Stone Protectors is a two player brawler from Kemco based on what are basically the Ninja Turtles version of Trolls. It features five characters, surprisingly high-quality graphics, and absurdly large movesets. In addition to multiple attack buttons including weapon attacks, each Protector has multiple throws, aerials, and even death-blows.

Streets of Rage is Sega’s flagship brawler franchise for the Genesis. Created as a direct competitor to Final Fight on the SNES, it established the gold standard for console beat ’em ups with its simple gameplay, configurable challenge, legendary OST, and lagless two-player simultaneous action.

Streets of Rage on the Master System is a slightly scaled-back port of Sega’s immensely popular Genesis brawler. It has all the characters, enemies, and stages of the original, but it’s a single-player game and you only fight two enemies at once. Its soundtrack is a mix of both Streets 1 and 2 music.

Streets of Rage for the Game Gear is a semi-faithful port of Sega’s beloved Genesis classic. Although it removes Adam, some stages, and some attacks, it gives a semblance of Streets’ gameplay and challenge. It also features simultaneous 2-player co-op action. Its OST is a combination of tracks from Streets of Rage 1 and 2.

Streets of Rage 2 is widely considered to be the best console brawler ever created. It improves upon its predecessor across the board with deeper combat, more diverse characters, elaborate multi-part stages, and an even greater challenge. Its soundtrack is the stuff of legend.

Streets of Rage 2 for the Game Gear is a port of Sega’s legendary Genesis brawler. Although it removes Max and removes some stages, it adds some new levels and each character has a nearly complete moveset despite the lack of buttons. Like every other Streets game, it also features 2-player simultaneous co-op gameplay.

Streets of Rage 3 is the explosive final chapter to Sega’s outstanding console brawler franchise. It improves upon Streets 2 with star-based dash attacks, vertical rolling, rechargeable specials, semi-branching stages, tons of new enemies, and much faster gameplay. It also features a controversial new soundtrack based on underground Detroit techno. The US version was severely neutered with an altered story, removed content, and baffling color-swaps so this page will focus on Bare Knuckle III, the original Japanese release.

Streets of Rage II on the Master System is a pseudo-port of Sega’s revered Genesis brawler. Although Axel, Blaze, and Skate all feature complete movesets, Max is missing and several stages were omitted and replaced with originals. It’s also single player and you only fight two enemies at a time. Its soundtrack has both renditions of Streets II music as well as new compositions by Yuzo Koshiro.

Streets of Rage Remake is a fan-made two-player brawler for PC that combines all three Streets games into one package and adds new fighters, stages, enemies, and branching paths. It has Streets 3’s combat engine, including star-based dash attacks and a recharging energy bar, although you can change the rules to make it more like Streets 2. It features a whopping 18 characters including three versions each of Axel and Blaze.

Super Chinese 3 is the third game in Culture Brain’s offbeat brawler series. Like its predecessor, known as Little Ninja Brothers in the US, it’s a hybrid RPG/brawler where you travel around an open world, buying items, solving quests, and talking to people. When you enter combat, the game becomes a brawler. This game never made it out of Japan.

Super Chinese Land 3 is the last game in Culture Brain’s RPG/brawler trilogy on the Game Boy. It’s basically a re-worked, single-player version of Super Chinese 3 on the Famicom. You travel the world in an RPG style, going from town to town to buy items and talk to townsfolk to take on quests. Then, when you engage the enemy, the gameplay switches to traditional beat ’em up combat. You also gain experience and level up.

Super Chinese World 2 is the sequel to Culture Brain’s Super Ninja Boy. Like its predecessor, it’s a brawler/RPG hybrid where you walk around an open world, talking to people, buying items, and solving quests. When you engage in combat, the game becomes a brawler where you gain experience at the end of the battle and level up.

Super Chinese World 3 is the final chapter in Culture Brain’s RPG/brawler hybrid series. Like its predecessors, it features an open RPG world where you travel around a map, stopping in towns to talk to people and buy things. When you encounter monsters, the game switches to a brawler. This game adds multiple party members that can be switched out before a battle to the formula.

Super Double Dragon is the one and only DD game released for the SNES. It deepens the combat of its predecessors by adding a block move that becomes a grab when executed successfully as well as a charged energy bar that enables advanced techniques. It’s a two-player game, and the only Double Dragon where Billy and Jimmy aren’t color-swaps of one another. Unfortunately, it was rushed to release so it’s a little rough around the edges.

Super Duper Sumos is a GBA-exclusive brawler based on the kids’ cartoon show of the same name. It features three playable characters and new attacks that are unlocked at certain parts of the story. It also has energy-based special attacks.

Super Ninja Boy is the sequel to Little Ninja Brothers on the NES. It’s a two-player RPG/brawler hybrid where you explore an open world, visiting shops and talking to townsfolk. When you enter combat, the game switches to a brawler where you gain experience and level up at the end.

Takeda Shingen is an early two-player Samurai-themed weapons-based brawler from Jaleco. It features extremely simple and stilted combat that was notable at the time for the amount of gore. It has a left-right button setup like Double Dragon II. It also features archery-based bonus stages.

Takeda Shingen for the PC Engine is a re-worked port of Jaleco’s samurai-themed arcade brawler. It’s an entirely new game with different enemies, stages, and bosses. It also introduces light RPG elements such as conversing with NPCs and gaining experience points from defeating enemies to level up.

Target: Renegade is a sequel to Taito’s arcade classic developed by Ocean Software. Its gameplay is a huge departure from its predecessor and features directional-based attacks. It has a rockin’ soundtrack that does the original proud.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is Konami’s first successful arcade brawler. It introduced 4-player co-op gameplay and was the first video game adaptation of the TMNT franchise. Its simple yet challenging and fair gameplay combined with its explosive humor and personality solidified its place as a classic and set the stage for future Konami brawlers.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back From the Sewers is a licensed brawler/action platformer hybrid from Konami made exclusively for the Game Boy. Although the majority of the game is an action platformer, there are several brawler segments. Its combat is straightforward yet requires precise timing, and you can play as all four turtles (each of which counts as a life.) If you lose a turtle, you have the chance to fight a guard to free them so you can play as them again.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II - The Arcade Game is port of Konami’s classic arcade brawler featuring your favorite green-skinned shell-heads. It has slightly reworked combat and stages. It’s also known for its Pizza Hut endorsement, and the back of the manual has a coupon for a free pizza.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project is the NES-exclusive sequel to TMNT II from Konami. It refines the combat of its predecessor and adds death-blow attacks that can be used at zero health as a last resort desperation move.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time is the final chapter in Konami’s fantastic TMNT brawler series, and a port of the arcade game. This time the Heroes in a Half-Shell get sent back in time by Shredder and have to fight their way through history and even into the future. Like its predecessors, it features accessible, casual gameplay and vehicle segments, now in glorious Mode 7.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Hyperstone Heist is the only Genesis brawler from Konami. It reuses assets from Turtles in Time but changes up the combat with a dedicated run button and adds new stages, anemies, and bosses.