7. Shiva
Sure, many of us thought that Shiva was an absolute badass back in the day. He debuted in the second title as a boss character, reprising that role in Streets of Rage 3 while also acting as an unlockable character after his defeat.
Just as it was with Ash, we would defect to your ranks when you held a button after you beat him up. They clearly don’t hold much allegiance to Mr. X to be so easily swayed, though in fairness, they might have been particularly impressed by your button holding skills.
The reason why Shiva doesn’t stand the test of time is because his edgy vibe would be emulated by countless other antiheroes throughout Sega history. The dude is basically Shadow the Hedgehog — they even have the exact same run!
Ultimately, Shiva’s just not as interesting as other characters in the series, and his standing axe kick might look neat, but it’s quite impractical and it reeks of effort. I hope he at least enjoys his next cybergoth dance party.
