Street Fighter 6 is finally here, and with it comes a new generation of combatants ready to join the fight. Luke, Jamie, Manon, Marisa, Lily, Luke and Kimberly have already made a huge splash among fans, quickly being accepted into the pantheon of world warriors.
With four more fighters confirmed to be on the way as part of Season 1 – Akuma, Rashid, Ed, and newcomer A.K.I – the stage is set for even more characters to enter the ring in Street Fighter 6. While A.K.I is a sign Capcom are willing to include entirely new characters as DLC, there are many veteran fighters who fans would love to see make a return.
5 Fei Long
Last appearing in Ultra Street Fighter IV, the Bruce-Lee inspired martial artist and action film star Fei Long is one of the original world warriors. Proficient in his self-made style Hitenryu, Fei Long is a master at pressuring opponents with flowing acrobatic kicks and heavy strikes, creating frame traps to crush their defense.
His Rekkaken – a multi-input rush punch combo – is the heart of his offense, and is the originator of the ‘Rekka’ classification of multi-input moves in other fighting games such as Kyo Kusanagi’s Shiki Aragami special move. While Jamie currently holds the mantle of Street Fighter 6’s ‘Rekka’ archetype character with his Freeflow Strikes, there is still ample space for this kung fu legend.
4 Twelve
One of the strangest members of the Street Fighter cast, Twelve is an artificial being capable of rapidly changing his form at will. Only appearing in Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Twelve’s slow and unorthodox moveset made it one of the worst characters in the game. As such, it deserves a second chance at viability in Street Fighter 6.
Able to extend its limbs beneath the ground to surprise the opponent, render itself invisible temporarily and create wings to glide, Twelve’s peculiarity is both its best quality and its original downfall. It could even use it’s Super Art X.C.O.P.Y to turn into a clone of its opponent, perfectly copying their moveset. As Twelve’s predecessor, Eleven, appeared as a quasi-playable character in Street Fighter V, it’s clear Capcom has not forgotten about their odd experiment.
3 Q
By far Street Fighter’s most mysterious character, Q has only appeared in Street Fighter III: Third Strike. Yet despite this limited appearance, Q has been the subject of speculation, fan theories, and headcanons since his debut. His face is covered by a metallic mask-like helmet and his body draped in a large detective’s coat, and he produces very little sound upon being hit. Considering all these traits, it is unknown if Q is even human.
Outside his ambiguities, Q is an explosive force on the battlefield. His Dashing Straight and Dashing Leg Attacks are incredibly fast mid and low attacks respectively that can be used to whiff punish reckless moves thrown out in neutral. Additionally, his Capture And Deadly Blow command grab can catch opponents continually blocking. His unique taunts also allow him to increase his defense, making him a walking tank. With a few cameo reappearances across the series, perhaps Street Fighter 6 is where the mystery of Q could finally be solved.
2 Alex
Originally billed as the face of the new generation of Street Fighter, Alex first appeared as the main protagonist of Street Fighter III. Intended to stand alongside Ryu, the Hulk Hogan-inspired wrestler didn’t make quite the same splash and didn’t reappear until Street Fighter V’s Season 1. Despite his initial cold reception, Alex has become a staple of the series over time, offering a slightly different form of grappling to the behemoth Zangief.
Keeping to his professional wrestling inspiration, Alex is the king of Power Bomb command grabs, slamming his opponent into the ground with a suplex and dashing up to keep the pressure going. His Head Crush and Air Knee Smash can also keep them guessing with overhead ground slams and air-intercepting flying knees. With Zangief and Manon confirmed as the game's resident grapplers, the stage is set for Alex to stroll into the ring alongside them.
1 G
The President Of The World instantly became a fan favorite upon his addition to Street Fighter V as part of Season 3 due to his boisterous personality, sharp dress, sophisticated showmanship, and unerring confidence in his presidentiality. As the incarnation of Gaia itself, G is warm and compassionate to all, viewing everyone as equal Citizens Of Earth and wishing to unify the world.
In gameplay, G draws on the earth to produce lava and gold to bolster his attacks. His G Smash Over and G Smash Under are quick and powerful dash attacks that can combo into one another, while G Impact is a command grab that launches opponents into the air for a juggle. Interestingly, all of these moves mirror Q’s special moves, just performed in a more refined manner, suggesting a connection between the two. Presidentiality, his unique levelling-up system, turns G into a high-damage monster if given the chance to reach Level 3, making him a heavily momentum-based character. With Street Fighter 6’s World Tour mode taking the player across the planet, it seems like the perfect place for the President Of The World to run for a second term.
Street Fighter 6 launches for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on June 2, 2023.