Editing Fighting game (section)

{{short description|Video game genre}}
{{about|fighting video games|fighting games involving many simultaneous opponents|Beat 'em up|and|Hack and slash|other uses|Fight (disambiguation)}}
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[[File:Generic Fighting Video Game (with outline).svg|thumb|A typical fighting game: the green fighter is blocking blue fighter's punch. Colored bars above represent fighters' [[Health (game terminology)|health]].]]
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The '''fighting game''' [[video game genre|genre]] involves combat between multiple characters, often (but not limited to) one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as [[Blocking (martial arts)|blocking]], [[grappling]], counter-attacking, and chaining attacks together into "[[Combo (video games)|combos]]". Characters generally engage [[hand-to-hand combat]], often with [[martial arts]], but some may include weaponry. Battles are usually set in a fixed-size arena along a [[two-dimensional]] [[Plane (mathematics)|plane]], where characters navigate the plane horizontally by walking or dashing, and vertically by jumping. Some games allow limited movement in 3D space, such as ''[[Tekken (video game)|Tekken]]'' and Soulblade while some are set in fully three-dimensional environments without restricting characters' movement, such as [[Power Stone (video game)|''Power Stone'']] and ''[[Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm]]''; these are sometimes referred to as "3D arena" fighting games.

The fighting game genre is distinctly related to the [[beat 'em up]] genre, which pits many computer-controlled enemies against one or more player characters. The first video game to feature fist fighting is ''[[Heavyweight Champ]]'' (1976),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ultimatehistoryvideogames.jimdo.com/heavyweight-champ-arcade/|title=Heavyweight Champ|website=Ultimate History of Video games|access-date=October 8, 2017|archive-date=August 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822041224/https://ultimatehistoryvideogames.jimdo.com/heavyweight-champ-arcade|url-status=live}}</ref> but ''[[Karate Champ]]'' (1984) actually features the one-on-one fighting game genre instead of a sports game in [[Amusement arcade|arcades]]. ''[[Yie Ar Kung-Fu]]'' was released later that year with various fighting styles and introduced [[Health (game terminology)|health meters]], and ''[[The Way of the Exploding Fist]]'' (1985) further popularized the genre on home systems. In 1987, [[Capcom]]'s ''[[Street Fighter (video game)|Street Fighter]]'' introduced [[#Special attacks and combos|special attacks]], and in 1991, its highly successful sequel ''[[Street Fighter II]]'' refined and popularized many genre conventions, including combos. Fighting games subsequently became the preeminent genre for video gaming in the early to mid-1990s, particularly in arcades. This period spawned dozens of other popular fighting games, including [[Media franchise|franchises]] like ''[[Street Fighter]]'', ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'', ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', and ''[[Tekken]]''.