Newsarama got some nice quotes from Seth Killian offering reasons why certain roster members were included — or dropped from the selection process in Marvel vs. Capcom 3."When you look at characters like Ghost Rider, and Iron Fist, and Black Panther, those are great characters but it's the backstory that makes them. From a gameplay point of view they're all just punchy dudes. We didn't want you to be able to say, 'this guy is just another one of this guy but a little faster or with a different fireball'. So that was the final pass" that Capcom took off the Marvel list.
"So Taskmaster wound up pretty fun cause we could take a little from a lot of characters. Super Skrull was another that came up like that, we originally had all of the Fantastic Four on the roster, and coming up with gameplay for Invisible Woman was, you know..."
yeah that explaination works for BP and IF, how does that work for GR? he has a few weapons his bike and lots of fire and rear attacks.
@1 yeah that TOTALLY explains Akuma... -_-
I'm sorry but Ghost Rider, Black Panther and Iron Fist are not just "all punchy dudes" or "just another one of this guy but a little faster or with a different fireball", Seth. (Especially not Ghost Rider of all people) Try reading the damn comics first before you assume that or get better examples. (i.e. Punisher would be too similar to Chris)
Oh and I find that hypocritical of you to say that when you put Akuma into the final roster. Nice to know Niitsuma isn't the only one full of BS at Capcom.
makes good sense and good judgement i think on there behalve
Ya. Cool. Now explain to me why u wasted a slot for she hulk
I have a feeling Ghost Rider might be DLC in the future, from the way I see it Amaterasu's chain whip attacks, along with Spencers long reach/grab attacks and a mix of Dormammu's fire and Phoenix's fire.... Ghost Rider seems like they may have his complete build in stock, sitting there for DLC.
I'm still glad Akuma made the cut. He is the original crossover character, and in terms of gameplay style, he's not that much like Ryu.
I still say Akuma is a wasted slot. They should have had him in the game as some sort of dark version that Ryu can transform into and use that slot for Megaman. In fact, I wont be that mad if he's not in the game but they should at least give the fans X as an alternate skin for zero or something.
Ok so GR couldn't have used his chains to be a good Omega Red or Dhalsim?
Or used his bike in a Charging Star kind of move?
Hellfire that works like Captain Commando's Captain Fire?
Penance Stare as a counter Hyper?
A chain whipping hyper similar to Omega Red's?
Ghost Rider deserved a slot. He really did.
11
She Hulk is not a waste of slot. She's the Collossus replacement in MVC3 and Collossus was underestimated in MVC2 which is why I love using him. I will enjoy using she-hulk on my squad.
@6 Uh yeah I do jackass. I know damn well there's more to Iron Fist than being just a punchy dude and the same goes for Black Panther and Ghost Rider.
And as for Akuma, you people can debate it all you want but all I am seeing is modified Ryu's moveset + Shun Goku Satsu. When Capcom's ready to make Akuma more diverse in a future Street Fighter game or something, then maybe I'll be convinced.
I'm all for gr, as long as we get someone from the summers family
As Seth put it, she's just another punchy character. As for colossus, one of my fav toons, would have rather him then her.
"Just a bunch of punchy dudes"
IS THIS FOOL SERIOUS GTFO SETH
@ 16
There is a reason... DLC. He's in, it's just gonna be for some extra cash. Capcom wants more money.
The thing you have to think about though is who is gonna be Marvel's DLC. You know they will always release one Marvel and one Capcom together (Shuma and Jill). So I'm gonna guess the two Capcom DLC is gonna be Megaman and Strider. Who's gonna be from Marvel?
Seth has done so much for the community. It pains me to see people ignorantly attack him like this. Seth didn't give you explanation for Mega Man because Niitsuma already gave you one. If you don't like that explanation, take it up with the Japanese man who said there would only be two Darkstalker characters and no Sentinel.
@21
His design and moves might not be the most different from Ryu's, but at least the way he's played is quite different. While Ryu is very all-round, Akuma can control a hell of a lot more space with his zankuu hadoukens and his rushdown can be fantastic in the right hands. He has higher damage output, better comboability, and his lockdown game can be sick. Not to mention he has to be used far more offensively in order to be effective thanks to his glass jaw.
Megaman > Akuma
Seth Killian.
Maybe next time you guys will get it right.
I love x-23 (one of my favorite X-men) but her inclusion completely contradicts Seths idea of diversity...
From a gameplay point of view she's just another slashing character...I.E. Wolverine.
And people can try to justify Akuma all they want...he still just a modified version of Ryu...
"but the depth in this is superior in everyway"
Journalist talking about MvC3 in reference to MvC2, why are there no journalists who know what they are talking about :/
@12
Possibly the comment that makes the most sense i've seen today.
Ghost Rider has his chain he could have fought with aside from his fists.
Iron Fist could have used his mystical art knowledge for appealing martial arts moves.
Black Panther could have been a hybrid between Gambit, Wolverine and Spider-Man being a fast paced, nimble character who could excel at launching himself all over the place.
Seth Killian, your points are invalid.
If Seth actually believed this, the Silver Surfer would be in the game, because as far as story is concerned he is more relevant than any other fighter on the roster. And SS would have been an absolute blast to play. I am very upset he was removed.
"We didn't want you to be able to say, 'this guy is just another one of this guy but a little faster or with a different fireball'"
And that's why we got Ryu AND Akuma, right?
Stop talking out of your ass, S-Kill.
To be fair, Ryu and Akuma are totally understandable. SF is one of capcom's biggest franchises if not THE biggest. Ryu and Akuma are pretty much the faces of SF. Plus the two of them DWARF the examples of Black Panther and Ironfist in popularity.
If you guys really want to bash on the devs, use X23 and Wolverine as your argument, not Ryu and Akuma. No one gives a **** about X23 and she's just another slashy wolverineish character.
I think the Ghost Rider comment is freaking terrible example on their part. Ya. Ok. I can kinda see their point with Black Panther and Ironfist, but even though I hate Ghostrider, I know he is VERY far from a "punchy" character. His chains alone could make him stand out.
I think we might get a Heroes for Hire rep. seeing as the Daily Bugle stage has the logo in it. Iron Fist would be awesome and I'd honestly like another C-Force rep. like Phantomex. Well, after we get those other guys first.
I hate to be "this" guy but...
Couldn't i get a better black person than storm? Especially with blade and black panther sitting around.
I think that the ghost rider whould be a pretty cool adition to the rooster because he have his chains , a shotgun , and the most important.........HIS BIKE!!! I mean i understand that it would be difficult to put his bike in his specials but in his hypers i thinks it is pretty possible.....imagine something like a maximum spider move like but with a bike!!! It would be awesome........What do you guys think?
Wishpig, What an idiotic comment. First of, the reason why no one is using X-23 and wolverine as examples for clones is because they AREN'T. They may both have claws, but their moves are completely different, very much unlike Ryu and Akuma.
I'm just pissed because instead of figuring out how to properly utilize the variety of abilities megaman has gotten in his games and make him an interesting character, they decide to throw in a clone like akuma. what a big "f*ck you" to the fans.
AND LUKE CAGE GOD DAMMIT! He would have made another good fighting grappler-like character. Hell, he's popular enough, where the hell is he at? Whats the explanation for that one? There are like 8 different rush down/ speed characters and only like 3 hard hitting bruisers. I think they could use another one.
No beam/punchy characters are hitters they just get up in your face and beat your a**. My type of fighting.
Damn right i want mega man they didn't say anything about him and he's an icon in gaming. Not many characters can say that. Plus he's been in 2 other fighters. You don't do that to your fans waiting until last minute to crush their hearts. They should have said no he's not in the game from the start.
Seth talking garbage....
she-hulk and hulk, ryu and akuma, x-23 and wolverine....
if u didn't want punchy characters how about megaman ? phoenix wright ?
HELL SILVER SURFER, Mr. Fantastic, cannonball ??? multiple man would be sick ..
yeah ..just shut up and charge us DLC characters that are on the disc but "outside of the budget"
Ahhh Iron Fist would of been so sick! Come on! There isn't a Bruce Lee clone in this game so why not include Ol' Danny Rand... :( Also when did ghost rider become a punchy dude? Not that I like him anyway, but like chain swinging comes to mind more than punching.
My thing is Megaman is f***ing a HELL of alot more iconic than Ryu , no matter who you ask , Yet Ryu is here in the game & Megaman isnt.
& i will be "this guy" & say Ryu is not the un-official face of Capcom , Megaman is , plain & simple.
Ryu was never & WILL never be in Megaman's league.
& i swear to god , if they pull a bulls*** excuse down the road like , "We had a Megaman done , but we decided too scrap him after we saw the MASSIVE request for Megaman X" , ill point too
Akuma - Ryu
X-23 - Wolverine
She-Hulk - Hulk
& beat the living daylights out whoever was proud enough too call that statement.
People would & STILL ARE willing too buy both (yes BOTH) as DLC. Its all on how Capcom is willing to present the 2 (like the list of characters above) that will determine if they are worth our buck , but i can tell Capcom right now , you put those 2 in , you'll be making a killing.
We've (Megaman (& Majority of MvC1 & 2 ) fans i know for sure)been saying this since MvC3 was announced , WE WILL PAY FOR MEGAMAN & MEGAMAN X.
Hear that ? Thats the sound of free , "free" , FREE money.
Im done.
Megamans in the game for sure. They arent gonna dump a character that has been in both MVC 1&2 and who has a REALLY big franchise in capcom. Although, if megaman was in the game...he would pretty much beat the crap outta all the random ass characters they put in the game causing it to crash. lol.
to madnessfamilyguil...u suck. u have to understand where seth is coming from....they dont want the characters to seem duplicated. and akum&ryu ARE different...they have their own shota style...i see why they dropped who they dropped...good jod seth...(not 2 pole joc,.or anything)
Quite honestly, Megaman is no where near as relevant as Ryu anymore. People that think he is are old megaman fans who are in denial or 15 year olds who have good memories from playing his games when they where kids. Either or....I see both often enough.
Nothing wrong with Zero....*troll face*
Seth is a nice guy, but, WTF? If they didn't want us to scream "clone!" why did they added Akuma? I like Akuma but I don't know why they contradict themselves. X-23 and Wolverine are a different case because they have a totally different moveset despite the fact that both fight with claws, it is like saying that Hayato and Strider are clones because both wear swords.
@67 I don't see how She-Hulk is a clone of Hulk... Mr. Fantastic? It wasn't clear to you that Super-Skrull is suppoused to replace the Fantastic 4?
@66 They already explained why Megaman is not in, they said that it would take way too much effort making a extended moveset for him... yet Dante has 40 special moves...
@ 50
why do you assume that other people don't care about x23 and Wolverine? Are you the voice of everyone in the world? No
I think people need to play the game before they say that Akuma and Ryu, or X23 and Wolvie are the same. I'm sure there are a lot of different things added to each character.
As for what Seth said, hes only telling what goes on behind the character selection process, and he doesnt have the final say. So people harping on him need to relax.
Lastly as far as fighting games and relevant games, like someone said Megaman is no where near as relevant as Ryu is NOW. He may have been back in the 90's(I played all Megaman, and X series games), but as of today when I think of Capcom I think of the next fighting game coming out.
For Mega Man sake, Don't no why they didn't put him in but for everybody that wants Phoenix wright in the game. Lets be real -_- For a character thats in a political court game. How the hell are you going to incorporate a guy in a game like ace attorney into MVC? First of all what moves will capcom will give him? -_-.
I'm not hating on Phoenix Wright just pointing out that he wouldn't belong in a fighting game.
TO EVERYONE COMPLAINING ABOUT CHARACTER X NOT BEING IN THE GAME:
Capcom knows MORE about game design than any of you, so just, kindly please, stop typing. There's really no other way to put it, they know how to make games, NONE OF YOU DO, end of story.
Jesus my eyes are glazing over reading some of the nonsense on this page.
yeahh people need to stop crying. the possibilities for dlc on this game are endless. megamans entrance will be amazing.
she hulk was a terrible idea, as was x23. but people hating on akuma? he, ryu, ken, and chunli are the faces of sf, and they left ryus actual clone out. if any of you have actually analyzed akumas playing style it looks nothing like ryus.
my requests are
carnage, mr sinister, and tron! not possibile but it would be kinda cool.
Havoc, cyclops, Vulcan or cable , summers family fts!
@86
No s***. You slow ? Can you read ? (Probably not) we are talking about DLC & "OWE" , lmfao , da f*** is this kindagarten ? Its a game & this is business for Capcom. I hardly think X or whatever MM getting in will be in because Capcom "OWED" us , they in it for the money.
Dont be mad because we have the biggest fanbase for a series in MvC3 & have "factual & actual "Historic" reasons backing up why MM(so & so) should be in as DLC.
@82
Sup man :)
Hey add me on the EventHub Forums k? I use the same name so i should be easy to find. & send me your psn name so i can add you.
@77
I dont roll like that kid.
My guess at DLC from a cross up / marketing point...
Capcom -
Megaman (any verison at this point and we'll pay for it lol)
Strider (because he's just that damn awesome!)
PTX-40A (TvC Copy/Someone to match Sentinel/Wild Guess lol)
Dr. Wily (he would be a funny ass villain and you know it!)
Phoenix Wright (to look at Jean and say Objection! LOL)
Jin (his Blodia would look awesome as hell in this game)
And maybe some other characters from other franchises...
Marvel -
Thanos (his power set would be awesome for this game)
Psylocke (cool ninja female, more boobs to look at!)
Doctor Strange (to face Dormammu and Shuma Gorath)
Cyclops (to finish the handshake damn it! lol)
Juggernaut (we'll pay for JUGGERNAUT PUNCH!) lol
Venom (his animations would look really nice if done right)
Who knows... might be a few surprises somewhere... We understand you want money Capcom. Now show us how much we're spending! lol
seth is a lier. why dont he say the team was to lazy to make fantastic 4. ok all he said was invisable woman. what about the rest. i hate stuper skull. all he had to do is add, human torch, thing and mister fantastic, and leave her out. just like chris, jill and wesker is in, but sheva is not. i hate when they try to lie to people. he not fooling me.
@78/JMJ_Th3_Wik3d
Man... you have to put "in my opinion" at the end of everything negitive you say... or else people will beleave your trying to speak for everyone.
And when the heck did I say Wolverine wasn't popular? He's more popular than Akuma or Ryu. And that isn't my opinion... thats pretty much fact.
Ghost Rider was deconfirmed. So Black Panther or Ironfist made the cut...excellent.
They could have totally made Bishop the new Cable. And give him an invincibility to projectile beams like MvC 2 Iceman, while it builds level a little faster anytime you get him by them. But to offset how cheap that would be, make him slow as hell. Well slower and less agile than Cable.
They could have made Fantastic 4 all the way if they wanted to. But I really do believe they didn't want that challenge. But just because he wanna mention Invisible Woman and go "you know..." Lets see:
With her invisibility she can.
- render herself invisible
- render others and other objects invisible
- make walls, the floor, or the celling, invisible so she can see through them
- sense other things that are invisible and make them visible
With her force fields she can...
- create strong shields
- create ladders, bridges, platforms, elevators and other things to get places
- create a board or saucer to levitate herself or others
use her force fields to move things (like telekinesis)
- create Weapons (i.e. a sword)
- create a projectile weapon
- create a battering ram (to bust open doors, etc)
- create something soft to catch someone (like a giant glove or mattress)
- make things explode by creating a shield inside of it then expanding it
- suffocate someone by putting them in a shield and not letting air in
- create an air bubble, she can go places without air and not let air out
Now I know this sounds cheap but Capcom... You mean to tell me you can't think of any balanced movesets from this???
You know... Just saying lol
invisible woman would destroy everyone really. she can just force field people's brains and they die instantly
people!! no megaman! get over it!!! jeez serious I know "he's the face of capcom" and all but its not gonna happen..just accept it...im sorry if I sound mean but you guys need to chill out.
Well, that's a nice explanation. People like Luke Cage or Dare Devil aren't too interesting in terms of gameplay mechanics.
Ghost Rider just doesn't fit though. He was also given the Silver Surfer excuse too, being that their bike/board takes up to much space. While Surfer makes sense, Ghost isn't always on his bike. It should be in a level 3 or something, if they can have a car in S.hulks special, why not a bike in his.
My only concern was that there's too much fire in this game.
"Well, that's a nice explanation. People like Luke Cage or Dare Devil aren't too interesting in terms of gameplay mechanics"
What other than nostalgia makes Haggar better than Luke Cage then?
But I miss Ms.Marvel, She's pretty much Marvels postergirl at this point. Dont know why Marvel didnt press harder for her inclusion, her inclusion makes more sense than She-Hulk and X-23 at least
Yeah Haggar's pretty normal but he's been long overdue for a comeback, back when Fighting Jam was almost 3D. Maybe they just held on to his model and finally got to use it, some of the work there was supposedly used for TvC. Capcom doesn't have much big people anyways, he'll fill in for Zangief.
Do we really need to jam the roster with more normal brawler characters like him anyways. At least the SF characters that made it have all these exaggerated special effects, its not like they put Balrog or Honda.
@103
Daredevil could be a serious space controller with his billy clubs at long range, as well as a good rushdown character and a good assist. I feel like his health would be low, but not Bone Claw low.
Plus, his radar could be used in a counter hyper.
Ghost Rider & Silver Surfer are pretty lame characters when you look at their combat capabilities, but with a bit of creative and experience you can actually make them extremely appeal. With a bit of brainstorming, one should ask "what type of abilities have they demonstrated through various media and how can we expand on them?" then ask yourself "what other characters have demonstrated these abilities that we can use as reference?" and finally, "what existing movesets of the various existing fighters can we emulate and give a variation of that would suit the personality and trait of the 2 above?"
Characters you can use as reference for:
-Silver Surfer-
1) Killer Instinct's Glacius (altho not thru liquidification, SS can phase thru his board. There's so many things Capcom could do with this.)
2) DMC3's Dante & SSF4's Yun (Give SS the ability to body surf. This could even play into the OTG game)
3) SF4's Gouken (tatsumaki board variation where SS is performing 360s with his board would be interesting)
4) Blazblue's Jin (He's all about surfing)
5) Seth (SS's board can absorb matter projectiles, and all. Lots to work with here as it could be used against projectile spammers and it could also have a regenerative property, since that's how SS sustains himself by converting matter into energy.)
-Ghost Rider-
1) MK's Scorpion (Silver Surfer is to Jin what Ghost Rider is to Scorpion)
2) MvC2's Omega Red (chain attacks)
3) God Ken (M.U.G.E.N, a bike variation of G.Ken's Flame Dash super would be awesome)
Etc.
Seriously, Capcom has a lot to work with. And as you can see there's nothing "punchy" in what I listed.
@102
Read #87 & my previous post son.
I know its hard for you too read & comprehend words clearly , but...
@107
But the same could be said for Ghost Rider. Long range space control with chains or a Penance Stare counter (or super in general). His advantage over DD is supernatural powers.
And not to suggest that he's glued to the board, but Surfer without it kinda looks like a ice man. If only he were a unplayable sub-boss type character that fought alongside Galactus, then that would avoid any complications and balances.
No number #4 is 100 percent correct trone bonne over megaman? BS no strider? but we got akuma? out of all the darkstalkers they gave us the catlady felica? Ghost rider could have been epic with his chains and flames but capcom wanted to add goofy ass spencer. Btw why are there no black characters in mvc3? Oh thats white bc capcom sucks ok im done ranting Get used to seeing DANTE AND Wesker ALOT!!!!!
@ 111
Isn't storm black? Now I'm no Hsien Ko fan and would have preferred Donovan or Jedah, but I'm really upset at felicia. Chun Li's overrated and while Akuma's different in play style, he's nothing special. There's plenty of rush as it is.
LOL @ #98
So Invisible Woman can block, move/float around, make her/you invisible, and have lots of invisible hit boxes. Sounds like a character to me.
@ BFPhony
If they can make Phoenix and Domammaru without being OP why couldn't they do the same for the Silver Surfer? Plus, he doesn't have to be on his board at all times. But if they wanted to, they could treat him in the same manner as Bison (Alpha), Storm, and Rogue. Give him a smooth transition animation between neutral/walking and normal attacking state(snowboard on his back) to when he perform special attacks. That'll be the difference between normal attacks and special attacks like Jin from Blazblue.
board on his back? Isn't it taller than him. Well, I don't know much of Surfer or what he can do, but where does he get the board? Does he summon it or materializes it on the spot or does it fly in from nowhere? Much like my argument with GR's bike, he could use the board in a super. Its not like that can't do that sort of thing, look at She Hulks super.
@ BFPhony
True, the board is pretty lenghty. I guess they could accommodate it in such a way it would be to the side. It doesn't have to be straight up, but regardless he does have some kind of mental control over his board so anything could be done with it.
@ omegax9000 see! I knew i wasn't the only one who noticed the lack of black people in the game with all of the great black characters that marvel created. if i'm correct luke cage was like the first black comic book character with his own series. why not use him like i said. the got boring ass haggar in there along with hulk. i'm sure they could use another good heavy hitter
@ BFPhony
People are forgetting that the Silver Surfer is capable of recreating his board. His board has been destroyed in the comics before. It's rare (because it's practically indestructible), but he was able to reform it.
He is also capable of flight with OR without his board, so they could give him a flight special, and since he is capable of recreating his board when the player executes a move that requires his board, the board can simply materialize under his feet immediately before dash attacks and specials. And because he is capable of flight without the board, this would also allow the board to be used as a projectile while staying in flight mode, then his board can fly back around under his feet if the player chooses, or fly off the screen. He should be able to stay in flight with and without the board, however the player chooses to play.
About him looking like Iceman, we all know that isn't true. especially if you compare to the popular illustrations by Humberto Ramos and similar iterations. Do the Doom and Akuma sub-bosses look like they are made of ice? No. As for the Silver Surfer's appearance
My personal favorites,
Gabreiele Dell'Otto - http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/49...
Adi Granov - http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/96...
One of the Silver Surfer's most famous quotes "To me my board!"
clearly he would not say that if he were always on it
its funny how people feel that megaman need/deservess to be in the game, iconic?? mascot? you know how many times capcom has changed "faces" megaman had a great run but it looks like he aint coming back,no im not saying "eff megaman or yay no megaman" just saying please stop writing comments like "well no megaman" or "where's megaman??" or "Oh no they better have megaman,he's so iconic"
When you make one character with other peoples move sets, It's call being LAZY!!!!
@122
Megamans so called "run" is still going , he's still coming out with games.
& no , we will NOT stop supporting a character we want in MvC3 just because people are tired of hearing about Megaman.
Grow up , if it was for a character you wanted you wouldn't be say'n jack.
The Invisible Woman is the strongest character in the Fantastic Four - she can and already has kicked the other 3's asses.
Just think about it for a minute. An invisible assassin with impenetrable forcefields. She can grow a bubble in your brain until you explode without you even knowing she was there. She can fly controlling forcefields beneath her feet. She can cut off your air supply, etc.
It doesn't matter how you word it, their excuse for not including the Silver Surfer is absolute BS. They say they are not able to incorporate his board, while they are able to incorporate more complex mechanics into the game engine for other fighters. Ever see the movie Inception? I'm sure a lot of you have. Well, the general idea behind the "inception" is to plant an idea in someone's subconscious. Manipulating persons thoughts by introducing new ones, new connections. In the real world this is called misattribution, where ones memory can be impaired or influenced by their own cognitive bias, which can also be influenced by outside sources. In this particular instance, the bias that the Silver Surfer "looked too much like Iceman." And if Niitsuma had not said he "looked like Iceman," no one would think twice about it. Because he doesn't look like Iceman. Now, did Doom and Akuma appear to be made of ice during the pre-boss fight? NO. They didn't. The real reason the Silver Surfer is not in this game, is not that his board was too complicated to implement, or that he looked too much like Iceman. The real reason he is not in the game, when all is said and done, is that Capcom simply was not willing to put forth the effort necessary to make him playable.
Label me "salty" or whatever, I don't care.
The recent issue of Hulk that came out yesterday shows us why Marvel wanted M.O.D.O.K in the game, so it does turn out that all the Marvel characters in this game including Shuma have been seen recently and are having events/just finished an event.
Marvel + Capcom really did some nice selections for the Marvel characters.
@ #127
Agreed, but I always felt that cyclops was the better shoto clone: multi-hit dragon punch w/shot, a hurricane kick, fast projectiles at different angles, a projectile trip, and a command grab. He was much better suited for the game than ryu was, at least before TvC.
@ #130
Yeah, x23 was announced same week her series was released. I had hoped that with all them recent events with Magik that she might be included too.
Game creators can make any character play how ever they want.
The character design (design here including how the characters move and personality) is what really dictates how they will want to portray the characters.
Excluding their back stories like Mr. Killian just suggested I challenge anyone to describe Akuma in a way that does'nt also perfectly describe Ryu. With the exception of maybe describing Akuma as Fugly you really can't it's a guy in a gi using martial arts and shooting fireballs. Dante and Dormamu are both demons when you try the same lil exercise with them it only points out how differnt they are and it shows in how they play. Chris and Wesker are both ex members of Star again differnt character design lead to different gameplay.
Devils Advocate aside I have always liked Akuma and Ken and even now Gouken as I feel they represent interesting aspects of the same character but they are clones. I am just happy enough to have an MvC3 that I care very little who is on the roster but implying you do not want characters who are too similar and then throwing akuma in after ryu is gonna upset and confuse a lot of the plan base when you use that same logic to rule out alot of people's favorite characters.
And thats why akuma ad ryu are soooo different in this game.