I just recently got an XB1 and KI. I’ve never played KI before, so all the characters are new to me. I played a ton of MKX on PS4, so I have some fighting game experience, but KI is entirely different in every way. Anyone want to give their suggestions on what characters to play as? I have no preference when it comes to them. Would be much appreciated!
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Depends on your playstyle. For beginners,I suggest Sabrewulf or Jago. Sabrewulf is a rushdown character and if you are good at close range,you will do descent. Jago is a more balanced character he is good at every thing but excellent at nothing. Try dojo mode. I think it can help you.
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Welcome to the community!
The dojo will give you a good rundown of KI’s basics and some of Jago’s unique properties, but every character in KI has interesting things to them – really it depends on what you like to play.
If you don’t have any early notions, as @Sasuke99I just said, Jago or Sabre are easy to pick up. From there, just explore and have fun.
Nice RE ref in your Nickname, btw.
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Welcome to Killer Instinct, friendo!
If you’re looking for easy characters to learn, I have a few suggestions.
-For a character that has a dedicated tutorial, and a tool for just about any situation you can find yourself in during play, pick Jago. He uses a basic Ryu style Shoto move set, and is flexible enough to keep pace with everyone else in the cast. For other variations on this style, try Fulgore, Omen, and of course Shadow Jago.
-For simple characters with simple game plans and easy controls, I recommend the back-forward/down-up rushdown characters. Sabrewulf is probably the standout option for beginners, but TJ Combo and Riptor are both pretty easy to learn while remaining competitive. Orchid also has a solid rushdown game.
-For zoning, Glacius and Kan-Ra are the shining stars. They are much harder to master, but do their jobs exceedingly well. Fulgore also does really well.
-Wanna grapple? Thunder is the chief for a reason. Hisako also does well here, and TJ and Kan-Ra even have some grapply elements.
-Aganos is your tank. If you like armor, you’ll like him.
-Looking for a challenge? Ready to chase down projectiles and drive people crazy with your air game? Sadira, Maya, Cinder, and Spinal all like to use their tools to confuse and annoy.
-If you’ve played Marvel vs Capcom, ARIA will seem familiar. She plays more like a team of fighters rather than one.
Hope it helps, even if it is a bit long of a read. Look forward to seeing you learn and improve, comrade!
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Ok first:
Welcome! We are glad to have you. I was going to post a whole short explanation of the characters, but @Fwufikins beat me to it. So I will leave you with this. If at anytime you are trying a character, and need help getting advanced Tech down, be sure to let any of us know! We will be glad to share what we know, and help you improve. I main Jago and TJ Combo, so at anytime you need a question because you have chosen those characters or need help, feel free to ask me, or any of the lovely people on the forums.
In the words of the announcer:
FIGHT ON! 
Edit: Love the Reference in your name. One of my favorite series!
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First RE had some great lines 
For fun factor, I’d say Sadira. She has a nice element of “do what the heck I feel like” to her 
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Thanks for all the replies! Gonna try and learn TJ, Fulgore, and maybe Orchid since they seem to peek my interest the most. Thanks again!
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Welcome! The characters are so diverse in gameplay that no character plays alike. So even if the ones that you mention don’t work for you, then there are still 10 others that might fit your style of play.
If you don’t mind the challenge and not necessarily want the easiest to start, Aria can be pretty fun to play. Only character with Marvel type assists and three different bodies with their own arsenal of tools. Health is divided over the three bodies and keeping them alive is a strategy within a strategy. One mistake can take away one body easily. Again, if you are a patient player, maybe Aria.
Be unique! Don’t play Jago, there are way too many and you’ll mostly play mirror matches online if you do!
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Lol It’s JillSandwich’s choice.
Welcome to Killer Instinct!
I see a lot of people are mentioning Jago and Sabrewulf as good picks. If you wanted to learn how the game works better, I’d pick Jago out of the 2. Not only is he the character they give you in Dojo, but he also teaches you about stuff that’s important to know for fighting games in general. After you play him for a while, you start to pick up on things and it transitions over to the other characters too. Then before you know it, you’ll be playing all the characters and become the master of unlocking!
This game does have a good variety of characters though. Probably the best ever IMO. You say you don’t have a preference now, but you will most likely develop one later down the line. Just try them all out and see which of them works for you (pick Cinder lol). Enjoy!
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In addition to the dojo, I’d also highly recommend you browse my KI Guide, which talks about all the system mechanics and characters in detail. It will hopefully help you on your way to learning the game!
My guide is here: http://ki.infil.net
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If you’re not comfortable doing DP motions I suggest not picking a character that has that motion because enders are important and DP’s are usually the damage enders which you will need to do on occasion.
I picked up Sadira just because of that reason. She teaches you the importance of cross ups and grabbing. I would recommend her. I later learned Jago when I fully grasped the system and although I can’t say I can reliably make the DP motion 100% of the time I can do it to end combos, just not to anti air to save my life. Hisako is really fun to but I’ve only tried her out a bit.
Basically all three of those characters are fun to play, at least for me. Each has their own unique play style. Sadira is in the air often, Jago has all the basics. Hisako can be tricky if you learn to counter appropriately .
Basically, you should start with a season one character. It’s not that they are better than season 2 characters (in fact I like the season 2 characters more) but there is definitely less to learn from the get go and will make the game seem a lot less intimidating.
Darn, you beat me to it! :’(
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Interrsted in Fulgore? I can help you:)
I would definitely recommend any of the Season 1 cast. I would also recommend looking out for Shadow Jago available for purchase soon. While he is a bit more technical, he is fun to use and worth a shot. The easiest Season 2 character is Riptor, in my opinion. Go to combo breaker training! Once you understand how KI works it’s pretty much like cocaine.
just try everybody and pick the one you like the most.
if you have a favourite archetype, the choice would be easier.
Remember to drop buy here to catch up on the game’s specific mechanics mentioned
http://ki.infil.net/
Jago, Sabrewulf and TJ Combo are probably the best for any new/low level player because they have special properties to their Auto-Doubles which allow the continuation of combos without having to input special moves known as Linkers.
Jago can follow a Heavy > Medium > Light pattern with his “Around the world” AD ability. This builds up a small chunk of Instinct for Jago after each successful pattern of 3, but it also builds Instinct for the opponent as they are getting damaged!
Sabrewulf can use the same AD over and over again to continue a combo. It is called Rabid Doubles. You can mash any same button over and over again until the KV (combo) meter reaches full and the player falls down or you end the combo yourself. (which ever comes first)
The above 2 characters are what we call “easily readable” with their animations and can be Combo Broken by players with relative experience. Usually these AD’s are used when an opponent is “Locked Out” or the player is risking a “Counter Breaker.”
(again, that link above helps to learn the lingo).
TJ Combo can Auto Barrage by cancelling one AD into another, any strength as long as it isn’t the same repeated, which, unlike the above 2, can be used without being as easily broken (because it’s as random as the player inputting it).
It takes specific timing to not drop TJ’s combos but the mechanics of his moves help elevate Jago and Sabrewulf inputs into a more methodical use.
Shadow Jago is WICKED AWESOME with his Auto-Double properties of going in any direction of strength but his overall moveset is what I would call “advanced.” And unlike Jago, Shago doesn’t gain Instinct bonus… He does however seem to gain a some decent potential white damage.
Omen is another awesome character but he too is for the more advanced player as he has some very random setups due to his chaotic nature. His AD property allows him to move up strengths opposite to Jago, ie, Light > Medium > Heavy. Every chain of 3, called the Demon Loop, will lockout the opponent’s Shadow Meter resource for a short time (so they can’t Shadow Counter or use a Shadow move to open you up.)
If you are someone that can use Scorpion or Quan Chi in MKX and hold their own, or just have fun using them period, Shadow Jago and Omen maybe worth the learning curve.
Again, these are listed because of their AD properties 
I’ll toss in Riptor as special mention as she can mash her Heavy Punch for flame attacks and Heavy Kick for tail attacks that can open and continue combos. The flame breath also destroys normal projectiles without having to input a projectile move.
She is very easily readable with her moveset BUT she’s also a lot of fun because of her Predator stance/Instinct and opening up opponents is a very mind and character specific combo.
If you like a lot of stick inputs and Shago or Omen are too much but the other 3 aren’t enough, Riptor may be the clever girl you’re looking for.
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Tons of excellent advice above. So all I have to add is - welcome! 
There’s some great people on this forum to play KI with. Feel free to add me to your friend’s list if you feel like playing a set!