As is customary when a new fighting game is introduced, information about the game’s launch roster of characters is slowly trickled out between the initial trailer and the game’s release date. Since the debut video with the incredibly wide Ryu gave us our first peek of the new graphic style, Capcom has been progressively showing out the characters of the day one roster at different events for Street Fighter 6.
The difference this time around is that Capcom has verified the names of all eighteen playable characters in Street Fighter 6, including both returning favorites and brand new additions to the franchise. However, they have not yet seen all of the characters in action, so while there are a few names in the base roster who have appeared in past titles, we do not yet know how they will play. All the confirmed identities from Capcom’s Street Fighter 6 roster are here, along with some background information on the characters we’ve played as so far.
- Chun Li
At this point in her life, Chun Li has matured into something similar to a martial arts master, and she has abandoned her earlier drive for revenge. Again, she’s a character best suited for the technical player, what with her high movement speed, new stance, and arsenal of offensive and defensive options (including her signature excellent pokes and command normals).
- Luke
Luke, the game’s final playable character and the presumed protagonist of Street Fighter 6, is more at home in the new game than he was in SFV, where he was near the top of the tier list. His special attacks may be charged to deal extra damage and chained together in combinations to wipe off a lot of an opponent’s health bar. He has a current MMA style that hits like a truck. Someone of significance at Capcom must be a big Luke fan, as he now has an air fireball to boot.
- Juri
The fan-favorite from Street Fighter IV who keeps getting included in new games plays quite similarly to her prior incarnations, somewhere between her Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V appearances. While she still uses Fuha stocks to “save” energy for use in specific moves, this concept is not as crucial to her success as it was in Street Fighter V. None of her special moves require stocks to activate, but expending a stock now extends the duration of an existing special move or gives it other qualities, allowing her to perform larger combos and deal more damage. Not to mention, she regained her divekick, an invaluable asset for any protagonist.
- Ryu
It comes as no surprise that Ryu ranks on the list, albeit he has had a minor makeover to reflect his more mature viewpoint after defeating the Satsui No Hado. He’s started to develop a beard. Legendary attacks like the Shoryuken, Hadoken, and Tatsumaki Senpu Kyaku, along with a few additions, give him the ability to control the play area and deal a lot of damage for a small investment of time and energy, making him an ideal character for beginners to learn the ropes of Street Fighter with.
- Ken
After hitting rock bottom, Ken found work in the Metro City dockyard. The once-immaculate billionaire playboy is now a slob who wears a bulky duster coat over what little of his classic look is visible. Despite the cosmetic refresh, he is still the same aggressive character as seen in the vast majority of the games.
- Guile
After decades of just having two, this time Guile has three unique techniques under his belt. He has always been able to dominate both the horizontal and vertical dimensions with his Sonic Boom fireball and subsequent Flash Kick. With Street Fighter V, the V-Skill Sonic Blade is a regular special move, a static missile that can be utilized as a shield, to boost the power of a Sonic Boom, to disrupt the opponent’s rhythm.
