Guilty Gear Strive Tier List: Who Crushes Season 4?

The Only Guilty Gear Strive Tier List You Need Right Now

Fighting games are hard. Like, really hard. You jump online, thinking you’ve got a handle on your combos, and then some Level 1000 Sol Badguy turns your health bar into a memory in ten seconds flat. It happens to the best of us. That’s why we obsess over having an ultimate Guilty Gear Strive tier list. We want to know: is it me, or is my character just… not good? With the massive changes in Season 4, especially after the August 2025 patch (Version 1.48) and the release of Lucy from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the landscape looks totally different. The “Smell of the Game” has changed, folks. We aren’t just seeing the same old top tiers anymore.

You know what? Honestly, the biggest surprise this season isn’t a new DLC character. It’s the rise of a certain grappler who used to be a meme. Yeah, the glue-eaters are eating well this Christmas.

Here is how the roster stacks up right now.

The God Tier (S+)

These characters are currently defining the meta. If you see them on the loading screen, sit up straight:

Potemkin: I’m not joking. After the recent buffs to his armor and that terrifying new wall-break conversion, Potemkin has gone from “funny grappler” to “absolute nightmare.” His damage output is just silly. Two good reads, and the round is over.
Ramlethal Valentine: She has always been strong, but she remains the queen of the corner. Her swords control the neutral game so well that it feels like she’s playing a different game than you.
Leo Whitefang: The mix-up king. If he gets into his backturn stance, you are basically guessing for your life.

The Top Contenders (S)

Solid picks that can win tournaments if you put in the work:

Sol Badguy: The main man never really falls off. High damage, great DP, and easy to pick up. He is the standard for a reason.
Johnny: The Mist Finer cancellations are faster than ever. A good Johnny player makes you feel like you aren’t allowed to press buttons.
Nagoriyuki: Still a monster, but players have learned how to manage his Blood Rage better. You have to be careful, but his reach is unmatched.
Happy Chaos: He isn’t as broken as he was in Season 2, but a zoner with a gun is always going to be annoying to fight.
Goldlewis Dickinson: The alien-coffin swinger deals chip damage that makes blocking feel pointless.

The High Mid Tier (A)

These characters are strong but might have one or two bad matchups that keep them out of S-tier:

Ky Kiske: The definition of honest. He has a tool for everything.
May: TOTSUGEKI! The dolphins are still annoying, and her damage is surprisingly serious for how fast she moves.
Sin Kiske: Good range, good damage, but his food mechanic can be a bit distracting if you panic.
Venom: The billiards master returned in early 2025, and he is tricky. His zoning is elite, but he requires big-brain setups.
Lucy: The newest guest character. Her hacking mechanics and monowire range are incredible, but her defense is a bit papery. She’s a glass cannon.

Tier	Characters
S+ (Broken)	Potemkin, Ramlethal, Leo Whitefang
S (Top)	Sol Badguy, Johnny, Nagoriyuki, Happy Chaos, Goldlewis
A (Strong)	Ky, May, Sin, Venom, Lucy, Jack-O, Slayer
B (Viable)	Millia, Baiken, Unika, Bridget, Testament, Giovanna, I-No
C (Niche)	Zato-1, Bedman?, Asuka R#, Faust, Anji Mito, Axl Low

Why Does This Guilty Gear Strive Tier List Change Constantly?

The thing is, Arc System Works doesn’t let the game sit still. They are constantly tweaking numbers. Just look at the Version 1.48 patch from late summer. It completely flipped the script on heavyweights.

You might be wondering, “Why is Zato-1 so low?” It’s not that he’s bad – it’s that he is exhausting to play. Eddie (his shadow) dies so fast now, and without him, Zato is a sitting duck. Meanwhile, characters like Unika (released May 2025) are designed to be “all-rounders.” They don’t have glaring weaknesses, which makes them safer picks for ranked climbing than the specialists.

Also, let’s talk about the Switch version update that just dropped a couple of days ago (Dec 18). New players are flooding in, and that chaos always shakes up the online rankings. Strategies that work on veterans don’t always work on mashers, and vice versa.

How to Climb Using Our Guilty Gear Strive Tier List?

Okay, so you saw the list. Does that mean you should immediately drop your main and pick Potemkin? Maybe. But there is a catch. The ultimate Guilty Gear Strive tier list matters most at the absolute highest level of play – we’re talking Evo Top 8. For 99% of us playing online in our pajamas, skill and comfort with a character beat raw tier placement every time. An S-tier character played badly will lose to a C-tier specialist every single day.

Here is a breakdown of who you should actually play based on what you want to do:

Want to win fast? Pick Ramlethal or Sol. Their game plans are straightforward: run in, hit buttons, break the wall.
Like making people rage quit? Pick Axl Low or Happy Chaos. Zoning people from full screen is a great way to lose friends but gain LP.
Enjoy gambling? Pick Faust. Throwing random items means even you don’t know what’s going to happen next.

Character Difficulty vs. Reward

Character	Difficulty	Reward Potential	Playstyle
Sol Badguy	Low	High	Aggressive / Strike-Throw
Asuka R#	Very High	High	Magic / Resource Management
Potemkin	Medium	Massive	Grappler / Armored
Zato-1	Very High	Medium	Puppet / Negative Edge
Unika	Low	Medium	All-Rounder / Neutral
Lucy	High	High	Zoning / Trap Setup

Top 3 Picks for Beginners in Guilty Gear Strive Tier List

If you are new to the game, don’t make your life harder than it needs to be. Start here:

Ky Kiske: He teaches you the fundamentals. He has a fireball, a DP (anti-air), and good pokes.
Sol Badguy: High damage output means you have to win fewer interactions to take the round.
Unika: Her kit is very intuitive. She doesn’t have weird gimmicks, just solid tools that work.

Hardest Characters to Master

Stay away from these unless you like spending 100 hours in Training Mode:

Asuka R# (That Man): You are literally playing a card game inside a fighting game. You have to manage mana, spells, and bookmarks. It’s a headache.
Jack-O: Managing her minions requires RTS-level multitasking.
Zato-1: Controlling two characters at once (Zato and Eddie) breaks your brain until you get used to it.

Best Zoning Characters

For those who prefer to keep their distance:

Axl Low: The classic zoner. His chain sickles cover the whole screen.
Venom: His billiard balls create complex geometries that make approaching him a nightmare.
Testament: Excellent at controlling space with projectiles and traps.

FAQ

Who is the strongest character in Guilty Gear Strive right now?

Currently, Potemkin and Ramlethal are widely considered the strongest due to their high damage and dominant neutral games in the Season 4 meta.

Is Guilty Gear Strive beginner-friendly?

Yes! It is much more accessible than older Guilty Gear titles. Characters like Ky and Sol are designed to help new players learn the ropes quickly.

When did Lucy from Cyberpunk come out?

Lucy was released in the August 2025 update as the final character of Season Pass 4.

Is the game cross-platform?

Yes, you can play with friends on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. The Switch version also has its own player base but does not cross-play with the others yet.

Do I need to learn complex combos to win?

Not necessarily. Good fundamentals, like blocking and anti-airing, will get you further than fancy combos in the lower ranks.

What is a “Roman Cancel”?

It’s a mechanic that lets you cancel any animation for 50% meter. It’s used to extend combos or make unsafe moves safe.

Is the Season Pass 4 worth it?

Absolutely. You get Queen Dizzy, Venom, Unika, and Lucy, plus new stages. It adds a ton of variety to the game.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, the best character for you is the one that looks the coolest. Seriously. You are going to be staring at this character for hundreds of hours. If you think Potemkin looks silly, don’t play him just because he is top-tier. Pick who you love, hit the lab, and keep rocking. And hey, if you get destroyed by a Slayer player spamming “Dandy Step,” just take a deep breath. We’ve all been there.