Japanese Pros Define 'The Wall' in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Tier List

A recent gathering of Japanese fighting game legends has produced a definitive tier list for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (CotW). The stream featured a panel of four highly respected competitors: GO1, Nemo, Score, and KojiKOG.

These players represent the highest level of competition. GO1 is a multiple-time EVO champion who won the City of the Wolves title at EVO 2025 and the Esports World Cup 2025. Nemo is a celebrated professional known for his high placements at major global tournaments like CEO 2025 and EVO Japan. Score is a legendary veteran with decades of experience in SNK titles like The King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown. KojiKOG is a top-level competitor who placed 5th in City of the Wolves at EVO 2025.

The group identified a significant power gap in the current meta. They visualized this gap using a tier labeled "The Wall" (Kabe) which separates the top three characters from the rest of the cast.

The Top Three

The panel placed three characters above "The Wall" in the S and A tiers. These fighters possess superior tools for controlling the neutral game and punishing opponents.

• Hotaru Futaba (S Tier): Hotaru sits alone at the top of the ranking. The players noted that her dominance in tournament brackets has been absolute, referring to recent events as a "Hotaru Festival."
• Kain R. Heinlein (A Tier): The Garou boss character remains a top-tier threat. While chat commentators noted that Kain has "dropped quite a bit" compared to earlier versions, the pros maintained that he is still firmly above the rest of the cast.
• Hokutomaru (A Tier): Andy Bogard’s student, Hokutomaru, rounds out the top three. His high mobility and mix-up potential place him firmly above the rest of the cast.

Below The Wall

The B Tier contains the characters that reside immediately below the power gap. This section highlights fighters like Marco Rodrigues, Gato, and Kim Dong Hwan. The panel designated these fighters as the viable portion of the roster, but noted that they play a fundamentally harder game than the top three.

The discussion emphasized that while these characters are competitive, they cannot replicate the oppressive control of the S and A tiers. The presence of "The Wall" suggests that for characters in the B Tier to win, they must outplay their opponents significantly to overcome the inherent toolkit advantages of characters like Hotaru.

Conclusion

The data provided by GO1, Nemo, Score, and KojiKOG highlights a centralized metagame in City of the Wolves. While the B Tier contains a diverse range of viable fighters, the presence of "The Wall" indicates that Hotaru, Kain, and Hokutomaru currently operate on a different level of performance. This ranking serves as a snapshot of the competitive hierarchy established by the game's most successful players in 2025.

Source: GO1 Twitch Channel