Street Fighter 6 is almost here, and it’s looking to be the most newcomer-friendly Street Fighter title yet. With a robust launch roster of eighteen characters in its June 2nd release, there’s a character for everyone to pick up, whether players prefer the offensive rushdown of Juri and Ken, or the defensive screen control of Guile and Ryu.
However, with the current open beta on the go, players may be wondering which of the eight characters available would be best for them to pick up and play in the short time allotted. Thankfully, a large portion of the cast are fairly simple, especially when using the new ‘Modern’ control scheme, so new players can easily hop in and enjoy Street Fighter 6with little to no experience.
5 Luke
Arriving as the new face of the Street Fighter franchise, Luke is clearly designed to attract new players with his cool-guy attitude and self-confident charm. Luke’s normal moves almost all advance him forward, helping him close the gap and get in on his opponent. His special moves include his fast-moving fireball Sandblast and his anti-air attack in Rising Uppercut, both useful for helping new players understand how to poke at enemies from a distance and defend from jump-ins. His Level 1 Super Art, Vulcan Blast, can be used to finish juggle combos out of light or OD Flash Knuckle, as well as punishing reckless fireballs from full-screen.
His signature special move, Flash Knuckle, has three unique versions depending on the strength of the punch used, and can be held down to charge for even more damage. As these different Flash Knuckles are intuitive in how they can be used in combos – light Flash Knuckle combos out of light attacks, medium Flash Knuckle combos out of mediums, etc – and can often combo into each other, players who pick Luke will quickly get to grips with how Street Fighter’s combos function.
4 Ryu
Having served as the protagonist of the series for 30 years and staying similar to his original appearance throughout, Ryu is easy to pick up and play. Keeping his classic Shotokan moveset, Ryu can use his Hadoken fireball to keep opponents away, his Shoryuken to anti-air, and his Tatsumaki Senpukyaku to advance forward and phase through fireballs. Combined with his long-reaching and relatively fast normal moves, this all-rounder moveset is perfect for players who want to steadily learn the basics of Street Fighter.
In addition to his classic moves, Ryu can also use his Donkey Kick – a quick straight kick perfect for ending combos, or extending with its OD variation – and Hashogeki – a close-range energy blast to maintain pressure – to keep opponents in check. His Level 1 Super Art, Shinku Hadoken, is especially useful for tacking on extra damage to combos and countering opponent’s projectiles on reaction due to its speed and projectile priority. Ryu has been the jack-of-all-trades for years, and is still a solid option for new players to learn Street Fighter 6.
3 Ken
The yang to Ryu’s yin, Ken returns in Street Fighter 6 with his familiar rushdown take on Ryu’s Shotokan fighting style, making him welcome to players who just want to go all out and hit as many attacks as they can. Ken maintains the Hadoken, Shoryuken and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku, but each are a little faster and further moving than Ryu’s to encourage advancing forward – his Tatsumaki Senpukyaku also acts as a juggling combo-extender rather than a single hit, allowing juggles into Shoryuken or Super Arts.
As well as these Shotokan classics, Ken also has a unique command dash activated by pressing two kicks simultaneously, which allows him to move forward quickly and cancel it into special moves or an overhead kick; Quick Dash can also be performed during combos to take opponents closer to the corner. His new Jinrai Kick is a spinning roundhouse that can cancel into three different followups for an overhead hit, a low hit or higher damage respectively. Dragonlash Kick is also an effective combo-ender that can swap sides if the OD version is used. Overall, Ken offers a slightly faster version of the classic Street Fighter gameplay for players who want a little more fire in their moves.
2 Guile
The eternal family man, Guile may be one of the simplest characters in the beta, especially at new players’ lower level of gameplay. With only three special moves, players can quickly understand how Guile wants to play Street Fighter 6: keep the opponent away with Sonic Boom projectiles and deny their jump-ins with reversal Flash Kicks. Unlike most other characters in the beta, these moves are performed with charge inputs – holding a direction for around a second before quickly inputting the opposite direction and the attack button simultaneously. This can be a small hurdle for players who may be used to motion inputs such as Ryu’s quarter-circle-forward Hadoken input, but once players get the hang of it, Guile will make their opponents feel like he’s impossible to get in on.
Guile’s new special move, Sonic Blade, summons a stationary projectile that can be used to make opponents second guess moving forward or, more interestingly, increase the power of any Sonic Boom that is fired through the Sonic Blade. As such, Guile excels at defensively controlling space on the screen and ensuring opponents struggle to land a hit on him. His Level 1 Super Art, Sonic Hurricane, is best used to add damage to the end of a combo, but its diagonal variation (executed by pressing Heavy Punch specifically to activate the super) can be used as a backup anti-air if the player doesn’t have Flash Kick charged at the time. Guile has always been easy to learn and hard to master, making him a great pick for newcomers.
1 Juri
Basking in her opponent’s suffering, Juri excels at keeping the opponent exactly where she wants them. Her long legs make up the majority of her moveset, giving her excellent range on her normal attacks, and her high mobility makes her a terrifying force who’ll suddenly go from full screen to right next to you. Her Saihasho projectile is slow-moving and hits low, letting Juri follow it to start her pressure and make her opponents guess if they have to block high or low. Her Ankensatsu compliments this, being a jumping axe kick that hits overhead and can be used during combos alongside her Go Ohsatsu, a high-damaging roundhouse kick to end combos. If under pressure, Juri’s Tensenrin is a swift anti-air to get opponents off her; if opponents are jumping too much, her Shiku-sen divekick is quick enough to make them think twice.
Her signature special move, Fuhajin, can be used to enhance all of her other moves with ‘Fuha stocks’, which can be stacked to improve the speed and power of moves like Saihasho and Ankensatsu, to make Juri even more threatening. Her Level 2 Super Art, Feng Shui Engine, is unique in allowing Juri to cancel normal moves into stronger normal moves that she wouldn’t be able to otherwise, making even a single light attack connecting incredibly damaging for the opponent. Juri is perfect for players who want a little more versatility in their playstyle and wish to scare their opponents.
Street Fighter 6 launches for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on June 2, 2023.