Multiversus tier list May 2023: best characters ranked

Are you looking for a Multiversus tier list? The Warner Bros fighting game is now in its second season, with players gaining access to some brand new characters. Soon, we’ll know how the likes of Black Adam will compare to the most powerful characters on the roster, from DC Superheroes such as Batman and Wonder Woman to Cartoon Network favourites like Finn the Human and Steven Universe. Of course, we can’t discount those throwback characters from Warner Bros’ back catalogue of shows acquired over the years, including Shaggy and Velma from Scooby Doo.

With such an illustrious gathering of fighters, a Multiversus tier list was inevitable. Judging by other competitive fighting games, ranking which of these fighters are the best characters goes beyond looking at their individual abilities. Multiversus focuses on team-based combat, with each fighter broken down into roles such as Bruiser and Tank.

In order to create the definitive Multiversus tier list, we looked at how easy that character is to learn, how well each fighter interacts with their partner, and how good they are on their own. If your roster is looking a little thin, take a look at our guide to unlock characters in Multiversus, so you can be sure to spend your hard-won currency on the best fighters in the game.

Multiversus tier list

There are currently 20 characters in Multiversus, each specialising in a particular role in 2v2 combat. Just like any good RPG game, Multiversus splits each character into three roles: Bruisers, Assassins, and Mages as the main damage dealers, Supports who buff the whole team, and Tanks that absorb lots of blows. Right now, the game is balanced heavily in favour of most Assassins, Mages, and Bruisers, but there are notable exceptions.

Here is our Multiversus tier list:

S-tier

Arya Stark

Currently the best Assassin class character in the game, Arya has one of the coolest-looking abilities – stealing faces from opponents to temporarily transform into them – and her combination of being an Assassin and a melee-focused fighter makes her a force to be reckoned with. Because Arya regularly does damage to foes up close, you’ll need to frequently dodge attacks and apply the ‘Disorient’ ability, which causes the next melee attack to break armour and flip the enemy to face away from Arya. Since she gets a damage bonus for back attacks, this can be useful. She also spawns a pie to heal allies and slow down enemies that run into it. Arya is, however, always in a state of flux, particularly when it comes to her Up-Special, so do be wary if you decide to pick her as your new main.

Bugs Bunny

The most famous Looney Tunes character bar none, the wisecracking ‘Wabbit’ is one of only two Mage class characters in Multiversus. He can generate dynamite, rockets, falling safes, and custard pie-flinging robots, making him a more reliable projectile thrower than Tom and Jerry. Since many characters easily counter projectiles, Bugs’ ability to annoy enemies with a constant barrage of yeeted bric-abrac makes him a useful distraction in 2v2 fights. Despite going through some nerfs in the most recent balance update, Bugs’ massive combo potential cannot be ignored, making him an easy S-tier pick.

Shaggy

Since Ultra Instinct Shaggy became a meme, we somehow knew that Scooby’s cowardly companion was hiding his true power. As the most balanced fighter on the roster, his moves are not too dissimilar from other ‘Shoto’ fighting game characters. He can conjure and launch sandwiches like fireballs, has a powerful uppercut, and his flying kick is sort of like Ryu from Street Fighter’s Hurricane Kick. Shaggy can also charge his inner power to become ‘enraged’, giving him armour and applying the Weakened debuff to any enemies he hits. The only thing holding Shaggy back is that he doesn’t really interact with his teammates. Aside from the small amount of healing allies gain if they touch one of Shaggy’s sandwiches, he doesn’t bring much to the partnership outside of raw damage.

Iron Giant

It’s clear that Iron Giant is mismatched compared to the rest of the roster. This robot is just so darn big. Iron Giant can hit everything and take a lot of damage before being knocked off the stage. If he grabs you from the edge of the stage, you’re pretty much done for. He is far slower than everyone else, which is perhaps the only thing you can exploit, as his attacks inflict a lot of different status ailments. If two people on the same team choose to play as Iron Giant simultaneously, they are more than formidable.

A-tier

Batman

The Dark Knight will always be one of the coolest superheroes in the DC universe, and his arsenal of gadgets makes him a powerful vertical Bruiser. His Batarangs are the best projectile moves in the game, and his movement speed is among the fastest in the entire roster. On top of that, his basic moves can cripple foes for a short time as they inflict the Weakened status, while his specials range from remote explosives and hook guns to a smoke bomb that substantially slows down enemies and buffs allies. Bruce Wayne’s alter ego might be the perfect fighter for you if you learn how to juggle enemies.

Finn the Human

Finn is a complicated fighter, but it looks like the best players are beginning to learn his intricate move set. Like his canine companion, Finn’s regular attacks have armour-breaking properties, but his specials make him stand out. Each one of Finn’s regular attacks spits out a coin – if Finn collects enough coins, he gains instant access to powerful abilities.

He can purchase new temporary gear with his Down-Special, or swing around his backpack with his Up-Special, which becomes more powerful if he has lots of coins. The hit boxes on these special attacks change depending on the number of coins you have. A recent balance patch did address his broken hitboxes, so he’s been knocked out of the top tier, but he’s still a formidable assassin to fight against. We have a Finn perks and combos guide here if you want to learn this character.

Superman

You’d think the Man of Steel would be a Bruiser class, but he’s not. Superman is, in fact, one of the Tanks in the game worth considering. Not only can he take a lot of hits thanks to almost all of his regular attacks granting him armour, but he also has remarkable stage recovery options as his aerial Side-Special sends him flying across the map. In addition, his Neutral-Special can freeze enemies, leaving them vulnerable to powerful charge attacks from your allies.

Jake the Dog

As a Bruiser, you wouldn’t expect Jake the Dog to help out much, but he does have regular attacks that specialise in breaking armour. His Up-Special can block enemies from returning to the ground by knocking them back on contact, while his Down-Special reflects projectiles and bounces anyone off him if they get too close. While his attack power is not quite as strong as the S-tier characters, he’s a more versatile fighter you shouldn’t sleep on if you’re playing 2v2 matches. Jake’s range of abilities means he should have even matchups against most of the cast. There’s no character in the game that directly counters Jake’s move set, placing him firmly in A-tier.

Harley Quinn

Harley has plenty of tricks up her sleeve. She can throw explosives that detonate remotely, giving her some versatility in comboing attacks. If she inflicts the ‘Confetti’ status onto an enemy using her knockback attacks burns the enemy, damaging them for a short time. Her main drawback is that Assassins are fragile, taking 5% more damage than other classes. Still, Harley should be fine, providing you can stay out of danger, which she can do with ease thanks to her move set.

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is now a decent choice thanks to the hitbox update, as her sword now works as intended. She’s a mix of a Tank and Support character in 2v2 fights, but even in 1v1, her sword is a highly effective zoning tool. Her Neutral-Special is a lasso that can bring back allies in danger of being knocked off. In addition, she can create platforms and shields that allies can hide behind with her Up and Side-Specials, and cleanse allies of debuffs with her Down-Special. Finally, since many attacks give her armour or reflect projectiles, she can power up with her Amazon Shout attack that blasts enemies away. She may not have much power, but her versatility makes her a tempting pick.

B-tier

Stripe

Stripe is an assassin-type fighter, and since Arya, Finn, and Harley Quinn all rank relatively highly, chances are that you’ve had a lot of trouble fighting against this monster. His attacks have lengthy start-up animations but time them correctly, and you’ll be knocking out opponents at lower damage numbers than any other assassin. Pair him up with a decent partner watching his back in teams, and he’ll work well for any player looking for a decent rush-down fighter.

Rick

Rick has wildly good recovery skills, making him very hard to knock out. On top of that, if you put the slow perk on Rick, you can use the plasma gun and the Meeseeks that you can order to wail on your opponents to apply this effect, which is an extremely safe tactic. As a Mage character, he’s quite tricky to get used to, but if you’re really good at setting up portals, you can whack foes into them to set up combos that would otherwise not connect.

Morty

Morty benefits the most from the recent hitbox update, and perhaps the main thing holding him back right now is that he is, by far, the most complex character to learn. He has many ways of dealing damage quickly but few attacks with a high amount of knockout potential. As a result, you will likely spend a fair bit of time in training mode to work out all of the setups. Once you have taken the time to practice, you may lose the first few games, but once you get into the flow, you’ll have some more wins under your belt.

Reindog

Reindog is the only original character in Multiversus, and if you ask me, doesn’t fit with the vibe of the rest. He is, however, by far the best Support character class thanks to his powerful specials. These attacks inflict all sorts of different status effects on himself, his allies, and his enemies, all of which benefit the team. His Down-Special gives projectiles the Ignited status ailment, making him a perfect fit with Mage characters, while his Up-Special works well with every other class in the game. He’s a high-priority target in 2v2 fights, though, since his abilities are so good at bolstering his partner.

Gizmo

As a Support character, Gizmo excels at disrupting the enemy’s attacks with status effects, and his toy car Side-Special can drive enemies up the wall with just how annoying it can be to fight against. In addition, his Neutral-Special and Down-Normal can inflict Silence onto enemies to prevent them from using specific attacks, and he can charge his Neutral-Normal to fire a flaming arrow to ignite enemies. However, what holds back Gizmo is his relatively light weight stat and the fact that he lacks a decent option for launching enemies compared to other characters.

Taz

Taz has had a weird history in Multiversus, as he went from being the best character in the Multiversus closed beta to one of the worst at the start of Season 1. His Side-Special initially got big nerfs, and while efforts have been made to rebalance the character, we’re only now starting to see some results. Taz also suffers in the air due to his limited move set.

However, players are now picking him as a counter-pick to some top-tier characters thanks to his decent anti-zoning moves and decent ground game. His quick individual attacks apply the ‘Tasty’ status ailment, turning enemies into cooked chickens that can’t attack when the gauge fills up. Hitting enemies while they’re in this state breaks off chicken wings, healing Taz and his allies should they pick them up. He moves into the mid-tier space now, as his Side-Special has a new purpose as an edge-guarding tool. He may not be the crazy broken character he once was, but it’s good to see that he’s now at least competent.

Black Adam

Given that he joined the roster less than a week ago, Black Adam’s not made quite as strong an initial impression as some of the other newer additions during Season 1. This brawler class has some decently strong attacks, but is, unfortunately, outshined by the likes of Batman and Shaggy.

C-tier

Garnet

Garnet is fine, but nothing special compared to the other Bruisers in the game. She combines some of Steven Universe’s status-inflicting abilities with hard-hitting moves to deal lots of damage. Unfortunately, she’s pretty slow, especially when recovering from using her neutral attacks, leaving her vulnerable to counters.

Tom and Jerry

It’s quite a spectacle to watch Tom swing a massive hammer at Jerry, only for the mouse to dodge in the last second, as Tom hits the enemy instead. There are a lot of characters in Multiversus with direct counters to projectiles, so you need to use your tools carefully. However, Tom and Jerry’s recent nerfs hampered their abilities significantly.

In 2v2, Tom and Jerry are stronger as Tom can throw Jerry to an ally who can pick them up for a strength and speed bonus. Tom needs Jerry to execute some of his attacks, so striking that balance is tricky. They’re among the hardest characters to learn how to play, which keeps them from the top tier, but they are worth taking the time to experiment with setups in the training mode.

LeBron James

As a mix of Bruiser and Mage classes, LeBron can be difficult to deal with for new players as his basketball skills make him rather unpredictable. When he loses his basketball, he can either wait to call for another ball or hit an opponent with a melee attack to steal one back. This basketball-less form of LeBron is where he’s most vulnerable, as his attacks have far less range and power. However, his combo potential with the basketball is frightening, as a well-timed Side-Special will slam dunk his opponent, launching them into the sky. There was a nerf to this move that removes the shockwave, which is what drops him into the lower tiers.

Velma

Velma has the most unorthodox fighting style for any character in the game right now, sharing many traits with Phoenix Wright in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Several of her regular attacks have the chance to generate evidence, which, when you gather enough of it, will summon the Mystery Machine to lock up an enemy and drive them off the edge. When Velma isn’t ratting out her enemies to the rest of her gang, her other abilities inflict freezing, give allies armour and grey health, and even reduce cooldowns. She’s difficult to use, though, and particularly vulnerable to rush-down strategies from both Bruiser and Assassin types.

Marvin the Martian

Sadly, it seems that Marvin the Martian has failed to make much of an impression on the roster. While he does have a good combination of ranged attacks, he just doesn’t quite fit the role of an assassin-type character, lacking killer blows to knock away the competition easily. His UFO laser takes an age to fire, and despite his flag giving him homing attacks, it’s too obvious a trick to pull in singles matches. We see he has potential, but he isn’t there now.

Steven Universe

As a Support class fighter, Steven uses the power of positivity to inflict many status effects on both allies and enemies. He’s tough to hit as the bubbles he creates while dodging has armour that absorbs multiple hits between him and his teammates. His Down-Special heals allies and also makes a Watermelon Steven that attacks enemies for a short time. He doesn’t do a whole lot on his own, however, making his usefulness somewhat limited in 1v1s and dependent on his teammate in teams, so sadly, he doesn’t amount to much.

The best free Multiversus character

Judging by our very own tier list, the best free Multiversus characters on rotation in order are: Superman, Finn the Human, Garnet, and Reindog. Shaggy is also the current unlockable character for beating the tutorial.

Right now, the best free characters on rotation are Superman and Finn the Human at A-tier. Reindog is a good choice at B-tier, but Garnet has always been a bit of a dud character. That said, she is currently at the top of the bottom tier, the highest she’s ever been.

With plenty of new Multiversus characters rumoured or confirmed to be coming to the game soon, expect this Multiversus tier list to change quite a bit in the coming weeks and months ahead. For now, why not check out the best Multiversus perk list, everything about Multiversus crossplay, or learn how to get Multiversus toast. Want free stuff? Check out our free Multiversus codes to see what you can redeem.

We’ve also got details on how to get a GameCube controller to work with Multiversus. Finally, we also have plenty of other choices for the best free PC games if this Super Smash Bros clone isn’t right for you.