I'll consider it, but I don't immediately go for the top tier characters. A lot of my favorite characters are mid-tier. I'll opt for playstyle over tier list position. Some of my favorite characters from fighting game series I've played:
Guilty Gear: Ky, Anji, Millia, Jam, Johnny
Street Fighter: Ryu, Guile, Cammy, Chun Li
Soul Calibur: Siegfried, Nightmare, Raphael, Ivy
Tekken: Jin, Kazuya, Lei, Nina, Bryan
Super Smash Bros: Marth, Ike, Link, Ganondorf, Ryu, Robin, Mega Man