Slippery When Wet

Kira is a child prodigy who earned a PhD from a prestigious American University at age eleven. Despite her breakthrough research, she was sent back to Elementary School when she returned home to Japan. Embittered by her situation, she set her sights on world domination. Kira is one of a handful of maidens with the power to communicate with elemental guardian spirits called Arcana. She’s aligned with the water element by default, and uses her Arcana to control a semi-solid blob that can change its shape for any purpose. She’s so arrogant that she demands her opponents bow before her and lick her feet, but I guess it’s easy to be smug when you’re protected by a blob of energized water. The blob proves to be a great equalizer in battle and allows Kira to grapple with the best of them despite her small stature.

I know I’ve already recognized Demyx on this site for his musical abilities, but water actually plays a much larger role in his fighting style than music does. Demyx would be content to kick back and play his sitar in peace, but his role in Organization XIII saddles him with a number of responsibilities. He has a tendency to run from battle, but he handles himself well when he’s forced to fight. With his sitar in hand, Demyx uses music to control the water around him. He creates water forms in the shape of musical instruments and can cause violent geysers to erupt from the ground. Demyx does little fighting himself, and instead chooses to summon water clones to assist him in battle. He’s portrayed as lazy, weak, and cowardly, but Demyx still has multiple ways to bombard his enemies with watery explosions.

God of War III starts with a wave of excitement as Kratos is forced to contend with the God of the Oceans. Second only to his older brother Zeus, Poseidon was among the most powerful of the Olympian gods. As the immortal ruler of the seas, Poseidon could manipulate water and create violent storms to destroy anyone who angered him. In an attempt to teach his ungrateful nephew a lesson, Poseidon used the water around him to shape a massive, Titan-like avatar in his own image. He also used the oceans to conjure up a massive horse-like creature known as a Hippocamp and set it loose on Kratos. Poseidon is virtually invincible when he’s in the ocean, but his powers diminish substantially when he’s removed from the sea. If Kratos wasn’t lucky enough to separate Poseidon from the water, God of War III would have ended in the first act.

Morphling once existed as a massive ball of ice bound by gravity in the darkness of space. After many eons, the comet crashed through the atmosphere and melted in a spectacular flash. Freed from its icy stasis, Morphling was born anew with dominion over the oceans and the power to control the tides. When he’s not causing waves of water to crash down on his enemies, Morphling can simply surge toward his rivals himself. His liquid body allows him to change his form at will, and Morphling’s abilities are so advanced that he can replicate almost anyone he meets. In some cases, the watery replicates he creates can even mimic the abilities of their source. Morphling could rely solely on its agility and strength if it wanted to, but its replication abilities allow it to flex its strategic muscles and get the drop on his targets.

When it comes it to Robot Masters in the Mega Man series, I tend to prefer the original designs rather than the EXE makeovers. As much as I loved Aqua Man’s flamboyant personality in Mega Man 8, AquaMan.EXE (aka SpoutMan.EXE) is just too adorable not to mention here. At one point, he unintentionally creates a flood with his tears after he incorrectly assumes than his operator is planning on replacing him. I would typically be annoyed by this kind of behavior, but there’s something endearing about how vulnerable he is. Despite his fragile emotions, his watery moves prove quite useful in combat situations. He shoots bubbles that explode like bombs, he summons taps to shoot out jets of water, and he can even pull out fire hoses to overwhelm his opponents with pressurized streams.

Rain was first seen in the attract mode of Mortal Kombat 3, but he did not actually appear within the game itself and was merely a joke character intended to trick players. In the console versions of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Rain was finally featured as a playable character with his very own moveset. Rain’s name and purple outfit are a reference to the Prince song, Purple Rain, and this reference is further reinforced when Rain is revealed to be a prince himself. As Prince of Edenia, Rain’s divine bloodline gives him the power to control weather. He uses pressurize streams of water like blades, he traps opponents in spheres of water, and he creates storm clouds to block out the sun. He also propels himself with jet streams and can liquify his entire body in order to slip past his enemies.

Leviathan is one of the most prominent summons in the Final Fantasy series, but the giant sea serpent’s role changes drastically from one game to the next. It first appeared as a monster that swallowed the party’s entire ship in Final Fantasy II. In Final Fantasy IV, it had an even larger role as the king of the Eidolons that lived on a parallel plane of existence in the underworld. Known as the Lord of All Waters, Leviathan ruled over the summoned monsters and even had the wherewithal to protect one of the last surviving summoners and train her to use her abilities. Whether he’s known as an Eidolon, an Esper, a guardian, or a god, Leviathan effortlessly controls water and rules all who dwell in the oceans. His trademark Tsunami attack causes a massive wave of water to damage anyone who stands before him.

Chaos began his life as a harmless pet-like creature known as a Chao. Unfortunately, prolonged exposure to the ominous Master Emerald caused it to mutate into an immortal god-like creature composed entirely of a water-like chaos energy. Don’t you just hate it when that happens? Chaos’ liquid body makes him immune to bullets and gunfire, and its powers are so immeasurable that its revered far and wide as a god of destruction. By absorbing various Chaos Emeralds, the world-destroying monster is able to change its forms and abilities. Chaos initially appears as a shape-shifting humanoid creature, but he eventually takes the form of a giant serpentine beast who creates cyclones and floods entire cities. After his stint as the principle villain in Sonic Adventure, Chaos returned as a playable character in the sequel.

Ruto was not especially helpful in Ocarina of Time. After being swallowed by a fish, the pretentious princess demanded to be carried around by Link when he showed up to rescue her. Her faults can be attributed to youth and inexperience, however, since Ruto proves to be much more effective in Hyrule Warriors. She uses water as both a weapon and a form of transportation, and she highlights the malleability of water better than anyone else on this list. She swims through the air, drags enemies into floating spheres of water, and can somehow dive into puddles and emerge from other ones. She also cuts down her enemies with slashes of water, fires fish-shaped projectiles, and summons massive waves to crash down onto the battlefield. In the proper setting, Ruto can be one of the best crowd-cleaners in the game.

You’ll seldom find a great Pokémon team that doesn’t include a water-type. They are versatile, they are easy to train, and they are competitive at virtually every level. Despite making its debut in the first-generation of Pokémon games, Blastoise is still one of the most effective water-type Pokémon in the series. Equal parts tortoise and tank, the water canons in its shell are used for high-speed tackles, and the pressurized water it fires is powerful enough to punch through steel! Blastoise deliberately makes itself heavy just so it can withstand the recoil. With its high defense and heavy artillery, Blastoise is ideal for situations where you want to absorb enemy damage and dish out your own. Blastoise is arguably the most recognizable character on this list, and even appeared on the cover of Pokémon Blue.