Welcome to the RetroDodo list of the best Nintendo Wii fighting games of 2023. Boy do we have some epic fun prepared for you!
You probably know already that we are huge fans of fighting games in general.
The crew at RetroDodo have spent a fair amount of time in battle, and we consider ourselves qualified to compile this list of Wii fighting games.
So whether you are playing these games on Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Nintendo Wii or on one of the 3 Best Nintendo Wii Emulators…. you are guaranteed to have a heck of a good time!
So with no further ado… here are our ten favorite Nintendo Wii fighting games.
Table of Contents
1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)
It’s almost not even fair…
Anytime a Super Smash Bros. game is eligible for a list, it’s probably gonna take a pretty high spot, if not number one.
This absolutely incredible game franchise has never failed to deliver.
The perfect party game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is as divisive as you may expect.
Divisive because it has fans of the classic series arguing over which title is the best, and divisive because it might have you on bad terms with your best friends over a match.
The game play changes made in “Brawl” had the “Melee” (GameCube, 2001) fans complaining a bit, but some of those changes made Super Smash Bros. a lot more accessible to a wider audience.
For those of us who are not pro level fighters, it’s nice to be able to pick up and play with friends and not get entirely destroyed. Casuals stand a fighting chance. Pun intended.
It is no surprise that it made an appearance on our list of the Best Multiplayer Wii Games Of All Time.
But if multiplayer is not your thing, Super Smash Bros. Brawl also featured one of the best single player campaigns of the franchise.
For those of us who like to play with ourselves, the story mode, cutscenes, achievements and unlocks made the single-player experience truly enjoyable.
If we are talking best Nintendo Wii fighting games, Super Smash Bros. Brawl was a very easy choice for us. It was no competition. (Man, I can do these fight puns all day!)
2. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus (2009)
You know any time a fighting game by legendary studio Arc System Works is released, it’s gonna be a banger.
They have made many appearances on RetroDodo in the past, including producing all of the top 3 on our list of the 10 Best Anime Fighting Games.
The Guilty Gear franchise is one of their best, and an perfect example where killer art, killer battle mechanics, and really unique characters with their own distinct lore all make for a perfect fighting game.
“Guilty Gear XX Accent Core” was already one of the best fighting games on the Wii. So when we got a “Plus” expansion, you knew it was on!
The new story mode delivered 350 possible scenarios and brings back the Mission Mode with 25 challenges.
“XX Accent Core Plus” is an absolute blast to play solo or with friends. And it is the rich story lore that makes it such a pleasure, for us.
Guilty Gear is known for having some of the deepest story lore in any fighting game franchise, and this Wii fighting game is no exception.
Absolutely perfect from top to bottom. And would be our number one if it weren’t for a title you should see coming…
3. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (2010)
When it comes to 2d fighting games, Capcom is on the Mount Rushmore.
Their “Vs” series has produced some of the absolute best fighting games
“Tatsunoko vs. Capcom” is no exception, and brings some of the best characters from Capcom and the legendary anime studio Tatsunoko Production together.
The title was originally a Japan-only title, but Capcom and Tatsunoko were able to work out the licensing issues to bring this awesome game to the West.
The Wii edition of the game also brought in a bunch of exclusive characters, making it one of the best ways to experience Tatsunoko Production appearances in battle.
The variety in characters, play styles, and fight mechanics were all some of the best on the Wii.
And for those reasons, “Tatsunoko vs. Capcom” takes a top 3 spot on our list of the best Nintendo Wii fighting games.
It even made an appearance on our list of the best 50 Best Nintendo Wii Games of all time!
4. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (2007)
There have been quite a lot of Dragon Ball game titles on our lists, and the Wii had no shortage of them. And we are glad!
Dragon Ball games typically deliver some of the most “true to the anime” type graphics, making the experience truly immersive for fans of the historic franchise.
Though “Budokai Tenkaichi 3” has the “Dragon Ball Z” crown, it actually covers content from the full Dragon Ball franchise in the story mode titled “Dragon History”.
Characters from Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and even Dr. Slump (the first mainstream manga by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama) all make an appearance.
With 161 characters in total, one of the largest roster in fighting game history, “Budokai Tenkaichi 3” features some of the most competitive options and replayability on the Wii.
And like any good Wii title, “Budokai Tenkaichi 3” allowed players to control their fighter in any combination of controller they choose (Wii Remote, Nunchuk, Classic Controller or GameCube controller).
So whether you are a traditionalist or enjoy swinging the Wii controllers around to defeat your friends in battle… it’s up to you.
5. Naruto Shippuden: Clash Of Ninja Revolution 3 (2010)
As the first “Shippuden” title to appear on the Wii, “Clash Of Ninja Revolution 3” had some big shoes to fill, as the first two Wii titles in the “Clash Of Ninja Revolution” series did not include the “Shippuden” tag.
[ For those of us who do not know what “Shippuden” means, here’s a bit of Naruto trivia knowledge for ya… Shippuden is a combination of two Japanese words: “Shippu” which means a swift wind and “Den” which means legend. ]
So why did this game finally get the legendary swift wind crown? Well, who knows, really.
But what we do know, is we got the best Naruto fighting game to appear on the Wii.
With 40 playable characters from the famous anime series, “Clash Of Ninja Revolution 3” featured an improved combat system and the new feature of calling on a team mate to come help in battle.
It was also the first time on the Wii that the Naruto franchise made use of Wifi connection to battle strangers online.
This is our favorite Naruto title on the Wii, and obviously one of our favorite fighting games for the console as well. So on the list is shall go!
6. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2007)
The Mortal Kombat franchise is one that needs little introduction.
Midway Games‘ historic game series stepped onto the scene in 1992 and established itself as one of the best for one-vs-one fighting. And it is a franchise that is still strong to this day.
As the seventh mainline entry in the franchise, “Armageddon” is the chronological finale to the series and features every single character to appear in the game titles before it.
Sixty-three characters in total (the Wii version features a bonus character from the Nintendo 64 MK trilogy title)… so there is no shortage of replayability here.
With familiar combat (kombat?) styles from previous entries in the franchise, while giving players some new features like the character creation and fatality creation tools.
Heck, for fun they even threw in a cute new mini game called “Motor Kombat” (a cartoon racing game in the style of Mario Kart).
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon was a crowning achievement for the franchise at the time of its release, and is easily one of the best fighting games to come to the Nintendo Wii. Which is why you are seeing it here, now. You’re welcome.
We recently produced an article on All Mortal Kombat games in order for those of you wanting to pick a retro or new Mortal Kombat!
7. Samurai Shodown: Anthology (2008)
Samurai Shodown: Anthology is a fighting game compilation by the absolute legends in the fighting genre, SNK.
The anthology features all six of the Samurai Shodown game titles, which made their appearance in arcade and on the Neo Geo home console (the final installation appearing on PlayStation 2).
SNK are pioneers in the fighting game genre, so it is great to see some of their early work celebrated in one awesome package on PS2, PSP, and of course… the Wii.
Being a compilation of classic games, this title will give you all of the retro 2d fighting nostalgia you might expect.
It’s that oldschool one-vs-one combat, detailed active backgrounds, and quippy victory dialogue panels that we love from 90s arcade fighters.
We love it.. and if you’re here looking for good fighting games on the Wii, we are sure you will also.
8. Castlevania Judgment (2008)
A 3D Castlevania fighting game? Yes please!
This was the first fighting game developed for the Castlevania franchise, and was also a Nintendo Wii exclusive with the motion controls of the console at the heart of it’s design.
The combat took place in 3d environments and made full use of the Wii’s motion controls for movement, attacks, and defenses.
14 playable characters in total, including thirteen from the Castlevania history and one original character for this game.
The games announcement was received with surprise and skepticism. Afterall, it was the first time we would see beloved characters from the Castlevania universe fight in this format.
And admittedly, it didn’t get the best reception after its official release. But we would like to commend the new direction for the franchise and they gave us something entirely different for the Wii.
It was tough to get Wii motion controls right and we did not see a lot of perfect examples of it. And that is why history has proved motion controls to mostly be a fun gimmick, and a far second to traditional controller schemes.
It didn’t make the list of the 10 Best Castlevania Games…
But Castlevania Judgement showed us what a fighting game could be when you had to actually swing your weapons to dish out the damage. And we think it’s a pretty cool addition to the list of the best fighting games on the Wii.
9. WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 (2008)
Talking about anything WWE (or WWF as I knew it growing up) is not something you will see me doing often. Especially when talking about video games.
But with exciting tagteam matches, including the Inferno match mode, where your goal is to light your opponent on fire… it’s hard to deny how cool this game is.
And don’t get me started on how exciting it is to compete in the steel cage and ladder matches. I feel like I’m living out a childhood dream.
Through the Wii’s wifi capabilities, you can also challenge players online to a bit of pretend combat as well.
As far as wrestling games go, this one is pretty good in our book, and we are happy to include it on this list of the best Nintendo Wii fighting games.
10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up (2009)
I am personally a giant Turtle fan, and I think it’s safe to say the rest of the Dodo squad would be too. (Heck, since there’s four of us, can we just pick our favorite Turtles now?)
So give us a TMNT game, and we are probably gonna love it. Just based purely on the connection to the beloved characters.
Luckily for us, the use of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles intellectual property isn’t the only reason this game is making an appearance on this list of best Nintendo Wii fighting games.
That’s right “Smash-Up” is actually a pretty fun game too!
Sharing some of that platform jumping that the Super Smash Bros. franchise is famous for, and mixing it with some action packed fighting in 2.5d environments…
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up is a pretty cool fighting game for the Wii.
Not the best fighting game on the Wii, and not the best Turtle game… But makes the top 10 nonetheless. It only gets better from here, people!
If you like TMNT, then be sure to check out our TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge review.
