Best 5 Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising Characters For Beginners
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising or GBVS:R is the last fighting game release of 2023 and adds a few new characters and systems to the original which dropped in 2020. But if you’re looking to sink your teeth into a new fighting game over the holidays, GBVS:R could be the move for you.
However, because of its release at the same time as the transcendent Guilty Gear: Strive, the original game didn’t quite hit the heights that were expected. So if you haven’t played the OG version, here’s a chance to get refreshed on some of the easier characters to play if you want to get into GBVS:R as a new player.
Gran/Djeeta
Gran and Jeeta serve as the player avatars in the fighting game version of Granblue
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Gran and Djeeta represent the player characters from the mobile game that Rising is based off of. They also represent the Ryu/Ken Shoto archetype in GBVS. Gran and Djeeta have two of the main moves required for a Shoto: a fireball and an invincible uppercut. These two essentially help you learn the basics of GBVS and how its systems work.
Where they differ is Djeeta tends to play a bit more aggressively because of her Vorpal Blade special which requires her to be up close. Gran, on the other hand, is a bit more balanced and with his Power Raise unique action can dash through virtually anything after charging it fully.
Katalina
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Like Gran and Djeeta, Katalina is a balanced, Shoto-style character with tools for most situations. However, she’s a much more measured and defensive take on the style. She’s got the invincible uppercut, and her enhanced fireball can cut through all others and hit from full screen. This makes it a great tool for winning fireball wars or getting a knockdown before advancing.
Her unique action is where she’s the most different from Gran and Djeeta. Instead of attacks or chargeable mechanics, Katalina has a shield that triggers an automatic counter if it’s hit. She can also cancel the shield with a dash if she needs to. Combine this with solid, long normals and you have a character that doesn’t need to risk a lot to deal damage.
Soriz
if you’re attacking with Soriz, you’re in the driver’s seat, pinning your opponent back
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Soriz is for those of you who don’t believe in silly fireballs or mechanics or anything. Soriz wants to hit you and hit you hard. He’s arguably the game’s purest rushdown character (alongside Seox) and doesn’t need much to win rounds. Soriz also has loads of positive frames on hit, and minimal negative frames on block. What this means is that if you’re attacking with Soriz, you’re in the driver’s seat, pinning your opponent back.
His unique action, Muscle Fury, also absorbs attacks which let him gain stacks of “Manliness” (this is the actual mechanic). If he activates the super “Macho Ultimatum” he’ll get defense and attack buffs based on how many stacks he had. So this gives Soriz some defensive options along with his overwhelming offense.
Anila
Anila has some of the best normals in the game
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The Sheep Lady is a really interesting character. If you’ve ever played as Terry Bogard from King of Fighters then you’ve got a good grasp of Anila. Her Super Skybound Art, “Fury of the Ram”, is a direct reference to Terry’s “Buster Wolf”. So by being based on such a well-rounded character, she is also pretty balanced.
Anila has some of the best normals in the game. Her sweep is the farthest reaching of all fighters. And her universal anti-air (down + H), is an incredible tool. But even without those she’d be strong. Her projectile game is great and she can get into range by riding on top of her sheep. But because of her strong normals, pokes and versatile specials, she’s a great character to start with.
Metera
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Metera is the GBVR’s purest zoner and where you should start if playing keep-away is appealing to your style. Nearly all of her specials are projectiles in some fashion and she can shoot them from just about any angle. On top of that, she can enhance those projectiles with Aetherial Seal butterflies and make them even more damaging.
As a zoner, Metera is often overwhelmed up close and has a weaker anti-air game. To mitigate this, she’s got command hops and dashes that make her jumps quicker and lower to the ground. She can also fire her arrows from these jumps making her incredibly elusive as well. She’s a great foundation for learning the projectile game or frustrating opponents who are too timid to take risks.
