Free Step Dodge

The only time I would agree with making intentionally weak characters is to suit a narrative end where they'll eventually level up in some way. Boss characters, major villains/protagonists would theoretically be equal or debatably better than the opposition but it is not enough to make things one-sided.

A lot of fighting game series (and manga/anime) have this wierd tendency of underusing specific characters or exaggerate how far apart in skill/power they are. Now, this may not be a bad idea if writers will allow characters to figure out weaknesses or the like to win matches (and also leave people wondering how they might succeed sooner or laer down the line for better entertainment value). CONT.

Concerning game play, I would rather for characters to be consistent with what they are capable of in their move set (not necessarily according to tier lists because then that would be asking for trouble) and also give a roughly equal chance for others to win or give another character a run for their money

Sorry for the wall of text, BTW

You can't build a house of Logic without walls of text. I'd say it was necessary.

In the case of Lei Fang vs Jann Lee (game play being debatable), the former should be on par with Jann Lee by now (in fact, she canonically smoked him out by DOA4, yet she lost to him once more just recently). Making characters based on how strong or weak they are in-story should never really be an actual case in a competitive fighting game (otherwise, we would have no real choice but to play Hayabusa or the like).

Just to be a bit more clear, if it were left up to me, I'd try to balance the characters and story of DOA so that between game play and the actual narratives, they will be roughly equal each ti each other still retaining what makes them unique and some bad MU's (by design)

Since most DOA characters are masters at their fighting style, i think it is safe to assume that they are mostly on an even playing field, and that win-loss is extremely situational. Cont.

Boss characters/villains would usually come across as imposing or significantly better than the regulars but never outright unbeatable and never intentionally weak unless they specifally grow stronger or level up in combat

But there are characters that are on a completely different playing field, like the Ninjas, the boss characters, and maybe a couple of fighters like Gen Fu, Jann and Hitomi have shown to be on a different scale than the other regular fighters.

This approach would theoretically lead to something a little better than:
"Ooooh, dis character OWNZ X 4 free (from both game play and story perspectives).

So i think that in-game balance of DOA doesn't mismatch the character's strenghts in story that much, because is not much about how strong a character is, but how skilled that character can be and how he or she deals with the fights. Leifang is probably as skilled as Jann Lee, but it is clear her mind is not on her best state when facing jann lee.

@Sotherius I am fully aware of that. But, you wouldn't want them to "remain" outright invincible/unbeatable either. Unless, the "boring invincible hero/villain" approach is the actual point. Even with the feats of the said characters in mind, they would have to be vulnerable to some degree

That last reply was referring to the last comment.
For the second comment, more or less. Plus, many other factors to consider when specific characters face off against one another

Sorry, i'm not really putting my thoughts in very cohesive fashion. Let me try to put everything on a more clear manner. While there are clearly stronger characters overall, all DOA characters are over the top due to the nature of the game, and they all are really good at what they do... CONT.

That I also agree with.

So, i think, like in gameplay, the story matchups boil down to a fighter adapting better to what the enemy can do and coming out on top, is not an absolute: I'm stronger. SO i don't think that DOA story is that mismatched with gameplay.

@Sotherius Yes. Adding to that point, you have factors like environment, situation, game play/story-context, thought processes, who specializes on what, who is weak to what, consistency, or the like.

LoL... I like how Hayabusa can just show up on Eliot/Gen Fu's Stage and just totally own it more than they do.

Tina & Bass need more Rope Specific Moves.

Because Jann Lee has the power of WATAHHH!!! What does LeiFang have? The power of YAWWWW???

And if you want a game where Hayabusa is "top tier", just play DOA4 where a "ninja will never lose to a wrestler" -Itagaki.