- Primary Subject: Fighting game etiquette
- Key Update: Discouraging one-and-doning and rage quitting in fighting games.
- Status: Live
- Last Verified: 2026-04-10
- Quick Answer: You should finish your sets in fighting games, discouraging unsportsmanlike behavior like rage quitting and one-and-doning.
This has been an incredible week for fighting games. Between the release of Akali in 2XKO and Jam alongside the massive 2.0 changes to Guilty Gear Strive, I've been feasting. Haven't even had the time to catch the Invincible VS open beta.
This resurgence of the genre, and in particular the amount of interesting content that dropped these past few days, has brought an influx of newcomers willing to try out the genre. It has also accentuated an issue with those looking for instant gratification: one-and-doners and ragequitters.
It's part of fighting games, don't get me wrong. You'll eventually run into players who care too much about their ranked points or who don't want to run it back after robbing you with a cheap setup. But the number of people I've come across that either quit or don't accept a rematch (or leave if they win the runback, leaving the set 1-1) is staggering. And I'm not alone.
For the vast minority who don't understand why this is a big deal, allow me to explain.
Why Is One And Doning Frowned Upon?
Technically, there is nothing wrong with simply playing a game and leaving. But it's an unsportsmanlike behavior in a fighting game.
Take, for instance, a competitive shooter like Overwatch. In ranked, both teams have to attack and defend an objective. Same deal with Valorant or CSGO, as both squads have plenty of rounds to adjust their strategies.
In competitive Pokemon you have to set up a plan, prepare for what you think your opponent might run with, and adapt on the fly if things aren't going your way. All of these genres allow for said adaptations to take place over the course of their usually lengthy matches.
Fighting games don't have the luxury of taking upwards of 15 minutes per match, let alone anything beyond that. Players have to be even faster with their reactiveness and adaptability, which is why playing a single game is sometimes not enough, especially if we're considering the high-damage threshold of modern fighting games. You can guess wrong a couple of times in Street Fighter 6 and lose a round.
There's no denying that fighting games can be incredibly snowball-y, which is why it's common courtesy to at least play a first-to-three. There's more leniency in casual people tend to relax their muscles and play a bit differently than in a proper competitive environment, but in competitive, it's frustrating to see people one-and-done consistently.
The magic of fighting games is seeing two people of equal skill level adapt and overcome one another, leading to more complex layers of mix and other tricky setups to make your opponent whiff or fall for a spacing/frame trap.
New players who want to instantly be "good" at any game within the genre will likely point fingers and blame the "sweats," for ruining the vibes. The reality of the situation is this: if you think like this, you're a scrub, and you likely didn't even intend to give fighting games a real shot.
However, if you're experiencing a dash of frustration but want to continue improving your game, just know it's perfectly normal to feel like everyone else is just outright better. That's not too far from the truth, but that also means you have a massive room for growth.
Just, please, finish your sets.
And that's it. Stick with us at Gfinityesports.com: your go-to source for all things fighting games.