This The King of Fighters AFK Tier List is based on the global launch meta, considering PvE progression, campaign viability, synergy potential, and overall value for both free-to-play and paid players. We’ll also include strategic tips that will help you understand why these fighters are strong or weak.
Also Read: THE KING OF FIGHTERS AFK Guide and The King of Fighters AFK Codes
The King of Fighters AFK Tier List 2025 (Global Launch)
S TIER
These units are the backbone of the current meta. You’ll want to build them immediately if you pull them—they’re great for all game modes and can carry you deep into the game.
Orochi Iori
The undisputed king of the game. He grants massive team-wide buffs, increases damage dealt, reduces cooldowns, and boosts HP passively. Obtainable through League Battle—your first major milestone goal.
Orochi Leona
An all-around monster in burst damage and survivability. She has incredible synergy with other Orochi units and plays well in both PvE and PvP.
Chizuru Kagura
A strong support fighter with status cleansing and team buffs. She’s especially great in harder boss fights and longer battles where survivability matters.
Mai Shiranui
One of the best damage dealers. Her passive lets her regenerate 75% of her finisher gauge after use, meaning she can spam ultimates frequently. Perfect for bosses and PvP.
Shermie
Strong disruptor with great AoE crowd control and damage. She excels in team fights and shines in PvP compositions.
Joe Higashi
A heavy-hitter who thrives in high-speed burst teams. Joe is especially dangerous in auto-battle modes due to his skill rotation.
Tung
A surprising top-tier pick—he brings high damage and crowd control, making him excellent in elite dungeons and burst-style teams.
Rugal
A devastating frontline unit with lifesteal, crowd control, and self-sustain. Rugal is one of the tankiest red units and still outputs great DPS.
Athena
A support-focused fighter who boosts DEX when placed in the back row. She improves your team’s turn speed and consistency.
Benimaru
An electrifying DPS character with reliable targeting and solid finisher damage. He fits well into most red-focused teams.
A TIER
These characters are very strong, especially when you don’t yet have the full core team. Many of them fill gaps in your lineup or bring unique value.
Shun’ei
A versatile attacker with strong multi-target pressure. Shines in campaign stages and AoE-focused team comps.
King
A ranged DPS with useful stun and slow abilities. She’s reliable and easy to build early on.
Isla
One of the best yellow units. Offers strong single-target damage and a useful passive that scales with her team.
Clark Still
A grappler-type tank that’s excellent in counter-heavy teams. He brings consistent crowd control and damage.
Ralf
Balanced attacker/tank with good AoE and self-shielding. Works well in any generalist comp.
Maxima
A defensive unit with high durability and solid AoE. Best used in elite dungeon teams.
Ramon
A high evasion assassin with quirky but effective targeting. He’s especially useful against single-target bosses.
May
A fast attacker that can chain skills together quickly. Often paired with speed or finisher-boosting supports.
Jhun
A very well-rounded melee DPS. He gets stronger the longer he stays in battle.
Yuri
A support-DPS hybrid with healing and buffing potential. Good utility pick.
Billy Kane
A unique range/melee hybrid. His long reach makes him hard to counter, especially in PvP.
B TIER
These fighters are situational—they aren’t bad, but they need the right team to shine. Good to fill in gaps, especially if you’re still building your roster.
Krauser
High base stats and a scary finisher, but needs strong support to stay relevant in long fights.
Isla
Appears again due to her unique flexibility—can be strong in either DPS or support-focused teams.
Clark Still
With the right buff team, Clark is viable as a durable grappler. His stun chance is useful in PvP.
Ralf
He performs well in defensive comps and is tankier than most fighters in this tier.
Ryo Sakazaki
Good basic damage and survivability. Best used in early-to-mid game, then swapped out later.
Shen
A punchy melee fighter with solid crit scaling. Pair with DEX or finisher-boosting units.
Meitenkun
Surprisingly decent with shield-based strategies. His passives work well in long battles.
Sie Kensou
Solid damage dealer against debuffed enemies—works best in DoT-focused teams.
C TIER
These characters are okay during the first few days, but they’ll fall off hard as you progress. Use them until you get red-tier replacements.
Kasumi
Fast and mobile fighter that helps push early stages quickly. Swappable by Day 3–4.
Yashiro Nanakase
Decent utility but lacks burst or sustain to stay relevant.
Antonov
Big tanky body, but slow and low damage. Not useful later.
Ryuji Yamazaki
Interesting passive but too inconsistent without support.
Andy
Low burst potential. Okay early on but gets outclassed.
Mary
Balanced stats but nothing outstanding. Use only if you’re out of better options.
Chris
Fails to scale into late-game, though he starts strong.
Kim Kaphwan
Reasonable early AoE clear, but weak single-target damage.
Robert
Another early AoE unit who falls off without synergy.
Pre-Red Characters
These are underpowered units that exist to fill out the roster. Avoid investing heavily in them unless absolutely necessary.
- Bao, Mature, Malin, Hwa, Chang, Lucky, Vice, Dola
They mostly serve as fodder, collection completion, or fusion material.
Starter Pack Units
These are your starting units, most of which are not worth leveling past your first week. Replace them as soon as you get better options.
- Leona, Lin, Iori (EP version), Takuma, Hinako, Brian, Shingo, Kyo-2, Kyo-1, Heavy D!, Duck King, Seth, Choi, Tizoc, Kim, Eiji, Raiden
You’ll use some of these in the tutorial or early guide missions, but they lack passives, damage scaling, or synergy required for harder content.
Team Building Tips
DEX wins games: Units with high DEX act first. This is key in PvP and tough stages. Place DEX boosters like Athena in the back row to get extra turn speed.
Grapple > Accuracy: Grapple skills ignore accuracy/evasion checks. They always land. Use grapple units for bosses with high dodge.
Finisher Gauge = Power: Passive skills that boost PG (Power Gauge) are broken. Fighters like Mai or Orochi Iori can fire off ultimates repeatedly.
Positioning matters: Back-row bonuses are real. Don’t rely on auto-deploy. Manually place your fighters based on passives.
Targeting logic helps team synergy: Some units attack “lowest HP” or “DOT-inflicted enemies.” Build around that targeting for higher efficiency.