in his collection, the character especially shines in landing normals.

Each attack made is generally slow and pretty hard to whiff but is yet powerful therefore leading to threatening pressure and intimidating mix-ups. He starts landing coffin attacks to pile up substantial chip damage in case his attacks are blocked. 

His weaknesses, however, are not ignorable either. Goldlewis has a huge body given his very slow moveset, ultimately causing him to struggle against opponents who have long-reach retaliating options onboard. Also, Goldlewis’s pokes tend to be riskier if not released correctly. 

Axl 

Guilty Gear Strive players who’ll like to play with a zoner should opt for Axl. He is dedicatedly built to control spaces and corners and also helps in slightly haunting the foes at mid to long range. Axl does this by wielding anyone from the plethora of moves he carries.

However, players will soon realize the generous number of loopholes in these attacks and some whiff margin. Therefore, Axl is to be very cautiously used, or else you won’t be able to resist quick loss. Also, Axl doesn’t have many defense skills on his plate. 

Jack-O 

Though worthy moves in her collection, Jack-O is a tricky Guilty Gear Strive character to utilize. She is a recent DLC character in Strive who specializes in summoning minions. Ince summoned, Jack-O sends the minions like projectiles in various directions. These projectiles are pretty impactful in terms of damage and may even confuse the opponent’s ranks.

Nevertheless, this minion-summoning feature is probably the only accessible strength of Jack-O. Without it, she is really a Tier C character who is better to be ignored if you are in no mood to place yourself in a very bad situation. This is primarily because Jack-O’s other pros are super difficult to unleash. The minion summoning movie isn’t easy to pull either. 

Baiken

Baiken is another highly rewarding Guilty Gear Strive character who comes with even greater risk. Her straightforward yet well-rounded move kit focuses on offense by putting forth amazing mid-range pokes and building good pressure in close-range.

Baiken also can give off deadly mix-ups and frame traps. However, all her attacks are vulnerable to getting whiffed and blocked. Meaning she is always at risk of getting as much of an excruciating punishment as she herself is capable of giving.

Our Take On Tier List 

This concluded all by our side. We tried our best to make every information part of our post that the players will most need to achieve a well-planned Guilty Gear Strive triumph. 

Given the rich variety of cool units already on the roster and many more that Guilty Gear may fill its Strive launching with, it could be daunting to find the best fitting one. Nevertheless, one thing is certain—there’s at least something for everyone out there! 

Therefore, employ the tier list smartly, and you’ll soon be celebrating your success. 

Guilty Gear Strive Tier List Criteria

The position of a character in a tier list doesn’t by any means define its powers relative to any specific other. Instead, it is just a representation of how well the character performs compared to the entire cast. 

While drafting the tier list, our team weighed the general output of each unit in order to arrange them in a definitive hierarchy. The ordered list of the best Guilty Gear Strive characters was made after a thorough scrutiny of every aspect of the entire roster. We did this with the help of community feedback and information from the web. 

Nevertheless, we aim to constantly update our Guilty Gear Strive character tier list as the game welcomes new patches and modifications. These patches can, of course, cause major changes in the above-curated tiers, so don’t miss checking back often!

Changes Due to Patch Update 

Updated Till: Ver 1.27

We have discussed below all the crucial changes made to the Guilty Gear Strive mechanics over the past few months to ensure you are familiar with them all. Reflecting on these changes will help you better earn your mark in GGST. They go as follows: 

• “Bedman” has been added as a playable unit in the game. 
• “Asuka R#” is added as a playable unit in the game.
• I-NO’s air-dashing capacity is made better by making its activation conditions and timing of the buffer window consistent with that of every other character. 
• The super flash of Anji Mito’s Kachoufuugetsu move now initiates simultaneously with the counter, whereas the time is also reduced.

Guilty Gear Strive At a Glance 

The Strive is the latest Guilty Gear flagship released by Arc System Works: the same video game company players had been praising for the Dragon Ball FighterZ and BlazBlue. 

Though Guilty Gear Strive has still taken a lot from its former siblings of the series, the game offers many new and tacky additions. For instance, welcoming Unreal Engine allows Guilty Gear to manifest some really charming, latest graphics. 

The game feels pretty hybrid, too, given the two modes onboard: single-player as well as multiplayer. The developers seem to also have invested extra effort in building more fun for players rather than just focussing on anime. 

Therefore, get prepared to meet a dozen more hilarious combos that are really amusing to be with. 

New game mechanics like top-notch damage scaling and Wall Break are put on board, too, topped with a fully voiced story mode. As such, Guilty Gear Strive’s gameplay becomes even more exhilarating than one expects.