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With Guilty Gear Strive nixing Instant Kills, here’s a look at the previous game’s beautiful finishers as a reminder of what could have been.
While Guilty Gear Strive is gaining a lot of traction in the fighting game community and receiving praise for its roster, the game does lack one major staple of the series: the Instant Kill. Performed after triggering its state in the Tension Meter, an Instant Kill is a character’s ultimate attack that will end a match immediately regardless of how much health the opponent has left of if they are blocking. They were likely removed due to Strive‘s emphasis on competitive play, as Instant Kills are rarely used in tournaments or ranked matches due to how risky they are to perform.
Still, it’s a shame that Strive lacks these flashy, over-the-top finishing moves, as they give the games so much character that sets them apart from other fighting games. Arc System Works has always excelled in sprite animation and making everything look as anime-esque as possible, which is clear from Strive‘s predecessor, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2. Here are some of the best Instant Kills from that game.
Dizzy’s Emotional Gamma Ray
An innocent and pacifistic character, Dizzy is a half-human hybrid whose nature as a Gear and wing guardians Necro and Undine make her one of the most powerful characters in the setting. However, her gentle and motherly nature prevents her from using her powers to their fullest potential, letting Necro and Undine do most of the fighting. True to this, her “Instant Kill” doesn’t actually kill the opponent; instead, Necro fires a powerful gamma ray blast, only for Dizzy to tackle him and miss. The opponent sees the sheer nuclear destruction the gamma ray blast creates, humorously turning their head to the screen in shock and immediately surrendering.
Jack-O’ Valentine Wants Out
The Halloween-themed Jack-O’ Valentine has a childlike streak and an obsession with sweets. However, this energetic and cutesy demeanor belies a cold, no-nonsense personality, backed by a surprising amount of power and an army of pumpkin familiars. Jack-O’s Instant Kill reflects this perfectly, with her opponent being tied down to the ground as they watch Jack-O’ being bounced up in the air by army. She is launched past Earth’s atmosphere and ruthlessly shoots a charging dropkick onto her opponent, creating a massive explosion that can be seen from space.
Baiken’s Garyou Tensei
As an expert swordsman, Baiken’s attacks are swift and precise while still causing massive amounts of damage to the opponent, leaving her walking out of the room as if she was in an Akira Kurosawa movie. For her extremely stylish and elegant Instant Kill, the camera zooms out from Baiken and her opponent, passing by a jumping koi fish before the door is littered with the opponent’s blood and the entire house is cut in half. Baiken is illustrated as moving so fast that players don’t even get to actually see her make the cut.
Answer’s Summoner: The Basilisk
A highly intelligent assistant to Chip Zanuff, Answer is described as “the Business Ninja” and possesses a wide variety of special attacks and techniques that look like they came out of Naruto. Answer’s Instant Kill is one of the flashiest and most cinematic finishers that the game has to offer, initiated by using his own blood to paint a summoning sign. Emerging from the circle is a gigantic basilisk, which Answer rides upon as it throws the opponent into the air and consumes them in one bite. This Instant Kill is quite striking considering how violent it is for an otherwise stoic and well-spoken character.
Faust: “This Is…Me?”
While possessing the appearance and aura of a mad doctor out of a slasher flick, Faust is actually a rather benevolent figure. Described as having lost his sanity before regaining it, Faust retains a bloodthirsty streak in battle, being very excited at the prospect of “operating” on someone. His Instant Kill is as over-the-top as it is subversive just like he is, opening with Faust looking over the opponent lying on an operating table.
Surrounded by a nebulous orchestra playing Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” Faust artfully demonstrates his expert plastic surgeon skills like a musical composer as the opponent gets an extreme makeover. In this case, “Instant Kill” might not refer to what happens to the opponent, but rather what will happen to the player when the operation’s over.
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