Health Meter

The Health Meter as it appears in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike.

The Health Meter shows how much health a player has remaining during a game.

Game Mechanics

In fighting games, as a player gets hit by an opponent's attacks, that player loses health. The amount of health lost depends on a number of factors: strength of the attack, combo-based damage scaling, etc. Even if a player blocks, they can still suffer "chip damage" if hit by a special attack. Additionally, different fighter characters start with different amounts of health.

In all cases, if a player's health meter reaches 0, then that player loses. If both players' health meters reach 0 at the same time, however, the round is a draw. Occasionally - if the timer runs out before either player's health meter reaches zero - the winner is determined by the amount of health remaining in both players' meters. If the amount of health is the same for both players, then the round is a draw.

Street Fighter IV

Ken's depleted Health Meter.

In Street Fighter IV and its sequel Super Street Fighter IV, if a player is hit while charging a Focus Attack, damage is not dealt normally. Instead, a provisional amount of damage is done. This "provisional damage" is represented by a faded gray segment of the health meter, which replaces some of the player's health, instead of losing it outright.

The health meter recovers gradually to what it was, with health slowly filling the gray segment, if the player is not hit again. If the player is hit again while recovering heath, however, the amount of health represented by the gray segment which has not yet recovered is permanently lost, as well as whatever other damage the second attack inflicts.

Gallery

Street Fighter II

Super Street Fighter II

Street Fighter Alpha

Street Fighter III

Street Fighter IV

Street Fighter X Tekken