Fan Service

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a feudal lord during Japan’s Sengoku period. Despite having an army of 25,000, Yoshimoto famously fell in battle to Oda Nobunaga’s force of 3,000. Capcom’s Sengoku BASARA series depicts Yoshimoto as a childish coward who will only fight when cornered. His lack of resolve and tendency to panic adversely affects the morale of his soldiers and generally puts victory out of reach. When he is forced to fight, Yoshimoto arms himself with a giant fan. The Sengoku BASARA games are over-the-top, and Yoshimoto’s powers (or lack thereof) are completely absurd. You might expect his fan to create powerful gusts of wind or mini tornadoes, but Yoshimoto merely beats people with it. He is completely outmatched by the warlords that surround him, but that’s why he’s so memorable.

Excluding guest characters like Darth Vader and Yoda, no SoulCalibur fighter seems more out of place than Demuth. The gluttonous king appeared as a bonus character in SoulCalibur III‘s “Chronicles of the Sword” side-quest mode and was never seen again. It’s not just his obesity or his purple cape that makes him stand out. Rather, it’s the fact that his entire costume is comprised of parts from the game’s “Create-a-Fighter” mode. He literally looks like a player threw him together in 10 minutes. Steel fans seem underpowered in a world of swords and battle axes, but Demuth makes them work. He relies on quick thrusting and slashing attacks, and he spins through the air with the grace of a figure skater. He’s relatively weak and his moveset lacks variety, but he’s a lot faster than his figure would suggest.

Lucia grew up in Florence, Italy where she studied the art of fortune telling and exotic dancing from a young age. She entices onlookers with her beauty, style, and charm, but she’s short-sighted and often speaks without thinking. Her fickle and irresponsible actions sometimes cause trouble, but she’s capable of handling herself when things inevitably go south. The fans she wields in battle compliment her dancing moves and increase the impact of her physical attacks. Her beautiful dancing has enraptured countless men, but nobody’s smiling after she twirls into their face and slices them with her fan. Lucia might have been ranked higher if not for the fact that most of her trademark skills are focused on aromatherapy or tarot cards rather than physical attacks. Still, there’s something to be said of a woman who can dance her enemies to death.

The arrogant leader of the Leblanc Syndicate seeks out treasure spheres with a team of misfits, but she never sees much success. Although Leblanc comes across as a self-centered diva, her haughty persona is just an act. The goons (and fem-goons) that she employs are constantly worried about getting the heel, but Leblanc generally treats outcasts kindly and would much rather direct her anger at her enemies. Like many fan wielders, Leblanc has a strong affinity for wind-based attacks. Her sonic fan can hit multiple targets with shock waves and she has a customary tornado attack in her repertoire as well. Leblanc and her lieutenants are encountered many times during Final Fantasy X-2, but they eventually cut their losses by calling a truce. Her repeated failures almost seem comical at times, but I’m still a fan.

Weapons can say a lot about the people who use them, and a fan seems like a perfect fit for an airhead like Yukiko Amagi. Yukiko, in all fairness, is an elegant and respectful student, but she is a bit spacey at times. The folding paper fans she wields in battle allow her to cover any angle and are effective for positioning her enemies. They can’t reach quite as far as swords do, but this isn’t a deal breaker since they can be used as projectiles. Many of Yukiko’s techniques involve a spiritual “Persona” named Konohana Sakuya whom she summons to fight on her behalf. Konohana’s body is enveloped in artificial wings and she basically looks like a giant fan when she’s on the assault. Personas are physical manifestations of an individual’s true self, and Konohana almost feels like a natural extension of Yukiko’s weapon.

When Japan was attacked by an army of artificial biomonsters called Gears, Anji Mito was one of the few survivors. He remained optimistic after the incident, but his endless curiosity caused him to break out of his colony. Before escaping, Anji stole the “Zessen” fans and intended to use them to amplify his innate wind magic. Also known as “Unparalleled Fans,” the Zessen were not originally intended to be used as weapons. Rather, their purpose was to create a dimensional barrier around the Japanese colony that could destroy the Gears. The fans are also able to manipulate energy waves and can even be used as a means of teleportation. Anji works hard to keep the traditions of his native country alive, and the Zessen are a perfect compliment to a fighting style that’s based around Japanese dance steps.

Yumi’s name means “snowy spring” in Japanese, which fits her cool personality and her ice-based ninja arts. After being orphaned at a young age, Yumi began training to be a shinobi like her parents in order to find those responsible for their deaths. Many of her fighting moves involve traditional Japanese dance steps, and her bladed fans are used to slice her enemies in spectacular fashion. When Yumi spins her fans in front of her, she can create a vortex that pulls her enemies closer. By twirling around with her fans, she can wrap herself in a raging whirlwind of icicles that damage everything in her path. The Senran Kagura franchise is centered around an entirely different kind of fan service than what’s being discussed here, but Yumi’s placement on this list is entirely due to her skills in battle and has nothing to do with her heaving G-cups.

Mai Shiranui is a master of ninjutsu, an expert in stealth, and an experienced fighter who can cloak herself in fire, float in the air, and use her body to distract her enemies. The knockout ninja has a number of strategies to fall back on, but this list is focused on the “fire butterfly fans” that she arms herself with. Mai tends to keep a fan in hand (or in her mouth) at all times, but she can always retrieve a second fan from her ample cleavage when the situation calls for it. The fans extend her range considerably and can be used as either melee weapons or projectiles. Whether they’re starting a combo or countering an assault from above, they’re useful in almost any situation. They’re more dangerous than they look, too. Mai’s pyrokinetic powers allow her to channel fire through anything she touches, so her fans are almost as hot as she is.

Xiaoqiao is an atypical warrior and the most unassuming entry on this list. Most would consider her to be too young, too small, and too immature for the battlefield, but she shows incredible courage and steadfast loyalty to her loved ones despite her inexperience. Like her older sister Daqiao, Xiaoqiao fights to assist her husband and will do anything she can to impress him. She often finds herself in need of rescue, but she’s still a capable fighter in her own right. Her fans are relatively weak, but in Xiaoqiao’s hands they can produce powerful gusts of wind, create large fireballs, or generate impressive shockwaves. It’s easy to underestimate a teenage girl spinning around on the battlefield with paper fans, but Xiaoqiao can take out entire armies! Her sister is more sensible and elegant, but Xiaoqiao has a stronger affiliation with fans.

Princss Kitana spent most of her life serving her father, Shao Kahn, in his unending quest to conquer the Netherrealm. She was fiercely loyal to her father’s cause and even served as one of his personal assassins, but she eventually developed a nagging feeling that she was being led astray. It took her over 10,000 years to lose her naiveté, but better late than never, I suppose. Kitana is arguably the most popular woman in the Mortal Kombat series and her fighting style skirts the line between seduction and violence. Most of her trademark moves involve her twin fans in one way or another. She uses the fans as melee weapons, as thrown projectiles, and to lift her enemies into the air. She even uses the fans to dismember or decapitate her opponents! A lot of the characters on this list are dangerous, but Kitana is downright deadly.