Dead or Alive 6 Last Round ships with one of the most complete rosters the series has seen, packing 29 playable fighters into the base game before a single piece of DLC enters the picture. Two more characters sit on the character select screen from day one, but unlocking them requires a separate purchase. Here's exactly who you get, what it costs, and how the free Core Fighters edition fits into the picture.
What is the Dead or Alive 6 Last Round base roster?
The base game includes all 29 characters that appeared in the original Dead or Alive 6, carried over without cuts. Every fighter you played in the vanilla release is present here, so returning players won't find any surprises on that front. The roster covers the full range of the series' signature styles, from fast strikers to grapplers built around throw setups.
If you're new to the series and want to understand how each character fits into the broader combat system before committing to a main, the Dead or Alive 6 Last Round beginner's guide breaks down the fundamentals worth knowing before you start grinding ranked matches.
Full base roster, 29 fighters
How do you unlock Mai and Kula in Dead or Alive 6 Last Round?
Mai Shiranui and Kula Diamond, both borrowed from The King of Fighters XIV, are visible on the character select screen from the moment you boot the game. That's intentional. They're not hidden unlocks tied to story mode or a grind. The only way to add them to your playable roster is by purchasing the Dead or Alive 6 Last Round x The King of Fighters XIV collaboration DLC.
Each character is sold separately, and each purchase includes five bonus costumes. The pricing follows standard DLC rates for the platform.
The re-purchase requirement is frustrating, but it's a licensing issue tied to the King of Fighters property rather than a developer decision. Both characters were confirmed at launch to be available as day-one DLC, so there's no waiting period involved.
Mai DLC unlock screen
What does the Core Fighters free edition include?
Dead or Alive 6 Last Round has a free-to-play version called the Core Fighters edition. It's a real way to try the game without spending anything, but it comes with a significant restriction: you only get access to 4 of the 29 base roster characters.
Those four fighters are:
- Kasumi
- Marie Rose
- Honoka
- NiCO
The remaining 25 base characters are locked behind the full game purchase, and the King of Fighters DLC characters require their own separate purchase on top of that. Core Fighters is best treated as an extended demo rather than a full product.
Dead or Alive 6 Last Round roster breakdown
More characters are confirmed to arrive through future DLC beyond the King of Fighters pair, though specific details on timing and pricing for those additions weren't confirmed at launch.
Kula Diamond DLC details
What DLC is coming after launch?
The King of Fighters XIV duo are the confirmed launch-day additions, but the development team has indicated more DLC characters are planned. Dead or Alive 6 had an extended DLC run in its original release, and Last Round appears to be following a similar model.
For players who want to get ahead on strategy while the roster fills out, the Dead or Alive 6 Last Round guides collection covers combat mechanics, matchup tips, and character-specific advice as new content drops.
DLC slots on character select
Should you buy the DLC characters?
Mai and Kula are genuinely distinct additions to the roster. Both bring King of Fighters-style mechanics into the Dead or Alive engine, which plays differently from the core cast. If you already enjoyed them in the original release, the re-purchase is the only real barrier.
For players who never picked them up, the five bonus costumes included with each character add some visual value to the transaction. Whether the gameplay difference justifies the cost depends entirely on how much variety you want in your character pool.
For a deeper look at how each fighter's tools translate into winning matchups, the Dead or Alive 6 Last Round combat and upgrades guide is the best next stop.