What does S tier mean?
Basics · 4 min read
S tier means the very best, above A tier. The letter comes from Japanese grading systems where S stands for special or superior, a grade reserved for results beyond the normal top mark.
Every so often someone looks at a tier list and asks the obvious question: if the alphabet starts at A, why is there an S above it? The answer is that the scale is not alphabetical at all. It was imported.
Where the S came from
Japanese schools and arcade games commonly award grades of A, B, C and D, with an extra top grade above A for work that goes beyond what was asked. That grade is usually written S, standing for special, superior or sometimes just the English word super. Arcade and console games adopted it for end of level rankings, and fighting game players carried it into their character rankings.
When tier lists spread to English speaking communities, the S came with them. Most people using it today have never seen the original grading scale, which is exactly why the question keeps getting asked.
What belongs in S tier
S tier is not a bigger version of A tier. It is a separate claim. Putting something in S tier says it is not competing with the rest of the list at all. A good rule is that S tier should stay small. If a third of your items are in S tier, the tier has stopped meaning anything and you should push most of them down to A.
- S tier: in a class of its own, no real competition on this list.
- A tier: excellent, you would recommend it without hesitating.
- B tier: good, with a flaw you would mention.
- C tier: fine when nothing better is around.
- D tier: weak, you would only pick it if forced.
- F tier: avoid entirely, often used as a joke row.
SS, SSS, EX and Z
Once S exists, people invent things above it. SS and SSS turn up in gacha games and anime power rankings, usually for a single outlier. EX comes from games that use it for bonus or extra content. Z tier is unreliable: some communities use it as the highest rank and others as the lowest, so if you use Z, label it.
| Label | Usual meaning |
|---|---|
| SSS | One item, far beyond everything else |
| SS | Above S but below SSS |
| S | The best of the normal scale |
| EX | Special or bonus category, not always better |
| Z | Ambiguous. Top in some communities, bottom in others |
Do you have to use letters?
No. Letters are a convention, not a rule. Renaming rows to Love it, Fine and Never again often communicates more than S, A and B, especially for food, films or anything where quality is subjective. In the tier list maker you can click any tier label and type over it.
If you want the colours to match your new labels, tier list colours covers which shades people expect at each level.