Street Fighter 6ushered in an all-new era for fighting games. Starting from scratch in any new fighting game can be a very daunting task, and the first major step you’ll need to take is choosing your character. Luckily, the game’s base roster features 18 fighters, featuring a wide variety of fighting styles to choose from.
Related:Street Fighter 6: Beginner Tips
The number of fighters can be overwhelming for those who aren’t familiar with previous games, but the size of the roster means there is a character for everyone. Most characters can be attributed to a certain archetype, and for those who know what they want in a fighting game character, these are the characters you may want to choose.
6All-Rounder: Luke
Street Fighter 6’s protagonist happens to be one of the most well-rounded characters in the cast. Taking cues from Ryu and Ken, Luke has every tool you could ask for in a fighting game character. His normals are good, he has a great fireball to keep opponents away from him, and he deals solid damage, so if you’re looking for a character that can do it all, Luke won’t disappoint.
Because of these traits, Luke is well-suited for any playstyle. Luke players are given the gift of choosing to rush their opponents down or play keep away, as well as the option to shift between both depending on the situation. While other characters may be stronger in these individual traits, few can do it all as well as Luke can.
5Footsies: Chun-Li
The queen of footsies is yet again an absolute menace in Street Fighter 6. Chun-Li’s best-in-class pokes make her a character that is most effective hanging just outside of her opponent’s effective range. With normals like crouching medium kick and standing heavy punch to poke with, as well as back heavy punch to whiff punish with, and you’ll be able to infuriate your opponents with her phenomenal neutral control.
Related:Street Fighter 6: Beginner’s Guide To Chun-Li
Chun-Li has some new tricks up her sleeve as well, most notably her all-new stance. She can enter a crouching stance that gives her access to plenty of moves, such as the ability to launch the opponent in the air, slide under projectiles, and extend combos. While she may have a steeper learning curve than most characters, it ultimately pays off as she is a very rewarding character to master.
4Zoning: Dee Jay
Dee Jay makes his first appearance since Street Fighter 4, and comes back with an incredible return to form. Dee Jay has some of thebest zoning toolsin the game, featuring three versions of his air slasher that all have their use. The light slasher is a fake fireball that can be used to condition opponents, the medium slasher shoots one fireball for some low-risk screen control, and the heavy slasher throws two fireballs, draining the opponent’s drive gauge and beating most other projectiles head-on.
Dee Jay’s zoning isn’t his only strength, though. Some of his normals make for some of the best drive rush usage in the game, particularly his crouching medium kick, giving him a quick moving low that results in a knockdown. For those looking to fight from a distance, Dee Jay is an excellent option.
3Rushdown: Cammy
Cammy once again returns for Street Fighter 6, and as expected she’sone of the signature rushdown fightersof the cast. Playing Cammy is all about pressuring the opponent until they crack. With tools like her divekick, very fast walking speed, and a barrage of attacks that are effective up close, blocking against her is an absolute nightmare.
Related:Street Fighter 6: Beginner’s Guide To Cammy
While she is effective up close, she can work from afar as well. With tools like her spiral arrow and some great whiff punishing normals, her speed makes her a great character to weave in and out with. Combined with some excellent anti-fireball options, and Cammy becomes a great character at closing the distance and fighting head-on.
2Power: E. Honda
There are plenty of characters in Street Fighter 6 that can pack a punch, though some stand above the others, and E. Honda is one of those characters. Street Fighter’s signature sumo wrestler is a force to be reckoned with, as his sumo headbutt and sumo smash are both very difficult to play around, and deal plenty of damage on hit.
He also has a buff that increases his damage even further, and upon activating his sumo spirit buff, he can evaporate his opponent’s health bar off of any conversion. Even when the opponent is in burnout, he deals plenty of damage, as his hundred-hand slap is great for chipping out opponents. E. Honda is an absolutely frightening character in Street Fighter 6, and his damage output is proof of that.
1Grappler: Manon
Grapplers are a well-represented archetypein Street Fighter 6, featuring a handful of options. Of the ones to choose from, Manon seems to be the strongest of them. Manon has some excellent pressure options, such as her medium punch that, while minus on block, opens up the door to some very strong RPS situations, especially if spaced properly.
The star of the show with Manon is her medals, though. For every command grab Manon lands, she gains a medal that increases the power of the next one. These medals cap out at five, but they do not go away in-between rounds, meaning that once she reaches max strength, she stays there for the rest of the match. While she isn’t the traditional tough guy grappler, those who love scooping their opponents with command grabs are sure have a blast playing as Manon.
