Archive trawling reminded me of another gem:
For games you play, if you were banned from playing the characters you play, who would you play instead? (Please list what you're switching from, it's the point of the question)
Wow, good question.
Soul Calibur 5: Tira & Astaroth => Aeon or Raphael. I mained Raph in Soul Calibur 2, and I've always been a fan of Lizardman. Aeon also has good throws, so he'd probably be my first choice.
Dead or Alive 5 LR: Leon => Bass and maybe Pai. I don't play Bass mainly because I like Leon's mix of a brawler/grappler while Bass is a pure grappler. So, without Leon I'd go to Bass. Pai is also a character I wouldn't mind learning how to play.
Virtua Fighter 5 FS: Taka-Arashi => Uh....Goh or Pai. I honestly don't know how to play any other character as effectively as I do Taka in VF.
Guilty Gear XRD: Potemkin => May. To me, May is the second most effective grappler in Xrd outside of maybe Sol, but I don't like playing as Sol.
Mortal Kombat X: Kotal Khan & Tremor => Ferra/Torr. I initially mained Ferra/Torr when MKX dropped, but I stopped playing Ferra/Torr when the other characters I played got much better, and F/T didn't get a lot of improvements. I would consider F/T to still be weak, but they would be my go to if my mains were banned.
Killer Instinct: Thunder & Aganos => Hisako or Kan-Ra. I like characters who have command throws and
BIG FAT normals. Hisako falls into this category. Kan-Ra I also like but he's hard to play.