Takeover 2 Characters: All Four Fighters Explained
The full Takeover 2 roster: Ethan Rivers, Megan Brooks, Connor Grayson and Amy McKenna, their fighting styles, best uses and co-op pairings.
Takeover 2 launches with four playable fighters: Ethan Rivers, Megan Brooks, Connor Grayson and Amy McKenna. Each has a distinct range and rhythm, and the Full Roster achievement asks you to clear the game with all four. Source: Takeover 2 on Steam ↗
The roster is small and deliberate. Pelikan13 did not build a create-a-fighter or a ten-slot unlock tree; the sequel gives you four people with four different answers to the same crowd. That is the right call for a game built on parries and routing, because each character changes how you approach a stage rather than just how much damage you deal.
The descriptions below are based on the reveal trailer, the official screenshots and the store material. Pelikan13 has not published frame data or stat sheets, so treat the style profiles as practical identities rather than measured tier rankings.
Ethan Rivers
The all-rounder martial artist. Blue sleeveless vest, red headband, jeans. The trailer shows spinning roundhouse kicks and fire-trailed specials, and the demo lets you play as him.
Ethan is the character to learn the game with. His normals cover the distance a parry counter creates, his specials are straightforward, and his silhouette makes it easy to read which limb is active. He does not have the heaviest damage or the fastest movement, but he has no obvious hole either.
Pick Ethan if: you want the baseline experience, you are learning parry timing, or you want a character who can handle both crowds and bosses without a specialist plan.
Ethan's challenge: he is the least specialised, which means he is also the least likely to break a stage open. If you are chasing a score record, his routes may be more honest than explosive.
Megan Brooks
The acrobat with a gun. Red jacket, yellow and black pants, boots. The trailer shows high kicks, acrobatic movement and gunshots, including a sunny beach stage.
Megan's identity is range control. Her kicks want to keep enemies at the edge of her hitbox, and her gunplay gives her an answer when they refuse to stay there. She is the character most likely to play a "keep moving, chip, finish" game rather than a long juggle.
Pick Megan if: you like mobile characters, you want a ranged option without playing Connor, or you prefer to control space rather than stand and trade.
Megan's challenge: her acrobatic moves can carry her past the camera or into another enemy's attack. She rewards deliberate movement more than constant flipping.
Connor Grayson
The heavy. Green tactical vest, goggles, ammo belt. The trailer shows firearms, heavy strikes and a pipe inside a train car. In the first The TakeOver, Connor was the military friend of Ethan; the sequel keeps the bruiser silhouette.
Connor is the close-range damage character. His starters are slower, his hits are heavier, and his gun use is part of his identity rather than a side option. He wants one good parry or one clean throw, then a short, brutal punish.
Pick Connor if: you like grapplers and heavies, you want the simplest route to damage, or you are playing co-op with a faster partner who can hold the crowd.
Connor's challenge: slow starters mean speculative parries are expensive. Learn the boss tells before you commit to his long animations.
Amy McKenna
The skater. Headphones, pink and yellow skirt outfit, roller skates. The trailer shows skating combos and flaming aerial kicks.
Amy is the newcomer relative to the 2019 trio, and she is the most kinetic character in the roster. Her movement is part of her offence: skating combos, aerial angles and fire-trailed kicks. She is the character most likely to turn a launcher into a cross-up and the one most likely to overshoot a safe position.
Pick Amy if: you want the highest-mobility playstyle, you enjoy aerial routes, or you have already cleared the game with a simpler character and want a new problem.
Amy's challenge: motion is not the same as safety. Her routes can leave you on the wrong side of the screen with your back to an off-screen enemy. Learn the stage boundaries before you style.
Roster comparison
| Fighter | Range | Rhythm | Best at | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethan Rivers | Mid | Balanced | Learning the system, all-round clears | Low |
| Megan Brooks | Mid to long | Mobile | Space control, hit-and-run | Medium |
| Connor Grayson | Close | Slow and heavy | Burst damage, boss punishes | Medium |
| Amy McKenna | Mobile | Fast and aerial | Style routes, crossing juggles | High |
This table is a style guide, not a tier list. A character's ranking depends on the stage, the boss and whether you are playing solo or co-op.
Who should you pick first?
Ethan. He is the least punishing character to learn the parry with, and his route transfers to the other three. If you already know the game from the demo, pick the character whose trailer appealed to you; the roster is small enough that you will clear with all four eventually.
If you are playing co-op, pair a fast character with a heavy:
- Ethan + Connor: the classic balanced-plus-bruiser pair. Ethan holds the crowd, Connor punishes the boss.
- Megan + Amy: high mobility, high visual noise. Fun, but harder to read parry tells.
- Ethan + Megan: the safest learning pair. Both have range and neither needs the camera glued to them.
- Connor + Amy: the highest damage ceiling and the highest risk. Connor needs space; Amy takes it away.
Why the HUD shows other names
Screenshots and co-op footage show names like Butch, Crow, Fury and Snake above the second player. Those are player labels used in the co-op HUD, not confirmed roster entries. The launch roster is the four fighters above.
If you see a "Full Roster" achievement, it refers to clearing the game with Ethan, Megan, Connor and Amy. It is not a hint at a hidden fifth character.
Building a character-specific route
Every character shares the same four-part structure: starter, chain, launcher, finisher. What changes is which part is strongest.
- Ethan can start from a parry counter at mid-range and confirm into a launcher without drifting.
- Megan wants to start from a kick at max range, then use the gun if the enemy tries to close.
- Connor wants to start from a parry or a throw, then spend the whole route on damage rather than repositioning.
- Amy wants to start from movement, using the skate momentum to cross the enemy and open a juggle angle.
If a character feels weak, the problem is usually the starter. Connor with a bad opener feels sluggish; Megan in the middle of a crowd feels fragile. Fix the opening, and the rest of the route follows.
FAQ
How many playable characters are in Takeover 2?
Four at launch: Ethan Rivers, Megan Brooks, Connor Grayson and Amy McKenna.
Who is the best character in Takeover 2?
There is no published tier list and no official stats. Ethan is the best learning character, Connor has the highest burst damage, Megan controls space and Amy has the highest mobility.
Is Amy McKenna in the first The TakeOver?
No. The 2019 game's main trio was Ethan, Connor and Megan. Amy is the sequel's new fighter.
Can you unlock more characters?
The launch roster is four. The Full Roster achievement is for clearing with all four, not for unlocking a fifth. See the unlockables page→ for what else the game tracks.
Sources
- Takeover 2 on Steam ↗
- Takeover 2 reveal trailer breakdown ↗
- The TakeOver on Wikipedia ↗
- Takeover 2 achievements statistics ↗
Official source: Takeover 2 on Steam ↗ Takeover 2 guides and walkthroughs