Metal Slug Awakening launched globally on July 17, 2024, for iOS, Android, and Steam, and it has steadily expanded its roster ever since. Whether you’re looking for the complete Metal Slug Awakening characters list, want to understand each hero’s class and role, or need to know which characters are worth building in 2026 this guide covers every single playable hero in the game.
The game features three broad character categories: returning heroes from the classic Metal Slug arcade series, brand-new original characters created specifically for Awakening, and guest characters from crossover collaborations with franchises like The King of Fighters, Honor of Kings, Arena of Valor, and Contra. Every character has a class, a set of normal skills, an ultimate ability, and a weapon preference that shapes their playstyle on the battlefield.
What Is Metal Slug Awakening?
Metal Slug Awakening (formerly known as Metal Slug Code: J) is a run-and-gun mobile game developed by TiMi Studios and published by Tencent Games in partnership with SNK. The game was released in China on April 18, 2023, in Southeast Asia on August 22, 2023, and globally on July 17, 2024 for iOS and Android, with the Steam version delayed to July 19, 2024.
Metal Slug: Awakening returns to its roots, bringing back the classic Run ‘n’ Gun gameplay after two Tower Defense games, with characters now having a life bar like in Metal Slug Advance instead of the classic one-hit K.O. On PC, you can use controls similar to the main games, with dedicated buttons for special and ultimate abilities.
Characters are recruited by collecting tokens given by rewards or using the various Dig gachas in the Mining Site. You can deploy up to three characters at once — one core attacker and two supporters — and freely switch between them during battle. Understanding the full Metal Slug Awakening hero roster is essential to building teams that actually work together.
Character Classes Explained
Every character in Metal Slug: Awakening belongs to one of two primary classes — Firepower or Spec-Ops — which defines their core role in combat. A third functional role, Support, describes characters whose kits are built around healing, shielding, or buffing allies rather than dealing direct damage.
| Class | Role | Playstyle | Key Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firepower | Main DPS / Carry | High single-target or AoE damage. Stays on-field to deal sustained damage. Built around weapon upgrades and cores that amplify attack output. | Marco Rossi, Lyla, Eva Glenn, Scarlett, Trevor Spacey, Violet |
| Spec-Ops | Off-Field DPS / Buffer | Applies damage over time, debuffs, or burst damage quickly before swapping off-field. Enables the main Firepower carry to spend more time on-field dealing damage. | Eri Kasamoto, Tarma Roving, Haran, Gru Kang |
| Support | Healer / Shield / Buffer | Provides healing zones, shields, or ally buffs. Essential for high-level content like Joint Operations and boss raids where sustained damage intake becomes critical. | Nadia Cassel, Fio Germi, Saya, Kukik |
| Collab / Guest | Varies | Guest characters from crossover events often have unique mechanics not found in the standard roster. Their availability depends on event schedules. | Kyo Kusanagi (KoF), Billy Kane (KoF), Liu Cong (HoK), Bill Rizer (Contra) |
Team Building Rule: You can have up to three characters deployed — one core character attacking and two supporters — and during a battle, you can freely switch between them at any time. You should always pick characters that complement each other: if you need healing, deploy a character that does that; if you need a specific damage pattern, pick a character whose kit provides it.
Classic Metal Slug Characters
These are the returning heroes from the original arcade run-and-gun games — the faces players have known since the 1990s. Metal Slug: Awakening is the first Run ‘n’ Gun game with Eri, Tarma, Nadia, and Trevor all playable together; previously they only appeared in the Tower Defense spin-off games. Each returning character has been redesigned with full voice acting and an expanded skill set for the mobile format.
| 01 | Marco Rossi FREE Meta Slug (1985) HIGH DMG | The original protagonist and the face of the franchise. Marco is not only the most legendary character in the Meta Slug franchise but one of the strongest Firepower characters in Meta Slug: Awakening. |
| 02 | Fio Germi FREE Meta Slug (1998) SUPPORT | Fio is the second character you unlock by default, but her kit is a little bit all over the place. She has a mix of offensive and support tools. |
| 03 | Eri Kasamoto FREE Meta Slug (1998) SPEC-OPS | Eri excels in dealing damage output and provides strong burst potential. Her skills focus on AoE damage and utility. |
| 04 | Tarma Roving GACHA Meta Slug (1998) SPEC-OPS | Tarma deals significant damage to opponents and is an all-rounder hero you can pick. His skills make him strong in both early and late gameplay. |
| 05 | Trevor Spacey GACHA Meta Slug (2003) HIGH DPS | Trevor is a really strong DPS character with fast attacks and powerful skills. His ultimate enhances damage significantly. |
| 06 | Nadia Cassel GACHA Meta Slug (2006) SUPPORT | Nadia is one of the best support characters in the game. Her healing abilities are vital for team survival. |
New Original Characters — Awakening-Exclusive Heroes
Beyond the classic roster, Metal Slug: Awakening introduces a wave of brand-new original characters designed specifically for this game. The original characters of Awakening are marked distinctly from collaboration characters. Characters like Ivar and Haran were designed by SNK directly, though later original characters may have different origins. These characters are often among the strongest in the meta, with kits designed for the game’s systems from the ground up.
| 07 | Lyla GACHA MSA Original FIREPOWER | Lyla is a Firepower hero specializing in bombs, explosions, and hacking. She excels at high burst damage and is one of the strongest late-game characters. |
| 08 | Scarlett GACHA MSA Original FIREPOWER | Scarlett is a top-tier damage dealer with dual weapons. She excels in sustained damage and scales strongly into late-game content. |
| 09 | Eva Glenn GACHA MSA Original FIREPOWER | Eva Glenn is a well-balanced Firepower character focusing on magnetic damage and AoE output. She performs well in most scenarios. |
| 10 | Haran GACHA MSA Original SPEC-OPS | Haran is a Spec-Ops character who provides utility and consistent damage. Best used situationally in team compositions. |
| 11 | Gru Kang GACHA MSA Original SPEC-OPS | Gru Kang is a Spec-Ops character with strong summons and utility. He offers great flexibility across multiple team setups. |
| 12 | Violet GACHA MSA Original FIREPOWER | Violet is a high DPS character but requires strong investment. She shines in late-game content with excellent scaling. |
| 13 | Saya GACHA MSA Original SUPPORT | Saya is a strong support character with excellent healing and summoning abilities, making her valuable in many team setups. |
| 14 | Kukik GACHA MSA Original SUPPORT | Kukik is a top-tier support hero with powerful summons and strong team utility. One of the most versatile characters in the game. |
Collaboration & Guest Characters
Metal Slug: Awakening contains a wide array of characters, both classic and new, including some guest characters. It marks the second time characters from Honor of Kings collaborated with an SNK IP, after Gongsun Li’s appearance in Samurai Shodown (2019). Collab characters are typically available during limited-time events and may not always be obtainable in the global version.
| C1 | Kyo Kusanagi COLLAB Event Only King of Fighters FIREPOWER | The iconic protagonist of SNK’s King of Fighters franchise. A crossover character in Meta Slug: Awakening with strong fire-based abilities, but generally considered situational compared to permanent roster picks. |
| C2 | Billy Kane COLLAB Event Only King of Fighters SPEC-OPS | Billy Kane is a staff-wielding fighter whose melee-focused style translates into combo-heavy gameplay in Meta Slug: Awakening. |
| C3 | Liu Cong COLLAB Event Only Honor of Kings SPEC-OPS | A guest character from Honor of Kings, adapted into Meta Slug: Awakening with unique mechanics and skill translations from MOBA gameplay. |
| C4 | Bill Rizer COLLAB Event Only Contra FIREPOWER | The legendary commando from Contra brings his heavy firepower and aggressive combat style into Meta Slug: Awakening. |
Collab Character Availability: Some characters are not available in the global version yet. Collab characters from KoF, Honor of Kings, Arena of Valor, and Contra are event-limited. Check the in-game event calendar for current availability windows and whether they can be obtained through reruns or permanent adds. The CN and SEA servers typically receive characters before the global version.
Metal Slug Awakening Tier List 2026
This tier list reflects the global server meta as of April 2026. It all comes down to your playstyle — you can make any character work, and I can’t say a character is 100% bad or 100% good since it all comes down to skill and the synergy the characters have on the team. That said, some characters are significantly more efficient than others for progressing through difficult content. For a dedicated deep-dive, see our full Metal Slug Awakening tier list guide.
Important Note: Weapons, cores, and other equipment hugely influence how a character performs — even a C-tier character can be better than an S-tier one if you’ve got their best weapon, accessory, and cores equipped. This tier list reflects base character strength and flexibility in the meta, not maximum theoretically-possible performance.
| Tier | Characters | Why They Rank Here |
|---|---|---|
SS | Lyla Eri Kasamoto Kukik Saya | Lyla and Eri often sit at the top of the S-Tier — Lyla’s explosive puffer fish creates massive damage, while Eri’s AoE Lava Field is invaluable for both PvE and PvP. Kukik and Saya round out SS as the premier support summons picks. |
S | Marco Rossi Scarlett Eva Glenn Trevor Spacey Nadia Cassel | Marco is one of the strongest Firepower characters with easy-to-upgrade weapons. Eva is one of the best boss-slayers, with almost all teams built around her performing really well. Trevor is a strong DPS, but only once he uses his ultimate. |
A | Gru Kang Violet Haran Tarma Roving | In the A-Tier, we find reliable heroes like Nadia (already elevated to S) and Gru Kang, who are easier to obtain and upgrade, making them the backbone of most free-to-play accounts. Tarma is a solid all-rounder pick for players who enjoy his style. |
B | Fio Germi Kyo Kusanagi | Don’t look down on B-Tier characters — someone like Tarma or Fio might be exactly what you need for a specific boss fight that requires high mobility or specific buffs. Fio’s early-game synergy remains situationally useful even if outclassed later. |
C | Billy Kane | Collab characters with limited availability and kits that don’t scale as well into late-game content as permanent roster options. Still playable with proper gear investment. |
Best Team Compositions
Building around synergy between your carry and two support/off-field characters is the core of Metal Slug: Awakening team building. These are the meta team compositions performing best in 2026.
Best Carry Team (PvE)
The strongest all-around PvE composition. Eva Glenn as carry with high damage scaling, Kukik providing universal healing and summons, and Eri applying off-field DoT damage.
Kukik (Support)
Eri Kasamoto (Off-field)
Burst Damage Team
Maximum single-target burst for boss raids. Lyla as the primary DPS carry, Trevor for on-demand burst with ultimate activation, Saya for off-field summon support.
Trevor Spacey
Saya (Support)
Best Free-to-Play Team
The classic free starter team that remains surprisingly competitive into mid-game. All three obtainable without gacha spending, with solid synergy across the entire kit.
Fio Germi
Eri Kasamoto
Survival / Co-op Team
Built for Joint Operations and endgame co-op content where healing is critical. Nadia anchors the survival, Scarlett provides the carry damage, and Gru Kang handles buffing.
Nadia Cassel
Gru Kang
How to Unlock Characters in Metal Slug: Awakening
Understanding how to get each MSA hero is just as important as knowing who to target. The game uses several distinct unlock methods, each requiring different resources and strategies.
Free Starter Characters
Three characters — Marco Rossi, Fio Germi, and Eri Kasamoto — are given to all players for free at the start of the game as default starters. No gacha pull or resource expenditure required. These three remain viable throughout the early and mid-game and form the foundation of your first team.
Mining Site Dig (Gacha System)
Characters are recruited by collecting tokens given by rewards or using the various Dig gachas in the Mining Site. The Mining Dig is the primary character acquisition system — you accumulate tokens through daily missions, event rewards, Club activities, and purchased in-game currency, then use them to Dig for character shards. Accumulating enough shards for a character unlocks them permanently.
Event-Limited Characters
Collab characters (KoF, Honor of Kings, Contra, Arena of Valor) are only available during their respective crossover events. These events have limited windows and may or may not receive reruns in the global version. If you want a collab character, prioritize them during their event — they typically cannot be obtained through the standard Mining Dig outside the event period.
Story Mode Progression
Some characters become available through World Adventure story mode progression. Clearing specific stages or missions unlocks character shards as direct rewards, providing a free path to building certain characters without relying exclusively on gacha pulls. Check the in-game character acquisition screen to see which heroes offer shard rewards through story content.
Free-to-Play Advice: Rerolling in Metal Slug: Awakening is not something that is advised, since the entire process takes a while and obtaining the characters you want is not guaranteed. Since you can pretty much make any character work, rerolling ultimately doesn’t make much sense. Focus your resources on upgrading your starter team’s weapons and cores first — gear investment often outweighs character rarity differences.
Character Building Tips for New Players
Having the full Metal Slug Awakening characters list is only the first step. Knowing how to develop them effectively determines how far you’ll progress. Here are the most important tips from the MSA community:
Weapons Are as Important as Characters
Weapons, cores, and other equipment hugely influence how a character performs, meaning even a C-tier character can be better than an S-tier one if you’ve got their best weapon, accessory, and cores equipped. Unique weapons are collected through certain game modes or by Dig gachas from the Mining Site. Each weapon has its own upgraded variant called an Awakened Weapon that further strengthens the weapon’s ammo and abilities. Invest in your carry’s best weapon before spreading resources thin across multiple characters.
Build One Carry, Not Three
The most common mistake new players make is trying to level up every character equally. Pick your primary carry — Lyla, Eva Glenn, or Scarlett for experienced players; Marco Rossi for beginners — and funnel your Cores, weapons, and upgrade materials into that one character first. Two well-built supports behind a maximized carry outperforms three mediocrely-built heroes every time.
Use the Right Character for the Right Mode
Nadia is essential for high-level content like Joint Operations or tough boss raids. Without a solid support, your team will struggle once enemy damage spikes. Keep at least one well-built support in your roster specifically for co-op and high-difficulty content, even if your solo progression team doesn’t use them. Mode-specific character swapping is a key part of advanced Metal Slug Awakening play.
Preferred Weapons Matter
Each character has a specific weapon type they prefer. Using this type unlocks extra passive skills and stat boosts, making the character significantly more effective in combat. Always check a character’s preferred weapon type before investing in weapon upgrades — mismatched weapons lose the bonus passive entirely, regardless of the weapon’s base stats.
FAQ s Metal Slug Awakening Characters
How many characters are in Metal Slug: Awakening?
The global version launched with a core roster of around 10–12 characters and has expanded steadily with new original characters and collab heroes. The CN and SEA versions have additional characters not yet available in the global version. As of April 2026, the total playable roster across all versions exceeds 20 characters when including collab and limited-time guest heroes. The full list continues to grow as TiMi Studios adds new characters through seasonal content.
Who is the best character in Metal Slug: Awakening in 2026?
Currently, Lyla and Eri are considered the highest damage dealers — Lyla excels at single-target burst damage, while Eri is the master of area-of-effect destruction. For support, Kukik is widely considered the best universal healer and works with essentially any team composition. For beginners, Marco Rossi is the best choice — he is balanced, easy to control, and his abilities are straightforward, providing solid damage without requiring complex mechanics.
Are the free starter characters (Marco, Fio, Eri) viable for endgame?
Yes — the free characters like Marco, Eri, and Fio are very strong. With proper gear and Cores, you can complete the majority of the game’s content without spending money. Eri in particular remains one of the best Spec-Ops characters throughout the game thanks to her efficient off-field DoT application. Marco is strong at all stages with investment in his weapons. Fio falls off more in late-game but is a solid starter partner for Marco and Eri’s early synergy.
What is the difference between Firepower and Spec-Ops characters?
Firepower characters are your main on-field damage carries — they deal the most damage when actively played and benefit from staying in the fight. Spec-Ops characters deal their value quickly: they apply damage-over-time effects, debuffs, or burst damage in a short window, then swap off-field to let the Firepower carry attack with the buffs active. Eri, despite being Spec-Ops, is one of the best characters for damage output because she requires very little time on-field to pop her whole kit, allowing the main Firepower character to attack for longer.
Is Metal Slug Awakening available on PC?
The global version of Metal Slug Awakening was released on Steam on July 19, 2024. On PC, you can use controls similar to the main classic Metal Slug games, with dedicated buttons for special abilities and ultimate abilities. The PC version plays identically to the mobile version in terms of character roster and content availability.
