Many familiar fighters - and a few new ones - will be coming to the arena in Street Fighter 6, Capcom’s next installment in the Street Fighter series. The latest edition of the classic fighting game features a bold visual aesthetic, new control options, and three new play modes, all powered by Capcom’s RE Engine. Street Fighter 6 also introduces a few new combatants while welcoming back some of the game's most popular characters.
A total of 18 characters have been officially confirmed as appearing in Street Fighter 6, including three showcased in the State of Play broadcast on February 23, 2023. For players familiar with the series, the return of old favorites, like Chun-Li, Ryu, and classic Street Fighter 6 characters Dhalsim and E. Honda, may be the most exciting aspect of Street Fighter 6. But the introduction of several new characters also brings different, specialized abilities to the table.
Blanka
Blanka looks like a green wildcard, but the fighter is also of the most popular returning champions of Street Fighter 6. Blanka is actually rather placid, fond of children, his friends, and the environment. When angered, however, Blanka attacks like a wild man, unleashing the power of electricity to blast his opponents. Before he became a fighter, Blanka sold “Blanka-chan” dolls in his native Brazil; in Street Fighter 6, he can weaponize one of these dolls as an electrical bomb to lob at opponents.
Chun-Li
One of the most popular characters returning in Street Fighter 6, Chun-Li is a Chinese fighter with a wide array of costumes and hairstyles. An ex-Interpol cop, she remains dedicated to the cause of justice and teaches kung fu in her spare time. With her powerful legs and agile frame, Chun-Li deploys flurries of multiple, rapid kicks in combat, including a move that involves leaping into the air and kicking an opponent in the head.
Dhalsim
Dhalsim is another character returning with Street Fighter 6's roster. A yoga master from India with pupil-less eyes and long, rubbery limbs - presumably owing to his intense yoga practice - Dhalsim is serious, self-disciplined, and altruistic, fighting on behalf of the poor and downtrodden.
A pacifist by nature, Dhalsim uses his abilities to fight evil whenever necessary. In fights, he can employ his long, flexible limbs to launch ranged attacks. He can also teleport and breathe fire, making him a deadly and unpredictable opponent.
E. Honda
A physically massive, highly skilled sumo wrestler, Street Fighter's E. Honda is known to be friendly and honorable. His life goal, it is said, is to become the greatest sumo wrestler of all time and to spread his love of the sport worldwide. He is now confirmed to return for Street Fighter 6, as revealed at TGS 2022.
E. Honda's fighting technique stems from his sumo background, enabling him to use crippling headbutts, hand slaps, and throws to toss his opponents around the ring. As one of the most classic characters reappearing in Street Fighter 6, E. Honda should be a valuable addition to the roster.
Guile
Guile is an all-American hero: a fighter pilot, a patriot, physically and mentally tough, and a loving father and family man. Given his background in the U.S. Air Force, he commands the power of sound - including Sonic Blade and Sonic Boom - to tear up opponents from a distance. In the wake of Top Gun: Maverick's massive box office success, it could be that long-time character Guile emerges as a fan favorite in SF6.
Jamie
One of the new fighters confirmed to make a first appearance in Street Fighter 6, Jamie uses the Chinese drunken fighting technique. These intentionally sloppy movements make him highly unpredictable. He combines this style with breakdancing moves like spin kicks and handstands to defeat his opponents.
Juri
Juri Han and Chun-Li are enemies: While the similarly-aged Street Fighter legend Chun-Li seeks meaning in her battles, Juri fights for the pleasure of it, taking sadistic delight in inflicting pain on her opponents. Her fighting style is based on Taekwondo, the Korean martial art, and includes a variety of jumps and kicks. A character introduced in Street Fighter 4, Juri’s signature moves are the pinwheel kick and a Super Combo that launches fireballs at her opponent.
Ken
Ken Masters first appeared in the original Street Fighter game, and in Street Fighter 6 he remains the egotistical Alpha male he always was. His design has seen some changes, however, with SF6 adding more detail to the series' roster than ever before.
A playboy, a he-man, and a hero, Street Fighter 6 character Ken is a tough, flashy, and honorable fighter - arrogant but good at heart. Ken’s fighting style involves quick, heavy strikes from close range, making him one of the first characters players often master in Street Fighter.
Kimberly
Another new addition to the franchise is Kimberly, an African American ninja-style fighter. She is extraordinarily strong and a fan of ‘80s pop culture, always listening to tunes on her headset. She is also supremely fast and has a very high level of intelligence, which will make her a difficult fighter to anticipate in combat. She can use a surprise attack against opponents by concealing herself in a cloud of smoke. First revealed in a colorful Street Fighter 6 trailer, Kimberly’s association with hip-hop culture may be seen to embody a new direction in Street Fighter’s style and aesthetic.
Luke
Luke Sullivan is a young, cocky specialist in mixed martial arts with a background in the military special forces. He first appeared in Street Fighter 5. Luke has a powerful forward grab and a projectile-like attack called Sand Blaster, in which he traces an arc of orange energy in the air that repels his opponent.
Ryu
Like Ken, Ryu first appeared in the original Street Fighter and is considered to be the protagonist of the series, this time with a beard (per Street Fighter 6's State of Play trailer). Unlike Ken, Ryu is humble and respectful, a good-hearted warrior always willing to help others, though he also has a darker side that drives him toward achieving perfection, no matter the cost.
Also like Ken, Ryu has one of the most straightforward fighting styles, which makes him easier to master than other characters but also one of the easier to defeat in Street Fighter 6. Ryu tends to rely on strong, single strikes to floor his opponents, and his Hadoken, a powerful punch that channels the fighter's will and energy through the palm and out. Opponents have to jump or dodge to avoid this strike, ceding control of the playfield to Ryu.
Cammy
An indication that Cammy would return in Street Fighter 6 gameplay was leaked in June 2022, but the character was officially showcased in the February 2023 State of Play broadcast. Cammy first joined the series as a Doll, one of the young women kidnapped by series antagonist M. Bison and brainwashed to serve as his bodyguards and assassins. She later broke free and became a street fighter, retaining the skills she learned in captivity. Cammy is fast and quick, a close-range fighter without any real projectile abilities but the speed to dodge projectile attacks. She relies on a variety of kicks and rapid, sweeping attacks to floor her opponents, and specializes in cornering enemies to limit their movement and bring them down.
Dee Jay
A muscular, cheerful kickboxer and music expert from Jamaica, Dee Jay has been called the “Southern Comet,” owing to his speed and closing power. Dee Jay himself sees his kickboxing as a kind of dancing, like Luke in Street Fighter 6, and attacks with musical grace, style, and rhythm. He has a range of defensive options in his repertoire, including the Double Dread Kick, in which Dee Jay hops forward with one foot while delivering a roundhouse kick with the other, allowing him to close on an opponent while warding off a retaliatory ground attack. Unlike some other characters, Dee Jay doesn’t have much of a story role, but his abilities make him a fun character to play.
Zangief
Zangief - also known as the Red Cyclone, stands over 7 feet tall and weighs 400 pounds, making him one of the largest fighters in the game. Born and raised in the Soviet Union, Zangief remains loyal to Mother Russia and invokes his patriotism in every battle he fights. Zangief is a brawler and a wrestler and, like several other competitors in Street Fighter 6, his intense personality drives him to prove that he is the best at his craft.
As a classic Street Fighter character, Zangief is best wielded by more advanced players - at least, if one is using the system of controls from previous games - given the complex inputs required to execute his moves. He lacks range and can be slow to get moving, making him vulnerable to projectile attacks. But once he gets going, his moves - like the Spinning Piledriver and Flying Power Bomb - make him very hard to stop.
Lily
Lily marks a new globe-trotting addition to Street Fighter 6. The character, descended from the Thunderfoot tribe of Street Fighter lore, dresses in buckskin adorned with beads and feathers that echo her heritage as an indigenous person from Mexico. The two clubs that she wields in combat reflect traditional Aztec weaponry, and her small stature hides significant fighting prowess. The multiplayer game's 2023 release will finally allow fans to test out this strength.
JP
JP, another new addition to the Street Fighter 6 roster, appears to be the most senior member of the cast. With long white hair, a white beard, and a mustache to match, JP is dapper and well-dressed in a bright red vest and slacks, a white ascot at his throat. JP holds a cane, which can be used to strike down opponents at close range, but also wields mysterious powers that can be used to stranger effects. Like Zangief, JP hails from Russia.
Manon
As a world champion Judoka, Manon brings graceful skills and limber athleticism to each fight. She treats fights like performances, flexing her talent as a model while taking down opponents. She represents her home country by emblazoning the colors of the French flag on both her clothing and nails. As a new appearance, the character differences in Street Fighter 6 that Manon brings to the table will be playable when the game releases in 2023.
Marisa
The final new addition to the roster announced thus far is Marisa, a massively built adept in mixed martial arts. Claiming ancestry to ancient Greek warriors, Marisa takes inspiration from the Colosseum in her home country of Italy and showcases a gladiatorial look. Her skill in close-ranged fighting and big, powerful punches and kicks make her yet another unique character addition to Street Fighter 6 prior to launch.
Source: Street Fighter/YouTube