Killer Instinct Tier List: Definitive Ranking [2023]

Twenty-six characters are ranked in the killer instinct tier list from the best to worst in different tiers based on their performance, stats, and abilities. This tier list ranks all the characters of the game based on our research, experience, and gameplay. We also researched which character people would choose out of five, and then we created this tier list and ranked every character of the game in five different tiers from best to worst.

We know that ranking the characters of a game can be very subjective and vary from person to person, and some people might not agree with us. It should be remembered that every character in this tier list can be a competition as it depends more on the player’s skill.

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Key Points

• This tier list has ranked all 29 characters from Killer Instinct.
• The ranking is based on skills, range, and stats.
• The highest tiers have Aria, Rash, Fulgore, and Omen.
• The lowest tiers include Combo and Sadira.

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Killer Instinct Tier List Table

The table contains the ranking of all killer Instinct characters:

S Rank	A Rank	B Rank	C Rank	D Rank
Rash	Aganos	Mira	Maya	TJ Combo
Aria	Eyedol	Cinder	Shadow Jago	Sadira
Fulgore	Thunder	Eagle	Shin Hisako	Sabrewulf
Omenn	Hisako	Kilgore	General Raam	Orchid
	Arbiter	Spinal	Kim Wu
	Glacius	Gargos	Jago
	Riptor		Kan Ra
	Tusk

Read the detail below:

S Tier

The S in the S-Tier stands for super or superb, which means that the characters ranked in this tier are considered to be the best characters in the game. These characters excel over all the characters in the game in terms of performance, stats, and abilities. These characters are the best in giving the opponent very tough competition. This tier includes the following characters.

Rash

The rash is one of the most complete characters in the game. He has everything which includes overheads, air mobility, lows, staggers, hard-to-break combo attacks, and the ability to do much damage as output. He is the best character if the players are looking for unmatched mix-ups.

DMG	7
DEF	7
Range	9

Aria

Aria has the linkers, which are very difficult to break in the game. Aria also has a great range, strong pressure, the ability to do great damage when in instinct, and having a meter. Her special body-switching skill makes it hard for the opponents to predict this character’s playing style because each body has a different ability.

DMG	5
DEF	6
Range	8

Fulgore

Fulgore is considered the best because he can play the role of a good rush-down character and a good zoner which makes him very hard to counter. His Fireballs, Blade Dash, and Lasers are some of his best moves that can give an enemy tough competition. His special skill called Teleport allows the player character to be invisible and teleport to the opponent, which goes very nicely with the mix-ups making him a character with little to no weaknesses in the game.

DMG	6
DEF	7
Range	9

Omen

This character has the best fly mobility in the game and performs well on the ground too because of meter lockouts and mixups, this character has many options to capture the opponent on the screen due to high mobility. Omen is a bonus character.

DMG	4
DEF	7
Range	9

A Tier

The A in this tier of killer instinct tier list stands for allrounder, which means that the characters ranked in this tier are considered to give a very tough competition to their opponents in the game. These characters do not excel the characters in the S Tier of the game in terms of performance, stats, and abilities. These characters are all-rounders with great stats and abilities, giving the opponents tough competition. This tier includes the following characters.

Aganos

This character is considered to be one of the hardest characters to be used in the game but is still included in the A Tier among one of the best characters because of his close-range mixups and corner pressure gameplay. Players can use this character if they want a good defense and an amazing attack because this character can be used for both attack and defense gameplays.

DMG	7
DEF	5
Range	9

Eyedol

This character’s full potential can be seen when he is in instinct mode which allows the player to have full access to the abilities of both heads at the same time. This character is very difficult to use for many players but has great skills like rushing down and zoning in its warrior and mage form.

DMG	7
DEF	6
Range	10

Thunder

When Thunder gets close to his opponents causes a lot of damage to them when his instinct mode is activated, which allows the player character to have a boost in mobility and the opponents to run away from Chief Thunder.

DMG	10
DEF	4
Range	3

Hisako

This character might be considered useless because of her slow speed, but the damage she does to the opponent is amazing. This character’s wall jump skill can be a great trick for confusing the opponents giving the players an advantage.

DMG	6
DEF	5
Range	4

Arbiter

This character has one of the game’s best normal attacks and long-reach damage. Due to the long-reach attacks of this character, close combat opponents will have a tough time against him. This character gets an extra health bar because of the energy shield, which gives the player armor that helps in absorbing hits by opponents.

DMG	6
DEF	5
Range	6

Glacius

This character is an excellent zoner as it has good corner pressure and a skill called Shatter which allows the player to damage the opponent with an unavoidable burst attack. This character’s other skill is Hail, the best anti-air attack in the game. Glacius can be a fun character for players who are into ranged battles because of its full-screen zoning and mid-range attacks.

DMG	8
DEF	5
Range	9

Riptor

This character is not used by the majority of the players but has a decent speed, good range, and a decent survival run on the instinct which is great for retreats. Its Predator mode makes the enemies’ attacks useless, as they do not cause damage to Riptor. This character’s Instinct increases its run speed, tail attacks, and flame, which can be trouble for opponents in close and long-range battles.

DMG	5
DEF	6
Range	4

Tusk

This character also has high damage output as well as increased mobility and is considered to hit the opponent like a truck. This character is a danger for all the zones in the game. Tusk’s special ability is called Deflecting Window, and when activated allows the player character to counter the enemy’s attack automatically.

DMG	8
DEF	7
Range	6

B Tier

This tier of killer instinct tier list ranks all the characters of the game that are considered to be above average, having decent stats and abilities. Some of these characters are easy to learn and have proven good for any match. These characters also may be able to defeat any high-tier character too but only with the right settings and skillful players.

Mira

This character is considered to be a high-reward character having the best counter breaker damage in the game by losing health which can be regained by her command grab and bite. The thing which is not so good about this character is the loss of health points on using abilities and skills by the player, just like the air dash attack, which does not do any damage to the opponent.

DMG	10
DEF	4
Range	8

Cinder

This character does not give the opponent much damage and requires the player to visit the lab more to master. This character is heavy on setups and juggling, where it requires the player to use him more for his full potential. Cinder can be helpful for players who like advanced combos.

HP	3
DEF	5
Range	6

Eagle

This character has a low damage output but great mix-ups. This player character uses his arrows to zone opponents and his bird to stun opponents but has a low rating for his anti-air moves. Eagle is pretty slow and only suited for players with a zone playstyle.

HP	5
DEF	1
Range	8

Kilgore

This character is considered one of the best zoners and has very good damage. This character’s guns and missiles shoot at multiple angles. The only thing not so good about this character is his long-range gameplay, as he has no close-range specials. This character is only suitable for players who play from a longer range and like zoning.

HP	3
DEF	6
Range	10

Spinal

This character has decent special and normal attacks on the opponents and is offensive in the gameplay. This character’s instinct mix-ups are great, too, because the bouncing skull does not disappear on miss and block. The only thing not so good about this character is the bad space ability which can be a challenge for the players as Spinal starts with zero, unlike Aganos.

HP	7
DEF	4
Range	4

Gargos

Gargos, because of his jumps, also has great mobility and is considered a normal character by many players. This character cannot deal with pressure attacks due to his large size but still thinks his minions help the character press the opponent. Gargos is only suitable for players who want to sit comfortably watching the minions fight.

HP	3
DEF	2
Range	7

C Tier

This tier in the killer instinct tier list ranks all the game characters considered to have below-average stats and abilities by the players. The characters in this tier are also good picks but should be avoided when competing against S and Tier characters. These characters can be helpful for the player when high-tiered characters are unavailable. The C Tier includes the following characters.

Maya

This is an offensive gameplay character with decent mobility and causes a lot of damage with her unavoidable combo attacks to opponents with her jump plus attacks. The only thing not so good about her is when this character losses her daggers, it does not have many options because daggers have a major role in the offensive gameplay of this character. To use the full potential of Maya, the player needs to excel in Management resources.

HP	6
DEF	5
Range	7

Shadow Jago

This character has good dash attacks and mobility but consumes the meter faster as compared to other characters and the player can not play safe or risky at the same time which means this character is a high-risk high reward type. The special moves of Shadow Jago are all unsafe.

HP	4
DEF	7
Range	6

Shin Hisako

This character has good defense and is considered good for close-range gameplay because of good pokes and mixups that can not be broken easily. Once closer to the opponent this character can not be zoned out easily. The only weak point of this character is that Shin Hisako will have a very tough time getting closer to the opponents with good zoning characters.

HP	6
DEF	7
Range	6

General Raam

This character is considered the best grappler in the game and has strong close attacks. Opponents might have to run away once this character gets close and starts using his fast command grabs and powerful normal attacks.

The only thing not so great about him is that this character needs to be close to the opponent before attacking him, and by doing so, the player might have to face many attacks from the opponents.

HP	9
DEF	5
Range	2

Kim Wu

This character has decent powers and very strong attack reversals. Zoning this character out is very difficult, and its output damage is strong as it has good parry and dragon cancels.

HP	7
DEF	7
Range	9

Jago

This character is considered to have decent zoning and damaging abilities. Jago’s unique characteristics are that in instinct mode this character can regain its lost health and fill the shadow meter faster. The only reason why this character is placed in the C Tier is that this character can not be upgraded but is still a fun character.

HP	9
DEF	7
Range	6

Kan-Ra

This character has great mobility, and because of his traps, he can play the role of a zoner whenever there is sand below. This character is difficult to master because of its hard-to-use attacks. The opponents might have a tough time reaching out to this character because of his traps which this character is known as trap setup.

HP	6
DEF	4
Range	7

D Tier

The characters included in the last tier of our tier list are considered the worst and stand no chance against S or  A Tier characters. These characters are recommended only for the new players who casually play the game and are not favored due to their soft skills, abilities, and stats.

TJ Combo

This character is considered a good combo starter because of his fast speed. His combos are unbreakable by the opponents. The mistakes of the opponents can help this character initiate strong combos.

This character is also good at close-range attacks, but like all the close-range characters, TJ Combo has to be close to the opponents to his combos which means the player will have to bear a lot of enemy attacks and lose health.

HP	7
DEF	4
Range	3

Sadira

This character’s Instinct is considered the best in the game and is good against the characters with low anti-air abilities. This character is good at juggling combos and creates web pressure with air mobility. The reason for ranking this character in the D Tier is that it relies on Instinct for attack recovery and is weak against zoning opponents.

HP	7
DEF	4
Range	4

Sabrewulf

This character has a decent Instinct and is a good rush-down character in the game. Due to his Instinct, all this character’s attacks do more damage to the opponent, and the chip damage is also increased. The unique skill Feral Cancel turns every ground attack to neutral, but this character does not have a good defense and requires the players to do resets, due to which it is ranked in the D Tier.

HP	6
DEF	5
Range	3

Orchid

The last character in the killer instinct tier list is Orchid which requires a lot of effort to go closer to the opponents and is a rush-down character in the game. The Instinct mode of this character gives the player good control because of the pokes of the character and a unique skill called fire cat, which allows the player to cover gaps easily. This character is considered to have the fastest speed in the game and is only suitable for players who like playing hard knockdowns and assisting in mixups.

HP	6
DEF	7
Range	6

Comparison Table

Characters	Tier	DMG	DEF	Range
Rash	S	7	7	9
Aria	S	5	6	8
Fulgore	S	6	7	9
Omenn	S	4	7	9
Aganos	A	7	5	9
Eyedol	A	7	6	10
Thunder	A	10	4	3
Hisako	A	6	5	4
Arbiter	A	6	5	6
Glacius	A	8	5	9
Riptor	A	5	6	4
Tusk	A	8	7	6
Mira	B	10	4	8
Cinder	B	3	5	6
Eagle	B	5	1	8
Kilgore	B	3	6	10
Spinal	B	7	4	4
Gargos	B	3	2	7
Maya	C	6	5	7
Shadow Jago	C	4	7	6
Shin Hisako	C	6	7	6
General Raam	C	9	5	2
Kim Wu	C	7	7	9
Jago	C	9	7	6
Kan Ra	C	6	4	7
TJ Combo	D	7	4	3
Sadira	D	7	4	4
Sabrewulf	D	6	5	3
Orchid	D	6	7	6

Final Verdict

This tier list has ranked all the characters of the killer instinct and its remake from best to worst in different tiers for the players to choose the character which suits them and is the best for them. This tier list is based on our research, experience, and gameplay.

During our research on every character, the main points we took into notice were the stats, performance, unique skills, and abilities. We know that some of the audience might not agree on how we have ranked the characters in one tier or the other, but as we know, ranking varies from person to person and is very subjective.

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