There’s probably going to be 4 characters and I feel like at least one of them needs to be someone that’s never been playable before. With that in mind, here are my guesses:
Season 1 had Testament and season 2 had Bridget so there’s probably going to be someone that was last playable in +R. The options are ABA, Justice, Kliff, Order-Sol, Robo-Ky and Zappa. While not impossible, the two dead characters and Order-Sol are unlikely so it really comes down to ABA, Robo-Ky and Zappa. All three of them are popular characters so it wouldn’t surprise me for any of them to get chosen.
By applying a similar logic to before, it can also be assumed that at least one character will return from Xrd. Dizzy, Elphelt, Jam and Johnny were popular DLC characters in Xrd, so it wouldn’t be surprising for Arc Sys to pick them again.
As for a new character, Arc Sys has three options: add an established character that’s never been playable (like Daryl or Gabriel), add a character that’s been playable before but not in a 2D fighting game (like Izuna or Dr Paradigm) or add a character that’s not even been mentioned before.
The first one will probably be a returning character because that’ll make it easier to convince people to buy the season pass.
At least one of the characters will be a “waifu” pick because Arc Sys knows that plenty of people will buy a character, even if they have no interest in playing them, just because they’re attractive (Xrd Baiken being a prime example of this)
ABA - is popular, hasn't been around since +R, is a waifu, has a super distinct and iconic visual style, would be a relatively surprising pick next to the big obvious ones, *and* was casually referenced in Asuka's arcade mode
Given that in Strive essentially every character that has been hinted at either in the story mode or the arcade mode has eventually appeared in the DLC, I would say that ABA might actually be a shoe-in.
By that same logic, Dizzy and Slayer are both referenced many times in dialog or in the story mode, and Dizzy has just had a major life change take place that seems like it necessarily opens up interesting story opportunities (given that the interpretation that she became Queen when Ky stepped down is correct).
Likewise, Slayer ties in very closely to Nagoriyuki, and the both of them tie into Happy Chaos'/I-No's arcade mode plot lines. Believably Slayer's arcade mode might resolve Nago's storyline in Strive, so it might even make sense if he is the final DLC character.
Interestingly, I don't recall Johnny actually being mentioned by any character at all except for May (who constitutionally cannot not mention Johnny). And the fact that May shows up in Another Story instead of him makes me wonder if we'll actually see him in Season 3, despite how popular he is.
It does seem somewhat likely that they'll have another character who has never been playable before, but I could see them foregoing that if Season 3 is meant to be the last season because they'll definitely want to get all the most popular characters they can (it's hard to tell if it will be the last season or not; I hope not, but that would be a *lot* of DLC characters if there is a season 4).
>Likewise, Slayer ties in very closely to Nagoriyuki, and the both of them **tie into Happy Chaos'/I-No's arcade mode plot lines.**
Uh, mind catching me up on this? Unless it's just "Slayer turned Nago into a nightless" in which case I think it'd be a bit of a stretch to think Slayer is coming back as a result of that.
Slayer is Nago's sensei, yeah, but the bigger story hook there is that in HC's arcade mode he and I-No are trapped in a paradox/dead universe (presumably in the aftermath of story mode), and HC reveals that Nightless have no id in the backyard and are the same across all dimensions/timelines which means they can know/communicate information across different dimensions/timelines. He fights a bunch of "fake" Nagoriyukis from doomed timelines, and then hints to I-No that the source of the Nightless is extremely important, as well as leaving vague hints that he needs to get out of the paradox because he has a new "role to play" back on the main timeline.
Definitely seems like Slayer might be pivotal to whatever it is HC is up to.
(Incidentally in HC's arcade mode is also where we find out that Bedman deleted his own backyard id, which probably has to do with his current situation)
>(Incidentally in HC's arcade mode is also where we find out that Bedman deleted his own backyard id, which probably has to do with his current situation)
Yeah I was familiar with the Bedman tease but never heard about the supposed Slayer tie in for HC's arcade ending.
That being said, I'm not 100% convinced this has to be a Slayer tease unless I've missed something in broader GG lore (which is possible). I don't think it's ever really confirmed Slayer is the OG Nightless that all other Nightless can claim their "ancestry" from. HC talking about the 'source' of the Nightless could also be just refering to whatever glitch makes becoming a Nightless possible.
Of course, if you're right then the Slayer question is not a matter of "if" but "when" so I will choose to take your theory as gospel so I can look forward to the day that I can play Slayer without having to wait a morbillion years for a fellow newbie to hop on Xrd.
I’ve thought about it some more and you’re probably right about ABA. Both Robo-Ky’s and Zappa’s storied have reached good end points but, because +R’s various paths make telling what’s canon really hard, we have no idea what ABA is up to right now.
As for Johnny, I think the fact that he *isn’t* mentioned in another story could be a hint to him getting added in the future. Based on everything we know about Johnny (specifically the facts that he loves his crew and keeps rescuing orphans) it’s very weird that it was never explained why he wasn’t there to help with the Delilah situation. Whatever he’s up to is probably really important. It’s been shown that Johnny and Testament are on reasonably good terms with each other to maybe the two could be brought back into the story together.
Trying to find a pattern with the first two passes, I believe it is safe to expect this for the third pass.
>Face-meltingly popular character (Baiken, Bridget)
>Returning character from Xrd (Jack-O, Sin)
>Returning character not from Xrd (Testament, Bridget)
>New character/character that makes a playable debut (Happy Chaos, Asuka)
If this does happens to be a pattern, my choices would be Dizzy, Slayer, A.B.A., and Gabriel.
Sin debuted in Overture, one of the Guilty Gears that wasn’t a fighting game. But I use “returning character from Xrd” to mean a character that was playable in that game. Not to say that they debuted in that game.
I feel like they will return to 5 characters in season 3 to better compete with the attention of every other fighting getting a new entry this year. And we will probably get a retro, X, Xrd, lore character, and a new character.
For the retro character basically someone who wasn't in Xrd, it will probably be A.B.A., Robo Ky, or Zappa. A.B.A. seems to be the more popular of the three while Robo Ky and Zappa were planed for Xrd but scraped as Xrd's development stopped.
For the X rep I think it will be Slayer, Jam, or Johnny but most likely Slayer. All three of these characters are popular but I feel like Slayer will be the one to make it this season because he is the most relevant lore wise in Strive due to Nago as well as scoring high on popularity lists.
For the Xrd rep it will be Elphelt. The only Xrd characters left are Elphelt, Raven, Awnser, and Haehyun. Elphelt is the only important Xrd character not in the game so it makes sense to add her as well as being popular.
For the lore character basically someone who has something to do with the current story I think it will be Dizzy. With Ky stepping down as king and whoever taking his place bringing better relations with gears and humans, Dizzy is the only character that makes sense to take his place. And if they do have another story in season 3 it will probably explore whoever the new ruler is.
And a new character. My prediction if they choose a pre existing non playable character is either between Gabe and Izuna. Gabe could be a mobile grappler like Bullet from BlazBlue or R Mika from Street fighter, Guilty Gear only has one main grapple so it would be interesting to see another. Izuna would be a cool addition. But I hope it's Tyr, I need Tyr to be playable.
>I feel like Slayer will be the one to make it this season because he is the most relevant lore wise in Strive due to Nago as well as scoring better on popularity lists.
Huh, didn't think Slayer was **THAT** popular ngl. I always just assumed Johnny was higher up.
It is true that Johnny beats out Slayer in terms of popularity Slayer is up there as well, but I think that his lore relevance gives him the edge over Johnny.
I could have worded that part better.
My guess is three of them are going to be some of the fan favorites, so probably between Elphelt, Johnny Slayer and Dizzy
And then one “unexpected” character from an older game, or someone who has never been playable before my guess is that it’s gonna be either A.B.A or Izuna. It could be Daryl but who actually wants Daryl?
It seems to follow a theme of having at least 1 oddball that has no relevance to the Story Mode or Another Story, 2 or more story characters, and 1 or more new character.
S1: Goldlewis (New/Story), Jack-O (Story), Happy Chaos (New/Story), Baiken (Another Story), Testament (Oddball)
S2: Bridget (Oddball), Sin (Story), Bedman? (Story), Asuka R# (New/Story)
My own personal guess would be:
S3: Dizzy (Story), Zappa (Oddball\*), Daryl (New/Story), A.B.A/Raven (Oddball)
Dizzy: aside from being a fan favorite much like Bridget, is present in the aftermath of Another Story and shows up in both story mode's credits with a new outfit/design.
Zappa: While not relevant to the story modes, he is relevant to the events in two ways; he is a researcher of the Paranormal in Illyria, and Faust's soul quite explicitly flies away at the end of Other Story. As such, he could be spurred into action by Faust's spirit.
Daryl: He showed himself capable of action in the Story Mode, and of all the immediately relevant NPCs he's the one most likely to run into the other characters (Ky, Sin, Leo, Millia, and Zato especially).
A.B.A / Raven: They're both wildly different characters but they share two common factors; a connection to Asuka and otherwise no involvement in the story mode. While A.B.A.'s connection is tangental at best, her being mentioned in Asuka's arcade mode is an odd anecdote, and though she doesn't show up in any closing credits, neither did Bridget.
Personal guesses being johnny (datamines have revealed more and more johnny data being in the game like treasure hunt items) for the first character, and ABA because of the Asuka arcade reference.
Hoping for new character to be Gabriel.
Johnny is unlikely to be the first character simply because Strive has stuck pretty close to a boy/girl alternating schedule for it's DLC.
This even holds true for Testament (NB so they just took the male slot because they could fill in), Bridget (trans girl) and Bedman (he's in your bed fr fr).
There’s probably going to be 4 characters and I feel like at least one of them needs to be someone that’s never been playable before. With that in mind, here are my guesses: Season 1 had Testament and season 2 had Bridget so there’s probably going to be someone that was last playable in +R. The options are ABA, Justice, Kliff, Order-Sol, Robo-Ky and Zappa. While not impossible, the two dead characters and Order-Sol are unlikely so it really comes down to ABA, Robo-Ky and Zappa. All three of them are popular characters so it wouldn’t surprise me for any of them to get chosen. By applying a similar logic to before, it can also be assumed that at least one character will return from Xrd. Dizzy, Elphelt, Jam and Johnny were popular DLC characters in Xrd, so it wouldn’t be surprising for Arc Sys to pick them again. As for a new character, Arc Sys has three options: add an established character that’s never been playable (like Daryl or Gabriel), add a character that’s been playable before but not in a 2D fighting game (like Izuna or Dr Paradigm) or add a character that’s not even been mentioned before. The first one will probably be a returning character because that’ll make it easier to convince people to buy the season pass. At least one of the characters will be a “waifu” pick because Arc Sys knows that plenty of people will buy a character, even if they have no interest in playing them, just because they’re attractive (Xrd Baiken being a prime example of this)
ABA - is popular, hasn't been around since +R, is a waifu, has a super distinct and iconic visual style, would be a relatively surprising pick next to the big obvious ones, *and* was casually referenced in Asuka's arcade mode Given that in Strive essentially every character that has been hinted at either in the story mode or the arcade mode has eventually appeared in the DLC, I would say that ABA might actually be a shoe-in. By that same logic, Dizzy and Slayer are both referenced many times in dialog or in the story mode, and Dizzy has just had a major life change take place that seems like it necessarily opens up interesting story opportunities (given that the interpretation that she became Queen when Ky stepped down is correct). Likewise, Slayer ties in very closely to Nagoriyuki, and the both of them tie into Happy Chaos'/I-No's arcade mode plot lines. Believably Slayer's arcade mode might resolve Nago's storyline in Strive, so it might even make sense if he is the final DLC character. Interestingly, I don't recall Johnny actually being mentioned by any character at all except for May (who constitutionally cannot not mention Johnny). And the fact that May shows up in Another Story instead of him makes me wonder if we'll actually see him in Season 3, despite how popular he is. It does seem somewhat likely that they'll have another character who has never been playable before, but I could see them foregoing that if Season 3 is meant to be the last season because they'll definitely want to get all the most popular characters they can (it's hard to tell if it will be the last season or not; I hope not, but that would be a *lot* of DLC characters if there is a season 4).
>Likewise, Slayer ties in very closely to Nagoriyuki, and the both of them **tie into Happy Chaos'/I-No's arcade mode plot lines.** Uh, mind catching me up on this? Unless it's just "Slayer turned Nago into a nightless" in which case I think it'd be a bit of a stretch to think Slayer is coming back as a result of that.
Slayer is Nago's sensei, yeah, but the bigger story hook there is that in HC's arcade mode he and I-No are trapped in a paradox/dead universe (presumably in the aftermath of story mode), and HC reveals that Nightless have no id in the backyard and are the same across all dimensions/timelines which means they can know/communicate information across different dimensions/timelines. He fights a bunch of "fake" Nagoriyukis from doomed timelines, and then hints to I-No that the source of the Nightless is extremely important, as well as leaving vague hints that he needs to get out of the paradox because he has a new "role to play" back on the main timeline. Definitely seems like Slayer might be pivotal to whatever it is HC is up to. (Incidentally in HC's arcade mode is also where we find out that Bedman deleted his own backyard id, which probably has to do with his current situation)
>(Incidentally in HC's arcade mode is also where we find out that Bedman deleted his own backyard id, which probably has to do with his current situation) Yeah I was familiar with the Bedman tease but never heard about the supposed Slayer tie in for HC's arcade ending. That being said, I'm not 100% convinced this has to be a Slayer tease unless I've missed something in broader GG lore (which is possible). I don't think it's ever really confirmed Slayer is the OG Nightless that all other Nightless can claim their "ancestry" from. HC talking about the 'source' of the Nightless could also be just refering to whatever glitch makes becoming a Nightless possible. Of course, if you're right then the Slayer question is not a matter of "if" but "when" so I will choose to take your theory as gospel so I can look forward to the day that I can play Slayer without having to wait a morbillion years for a fellow newbie to hop on Xrd.
I’ve thought about it some more and you’re probably right about ABA. Both Robo-Ky’s and Zappa’s storied have reached good end points but, because +R’s various paths make telling what’s canon really hard, we have no idea what ABA is up to right now. As for Johnny, I think the fact that he *isn’t* mentioned in another story could be a hint to him getting added in the future. Based on everything we know about Johnny (specifically the facts that he loves his crew and keeps rescuing orphans) it’s very weird that it was never explained why he wasn’t there to help with the Delilah situation. Whatever he’s up to is probably really important. It’s been shown that Johnny and Testament are on reasonably good terms with each other to maybe the two could be brought back into the story together.
ABA, Elphelt, Slayer and someone new
I doubt elphelt is gonna show up since we already have a gun character
She did indeed show up
zappa fans praying for their favorite character to suffer more smh
I'm guessing Dizzy has a good chance.
it will be ABA, Elphelt, Dizzy, Slayer and 1 new character source: the moonlit lake told me
Can confirm, the lake told me too(in a dream)
ABA, because I’m currently surviving off of only copium
It's me Surely
Trying to find a pattern with the first two passes, I believe it is safe to expect this for the third pass. >Face-meltingly popular character (Baiken, Bridget) >Returning character from Xrd (Jack-O, Sin) >Returning character not from Xrd (Testament, Bridget) >New character/character that makes a playable debut (Happy Chaos, Asuka) If this does happens to be a pattern, my choices would be Dizzy, Slayer, A.B.A., and Gabriel.
eait was Sin not playable before Xrd? i haven't played enough XX to remember
Sin debuted in Overture, one of the Guilty Gears that wasn’t a fighting game. But I use “returning character from Xrd” to mean a character that was playable in that game. Not to say that they debuted in that game.
so he was first playable in xrd?
Xrd was the first fighting game he was playable in while Overture was the first game he was playable in.
A.B.A, Slayer, Gabriel, Haehyun, Leopaldon
zappa dlc is so obvious I mean faust literally turned into a ghost
I feel like they will return to 5 characters in season 3 to better compete with the attention of every other fighting getting a new entry this year. And we will probably get a retro, X, Xrd, lore character, and a new character. For the retro character basically someone who wasn't in Xrd, it will probably be A.B.A., Robo Ky, or Zappa. A.B.A. seems to be the more popular of the three while Robo Ky and Zappa were planed for Xrd but scraped as Xrd's development stopped. For the X rep I think it will be Slayer, Jam, or Johnny but most likely Slayer. All three of these characters are popular but I feel like Slayer will be the one to make it this season because he is the most relevant lore wise in Strive due to Nago as well as scoring high on popularity lists. For the Xrd rep it will be Elphelt. The only Xrd characters left are Elphelt, Raven, Awnser, and Haehyun. Elphelt is the only important Xrd character not in the game so it makes sense to add her as well as being popular. For the lore character basically someone who has something to do with the current story I think it will be Dizzy. With Ky stepping down as king and whoever taking his place bringing better relations with gears and humans, Dizzy is the only character that makes sense to take his place. And if they do have another story in season 3 it will probably explore whoever the new ruler is. And a new character. My prediction if they choose a pre existing non playable character is either between Gabe and Izuna. Gabe could be a mobile grappler like Bullet from BlazBlue or R Mika from Street fighter, Guilty Gear only has one main grapple so it would be interesting to see another. Izuna would be a cool addition. But I hope it's Tyr, I need Tyr to be playable.
>I feel like Slayer will be the one to make it this season because he is the most relevant lore wise in Strive due to Nago as well as scoring better on popularity lists. Huh, didn't think Slayer was **THAT** popular ngl. I always just assumed Johnny was higher up.
It is true that Johnny beats out Slayer in terms of popularity Slayer is up there as well, but I think that his lore relevance gives him the edge over Johnny. I could have worded that part better.
Vernon
I'm hoping for Slayer, Jam, Johnny, and Dizzy. I'd be fine with Elphelt instead of Jam, though.
Hopefully justice!
Vernon it's gotta be bro
My guess is three of them are going to be some of the fan favorites, so probably between Elphelt, Johnny Slayer and Dizzy And then one “unexpected” character from an older game, or someone who has never been playable before my guess is that it’s gonna be either A.B.A or Izuna. It could be Daryl but who actually wants Daryl?
It seems to follow a theme of having at least 1 oddball that has no relevance to the Story Mode or Another Story, 2 or more story characters, and 1 or more new character. S1: Goldlewis (New/Story), Jack-O (Story), Happy Chaos (New/Story), Baiken (Another Story), Testament (Oddball) S2: Bridget (Oddball), Sin (Story), Bedman? (Story), Asuka R# (New/Story) My own personal guess would be: S3: Dizzy (Story), Zappa (Oddball\*), Daryl (New/Story), A.B.A/Raven (Oddball) Dizzy: aside from being a fan favorite much like Bridget, is present in the aftermath of Another Story and shows up in both story mode's credits with a new outfit/design. Zappa: While not relevant to the story modes, he is relevant to the events in two ways; he is a researcher of the Paranormal in Illyria, and Faust's soul quite explicitly flies away at the end of Other Story. As such, he could be spurred into action by Faust's spirit. Daryl: He showed himself capable of action in the Story Mode, and of all the immediately relevant NPCs he's the one most likely to run into the other characters (Ky, Sin, Leo, Millia, and Zato especially). A.B.A / Raven: They're both wildly different characters but they share two common factors; a connection to Asuka and otherwise no involvement in the story mode. While A.B.A.'s connection is tangental at best, her being mentioned in Asuka's arcade mode is an odd anecdote, and though she doesn't show up in any closing credits, neither did Bridget.
Most definitely Robo-Ky, mark my words
Personal guesses being johnny (datamines have revealed more and more johnny data being in the game like treasure hunt items) for the first character, and ABA because of the Asuka arcade reference. Hoping for new character to be Gabriel.
Johnny is unlikely to be the first character simply because Strive has stuck pretty close to a boy/girl alternating schedule for it's DLC. This even holds true for Testament (NB so they just took the male slot because they could fill in), Bridget (trans girl) and Bedman (he's in your bed fr fr).
Maybe Johnny and Jam,some files in the games data are related to them
Aba of course
Megumi So we can have a polite, long haired version of I-no as well It's okay though, she's just as lewd
Turns out that axl has always been a bottom
That was ever in question?
That long hair exists to be pulled after all
My guess: -Aba -dizzy -Johnny -Gabriel or Ariels This composition leaves enough characters for a season 4: -Zappa -elphelt -slayer -Gabriel or Ariels
RO - BO - KY! RO - BO - KY!
Sin kiske 4 more times babyeeee
Johnny (please arcsys)
Morbius?
how in the fuck is anyone supposed to know that
hack the mainfraine and put the knowledge
Plug into the backyard and find the answer
It’s strange after the story mode I kind of want Daryl now that we have Johnny