The Master System port of Renegade is easily the best version of the game. Its graphics and sound are so good that it could almost pass as a Genesis title. It features the same intense, technical combat as the original and has the extra stages introduced in the NES version. It’s also the only Renegade game without a corresponding Kunio title in Japan.

River City Ransom is a beloved two-player RPG/brawler hybrid from Technos. In Japan, it’s part of the prolific Kunio series. You walk around an open city, fighting rival gangs to collect money so you can buy new moves and eat food that increases your stats. Every enemy has a unique name, face, and even dialogue. The soundtrack channels Renegade with its super-catchy rockabilly riffs.

Rollergames is a unique rollerskate-based single-player brawler from Konami. It puts a strong emphasis on platforming and auto-scrolling stages. It has that classic Konami feel with catchy music and faceless, proportional characters as well as a fair yet steep difficulty curve.

Streets of Rage on the Master System is a slightly scaled-back port of Sega’s immensely popular Genesis brawler. It has all the characters, enemies, and stages of the original, but it’s a single-player game and you only fight two enemies at once. Its soundtrack is a mix of both Streets 1 and 2 music.

Streets of Rage II on the Master System is a pseudo-port of Sega’s revered Genesis brawler. Although Axel, Blaze, and Skate all feature complete movesets, Max is missing and several stages were omitted and replaced with originals. It’s also single player and you only fight two enemies at a time. Its soundtrack has both renditions of Streets II music as well as new compositions by Yuzo Koshiro.

Super Chinese 3 is the third game in Culture Brain’s offbeat brawler series. Like its predecessor, known as Little Ninja Brothers in the US, it’s a hybrid RPG/brawler where you travel around an open world, buying items, solving quests, and talking to people. When you enter combat, the game becomes a brawler. This game never made it out of Japan.

Target: Renegade is a sequel to Taito’s arcade classic developed by Ocean Software. Its gameplay is a huge departure from its predecessor and features directional-based attacks. It has a rockin’ soundtrack that does the original proud.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II - The Arcade Game is port of Konami’s classic arcade brawler featuring your favorite green-skinned shell-heads. It has slightly reworked combat and stages. It’s also known for its Pizza Hut endorsement, and the back of the manual has a coupon for a free pizza.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project is the NES-exclusive sequel to TMNT II from Konami. It refines the combat of its predecessor and adds death-blow attacks that can be used at zero health as a last resort desperation move.

The Adventures of Bayou Billy is a one-of-a-kind hybrid brawler/light-gun shooter/driving game by Konami for the NES. You play as Billy, basically an American Crocodile Dundee, who has to rescue his cousin/girlfriend Annabelle from the clutches of Godfather Gordon. Its combat is a straightforward punch/kick system with a handful of weapons including whips, sticks, and guns. This game is well-known for its brutal difficulty and super catchy music.

The Adventures of Gilligan’s Island is an adaptation of the beloved TV series developed by Bandai for the NES. It barely qualifies as a brawler. Although it has 3D movement and a combat engine, the game is mainly about avoiding enemies like boars and snakes so you can escort Gilligan through various traps to fulfill mission objectives.

Toxic Crusaders is a single-player beat ’em up from Bandai that’s based off of the cartoon show that’s based off of the Troma film of the same name. You play as the titular Toxic Crusader as he literally mops up the town. Its gameplay is fairly standard although very difficult.