Characters A - E

Alex

Story - Along with Roger, Alex is an experiment of crossing a martial artist's genes with a wild animal done by Dr. B. This creature genetically-created raptor. Apparently, Alex and Roger have been trained to fight by Armor King.

Rating - 0/10. He belongs in Jurassic Park, not a fighting game.

Angel

Story - The other half of Kazuya's soul that is suppose to represent his good side. She vies with Devil to gain control over Kazuya's soul, but somehow failed to convert Kazuya to the side of good.

Rating - 3/10. Just what the hell has happened to her, anyway? They should expand on her story.

Anna Williams

Story - Nina's younger sister. After knowing that Nina will be used in Dr Boskonovitch's cryogenics 'cold-sleep' research, Anna volunteered to be another test subject to be put to sleep and be woken in the future with her sister. After all, how can Nina be allowed to stay young and beautiful while she aged away? Both sisters were awoken 19 years later, but Nina suffered an amnesia as a result of the cold-sleep while Anna remained unaffected. In an act of compassion, Anna set out to help her sister recover the past, although almost every time they meet seems to trigger some sort of hostility feeling between both sisters and they end up trying to kill each other.

Rating - 8/10. Anna has a couple of things that Nina lacks: style, a life and an over-the-top attitude reminiscence of Ivy. I do like her more than Nina, especially her fighting style and she has the most stylish wardrobe among all the female characters.

Armor King

Story - A member of a Mexican tribe that carries around Jaguar masks, Armor King met and challenged King only to be defeated and have one eye damaged. Before the beginning of the second Iron Fist tournament, they both set aside their differences become friends. When King became an alcoholic after losing the 1st tournament, Armor King decided to intervened by convincing his friend/rival to get back into the ring. When they met at the tournament, he defeated King and later on went to trained King II. Before the fourth King of Iron Fist Tournament, he got into a bar brawl with Craig Marduk and was supposedly killed. However, as it is typical of fighting games, he reappeared in the new Tekken: Dark Resurrection. It is unsure whether it is the original Armor King or a successor of his.

Rating - 3/10. Despite being one of the most original characters, he is also one of the most boring ones.

Asuka Kazama

Story - Trained in the Kazama-style martial arts by her father, Asuka has a strong sense of justice and is known for her vigilante activities around the neighborhood. She returned home from school one day to find her father's dojo in shambles. Her father was badly hurt and several students were severely beaten by a merciless fighter. Several days later, she met Lei Wulong who told her that the culprit would be a contestant in the King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. Asuka decides to enter the tournament to avenge her father. She is suppose to be Jin's cousin, but as of yet, there is no real official statement to confirm her relationship to Jin and Jun.

Rating - 9/10. A more improved Jun with a spunky attitude! For one moment I thought she is Jin's aunt...

Baek Doo San

Story - Baek accidentally killed his father during a sparring session, which left him in doubt over his own skills. As a result, he went on a rampage, destroying several dojangs and One of them happened to be Law's. After T2, he was presumed dead by Ogre. What actually happened was that his encounter with Ogre left him in a coma. He woke up one year after T3, and became a martial arts teacher at military bases where he was reunited with his student Hwoarang. After Hwoarang completed his service with the military, Baek asked him to enter the Iron Fist Tournament 5. Baek also entered the tournament to test his student's skills.

Rating - 4/10. He is one of the most uninteresting characters and his fighting style is so linear, though he did improve a bit in T5.

Boskonovitch (Dr. B)

Story - A friend of Yoshimitsu who suffers from a rare spinal disease. He started the "cold sleep" project to preserve his sick daughter until a cure can be found. He is the one responsible for creating Roger and Alex, and apparently is the only one in the world who knows the truth about Ogre, though how and why is yet to be confirmed.

Rating - 0.1/10. He sucks as much as all his creations...okay, except Yoshimitsu's cool armors.

Bruce Irvin

Story - A highly skilled fighter, Bruce beat his opponent to death in a match where he was paid to lose. An enraged bookie sent an assassin after him but Bruce fled by plane only to meet the assassin and a detective - Lei's partner. They had a violent fight and the plane crashed, leaving Bruce as the sole survivor. He was rescued by Kazuya's men and became one of Kazuya's bodyguards (although why someone like Kazuya would need bodyguards is unknown). After fighting Lei in T2, he fled once again by plane but the plane exploded. Somehow, he survived the second plane crash (one helluva guy) and now works as a survival technical guidance instructor for several special units.

Rating - 6/10. Bruce has the most awesome and close-to-real Muay Thai moves in any fighting game. And his character is finally slowly moving away from being the stereotypical token black boxer.

Bryan Fury

Story - After he died due to a failed mission, Dr. Abel brought him back to life as a cyborg and killing machine. His mission? To terminate Dr. A's rivals, Yoshimitsu and Dr. Boskonovitch. When his body started to deteriorate and Abel abandoned him to work for the Mishima Zaibatsu, Yoshimitsu saved him and brought him to Dr. B who believed that the key to disabling Abel's bio-weapon was hidden in Bryan's body. Dr. B gave him a new energy generator, but being an ungrateful bastard that he is, he killed the Manji clan members that Yoshimitsu assigned to guard him and escape in time for T5 to test the energy generator.

Rating - 5/10. He's a badass...for a while, but lets just say this is one character I won't miss if he's cut.

Christie Monteiro

Story - The granddaughter of Eddy's Capoeira master whom he met while in prison and promised to teach the art to. Two years under Eddy's coaching, she became an impressive fighter. When Eddy mysteriously disappears, she decides to search for him and find him she did. Her grandfather was then released from prison after a long incarceration, but was diagnosed with an incurable disease that leaves him only six months to live. Christie decides to enter the T5 tournament believing that if she wins, she could use the advanced technology of the Mishima Zaibatsu to save her grandfather.

Rating - 4/10. Her only redeeming quality is being just another pretty face and having a bright personality.

Combot

Story - Lee Chaolan's multi-purpose creation, programmed to be the ultimate fighting machine by learning every fighter's style as it progressed through the tournament. The ultimate goal is for Combot to defeat Heihachi and increase the Lee's chances of gaining the Mishima Zaibatsu. However, since it was a rushed prototype, Combot can only use one opponent's fighting style at a time.

Rating - 0.01/10. Lame, lame, lame...we only need Mokujin!

Craig Marduk

Story - An undefeated Vale Tudo fighter because of his savage fighting style, Craig is an embarrassment to the business. He was imprisoned in Arizona after killing Armor King in a bar brawl. King paid for his release and sent him an anonymous package about the King of Iron Fist Tournament 4 with an airline ticket so he can exact revenge for his master's death. King did manage to hospitalized him and was about to kill him in the hospital (now that's really low!), but decided not to when he saw a photo of Craig's elderly parents next to his bed. Craig is now out to seek revenge on King for defeating him. Will it ever end....

Rating - 3/10. This guy is nothing but a vicious, no-brain, meat head.

Devil

Story - After being thrown from the ravine by Heihachi, Kazuya sold his soul to the devil in return for the power to live and overthrow his father. Apparently, Devil hasn't fully consumed Kazuya's soul because of an internal struggle with Angel. Devil has a complicated symbiotic relationship with Kazuya that is never really explained or clearify by Namco, leaving it only to fan-speculation.

Rating - 4/10. So this is Kazuya's "devil" form?

Devil Jin

Story - Jin overcome by the devil gene. After Jinpachi broke free from his Hon Maru prison, the devil gene within his great-grandson became activated. Two months later, Jin lost control of the inherited powers that he worked so hard to repress. Before Devil Jin became a separate playable character in T5, Jin has transformed into the devil twice in his T3 and T4 endings: the first triggered by anger at Heihachi's betrayal, and second time was to escape from Hon Maru.

Rating - 9/10. As much as I like Jin's old Mishima-Kazama karate moves, he doesn't need to take up two character slots.

Eddy Gordo

Story - After the death of his influential parents by the mob, Eddy follows his dying father's advise to get himself sent to prison where he could be safe from their enemies. In prison, he befriended a Capoeira master who became his teacher. After his release, he went on a quest to discover who murdered his parent and learns that Kazuya Mishima was somehow involved. Fulfilling a promise he made to his master, Eddy finds and trains Christie and then left her in pursuit of revenge. Although he hasn't lost sight of avenging his parents, Eddy is also helping Christie to save her grandfather, his mentor.

Rating - 2/10. If I have to take a pick between the two Capoeiristas, I'd keep Christie and lose this guy.