Character archetypes

Character archetypes is the term used to define a character's general strategy and game-play style. They are commonly seen/used in fighting games, and usually have certain recurring archetypes that lead and evolve the meta-game.

The purpose of the archetypes is to help inform the player of the opponent they might encounter, and how to plan an attack against the said archetype.

Typically, character archetypes can be defined in a general sense by a set of various axes. Examples of such axes include the following:
 * Offensive vs Defensive
 * Close range vs Long range
 * Ground vs Aerial proficiency
 * Strength vs Mobility
 * Combo ability vs KO power
 * Range vs Speed

In general, there are three main categories of archetypes : offensive, defensive, and undefined. Each of those, in turn, has their own unique/specific kinds of strategy; meaning that characters can fit into more than one archetype because of variations in their mind-games and game-play styles.

Offensive archetypes
Offensive characters are the ones that possess better tools for approaching and chasing down opponents. They usually attack relentlessly without giving any breathing room.

Well-Rounded
These are the characters that have little bit of everything( projectiles, melee attacks, chain-grabs, etc…), and have very few (or none) outstanding moves. Also are great campers.

Characters: Mario, Naruto, Goku

Pressure
Once they get in, they do not let up. Pressure characters rely on waiting for their opponent(s) to make a mistake, then punish them severely with damage racking combos and setups. Rely heavily on mind-games and reads.

Characters: Fox, Tails, Sheik,

Opportunist
Like Pressure characters, Opportunists patiently wait for their opponent to make a mistake before attacking. But instead of racking up damage, they deal powerful attacks that can kill opponents early. Rely heavily on reads and mind-games.

Characters: Pikachu, Donkey Kong, Ichigo,

Hit & Run
These characters are usually very fast and frequently use dash-dancing as one of their main approach options. Are usually very good at reacting and reading.

Characters: Captain-Falcon, Sonic, Pikachu,

Glass Cannon
Just like the name implies, these characters pack a punch, but can be killed early because of their weight. Usually have great kill setups and range.

Characters: Pikachu, Naruto, Marth, Goku

Tank
Like Glass Cannon characters, these characters are very powerful, and can last considerably longer because of their weight, but are also easier to combo and chain-grab. Very good at bait and punishing.

Characters: Donkey-Kong, Yoshi, Zelda,

Proficient
One of the most formidable classes of characters; they almost have it all. They are fast, pressure well, hit & run, and have great mix-ups. Great for single character mains, as they can cover a broad scope of situations.

Characters: Zero Suit Samus, Sheik, Lloyd, Marth, Naruto, Goku, Black-Mage, Fox, Defensive Archetypes

Defensive Archetypes
Defensive characters are the opposite of offensive characters, in that they usually avoid their opponents and bait them into setups to exploit their weaknesses from a distance before delivering a punishing blow.

Zoner
These are your typical stage defenders, in that they will use their many projectiles and/or disjointed attacks to outrange players in order to keep control of the stage. Very good at wearing down opponents.

Characters: Samus, Marth, Link

Bait & Punish
Like catching a fish with a fishing-rod, these characters tease and weave in and out of their opponents space. Once they got them to react, they then swiftly punish them for it. Very good at reacting and punishing.

Characters: Wario, Meta Knight, Captain Falcon

Turtle
Being more slow, these characters rely on waiting for their opponents to approach them (, by using a mix of projectiles and high priority moves,) then punishing them from doing so. Usually play very safe and damage opponents afar/when they approach.

Characters: Zelda, Link, Samus, Megaman, Chibi Robo

Trapper
Unlike most projectiles that disappear quickly after being fired, these characters use their long lasting projectiles to trap and hit-stun their opponents to deal damage racking combos and kills. Great at comboing and camping.

Characters: Bomberman, Samus, Naruto, Black Mage

Camper
These characters can play it as safe-as-possible while inflicting as much damage(or time consuming spacing) as they can before the opponent finds a way in. Good at stage control.

Characters: Lloyd, Fox, Pikachu, Link, Samus, Zelda, Mega Man, Bomberman

Grappler
These characters movesets mostly revolve around and combo into their grabs, as their grabs are very powerful/useful and can kill early. Very good at punishing whiffed attacks and weak approaches.

Characters: Donkey Kong, Ness, Zelda, Wario, (Luffy?)

Ledge Owner
Owing to their wide array of edge-guarding tools, These characters can make it seem impossible to recover back to the stage. Great at gimping opponents.

Characters: Sora, Meta Knight, Lloyd, Marth, Pikachu, Megaman

Undefined Archetypes
These characters have attributes that are different from offensive and defensive game-play or can be used as either or in a given situation. However, most of these characters tend to incline towards another category, meaning this can be considered a subcategory between offensive and defensive archetypes.

Precision
Unlike most characters moves(,which are static), these characters require more skill and precision, as they have the option for using a move for either comboing or killing, but it requires that they sweetspot it first in order to kill.

Characters: Zelda, Marth, Captain-Falcon, Meta-Knight, Mario, Sonic, Link, Lloyd, Zero-Suit-Samus, Wario, (Luigi?)

Dynamic
These characters have moves that can either be for damage, killing or a little bit off both, are not the same when used multiple times, and are dynamic/rotating.

Power House
These powerful characters can use their attacks both offensively and defesnively, and cannot be defined by attribuets alone.

Characters:  Zelda, Donkey Kong

Super Armor
These characters possess moves that give them super armor during the moves execution.

Characters: Donkey-Kong, Yoshi, Kirby, Black-Mage, (Bowser?)(Sandbag?)(Mega-Man?)

Wind box
These characters possess moves that give them a wind box during the moves execution.

Characters: Sheik, Sora, Ichigo, Zelda (Game & Watch?)

*** Any characters that have a ‘(     ?)’ around their name signifies they are Beta characters, and are guesstimated where they belong in the archetypes based off of Beta videos. Also, their move-sets might be subject to change or modification, so edits and revisions might be necessary in the future.